Papyrus didn't really want to go home.
He wanted to be anywhere else really. Unfortunately he had spent all his gold on food and didn't have enough for a night at the Inn. He could probably couch surf food a few more weeks but to what end?
He would have to face Sans sooner or later.
With his lack of funds it was going to have to be sooner. So that how Papyrus found himself begrudgingly trekking back to his house in snowdin. The relieved faces of the villagers he passed did nothing for his mood. They all thought this was just a normal family argument. Boy were they about to be surprised.
He was just going home to get more gold and a change of clothes then he would be off again.
On his way home he saw Muffet walking down the road towards him. When Muffet saw him she waved him down with four of her arms.
"Thank god you're back." She said. Her usual mischievous smile was strained and she looked tired.
"Uhhhh yea." Papyrus said rubbing the back of his skull. He didn't know how to tell her this wasn't permanent so he kept his mouth shut.
"We have been so worried about you and your brother! The poor little thing. Maybe you can get him out of the house. God knows none of us can."
Papyrus just nodded his head agreeably "Yea I'll give it a shot." but would he really?
"Thank goodness!" Muffet exclaimed looking relived. "Darling I am so happy you're back! I left some doughnuts on your doorstep. Consider them a welcome home present."
Papyrus smiled and It was a little less forced. "Doughnuts free of charge? Is the world ending?"
Muffet just laughed into one of her hands and waved dismissively with another. "Don't worry dear I just put them on your tab."
"Of course you did." Papyrus said with a fond shake of his head.
Of course there chat couldn't last forever and Muffet had to go and attend to her business. Papyrus had to go home to get his stuff.
Well maybe he would stay long enough to munch on a few doughnuts but then he was gone.
The rest of the walk home he tried not to think about anything.
He just focused on the cold fresh snowdin air. The crunch of fresh snow beneath his feet. The lights in the windows he passed. Everything but the task at hand. He had spent a week avoiding this problem and he would be damned if he started thinking about it now.
When he reached his house all of the curtains were drawn and the lights were out. In front of the door there was a wicker basket. It was decorated with a pink ribbon and the doughnuts were covered by a light purple napkin.
That was most definitely from Muffet.
Papyrus grabbed the basket and unlocked the front door. As he stepped inside he flicked on the lights then kicked off his shoes.
He was glad Sans wasn't downstairs waiting for him. However his gratitude quickly turned to worry when he actually looked at the living room.
It wasn't a mess. However it did look... disused. Sans boots were sitting neatly by the door unmoved since he had seen them last. The remote was still sticking out of the couch cushion at an odd angle from when Papyrus had watched TV last week. All in all it was unsettling.
not my problem Papyrus thought walking to the kitchen so he could set down the basket of food.
The kitchen was dark,everything was dark,Sans always left a light on for him so every time he had to flick on a switch it made him feel, went to go put the basket on the counter. Only to find another identical basket already placed there. When he lifted up the napkin he saw this one was also full of uneaten spider donuts.
An uneasy thought struck him. Looking in the fridge he saw an uneaten casserole along with two leftovers containers clearly labeled with Sans neat handwriting. The containers were still full of food and the date on them was last week.
The uneasy thought was now a little more prominent in his head. Walking over to the sink he saw old unwashed dishes. He tried to tell himself they were recent but the dried on food told him they were not.
Papyrus was trying not to panic. He tried to tell himself it wasn't his problem but if Sans hadn't been eating...
How long could humans go without food?
Papyrus had no clue. He knew now that Sans wasn't really a monster. He had caught him without his mask. For the first time since that fateful day Papyrus though, really thought, about the implications.
If Sans was a monster and not eating that would have been fine because sitting around the house all day took almost no energy. He wouldn't have to top off because he wouldn't have used much. However Papyrus was fairly sure he had read in a book that humans had to eat on a regular basis or they...
Now he was starting to panic and that panic was starting to override his anger.
"Sans?" He called out hoping for a response.
All that greeted him was silence.
He walked to the stairway and tried again.
"Sans?"
but there was still no response.
Shit he's dead and that thought got him moving.
He bolted up the stairs and rushed into Sans room without knocking fearing the worst.
It was dark and couldn't see anything. The lights were off and for a single moment a childish fear overcame him. He couldn't turn on the light. If he did he would have to face whatever terror lurked in that darkness.
"Sans?" He asked for the third time.
When there was still no response Papyrus flicked the lights on. It was better to know for sure
something was bad. It was better than standing there not knowing.
When the light filled the room he was greeted with all of Sans possessions. His book shelf, UFO poster, the models he had spent hours putting together at the kitchen table...
He was reminded of all the years they had spent together and suddenly his anger was replaced with immense guilt. If anything happened to Sans he wouldn't be able to live with himself.
Speaking of witch...
"Sans are you in here?" He looked to where Sans usually slept and saw there was a lump under the sheets but there was no movement when he spoke.
Slowly walking over to the bed, afraid of what he might find, Papyrus tried one last time to rouse the lump.
"Sans if you're awake let me know 'k? You're really freaking me out here."
But Sans still didn't move. So Papyrus grabbed the the top of the comforter and pulled it down.
After what seamed like hours Sans stopped crying.
Not because he wasn't sad anymore but because he was just too tired.
He just felt so lethargic, Sans was used to being full of energy not sleepy and sad. He turned his head to the side and saw his mask lying on the floor. He also caught a glimpse of himself in his full length mirror and cringed.
He felt like he was looking at a stranger. His blue eyes were bloodshot from crying. His normally dark skin had taken on an ashy pale tone. His hair , well it was time for one of his patented self given haircuts. Right now it was a mess. He liked to keep it short but hadn't had time to trim it so it was getting long and the ends were starting to curl.
He felt the tears start to well up again, he was just so ugly .
Not for the first time Sans wished he had been born a monster. It would be nice to be a skeleton like papyrus or a lizard like Alphys. Sometimes on bad days Sans would try and imagine what he would look like as different monsters.
But bad days were rare. Sans could go weeks without thinking about how human he was. He would just be good old Sans the skeleton. Snowdin sentry and all around good guy. Older
brother of Papyrus the lazy good natured Muffets patron.
Papy
When he came home Sans would tell him everything. He would explain the situation and if Papyrus still hated him and couldn't bare to even look at him. Well Sans would understand. He could barely look at himself sometimes.
The thought of Papyrus coming home and seeing him without his mask got Sans going a bit. He crawled over to where his mask was laying on the floor and picked it up. Snapping it back into place the seams magically filled in ad the eye sockets became animated with his magic. Sans looked at himself again.
Good old Sans the skeleton was staring back.
He hoped that would make Papyrus more comfortable when he finally got home.
With that fixed Sans went down and sat by the front door.
He needed to apologise to his brother.
He just had to wait for him to come home.
Sans spent his days sitting by the door waiting for Papyrus to come home. At night he would walk up the stairs and sleep in his bed hoping Papy would come home the next day.
He didn't eat because he didn't feel hungry. Sometimes a monster would come by and try to talk to him. Maybe leave some food but he would give them all the same responses. He didn't want to talk to anyone right now. Before he went to bed Sans would grab the food, if someone left some, and deposit it in the kitchen.
Then he would go to bed and start his day all over again.
That was until yesterday.
He had woken up with the intention of starting his daily ritual. Only to find he couldn't muster the energy to get out of bed.
Maybe I just need more sleep Sans thought to himself.
So he pulled the covers over himself ad gone back to sleep.
I'm sure if Papy comes home he will wake me up.
Papyrus wasn't quite sure what he expected to see under the covers. In the back of his mind Papyrus was still expecting that wide eyed human. However the only thing under the sheet was Sans, his Sans, looking not to good.
Sans dozed, for how long he didn't know. It was so strange to feel so sleepy and lethargic. The more he slept the less he wanted to wake up. He dreamt about a lot of things, his past, his friends, fields of echo flowers and things he didn't understand.
At one point he dreamt about Papyrus, he dreamed his brother had come back. He was sitting in his room with him. Like they had done so many times before. Papyrus was talking to him but he couldn't quite make out the words. Sans felt his eyes prickle with tears and he tried to apologize but then the dream changed again and he was spiraling, falling.
Down
Down
It was so dark.
So cold.
"Sans! S-stay awake ok?" Papyrus said holding the small blue bundle in his arms.
Sans eye sockets were open but they were very dim and the lights weren't quite directed at him.
"Come on b-buddy. It's me Papy. I'm home." His normally measured voice was starting to crack.
That seemed to get Sans attention and the smile that lit up the little guys face broke Papyrus' heart.
"Papy." Sans said voice small.
"Ya 's me. I need you to get up Sans. Can you get up for me?"
Sans didn't seem to hear him. The "bone" around his eye sockets scrunched up in distress. "I'm sorry Papy I'm sorry."
Papyrus tried to calm Sans down but he just kept apologizing until he passed out again.
If Sans was a normal monster he would start and energy transfer. Could a monster transfer magical energy to a human? Papyrus was panicking, he couldn't take Sans to a doctor. They would give him to the queen and she would take his soul.
Sans soul.
He had to check Sans' stats.
After that he would figure out what to do but he needed to make sure the kid wasn't going to die on him anytime soon.
So he reached out with his magic and felt for Sans core.
It was easy because their magical signatures were so similar. He just felt for the hum of his soul. He had to really focus because Sans magic was so weak but after a moment he found it.
When he finally tugged the small fragile heart out into the open what he saw made Papyrus feel sick.
