Level 13
The day had come. The one day Sans had dreaded since he had made his decision long ago; the day he thought he could keep avoiding and never come across.
The day when Papyrus cared too much.
This whole trip Sans had been through hell and back, been hit and bruised, almost killed and insulted to his face. But this… this was the worst offense.
Hands balling into fists, Sans lowered his head while he spoke through gritted teeth. "You think you know me? You think you can say that I'm not happy? That my life is miserable?"
Taking a dangerous step forward, Sans reared his head at his brother, his tone having escalated to shouting. "You don't know anything about me! What I've been through, what I put up with every day of my life!"
"You're right Sans, I don't know you!" Papyrus met Sans' step with one of his own, throwing his arms into the air. "Do you know what's it like, to have a stranger for a brother?! I want to get to know you, I want to be there for you, but you don't let anyone in! You won't let anyone help!"
"Who says I need help, huh? I didn't ask for it!" Already Sans could feel his tears drip down his cheeks, his body shaking from how much pent-up anger he had held onto inside. "You think some talk is going to make me feel better? That all my troubles will go away?! You know nothing!"
"Then tell me everything!" Papyrus matched Sans' tone of voice, with flames of orange and blue disappearing into the sky from their eyes. "At least let me try!"
"No, I don't want you to try!" The deeper Sans spoke from the heart, the more it felt like he was slowly dying. In releasing his anger, Sans also broke the reserve of depression that was bottled from within. His shouts dwindled into pathetic cries. "I-I don't want you to know… I just want you to be happy… to not worry about me…"
When Papyrus saw the damn that was ready to burst in Sans' eyes he let his arms fall to his sides. The anger in his eyes dispersed into misery, asking an innocent question. "Do you think I'm happy to see you like this, Sans?"
Sans withdrew from Papyrus' hurt gaze, arms wrapping around his body. He shook his head stubbornly, eyes so wide and mouth refusing to close. Thing's shouldn't be like this.
He couldn't know.
"Um... like, excuse me…"
Frightened by the new voice, Sans spun around and backed up into Papyrus, who held his brother's shoulders in a comforting way. The figures they had seen before stood a few feet from the two, whose faces reflected how uncomfortable they looked.
The first being was a white bunny, who couldn't have been older than a teenager at the time but looked like a child. He had a swirl of blonde hair atop his fur, with soft black eyes, a cute pink nose and fur that was so soft you could sleep on it.
The creature beside the rabbit was a reptile that was a little taller than the rabbit. He looked to be a young adult, with stern yellow eyes, while a bandana covered his snout and mouth from being seen. The two both wore tank tops; the rabbit's blue while the reptile's was green, black pants and boots.
The rabbit appeared to be the one that had spoke, though now that the human's attention was on them he seemed more reluctant to continue. "Uh, I know you bros are like, havin' a moment and all but-"
The white rabbit gazed up at his reptile friend for reassurance, to which the creature gave him with a nod of his head. The simple nod was all the rabbit needed to bring forth a small smile, lifting his hands up to his chest area. "We sort of heard you two talkin' and it sounds like you two have a lot of baggage to sort through. So like, me and my bro were wondering if you wanted to have some one-on-one with a complete stranger. You know, get your feelings out and stuff."
Papyrus eyed Sans, who met his gaze for a second before his eyes darted away. Papyrus really felt like he was making progress, but there was one barrier that prevented him from really opening Sans up. And honestly he really needed someone to talk to besides Sans for the moment.
With a loud sigh Papyrus nodded his head. "You know what? Yeah, I could use a talking buddy."
"Really?" The rabbit seemed more excited now with a bright, cherry red enveloping his cheeks. "This is like, super radical! We can pop over to the restaurant in the hotel and chat for as long as you need."
"That's sounds great, actually." Papyrus smiled back to how enthusiastic this rabbit was, walking over to meet up with him and start their merry trip up the stairs.
Sans however wasn't happy that his brother ditched him after opening so many wounds, giving the reptile man a bit of a cold stare. He couldn't really read how the reptile felt about this or if he even cared, but when he spoke his voice was as low as they come. "…You want food?"
Sans was about to shake his head when his stomach answered that question for him. Bitterly he nodded his head, and the reptile motioned with his hand to follow after Papyrus and the rabbit.
After climbing some rather steep stairs, Papyrus soon found himself sitting at a dressed table to a packed restaurant. There were all sorts of different monsters here, dining and getting along with one another. There were families, young dates, old monsters reminiscing about the days of youth and groups of friends just having a good time.
The restaurant itself, while rather small since it was conjoined to the humble hotel, held a certain homey feel that Papyrus liked. The walls were wallpapered in stripes and curves, there were potted plants in nearly every corner, and lots of pictures hung from the walls show-casing works of art done over the ages by monsters.
The painting that caught Papyrus' eyes was the one staring in front of him. It was the biggest piece in the restaurant, with a large mountain in the background, colored in grays and tans, with a path leading from the lush, green vegetation in the background to a cavern just beneath the mountain. Just above the tip of the mountain there resided a symbol Papyrus felt he had seen before, which was a circle with wings and three triangles beneath it. On the trail were loads of monsters carrying bags and other supplies, but it was the two monsters leading the group into the cavern that bespectacled Papyrus.
The two were bigger than the other monsters and resembled what Papyrus could only call goat monsters. The one that looked male held a long, red spear and used it as a walking stick, his blue cloak billowing behind him to reveal battered armor with a dented crown atop his head. The female behind him looked melancholy, her crown a silver unlike the King's which was gold, while she wore long, billowing robes of purple and blue. A small group of human children walked around her and she held the hand of one of the children, while her other arm carried a small infant.
The children, although they appeared human, had little features that no human would have, such as one having a long tail or another with horns. Why there were humans-like children with the monsters Papyrus didn't understand.
After staring at the picture long enough Papyrus' eyes drifted over to the other end of the restaurant, where he noticed Sans tapping his fingers on the table. He didn't look too comfortable with this idea, and while Papyrus wasn't the first person to go and tell his life's story to random strangers, this time felt a bit different. Probably due to the fact that him and his brother had been chased their whole time through the Underground.
"So, I caught that you and your bro aren't, like, meshing well and stuff." The rabbit started, placing his elbows on the table.
"That would be the short version." Papyrus peeled his eyes away from Sans, letting out an irritated huff. "It's just that he never likes to talk about his feelings. I know he's suffering, but he won't let me help."
"Has your brother always been so mellow?" The rabbit asked, opening one of his palms as a light gesture.
"Actually, no." Papyrus scrunched his eyebrows together, staring intently at the table cloth. "He used to tell me everything. But that all stopped when I turned ten."
Sans kept his eyes on his brother the moment they walked into the restaurant, wondering just what he could be telling this complete and total stranger. From the way he stared at the table cloth it didn't look like things were going too well.
Blinking, Sans let his eyes drift through the paintings adorned on the wall. One in particular caught his gaze, giving it more attention than the others. It was a school of choir boys all huddled and smiling underneath the beating sun, with healthy trees and green grass surrounding them. What was peculiar about the painting was the mixture of human boys and monster children, being split into two equal groups of seven.
Among the monster boys, there was one rabbit, two reptiles, a cat, one fish, and two parrots. The yellow rabbit had two humans in around it while a purple snake ran from a boy with his arms in the air. A grey fish and green cat held hands in the middle of the picture and a blue lizard laid in the grass off towards the left. Sans pursed his lips when looking at the two parrots, with the blue one slinging an arm over the green one in a playful manner, while the green parrot looked off-guard.
Letting out a puff of air, Sans turned his attention back over to the unexpected guest he was dinning with. He cocked an eyebrow, mildly annoyed. "So, you going to ask me any questions? Get me to talk about my life and all my emotional trauma?"
"No." The reptile didn't seem to pay that much attention to Sans, instead glancing over the menu they had been given.
Sans however was a little confused. "No?"
An annoyed smile crept unto Sans' face. "Hey doc, I don't think you're doing your job right. See, you're supposed to berate me with questions, and I'm supposed to be stubborn and not comply."
The reptile eyed Sans, but then they slowly went back to his menu.
Sans' smile fell, paying more attention to his guest than he did before. "Yo-you're seriously not going to question me?"
The reptile did not respond, merely giving Sans a bit more attention than usual. His eyes were questionable, but not as to why Sans was upset. It was more so why he was surprised he wouldn't question him.
"That must be a bummer, havin' a brother that never speaks." The rabbit gave an apologetic smile to Papyrus when he gave him a glance, his ears perking a bit. "Like, I have two sisters back where I'm from. They yakked the place up so much; I couldn't hear my own thoughts."
Papyrus absentmindedly chuckled, noticing their waiter bring them some water. "Sounds like a loud household. There were so many times when I woke up my parents for being too loud at night."
He closed his eyes, a grin revealing itself. "But bedtimes and silence could never stop the Great Papyrus!"
"Bro, you sound just like my sisters. Even when Dad told them to like, chill, Mary would just do her own thing."
"Mary?" Papyrus opened his eyes, glancing over at his companion who had taken his drink in hand.
He absentmindedly took a sip. "Yeah, Mary and Carrie. You like, know them?"
Sans wasn't used to such silence. Even when the waiter came around to give them their water, the reptile gave a nod of thanks but didn't verbally thank him. In every situation Sans had been thrust into, this was the first where the companion he sat with wasn't such a chatterbox.
He didn't know how to feel.
Eyeing his water, Sans realized how thirsty he was. He grabbed the cold glass quickly, swigging a few gulps down as loud as he could. When he placed the glass back on the table, huffing from lack of oxygen, he looked over to the reptile only to notice that he wasn't paying attention.
A sorry smile spread across his lips, eyes pleading. "Sorry if I was too loud. I've been so thirsty; you could mistake me for a fish."
But the reptile didn't pay mind to Sans, whose fingers tensed from the lack of attention.
"They did what?" The rabbit's ears shot straight up in alarm, while Papyrus was drinking the last of his water.
He released a cold breath of air from his cold drink, giving a nervous smile back. "Well, I really found them with Sans first, but we lost them when-"
Papyrus stopped himself when he remembered this wasn't Sans he was talking to. His mouth hung open for a second before his voice returned. "-When we fell down into the dumps. I lost my footing and Sans grabbed me, but it wasn't enough to keep us up."
"Those girls." The rabbit shook his head stubbornly, but he still kept his smile. "Pa must be, like, freakin' out and givin' them such a talk for totally leavin' Snowdin."
"They never mentioned you though." Papyrus rested one of his elbows on the table.
The rabbit shrugged his shoulders with a loose chuckle. "I doubt they would. They were like, really upset when I decided to join the Royal Guard."
That was the magic word Papyrus didn't want to hear. He sat up while sweat started to form on his brow. "Royal Guard?"
"Well, Royal-Guard-Knight-in-training." The rabbit didn't seem to notice Papyrus' nervousness. "There are, like, a few of us who seriously want to become the next knights and stuff. They labeled me 01, and my bro is 02."
He then pointed over to the reptile before placing his hand back on the table. "The Royal Guard is supposed to be super cool and totally gnarly, helpin' monsters and protectin' the public. I've only been here for like, two months or so, but I know that this was my true callin'."
"That… sort of sounds like the Military." Papyrus' arched his eyebrows as 01 turned to him.
He cocked an eyebrow. "The Military? What's that?"
Sans was getting very tired of the silence. True, he could take it when he was by himself, but he was unsuccessful with his attempts to read his dinner buddy, so he hadn't the foggiest idea if he actually was here for him or not.
But he couldn't take the silence anymore.
"I fold." 02 angled his menu down when Sans spoke, eyeing him again.
Sans, who was relieved that 02 was paying attention to him again, let his smile disappear for a natural frown, his true face. "I'm not used to people giving me the silent treatment. Usually it's the opposite, especially in Papyrus' case. 'Are you ok', 'why don't you talk', 'why won't you let me help'."
Sans gave himself a pitiful chuckle. "As if anyone could help. My grave's been dug; all that's left is to bury me."
Sans expected the same treatment he had been getting from 02 to be the same here as he rambled, but he was surprised when he instead laid a scaly hand on his shoulder. Sans drew a breath in, not used to physical contact and looked away, but was coaxed back when he heard that low voice again. "Tell me."
Moving his head back to look at 02, Sans shrugged his hand off of his shoulder. "What is there to tell? Just take one good look at me, and you'll know why. What do you see?"
02 cocked an eyebrow in where Sans was going with this. Sans however brought his hands up to gesture at himself, pity in his eyes. "You see a fat kid, right? Someone who has no drive to keep healthy. So I'm not athletic, obviously, so that must mean I'm smart right?"
The cry for help in Sans' eyes, it was almost hard to bear. "Yeah, I am smart. I'm really smart, the Einstein of the family. People have been telling me that I would go on to do great things, help everyone with my gift."
Closing his eyes, Sans let his pitiful chuckles bubble forth. "But you know what's so funny? I don't care. I don't care to help others, or make history. I never wanted this gift, but now that everyone knows that I'm smart, no one will leave me alone. I'm supposed to be top of the class. I'm supposed to go to the best school and then use my smarts to change the world. Anything less and I'm 'squandering my gift', I'm 'not right in the head' or 'I haven't realized my destiny yet.'"
Sans chuckles slowly transformed into a lightly insane laugh. "Destiny? Get real! How do you know what I want to do? How do you know what's best for me?
"They all think Papyrus is nothing but trouble. Holding me back from what I should be doing. But honestly, he's the only thing keeping me sane now. He's been the best thing about my miserable life."
Elbows on the table, Sans gripped his head, staring at the table cloth. "My life has been nothing but hell ever since they realized I was smart. If I could rewrite time, I would make sure I acted dumb as rocks so that no one had expectations. So that no one cared about me, or thought I had potential or wrote my life for me."
Sans' fingers tensed on his head, eyes wandering over to Papyrus. "That way… no one would have the justification to separate us…We could be carefree forever…"
"Man, the Military sounds just like the Royal Guard, bro." 01 nibbled on the complementary breadsticks that had been brought out while Papyrus had gone on about what the Military was. "Just like, not with knights."
"Being a knight sounds way cooler though." Papyrus argued, deciding to grab one of the warm breadsticks in the basket they were brought in.
He was about to take a bite, but a thought occurred to him, setting it down. "I'm still unsure about the Military though. My dad says I would be really great in it, that this is what my path is in life. I would save so many people; they would call me a hero."
Papyrus' spirits began to rise, though they diminished with another thought. "I would love to help people, like you, but…this might sound crazy, but it never felt like my choice."
"You mean like someone's makin' you?" 01 munched on his breadstick, talking with his mouth full which disgusted Papyrus a little, but reminded him of a nicer time.
"Nah, I mean… well…" Papyrus' eyes drifted over to Sans, who looked like he was having a great time with 02 with all his laughing. "I wasn't the greatest at school. I'm pretty stupid when it comes to it, actually. I was picked on a lot because of it, or held back because of my grades. My mom and dad used to encourage me that I would eventually understand the material, but after awhile that encouragement stopped. They had given up on me."
Papyrus trained his eyes on his drink, giving himself a pitiful smile. "A lot of people gave up on me. Friends, family, Sans was the only one who kept telling me I would pass or help me. I still wander why he stuck around with me sometimes."
Papyrus shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head. "I mean, he has so much going for him. He's super smart, he has a bright future. With his grades and smarts, he could do anything he wanted, go anywhere he wanted. But I…"
A sad chuckle sprouted from Papyrus' lips. "I'll be lucky if a fast-food joint hires me. I have very little options, so I don't really get the privilege to dream. It's not fun, having everyone expect nothing from you or not care where you end up. For once, I'd like someone else to care about me, to expect something out of me. Give me a drive."
He angled his head back over to 01. "If I could go back, I would make sure I studied extra hard, focus more on books than sports. That way people would care about me, and perhaps… me and Sans wouldn't have to separate so soon. If I was smart, we could travel the world together, helping everyone with our brains than muscles. But as I am now, I feel like I'm just holding him back."
Sans only moved when he felt 02 nudge him in the shoulder. He lifted his head up from his hands, noticing that he was holding an old, faded picture. 02 glanced at him before back at the photo, lightly waving it as if he was waiting for Sans to take it.
Hesitantly Sans took the photo, noticing that it was a family all lined up for the picture. There was a rather burly mom, a skinny dad, and five little reptile children, with three being taller and buffer than the others.
"Is this-" Sans glanced back at 02, who nodded his head.
"…Three decades ago. A human came by."
"Just three decade ago?" Sans could feel his heart tighten like it was holding its breath, head turning back to study the photo closer. "Wait, how old are you?"
When 02 didn't respond Sans went back to staring at the photo. He lightly smiled, "I'm guessing one of these beefed kids is you, right?"
To Sans' surprise, 02 shook his head. He then leaned over Sans, pointing to the scrawniest and smallest of the children.
"That's you?" Sans gave the child another look over, whose fangs were crooked and eyes were warm. He gave 02 another look-over, suddenly making sense in his mind why he wore a bandana, but not why his eyes were so cold.
Sans took an uncomfortable gulp. "What happened?"
He held out the photo for 02 to take, which he did. Sans watched as he gazed at the photo again, his eyes growing soft like he was remembering another time. "…I lost my mom. The human overpowered her."
"I'm… sorry to hear that." Sans shifted his gaze away, staring at his now heavy pant pocket.
02 didn't respond to Sans' sympathy, he simply blinked while still looking at the photo. "…We couldn't stop the human alone. My siblings held them down, while I delivered the kill. My mom protected our village, but with her gone, someone needed to step up and take her place."
Done with the phot0, 02 tucked the photo back away into his bandana. "…Monsters were scared to step up, to take that responsibility. I didn't want to, but I took her place. Because they needed someone to look up to."
02 turned his head to look at Sans, for the first time giving him all of his attention. "I joined the Royal Guard to protect those who can't protect themselves. I could have done much more with my life, this wasn't the path I wanted. But if I don't step up, if I don't do what's better for the greater whole, who would?"
Sans bit his lower lip, as if the truth was too hard to swallow. 02 shifted his gaze back to the breadsticks that had been placed at their table, grabbing one to munch on it. He spoke no more.
"Havin' expectations isn't that fun, bro." Papyrus, who was tapping one of his breadsticks on the table, turned his attention over to 01.
01 gave a half-hearted smile. "You must have seen the crib I lived in, right? Snow everywhere, people lazin' about. Too mellow for my tastes. Since I was the oldest, Pa expected me to like, take over the hotel when I was old enough."
As if he was back in Snowdin 01 stared off in front of them, lightly chuckling. "I mean, could you see me in that stuffy place, standin' behind that counter from 8 to 5? No thanks."
01 leaned back in his seat, placing his arms behind his head. "Pa wasn't happy when I told him my destiny was to join the Royal Guard. Like, real mad bro. Mary and Carrie were also mad, but they just go along with how Pa feels. 'Too dangerous' he would scream, 'you're not strong enough for the Royal Guard'."
"Did he change his mind?" Papyrus asked, noticing that his breadstick had gone cold and set it down.
01 shook his head. "Nah, he never came around. I knew my place wasn't there, so I packed my things and left."
Papyrus' eyebrows shot up, as if the notion was crazy. "Just like that? Didn't you feel sad, or your dad didn't try stopping you?"
"Oh he tried." 01 gave a bittersweet smile. "Told me if I flew the coop I was like, not welcome back. But that's ok, I know they can't stay boilin' forever. And if they are, well, that's the roll of the dice."
01 sat back up, resting his elbows on his table while looking to Papyrus. "I belong here, in the Royal Guard. I know here I'll like, make a difference; I'll be able to help people and live my dream. See, we only have one life, right? So why should we conform to what others want from us? We should all be free to choose what we want to do in life, no matter what anyone says."
01 grabbed Papyrus' cold breadstick, holding it in his hands. "Because if we like, just go with the flow, eventually-"
To emphasize his next words 01 snapped the breadstick in half, placing it on the table. "We're just goin' to snap. Livin' an unhappy life, no one wants that."
"I haven't really thought about it like that." Papyrus pushed his lips to one side, eyebrows furrowed as he thought to himself all the times his dad kept reassuring him the Military was his destiny. It still sounded like a nice option, but the more he thought of joining the worse the flutter of butterflies became in his stomach.
While Papyrus contemplated what had been given to him, the lights in the restaurant slowly dimmed. Sans and Papyrus looked up from their seats to the only shining light in the restaurant, which so happened to be where the make-shift stage was in the middle of the room.
A young, brown cat in a glittering dress held a mic to her mouth, the cord being plugged into a small, portable amp. "Good evening, monsters! For our special guest joining us tonight, we have a newcomer here to entertain us! He's grey, he's rectangular, and he's ready to make you fall in love with him! Give it up for our newest performer, Mettaton!"
The crowd of monsters lightly clapped while the sound of a squeaky wheel slowly moved over to the center light. The cat woman smiled and handed the mic over to the shrouded figure, who took the stage with a light hop.
Both Sans and Papyrus were shocked to see a robot up on stage, both turning their heads to look at one another but unable to from how dark the restaurant got. The robot looked simple in design from the back at least, being composed of a rectangle, two arms with giant, white gloves, and two metal frames supporting a small wheel at the bottom.
The robot, Mettaton, seemed to wheel back and forth for a moment before drastically turning to face the audience, showing off the several, yellow screens that composed its 'face', and four dials beneath the screen. Nearly two-thirds of the screens were filled with red, giving off the impression of a face.
"Goooood evening, beauties and gentle-beauties!" Mettaton announced, his voice robotic and yet very smooth and deep for a machine. He rocked side-to-side on his wheels, twirling one of his fingers around the cord of the mic he held. "From the look of the crowd tonight, I can already tell this is going to be one fabulous performance! You all deserve your own round of applause for coming to witness my rise to stardom!"
Mettaton continued to speak, but Sans was having a hard time listening. His forehead felt clammy and hot again, his breathing irregular. Shoving his seat back, he excused himself from 02 and started to head for the back door, hoping that some air outside would calm him down.
In stumbling to the door he accidentally bumped into someone who was standing nearby and watching the show. "E-excuse me."
"Oh! S-Sorry…" The nasally voice replied, their voice drawing out as if they were about to ask something. Sans however pushed on through the door to the outside before they had time to muster the courage and ask. His stomach was gurgling in a way that made Sans nauseous, hoping he wasn't going to puke some more blood.
Trying to get his mind off of his swelling sickness, Sans decided to pay more attention to the bridge in front of him. The rickety structure connected two giant masses of land which stood tall from the sea of blistering red and orange just beneath it. On his side was the small restaurant and hotel establishment. On the other, a machine so tall and complex that Sans wondered how such a building could have been built.
"Magnificent, is it not?"
Sans realized all too late that there was another monster with him outside. Frightened he spun on his heels to turn around, half-expecting Sagiv to be standing there with his bow in hand and foot up to kick him into the lava.
However it wasn't Sagiv behind him, though who it was Sans didn't know. The monster was very tall, so tall in fact that it hurt Sans' neck to try and stare up that high. Black robes dripped down the relatively thin body this monster had, only to pool when melting to the floor. A black hood hid the monster's identity. The only thing Sans could see were the bony hands that clacked when touched together and the huge holes that made up the palms.
Sans didn't know if this monster was a threat or not, but decided not to jump to any hasty conclusions. "Yeah, a real piece of art."
The monster drew closer to Sans, who had to will himself to stay put and not move backwards. On this tiny space of land, where even a few steps meant falling into a pit of boiling lava made Sans' knees lock up.
"They say it powers the whole Underground; it's what gives our world light when there is none to be found." The monster's words were sort of hard to hear through his accent, as if he had stored a bunch of gumballs underneath his tongue and was speaking from the back of his throat.
Sans wondered what the monster's first language was while deciding to play along. Though if he said he wasn't interested in what was said he would have been lying. "So it's like a giant lamp. That's a pretty 'bright' idea there."
The monster chuckled. "It does more things than just 'light' up the monster's lives."
Sans moved his hands to his pockets, a happy grin surfacing on his face to hear the monster play along with his puns. "Heh, good one."
Moving to sit, the monster still towered over Sans when he took his place at the edge of the chasm, his robes falling down the side but not dripping into the lava. Sans decided to keep his stance however, a little too uncomfortable with the idea of sitting on the edge to death.
The monster's hands slowly moved to one another, before intertwining. "I will be frank with you; I have been following you and your brother on your journey."
The nerves that had started to spill out of Sans were suddenly sucked back in. Sans hitched a breath, but the monster didn't wait for him to respond. "I will say, you two have been doing a remarkable job at staying alive. Your bond for one another is inspiring, an anomaly to sibling relationships, yet refreshing."
Sans felt the familiar feeling of his teeth clicking against one another, muscles tightening in his chest and arms. He wondered why this monster decided to suddenly show itself if it had been following them this whole time, hostility imminent in his eyes.
"I understand your reason to be suspicious." The monster suddenly spoke. "But I came here to warn you, not fight you. Gerson spoke to you about your past, and I will spare you the long explanation as you don't have much time."
"You're talking about me and Pap's condition, right?" Sans decided to throw the monster a bone, to which the figure nodded its head.
"Yes that. If we're both lucky, then nothing will come from it. The magic that has been stored will eventually dissipate, so long as it's not agitated." As if to show with his hands the monster moved a few fingers through the hole in his left palm.
Still however the creature kept facing forward like it was talking to the machine rather than Sans. "The longer you and your brother hang around monster magic, the more it will be drawn to your monster soul. The human side of you has an unknown source of power, something us monsters don't have, that keeps the body stable when a human dies and the soul to stay far longer than any monster soul."
The monster's fingers settled into his lap, but twitched as if they were trying to understand what they were saying themselves. "This determination is what makes you humans stronger than all monsters put together, no matter how powerful our magic is. Under normal circumstances, your determination should keep your soul pure and eliminate the foreign monster half. But the more I observed, the more I began to question how strong your souls were to begin with."
"So what are you trying to say, Doc? That our souls are messed up?" Sans was getting tired of this monster beating around the bush, no matter how intriguing the conversation was. For once he wasn't amused with the road to the answer; he was desperate to know what future laid forth for him and his brother.
"I wouldn't say, 'messed up'." The monster shook his head. "No, it is your determination. You lack it."
The monster decided now to turn their head to look at Sans, though he was still greeted to a shroud of shadows. "I can't explain why, not with so little information. But if my hypothesis is correct, than this is why you and your brother are obtaining so much magic and why your human soul has not attacked the foreign components yet. It lacks the function to do so.
"But, there is still time." The monster pointed his index finger up. "Sagiv waits for you at the end of this bridge, and beyond him lay Asgore's castle."
Sans turned his head to the black doorframe that waited beyond the bridge, his nerves steadily climbing with the realization of having to face Sagiv again. "Your end goal is to go home, is it not? So long as neither of you tap into the magic coursing through your soul, then you should be able to cross the barrier and breach the surface once more."
The monster seemed so confident in its own words, hands resting atop one another in patient silence. It was like this creature was expecting Sans to smile and thank him for his warning, but all Sans could think of was the silence his mind was producing.
His head had gone light again, the world before his two eyes starting to shift. He grabbed for his head, stumbling to regain lost balance. He hadn't even noticed the monster stand back up and grab hold of him or his concerned question as to if he was ok. "N-Not again…"
"Again? What again?" The monster asked, to which Sans was able to hear his question clearly this time.
"The blood…" Sans weakly muttered, focusing more on his breathing to relax his stiff body. "I-it's coming again… the blood…"
"Blood?" There was fear in the monster's voice; as if they hadn't known about Sans' illness.
Sans could feel the dizzy spell that had overcome him slowly fade away, but the grip the monster held him with only tightened. "You need to come to my lab immediately. We must run some tests."
Upon hearing the word 'tests' Sans attempted to shrug the monster off of him, panic and anger rising. "I'm not going anywhere. Let me go!"
"Sans!" Sans' attention was soon drawn to the back entrance of the hotel, where Papyrus stood with a broadened stance. His eyes were wide upon seeing the tall and foreboding figure, whose clutches held Sans.
"Pa-pap." Sans muttered before feeling another dizzy spell ram itself into his brain. He hunched over, trying to calm the fires that spread in his mind.
The monster's grip on Sans tightened when staring at Papyrus, his words wavering like his confidence. "Please, do not be alarmed. I am simply taking care of-"
"You're not 'taking care' of anyone!" Papyrus didn't let the monster finish his sentence, his shock bursting into anger. He rushed over for Sans, but the monster held out an arm to try and shield Sans from his brother grabbing him.
"Please, I mean him no harm."
Sans continued to hear his brother scream for him, hands reaching for him but unable to grasp him. The monster kept trying to reason with Papyrus, but it all registered in Sans' head as noise. Loud, piercing, shrieking, painful noise.
Sans bit down on his tongue from the pain in his ears, hand clutching his chest. Something, something was trying to blossom. Engulf him in a fiery sensation. His bones rang and skin grew tight once more, and his left eye burned like it had done so the first time.
He needed to escape.
"Let… go… of me!" In a burst of violence Sans shoved back the arm that was keeping him hidden from his brother, but in the next moment neither Papyrus or the monster were beside him. They now stood before him, rather frightened to notice Sans so far away just as his feet teetered back. Sans lost his footing as the world went skyward and all he could see was the black abyss above him.
"SANS!" Rock walls formed around Sans, and he knew all too late that he had fallen off of the mass of land. His destination now was for the boiling lava below, a fate he would soon greet in seconds.
But his premature death stopped when his body did the same, head jerking back. The gravity around his body seemed to be pushing him from below, as if he were trapped inside a gravity field.
The world around Sans glowed blue while his body slowly lifted itself back towards the rocky cliff he had stumbled off of. The closer he got to the top, the easier it was for him to see that Papyrus had been watching his decent, only to share in his baffled expression.
Floating just a bit above the land mass, the gravity that warmly held Sans soon disappeared, and he landed on his knees to the floor. Papyrus didn't waste a second in getting to his own knees and pulling Sans into a tight hug. "Oh god Sans!"
Sans gripped tightly to his brother, mind shaken up on what he had just undergone. The tall monster was nowhere to be found, but Sans knew that they had played some role in saving his life.
"What was that just now?" Papyrus let up slightly on his hug, looking to Sans with concern and confusion. "You sort of just…blinked out of that guy's hold."
"I-I don't know." Sans was somewhat startled to hear his own voice, his tongue numb from accidentally piercing it. His voice, it sounded different than before.
Sans decided to look up at Papyrus, whose expression was grave. He hugged his brother tightly once more. "Please be careful Sans. I-I don't know if I could go on if you suddenly-"
Papyrus' breath hitched and he cut himself short, as if his mind had played out the gruesome ending that could have been.
Sans decided to quickly cut the horrible scenario from Papyrus' mind by giving him a tender smile, though both knew how fake it was. "It's ok Pap, I'm here. I'm not dying on you anytime soon."
They continued to hold one another, sitting on the small land while the lava continued to heat the world around them. Papyrus held onto his brother, eyes staring at the ground before he gave a long sigh. "Sans. I've… I've been thinking about the future recently."
Sans response was only letting Papyrus go, allowing his brother to scoot back. He stared at his broken state, his worried eyes, the way his mouth didn't try to hide his frown. His mask had shattered.
Even if his brother was completely vulnerable, Papyrus still couldn't help but place his fists on his knees, eyes staring off. "I know this might not be a good time Sans but… I-I have made a decision, and you need to know."
It was time to explore the world he never knew outside of his box.
Papyrus moved his eyes back over to face Sans, as if he were ready to stare down the beast that awaited him. But upon doing so Papyrus could only see his father where Sans sat, standing before him. The look of disappointment in his eyes when he stared at him.
No.
"I…I'm going into the military."
In that moment of confession, Papyrus had turned his back to the beast. It did not hesitate to charge and pierce its tusks through his heart, a sensation that zipped out of his mind and throughout his entire body.
His body instinctively drew a quick breath in, as if he had been stabbed in real life, before hanging his head in shame. He truly felt the weight of his words.
Sans stayed eerily silent, making it hard for Papyrus to do the same. His fingers twitched, his body shifted, his mouth grew dry, hungry for an answer. "Well?"
Sans turned his head away, his eyes hidden from his view. Papyrus' skin crawled like inchworms in his veins, his anxiety growing with the hole in his heart. "Aren't you going to say something?"
"Papyrus…" Papyrus relaxed a little to hear his name called, eagerly waiting for Sans to turn his head back to him.
Such happiness fled when he saw the hopelessness ingrained in his eyes, like a man ready to throw his life away. And yet… he smiled. "I-I'm done… I won't go back."
Papyrus always thought that the 'glow' of Sans' blue eye was nothing but a parlor trick when they were in a dim room. But here, where the light was bright and intense, Papyrus could see the trail of blue smoking from his left eye.
"I'll help you get to the barrier and I'll help you get through. But I won't follow behind. …Our life together ends here."
Alright Beauties and Gentle-beauties, it's all down-hill from here! We are reaching the end of Sans' and Papyrus' journey through the Underground, but is the end goal to leave now? All will be revealed in the next upcoming chapter!
Also I never knew how much fun it was to write for Mettaton. On a side note, I never knew how HARD it was to write surfer oh my gosh.
I also now know that Fanfiction won't take other fonts. Interesting, and disappointing for what I wanted to do.