Chapter four:
She didn't want to see it. She didn't want to believe that such a thing could happen to someone so close to her.
But the signs are there and she knows better than to believe it was a coincidence.
Her heart felt like it was breaking because she knew what she was seeing. She's seen it before.
With Chara.
The signs, they're all there.
How much the two rely on each other.
It's like how Chara relied on her new family which they were all willing to help.
How much affection that they share with one another as well as how close the two are.
It's like how Chara and Asriel became so close. They were giving each other affection Chara had been missing out on.
Papyrus's demand for attention and wish for it while Sans does his best to meet those needs; and it really does help. Plus Papyrus is also doing his best to do the same back. This also really helps as they give each other so much attention and affection so it's not like it's a shortage between them. Almost as if they don't expect others to give them at times. Like there is certain attention and affection only the brother has ever provided.
Sans sometimes saying jokes or puns for a little attention. Ha also uses it to make himself feel better or for his brother to feel better or both.
Chara and Asriel did play a few harmless pranks usually on their parents. Chara especially was trying to cover up that she was seeking some attention from those little pranks. Though being a good parent you notice it in your child.
How they especially Sans can be reclusive as they seem in a way distant from the others. Though they do try to also mingle but it can seem like they're just in their own world at times. Sans did get that distant look in his eyes which seemed to have lead to a bad memory. Something which Papyrus seems to know and understand how to help his brother.
Chara did have some moments where she went into her own mins. This made her go back to bad times in her life. She would react badly even curling up or crying. Sometimes it was both. Asriel especially helped her out when that happened. Even if it was never as quick to help as with the skeleton brothers.
How they seemed to react to the family thing especially around the whole parents thing.
Chara also seemed to have a bit of a problem with parent figures at first. She did come around in the end realizing that she was safe. Safe for what seemed to be the first time in her life.
How they became fearful maybe as well as panicked when something they thought would get them in trouble happened.
Like when Chara accidentally broke a plate. Then her reaction was so close to the brothers reaction Toriel swore she was seeing Chara instead of them. Though was really the only one panicking when it happened as Asriel watched worriedly.
How quick they can be to apologize even if it's not needed.
Chara for a good while gave apologies when it wasn't really needed as if scared she might be punished.
While one or two alone might not mean the same but all together... The similarities are much too similar for Toriel to ignore.
It's the signs of abuse or neglect. The signs of those damaged deeply from being mistreated.
Somewhere in their past Sans and Papyrus have been abused or even neglected... Maybe even both.
It's a hard pill to swallow but Toriel has had to swallow such a pill once before. This allows her to swallow it easier than the first time.
Toriel just wishes that no one would have had to ever suffer a fate like that again... But of course life isn't always the way that we want it to be. She swears to herself right there and then that she will do her best, with her experience in this, to help the brothers. She cannot ignore this or leave it be. She has to help her dear friends to try to mend the wounds left from such horrible experiences.
...
Toriel heads on her way to Snowdin leaving Frisk to be watched by Asgore. She stops at the lab finding Undyne and Alphys are there. "Hello." She greets as the two turn to her.
"H-Hello your majesty." Alphys stutters in greeting.
"What's up?" Undyne kindly asks in a greeting.
Both of them are sitting on the floor watching someone on Alphys's screen but paused it when someone came in.
"I was just wondering something." Toriel moves closer and settles on her knees by them. "How did you come to meet the brothers?"
"Well I met Papyrus when he came to me wanting to be in the royal guard." Undyne responds to the question. "He was an adult by then. I met Sans not long after at first he was someone Papyrus mentioned. Then Sans came to pick Papyrus up from training one day not long after Papyrus started his training."
"I met Sans f-first." Alphys adds her own answer. "It was kind o-of sudden one day but he c-came to the lab and helped out when he had the t-time. A-Asgore even gave him m-money for helping out. He worked on some p-projects with me but he came less and less after becoming a s-sentry. By A-Asgore asking since the last s-sentry there retired. Though he still made it a point to visit w-when he could. We were only t-teenagers when we met. I was r-recently the royal s-scientist by then. And I appreciated a-a little help." She slightly plays with her hands almost as if nervous. "I met P-Papyrus when Sans brought him w-with him. It wasn't often he would but if there was n-nowhere else for him to b-be then he would bring him. Papyrus was usually d-distracted with something Sans would give him. So it didn't cause any problems or t-trouble. Papyrus was about a teenager as well but d-definitely younger than Sans. Sans was more in his late t-teens and Papyrus maybe at t-the end of his early t-teenage years. Sans told me that though h-he was older they both weren't children. Sans l-left before I made Mettaton. S-So he only met the two after Frisk came into the underground."
"I see." Toriel nods softly at these responses. "Thank you. I was just curious." She raises to her feet. "I need to head out but thank you." She turns and leaves as the other two say their goodbyes. She continues on her way to Snowdin until she finally gets there. "Now I should try looking around here." She approaches a pair of monsters including one with a scarf that is so long it sits on the ground. "Excuse me." She speaks interrupting their conversation to get their attention. "May I ask if you know the skeleton brothers?"
"Well they kind of appeared one day." The monster in the scarf explains. "It wasn't long after that sentry retired."
"They're a little whacky." The other monster adds. "But it gives you something interesting to watch if you see them or and about."
"They are indeed fun to be around." Toriel confirms. "Thank you." She continues on asking some of the others but they all seem to generally say the same thing. She finally heads into Grillbys knowing that the owner has had many interactions with the two. "Hello." She greets and Grillby nods in greeting.
"What can I get started for you?" Grillby inquires.
"Oh I just wanted to ask you something." Toriel admits to him. "I'm asking only out of curiosity but how did you meet the skeleton brothers and what do you know about them?"
"Well." Grillby begins as he cleans an empty glass. "I met Sans first. They had just gotten to their new place which is where they still live. I was heading to work after getting some stuff I had ordered from the city. I had gotten up early so I thought I would go greet the delivery man. I saw Sans and I knew he had to be new so I went over and greeted him. We introduced ourselves and I asked him why move here. Sans explained that he was going to be the new sentry. I nodded in understanding at that. Papyrus came out of the house excitedly telling Sans about how much he liked it. Sans introduced us and that's how I met them. After that Sans would visit my place when he had time until it eventually became a regular thing. Papyrus ended up deciding to help Sans and even built his own station. I leant him the cardboard boxes I was going to get rid of so he could do so. Asgore decided to pay both of them for what they do when he heard about it. Though there's been many conversations between me and the two they never really spoke much about anytime before coming here. All I ever heard about before they came here was that Sans had helped out in the lab. That is until Asgore asked him to be a sentry which he had accepted. He never really talked in detail of anything that happened at the lab. But I've never heard anything past that. The rest of their past is a mystery to me. They don't seem to want to talk about it." He tells her the story. "We even had one time a group was talking about family and childhood memories. Now Sans usually doesn't mind joining conversations but that time he just kind of kept to himself. He only said that he was just a little more tired than usual so he didn't feel up to discussing things. Papyrus seemed to avoid the group as well when he came to get Sans back to work. I've never heard about any of their family other than when they would talk about each other." He puts the glass down. "I never asked them about it. I just left it alone out of respect for them."
"I understand." Toriel nods. "It was nice of you to respect that they didn't wish to talk about it.
Grillby nods in agreement and begins to clean another dirty cup. "My closest guess was that their family other than each other isn't around anymore. It's not always easy for everyone to talk about someone they cared for who is gone now."
"It is a possibility. Thank you." Toriel turns away.
"Have a nice day." Grillby speaks his goodbye and Toriel looks over her shoulder.
"You too." Toriel turns away and leaves the place after that. "Not wanting to just talk about their past just makes me even more convinced about my suspicions." She pulls out her phone and checks the time seeing that it is getting a little late. "Maybe I should pay them a visit." She puts her phone away only to head for the brothers home. She walks up to the front door and knocks.