Sans had lots of people who cared about him. Undyne, he knew, wouldn't let his brother slip into an endless depression. She'd force him to start living again, if that's what it took. And then there was Sans's friend from the door in the woods. And Frisk, of course, and even Dr. Alphys.
They might not be a substitute for the great Papyrus, because there just wasn't a substitute for a great Papyrus if you were a Sans, but… the important thing was that they were all alive, and his brother wouldn't be alone. It would be okay. He could just… rest?
Wait a second! That wasn't very Papyrus at all!
Here Sans was, promising not to be lazy, while he, The Great Papyrus, was just too tired to be bothered? Yes, he'd be happy to make this sacrifice for them, but he wasn't going to miss out on the surface without fighting as hard as he could! He wanted to see them all enjoying their new lives. He wanted to help Frisk continue to reform. He wanted to perfect the pasta recipe with Undyne. He wanted to drive a car on the surface.
He wanted to stay with his brother.
Yes, this was okay, but was there a better way? Could he listen to the human, and stay determined?
There it was… the determination that was killing him. Could he use it? Was there enough to let him stay? There was only one way to find out. And, it couldn't hurt to try.
Now wasn't the time for napping. Not until he'd given it his ALL.
He dug deep, as if summoning up his most powerful attack, and called on something else, instead…
He was vaguely aware of the air of panic that took over the room around him. But he couldn't focus on that. Not yet. If he could just open his eyes, maybe he could at least comfort them a little more.
It was wroth a try.
sans's pov
"Oh n-no!" Alphys gave a sharp intake of breath. "N-no, no, no, no n-no, n-not a-again!"
*what?!
She turned to him, mournfully. "Th-this is why I d-didn't want to t-try the d-determination… b-but… it's a-already in h-his system."
*what'dya mean? what's happening?
"W-well… th-the amalgamates… S-sans, they w-were able t-to combine w-with eachother. P-Papyrus is a-alone."
*alphys, that doesn't explain what's wrong.
He wasn't sure he wanted to know…
"H-he won't b-be able to c-combine. Th-the c-condition w-were the same f-for the o-others. The ones that c-combined. Th-they were i-injected at the s-same time, with the s-same amount of DT, s-so they're not, c-compatible. A-at best, he w-would j-just…. p-pass on, l-like n-normal. B-but… h-he… he could end up j-just a p-puddle, un-unable to b-be reached, o-or e-even, d-dust."
That… that just couldn't happen. Losing Papyrus was bad enough, but the thought of him not even passing from this life to the next because of some stupid determination residue… no. No, it just couldn't happen. He reached out for his brother's hand again. If they needed another monster to stabilize Paps… *what if we had another monster with compatible levels for him to… merge with? we've still got dt, down here, right? maybe if we injected enough into me…
She gave a little cry of dismay. "S-Sans! H-he wouldn't w-want you t-to…Besides… It's n-not even that s-simple!"
*just answer the question. would it help him in any way?
"N-no. You would have h-had to have b-been e-exposed f-for the s-same amount of t-time. D-doing something l-like that, would o-only curse you to the same f-fate."
*are you factoring in my 1 hp? maybe we could cheat the numbers.
A puddle? A scared, lonely, confused puddle for the rest of eternity? No. He didn't care if he ended up one, too. He wasn't going to let his little bro face that alone.
"Sans, y-you're not th-thinking straight. I kn-know you're upset, b-but a-all the other monsters h-had varying l-levels of h-hp. I-it doesn't f-factor in."
*then tell me what i CAN do!
There were tears in his eyesockets. *stop telling me what won't work, and just tell me how i can help him. please, alph. please…
"I w-wish I c-could. But th-there's… there's n-nothing a-any of us c-can do. I'm so s-sorry."
This couldn't be it. He couldn't be sitting here watching his little brother melt into a puddle, but… he was.
And then, he wasn't…
Papyrus's soul started to glow, faintly, then brightened. His bones solidified, not quite right, but closer to the way they were supposed to look. *what's happening? what is that?
"I… I don't… h-he's… he's st-stabilizing? H-how?"
Because his brother was the coolest, that's how. *that's it, paps. hang on. you got this, bro.
Undyne was on the other side of the bed, and lost no time screaming into his face. "YEAH! Come on, Papyrus! We need you back here! Your brother's bawling like a baby!"
Well, no he wasn't , but he'd accept the statement if it had any chance of dragging Papyrus anywhere out of the 'eternal puddle' theory's danger zone.
Frisk climbed up on the bed beside them. "Come on, Papyrus! Just do what any of us would do. BELIEVE in YOU!"
He rubbed the kid's head with a chuckle as his bro's soul started to glow even brighter, taking comfort in the fact that there was a much calmer look on his face.
…
PAPYRUS'S POV
…
He'd blanked out for a second there… he'd been losing the battle, when something pulled him back. Back towards what, he wasn't even sure anymore. Everything hurt, and he'd never wanted a nap more in his entire life.
So this was it then. He was falling down. There was no stopping it. Oh well, even the great Papyrus had his limits, he knew that. The important thing was that he had tried. He'd given it his all. He hadn't gone down without a fight. He tried to open his eyes, just to get his bearings…
And found himself staring straight into his brother's grinning face. Tears, or no tears, he was pretty happy to see him.
Dr. Alphys was somewhere in the room. She still sounded worried. "S-Sans, you sh-shouldn't!"
His brother ignored the warning, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. He found the strength to hug back. But not to talk as clearly as normal. "What's going on?"
Was Undyne suplexing that machine? Yes. And Sans was crying into his shoulder now. But they weren't the same tears from before. *y-ya came back, bro.
Frisk looked about ready to burst with joy, and everyone else was watching from a distance, giving them their space, though that seemed to have more to do our of respect than any warning of Alphys's.
Back? Back from where? And what had pulled him back this time? "I… I DON'T UNDERSTAND."
San's chuckle was a little blubbery, but he was quickly getting hold of himself enough that it seemed prudent to prepare himself to react to a pun. But Sans simply said, *me neither.
*but… it doesn't matter right now.
Well, if SANS didn't understand yet, then that was alright. The important thing was that they were all still safe, and he was still here.
Sans wasn't crying anymore. He was still clinging to him, and he was clinging back, just as hard.
Dr. Alphys was the only one in the room that looked worried, but she stopped whatever she'd been going to say before even getting a syllable out.
He was glad. They needed this moment. Even if the next one brought something as scary as everything they'd been through. But Sans had caught it, too, and, for once, he wasn't content to let it go. *what's the matter, alph?
She sighed. "I-it's alright. F-for now. His s-soul st-stabilized. B-but there's n-no telling how l-long it w-will last. Th-there's just n-no precedent. I-I have to w-warn you, th-that a-at best, he'll," she stopped talking to Sans, and turned to lookhim in the eye. "Y-you'll p-probably n-never be qu-quite the s-same. Y-you've got d-determination in y-you, but there's j-just enough left to k-keep you stable. Y-you're not g-going to h-have as m-much energy, and i-if the l-level fl-fluctuates… I-I'm sorry."
He smiled at her, feeling more and more like himself all the time, as he found the strength to sit up a little.
Yes he still felt like he wanted a nap. But… other than that… he was feeling much better already. "DON'T BE SILLY. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO APOLOGIZE FOR! BESIDES… WHILE THE SITUATION MAY BE… LESS THAN IDEAL… EVERY SECOND THAT I HAVE WITH YOU ALL IS MORE THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD HAVE BEFORE. NOW THEN, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONCERN, BUT WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE? GET BACK UP TO THE SURFACE. I'LL BE UP… IN A LITTLE BIT."
He shifted to get more comfortable, and Sans settled in. *yeah… thanks you guys. i'll stay here with paps. we'll call if anything changes.
He rolled his eyes. "SANS, I MEANT YOU, TOO."
*what?go up there instead of taking a nap? not a chance, bro.
"SANS… DON'T BE LAZY."
*paps, you were JUST telling me not to change.
"THAT WAS WHEN I THOUGHT I WASN'T GOING TO BE HERE! NOW THAT I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE, A LITTLE CHANGE COULD DO YOU SOME GOOD!"
One by one, their friends trickled out. Undyne punched him lightly in the arm. "Coming back from falling down? Pretty hardcore, buddy."
Alphys seemed to be addressing Sans more then him. "I-i've s-set the m-monitors. They'll go off i-if anything s-seems wr-rong. Y-you r-really sh-should b-both try to g-get some r-rest."
Yes, somehow, Sans seemed even more exhausted than he felt. He shifted his brother so that it was more comfortable to hold him. He knew Sans could fall asleep if he dangled him by his ankle. "DON'T WORRY. WE WILL TAKE CARE OF EACHOTHER."
The king smiled kindly at him before following the other two.
Sans's friend smiled at them, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "I'm so glad you're feeling better."
"THANK YOU!"
Frisk climbed up beside them to give them both a hug. "Thanks for saving all of us, Papyrus."
He hugged the little human back. "OF COURSE! THAT'S WHAT GREAT PEOPLE DO! THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME HELP, FRISK."
The child climbed down, and left with the others.
He settled back into the pillows, pulling Sans up beside him since he didn't have the energy to carry him to one of the other beds, and he knew his brother wasn't going to be bothered to walk in this state.
He was kind of glad. It felt nice to cuddle beside his brother, even if Sans DID make him feel even more tired than he already was. "SANS?"
*yeah, bro?
"THANK YOU FOR STAYING WITH ME. I… I'M GLAD TO BE HERE WITH YOU, BROTHER."
Sans cuddled a little closer. *heh… yeah, well, there ain't nothin' that could drag me away from ya right now. so try to rest up, ok, papyrus?
He yawned, a little worried that it sounded like Sans was going to try to stay awake. But his presence was just too soothing. "I'LL TRY."
*i don't got the book, or nothin', but… i'm pretty sure i know fluffy bunny by heart, if that would help…
He didn't really need a bedtime story. But it would be nice. And maybe Sans needed one. "IF YOU DON'T MIND…"
Sans's deep chuckle rumbled against him. *alright then.
Sans barely got started before sleep pounced on him, dragging him under. But it wasn't a scary place he was being dragged to, and being dragged wasn't the right term at all. He just felt… happy, and warm, and safe. And Sans's voice, quietly repeating the words they both knew by heart was soothing enough to erase all his apprehension about what the future might hold. Because just then, warnings, and resets, and determination aside, he knew that, if the future held even a handful of these moments… he'd be even more deeply blessed than he'd already been.
He gave one last yawn, then let Sans's story telling skills lull him to a peace filled sleep.
A/N: Well, it's always nice to have hope! There were SO many ways this could have gone, and there's still more than a few ways it could go, but I've already pretty much gotten it written, so it should be another quick update. One last chapter, guys! (I'm pretty sure anyway... this started as a oneshot... we'll see what happens.)
I guest as much: I loved your review SO much, because that's EXACTLY what it felt like! That's why it's taken so long to write these last few chapters.
Random: I hope this chapter made you feel better! I cried writing this chapter, because they don't deserve this kind of heartache!
ThePunnySkeleton: Yes, yes his determination IS stronger than DETERMINATION! haha! I got the term 'falling down' from the game. (so, more spoilers, guys, but um... this whole fic is a major spoiler? Anyway...) In the true lab notes, it states that someone, (probably Alphys, but there's speculation who actually wrote some of the notes) asked for the bodies of the monsters that had fallen down, so that they could try to inject determination into the souls, to create an artificial soul that didn't vanish when the bodies dusted. It's never really explained, but I took it to mean that the monsters who fall down are dying, and just haven't turned to dust yet. I'm... not sure how much sense that makes... but give the true lab notes a look. They're posted online in a few places.
Thanks for reading!