Okay so this is the more canon "Meeting the Grandparents" but it's uh... way less interesting? In my opinion? It's why I wrote the other one first, but I wrote this anyway because 1. It acts as a kind of epilogue 2. My muse insisted this had to be written before the next chapter and 3. I need me that hurt/comfort. Which one is actually canon is up to you. Kinda. I'll be writing more stories and any references to Paps meeting his grandparents will be assuming this as canon, but honestly I'm going to try to keep it vague. I have no plans for them to ever be important to the story.

It had been a few weeks since Sans returned from the hospital and despite the monumental, life changing reveal that happened along with it life hadn't actually changed all that much. They fell back into their routines: going to work, hanging out with friends, dinner together whenever possible, sometimes just spending an evening together on the couch, Sans dozing while Papyrus watched whatever was on the MTT channel.

"I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO CALL YOU," Papyrus said one morning as Sans was groggily pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"eh, you can jus' keep callin' me sans if ya want."

"SANS, YOU'RE MY MOTHER, THAT FEELS A LITTLE DISRESPECTFUL."

Sans snorted, "like i care 'bout that. 'sides, i been callin' ya bro yer whole life, it'd be weird to suddenly change now."

"DO… YOU NOT WANT TO BE CALLED MOTHER?"

"i like the sounda "dad" better if i got a choice." Sans blushed and looked away, absently scratching at his mandible before turning back. "but honestly it's up to you. if you want to call me mother or dad or brother or just throw titles out the window and call me by my name then that's fine. i'll support you no matter what, and if anyone says anything it's their own problem and they can go shove it."

"HMMM… AUNTY HAS A GOOD RING TO IT."'

"okay, so maybe not anything, pick somethin' else."

Papyrus tested out various things to call Sans in the privacy of their own home, but they all felt wrong. "Brother" was too dishonest, "mother" and "dad" felt foreign on his teeth, in the end he did go with just "Sans." And if that also meant not having to explain Sans's traumatic and "classified" past with anyone else… well, that was just a fringe benefit.

They had a few more conversations like that, apropos of nothing Papyrus would blurt out a question about Sans, or Naiad, or a form from Sans's files, and Sans would answer. Some of his answers were more joke than answer or dragged unwillingly from him, but he would answer. And even if some of the things he said were more evasive than others they were still pieces of the puzzle that helped him see the larger picture.

Thus one evening Sans came home from hanging out at Grillby's (and Papyrus noted that Sans seemed lighter, brighter, and smiled wider, he wasn't sure how to feel about that) to find Papyrus staring intently at one of the forms from his files.

"whatcha got there, boss?"

"YOUR PARENTS' ADDRESS."

"oh." There was a long, awkward pause as Sans looked at Papyrus with wide, dark sockets. "so uh… whatcha gonna do with it?"

Papyrus took in a deep breath, "I WANT TO VISIT THEM."

Another pause, this one much shorter. "ok."

"IT'S IMPORTANT, SANS, THEY'RE FAMILY."

"ok."

"EVEN IF THEY STILL DON'T WANT US IT'LL BE A GOOD CHANCE FOR SOME CLOSURE."

"ok."

"TO AT LEAST KNOW FOR SURE ONE WAY OR THE OTHER."

"ok."

"AND I WANT YOU TO COME WITH ME."

"no."

"SANS…" Papyrus said in his sternest voice.

"no, papyrus. i can't-" Sans growled and ran a hand down his face, then with a deep sigh he plopped onto the couch next to Papyrus. "they didn't want me badly enough to get rid of me when i was just a babybones, i think they didn't ever want me."

"THEY HAD TWO MORE CHILDREN, CLEARLY IF THEY DIDN'T WANT ANY THEY'D HAVE TAKEN BETTER PREVENTATIVE MEASURES, OR GOTTEN RID OF YOUR SIBLINGS."

"yeah, exactly, they didn't want me."

"IF YOU'RE TRYING TO IMPLY THEY WERE TOO YOUNG OR OTHERWISE NOT READY FOR THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CHILDREN I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT WE'RE BOTH GROWN ADULTS."

"that's not it! papyrus it's me they didn't want. me an' my shitty stats an' my constant naps an' everything that comes with bein' different. with bein'… with bein' sick."

There wasn't much Papyrus could say to that.

"yeah. so if ya want to go meet them then go for it, have my blessin' if ya need it, but don't ask me to go with ya."

"BUT YOU'RE AN ADULT, AND SO ARE YOUR SIBLINGS AND SO AM I. THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOU ANYMORE. THEY… THEY MAY HAVE CHANGED, THEY MAY EVEN REGRET WHAT THEY DID."

Sans snorted. "good, let them regret it, it was a pretty crappy thing to do."

"I DON'T WANT TO GO ALONE."

"papyrus, please, i can't, i just can't. i can't promise to be all polite an' shit, i can't promise not to just attack those bitches the way i did when i saw one at the lab, an' i can't bear the thought of tryina forgive them. or seein' them be good parents to my li'l sibs and still hate me just as much as i hate them. so please, papyrus, don't ask me to go with you."

Papyrus gave a deep sigh of his own, "ALRIGHT SANS."

"take someone else with ya, undyne already knows what's goin' on."

Papyrus wasn't so sure taking her was a better option, when she was given the cliffsnotes version of Sans's life story she'd gone into a rage that had destroyed several pieces of her own furniture. And a wall. Again. She was just as likely to attack Sans's parents as Sans himself, and with far more collateral damage into the deal. No, it wasn't Undyne he could take with him, and Sans wouldn't. There was no one else who knew, too many secrets they couldn't begin to explain. Too many holes in their memory that their mind would slide right over. He had to do this alone.

Papyrus ended up going on his next day off, and try as he might he couldn't hide his nervousness. Sans couldn't either, fussing over him right before he left. "an' remember, they can't remember anything to do with him or his lab, so they probably don't even remember seein' me again or gettin' attacked. they probably also fergot you was on the way too, if they ever even knew."

"YES, I'LL LIKELY BE A LARGE SURPRISE TO THEM."

"hope it gives one'a them a heart attack," Sans grumbled bitterly.

"AND THERE'S NOTHING I CAN TAKE WITH ME TO PROVE WHO I AM?"

Sans shrugged, "s'not like i got any momentos from them. maybe a baby pic?"

"I SUPPOSE THAT WOULD WORK." Papyrus grabbed the photo album from it's new home in the living room, one of the few good changes in Papyrus's opinion. He didn't realize how nice it was to have his memories laid out on pages like that until he'd had easy access to it at the slightest whim. He pulled out a picture, one of the random ones Nana had taken of the three of them smiling together when he'd been a toddler, her arm stretched out to hold the camera, beautiful in its everyday domestic happiness but not something that would be missed horribly if it were lost or damaged.

"ya sure about this?" Sans asked again.

"YES, SANS, THEY'RE OUR FAMILY. THEY DESERVE TO AT LEAST KNOW, DON'T THEY?"

"no, but if ya feel ya gotta do this then ya better get goin'."

"I DO." So he got going.

The trip all the way to New Home was long. Too long, he felt, too much time spent worrying about meeting his grandparents for the first time, his aunt and auncle too if they were there. He waffled between choking dread and wonderful, impossible hope.

Papyrus knocked on the door. A familiar stranger that looked almost just like Sans (if a little taller) answered the door. "Hello?" They asked while looking Papyrus up and down suspiciously.

"HELLO, ARE YOU GABRIOLA OR TIMES NEW ROMAN?"

"No, but they're my parents."

Papyrus nodded, then waited for this skeleton (one of his auncles?) to go get them. And waited. And continued to wait. "ARE YOU GOING TO GO GET THEM?"

"Depends, who are you?"

"MY NAME IS PAPYRUS, AND I'M…" He hesitated, unsure if he should tell them who he is or not. "I'M GARAMOND'S SON."

The other skeleton, who hadn't even introduced themself yet!, didn't show any recognition at the name. "Right, well I'll tell Mom but I can't promise anything." They shut the door and left Papyrus standing there. He waited, fidgeting nervously the whole time.

He heard sharp, shrill words muffled by the door, "… I'm telling you it's all fine and you don't need to worry!" The door opened, a skeleton with Sans's sharp, fixed smile stood in the doorway, looking back over their shoulder as they continued to speak. "Go on, I'll take care of this. It's probably just some misunderstanding."

There was a huff from beyond the door, but the skeleton in the doorway ignored it as they turned to Papyrus.

"Hello, I'm Roman, Segoe said you wanted to see me?"

"YES, MY NAME IS PAPYRUS AND I'M GARAMOND'S SON." He paused a moment, then added, "YOUR GRANDSON."

"There must be some confusion, I don't have a son." Papyrus was about to argue that she most certainly did when the skeleton continued right on, "Never had a son and this late in life I doubt I ever will. Gabriola hasn't either. Sorry you came all this way, but you're at the wrong house. Good luck with that though, bye." Without any further warning she shut the door right in Papyrus's face.

Papyrus banged on the door a few times, angrily screaming at it, "I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT YOU HAVING A SON! HOW DID YOU KNOW SA- GARAMOND IS A BOY IF I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING?!"

All he got was a muffled, "Go away before I call the Royal Guard," through the door.

"I AM THE ROYAL GUARD!" Papyrus yelled back. Sadly, it didn't change anyone's mind. "FINE! WHO NEEDS SOULLESS BITCHES LIKE YOU FOR GRANDPARENTS ANYWAY?!" He yelled one last time before stomping angrily home, muttering under his breath the whole way.

Sans was waiting for him on the couch when he stomped in through the door. He looked up at Papyrus, an expression of longing and hope that immediately fell away when he saw Papyrus's stiff, trembling form, fighting back the tears gathering in the corners of his eye sockets. Sans just held open his arms, Papyrus dove in for a hug. He arranged himself to sit curled up in Sans's lap. Sans sighed as he began rocking Papyrus, gently running a hand up and down his spine as he let the younger skeleton cry his pips out.

"so," Sans started once the storm of tears had died down.

"THEY DIDN'T EVEN LET ME GET OUT MORE THAN YOUR NAME BEFORE SLAMMING THE DOOR IN MY FACE AND THREATENING TO CALL THE GUARD."

Sans sighed again. "yeah, that sounds like something they'd do."

"WELL, ONLY ONE OF THEM. ROMAN."

"doesn't matter, the other one'd do the same, maybe politely tell ya to fuck off first."

"SHE KIND OF DID? TOLD ME I MUST BE CONFUSED AND WAS AT THE WRONG HOUSE."

"yeah, that sounds like her. the other one wouldn't bother with the lie, just smile and tell you to go 'way an' never come back. probably hit ya with the door while she was at it."

"I'M SORRY I DIDN'T LISTEN."

"don't be, yer not the one that was a huge ass. an' ya weren't wrong, they might have softened up a bit after a while. they didn't, but we wouldn't know if ya didn't go."

"WHO NEEDS THEM? WE HAVE EACH OTHER AND THAT'S ALL THE FAMILY I'VE EVER NEEDED!" It rang hollow even as Papyrus spoke, but it still felt better than just accepting total rejection like that.

"yeah, family is what ya make it an' we make a pretty good family."

Papyrus pulled out the photo he'd tucked away earlier and stared down at it. "NANA WOULD NEVER HAVE DONE THAT TO HER FAMILY."

"yeah, she was classy like that. an' she didn't ever do it to us either."

"SHE WAS A BETTER GRANDMOTHER THAN EITHER OF THOSE TWO."

"fuck yeah she was."

"EVEN THOUGH I STILL CAN'T REMEMBER HER."

Sans sighed yet again, deeper and heavier than any before. "yeah, sorry 'bout that."

"THIS SUCKS," Papyrus added petulantly.

"yeah, this whole situation sucks. go 'head an' cry 'bout it, let it all out. hell, i feel like cryin' too."

Papyrus quickly scrubbed the tears from his face with his shirt sleeve. "NO, I'D RATHER YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT NANA INSTEAD." He held up the photo for Sans, "WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND THIS ONE?"

"uh… not sure i remember that exact picture. she did that a lot, just jam the three of us in real close and hold up the camera whenever she felt like it. mosta the time the pic came out awful, we'd all be cut off from the nose down or in a far corner or somethin'. heh, one time she got just the tops of our heads, i swear she did it on purpose…"

Papyrus snuggled in deeper, staring at the photo of his happy, smiling family as Sans rambled on about the antics his real grandmother got up to.