Author's Note: WARNING: This scene contains basically torture. Please proceed with caution.
"SANS?" Papyrus called, rapping on Sans's door. "YOU'VE BEEN IN YOUR ROOM FOR OVER FIVE MINUTES WITHOUT MAKING A SOUND. ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"
No response.
Had he fallen asleep? He'd been known to randomly fall asleep before. Especially when he was supposed to be working. But had just been so frightened minutes before...
Papyrus turned the knob and opened the door slowly. His eyes scanned his brother's room, looking for any sign of him.
He wasn't there.
What?! Where did he go?! He never saw him leave his room! How was he gone?!
He shot through the door and started frantically digging through the dirty laundry and looked under his bed. Still nothing.
"SANS! WHERE ARE YOU?!" He ran out of the room, raising his hand to his mouth as he called out to him.
Still no sound.
He bit at the tips of his fingers in worry, dashing down the stairs and into the kitchen. He looked under the sink. Nothing. Inside the fridge? He was small enough to fit in there, right? No. Under the couch? Behind the couch?
No matter where he looked, Papyrus couldn't find him anywhere.
His worry swelled as he held the sides of his head, trying to think logically. Did he somehow manage to get out of the room without him seeing? That's practically impossible! Unless… He had a secret passage in his room! That must be it! He's always up to ridiculous shenanigans like that. It's entirely possible that this was the case!
Just as Papyrus was about to go back to Sans's room for closer inspection, he finally heard Sans, sending relief rushing through him. His low voice started emanating from the back room, echoing through the house.
But his relief immediately snapped away when he realized that it was unrelenting screams of agony.
"SANS!" Papyrus cried out in fear, sprinting to the front door.
He ran around to the back of the house so quickly that snow flew out behind him from under his feet. When he literally kicked down the door, he found Sans laying facedown on the floor, shaking as blue flames surrounded his body and the area around him.
"SANS! WHAT HAPPENED?! WHAT'S WRONG?!" Papyrus cried, rushing to Sans's side and kneeling next to him.
When he didn't respond, Papyrus gingerly turned Sans over onto his back so that he could see his face.
He immediately wished he hadn't.
Papyrus saw pure, raw, unadulterated pain on Sans's face for the first time. His mouth was open in a desperate attempt to scream, but only strangled chokes came out. He could see the frantic struggle for air as he heaved his chest and made wheezing sounds. His left eye spouted a constant stream of smoke. His convulsions were frighteningly violent, his head repeatedly smacking hard against the floor.
"SANS!" He shrieked, scooping him up in his arms. His body rattled against Papyrus, sparking small flames all over him.
"I… I HAVE TO GET HELP!" He cried, already sprinting out the door.
Papyrus hammered on the door unceasingly. He could feel Sans starting to burn up, and the flames around him were growing bigger and beginning to engulf Papyrus.
"What the fuck Papyrus?!" He heard Undyne growl as she yanked open the door to her house. "I already told you that you can't join the-"
"UNDYNE! P-PLEASE HELP!" Papyrus sobbed as Sans choked out a particularly brutal sound.
"What… What the hell?!" She exclaimed, stepping to the side to make room. "Get in here!"
He walked into her house timidly. He could feel the heat of his fever getting worse as he sniffled pathetically.
"In here." Undyne said as she opened the door to her room. "Put him on the bed, quick."
He hurried into her bedroom, gripping Sans tighter. Undyne flipped on the light, illuminating the room. Papyrus scurried to the side of the bed and carefully released Sans from his arms and onto the sheets. His arms fell over limply and plopped onto the mattress pathetically. Flames already began to spark on the sheets.
"PLEASE! UNDYNE!" Papyrus suddenly cried as he rushed over to her. He clasped his hands together in a begging manner as he invaded her personal space. "YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE I COULD THINK OF FOR HELP! PLEASE SAVE HIM! SURELY YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO! I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED! HE'S IN SO MUCH PAIN! HE CAN'T BREATH! HE-"
"Papyrus! Papyrus, stop!" Undyne yelled, slapping her hands onto a strong grip on his shoulders. "Listen, this is your first royal guard training lesson, okay? Rule number one: panicking always makes everything worse. Calm down and clear your head."
Papyrus froze at her words, letting them sink in. It took him a couple of seconds before he slowly straightened himself up tall.
"Good." She affirmed, letting go of him. "Now take a deep breath."
He closed his eyes, breathed in, and released.
"Great job." She praised. "Now, listen. I have Alphys's number. She was a med student before she got into that hardcore science stuff. I'll call her. She'll probably be here in less than ten minutes. Now, rule number two: never leave someone in need behind. Stay by his side while I go call her, okay?"
Papyrus nodded stiffly.
"And don't panic." She added as she walked back out the door.
Papyrus waited a few seconds before he slowly shuffled his way back to the bed. Flames were starting to spread across the sheets, and Sans's cries had been reduced to a low stuttering. But he was still gasping and shaking, and his eyes were still screaming.
Papyrus kneeled next to the bed, reaching his hand through the flames and taking hold of Sans's hand. Papyrus jumped slightly when Sans returned the grip tenfold.
And they sat there like that. Papyrus watched as his brother writhed and in agony.
And there was nothing he could do.
It took too long for Alphys to arrive. It took much too long. He couldn't handle it any longer. He was on the verge of having a breakdown, when Alphys burst in with a giant bag.
"I'm so s-sorry!" She fumbled. "c-came as s-soon as I could!" She suddenly stopped in her tracks upon the sight before her.
"... Dear God. What happened?!"
"He doesn't know." Undyne answered for him as she walked into the room. "Try to ask as few questions as possible. He's pretty freaked out."
"O-okay." Alphys nodded. She placed her bag next to Papyrus and started digging through it.
"H-how long has he b-been like this?" She asked as she wrapped a stethoscope around her neck.
Papyrus didn't take his sight off of Sans, who's eyes were starting to roll back into his head.
"I guess I'll answer the questions." Undyne sighed. "Let's see… he would have come over here as soon as it happened… and his house is a half an hour away if you walk… And he probably ran… And it took you ten minutes to get here… so around twenty five minutes?"
Suddenly, Sans violently coughed up blue liquid, spilling it all over himself and the sheets.
"SANS!" Papyrus cried, grabbing Sans's arm instinctively.
"Alrighty. Sorry Papyrus, but you'll only make things worse from here." Undyne said as she pried his hands off of Sans. "You're gonna have to leave the room while Alphys takes care of him."
"WHAT?! NO! I'M NOT LEAVING!" Papyrus refused, leaning over Sans to cover him from her.
"Yes, you are." She said calmly as she suddenly lifted him off of the ground.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He yelled, struggling to get out of her grip. "PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!"
"Nope." She stated, placing him on the floor outside of her room. "Wait here for a little while, okay?"
She slammed the door on him, locking it behind her.
"UNDYNE! LET ME IN!" Papyrus demanded as he scrambled up from the ground.
"The more you scream, the more distracted Alphys will be." Undyne said through the door. "And the more distracted she is, the longer it'll be until he's better. So keep it down, will ya?"
Papyrus clenched his teeth as he stamped his foot. He plopped back down on the ground, sitting against the door.
Sans suddenly made a really long, really desperate sounding gasp, and Papyrus finally broke down into tears, his face falling into his hands as he silently sobbed.
God, he had such a headache.
It pounded behind his eyes and spread to the back of his skull. He brought a hand to his head as he grimaced.
He tried to open his eyes, but the light was blinding. It sent another wave of pain through his head.
"Christ." He moaned quietly as he winced hard.
"OH MY GOD! SANS! YOU'RE AWAKE!"
He was suddenly shoved into a bear hug, shooting pain through him. He huffed out the air that Papyrus squeezed out of him, but eventually returned the hug.
"Papyrus! B-be careful!" Came Alphys's voice. "He hasn't f-fully recovered yet!"
"It's cool. I'm feelin great." Sans said into Papyrus's chest, patting his back. His voice sounded like he gargled a cheese grater.
"I might even be feeling a little humourus too." He added.
He felt Papyrus freeze at his comment before placing him slowly back on the bed.
"ALPHYS, PLEASE PUT HIM BACK TO SLEEP AGAIN."
Sans chuckled softly, which accidentally induced a sudden coughing fit. Each cough was like a nail to the head.
"Guh- God-" He choked out between wheezes.
"Hokay. Time to give him some space." Came a voice he didn't completely recognize.
Sans realized he hadn't really opened his eyes all the way yet. When his coughs calmed down, he slowly sat up and barely opened his eyes, letting them get used to the light.
He found himself in someone's bedroom. The bed he was laying on was blue with waves printed on it, making it look like an ocean. Papyrus stood by the bed, worried from his coughing. Alphys was biting her claws at the foot of the bed. And… Was that Undyne leaning against the doorframe?
"Where-"
"You're at my place." She interrupted, striding her way next to Alphys. "Papyrus brought you over here when you got really sick. Good thing he did, too. We're not sure you would have made it without good ol' Alphys here!" She softly punched Alphys in the shoulder, making her yellow face burn into a bright red.
"Uh- you- your b-body was going through extreme r-rejection." Alphys stuttered, scratching the back of her head. "Do you h-have any idea why?"
"... Rejection? Fu-"
His eyes flicked over to Papyrus, who was now watching him intently.
"Uh, Heck if I know." He corrected himself. "I mean, the last thing I remember was that I was looking for… Something. I'm not sure what, though." He absentmindedly stuck his hand into his coat pocket.
Wait.
"... Where's my coat?" He asked quietly.
"I… I had to take it off." Alphys explained. "You… You were running a really high fever-"
"I need it. Give it back." He suddenly demanded.
Alphys was taken aback by his sudden hostility. She jumped backwards.
"Hey! Listen up, bucko." Undyne sneered at him as she placed a hand on Alphys's shoulder. "You would have died if she didn't take it off. You should be thanking her."
"But I need it back!" He said, finding himself starting to panic.
"ALPHYS, MAYBE YOU SHOULD-"
"Y-you s-still haven't f-fully recovered f-from your f-fever!" Alphys defended herself, hiding behind Undyne. "It'd b-be dangerous for y-you to w-wear it now!"
"I promise I won't wear it! I just need it!" He exclaimed, his voice breaking slightly.
Undyne looked down at Alphys and raised an eyebrow.
"... O-okay." Alphys resigned. "I'll go g-get it."
She scurried out of the room, leaving Undyne and Papyrus with him.
"Why'd you pick on her like that, huh?!" Undyne growled, her hands forming into fists.
"UNDYNE… I DON'T THINK HE WAS TRYING TO BE MEAN." Papyrus defended for him. "HE'S BEEN REALLY SICK AND-"
"But he didn't have to scare her!" She yelled at Papyrus.
"Hey!" Sans shouted back. "Don't yell at Papyrus like tha- Oh god!" He slammed his hands into his face as a baseball bat cracked him in the back of the head.
"SANS! ARE YOU OKAY!?"
He growled in frustration, waiting for the pain to pass. When it started to dull, he took a deep breath.
"Don't yell at my brother like that." He finished, letting his hands fall from his face and glaring at Undyne.
Alphys suddenly opened the door with Sans's coat.
"I'm back!" She proclaimed as she approached the bed and handed Sans his coat. He snached it out of her hands and buried his face in it.
Why… Did he do that? As soon as he grabbed it and his anxiety calmed down, he realized how weird it was that he felt a desperate need to have it. What was up with the coat? Why did he want it so badly? Was it important somehow?
Whatever. He had it now and he was okay.
"Papyrus, can you walk out of the room for a second?" He said into his coat.
"WHAT? WHY?"
"I need to ask Undyne a few questions. I promise it won't be long. Can you just do it? For me?"
There was a couple seconds of silence. Before Papyrus answered.
"... OKAY. PLEASE STAY SAFE." He said.
He waited until he heard the door close before he started talking.
"Now, I was barely coherent earlier." He said calmly. "But I drifted in and out of consciousness, and heard a few things here and there."
He slowly lifted his face out of his coat to make eye contact with Undyne.
"Did you say 'fuck' in front of my brother?"