Chapter Three :: Human Nature
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The next few days fly by quickly as you remain locked away in the confines of Papyrus' shed with an all-spaghetti diet. Every meal was consistent of filling up the dog food bowl set beside you, and every meal was a struggle to eat without having to use your arms. Amazingly, it doesn't take long before you become accustomed to the delicious scent of inedible spaghetti and pasta, as you find that you look forward to Papyrus' face light up with absolute delight every time you enjoy his cooking. He is so simple to please, it's too adorable.
His trust in your friendship grows deeper, until he doesn't think twice when he finally cuts the ropes from around your wrists and allows you to freely move your arms once again. You're grateful for his faith in you, and in return, you promise to him sincerely that you won't misbehave. Of course, this promise is aimed only at Papyrus… as your eyes slowly wanders towards Sans hiding in the background, and you directly flash him a knowing smile.
You notice how Sans watches you intensely from the shadows as you stretch out your muscles, and moan from the low depths of your throat as you enjoy the feeling of becoming unhinged. You shiver as you stretch, and you sigh with content as you feel pleasant tingles running up and down your unrestrained arms. You subtly smile as you see Sans shift uncomfortably on his feet, and his eyes become vacant as the white pinpricks of his sockets become lost in the dark voids. You resist the urge to laugh.
Sans… are you getting all hot and bothered already?
And this keeps up for another day longer.
Despite the fact that you're locked behind bars, this doesn't stop Papyrus from keeping you company with board games and spaghetti. You find the two of you laughing more and more as you become closer and closer friends, and every time a comfortable silence falls upon the both of you, there is a clear internal struggle within the depths of his eyes. You know Papyrus doesn't want to give you up to Undyne. You know that he doesn't want to pay the price of your friendship to become a member of the Royal Guard. You know that the decision is eating him up inside, and it hurts to watch him feel so conflicted. But all you can do for now is sit behind bars, offering your platonic love, and wait for his verdict. You believe in what Sans had once said…
"My brother always knows what's best for everyone… leave it to my brother… he always knows what to do in times like this…"
You do believe in Papyrus. He's simple-minded and a little goofy, but his compassion brings out the best in people. You can see that, and Sans sees it too. You see in the way that Sans carefully watches over his brother, ever vigilant like a protective hawk, and you know there's so much love here. You begin to understand why Sans can appear to be so terrifying when he's trying his hardest to defend the ones he loves. And you even begin to understand why he fights so hard to resist you.
Every now and again, Papyrus will turn to Sans to ask if he'd like to be a third player in your board games. Sans politely refuses every time, and remains at a clear distance behind him to spectate. Although Papyrus can't quite figure out why Sans is acting this way, you never say a word. You know exactly why he's not being involved. You know exactly why he's indirectly letting you know of his presence. And even so, it's all the more fun to remind Sans of your own little game…
You wait patiently before you can catch a glimpse of his gaze on you. And whilst Papyrus isn't looking, you lightly run your feather-like touch over your slender collarbone towards the strap of your dress. Then, you skilfully flick it away, until it slowly falls over your bare shoulder. The hem of the dress drapes lower over your chest until the deep crease of your cleavage is all the more visible. You lean forward as your breasts appear unsupported by your dress, and exposed in the soft candlelight beside you. And you bite down on your bottom lip as your heavy-lidded eyes fill with suggestive desire. You can see the deep blue flush forming over Sans' face as his hands clench into fists by his sides, and his glowering blue iris flares in small fiery spurts in his socket.
Then, as Papyrus turns back to you, you quickly and nonchalantly pull up the strap of your dress with an easy-going smile, and divert the conversation back to something spaghetti-related. He is completely unaware of your sultry intent behind your gaze, and completely oblivious to the effects this has on his brother behind him.
Sans breathes heavily against the back of the wall he leans on. You can make out in the corner of your eyes the way he trembles beneath his large jacket, and you can see his prominent blush forming over his face despite how he buries his head deeper in the base of his hoodie. You laugh innocently at Papyrus' jokes, and you laugh deviously to yourself as you see Sans push himself off the wooden floor and head straight for the door.
"Brother, where are you going?" Papyrus asks as he notices his sudden departure. Sans turns back, and hesitates as he catches a quick glimpse of you. As Papyrus has his attention diverted, you press your soft lips to the tips of your fingers and silently blow him a kiss. For a moment, Sans can only remain frozen in the doorway, internally fighting against every primal urge within him to stay back, before he struggles to reply,
"I'm gonna… go out f-for a bit. I'll be back… later."
And before either of you can reply, Sans promptly leaves the shed and slams the door behind him. The loud crash echoes through the spacious room, before silence painfully follows as the atmosphere plunges into an uneasy tension. Papyrus blinks in puzzlement as you shrug with a hypothetical halo shining above your head. And as he turns back to the board game without thinking any more about it, you lean your head against the side of the bar, your distant gaze glances over at the door… and you wonder…
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…
The afternoon falls away into the evening, and sleep soon comes to take you away from the land of monsters. Before you drift away, your nervous gaze squints out of the shed window and into the darkness. There's no sign of life anywhere. Sans has been missing for the rest of the evening, and he's the last thing in your worried thoughts before you succumb to the temptation of sleep. However, you have no idea that this is the night that decides the rest of your fate in the underground…
Deep into the night, you suddenly stir awake as you hear the sound of snow shuffling just outside of the shed door. You can faintly hear voices on the other side, and as you shake away the sleepy spells pulling you back to unconsciousness, the voices start to become less muffled and more… loud, and frustrated.
You drag your knees across the floorboards as you rub your heavy eyes, and you grip on to the bars as you strain yourself through the gaps. It takes a short while to make out the sounds, but you eventually recognise two of the voices to be the skeleton brothers. Sans' voice was the most prominent, as you could make out the shadow of his silhouette seeping through the gap beneath the door. You hear Papyrus almost frantically calling out in fear from a near distance. And your eyes fly open in surprise as you can make out one more sound… a third voice…
The sound of this voice is feminine, but it's also sharp and harsh. She sounds a little terrifying as her fury is clearly evident in her tone. But every now and again, you can hear her voice waver in terror, as if she's trying hard to appear more frightening than she really is. It's difficult to make out any words at first, but as your eyes adjust to the darkness, and as you brush away the last remaining sleepy spells, you can hear the third voice very clearly now…
"This is your last and final warning, Sans. Move out of the way, give up the human, or… or you can fight me yourself!"
Your heart plunges down to your stomach. No doubt this is another human-hunting monster out for blood. Your blood. And you feel it run cold over your bones as you almost tremble backwards as fear takes you.
"Undyne, please! Leave the human be! There must be, I don't know… a less violent way we can resolve this? There has to be! Just… please, don't hurt the human!" Papyrus cries out in desperation from a distance. Your breathing becomes thin as you choke with emotion. You finally realise that this third voice is the character Papyrus has been talking about giving you up to. And even in these final moments, he is calling out in your favour.
Your hands fly over your mouth as you're stricken in shock. He's willing to give up his dreams of becoming a member of the Royal Guard to guarantee your safety. As you realise this, your heart pumps faster against your chest as you're overcome with gratitude.
Papyrus, thank you… so much… and whatever happens to me from now on, I'll always remember you… I'll always be your friend…
"It's alright, Papyrus. I'll deal with this." Sans comforts him softly.
Your head snaps out of your hands as your wide eyed stare cements on the door to the shed. All you can see is the shadow of his feet crawling through the crack of the door, all you can make out is the sounds of his feet shuffling against the snow on his soles, and the sound of his cheerful voice filling the silent air. But Undyne refuses to be swayed.
"You'll have to deal with me if you intend on defending that demon you have locked away in there!" Undyne threatens him as her feet firmly press against the snow. You interpret this sound as her feet locking into her battle stance, and the sound of metal clanking confirms that she is definitely wearing heavy armour. Then, a magical sound of a long spike swiping through the air cuts through the noise, and you wonder if this was the sound of her weapon.
"Okay. Then I'll just have to deal with you. Simple as that, huh?" Sans calmly replies as his jacket shuffles over his shoulders. He must have shrugged in his usual carefree style.
"I don't… I don't get this!" Undyne's voice shakes with uncertainty, "Why are you defending the human? What has it done to you?"
"I guess she had a way of… getting under my skin."
Despite how bleak everything sounds, you can't help but stifle a small laugh at the joke. Not because you found it particularly funny, but because it's just so like him. Even as dire as the situation seems at this moment, Sans still retains his composure and cracks a few one-liners to ease the tension. But you slowly realise that it makes everything seem all the more terrifying as you find your heartbeat crashing fiercely against your chest in fear. And you wonder… in fear for me? Or is it… in fear for him?"
"This isn't like you at all, Sans. That human must have brainwashed you or done something to your head. You're not acting like yourself at all." Undyne seems to anxiously step forward, as if to closely inspect him, "You're notoriously our laziest sentry, and look at you now. You're willing to go out of your way to protect it. You've never interfered so directly with humans before, so why have you started now? What makes this human so different from all the others?"
You wait in anticipation as Sans grows silent and unmoving. The heavy atmosphere is laid on thick as the silence drags on, and the sound of a pin dropping to the ground would have equated to the sound of a tree crashing to the earth. You barely move as you watch his frozen silhouette spread across the floorboards, and the shadows of falling snowflakes leaking in from the windows. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, Sans' voice rips through the tension,
"I will take full responsibility for whatever happens to the human after this point." You hold your breath as he speaks in a severely humourless tone that frightens you to the core, "From now on, the human will be under my close surveillance until further notice. We have no idea what this human is fully capable of, or what this human intends to do if they realise their full potential. Even so, I want to be around when they figure out exactly what they want to do. Otherwise, this world… everything we know to exist at this point… it will all be at risk of total destruction."
You stare in mindless shock for a moment as all of this slowly sinks in. Then, you feel yourself slightly shaking as you become a little fearful about your own power, and your own existence. You look at your hands wrapped around the bars of your prison, and you begin to question everything you know about yourself.
Human beings… what exactly are we?
"Sans, doesn't it occur to you that we can solve this problem quickly if we just dispose of it already? Why are we wasting time and effort on something that could potentially destroy us all?" Undyne almost begs him as she steps closer to him, but her voice grows sharper with frustration as she continues,
"And have you forgotten about what King Asgore has planned to do? That thing you've got in there is a vital element to our escape from the underground. It's the last piece that brings the plan all together. And you're telling me that we should delay everyone's hopes and dreams of a life on the surface… because the human needs time before it realises that it might be the trigger that will destroy us all? Are you even listening to yourself?"
"But… Undyne…" Papyrus speaks up from the side-lines as he tries once more to defend you, and his voice trembles with sincerity, "…doesn't everyone have the right to be given a chance?"
You brace for an explosive reaction, but you're left surprised. Undyne sighs aloud as she suddenly appears to be hesitant. It seems that Papyrus' compassion has the ability to reach anyone, even someone with a hardened heart. You hear her voice soften as she replies,
"Papyrus… it doesn't work that way…"
"Why not?" His voice strains with emotion, and you feel a tug on your heartstrings.
"It… it just doesn't! Believe me, humans aren't the same as monsters. They aren't wired the way we are…"
Suddenly, Papyrus' voice gets louder in desperation,
"That's not true! This one is different. This human is nice! She's my friend! And I know she'd be friends with you too, if you just spent a little time with her then you'd understand…"
"Enough, Papyrus!" Undyne shouts impatiently, and you hear Papyrus' boots quickly shift backwards in the snow as he finally steps down. Then, Undyne's voice slightly wavers awkwardly back to her softened approach as she retains control of her temper, "I… I'm still not convinced that this human can be any different than the humans that trapped us down here in the first place. I don't want to risk putting anyone here in danger. It's… it's my job as Royal Guard to protect the people. So… the human has to come with me. I'm sorry."
Papyrus shuffles around in the snow. He must be at a loss. It seems that Undyne's mind is definitely made up, and not even Papyrus' heartfelt objections can sway her. You begin to realise that this is it for you, and whatever happens from now on will be for the benefit of the monster race. You're almost convinced that it would be for the best if you accept your fate with Undyne. Whatever you are, whatever you're capable of, it matters too much down here. You've been told too many times that you're too dangerous to live amongst the rest of the living. So, you may as well embrace the inevitable.
You remember the moment you stood on the edge of Mount Ebott… ready to take the plunge into the next life… and you feel as if you're right back to where you started… delivered right back into the hands of death… for the second time.
I guess no one can really escape their past. It's… been nice knowing you Papyrus, and…
"Welp. I guess we're left with no other option." Sans says aloud nonchalantly as he shrugs once again, "Feel free to try and take her with you, but you'll have to get past me to do that. Although I should warn you, if you are going to challenge me… you're gonna have a bad time."
The moment he says this, you can suddenly make out the illuminating glow of his infamous blue light seeping through the cracks of the door, as if a shining beacon had erupted right outside the shed. A terrifying crack through the earth forces a tremor beneath your feet, and you hear Undyne struggle to keep her balance as the ground seems to come to life. It doesn't take long until she reluctantly gives in.
"O-Okay, okay! You've made your point! Stop it already, Sans! You're making me sick!" She cries as Sans almost immediately brings the earth to a shuddering halt on command. She flounders in a heap amongst the snow as Papyrus almost jumps excitedly beside her.
"Y-You mean… she can stay? You won't take the human away?" He asks energetically.
"I'll leave the human in your capable hands… not that I have much of a choice in the matter." Undyne says with a snarl, as she clearly sounds irritated that it's come to this. Then, her hardened tone becomes all the more fierce as she turns her attention to Sans, and her voice grows clearer as she approaches him closely at the shed door, "But I'll remember what you said. This human is your responsibility now. If anything goes wrong and it's the direct fault of the human, then it's entirely on you, Sans. You got that?"
"Hey, leave every-fin to me, Undyne."
You hear her groan as she promptly turns on her heels, marches away in a huff through the snow, and harshly calls back to him,
"I swear to God, you're such a pain in the ass."
"What was that? You swear to cod, I'm a pain in the bass?"
"Ugh!" You heard her groan once more from the far distance as Sans snorts with laughter, and you press your lips together in a tight line to stop yourself from giggling out loud.
Then, you hear Papyrus' signature laughter fade away as he returns back to his home in victory. And the night falls into a deafening silence once again. You fall back from your prison bars and breathe deeply, as if you've been holding it in all this time. You clench your hands together over your chest, as if in prayer, as you feel your heartbeat beating like a drum against your chest. It's the second time you've brushed with death. Only this time, you've been saved by someone else.
Sans…
The silhouette of his feet is still spread over the floorboards as he lingers beside the shed door. And you hear a small creak sound through the wood, as if a calloused palm of a bony hand had pressed against the door, and leant there longingly for a moment. You wonder if he is debating on opening it. You wonder if he wants to see you, now that he's taken on the burden of looking out for you from now on. You wonder if he regrets his decision to protect you. And you wonder… if you truly do possess a power that can destroy the world, lying dormant in your being.
You notice that he isn't moving away. And you're glad. Because at this moment, you're terrified of yourself. You're scared about what you are, and who you are… and you're sure that if Sans wasn't there, then it all would have been too much to take. With Sans lingering on the other side of the door, somehow, everything seems a little more bearable.
You bring your knees up to your chest and hug yourself in the dark. It isn't much, but you find comfort in the fact that he's still there with you, even though the shed door separates the two of you. Knowing that his presence is nearby brings just as much comfort as anything that has happened so far. The games, the close encounters, the thick tension… it was all fun, but… you gradually realise that Sans is the one person you are the closest to. In the world of monsters where you are the only human, it feels like a very lonely world.
However, as you lay your head against the cold floorboards of your prison, you feel a warmth resonating within your chest as you know he will stay there with you… and suddenly, you don't feel so alone…
But you don't sleep for the rest of the night.
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Chapter Three End. Chapter Four coming soon…
Thank for reading! I apologise for the short plot heavy chapter. I promise I will make it up to you in the next one. Chapter Four will be long, and I promise, it will be very intense! Drop a review, let me know you're still with me, and I'll see you soon!