The others gathered in closer, clearly understanding that this was going to be an explanation that they wanted to hear. Asgore brought a chair over for Alex as the human started to sit on the floor but Alex waved him off with a smile and sat cross legged a few feet from Sans. Papyrus quickly followed suit and sat on the floor next to Sans's chair, a hand still on his brother's arm.

Alex rubbed at his face, looking exhausted, but he met Sans's gaze with a steady one of his own and a soft smile. "We live in the Underground, we being the collective of humans and monsters. Ours is one of many Undergrounds that were created to save humans and monsters alike after the war between the two turned the Overworld air toxic. Despite the success of the Undergrounds, though, the wear of time has hit some Undergrounds harder than others. We were one of the luckier ones, though not many would agree with me on that. The only thing to go wrong for our Underground has been the failing seals and we've been fortunate enough to have enough forewarning to do something about it. The Ruins - what was once known as Uva, the first section of the Underground - were sealed off just before the original seal broke, filling the Ruins with the toxic atmosphere."

Alex made an off gesture. "The majority of this happened long before my lifetime and even yours and Papyrus's. Though, I'm sure you two were created closer to the Ruins being sealed than I was."

The dry smirk that graced Alex's face with that statement was very reminiscent of Fate and the reminder of both the phantom and his dream was not welcomed. Sans suppressed his magic as best he could but his left eye still flickered with magic. Alex continued on, not seeming to notice the brief color change. "It was assumed that the seal between the Underground and the Ruins would hold long enough for us to find a solution but it hasn't. 77 years ago it was discovered that the seal on the Ruins was starting to fail when several kids were found dead near the doors and countless others becoming seriously ill." There was shifting from both Asgore and Toriel but Alex pressed on. "The leak has been contained but no one knows how long the patches will hold, let alone how long our resources for it will last so there's still a push to find a solution. You and I are part of what remains of the network of scientists across the Undergrounds that were tasked with finding a way to deal with the Overworld atmosphere. We were on our seventh experiment in two years when…"

The words fell short as Alex gathered his thoughts. He gained a soft, pained look as he reoriented himself. "Gods, it had to have been less than a month before your accident, but you had started muttering about being close. You had done that for about two weeks before I finally got out of you that you had been tinkering with some old notes and, while you thought you had some way of getting our seventh experiment to work, you wanted to share when you had actual proof of concept. I conceded and didn't push after that. I had no reason to. But, about the same time you started muttering about being close, you started to have night terrors. I hadn't pinned two and two together till…"

He let the words hang, nodding towards the screen behind Sans. It still bore Gaster's research. "I mean, nightmares were common between the two of us. With the stress of our responsibilities, it was to be expected, but the night terrors were new. At least, me waking you from them was."

Alphys called out from where she was sitting next to Undyne, wringing her hands. "W-were you really w-w-working with such h-horrible information?"

Sans frowned at her, confused. She blushed and ducked her head. She stuttered something that sounded close to "nevermind". Alex gained Sans's attention with a hand on the skeleton's knee. Alex explained, "Dr. Gaster's known for his not-so-humane research in his later years. You may have his notes and remember quite of bit from them, but many of us have only heard the horror stories. Don't get me wrong. The monster was brilliant. But he was also a very wicked monster. He reached a level of...well, violence that a scientist should never come close to."

Alex tightened his grip on Sans's knee. "I used to know you and know you well. If you were dabbling in Dr. Gaster's work, it was for a reason. I still trust you. Both in this and our seventh experiment. You haven't let me down yet." Alex leaned back, offering a half cocked grin that held a hint of a grimace. It was clear Alex trusted Sans enough to not push the issue but Sans wished he would. Sans didn't even know why he wanted Alex to push him. "Just, no sciency stuff till after your memories have returned a bit more, alright? No need to go and get yerself blown up again so soon."

The laughter in the room broke the tension and Sans conceded with a nod. A look flickered through Alex's gaze. Sans knew that the man was well aware he hadn't gotten an oral promise out of the monster and Sans could tell that the man understood why. Sans was not going to make a promise he could not keep.

Alex stifled a yawn as the others started leaving. Sans looked to Papyrus as the lanky skeleton stood. He found that, while he was wired after all that, he was still tired and bed sounded like a wonderful thing. He took his crutches from Papyrus and stood carefully, his brother's magic wrapped snugly around him.

Sans waited as Papyrus carefully helped Alex to his feet. The human swayed but he managed to remain upright. Still, Asgore had wandered over and placed a large hand on the slight human's shoulder. "Allow me to walk you to your room, Alex."

Alex gave the large monster a soft smile. "I'll be fine, sir."

"Let him walk you, Alex," Papyrus spoke out. The human turned his gaze to the skeleton but surprised Sans by giving in without a fight, heeding Papyrus's words. Papyrus waited till Asgore had started towards the door with Alex before turning to his brother. "Ready?"

Sans nodded and followed his brother out of the lab.

Papyrus snagged Sans the following day around midday. The duo ate a breakfast based lunch in Sans's room before the pair went outside and wandered the grounds of the lab. Sans barely spoke as Papyrus talked and talked, telling him all about what Sans had missed during his coma, from what recipes Papyrus had learned to what was new in the entertainment industry. Sans only had to reassure Papyrus once that he was quite alright just listening. Being able to just spend time alone with his brother was enough for him but to be able to listen to and watch Papyrus gush happily over how awesome his life was was icing on the cake.

"I am not sure how I would have made it through your coma without Alex's help," Papyrus commented off handedly as the pair rested on a fallen tree.

Sans blinked at his brother, curious. "What do you mean?"

Papyrus looked at him as if he did not realize he had just spoken out loud. When it finally registered that he had, in fact, spoken out loud, he grinned. "Alex is the one that found you and he stayed by your side to make sure that I did not worry about your wellbeing nor feel guilty about getting rest or leaving the lab. He even went out of his way to make sure I was getting enough food and rest," Papyrus blushed, looking away, "even going as far as drugging me so that I could rest when the worry got too much for me."

The blush vanished as Papyrus gained a dejected look. "I just wish he had not done so by sacrificing his own health."

Sans tensed, sitting straighter on the log. Papyrus gave him a worried look and Sans forced himself to relax. He asked, "What do you mean?"

Papyrus turned his gaze to his hands. "I know he was not eating well but I could not find a way to get him to eat. He would always say he was not hungry when I offered him some of my meal. Some nights, when I woke in the middle of the night worried, I would pause at your room to check on you and he would always be in the chair beside your bed. He would usually be up but there were moments when he was slumped in the chair asleep. It could not have been overly comfortable but I was afraid that if I covered him up or tried to move him, he would wake and he always looked so tired." Papyrus shot Sans a soft smile. "He never complained, though. He always kept me company when I sat by your bed waiting for you to wake up."

Sans gave his brother a half smile as a part of him couldn't help but wonder if there was more to the story. There had to be a reason why Alex would sacrifice himself for him, right?

The following days passed quickly. While small amounts of knowledge returned, Sans found that the progress was not where he would have liked it. He kept finding himself being surprised or even startled by his brother's behavior or actions. While Papyrus was very similar to the Papyrus he had dreamt about time and time again, this one wasn't naïve on any level and put up with Sans's horrible puns a lot better than the Papyrus in his dream. Sans had been astonished when Papyrus had even attempted at making jokes to get him to laugh. Each attempt worked, hands down, but it was weird having Papyrus worry about him like that. It made Sans's soul heavy to think that it was like Papyrus was attempting to make up for all the horrible things the lanky skeleton had no control over, let alone Sans.

He made the mistake of letting his mind wander and expand on that thought three times. Each time he ended up in a spiral of self loathing and feeling like he was suffocating. Thankfully, each time he broke down he was with his brother, which meant that he was talked out of the break down before it could get really bad.

It was still embarrassing.

Between the work to get him back on his own two feet without aid and the constant company of either his brother or Alex, Sans found himself answering the questions Alex had left him when he should be sleeping. He found he didn't want to face the nightmare or night terror that may or may not be awaiting him in sleep and so, in turn, he used the determination of getting the notebook back to Alex fully answered as an excuse not to sleep. No matter how many times he proved to himself that was the worst idea he could have chosen over sleep, he would still turn to the notebook late at night after everyone had gone to sleep and jot down answers.

He quickly found that he was slowly forgetting. Almost desperate not to forget, Sans listened to the recording Alex had made all those nights ago. This, in turn, made sleep impossible till he was too exhausted to stay awake. But he did it. It took about a week but Sans eventually answered all of Alex's questions, even the ones Sans wanted to burn.

There had been a good number of questions that had been beyond personal and insensitive but Sans found himself unable to not answer the questions. Part of it was that he was reminded that Alex was a scientist and sometimes the hard questions had to be asked. Another part of it was that Sans wanted to give Alex a complete notebook in exchange for watching over his brother when Sans could not. Sans glanced down at the closed notebook in his hand as he hobbled through the lab leaning heavily on his cane. With the notebook finally finished, Sans wanted to get it out of his possession as soon as possible.

His grip tightened on the bound paper. Hopefully he would have the determination needed to ask the question he had been sitting on for an entire week, consequences be damned.

He found Alex where he thought he would; down a secluded hallway and out onto an unused terrace tucked into the building's structure. It was hidden enough to be unseen by anything on the grounds and still have a grand view of the Underground. Alex was leaning on the railing taking a drag from his cigarette.

"Thought I'd find you here," Sans commented as Alex looked over his shoulder at him, letting the breath of smoke out in a quick blow.

Alex grinned at him. "Always here for a smoke break," he replied cockily, scooting over to give Sans room at the rail. Alex took another pull of his cigarette as Sans took up the offered space. There was a brief pause before Alex offered, "Good to see you getting out and about for some mostly fresh air on your own."

Sans gave a nod of agreement. The anxiety from the what ifs around his question eating at his soul, making it feel as if there was something pressing on his chest. Alex snuffed out the spent cigarette in the ash tray a few minutes later and was working on lighting a second one by the time Sans had gotten around his discomfort of the situation and offered the notebook to Alex with a simple, "Here."

Alex looked at him, newly lit cigarette dangling between slacking lips. Alex quickly plucked the cigarette from his lips as he took the notebook, asking excitedly, "You answered some of them?"

Alex started flipping through the pages as Sans corrected him. "I answered all of them."

The notebook gave a pathetic slap when Alex forced its pages closed. Alex's gaze locked onto Sans in an instant. Sans kept his gaze on the Underground. Several things flickered across Alex's face out of the corner of Sans's eye, regret settling at last on the human's face. "Sans, I…A lot of these were insensitive and extremely rude of me to even consider asking. You shouldn't have answered them."

Sans merely gave a shrug. Turning away, Alex leaned heavily on the rail, taking a long drag from his cigarette. He let the smoke out in a sharp breath as Sans commented, "You'd been right."

"Bout what?" Alex drawled, his lips curling towards a snarl as he brought the cigarette to his lips again.

Sans glanced at Alex. The look in Alex's eyes confirmed the bitterness had not been directed at the stout skeleton. He returned his gaze to the Underground as he explained, "When you said that time would muddle what I remembered. I had to listen to the audio you had recorded several times to remember what I had forgotten."

Sans caught Alex flinching beside him. "Sans, I–"

"I'm glad," Sans cut him off. "A part of me was desperately trying to bury what I had gone through and was trying to realign myself with this timeline. But you were right. You said that my experience had changed me, that the timelines had been beyond real to me. If you hadn't documented it all when I had first woken up, I doubt I would have been able to live past it."

Silence thick and tense settled between them. Sans didn't break it. The ball was in Alex's court now. Eventually, Alex put his cigarette out in the ashtray, offering, "I…" He sighed, changing his mind. "Thank you. For the answers."

Sans dropped his gaze to just over his crossed arms as Alex took his leave. "Let Pap read those if he wants to, ok?" he called out, hearing Alex's footfall stop somewhere behind him. He could feel Alex's gaze on him, could feel his own magic swirling in his left eye as he gathered the determination to go through with his initial question, and prayed to whatever deity was listening that the lights of the Underground hid the glow of his magic lit eye. Gods above, it had been a long time since he had been this anxious over asking a simple question.

"Sure," Alex finally responded. The human turned once more but Sans reached out blindly with his magic, his inner turmoil pushing him to make sure Alex didn't leave before he'd gotten the chance to form the words. He regretted the action almost as soon as he registered it.

The notebook slapped against the pavement near Alex's feet when Sans's magic wrapped around Alex's soul. The sound alone would have been enough to make him lose his hold but, instead, it was the sensation that would have made his skin crawl had he any skin. He could feel Alex under his magic, feel the human's pulse quickening, his breathing stuttering, and the soul that filled the body reacting to his magic in a way that was both fascinating and terrifying. It was foreign and familiar, causing Sans jerk back as if he had been burned. The magic fell away

"Sans," Alex questioned, his voice raspy and breathless, a hand gripping where the magic had been.

Sans shoved the regret aside as he rushed, "What were we before my coma?"

Alex gave a strangled smile, offering in confusion, "Colleagues, friends. I don't–"

"Pap told me what you did during my coma," Sans urged, his fists tightening convulsively as his magical eye flickered yellow. Alex flinched, hand pressing harder into his chest as the magic snaked out towards him again. Sans reined it back, unable to snuff out his eye "He told me how you would remain at my side just to ease his worry, how you stopped taking care of yourself in order to make sure he was healthy when I woke up."

Alex shook his head. "I wasn't about to let him run himself ragged," he urged. "You would have killed me if I had let that happen." A bitter smirk crossed the human's face. "Figuratively speaking."

"But why?!" Sans snapped, his magic flaring again. Alex jerked back, hitting the door hard as a pained gasp escaping him. Sans jerked back, unable to rein in his magic or his emotions. Alex looked at him, his eyes tearing up – whether from pain or something else, Sans couldn't tell – and an expression Sans couldn't read. Sans felt disgusting.

"Because at some point in the two years we've known each other, you've considered me family. You and Papyrus." Sans tried to gain control over his emotions and magic but Alex's words were making the chaos in his own mind and soul even worse. "I did what I did because I didn't want the two brothers that had taken me in to suffer when I could mitigate the damage, even if only a small extent."

"But we were nothing more."

The accusation was like a slap to the face and Alex recoiled from it, his eyes wide and the realization in them proving how sharp the human's mind truly was. Alex knew what Sans was unable to ask directly, the question Sans had been sitting on since his brother had told him of Alex's actions. A toxic blend of emotions created Alex's expression as he slowly shook his head as if to deny it all, stating, "You know I can't answer that." Sans broke his gaze from Alex, turning his head away. This is not how he had wanted this to go. Not at all. Alex pressed on. "And I know you know why. You're still highly intelligent, Sans. You would have gone through every repercussion to every single, possible response to that question, regardless if it was a lie or a truth." Sans looked back at Alex, a conflicted expression on his face. Alex tried for a reassuring smile. It didn't look right. "It doesn't matter what we were. What matters is what you choose from this point forward."

Something bitter coursed through Sans and it left a sour taste in his mouth. "That's not fair," Sans croaked.

Alex gave a dry chuckle. "Not sure how that's not fair. You get–"

"It's not fair to you!" Sans snapped, cutting him off. Alex flinched from the shout and Sans felt regret course through him again.

Alex blinked at him before laughing. It was too sharp and a tad too hysterical. Sans took a startled step back, his magic flaring briefly in response. Thankfully the flare had been more upwards than outwards, leaving Alex untouched. Part of it had been from the sudden laugh that sounded so wrong. Part of it was from the brief flicker of a distorted, glitching health bar at the bottom of Sans's vision, something that left Sans feeling as if he was back in his coma and he quickly shoved the sensation away as Alex spoke again. "Fair? Now how could that particular question be fair to either party?" Alex's expression tightened and Sans wasn't quite sure what he was reading in it. A part of his swore he saw sorrow. Alex pressed on. "Do you know how hard it would be to not feel or fear that the relationship was nothing more than an obligation? We're strangers, Sans, whether we'd like to admit it or not." Alex grinned but it didn't reach his eyes. "We act familiar with one another but we're not. I do it out of habit but there are moments – a very large number of them, mind you – where it is painfully clear you are not the Sans I remember. Oh, you're still our Sans, but you've lived through something none of us will be able to relate to. You've changed in such a short amount of time and we're still reeling from it." A tear escaped down Alex's cheek and he swiped viciously at it. He kept talking, pushing on as if he couldn't stop. "Whatever we had been, Sans, is a mute point. And the only one that can decide what happens from here on out is you."

"But that's not fair," Sans cut in sharply, his magic flaring in his confliction. Alex flinched at its touch. Sans urged, "You should have some say in it too. You're a part of the damn equation!"

Alex snorted. Sans bristled. "Sans, I cannot hold you responsible for keeping up a persona you no longer are. I have two years on you of memories! Information about who you were and what you were like. Half of it doesn't even seem to count anymore!"

Sans glared at him but hurt was seeping into his anger. Alex had a very strong point but stating it like that only made Sans remember just how much of an imposter he truly was. He took a step back, bumping into the railing. This whole situation was going to hell in a hand basket and Sans had no way of repairing any of the damage being created. He was suddenly reminded of the memory that had returned after his initial night terror, the memory of when he had used his magic on Alex for the first time.

Sans felt sick.

Alex lost the humor on his face as he spoke, "Sans. Life has never been fair to me. I was born with a heart defect and damaged lungs. The only member of my family that actually cared about me was my mom," Alex's voice cracked, several more tears streaking down his face as he fought to keep his composure; he rubbed at his wet cheeks to try and deny what they were showing, "till she died and then I was ostracized and shunned because of something I had been born with. I had to fight to get anywhere in school and I ended up with you." The smile that graced Alex's lips was heartbreakingly soft, nostalgic. Sans had the sudden urge to step forward, as if Alex would break apart if he didn't hold the man together. He shuddered, confused by his own instinctual reaction. Alex didn't seem to notice as he met Sans's gaze. "I'm glad for that last one. I wouldn't trade these last two years for nothing but it wasn't something I had initially had a choice in. We both fought it and each other in the beginning. It was a bumpy start but we figured things out relatively quickly." The smile fell. "Sans." Sans flinched but kept Alex's gaze. "Life isn't fair. But you have a devoted, loving brother and one stubborn human for a lab partner that you're stuck with and neither are going to leave you, regardless of how much you've changed. You're still our Sans, no matter what."

Sans's magic flickered out of existence, returning his left eye to an empty socket to match his right one as Sans dropped his gaze. Alex used the wall as support as he bent over to scoop up the notebook. He straightened, only to look unstable on his feet and unnaturally pale. Sans felt his magic surge forward again but he pulled it back, knowing that doing anything more would only cause more damage. Alex gave him a strained smile and Sans got the distinct feeling that Alex was hiding something just so Sans wouldn't worry.

"I'll make sure Papyrus has access to this," Alex assured, gesturing with the notebook as his smile fell. "And you as well. If at any point you want it back, just grab it. I'll just put it in a safe place."

Alex turned and left, leaving Sans alone on the terrace. As soon as the door clicked shut, Sans turned, reaching for the rail as his legs gave out from under him. Out of all he had expected to happen from him attempting to ask the question, this had not been it. He had not even humored the idea that this could have been a consequence. A sob wrenched itself from his chest as he pressed his face against the bars, berating himself for his stupidity. He should have never asked. He should have kept it all to himself. Now there was a gigantic rift between him and the only person beyond his brother that he seemed to be at ease with. He choked on a second sob as an unfamiliar grief tore through him. He couldn't even remember Alex and yet here he was grieving as if he had lost someone dear to him forever.

He was certain, in some way, he had.

It didn't matter. What was done was done. He curled closer to the bars as he fought to keep his magic from spilling out with his emotions and causing more damage than it already had. Gods above, he was a mess.

Not far from the terrace access, Alex was in his personal lab sitting against a wall, glasses discarded somewhere and his gaze on nothing in particular. He had walked into his lab, had gathered a stack of loose papers and books and had settled to get to work on the floor only to find himself staring off into space with his thoughts nowhere in particular. He came to when Papyrus suddenly appeared before him, a careful, solid hand on his arm.

"Ah, Papyrus," Alex commented, moving to stand. His face felt weird and he rubbed at it with the back of his arm. It came back a bit damp and he rubbed at his face to make sure it was dry. "I'm sorry. I didn't hear you come in. How was work?"

"Are you alright, Alex?"

Alex looked to the lanky skeleton, barely seeing the worry on the monster's blurry face. Alex nodded, a soft smile gracing his features. "I'm fine, Pap. Just a little off." He turned to look for his glasses but Papyrus wrapped a hand around his arm. Alex looked back at him, covering the appendage. "I'm fine. Honest. It'll pass."

"Did something happen with Sans?"

Alex stiffened under Papyrus's hold, his smile faltering on his face as he tried to present it. "Why…"

"Sans had told me yesterday he intended to speak with you today." Alex couldn't see all that well but he was sure Papyrus's gaze was searching. For what, Alex couldn't fathom. "Did you speak with Sans?"

"He caught me on my smoke break."

"What did you talk about?"

Alex slipped out of Papyrus's grip, offering a smile that didn't feel right. "We just talked, Pap. Nothing to worry about. He even gave me back the notebook I had given him." He frowned, looking around. "Where did I put it? He had wanted you to have access t–"

"Did he ask about your relationship before his coma?"

Alex flinched. In all the moments for Papyrus to be keener than he appeared, this was the worst time. Alex debated on whether or not to lie but then figured that his reaction had already given him away. With a sigh, he answered honestly. "Yes."

"And?"

Alex gave a breathy chuckle, trying to play it all off. "And nothing. I didn't answer his question."

Alex was turned around gently by a hand on his shoulder and he came face to face with Papyrus. "Then why do you look like hell?"

Alex shrugged, pulling his gaze from the skeleton. He rubbed at his neck, not sure he had an answer for that. He wasn't even sure on why he looked like hell in the first place. Papyrus released Alex's shoulders but the look he was giving Alex made the human want to squirm. "You didn't tell him about the–"

"What would have come from that?" Alex asked quickly and sharply, the question coming out almost like a barked laugh as he grew defensive, quickly cutting Papyrus off before the monster could finish that sentence. "You're just as intelligent as your brother, Papyrus," Alex challenged, quickly turning the conversation back around to the beginning. "You can figure out the consequences to such a question for both parties involved, regardless if they're the questioner or the questioned. Doesn't matter if there was or wasn't anything before his coma. What matters is what he decides to do from here on out."

Alex turned, suddenly finding his glasses. He picked them up, offering, "I have work to do down in the main work space." He grabbed a few things and started for the door.

"Was there something between you two?" Papyrus called out. "Before his coma?"

Alex looked to him, a tight smile gracing his features at the look of confused determination on the skeleton's face. "Papyrus, I didn't answer his question."

Alex left Papyrus in the work space, fully aware that he didn't even give Papyrus the satisfaction of a straight denial of his question. Alex sighed, shoving the stuff under his arm up a bit higher. Later. He would deal with it all later.