No.

No, no, no no no this can't be happening-

Maybe it's just a fluke- heh, maybe you're messing with him- you used to do that sometimes, you like joking around and- surely you're just...

...Are you, though?

You... You wouldn't joke about something like that, right?

You... Wouldn't be that cruel, would you?

But, what else are you doing, you have to remember, you remember him, don't you?

...

...Don't you?

Oh, who is he kidding. He's not ((entirely)) an idiot.

He can tell.

You were terrified- of him. Of everyone. You'd thought he'd been lying. For whatever, unholy reason, you don't know any of them.

You... Don't know him.

Not anymore.

...Heh.

Just his luck.

He finally got you back, and you don't even remember him.

Just his damn luck.

He doesn't even know where he is right now. Probably his bed in his room, if the way-too-soft object beneath him is anything to go by.

He laughs again, borderline deranged, burying his head in his hands as he curses over and over again.

Despite everything, he hopes you can forgive him.

"I'm sorry," you say, for what seems like the hundredth time to Frisk. "I-I just- I don't know what's going on, and..."

"Are you sure you don't remember anything? About what happened to you?" You've stopped crying for the most part, so they're no longer hugging you but sitting on your bed rather, ignoring the instructions of the nurse from before, who had told them to leave you alone. But oddly enough, they're easy to talk to, and you find yourself not minding their presence as much.

You shake your head, instinctively wiping at your eyes once more. "I just remember waking up here," you reiterate. You hesitate, before asking your question. "Who were those two?" They look at you questioningly, so you add, "The skeletons," and their face falls. Their hands twitch, as though automatically wanting to sign something, only to remember you won't be able to understand.

"My friends," they say, finally.

"How..." You swallow. "How do they think they know me?"

They look away, appearing uncomfortable. "Papyrus- he's, um, the tall one- is your friend."

You don't correct them. "And the other?"

They fidget. After what seems like a minute's pause, you almost don't expect them to answer, until they mutter something under their breath.

"What?"

They mutter it again, louder but still indecipherable. You ask them to repeat it.

"...Husband."

And your head starts hurting again.

"I swear, I'm going to kick down his freakin'-"

"U-Undyne, p-please..."

"I'M SERIOUS, WHAT THE HELL?!"

Papyrus sighs, almost regretting having called them and telling them everything- sure, he'd known she would be upset, but...

"I KNOW THIS IS VERY TROUBLING FOR ALL OF US, BUT YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN," he states.

"Well, what else are we supposed to do?" she snaps, clenching her fists, more frustrated than anything. "If you leave him in there he's just going to retreat into himself again, you know that, right?"

"...YES. I KNOW."

"Then why-"

"HE NEEDS TIME."

She stops, staring at him. Alphys looks at him out of the corner of her own eyes, shuffling slightly in place.

"...How much time?" Undyne inquires.

"I... I DON'T KNOW. JUST... TIME."

For now, they'll leave it at that.

.

.

.

Sans isn't coming out of his room. It's like you've disappeared all over again. ((Though, Papyrus supposes you have, in a way.))

He wants to say that again, that he just needs more time. And maybe he does, maybe that's the answer.

Maybe that's all he needs.

But it hasn't even been a full day since Undyne and Alphys came over, and he's still worried.

What if time is the exact opposite of what Sans needs right now?

Either way, he's not going to stand around to find out.

He tries the door- it's not locked this time- and, mirroring Frisk earlier in the week, he slowly makes his way into the dark room, hesitating upon reaching the bed.

"...Sans?"

"you don't need to say anything."

Papyrus blinks, a bit confused; what is he talking about?

"don't need a pep talk," his brother continues on gruffly, from somewhere under his mass of sheets. "'ve gotten enough of them already."

"Um... Sorry?"

"no. i'm sorry."

Okay, now Papyrus is just confused. "Brother, I will be honest: I have no idea what you are going on about."

From the darkness Sans chuckles, merely furthering the other skeleton's bewilderment; but before he can say anything else he hears shifting, and suddenly, Sans is in front of him.

"...Um?"

"thought it over."

"Sans, seriously, I have no clue what you're-"

"i'm not gonna mope about it."

Papyrus stops, a bit of realization slowly dawning on him.

"Okay, well... What are you going to do?" he asks-not entirely sure why he is asking, but...

Sans rubs at his eyes; a sign he's been crying.

And yet, the edges of his grin turn up, like he's smiling for real.

"nothing."

"...What?"

"she doesn't remember me, so..."

He chuckles again, a bit too genuinely, for Papyrus's liking.

"what's the point?"

Papyrus takes a shaky step backwards.

Granted, he wasn't really expecting something in particular to happen, or something in particular for Sans to do now that you have no recollection of your old life; in all honesty, Papyrus isn't sure what he'd been expecting exactly, upon talking to Sans about this.

...But him giving up on you isn't something he would have ever considered.