I wrote this almost 2 months ago but forgot to post it since it wasn't really a prompt. I hope you enjoy anyway!

Warning: Canonical character death


When Papyrus spoke his first word, it was your name.

Not that this came as a complete surprise. A child's first endeavor into verbal communication is often calling out to their parents. A call for attention. For food. For comfort.

But since the two of you had no mother to speak of, and father was always out, it was simply "Sans!" followed in quick succession with the word "brother".

And you would have been lying if you said this didn't fill you with a thrilling kind of pride. A little burst of happiness at the revelation that, however small or insignificant, however fleeting, you are the center of his precious life.

Your first word was "sleep" and isn't that just telling?

After that came other words, and it quickly became apparent that once Papyrus started talking, it would be hard to make him stop, as he advanced his vocabulary at an almost alarming rate.

Not that you would try.

Every sound was music to your ears, and you could listen to him all day.


Over the years, your sentiment changes slightly.

Often, he is yelling. Excited or angry or frustrated, but always loud.

And so many times, it's on the tip of your tongue to tell him to just shut up for once.

Because he never stops talking.

About humans. About Undyne. About his puzzles.

Papyrus talks and talks, and somewhere along the way, you stop listening. Somehow, everything he says becomes white noise, background music that slips into one earhole and out of the other.

You're not home much anymore, so it doesn't bother you.

He keeps making noise and you keep nodding along. You don't hear anything he says.


Until he gets quiet. Until the human comes through and he's lying in the snow, all torn up and dusty.

Suddenly, you have to strain to hear his voice.

Suddenly, it occurs to you that he may have been talking to fill the silence.

Suddenly, you wonder if he was lonely.

Suddenly, you wish you had been listening all along.

He's not dead when the human leaves and you sink to your knees in the snow beside him, but he's getting there fast.

And isn't it fitting, that the first and last word out of his mouth should be exactly the same?

"I'm sorry…. Sans."


Tumblr: sharada-n