Chapter 8: The Souls of Humans and Monsters
Alphys sat in her lab, watching her favorite show, Mew Mew Kissy Cutie. The recap of scenes she'd seen a hundred times was playing. She liked the familiarity of the anime. It made her feel safer and helped her… think. Yeah… That was it. Think…
"Oh… Who am I kidding…" Alphys thought, "My whole job is a lie anyway…"
Alphys had always done this. Make excuses for herself. Lie just to comfort herself and those around her. But now the bright yellow lizard couldn't lie to herself anymore.
She had consulted her old charts about the Human Souls, and she confirmed that her new Human Soul was in fact Integrity.
She looked it up in many human books with word meanings inside them. "Dictionaries" they were called, if she remembered correctly.
"Integrity: having strong morals and being fundamentally honest."
That wasn't like her at all…
She lied to Asgore in order to become the Royal Scientist, lied to Undyne to get the fish-like Monster to like her, and she had lied to the Human bout… everything. Not to mention her treatment of… them…
She did not deserve the Integrity Soul.
But nevertheless, the dark blue Soul had chosen Alphys to be its host. She had to try to not upset or conflict with it.
Alphys was shaken from her thoughts when the theme song for Mew Mew Kissy Cutie came on. Usually she only watched anime with Undyne, at least the new episodes. Undyne had made up choreography for the theme song of each and every one. Though Undyne's dance for this theme song was particularly complex and utterly spectacular.
Alphys missed her a lot.
"But these are just old episodes. Undyne wouldn't want to bother herself with these," Alphys thought bitterly.
Then she remembered that night in Waterfall…
"I have to help Undyne somehow," she thought more to herself.
She told Undyne she could fix it. She had to at least try.
Alphys gathered the resolve to turn off the show and get back to helping Undyne.
She called Undyne on the phone Alphys gave to her.
No answer…
Perhaps Alphys gave up too quickly, but she was tired. Too tired.
"I guess it's back to re-runs then…" Alphys said to herself. She turned her monitor back on.
Papyrus ran like he'd never run before. Even if Undyne was chasing him, he knew she wouldn't be able to catch him. He sprinted out of Waterfall, and as the cold of Snowdin chilled his bones, he started to slow down.
By the time he got to his and Sans' house, he had slowed to a walking pace.
Papyrus, more tired than he'd ever been, crawled up their front steps. The stairs seemed as if they had grown at least a foot higher than normal. Papyrus tripped over them, sending him crashing to the base of their porch, partially covered in snow.
He slowly got up and knocked on the door, brushing off any splinters he had gotten and the snow that had gathered on his shoulders and scarf. Sans should've answered to his knocking, but he didn't. In fact, Sans should've come running out when he heard the loud thud on their porch. Papyrus felt that familiar tingle of worry working it's way up his spine.
He then resorted to his handy key, only to find the door unlocked.
Did he really leave the door unlocked again? Ugh… "Well, I guess there aren't any people who would want to come in when we're not there," Papyrus reassured himself.
He walked inside, but something felt… off. He couldn't quite put a finger on it.
That was before he saw Sans.
His brother was curled into a ball on their stiff couch. Papyrus could hear sobbing, though it was soft. Papyrus ran up to Sans, closing the door behind him. What had happened to drive his brother to tears?
"Oh my gosh! Sans, are you alright?" Papyrus asked with concern.
"… oh… hi. nah bro. but you don't gotta worry 'bout me…" Sans said through his sobbs. They were getting louder.
Papyrus had to do something about this.
"What happened? What did we say? How'd we upset you?"
His brother didn't answer.
"… Sans…" Papyrus softly urged his brother.
"i told'ja bro… there's no need to worry… you didn't do anything," his brother managed to mutter.
But Sans surely knew that Papyrus would not simply leave him alone as his brother cried. Sans didn't put up much resistance when Papyrus pulled him into a hug, staying like that for what seemed like several hours.
"there's no… need… to… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…" Sans murmured as he fell asleep.
Sans fell asleep in his brother's arms a lot. Papyrus believed that was due, in part, to the connection Sans held with him. Sans certainly trusted Papyrus a lot. Especially compared to other Monsters.
Papyrus picked up the sleeping Sans and brought him to his room. Sans' joints would be aching if he slept on their old couch.
As Papyrus walked into Sans' room, he was immediately stunned at how clean the room was. Clothes were picked up and folded, his brother's bed was made, and Sans had even picked up most of the crumbs that were always littering the floor.
"I guess I have been rubbing off on you," Papyrus thought proudly. He set Sans in his bed and wrapped him in a nice, warm, fluffy blanket. Only the best for Sans.
Papyrus would ask Sans about his outburst tomorrow. For now his brother needed his rest.
