If I don't cry 20 times today I'll consider that a win Chapter 20
Waterfall didn't so much as have a stone out of place. The only difference seemed to be a distinct lack of tears in time. The only one, so far, was the one deep inside the lab.
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Frisk was extra alert. There were some monsters about— some that she recognized, others she didn't. She was certain she spotted Gerson in the shadows, sitting on a bench near the water and smoking a bubble pipe.
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"This is so weird," she muttered.
"Which part?" Asriel asked with a laugh. He lead the way through dark paths lit by glowing crystals and cast a look back over his shoulder at her.
"That this… I dunno. It's not a dream," she said quietly. "I can't get over it."
"Yeah, we have to be careful here," he said. "Do you know how close this is to ours? I mean… is it a variation or ours or—"
"I don't think so," she said. "I think this is farther. And dad's… Um. I mean, Gaster, his eyes were green, so that's pretty different. His accent was different, too. And it's back in time like, eleven years, I think? Oh, man, I hope I don't run into another me or some other time kid, I'll just frickin' faint I bet."
"Don't think you will, I haven't noticed any of those save things, really," he said. He grinned. "I'm not worried about me, I'm dead."
"Jeez, dude," Frisk said.
He laughed. "It's true though."
She rubbed her brow and groaned. "I'm gonna go nuts."
"Just… y'know, take it as it comes," Asriel suggested.
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Water from torrents gushing downwards flooded parts of the path, and Asriel scooped Frisk up to easily bypass it.
"Helps to have tall friends, huh?" he said.
"I know, right? I love it," she said.
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He paused after gently placing her back on her feet, his eyes fixed on the water. Frisk shot him a puzzled look before she realized why. He went down on one knee and leaned over the shimmering stream to stare at his own reflection. He brushed his ears back and tilted his head down to look at his horns. They were not quite the horns of an adult, but they were certainly longer. They had begun to curl in a very similar way to how he'd looked when he'd absorbed all those human souls.
"Huh. How, uh…? How do I look?"
"Good," Frisk said. "You okay?"
"Y-Yeah. Yeah. I think so," he said. He grinned sideways. "Better than the gorilla arms, I guess. Kinda looks weirdly normal." He ran his fingers over the stripes on his cheeks that were a little more defined than before. "Hm. Could you check my back?"
"Sure, if you want," she said.
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He turned his back to her and pulled up his shirts to show the striping there. Frisk hadn't seen the lines very often, but they looked darker now, and a little thicker. A little more shaped, as if they'd been painted on.
"Hm. Kinda weird," she admitted. "They just look a little more like… I dunno, wings? Than last time, anyway."
"Weird." He straightened up and readjusted his clothes, and then ran a hand through the tussled fur on his head. "…Crap."
"Seriously, are you okay?" Frisk pushed.
He nodded. She hugged him anyway. He wilted and pulled her into his arms.
"I think it just hit me," he admitted.
"I know, it's super messed up," she said. "But, um… I'm really glad you came with me. Like. So glad. For real."
"Or you might still be skewered right now," he joked, though his tone was weak.
"A Frisk-kabob?" she asked.
"Pffffff. Just be more careful, okay?"
"Yeah… Y-Yeah. I know. We… We can only really count on us here."
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She perked up at a sound out of place, disrupting the constant rush of the water with a steady thumping noise. "You hear that?"
"Yeah." His ears lifted slightly. He put her down and gently nudged her closer to the wall as he stood up. "Careful."
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A figure began to loom from the gloom and the clunking noise got louder. Frisk would know it anywhere. She stayed close to Asriel's leg as they went, holding her breath as a big, armoured form with intimidating, glittering eyes approached. Asriel walked like normal and passed by without a second look and, hurriedly, Frisk darted around in front of him to stay out of the way. However, the big metal guard stopped in her tracks and whirled on Asriel quickly. Eyes flashed golden from behind the heavy helmet.
"HEY!" she said loudly, her voice caught in a hollow, metallic reverberation.
The fur on the back of his neck stood on end and he turned to face her, positioning himself between her and Frisk. "Yeah?"
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Undyne was still taller than he was. She folded her arms and looked him up and down, eyes shining yellow out through the eye holes in her helmet. "You new around here? You gotta be. I know everything and everyone in Waterfall."
"From New Home," he said, dipping his head in a nod.
"Oh. You, uh…?" She leaned closer. "You wouldn't happen to be related to the King or something?"
"Hmm? Oh, no, no no no, no way," he said.
"Oh. Weird. You kinda look like him. What's your name?" she asked, tilting her head.
"Uhhh… Goaty?" he suggested. "The… goat. I guess. Yeah."
Frisk put her face in her palms.
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His lips pulled back into a nervous, fangy grin. "You, uh, must be Undyne. Right?" he asked.
"Lieutenant Undyne!" she said, jabbing her thumb into her own chest. "You heard of me?" She sounded excited.
"Oh yeah, sure," he said quickly. "Heard you were doing a really good job."
She puffed up with pride. "Hey thanks, man, I been trainin' a lot! Uh…" She looked down.
Frisk did her best not to withdraw as Undyne's eyes caught on her. She sheepishly raised her hand.
"Uh! Oh! Hey, short-stuff! Jeez, that was rude of me, totally ignorin' you." She stiffened. "Uh… Hey, what kinda monster are you?"
"Dog," she said swiftly.
"A… dog?" she asked.
"Oh, yep, she's a dog alright," Asriel said, gently nudging her down the road. "She just, uh, has a real quiet bark, but she's real excited to dig some holes in Snowdin, right?"
"Yeah. Um. Wow! I love digging," she said. "You smell like a friend, so it's nice to meet you. That's exciting."
"Real exciting," he agreed, hurrying the kid away. "Um! See you later, Lieutenant, keep up the good work!"
"Wait!" Undyne shouted.
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Frisk got the cold sweats. Asriel winced and turned back to the monster with feigned innocence on his face.
"Yeah?" he said.
"How's the armour look?" she asked.
"Oh! It looks really cool!" Frisk said.
"Yeah, it's great." Asriel nodded.
"Yeah?! Awesome! Thanks. It's new. Just got it fitted," Undyne said. She thumped her fist over her chest. It made the sound of a metal drum. "As you were, citizens!" She stomped off towards the twin waterfalls down the road, and soon became dim in the darkness.
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Frisk blew out a sigh and Asriel deflated. He grabbed her up in his arms so they could move faster. She shot him a wide, amused grin.
"Goaty?" she said.
"Shut it," he said. "I suck at names, okay?"
"I know." She grinned at him slyly and raised her brows.
He scoffed and waved her off.
xXxXx
The wind was howling outside the cavern entrance of Waterfall, buffeting the kids with snow as they trudged out into the deep cold before them. Frisk shivered. The bluster of white flakes was a shroud before them.
"So," Asriel said, "we go to the house?"
"Y-Yeah, guess s-so," she said, sniffling. "Hope he's there. Hope the house is there, actually."
"We'll find him," he said.
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All they had to do was make their way up the road until a shape to their right loomed out of the whirling blizzard, dotted with little, colourful lights around the windowsills. Frisk sniffed and wiped her frosty nose, and edged up towards the steps. She reached out for the door handle, but then drew back. She looked at Asriel over her shoulder.
"Knock," he said.
She gulped and then rapped her knuckles against the wood.
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It was only a second before the door was flung open and she came face to face with a skeleton. He was just barely taller than she was and very skinny, in an orange t-shirt and blue shorts. She knew who it was. Wasn't really any other option. She was shocked anyhow. Asriel covered his mouth and snorted.
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"Hello!" he said brightly. "You aren't a skeleton, are you?"
"N… No…?" she said cautiously.
"Oh good! My brother said not to open the doors for any other skeletons, but if you're not one that must be fine!" He grinned and put a hand to his chest. "I'm Papyrus! Who are you and what are you doing at my house?"
Asriel burst out laughing, doubled over, and had to hold his knees. "Oh my god, dude."
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Papyrus gasped loudly before she could say a word and put his hands to his cheeks. "Oh! You're from out of town! You must be frozen, right?! Don't worry, it won't last too long, but come inside!" He grabbed her arm and yanked her through the threshold before waving to Asriel. "You too, Mister Goat!"
"Mister Goat's my dad, call me Az," he said with a grin. "Thanks, Papyrus." He had to grit his teeth not to laugh.
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Papyrus grinned brightly and closed the door, and then grabbed Frisk by the hands and inspected her curiously. She tried not to look too shell-shocked. He was tiny. Another world's version of her own brother. Her eyes sparkled. It was really hard not to just grab him and squish him.
"Oh, wow, I've never seen someone like you before!" he said. "Can I touch your hair? I always wanted hair."
"Um! Sure?" she said.
He snickered and put a boney hand on either side of her head. "Oh! It's smooth and soft! Neat!"
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"So, uh, Papyrus. I gotta know. How old are you?" Asriel asked as he prowled around the room, eyes skimming over the familiar set-up.
"Seven," he said proudly.
Frisk almost choked and she grabbed his face in both hands. "You're seven?!"
"Y-Yes?" he said.
"How am I older than you?! And you're so cute!" she squeaked.
"Oh! Nyeh heh heh! Thank you!" he said, grinning proudly and blushing orange.
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Asriel lost it again, laughing so hard he was panting. Frisk tried not to join him, but her eyes lit right up and she put a hand to her chest.
"I'm Frisk," she said.
"Frisk! That's an interesting name. Is it because you talk in Benguiat Frisky?" he asked.
"Uh, what?" She stared blankly.
He giggled and waved his hands. "Never mind! Just a skeleton thing."
"Speakin' of," Asriel said, "why doesn't your brother want you letting any other skeletons in?"
"Oh! Well. It's just…" Papyrus scratched the back of his head bashfully. "There was this old skeleton back where my big brother used to work and he… um… wasn't very nice sometimes. Um. Mostly to me. So my brother quit and brought me here and made me promise not to tell him where we went, no many how many times he phones!"
"What? Why would he be mean to you?" Frisk asked, baffled.
"Well. I mean. He would call me stupid." His eyes got big and he clenched his fists. "But I'm really not! I promise! A-And he kept wanting me to go in a weird experiment pod, but my brother found out and then we left."
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Frisk gawked. She was filled with a hot, uncomfortable feeling and she quickly pulled the little skeleton into her arms. He squeaked.
"You're not stupid. You're so not stupid, Papyrus, oh my god."
"I-I know," he said quietly. He clung to her with strong fingers and slumped against her shoulder. "Nyeh… You're pretty nice."
"Listen." Frisk cupped his face. "Just 'cause maybe you see stuff different from that other guy, that doesn't make you stupid. Never ever. And that's super mean and not cool of him to say that."
Papyrus blushed. His eye sockets flared with a warm, golden glow. "My brother said that, too. That other guy's not a very nice skeleton sometimes. Do you know him?"
"We met for like a second," Frisk said. "He, um, didn't like me very much."
"He seems to not like very many people very much," he said, pouting. "Maybe just the King. But everyone likes the King."
"Jeez, what's with that?" Asriel snorted. "What kinda dad is that?"
"Dad?" Papyrus looked confused. "He's not my dad."
"He isn't?" Frisk asked, startled.
"No. I mean. He made me and my brother," he said. "But I called Gaster my dad one time and he got really mad at me. S-So he's definitely not my dad. My brother and the King took care of me."
Asriel sighed, folding his arms. He cut his eyes at Frisk. "No wonder he hung up on you."
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Papyrus looked confused. Frisk held out the phone they'd snatched.
"We, um, took this from Gaster," she said. "It's a long story, but, um, we kinda needed some science help and we thought he might be able to do something, but he sorta attacked me right away. We figured your brother might be able to help us out but when I called, he must've thought I was him."
"Wait, a-attacked? But why?!" Papyrus stared at her blankly as she stashed the phone in her hoodie again. "But your soul is…! I mean! You're really nice, I can tell!"
"I guess I sorta took him off guard," she said sheepishly. "Thanks for thinking I'm nice."
Asriel scoffed. Frisk's face flushed. Papyrus squinted at her and tilted his head one way, and then the other. A little spark lit in his eyes.
"Hang on one second! Please sit down wherever you like and I'll be right back!" He quickly scampered up the stairs and ducked into the first room on the second level.
Asriel shot a confused look at the kid. She shrugged.
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Papyrus came bounding back down the stairs, a proud smile on his face and a big, heavy book clutched in both hands. He bounced over to Frisk. "Are you a this?!" He opened it to a drawing of some humans doing some farm work and shoved it towards her. "You are, right?!"
Asriel snorted and put his hands on his face, barely hiding his mirth. "Sorry," he said.
"Aah. Um… Y-Yeah, guess you got me there, Paps," Frisk said with a nervous grin on her face.
"AH! Wowie! I knew there was something weird about you!" he said, puffing out his chest. "I just knew it! So you're called a human then, right?!"
"She is. But can you keep it a secret?" Asriel asked quickly. "She's not here to make any trouble."
"Wowie! Um!" Papyrus grinned bashfully. "I know that. I mean. I know we just met but your soul felt way too nice to be mean! But. Um. Nyehhh, I have to tell my brother, though. He always told me I should never keep secrets from him. Especially if someone asks me to, then I should definitely tell him right away."
Asriel laughed. "Okay. Fair enough, that's a good rule. We were gonna tell him anyway."
"If, um, you wouldn't mind keeping it quiet from other monsters, would that be okay?" Frisk asked.
"Oh! Yes! We keep secrets from other monsters all the time, that's okay." Papyrus nodded quickly. "Just not from my brother."
"That's perfect," Asriel said. "Hey. Uh. Where is he?"
"Probably Grillby's, if they have one," Frisk said.
"Oh! Wowie, that's a great guess," Papyrus said. "That's exactly where he went! I think it's a bit gross, but he really likes it."
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Frisk and Asriel shared a look. He put his hands up.
"I'll just freak him out," he said.
"I will, too," she said.
"Yeah, but you got more of a shot," he insisted.
"But I'm still a human," she said sheepishly. "And, um, an anomaly kinda human."
"And that's why you should talk to him, nobody knows this stuff better than him," he said.
"But if he knows about that stuff even a little don't you think I'd super freak him out?" she asked. "A-And what if we're too early and he doesn't know any of it?"
He folded his arms. "You just worried about cryin' all over him?"
"What?! N-No." She sighed. "Yes. But it's not just that!"
"You'll be fine," Asriel assured her.
"Sorry, I don't understand," Papyrus said.
"Oh! Um. Sorry," Frisk said hurriedly. "It's just… Okay. Um…"
"You're not gonna tell him, are you?" Asriel asked, wide-eyed.
"Why not? It's Papyrus," Frisk said.
"Tell me what?" Papyrus asked curiously.
The kid looked up at Asriel with raised brows. He wilted slightly and nodded.
"Guess it probably wouldn't hurt," he said.
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Frisk gently held Papyrus's hands. She couldn't help but smile at him fondly. "This is gonna sound really weird. But, Az and me, we're from another world," she said. "It's a lot like this one. We came here for some help. Back there, there's… There's a Papyrus, just like you. And a Sans, just like your brother. But they're our brothers, too. And we needed to come here to help them out."
"Wh…? WHAT?! Really?!" Papyrus barked. "You're…?" He leaned forward and stared at her. "Sister?" His eyes darted behind her. "And brother?!"
"W-Well, we—"
"Wait, is that why you came here to the house?" he demanded. "Do you live in the same house?!"
"Yeah," she said.
"Oh wowie! Of course! That must be why your soul sounds like that!" He grinned widely. "Nyeh heh heh! I'm glad I let you in, then!"
"Me too!" she said with a laugh.
"So what do you need to help them with?" he asked.
"The Sans we know got sick," Asriel said. "We think it's because of a big hole someone or something from your world made. We figure a smart dude like your brother could help us figure out what happened and how to patch it up."
"Oh! Yes, that sounds right, my big brother is the smartest, he can figure out anything," Papyrus said proudly. "He can definitely help you, I'm positive!"
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Frisk was taken aback when the small skeleton grabbed her and hugged her tight.
"Nyeh heh heh! I bet I'm the first skeleton to hug a human in a long time!" he said proudly. He jumped back and perked up. "Oh! So! My big brother'll be home at some point, for sure. But, um. If you want to see him, let me just check, ummm…" He pulled open a drawer from a small table near the couch, and then pulled out a calendar. He flipped through some pages and squinted at one of them. He hopped back and peeked into the kitchen, and then shot Frisk a big smile. "You have thirty-four minutes before we're stuck inside because of the magic blizzard. I think that should be enough time, right?"
"Let's hope convincing him we're not total creeps doesn't take too long," Asriel said.
"I… I think I got it," Frisk said. "Just down the road, right?"
"Mhm, just follow the lights!" Papyrus assured her.
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Despite the billowing, blinding snow outside, Frisk headed out again. The main street here— from what she could see, at least— was identical to the one back home. Grillby's sign glowed clearly through the bluster with firelight letters.
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The bar was starkly warm and cozy compared to the outside. It was empty, though, save for a hunched figure in blue sitting at the counter at the very back of the building. Frisk hesitated at the door. She gulped and her heart beat too hard against her ribs. It was just Sans, she reminded herself. A tired skeleton who'd seen too much, whose only loyalty in the world was to that little boy back at his house. The same as the guy who'd met her beyond the bridge at the edge of Snowdin, but maybe with not quite as much baggage yet. Her heart hurt. It wasn't his fault, though.
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Cautiously, she edged up to the stool beside him and, after a quick pass for a whoopee cushion, hopped up to sit with him. The skeleton, identical to her big brother, loosely held a glass bottle of ketchup in one hand. He cut his eye at her and didn't look even the least bit surprised.
"You're early," he said.
"…I am?" Frisk asked blankly.
He took a swig of the bottle in front of him and then clunked it heavily onto the counter. "So. You wanna do this outside? Be a shame to wreck the bar."
"Do what outside?" she asked.
He simply raised a brow skeptically. "Fight."
Frisk stared at him. She found it so absurd that she choked laughing. "F-Fight?!" She coughed and tried to regain herself, drawing in a deep breath and putting her hand to her soul spot. "Oh jeez. Sorry. I didn't mean to— I don't wanna fight you. I mean. Unless you really really wanna fight me. But I won't attack you, so… Um." She shrugged. "You win?"
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Sans looked at her with brows raised. She smiled sheepishly. He drummed his fingers on the wood, gears in his head whirring.
"Serious?" he said.
She nodded. "Sorry for laughing. That's just… I didn't expect that. That's really brave, though. Like, you didn't know what I was gonna say, so… But, yeah, no, I don't… fight. That's not a thing. Wouldn't fight you, like, ever, if I have the choice and stuff."
He frowned and rested his cheek on his fist, then cut his eyes at her. "Then what the heck you doin' here?"
"Well, um, it's kinda weird, but I was hoping I could ask you for your help?" she asked quietly. "Sorry if that's, like, really asking a lot. I mean, I know it's gotta be. I'm just some weird human showing up outta nowhere. I was gonna ask your Gaster, if you had one, since I think maybe he mightta made my problem, but he kinda tried to kill me right off and then I thought, y'know, you're the smartest guy I know, so, maybe you might…?"
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He stared at her for a few long, heavy seconds. "Who are you, kid?"
"I'm Frisk," she said.
He shook his head. "No. Who are you?"
She cracked a tense smile. "Um. Well. I'm kinda… the anchor? An anomaly, I guess. From another timeline. Does that mean anything to you?
"Yeah," he said.
"And, um, in my timeline, you're my big brother. Or. Maybe not you, but Sans. Another Sans. Sorry. This is still kinda new to me. I came here with one of my other brothers, Az." She pushed her fingertips together bashfully. "The Sans we know is kinda sick 'cause of time getting messed up, and all the stuff I saw out in between everything lead us to this place." She looked up at him, her cheeks flushing. "S-Sorry. That's super weird, huh?"
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The skeleton looked like he didn't know where to start. He downed the rest of his ketchup and then chucked the bottle over his shoulder. He huffed out a rough laugh and rubbed his brows with his fingertips. "Damn."
"Sorry," she said quietly.
He shook his head and straightened up. He stared at her intently. "You're tellin' me you can go between… timelines?"
"Y-Yeah, um… Yeah." She nodded quickly. "It's new. But, um. It's not something I wanted to do. I mean, I'm sure your timeline is really nice! But. I… just really need to fix mine. And I was just wondering…"
"And you said Gaster messed it up?"
"I'm not sure," she said. "Either someone did something or something just kinda went stupid on its own and it linked us to you guys. Either way, I just kinda hoped maybe you'd know more than I do. It looked like he was doing research on that kinda stuff in the lab. Right?"
"Yeah," he said. "Oh. You, uh, called me, huh?"
She nodded.
"Hm. Shouldda known when you didn't call back like ten times that it wasn't him." He paused and shot her a cautious look. "Did you say I was…? Your Sans, the one you know, he's your brother?"
She nodded again. Sans put his chin in his hand and scowled off into space for a moment. Frisk had the sudden urge to apologize. Again.
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"I know, it's all kinda nuts, right?" she said. "I… I kinda can't believe I'm even here. Um. I know it's… If the anomaly thing means something to you, you must kinda get what's going on but, um… I-If you want…" She concentrated and lit up red in her hand, offering it to him tentatively. "You can feel my soul? If, um… If it would help."
"Your soul?" he repeated skeptically.
"If… If you're not sure if you should trust me," she said. "I know it's a big ask and stuff. And… And my brother is always— or I mean, he was, when anomalies were still coming— but he was always really super careful about this kinda thing. So… So if you want…"
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Sans looked at her, and then at the glow in her palm. He drummed his fingers on the counter again and then carefully picked up her small hand in his. The red magic jumped between his bones. He released her after only a second and rubbed a hand over the back of his skull. The short, sturdy skeleton's shoulders slumped. He straightened up and then thumped her on the back.
"Sorry for jumpin' the gun on ya. Want anything?" He jerked his thumb towards the back of the bar.
Frisk tried to hide her surprise and she shook her head. Sans slipped some coins onto the counter and dropped back onto the floor. He tilted his head towards the door. The kid hurriedly followed him back out into the cold.
xXxXx
At the house, Asriel was sitting casually on the couch with a tired look in his eyes. Papyrus, who had plunked himself in the older boy's lap, cackled and ran to give Sans a hug as they came inside. Though he put his arm around the kid's shoulders, his eyes focussed, wide and cautious, on Asriel. The goat boy lifted a hand in greetings.
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"Big brother, this is Frisk and Az! They aren't skeletons so I let them in from the blizzard! That's okay, right?" Papyrus said.
"Yeah, kiddo, of course," Sans said. He looked at Asriel with his brows raised. There was a cautious, knowing look in his dark eyes. "Az, huh? Short for somethin', I bet."
Asriel smiled sideways. "Yeah. Sorry."
Sans laughed and rubbed his face. He looked exhausted.
"She's a human, isn't that weird?" Papyrus said brightly, pointing at Frisk. "But she's nice! Her soul sounds really nice! And she has a skeleton name! And she also thinks Gaster was a mean jerk!"
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Sans scoffed. He patted the kid's head and then shot Frisk a curious look. "You sure this is another timeline? S'not the past of yours?"
"No way, our Gaster's totally different," Asriel said.
"Better or worse?" he asked.
"Well, here's not great," Frisk said bashfully. "He's my dad, in our world. The way Papyrus talked about this guy, I don't think I like him at all."
"Wait, how can he be your dad if he's technically supposed to be our dad except he gets mad if we say that?" asked Papyrus as he sat snugly beside Asriel.
"He kinda blew up through the CORE and it made my soul, I guess," Frisk said.
"Wait. He… made you, where you're from?" Sans stared Frisk down with concerned eyes.
The kid nodded. Sans's face took on an expression of pity and horror.
"Oh. God. Uh. Wh…? Uh. He didn't… do anythin' to you, did he?" he asked.
"Do anything?" Frisk tilted her head. "Like what?"
"Experiments? Determination stuff?" he asked. "He doesn't treat you bad, does he?"
"Oh! Oh, no no, he's…" Frisk smiled sheepishly. "No, he's super nice. I haven't known him that long because… Um, it's complicated, but he always tried to help me and he's just, like, a huge nice dork."
"Accurate," Asriel said with a laugh. "Yeah. Don't worry about ours. He's good. Yours, though… Kinda sensing some history."
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Sans laughed dryly and he shot an apologetic look at Papyrus. "Guy made me first. Tryin' to make a human soul. Failed. Offloaded me onto the King, but I was analytical, like him, so I was helpful even if I was too weak for much else. He tried again, made Papy, couldn't understand how good he was and, well…"
"We heard that," Frisk said. "That's awful. I'm sorry."
Sans looked surprised. Papyrus, on the other hand, had gotten quite cozy with Asriel again and was looking up at him, awed.
"Wowie, you're full of super powers, aren't you?" he asked. "I can feel your soul is super strong!"
Asriel laughed. "C'mon, you goof, your bro was bein' serious."
Papyrus snickered. "It's fine! All that bad stuff is over now."
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"It's so weird," Frisk said, folding her arms and biting her lip. "I mean… Dad made our Sans the same way. He was trying to make a human soul. It didn't work, but he was happy anyway. And he made Papyrus later on purpose. But he loved both you guys so much, I don't…" She shook her head. "I don't understand how someone could make you guys and not love you."
"Specially Papy," muttered Sans.
"Especially both of you." Frisk smiled at him sympathetically. "Guess we gotta give up on him helping out in this place."
"…But he did make a human soul." Worry flashed across Sans's face. "No offence, but I can't let our guy get it right. For that kid's sake."
"Oh, don't worry, he won't," Asriel said. "Not without dying, anyway."
"Dying?" Papyrus repeated worriedly.
"Phew," Sans breathed.
"Saaaanss, come on, he's mean but he's not that mean," Papyrus scolded.
"Bro, if he did bad stuff to us because of our determination, if he got a kid like this one," Sans said, drawing in close to hold the boy by the shoulder, "he'd be real bad to 'er."
"Is that why you left?" Frisk asked worriedly. "Because…?"
"Wasn't about to let him hold somethin' over me anymore," he said with a shrug.
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"Maybe this is an offshoot of ours," Asriel suggested quietly. "Except it's just Gaster's real different. Could that be possible?"
"Guess anything could be possible," Frisk said worriedly. "But it would… I dunno, maybe it's too different if his eyes are green? That means history is a little different here, I think. I dunno, but… Jeez. He wasn't wrong."
"Who wasn't?" Sans asked.
"Oh! Sorry. Our Gaster. He warned me that others of him can be really… off. I just didn't think we'd find one like that so fast," she said. "But, then again, if it was him cutting into our timeline…" She shook her head. "Well, whatever's happening, we gotta save Sans."
.
"So, uh… What's wrong with him, exactly?" Sans asked.
"He's really linked into the, um, flow of time and stuff. Like we are," Frisk said. "But something's off. The flow is wrong. I… I thought maybe I messed him up by accident when I fixed a rip into our time, but now I sorta think that was only part of it, because I followed something that was leaking into his head and it lead here. The only tear I've seen so far in this whole place was in the lab. So I'm starting to think it was an experiment in there that did it. Do you happen to know anything?"
"Hmm… We were, at one point, studyin' something we called the Dark Lines, and it had to do with time and stuff," Sans said. "But… any tests or somethin' to actually try to reach them, nah. Not while I was there. But we left… I dunno, how long's it been, Papy?"
"One year, two weeks, and five days," he said proudly.
Sans smiled and patted the little skeleton on the head approvingly. "So, uh… Y'know, a year doesn't seem like a lot of time when it comes to this kinda thing, but if something lit a fire under Gaster's tailbone, who knows what the ol' bastard couldda done."
"Sans!" Papyrus scolded, though it simply caused the older skeleton to laugh quietly.
.
"So… he's really not your dad, then?" Frisk wondered.
"Pff. Nah. He mightta made us but I figure it doesn't count. Gotta put in effort to be a dad," he said. "Asgore— uh, the King— raised me. Heh. If anyone's our dad…" He rubbed the back of his skull. "Sorry. Don't need my life's story. Suffice it to say, he's a pretty selfish guy. He's powerful and good at his job, but he's also got an ego too big for this mountain. He may have made this thing you described. But, your Gaster… Your nice one, he can't help you?" He folded his arms.
"He's kinda sick," Asriel said with a shrug.
"See, um, ours, he's… He already went through the time void. Like, he got ripped from a timeline and turned into goo and it was the worst," Frisk said. "When he came back he was himself again, but his soul's all broken up. He can jump through rips but even that messes him up a bit again. He tried coming out into the outside place with me one time and he almost died right away. If I hadn't been a-able to turn him back…" She winced. "Anyway, um. He's really busy trying to figure out how to help Sans in our world, but we… I dunno. I have no idea how much time we have. His health rating's super low and it was going down more."
"Ah." Sans folded his arms, his brow furrowed, but he nodded. "Sorry. Yeah. We're, uh… Most of us end up low like that."
"You know about the other ones?" Frisk asked, wide-eyed.
He nodded. "Bit too much, maybe."
"Were you ever higher?" Asriel asked.
"Nah." He held up one finger. "Him?"
"They told me he was born with five, but it started to go down after he, um…" Frisk gulped. "There was a human, and he had to, um… It was to save Papyrus. He had to."
.
"Had to do what to save Papyrus?" Papyrus asked curiously.
"Go on a really tough quest, bro," Sans said. "…Had to." He nodded solemnly and lowered his voice. "Not sure how much sense that makes, usually you get stronger, but… hell, I'm not exactly usual."
"Yeah, we dunno, weren't exactly there," Asriel said. He perked suddenly. "Oh! Uh. Frisk? Any insight?"
"H-He was just a kid. I mean, older than I am now, but… still, like, real young, y'know? He felt super low. Maybe that was just… worse. It's, um… supposed to feel like your soul gets ripped apart and then put back together, but stronger and… worse, somehow, right? It definitely felt like it ripped apart."
Sans looked at her skeptically for a moment. He tilted his head. "Bro, could you do me a favour and grab us, uh… the mail? Forgot on my way in."
"Nyeh, you always forget! I'll be right back!" The little skeleton bustled himself out quickly.
.
The second he was gone, Sans closed in on Frisk with his brow furrowed. "Why you talkin' like that?" he asked.
"L-Like what?" she asked.
"Like… Uh. Like you felt it," he said.
"She did," Asriel said.
"Shared souls. It was a big thing we had to do," the kid said with an apologetic smile. "So. Um. It's weird. It did a memory share. The thing I'm talking about, I… Wow, I wasn't even born back then, weird, huh?"
The skeleton looked troubled. "But how…? Killed you?"
"Oh! No no, it was my idea, I asked a friend to… Anyway, it was no big deal, I died like a thousand times. He never… No. Not even once," she said hurriedly.
"I did though," Asriel said. "Never got the soul though. Except that one time."
"You cheated," Frisk joked.
"Pffft, still," he said. "Didn't do that memory thing, thankfully."
"Oh man, that wouldda been the worst!" she said shrilly.
He nodded solemnly.
.
"Wait. Hold it." Sans put his hands up as if to stall them and then grabbed Frisk by the shoulder. "Say again? You died how many times?"
"Oh! I dunno, I stopped counting," she said sheepishly. "I-It's okay! Really."
.
There was a hurt in the skeleton's eyes that caught Frisk off-guard. He shook his head.
"It's fine," she said again.
"It ain't right," he said quietly. "I mean, if you're the anchor, then who the hell would—?"
"Asgore. Undyne. Mettaton," Frisk said bashfully, and Asriel stuck up his hand. "Muffet. A bunch of dogs. Some other guys. Wasn't just monsters. Um. It's not… It's not a big deal. For real."
"Ah jeez." Sans rubbed around his eye sockets and turned to Asriel. "Sure I didn't—?"
The goat boy burst out laughing. "He knows your tricks and he just met you!" he teased.
Frisk groaned. "Come on, it's not like that!"
"He didn't," Asriel assured the skeleton. He grinned slyly. "You like her already, don't ya?"
The skeleton's cheekbones flushed faintly blue. He folded his arms. "S'just… An anchor, that's… different than the others, y'know? And she's… You're just a little kid, I mean… Who wants to hear about little kids gettin' dusted, right?"
"Please don't worry," Frisk said. "It's just really not a big deal, I promise."
"She's a little messed up," Asriel said at a loud, conspiratorial whisper.
"Az!" the kid whined.
.
He snickered and got up, stretching as Papyrus came back in with a bluster of snow and an armful of envelopes.
"Ugh, Sans, this is getting ridiculous!" The little skeleton dumped all the mail onto the table.
"Hey, great job, bro, thanks," Sans said, leaning up on the wall. "Any letters in there?"
"Nnnoooo, nothing," Papyrus sighed. "It's all boring stuff."
"Ah. Sorry," he said.
"That's okay!" He stretched his skinny arms high above his head, and then turned to Frisk with wide, hopeful eyes. "Hey! Um. I was thinking. Since we will definitely have a few hours to do something in. Do you…? I mean. Do humans, um, happen to like puzzles at all?"
Frisk grinned. "This human does."
"Oh! So, then! Of course, you'd like to see the ones I have, right? And I could show you all my action— I mean, battle planning figurines?!" he asked. "They are very cool!"
"Yes for sure," Frisk answered instantly.
The little skeleton beamed and grabbed her by the hand, almost skipping as he took her upstairs to the first door in the hallway.
.
Sans kept his eyes trained on them and then the closed door for a little longer than he had to. Asriel stood up, shooting the skeleton an amused look.
"You can trust her," he said. He laughed at himself and shook his head. "Sorry, that's assuming you even trust me for a second, and that's not like you, is it?"
Sans smiled slightly. "Funny. You're not wrong, but it's not that. I… I believe she's who she says she is. S'just nice. Papy's always kinda had trouble makin' friends, and she seems to like him well enough, so…"
"Oh, god, you don't know the half of it," Asriel said. He folded his arms. "We talked, before we came here. We know, I mean… you guys are the same people we know, but at the same time, you're not. It's not fair of us to put any assumptions on you. But, even knowing that, it's… it's not hard to just kinda love that guy, y'know?"
The skeleton's eyes went wide for a moment. He looked at the floor, but his grin widened. "Brothers, huh?"
"Yeah. He's older than us in our world," he said. "…Not much different, though."
.
The skeleton looked thoughtful. He nodded to himself. He shot the other monster a curious look. "So. You, uh… You are the Prince, right?"
"Yeah," he said.
He folded his arms and his brow furrowed. "Did you die in your world?"
"Yeah."
"Sorry to hear it."
"Pfff. Thanks," he said.
"But that kid, she's not, like, the Princess, though, is she?" Sans said quietly. "So how'd you end up with her?"
"She saved my life." He shrugged. "And we have the same mom. Just kinda worked."
"Guess I'm not clear on how this stuff works, then," he admitted. "She said she's an anchor."
"She is," Asriel said. "She was, uh, born, I guess? Above ground. Came down through a hole from the outside and saved our butts."
.
Sans tilted his head, mulling it over. He nodded. "Okay. But Gaster made her. He… died to make her? Is that right?"
"Basically," Asriel said.
"And she's… somehow strong enough to go between timelines." He looked at Asriel, concern creasing his brow. "This ain't usual, right?"
"Don't think so," he said.
"So how strong is this kid, exactly?"
"Our Sans calls her a time god. He… I mean, I think he's right."
Sans's eyes went wide. He tapped his teeth. "Time god, huh?" A tinge of worry flickered across his face.
"I know it sounds like a big deal, but she's good." Asriel shrugged. "I mean, she's got a pretty strong set of principles for a little kid. And, like… Okay, I mean, you're the same as our Sans in a lot of ways, I bet? So maybe you'll get what this means, but he trusted her with every memory in his head."
"What?" He sounded incredulous. "But that doesn't…" Sans trailed off, his stare going vacant for a few seconds. "Well shit."
"What?" Asriel asked.
Sans shook his head. "This isn't what I expected from today, that's for damn sure."
"Who would, right?" the boy wondered.
"…Shouldda been more on the ball. Heh. Oh well, what can ya do?" Sans shrugged. "But all this crap with Gaster…" He sighed. "What a mess."
"Sorry to drag this all into your house," Asriel said. "If you want out, we can try Alphys."
"No. No, it's… I warned him what we were doin' was nuts. And now here you two are," Sans said. "Didn't see this coming, but…" His eye darted back towards the door upstairs. "She's… familiar."
"Well, she's an anomaly, right?" Asriel said.
Sans crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "It's more… the sound of her soul. Does that make sense?"
"Perfect sense," Asriel assured him.
"Good, I'm not totally losin' it," he said. "Because, to be honest, seein' a human turn up and then realizin' it was one of them with about half a second in between, I'm pretty damn proud of myself for not faintin'."
Asriel laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "We really appreciate you putting up with us."
.
Sans scoffed, though he shook his head. His eyes lingered on the doorway upstairs again. "This'll sound rude. S'there somethin' wrong with that kid? I mean. She just feels…"
"Off? Yeah. I mean. She hasn't slept in a while," Asriel said. "Our Sans's been unconscious for about three days? I think she just really misses him. They're super close so it's really throwing her."
Sans's brow furrowed thoughtfully. He turned his head to check out the window. The snow was starting to pile up. He headed for the kitchen to put the kettle on.
"We got a few hours," he said.
"I can melt the snow whenever," Asriel said.
"Nah. Let 'em relax a little. I can take you to the lab after and I… uh… I guess we can sneak in and I'll check out this hole for ya."
"Oh. Don't worry about sneaking," Asriel said with a hint of smugness in his voice. "Your Gaster gets in our way and I'll chuck him in a closet."
Sans scoffed. "I like the way you think."
xXxXx
Papyrus's room was very much the same as back home, minus a few decorations. The computer on the desk was a battered old laptop instead of a desktop monitor, and the bright red race car bed looked freshly painted.
.
A drawer under the bed was stuffed to the gills with puzzle books, each stack categorized alphabetically and by type of puzzle. There wasn't a crossword to be seen.
"Eeeee, I'm so excited to have you here!" Papyrus said brightly. He pulled out a notebook and a well-read book titled Big Puzzles Jr. and brought them both over to her. "Here, take a look! I'm gonna make great puzzles soon!"
"For sure," Frisk said. She took the notepad when he offered it and he flipped her to a page covered in sketches of simple patterns inside squares. "Where're you gonna put these?"
"Maybe in front of the door. Or in the garage," he said. "Sans can get in the house anyway so I thought that would be a good and very smart thing to do."
Frisk nodded. His eyes lit right up and he grinned.
"I knew it!" he said. "I knew you'd think so. And maybe later, I can put some out in the snow fields so the guards can do them if they get bored!"
"I bet they'd love that," she said.
"I know! Nyeh heh heh heh! But they're not allowed to cheat or anything," he said.
"No flying or snow pants, right?" Frisk joked.
"What?! Yes! Exactly! Wowie, you really do know me well," he said, tapping his chin.
Frisk smiled and shrugged. "Well, yeah, I mean, you're… Y-You're not, um, all that different from my… Papyrus." Her fingers trembled. She took a deep breath. "Except you're smaller! Um, still taller than me, though."
.
Papyrus snickered. "Are all humans very small like you?"
"Nooo, usually just kids younger than me," she said bashfully. "I'm okay with it, though. Most monsters kinda don't have a sense of personal space and just pick me up, and I kinda like that?"
"Oh really? Do humans not just pick each other up all the time?" Papyrus wondered.
"I don't think so," she said. "But, like, maybe it's different in this world, I really don't know at all. Oh, um, thanks for believing me, by the way."
"Nyeh heh! It's no problem!" He smiled at her brightly and scooted in, tapping the page she held open. "So! Which of these do you like the best so far? And! Do you think you could solve them without the answer there?"
"I thiiiink so," she said. She shot him a smile and tapped on a puzzle that had a solution that was in the shape of a cartoon bone. "I like this one the best! Ones that make a shape are really creative."
"Yes?! Oh good! Nyeh heh heh, I thought so too!" He put a hand against his chest proudly. "I invented them! I mean. At least, I've never seen one like that before so at least I didn't borrow it."
.
Frisk smiled. She pulled out her phone. "Do you mind if I take some pictures? I'd love to show this to my Papyrus and see if he did ones like this."
"Oh! Yes, of course!" He leaned over to peek at the screen as she snapped photos of the pages. "Ooh, what kind of phone is that? I've never seen one like that."
"An old one but with newer stuff added to it," she said. She passed it over to him. "You can take a look if you want."
Papyrus took it excitedly and browsed around the touch screen. "Aw, you don't have a signal."
"I'm from another dimension," Frisk joked.
"Oh right. Nyeh heh heh. Well. Just use meanybones Gaster's if you need to call, I guess! But… I guess you should give it back sometime, right?"
"Next time I see him," she said. "Eeeeven if he's not so happy to see me."
The skeleton snickered, then suddenly gasped loudly. "OH. MY. GOSH! Is this who I think it is?!"
.
He held the screen up to Frisk's face. It was. She smiled bashfully.
"Yeah. That's… Papyrus," she said.
"Wowie!" He pulled the phone back and held it close to his face, staring intently. "I'm going to look like this? I look like a cool guy!"
"You are a cool guy," she said.
He beamed at her. "I'm really tall."
"Sure are," she said.
"Ooooh, and that scarf, so cool! Who are all these other guys?!" He whisked through photos with his fingertips. "Ooh! A fish! And a lizard! And is that the King?! And is that a… girl version of the King?! Wowie."
"That's my mom," Frisk said.
"Oh!" He looked her up and down and smiled sideways. "I… seeeee the resemblance?"
Frisk laughed loudly and shook her head. "I'm adopted!"
"Oh! Phew. That makes more sense," he said. "Are these all your friends? Wow, you're really popular and cool I bet! And that's… Oh… Oh wow." He finally slowed down, his fingers resting on the screen— stalled at a picture of Sans napping on the couch. "…You didn't take this here, right?"
She shook her head. Papyrus looked up at her with wide eyes, brows bent sympathetically. He grabbed her hand.
"He… really is just like my brother, isn't he?" he said.
"Y-Yeah. I think so," Frisk said, swallowing back a sudden lump in her throat. She smiled weakly. "He's great, y'know?"
"So lazy…" Papyrus cracked a smile. "Yes. I love him a lot. And I bet you do, too. Sorry he's sick. I'm glad you came here, though, my brother can definitely help you. And I'll help you too! I'm great at helping."
"Thanks," she said. She sort of wished she had more pictures of Sans where he wasn't a lump.
.
The bedroom door creaked open and Sans wandered in, carrying two steaming mugs. It looked shockingly like home. She was grateful for Asriel walking in close behind, or else she might have thought she was hallucinating.
.
He gave one of the mugs to Papyrus, then offered her one. "Looks like you could use somethin'."
"Oh! Jeez, thanks," she said, accepting it gratefully. She took a sip— hot chocolate, with a little something else. "Ooh, what spice is that?"
"Nutmeg," he said. "Alright?"
"Yeah, it's nice, thank you," she said. "You… You didn't have to—"
"Eh, I don't mind," he said, plunking down on the floor beside her.
"I mean. Also. Thanks," she said. "For… For letting us stay. A-And for agreeing to help."
"Honestly, any excuse to show Gaster up and I'll take it," he said.
"Pffff, actually taking this personal. Interesting," Asriel said.
Sans shrugged and smiled sideways. "You weren't wrong about the history." He reached under the bed and pulled up a book with a cartoon rabbit on the front. "Papy, whatcha think, up for a story?"
"Oooh, right now in the middle of the day and everything?! Yes please!" Papyrus said. He swiftly had himself bundled cozily in a blanket and proudly announced, "I'm ready."
Frisk was about to get out of the way, but she quickly found a blanket draped around her shoulders. Sans shot her a sympathetic smile.
"Not too old for a good storybook, are ya?" he asked.
"Um… N-No?" she said.
"Great." He flipped it open.
.
The low, even tone of the skeleton's voice as he read had a definite calming effect on the room. The bright-eyed Papyrus started to doze off a little. Frisk's blinks were getting a lot slower. The kid started to slump in place and, finally, her eyes closed.
.
Asriel watched her intently as she tilted to the side. Though he certainly wasn't naïve enough to fully let go around these strangers, he couldn't help but feel relieved when Sans carefully slipped the kid's mug away from her and let her gently flop sideways onto the floor beside his knee. He carefully moved the blanket up around her shoulders and used his magic to pull a pillow to them. He put it under her head. Asriel couldn't help an amused smile. So, this Sans was a schemer, too. Figured.
.
"Good job," he said, his voice lowered to a whisper.
The skeleton smiled slightly. "Glad to help." After hesitating for just a moment, he patted her head. "Hate to see kids havin' a bad time. Even if they are a time god or whatever." He used his blue magic to gently wrap Papyrus in his blanket, and then floated him onto the bed properly. "Take a nap if you wanna."
"S'okay," he said.
"Not like I'm gonna go through your pockets," he joked.
.
Asriel laughed quietly. His chest felt tight; he took a deep breath and rubbed his temples. His fingers traced back onto his horns, feeling over the smooth ridges. His eyes shifted to Frisk and he felt a little flutter of relief in his soul. His vision blurred and he quickly wiped his eyes on his fingers.
"Somethin' off?" Sans asked.
"I dunno, it's just…" He huffed out a rough laugh at his own expense. "It's just a lot, I guess."
Sans tilted his head. "You're… a kid, too, aren't ya?"
Asriel laughed again and rubbed his palms over his face. "I should know better."
"Just chill out," Sans said. "No one's gonna judge you for passin' out for a bit."
"Soon, maybe," he agreed tepidly.
"Welp. Suit yourself." The skeleton folded his arms behind his head, leaned back against the bed, and closed his eyes. He didn't move.
The goat boy scoffed softly. Maybe strangers was overstating it a little bit. This was very familiar.