AN: Sorry for the cliffhanger in the last chapter! To make up for it, here's the next chapter!
Chapter 15
Virtue
Sans and the human were tossed from the cavern and again, they skidded and rolled to a stop. Behind them, the roar of the collapsing cave ravaged their ears, crushing everything behind them and cutting them off from anything and everything beyond the new rock wall.
Immediately, Sans scrambled to get up. Fear and adrenaline flooding his system.
"No!" He cried, frantically rushing forward toward the mouth of the cave once again, "No no nonono! Corbel! Corbel!"
Sans called on his magic, his hands glowing a fierce blue. They'd been talking about using Blue magic from the beginning! Why hadn't he thought to use it right then!? If he'd only grabbed onto Corbel's Soul the moment Corbel grabbed his, they all could have escaped the cave in! Why did he have to think about it now when it was too late to do anything to help!?
"Corbel! C'mon, buddy! Hang in there! I'm coming!"
There was no response, but Sans could still hear the boulders shifting. They hadn't settled yet. If he could grab onto them, he should be able to . . .
He should be able to . . .
To . . .
These boulders were too heavy. He fought with them and tried to move them and cried out when they wouldn't budge, trying to exact more force on them. Corbel was trapped! He had to do something! He had to find a way to get him out!
The look on Corbel's face when he'd made his decision. The moment he knew what he was about to do . . . it haunted Sans. There was a certain fear and a deep sadness that permeated his expression. He knew what he was doing and just what the payoff would be. He knew that there'd be a chance that he might . . .
But still, he put that aside in order to . . .
To save him and the human girl . . . He'd put his own life in danger in order to make sure they made it out.
He had to be okay in there. He had to be! Sans had to get to him and help him!
"C'mon, Corbel! Talk to me! Please, just . . . let me know you're in there!"
Still, there was no response. No shifting. No groaning. Not even his coughing.
Finally, a sound. A long, high pitched screeching pierced through the boulders and into Sans' ears. The sound of a flatline.
Sans went rigid at the sound, his eyes growing wide as the light faded to black.
"no . . . . ." He muttered, ". . . . . no . . . No! No, Corbel! Corbel!?"
He physically grabbed onto the rocks, pulling them and trying to shift them with his own strength. Still, the rocks wouldn't budge.
"No! Corbel! CORBEL!"
There was a shift. A pull of his awareness, a flux in the magic energy beside him and suddenly, that high pitched screeching sounded off even louder, doubled, as it echoed in the chamber around them.
The sound came from a small hand-held device that looked like an old pager. In the hands of its owner, it continued to wail, a blinking red light shining through the area around them.
"Where is he!?" Demanded the newcomer. Dr. Gaster quickly surveyed the surrounding area and, immediately, he noticed the human girl. His eyes went narrow in instant suspicion. Those suspicious eyes then landed on Sans, "WHERE IS MY SON!?"
"D-Doc!" Sans answered, still working on trying to remove the boulders. "He-he's . . ."
Gaster's eyes went wide once again. Corbel was in there!? How did that happen!? Why had he even been in the cave to begin with!?
The pager in his hand continued to screech.
"Corbel!" Gaster called in through the rocks, "Hang on, son! Sans, stand back!"
Sans obeyed right away, taking several steps backward and joining the human where she whimpered in her fear and concern.
Gaster called on his magic now, using a combination of methods. Some of the boulders were completely encased in a blue glow, while at the same time, several large magic hands materialized to grab onto select others. Like carefully deconstructing an intricate puzzle, Gaster disassembled the wall, discarding the boulders where he could. The wall was exceptionally thick and it seemed as if there would be no end to it.
Until there was a slight change in the ground surrounding the floor of the rocks . . . a hand, nearly completely shattered under the weight of the boulders.
"CORBEL!" Gaster cried, "Hang on. I'm almost there!"
From his spot, Sans watched along, his entire body going numb. Corbel was badly hurt . . . trapped in that cave with a mountain on top of him. He'd only been in there in the first place because of him! Because he'd insisted on going through the cave instead of lifting the human through the hole in the ground.
This was all his fault . . . And because of him, Corbel was . . .
He still had his form. He was still alive . . . he hadn't turned to dust . . . and that was the only real comfort anyone could take away here.
In an attempt to free the pressure around Corbel's body, Gaster continued to work through his panic, shifting rocks aside while keeping others in place by either his magic hands or his Blue magic. Slowly, Gaster revealed more and more of Corbel's body, freeing him from the debris bit by bit.
Sans almost couldn't bear to look.
Corbel lay motionless and unconscious. In the last moment, before the rocks came crumbling around him, he'd tried to curl in on himself and cover his head. The position of his body told them that much, but it looked as if he'd been unsuccessful. He'd still been completely buried, rocks crushing his left hand and leaving visible breaks in several ribs, his hips, his legs and . . .
As Gaster pulled Corbel out, finally freeing him from his entrapment, and laid him out in front of him to inspect his injuries, Sans could immediately see the deep cracks in his skull, nearly shattering the right side of his face.
Sans froze at the sight. The human gasped.
Gaster lightly touched the boy's face, looking him over in horror.
"How did this happen!?" He fumed, turning his attention back toward the other two. His eyes again fell to the human, immediately grabbing her soul in blue and lifting her up. She cried out in her fear as large tears fell from her eyes.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BOY, HUMAN!?"
The girl screamed and cried full out in response to this new terrifying Monster. Drifting in mid-air, she kicked, struggling to free herself from the tall monster's tight grip. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free. She was trapped and completely powerless against him.
"No!" Sans cried out as well, snapping back into action. He limped up toward Gaster with his hands up, "No, it wasn't her! She's innocent!"
"A human- Innocent . . ." Gaster spat, "Then answer! What happened to Corbel!?"
Sans spoke up again, going through the events that led them here. How they were on their way to conduct the survey in the city near the Ruins when the Rabbit children told them that there was someone trapped inside. He explained that he and Corbel went in to investigate and found Alia trapped in a sinkhole. He explained how they went through the cave to get back up to this room when the cavern began to collapse. He explained that it was because of Corbel that he and Alia were able to escape the cave in.
Throughout the explanation, Gaster kept harsh eyes on the human as he held it suspended. There were parts of Sans' story that made sense, but when it came to the human and Corbel's part in protecting her- putting her before his own safety . . . why would he do something like that? The moment he saw a human, he should have contacted the Royal Guard. It was what they'd always told him as a child. He knew not to get involved. He knew the dangers of dealing with humans. Why would he do something as reckless and stupid as try to save one!?
He found his answer with the other Skeleton standing between him and the young human. The one pleading with him to spare it now.
"It was your idea to save the human, wasn't it, Serif?" Gaster accused with a low rumble to his voice. "And Corbel went along with it . . . Why?"
Sans hesitated, finding himself at the center of Gaster's frustration once again. He chanced a look down toward Corbel and had to divert his gaze immediately afterward. He looked, instead, to the small human.
"She's just a little girl, Doc. She hasn't done anything wrong. She was just lost and separated from her family. I couldn't just leave her here. And Corbel . . ." He looked again toward his partner, trying to keep his emotion in check even as his throat tightened up, " . . . he understood that and he . . . agreed to help me . . . even though the idea made him uncomfortable."
"And as a result, this is what happened!" Gaster growled. With a glare again toward Sans and the human child, he released the latter and allowed it to fall.
"Keep a close eye on it." He instructed, "Make sure it doesn't attack. And keep it away from Corbel."
With a long breath, Sans nodded, "Understood."
Gaster focused once again to his son, taking in everything he could about what happened. He opened his coat and his shirt, to inspect any new breaks . . .
Sans, from his spot with the human, drew in a sharp breath. He'd never seen the full extent of Corbel's degradation. He'd glanced at the tiny hairline fractures on his arms and legs the other night, but those were nothing like this . . . There were parts of him that were just . . . gone, sections of ribs that were missing or just an empty space where a rib should be. The ones that were left were porous like a sponge and in danger of splitting.
And it seemed the cave-in had claimed a few more. There seemed to be quite a few new or fresh-looking fractures spidering over his remaining ribs. His sternum and left clavicle were broken clean through and it looked as if some new nicks had crumbled away from the vertebrae in his neck. Those weren't due to the cave in trauma. That was erosion.
"Before the cave collapsed," Gaster questioned to the air, refusing to look up from his son, "What was his condition? Did he seem to be laboring? Was he having trouble breathing?"
"He . . . was . . . struggling quite a bit. His voice was rasping and he . . . he was coughing up, dust, sir."
"As I thought." Gaster went through Corbel's pockets then, seemingly looking for the same thing Corbel had been when he'd been coughing so badly. "He doesn't have his inhaler . . . but then what is . . ."
He almost literally fished something out of Corbel's pants pocket. A silver something on a thick chain, it came out in pieces, dented and crushed . . . Corbel's pocket watch.
Gaster drew in and let out a long steadying breath when he saw the watch, clutching it in his hand tightly.
"We will continue this back at the lab." He finally took a look back up to Sans where he stood with the human. So far it still hadn't attacked and it didn't look as if it was trying to escape. Somehow, it seemed as if Sans had been able to gain its trust. But speculation on that would have to wait until he could get Corbel stabilized.
"Take the human child to one of the observation rooms and guard it there. Do not let it out."
"Yes, understood . . . but doc, what about . . ."
There was a slight shift from the form before Gaster. Rasping shallow breaths wheezed and bones rattled with even the slightest movement. Corbel groaned, trying to move, but with the pain radiating throughout his entire body, he was unable to do much more than open a single eye.
Through the blur, he was able to make out the shape of the figure above him.
"D-Dad . . . ?" He said in a pinched whisper.
"Shh . . . It's okay, son." Gaster whispered back, reaching out again to stroke Corbel's skull, a soft light emanating from his fingers, "I've got you. Just hold on."
Within moments, Corbel's eye drifted closed and he lost consciousness once again.
His examination could wait until they were back in the lab. He had to get Corbel back. That was his main priority.
He held out a hand toward Sans and Sans obliged, making his way over with uneven steps. He clutched the hand of the human girl as well.
Laying his free hand over Corbel's chest, Gaster concentrated on the group as well as the path they needed to take in order to make it back to the main atrium. Every walkway and every turn. Every landmark and building flashed through his mind in an instant and in a blink, they shifted.
With a breath of warmer, less dusty air, they'd made it back into the lab's entrance.
Right away there were gasps and some exclamations as the assistants who had been gathered there witnessed the phenomenon. After disappearing so abruptly, Gaster had returned with the Ruins team as well as . . .
"Oh dear lord, is that a human!?"
"What the Hell!?"
"What happened to Kid Gaster!?"
"Corbel!? Oh no!"
"Get me a gurney, now!" Gaster demanded, "Sans you know what you need to do."
"Yes, sir." Sans answered.
At Sans' side, the little hand tightened her grip on his as she pressed closer to him. She seemed absolutely terrified. There was just so much going on! All of a sudden they weren't in the caves anymore but in a building with a lot of other monsters in lab coats!? And none of them seemed very happy to see her. Those who acknowledged her gave her a confused or scowling look. Even her Skeleton friend seemed more rigid and uptight than before. Granted, a lot happened since they met. And the other Skeleton . . . he got hurt really really badly. So, of course, he was worried about his friend.
That aside, the Skeleton looked back over to her with a small smile.
"Alrighty, Alia." He sighed, "You'll be safe here. We're gonna find a place for you to stay for a little bit, okay? Until we get everything sorted out."
Hesitantly, trying to decide where to focus with all of the activity around, Alia decided that it was probably best to stay with Sans. She nodded wordlessly as Sans led her away by the hand past the other scrambling monsters and to an elevator.
As she looked back to the scene in the front room, she saw the large Skeleton monster, the father who had scared her so much, hunched over Mr. Corbel. He held onto his son tightly, keeping him close as his composure shuddered.
They'd been in the observation room for quite a while, waiting for any word or any news as to what was going on. Sans had been able to bandage up Alia's hands and knees and was now pacing back and forth through the room, trying to figure out what to do with himself.
There had been no word and no correspondence from anyone else on the team and that idea alone was enough to make Sans worry. Why hadn't there been any update!? If not from Gaster then from someone else. Anyone else. Someone had to have news on Corbel's condition!
Alia could only watch from her spot on the observation table as Sans paced back and forth by the door, muttering to himself in a low voice. It made her nervous, not only because he seemed upset at what happened, or because he hadn't been really been paying any attention to her since he helped bandage her up. Really, she didn't know why she felt so nervous, but she could definitely feel Sans' discomfort on top of her own.
Maybe there was something she could do to help him . . . ?
She noticed as she watched Sans pace, that he was slowing down, the time between steps taking a bit longer as the pain in his leg returned. His limping got worse and he even had to reach out to grab onto things in order to keep moving.
"Mr. Skeleton . . . ?" Alia asked, trying not to sound as nervous as she felt, "There's a chair over here. Do you wanna sit down?"
As if he'd been ripped from a haze, Sans blinked in response to the sound of another voice more than what the voice was saying.
"Oh, heya, kid." Sans acknowledged, "Y'know, you can just call me Sans. No need for the 'Mr.' bit."
Alia hesitated, "But you're a grown-up." She replied, "Aren't I supposed to say Mr.?"
"Well, I guess that's usually the case, but I'm giving you super special permission not to. Okay?"
The girl looked at Sans, trying again to gauge him. In the end, she gave him a small smile to match the one he was giving her.
"Okay." She answered, adjusting herself on the table. She continued after another breath, "You should sit down for a bit, Sans. It looks like your leg is hurting again."
Sans looked down at his torn pants and the death grip he had on the counter in front of him.
"Actually," He sighed, "That doesn't sound like such a bad idea. Is there any room for me up on that table?"
Alia nodded again and patted the open area next to her. With a bit of laboring, Sans crossed the room again, expertly lifting himself backward into the table to sit next to the girl.
"So. I'm sure you've got quite a lotta questions, huh?" He asked, "You're probably really confused. So, if you wanna talk or ask or whatever, just let me know."
Alia hummed, trying to come up with a good question for Sans aside from the obvious: How long they would be there? When could she go home? How far away was the exit?
"That really tall Skeleton guy . . . he's 's dad, right?"
Sans drew in a breath and held it for a moment. "Yeah, he is. That's Dr. Gaster. He's the Royal Scientist and he works directly under the King and Queen of the Underground."
"Wow . . . You guys got a King and Queen!?"
"Yup, sure do! And a Prince! Actually, he might be just about your age. How old are you anyway, kiddo?"
"I'm six!" Alia announced with a bit of pride in her voice. "I'm turning seven in a few months! And then I'm gonna start second grade!"
"Wow, smart kid. Yeah, Prince Asriel is about five years old, so you guys are pretty close together in age."
"Are the King and Queen nice people? How about the Prince? I don't have a lot of friends who are boys. They're always being mean to the girls. And sometimes we fight them right back, but then everyone just gets in trouble. So usually, we just kinda try to ignore them."
Sans actually chuckled a little bit at the story. It sounded familiar and he figured that it was the same no matter how much time passed. Boys would always be boys and girls would always be trying to find whatever way they could to deal with them.
"Well, the Prince is a good kid as far as I've seen. And his parents are nice. They care about all of the monsters here and they do their best to make sure everyone is well taken care of. They go out and talk to the citizens and figure out what they need or how things could be improved. If they need to, they'll ask Dr. Gaster to help out. They take care of everyone like they're all their family . . . It's really nice."
"Have you ever met them, Sans?"
Sans shrugged in response. "Not formally. Sometimes Queen Toriel will come in for an inspection and I'll see her then, but she doesn't do as much casual conversation with us as King Asgore does. Though I have seen her break face once or twice when she overhears one of my amazing jokes. I think there's a bit of a comedy lover in her somewhere. So whenever she comes around I try to bring it out of her.
"Asgore, on the other hand, is an open book. He's really friendly and he shows his less formal side a lot more than Toriel does. He doesn't like it when people call him 'your majesty' or 'Sire' though Dr. Gaster does it all the time. He likes to remind everyone that even though he has the title of 'King' he's just a regular guy just like everyone else."
A moment passed as Alia listened. Eventually, she smiled.
"They do sound really nice. I think I'd like to meet them some day."
"Hey, you never know. Maybe someday you will."
The girl hummed, retreating into her thoughts for a while. Even more questions coming to mind . . . And just maybe she could find her answers in Sans.
But Sans had just gotten to a point where he wasn't as frustrated as he was before and he was actually starting to relax a little. Her distraction was working. She really didn't want to bring up stuff that would make him anxious all over again.
But still, she had to find out.
"Um . . . Sans?" She asked hesitantly.
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"Monsters seem like they're really nice . . . Most of them I've met so far seem like it . . . And the King and Queen and the Prince sound nice in your story . . . Though the Doctor guy is really scary."
"Oh he's a good guy too, he's just . . . Really worried about Corbel. And he's a little stressed right now."
"But he was so mad at me as soon as he saw me." She clutched at her chest, as she remembered the feel of the magic over her soul and just how scared she'd been. "I think that . . . that if you weren't there, he would have . . . why did he think that I was the one who hurt Mr. Corbel? I'm so much smaller than him and he's so much stronger than me . . . And then, when we first got here, so many of the other monsters looked like they hated me right away . . . And even Mr. Corbel . . . He said I was an enemy because I'm human . . . He wouldn't've helped if you weren't there to talk him into it . . . But why? Why do monsters hate humans so much?"
Sans sighed heavily, his hands gripping the edge of the table. How was he supposed to answer that? Already, this kid had been through so much. And now that she was here, he knew she'd only see more hardship. But the longer he could keep her from it, the better.
"Well, I don't hate you." He shrugged, "Did I ever make you think that I hated you?"
"Well . . . No. You were really nice to me. You are really nice."
"And when you first got here, you were afraid of the monsters, weren't you?"
Alia was quiet.
"But now you know how nice monsters can be. So, that's all it's gonna take. Show the monsters how nice you are. It's actually pretty easy to make friends here. But since there's only one of you, it could take a bit longer for the monsters to catch on. Just . . . Try not to hold it against them. More likely than not, they're afraid of you. Just give them time and they'll come around."
"How much time?"
Sans paused, hesitating. There was no way he would be able to answer that either. Falling into the Underground meant being trapped in the Underground. The was no way to escape, not with the barrier keeping everyone sealed.
"Alia . . ."
"Do . . . Do you think that the King and Queen would be able to help me? I really wanna go home and I'm sure mommy and daddy are worried."
Sans was quiet for a minute.
"I think that they'd like you if they met you. I know for a fact that both of them love kids. And they would definitely try everything to help in any way they could."
"You think so?"
"I know it. I'll . . . see what I can do about getting you an audience with them. I mean, I don't have much influence, but maybe if I ask the Doc, he could ask the royals and then you'd get to meet them for yourself."
Sans hesitated once again, looking back over to the door before lowering his head. A pained expression fell over his face and the effect spread throughout his body. He sat hunched, thinking the proposal over again in his own head and taking into account their current situation.
"But right now, the Doc is . . . busy. He has to . . . help Corbel. He was in pretty rough shape and I have no idea how things are going on that end . . . I just wish someone would please tell us what was going on!"
And just that quickly, Sans was back in his previous mindset, but this time, Alia was able to recognize just what was making them both so uneasy. Yes, it was a serious situation, but it was more than that.
"Do you think Mr. Corbel is gonna be okay?"
As if it had become a habit, Sans drew in a deep breath and let it out in a long heavy sigh.
"I wish I knew."
"But what do you think?"
For a moment, Sans tore his attention away from the door and the floor in front of it in order to look over to the little girl. What kind of tactic was she using . . . ?
"I think . . . Corbel is really tough. I think he's had to fight really hard for a long time and this is just another battle that he's been challenged with . . . but I believe in him. I've seen how stubborn and headstrong he can be. And I think . . . that if anyone can pull through something like this, it would be him."
Alia gave Sans a tiny smile. "I think he knows how you feel. And I think he will do his best to prove you right. But I don't think he wants you worrying and blaming yourself like this. You feel guilty for what happened, huh?"
What the heck!? This was still the same little girl who had been crying in a cave two hours ago, right? When had she become his psychotherapist? Where the heck was this even coming from?
"You must really care about him a lot to worry so much. It's obvious he trusts you with all his heart. That's why he helped in the cave. He cares about you just as much as you care about him. But care and worry aren't enough. I think he would want you to trust in him too. He would want you to believe in him. And if you do, then he'll be able to feel it too and it will help him. I know it will."
Sans listened, taking in every word, "Wow, being comforted by a six-year-old . . . never saw that coming. But . . . you're right. Corbel deserves the same level of trust, dedication, and love as he gives. It's the least I can do to reciprocate . . ."
". . . ress . . . rexipro . . ."
"Reciprocate. It means to give back exactly what you've been given. Like a friend does you a favor, so you do a favor for them. Like you're paying them back."
"Ohhhh!"
Sans let out a bit of a chuckle, "Guess I forgot that quickly that you are still a first grader."
Alia pouted just a little bit, ". . . I'm almost in second grade."
"Oh, excuse me. An almost-second grader."
There was a knock on the far door and both Alia and Sans snapped their heads up to see.
Gaine opened the door slightly, but not enough for anything to slip through. He was protecting against the human.
"Serif." He said plainly.
"Welp. That's my cue." Sans hummed, "Be good until I get back, 'kay, kid?"
Alia nodded.
In the hallway, Gaine stood almost silently, looking over Sans in confusion, curiosity and maybe a little distrust. What was going on in his head?
"How did you get the human to do that?" Gaine blurted out as his curiosity took over. "Such a violent creature, how were you able to make it so . . . tame?"
"Wha . . . ?" Sans asked just as confused, "Tame her? Pshh, no! She's a person, not an animal. I just talked to her. She's a little kid. Just like every other little kid."
Gaine hummed in thought, "You really are a strange one, you know that . . . and as long as we've worked together, I don't think I've ever really understood you. Anyway . . . I've been asked to collect statements. So . . ."
Gaine handed Sans a clipboard with several forms and a pen.
"When you've finished filling those out, report to Dr. Gaster. He should be in the gallery of the main O.R.
Sans hesitated. If Gaster wasn't inside the Observation Room and he wanted him to report then . . .
". . . then, he was able to stabilize Corbel!? He's okay!? Corbel's okay!?"
Gaine silenced, but the look on his face didn't show the same relief or enthusiasm.
"He just said he wanted to talk to you . . . but I can say he didn't look too thrilled with the idea. Then again, that could just be because he's under so much stress right now. His son was nearly killed and I'm sure something like that would take a serious toll on-"
"Wait, 'killed'? But doesn't that imply intent . . . No one intended for what happened to play out the way it did! No one wanted Corbel to get hurt!"
Again, Gaine went silent for a moment looking Sans straight in the eye and studying him intently. "While you do your statement and report to Gaster. I will be . . . interviewing the human . . . from a safe distance of course."
"She's not dangerous." Sans argued, "She smart and she's sweet. Just talk to her. Treat her like a normal person and who knows, she might surprise you! She surprised me."
Gaine hummed, looking between Sans and the door of the Observation Room.
"We'll see."
Sans knocked on the door to the main Observation Room's gallery. Even just being this close, made his stomach tie up in knots and his chest seize up. There was a certain gravity that loomed over the area and choked the very air around it.
Through a crack in the door, the dark voice of the doctor came through. Gaine was right. He did sound worn. But he wasn't talking to him. It sounded like he was on the phone with someone.
"No . . . well, I think that's all we can hope for now. I've been keeping him sedated so he wouldn't feel the full extent of the pain. Yes, h-he did wake up for a moment, but . . . No no, there was no way we could have . . . No, he didn't . . . he must have left it behind in his backpack or . . . No! No, Dearest, this is not on you! No . . . don't think like that. Well, yes. No, he's resting now. Yes, I think that would be best . . . I'm sure he'd like that. Yes . . . I'll see you when you get here. I love you . . . I will, I'll tell him."
Gaster hung up after that, releasing a long breath. That didn't sound like a good conversation at all. And now Mrs. Gaster was on her way to the lab as well?
. . . it must have been incredibly serious. As long as they've been there, Sans had never seen Mrs. Gaster actually come to the lab.
"Enter." Gaster acknowledged, "It is you, isn't it, Sans?"
"Yes, sir." Sans said darkly.
The lights were even low inside the gallery. So, would they be talking in the dark, then? The only light that could be seen was the light coming from the O.R. itself.
That's where Corbel was . . . that's where Gaster had been treating him!
Sans turned his head toward the light. And what he saw stopped him dead in his tracks.
The younger Skeleton lay unconscious in a hospital bed with all kinds of bandaging wrapped around him in an attempt to keep the bones together and secure. His right eye had been patched and his face was bandaged and taped, hoping to keep the shattering fractures from spreading. And over his nose and mouth, there was an oxygen mask in place to keep air and magic flowing through him.
In addition, wires could be seen attached to various points on his form with a few on the temples of his skull, some at choice locations over his remaining ribs, and one just above the broken point in his sternum. His gloves had been removed as well and for the first time, Sans could see his hands without them . . . or rather, hand.
Corbel's left hand was completely gone, removed after being crushed by the boulder. In the other . . . There was what looked to be a gaping hole in his . . . there really was no palm anymore, the hole having spread so far. Nearly all of his fingers were gone and one of the remaining fingers looked as if it was in danger of coming off at any time. The only one that seemed like it was securely on was his thumb, with his pinky in a far second.
On two of those three fingers, there were clips attached. Those clips and the rest of the nodes were linked to a monitor where there was an extremely dim silhouette of Corbel's form . . . even the form seemed to be missing segments. It only had one hand and it was missing its opposite foot . . . Magic didn't spread to the right side of its face and there were sections throughout the rest of the body where magic would flow, break and restart . . . all the places where Corbel's bones had been broken. Beneath the diagram, there was an HP bar. Sans couldn't see from his position what Corbel's Max was, but he could see that the yellow bar was over halfway depleted and it was still slowly draining. Corbel would have to be monitored and healed constantly in order to keep him alive . . . He was really hanging on by little more than a thread.
"Oh my god . . ." Sans uttered before he could stop himself, "Corbel . . ."
"Sans." Gaster pushed.
"Oh! Yes . . . my . . . my statement. I . . . I . . . Doc, I have to do something! How can I help Corbel?"
"You've done enough. Your statement please."
Sans turned away from the O.R. and into the gallery where Gaster stood in the dark and now Sans seemed to understand why he'd done it this way. The doctor was in such pain over what happened to Corbel that he was trying to hide his emotion in the dark. He'd been crying over him and even now during the conversation with his wife, some of that raw emotion had come through.
Sans turned back to see Corbel once again. There had to be something he could do to help him. The doctor had done so much already and Corbel was still hanging on. He was alive . . . but would he recover?
"We can't give up on him." Sans sighed.
"Excuse me?" Gaster muttered.
"No matter what. Corbel trusts every one of us, so we can't give up on him now. We have to believe that he'll pull through this. He'll be okay. I believe he'll be okay."
"Are you insinuating that I've 'given up' on my son? What the Hell do you think I've been doing this whole time?"
"No! No, that's not what I mean. I can see . . . what you've done to stabilize him. I mean, from here. I mean me. The rest of us."
Sans released a steady breath.
"A long time ago, you told me that Corbel was special, that he didn't know how to give anything less than his all . . . and I think I understand that now more than ever. Corbel gives everything he has to his friends and his loved ones. We have to show him that it's worth it. That we're worth it. We have to reciprocate that love and that devotion. He deserves nothing less than our all. So, I can't give up on him. And even if you say there's nothing I can do to help, I won't believe you. And I'll keep trying."
"Fine. I won't say there's nothing you can do. Do you know how you can help?" Gaster said in an unmoved mutter, his hand outstretched.
"My statement . . . ?" Sans answered, handing the clipboard over.
Gaster snatched it out of his grip without wasting a single breath. His eyes were narrow and his expression was almost lethal.
"You stay away from my son!"
"S-Sir . . . ?" Sans stammered, taking a step backward. An icy chill ran down his back at the comment.
"This is the second time you've hurt him!" Gaster growled, "And this time it was so much more than emotional pain. You nearly killed him! Do you honestly think that I'd wait around and watch for the third time when you actually do!? Don't you find it odd that whenever he lets himself become close with you, he's the one who pays for it!? Corbel was against going into the Ruins and saving the human, was he not? Did he voice these opinions?"
Sans' breathing quickened, finding himself being suddenly interrogated, as his heart jumped into his throat. He tried to swallow past it. "H-he did."
"He ended up here because this is where you led him! Because you insisted, he ended up in that cave with you. And in order to save you from your own stupidity, he sacrificed himself. Now tell me, how do you plan on 'reciprocating' that?"
"I . . ." But Sans had no words. He couldn't form any.
"Now, no more of that idealistic bullshit! If you find a way to help him- to really help him, then you can come to speak to me. But until that happens, get out of my sight!"
"B-but, sir, I-"
"You will be our liaison to the human for the time being. We will see what happens after that."
Sans stood, a tingling in his hands and his feet that he couldn't quite place.
"You are dismissed." Gaster nearly hissed.
After another moment of hesitation, Sans turned back toward the door. He looked back toward the O.R. and the broken Skeleton inside. Corbel really had suffered so much because of him. He knew it was true and that there was really nothing he could do to fix things. . . but if he could . . .
If he could . . .
If he was able to go back in time and try again, could he really say he wouldn't have just done the same thing . . . ? Because of Corbel, the human was saved . . . if not for him, there was a very real possibility that the human would have been crushed during the cave in instead . . . Is that really something Sans could actively wish for?
No, there were no winners or losers here. It was just an absolute mess.
Was there really nothing he could do to fix it . . . ?
As Corbel lie there, the reality sunk in and something huge stabbed at Sans' soul. Something more painful than the dagger he'd felt before. A spear harpooned through him and he could feel it being ripped out again.
His throat pinched closed and there was a painful burn in his nose . . . His eyes began to sting. He'd really messed up this time. But he willed himself to keep from letting those emotions spill over.
"I'm . . . I'm so sorry, Corbel." He whispered as he finally left, making sure the door was closed behind him.
Leaving the O.R. behind, Sans walked the corridors aimlessly, his head swimming with all of the words, the images, and the thoughts of the last few hours . . . Gaster, Gaine, Alia . . .
. . . Corbel . . .
Corbel had fought so hard just so he and Alia could get out safely. He'd been so determined to save them that he'd even put his own life in danger to do it . . .
He would never forget the look on his face right before he sent him flying back with blue magic. There was something there, beyond the panic and sadness in his eyes. Something he wanted to say, but time had run out.
The flash came and that same face was in so much pain as he fought just to breathe. His skull fractured around his eye and down his cheek.
And another flash and Sans saw him lying in the hospital bed hooked up to monitors and machines, looking as if he really could turn to dust at any moment.
Another flash and he saw Corbel on stage after his performance, a bright smile on his face now as he basked in the audience's applause.
Another flash and Corbel was pulling away from him in horror, his face beet red after having kissed him.
Flash. Corbel was trying to keep his composure after having confessed his feelings and being rejected. He lost and began to cry.
Flash. Corbel's adorable smile as he laughed with Sans at terrible jokes told in high-pitched voices.
Flash. Corbel's slight blush when he'd mentioned having dinner together.
Flash. Corbel's stubbornly determined glare as he tried to keep Sans from passing out in the CORE. Even the day they met, Corbel had been adamantly fighting to save his life.
Another flash and there was panic in Corbel's eyes again as he looked back at Sans moments before the cave came crashing down.
"I'm sorry Sans," He'd said, "I'm so sorry."
But there was something else there. Something that went unsaid. The reason he'd done any of this to begin with.
"I love you."
Sans released a hissing curse, shoving his hands in his pants pockets and kicking at the floor as he passed one of the smaller examination rooms. Damn it. Why? WHY!? Why were these thoughts coming to him now! These . . . these feelings . . . There was nothing he could do.
Corbel was fighting for his life . . . at his hand . . . and there was NOTHING he could do for him!?
He froze for a moment as he felt something soft in his pocket. He pulled it out and inspected it.
A burnt-orange scrap of fabric that had been cut and sewn down to the size of a hand towel. Corbel's bandana . . . he still had it.
Looking at it again, that familiar sting crept back in and this time the burning emotion escaped . . . there was nothing he could do to stop it . . .
There really was nothing he could do . . .
He couldn't even go check up on Alia. Not until Gaine finished his interview.
He was useless, unable to help . . . only good for destruction.
Before he registered what was going on, he'd sunk to the ground at the threshold to the examination room, his knees to his chest and his hands clutching his skull. The bandana was still firmly grasped in his hand. He fought to keep in the long cry he felt threatening to rip from the back of his throat. After all, he was still at work . . . there were still others around to hear him.
With that thought in mind, Sans slipped into the examination room and shut the door. He stayed huddled on the ground as he lost control of every troubling sentiment pent up inside of him.
He lost track of time. It could have been minutes, hours, or days that he stayed in the examination room, but he didn't bother to look. He didn't care.
He sat in the darkened room, having emptied himself completely from the overwhelming surge of emotion and stared blankly at absolutely nothing. He couldn't even find the motivation to move.
And he couldn't show himself in front of the others like this anyway . . . And he couldn't just go home.
Eh, not that it mattered.
He didn't deserve to go home . . . Not when Corbel was still . . .
Sans let out a long breath. Maybe Corbel really would have been better off if he'd never come along . . . Maybe then he wouldn't be . . .
What the hell was he even doing here? He wasn't supposed to be here at all! And now because he was, this wonderfully pure-hearted monster could possibly lose his life . . .
Not for the first time, Sans' eyes fell on Corbel's bandana and again those flashes of memory paraded across his mind, flooding him with a fresh wave of emotion. He gripped the bandana tightly in his hand once again, bringing it to his head as he let out breath after long steadying breath.
On one of the last breaths, sound finally escaped. It was small at first, but it grew in volume the longer that his air pushed out that way. Before he knew, he was screaming fully into the room. With yet another breath, he had enough air to scream again to no one. His own pain and frustration was laced into the sounds and reverberated throughout the empty area. He thought he'd let it all out before, but there was still quite a bit left within him. With every breath, it seemed as if there was more to dispel. He didn't fight it as it continued to spill freely out of him.
It was during this that his hands were taken within someone else's gentle grip and pulled down from his face. He hadn't even noticed that someone had come into the room with him. He hadn't heard the door open or felt the presence before him. But now, those hands took his, prying them downward.
In the next moment, he was taken in a pair of thin arms in a firm embrace. These arms held him steady and right away, at the touch, another wave crashed over him and he let it out in harsh sobs into this figure's shoulder.
Why . . . why, when there was so much going on, and when he was directly responsible for it, would she even bother with him.
"Sans, sweetie." She hummed, "You're okay. Take a deep breath and open your eyes. You're here and I'm with you. It's okay. C'mon, breathe."
Trembling from head to toe, Sans did his best to follow the instructions, taking short shuddering breaths. His hands, still shaking, raised once again to encircle the woman in front of him and he held her close to him as yet more tears were released.
"I'm so-so sorry." He nearly pleaded, as if for forgiveness, "I-I never meant for any of it to-to happen! And . . . and Corbel . . . because of me . . ."
The woman remained silent as she held onto Sans.
"I'm sorry." Sans repeated, "I'm sorry I'm such a fuck-up . . . If- if I'd never . . . If I weren't . . . It's my fault . . . all of it is my fault . . . you- you shouldn't waste your time on me . . . I'm not . . ." His voice caught as his sobs got the better of him.
"Don't be ridiculous, Sans." She sighed softly, "Of course you are. And I know Corbel thinks so too. Or else he wouldn't have helped you the way he did. Why would you think that about yourself?"
"Because Corbel is wrong! Wrong about me. Wrong to trust me so blindly. Wrong to let me close at all . . ."
Sans released his grip on the woman, letting his hands fall heavily to his sides.
"All I do is . . . All I've ever done is hurt everyone around me. Everyone I've ever been close to . . . and whenever I think that maybe it'll be different for once . . . that maybe I won't fuck everything up . . . this shit happens all over again . . . I'm a curse. I'm a curse to myself and everyone around . . . It's a perpetual cycle that can't be broken . . ."
Again, he gripped the bandana tightly, "the doc was right. it-it's best if i just . . . stay away."
When he finally opened his eyes again, Nyala was sitting on the floor beside him, with an arm around his shoulder. She let out a long breath, the words cutting deeply.
"Sans . . ." she breathed once again, "You know that's not true. And frankly, I thought you'd have a little more faith in Corbel. He chose you because he can see how amazing you are. After all this time, the bond the two of you created . . . isn't that worth something? He believes in you so fully that he risked everything to save you . . . and you're just dismissing that so easily? It's insulting to him. So, if you don't believe in yourself . . . at least believe in him. Trust his judgment because he's actually really good at that. Instead of punishing yourself for things that can't be changed, pick yourself up and make your changes starting now! Show him that he was right! Prove to him that you can be worth it. That you are worth it. Do my baby proud!"
"But . . . What can I even do . . . I can't heal him . . . and even if I could . . . I saw that monitor. His HP is dropping so steadily, it wouldn't take anyway. I don't have anything to offer."
"Sans, have you been in to see him?"
Sans nodded, "I saw through the gallery of the Observation Room where he's resting."
"No. I mean, have you talked to him? Sat with him? Have you been in the same room with him since you got back?"
Sans let out a breath. "No, I haven't been allowed in."
"I see." She sighed, "Well, let me ask you this, Do you know why I came today?"
"You're Corbel's mom! Of course, you'd want to come!"
"But I can't heal him. Not in a way that would take. I can help relieve some of his pain, but I can't fix him. None of us can. So, I'm here to do what I can do. I can talk to him. I can let him know that he's not alone. I can show him that I'm here for him, that I care about him, that I love him. That's about all I can do for him right now, but I'll be damned if I don't do everything I can do for my boy! Go in to see him. Talk to him a little. Let him know that what he did made a difference. Show him that you're alive and that it wasn't for nothing. And while you're at it, maybe show a little gratitude? He did save your life after all."
Sans hummed, his eyes lowered as he thought it over, "But I'm not even allowed to go in there. The doc . . . Dr. Gaster gave me an order to stay away from Corbel and from him . . . And I don't blame him."
Nyala stalled for a moment, "What the . . . ? My husband . . . Hmm . . . I think I might understand . . . Let me ask you something else . . . Are you aware of the life cycles of Boss Monsters?"
Sans hesitated as well, "Wha . . . Um, yeah, the basics anyway, but what does that have to . . . Are you guys Boss Monsters!?"
"Well, no . . . but it might make the situation a little easier to understand if you're familiar. So, you know that as the child of Boss Monsters ages, they draw their power from their parents, causing them to age as well, correct?"
"Right. That's what people are waiting to see with Prince Asriel and the Royal Family."
"Well . . . it's that same principle- that same thought process that's responsible for Corbel's life right now . . . I'm going to tell you something now that not even Corbel knows . . . and Wingdings doesn't know that I know."
Sans looked directly at Nyala now as she drew in another deep breath. Her face looked so tired and her expression was so worn. She'd been through so much with her family and it was showing in her face and in her voice.
"Corbel wasn't supposed to live past the age of ten." She said solidly, though the information was still just as painful to speak about, "He inherited a rare Degenerative Bone Disease from his father and there is no known treatment or cure. Over time, Corbel's bones lose their density and become fragile and porous and they will inevitably turn to dust, which he then expels through coughing. He's more susceptible to breaks and it's prevented him from really being able to enjoy his childhood to the fullest. You saw him coughing up dust and you saw the extent of the disease's hold on him."
Sans nodded.
"You see, we never thought we'd see him live to be an adult . . . So, to see him living his own life, taking care of himself and of others, to pursue a future and love. It's . . . more than we could have ever asked for . . . but it comes with constant worry. Every day, we fear that one day something will happen and we will lose him. You saw first-hand, just how terrifying the sickness can be. We fear that one day it will catch up with him and we'll lose our boy to it.
"This is what led my husband to create Corbel's inhaler. When he was still a child, Wingdings fought this disease as well and the thing he remembered the most was that coughing. So when Corbel began to show signs of it . . . when the holes first started appearing in his hands, Wingdings went right to work trying to find a way to stop the spread . . . or at least slow it down. There was only ever one person who found a way to completely stop the spread and that woman died when Wingdings was still young and the solution was lost with her. So Wingdings had to find alternative methods in order to keep our child from suffering so much.
"He put some of his own magical essence . . . magic directly from his own soul . . . into an inhaler and gave it to Corbel to keep with him if ever he should need it. Wingdings doesn't know that I know what's in the inhaler, so I would appreciate it if you didn't repeat that. But giving something so personal . . . something so raw drains the life out of a person. It's been keeping Corbel alive all this time, slowing the spread of the degradation and keeping the coughing at bay, but it's been eating away at Wingdings instead. Slowly but surely, they're both losing to this illness . . . I'm losing both of my boys to this . . . and when Corbel dies . . . when we die . . . That's it. As far as we knew, Corbel was the last Skeleton. We'll go extinct.
". . . at least that's what we thought. Then you came along and whether you knew it or not, you gave us all so much hope just by existing. Just by showing up. And Corbel was so thrilled to see another Skeleton that he threw himself completely into the idea of getting to know you . . . and maybe he threw himself a little too hard into it, but his spirit and his enthusiasm were all genuine. And even now, he knows that if there's even the slightest chance . . . that even if he doesn't live . . . that you could, then there's still hope. That it would be worth it.
"And Wingdings . . . well, he's fought so hard to keep Corbel alive that maybe he's lost his sense of Self in that fight. He's given so much of himself to Corbel that he sees anything against Corbel as an attack against him as well. He's a bit overprotective . . . and maybe I am as well . . . but to deny Corbel's friends access to see him at a time like this . . . that's going a bit too far."
Nyala stood, straightening out her outfit and holding her hand out to the other Skeleton who had spent his entire afternoon and evening hiding away in this dark room.
"Let's go, Sans. We're going to go show Corbel that what he did wasn't a waste. That it was worth it."
Hesitating again, Sans almost raised his hand to take Nyala's, but thought it over for a second, running over his options in his head.
When he tightened his fists, he noticed that he still had the bandana tight in his hand and it was that piece of fabric that ultimately made his decision for him. He still needed to return it after all.
He took Nyala's hand and allowed himself to be pulled back to his feet.