"Papyrus..." Ochako softly called as she approached him at the end of a P.E lesson.

"How are you getting on?" Her question was delicate, her eyes anxiously searching his face when he turned to her.

"I'm keeping busy," was all he could reply and he hoped he didn't sound too blunt.

It was the day after he and the girls had taken Sam back to campus after his breakdown by the fountain.

After falling into a deep sleep, Russ had put his brother to bed and used the opportunity to take proper care of him. Since losing Calli, his older brother had neglected to eat, sleep and bathe. So, while his grief-stricken sibling slept for the first time in days, Russ carefully stripped him out of his sullied t-shirt and jogging bottoms and threw them straight in the laundry. His heart sunk at how thin his older brother looked. Though Sam had never been as lean as Russ, he had once boasted a strong upper body beneath his scar. But lack of food and physical activity had left his sibling looking almost frail.

These past few weeks had been tough on them both, but losing Calli so suddenly had hit Sam the hardest. Though he never chose to admit it, Russ knew Sam had always been in love with Calliope. He thought back to how he had watched his two teammates dance together at the party. He had seen Sam whisper something to Calli that had made her smile. Had he finally told her?

And then to lose her the very next day...

When Sam finally did awaken, Russ had made him take a shower while he fetched them both some food. They never ate in the canteen anymore. Facing people was too difficult.

Russ laid out some fresh clothes and had been happy to see that his brother had finally shaved his face, though he had done a sloppy job and was cut in some places along his jaw.

When Ochako then asked, "and Sans?" Papyrus hesitated.

"He's doing better." And it wasn't quite a lie. He was indeed doing better, even if that meant he was now eating at least once a day.

Ochako seemed to relax at this news.

"We all miss her..." the girl croaked. Papyrus hoped she wouldn't cry. He wasn't ready to shed his own tears in public again. But she remained strong, clenching her fists as she titled her head to look up at him.

"But we'll find a way to bring her back!"

When she said this, he decided that he would have rather have seen her cry for these words were too cruel for him to hear. He knew there was little to no chance of reversing Calliope's quirk. But he smiled down at Ochako's hopeful face anyway.

And just when the monotony of the days threatened to send Russ into a downward spiral to match his brother, a villain attack in the city ignited a new lease of live in the younger sibling. The Japanese heroes had put out a request calling for any available heroes in the city to come to their aid. Sam had simply turned off the radio once the broadcast was finished and returned to his small plate of food. Russ, however, had pushed to his feet and marched out the door. It's what Calliope would have wanted. Though, relaying this to Sam

would have been unwise. So, leaving his brother behind, Papyrus set out to fight alone.

The villains were a gang of Anthropomorphic individuals who had been terrorising the city centre after a series of thefts. Mt. Lady and Woods were pleased to have Papyrus act as support, using his strong, bone-structures to protect any buildings and bystanders as they fought off the beastly villains. He was also used as a strong defence, erecting walls and shields to help them avoid injury. Papyrus' interference didn't go unnoticed however, and an infuriated villain with the face of a wolf singled him out. They fought hand to hand and Papyrus was almost knocked down on a few occasions. The wolf-man was strong and his sharp claws had managed to cut through his chest armour before Papyrus could take a swing. He stumbled backwards and took another blow, this time to the head. The villains claws ripped away Papyrus' helmet and recognition flashed in the wolf's eyes before Papyrus could restore his armour.

"You!" The Wolf snarled menacingly, spittle dripping from its jaws.

"You're the one from the T.V..."

Papyrus cursed under his breath. The wolf continued, glee now shining in its orange eyes.

"The American!"

The wolf began to laugh, a mocking, nasty laugh. Papyrus gripped at his sword, dust swirling about him as he restored his skull-helmet.

"Ah Yes! Now I remember! Your pretty-little friend made quite a nuisance of herself, didn't she?"

Papyrus began to growl and took a sloppy swing towards the villain who was now cackling in delight.

"Turning everyone to stone! How remarkable."

Another swing, another miss. He couldn't let him get under his skin. He had to remain focused. He had to ignore-

"It's a shame she turned herself to stone. What a waste of a powerful quirk and a pretty face..."

This time Papyrus made sure he wouldn't miss. The sharp edge of his bone-made sword cut through the Wolf's shoulder. He roared in pain and jumped backwards. His strong legs propelled him onto a low rooftop where he snarled down at an enraged Papyrus.

No, he couldn't lose his cool. He had to keep a level head.

"Ha!" The villain spat, clutching at his wound. Sadly, it was only shallow.

Papyrus gritted his teeth. His fighting was poor. He needed to concentrate but...

"Perhaps I'll go give her a visit, hmm?" The wolf sneered.

Papyrus' eyes widened beneath his helmet, his sword almost falling from his fingertips. From somewhere in the distance, he heard Mt. Lady cry out victoriously. It sounded like she and Woods has bested the other gang members. The wolf looked momentarily outraged but, after casting another glance down at the shaken Papyrus, sought to immediately enact his revenge.

Without even another mocking sneer, the wolf took off. He bounded at an alarmingly fast pace in the direction of the fountain.

"Calli!" Papyrus cried, and immediately began his pursuit. With a wave of his hand, his heavy armour vanished in a swirl of dust and ash. But this wasn't enough for him to catch up to the wolf's speed. He waved his hand again and platform-sized bones shot up form the ground. He leapt from one to another, using them to create a shorter path to the fountain. But the wolf was still faster. Papyrus' heart hammered painfully in his check as panic rose to his throat. He had to reach Calli before the villain did. He thought of her mournful statue sat by the fountain all alone. His scarf hiding her crying eyes and his brother's jacket covering her cold, stony shoulders...

With a final leap, he landed in the square where the fountain lay and was immediately hit by two emotions- shock and relief. For just ahead of him, blocking the path between the villain and Calliope, stood his older brother. His left eye blazed like a gas-fire and his left hand was a glowing blue fist.

"Sam," Papyrus panted, eyeing his sibling's dark expression apprehensively. Never in his life had he seen Sam look so sinister. Perhaps it was due to the fact he had lost the boyish roundness of his face, or that his usually lazy grin was replaced with an eerie snarl. His charming handsomeness had dissolved into a somewhat nightmarish appearance that Russ, only now, recognised in the cold light of day.

"I see! So you've both come out to play, hm?" Leered the wolf, glancing from one brother to the next. The cocky edge to his voice had depleted slightly now that he was outnumbered two to one.

"Don't you dare come any closer..." Sans warned, his fingers flexing. His voice was no longer the low and lustrous tone Russ was so used to hearing. Instead, it was a cold rasp that cut through the air as sharply as the bones Sans sent hurtling towards the villain. They punctured the concrete where the wolf had been stood only seconds before leaping out of the way.

"Why not?" The wolf leered, prowling with his eyes jumping from one brother to the next.

"I just want to say hello to- what was her name again?"

A slice of a hand sent more speeding projectiles towards the villain. He dodged, but only just. Papyrus held his ground, ready to make his move once he found an opening. He couldn't act too recklessly here, not with Calliope's statue at risk.

The villain cackled again.

"Ah yes! Calli, right?"

Sans visibly winced at the sound of her name.

"Yes! Calli! I remember how you pleaded for her to look at you..."

The villain's words seemed to have made Sans freeze up. His eyes were round and glistened with tears, the fire in his left eye had died down to nothing but a dull glow.

More sinister laughter and a flex of fur-coated muscle.

"Maybe I can make her move, hm?" He snarled and leapt towards a paralysed Sans.

"No!" Roared Papyrus as he rushed forwards. He swung his sword just as the wolf's body threatened to collide with Sam's and the action caused the villain to alter his trajectory. He skidded across the concrete a few meters from the two brothers as they stood before their teammate's stony body. Seeing his brother by his side caused Sans to snap out of his distressed trance. Papyrus heard him mutter his thanks.

The wolf growled as he rose to full height.

"Fine. If you don't want to share..."

And the brothers watched in disbelief as the beast's fur began to stand on end, the hairs glowing orange as his muscles pulsed beneath them.

"I'll have to just take her for myself!"

The wolf's jaws opened as fire began to swirl at the back of his throat. In a blink of an eye, it blasted a fireball towards them. It collided with a loud bang as it hit the wall of bones the brothers had created. They shattered on impact and showered them in ivory shards. More and more fireballs followed and, from behind their defences, the brothers could hear the beast advancing.

"Sam!" Papyrus bellowed over the sound of the blasts. But his older sibling had already reacted. He had thrown his arms around Calliope's statue and concealed them both beneath a protective sphere of bones. Once Papyrus knew they were both protected, he timed his next moves between blasts. Once the next fireball obliterated his wall, he burst through it towards their aggressor. It took the villain by surprise and he barely missed Papyrus' swiping blade. But Papyrus kept on advancing, each swipe pushing the wolf further and further from Calliope and his brother.

Just a little further. Gotta keep his eyes on me...

The wolf's reflexes were fast. He evaded nearly every swing, the blade only just slicing away some his long fur here and there. But it didn't matter. And just when the wolf's movements began to slow, the sound Papyrus had been waiting for hummed loudly behind him.

The wolf's eyes darted towards it and his pupils dilated at what he saw. Floating meters above the fountain and the bony sphere that concealed Sans and Calliope, was the monstrous skull of dragon with its toothy mouth agape. The white hot ball of energy building in its jaws hummed loudly. And before the wolf could register what he was looking at, Papyrus erected walls along the entire perimeter of the square to contain the destructive blast that followed next. The GasterBlaster fired with a bang so loud that the surrounding shop windows shattered, even with Papyrus' walls protecting them. The concrete underfoot cracked and blistered as the searing blast engulfed the villain.

When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, all was still. Papyrus reopened his eyes and let down his walls as he approached the villain's charred body. Sirens began to sound in the distance as the police approached the scene of the blast. Perhaps firing the GasterBlaster was a bit drastic, but in the moment the brothers' combined fury had made it seem necessary. The villain was unconscious. At least they wouldn't have to explain killing him to the law. Villains in this country were meant to be captured, not killed.

Russ turned back to look at the fountain. Sans remained encased in his sphere of bones along with Calliope's statue. After checking the villain was completely incapacitated, Papyrus turned to walk towards his older brother. Placing a hand softly against the walls of the sphere he gently called.

"Sam?"

No reply. There was a chance the brother had passed out. Firing his ultimate weapon often sapped all the energy from him. However, on this occasion Russ knew that the battle hadn't been that taxing. The two of them had fought longer and harder battles back home in America. His brother was simply ignoring him.

"Sam. You can come out now. Calli's safe."

More silence, except for the whir of sirens. The police cars stopped at the edge of the square as armed officers spilt from their doors. They were accompanied by a normal sized Mt.Lady and her partner Woods. Russ overheard them explain the situation to the police who had now put the unconscious wolf villain in cuffs.

"Are you okay?" Mt. Lady asked, her face frowning anxiously as she approached Russ. She eyed the strange scene in front of her.

"Is that..." she began, motioning towards the sphere.

Russ nodded slowly.

"The villain threatened to harm Calliope. I couldn't keep up with him."

Mt.Lady's face adopted a sympathetic expression and she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. Due to the fact she herself worked with a partner, and potential love interest, she could empathise their pain.

"Luckily Sans was here. He protected her."

She squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. It was a gesture he was used to doing himself.

"And that blast we saw?" Mt.Lady asked, her eyes scanning the broken glass and cracked concrete.

"Sans' ultimate move." Russ confirmed.

If she thought that the blast had been overkill, she didn't mention it. Instead she just nodded sadly.

"I'll erm..." she glanced from Russ to the silent sphere, "leave you both to it. We'll have some heroes come and repair the damage to the street later on."

She thanked him for all his help before turning to join Woods who had been stood watching on the periphery.

Russ turned back to where his brother remained enclosed in his self-made, spherical fortress.

"Sam. I know you can hear me. It's time to go."

But Sam failed to respond once more. Heaving a breath, he placed his forehead against the wall of the sphere.

"Sam..." he tried again. This time, as he stood and waited for an answer, the sound of crying met his ears. His heart sank and the urged to break open the sphere and embrace his older sibling filled his entire being. Except for one small part of him that knew he should simply turn and leave. Which he did.

When Aizawa greeted him in the corridors of UA later than evening, the steely eyed teacher had asked him about the villain attack. Russ explained in minimal detail. Aizawa's next question was about the whereabouts of the older sibling.

"Sam chose to stay behind with Calli." Was all he said.

The UA teacher had stared quietly but Russ refused to crumble. He knew that Aizawa was concerned about Sam's deteriorating mental well-being.

"He just needs time." Russ insisted.

But Aizawa did not look convinced.

The UA teacher had every right to be concerned. As well as everything that had happened with Calliope, a new villain had surfaced by the name of Overhaul. Russ was aware of the problems he was creating for UA but the principal had refused any help from him. Instead, the soft spoken mouse had urged him to focus on helping his older brother through his grieving process.

"I can only imagine how hard this must be for the both of you..." The principal had said after inviting Russ to speak with him one afternoon.

"Which is why you and Sans are both welcome to stay at UA for as long as you need. However, I must implore you to keep an eye on you sibling."

Russ had sighed, running a sweaty palm across his face.

"You are both grieving. But..."

And now it was the mouse's turn to sigh.

"Sans is clearly taking the loss of your teammate far worse than yourself."

Although Russ wanted to shout and scream that he too suffered daily from the loss of Calli, he knew that the principal's words were accurate. Though his heart ached and his mind was plagued by the memory of her, Russ was managing to keep his head above water. Sam, however, though it was he who had been the calm and collected one of the team, simply ceased to function. He was slowly drowning in misery.

"I'll keep my eye on him." Was all Russ could promise.

The next morning, Russ was distraught to find that Sam's spherical prison remained. The square had been closed off from the public while it awaited repairs so only he and his concealed brother were present.

He placed his hand against the bony walls and once again begged his brother to come out.

"You need to come home, Sam." He murmured gently.

But what did that even mean anymore? Where was home now?

'Home' used to mean America, where he and his brother shared an apartment with Calli. It overlooked the sea and was granted the view of beautiful sunsets every night. They each had their own room. The brothers had let Calli take the one with the most natural light. She had decorated it with tropical plants and elegant pieces of art. Shelves filled with romantic novels lined the wall behind her bed, which was always neatly made. The whole room smelt like sunshine.

Russ' room was the largest, it was filled with bold colours and depended on symmetry. Each thing had its place and everything was to be put back in an orderly fashion. It always infuriated him when Sam would purposely move something while he was out. It would only ever be something small, a pair of socks, a dumbell, a pot of hairstyling wax...but Russ would always notice and burst into Sam's room to complain.

Sam's room was the smallest. It had minimal furniture and the least decor. Sci-fi books would lay open on his desk for weeks while the sound of video games could be heard in the evening. There was one potted plant in the corner of the room that Calliope had gifted him for his birthday. Surprisingly, he had managed to keep it alive. His messy sock drawer always prompted a five minute rant from Russ, who often had to look through it to retrieve the socks his brother had stolen.

Despite this, it was always Sam's room that the three teammates spent the most time in.

There were many evenings spent squashed together on his bed watching a T.V series or playing on his game consoles. Though their living room was spacious and equipped with a HD flatscreen, there was something about Sam's little room that always brought the three of them together. Perhaps it simply radiated his relaxed aura that always drew people to him.

Regardless of the reason, Russ couldn't help but feel a wave of homesickness crash over him. They couldn't stay here forever, Russ knew that. But the thought of having to leave Calliope behind was almost too much to bear.

"Sam, please!" Russ pleaded, fighting the urge to start beating his fists against the barrier his brother had put between them.

"Come out!"

Hidden away from Russ' weeping eyes, a weary Sam rested against Calliope's silent statue. Inside the sphere was cold and dark. Most of the noises outside were muffled. But he could hear his younger brother's pleas as clear as day. He longed to answer him, but he was simply too weak to speak. His lack of food, sleep, water and sunlight had completely drained him. The use of the GasterBlaster almost had almost sent him into unconsciousness. But he had fought to stay awake. He couldn't bear the thought of waking up to see another villain had succeeded in destroying Calliope's statue. How he longed to hear her laughter again. To feel her hands on him. Even just to remember her scent. But her motionless, cold, stony figure bore no scent. At least not her own- not of flowers and sunlight. Instead, his lonely sphere contained the scent of the two garments that accompanied him- his jacket and his brother's scarf. They reminded him of home. How long would they stay in Japan in the hopes that Calli would be returned to them? But to leave her behind...

Tears rolled down his hallow cheeks as he heard his brother's footsteps recede.

The new voice awoke him with a start, his head slipping from Calliope's hard shoulder. He had lapsed into unconsciousness again, but for how long this time?

"Sans!" It called gruffly and Sam immediately knew who stood on the other side of the sphere.

"You gotta cut the crap and come back inside."

Bakugo's angry voice carried through the thick walls of his fortress.

"Your brother needs you, you know! You just gonna hide away in there forever?"

Sam heaved a sigh through cracked, sore lips. His body ached and his limbs felt heavy.

"This isn't what Calli would have wanted!" He barked.

A faint memory wandered across Sam's weakened mind. Bakugo had been the only student not to Calli by her nickname. At least until now.

"Get it together! You're not the only one grieving! Papyrus lost Calli too. And now he's afraid he'll lose his brother."

The sound of a fist colliding against the bones cut through the silence that followed. The structure shuddered under the impact.

"Answer me, you bastard!"

Just as Bakugo pulled his fist back to punch at the sphere again, the bones crumbled to dust. The teenager's eyes widened at the sight they revealed. Sans' malnourished body lay slumped against Calliope's statue. Though he was naturally pale, his personal neglect had sapped the usual brightness from his eyes and skin that prevented him from truly looking like a skeleton. Although, right now, he almost did look like an undead monster.

"Heya..." Sans wheezed, barely able to open his eyes to look at him.

"Damn it, Sans." Bakugo growled.

"You better be able to walk, you damn nerd..."

When Papyrus had opened the door to see Bakugo supporting his older brother around his shoulder, he had stalled in surprise.

"You gonna let me in, or what?"

Papyrus flustered, stepping back to let the UA student lead a barely conscious Sans to the bed.

"Keep an eye on him while I go get the old lady." He ordered, and Papyrus could only nod in quiet disbelief as Bakugo left to fetch Recovery Girl.

Over the course of the next few days, many of the students came by the Skelebros' room to visit Sans as he began his recovery. The boys would sit around his bed and relay what they had learnt in their training that day. Kirishima would occasionally compliment Sans' ever improving appearance and was the first to suggest he start working out with him once Recovery Girl said he was able.

As for the girls, they would all pile onto his bed and share laughter and stories with him. Sometimes they would mess with his hair, that was well due a trim, and he would playfully accuse them of taking advantage of his weakened state. It was a relief to finally hear Sam laugh, even if it was a little more hollow that before. Though their hearts were still broken, the brother's were beginning to heal together.

And then one day, after a lengthy discussion about possibly returning back to America, Deku had knocked on their door.

The teenager had spoken cautiously, his voice steadily tying to contain his excitement.

He had just returned from a mission. They had saved a young girl. Her name was Eri...