just reach out and hold on with your weird fingers chapter 39
A dark thrum of magic tinted the King's cozy house with with an ethereal melancholy as Gaster translated the instructions around his chosen spell and rewrote the notes out large and clearly. Each one transcribed changed the soft cadence of the air.
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At the table, Alphys was pushed up so close she was leaning against his shoulder, eyes wide as she watched him write, his dark magic crackling in the ink. Papyrus, too, was close and curious, but he was splitting his time between watching and playing some little puzzle games with Ellie. She wasn't very good at them, but he certainly didn't mind. Boyd sat close, but he was nodding off, arms folded into the sleeves of his new, MTT-branded sweatshirt.
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Sans wasn't bothering with the spell casting for now. It wasn't something he'd ever be able to do, anyway. Instead, he sat on the floor and read the Celestial compendium, leaning up on Undyne as she drifted in and out, listening to music. June had taken up the job of refilling the skeleton's tea and reminding him to drink it. She seemed a little lost otherwise. Awkwardly, when she thought nobody was looking, she put her hand on her chest and frowned, concentrating.
"Gas?" Sans asked at a whisper.
"What?!" she yelped.
"Oh. Sorry. Thought that was a thing humans did," he said. "You alright?"
"I was just… never mind. Sorry. It's stupid."
Sans raised his brows, shrugged, and went back to his book. He didn't have to wait long for the human to clear her throat.
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"Is it, um…? Is it possible for a human to make their soul glow?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah. Not easy outside of battle, though," Sans said.
"Do you want to battle again?" Papyrus asked.
"Again?" Gaster and Alphys both echoed.
"We did, just to see the colour!" he said. "It was light green, by the way, and but then she started crying in the bathroom. I hope it didn't hurt, human."
June blushed. "N-No, um. That's fine. I guess it was just a little emotional, is all."
"Why would you…? Oh! B-Because you'd never seen it?" Alphys asked gently.
"Can I battle, too?" Ellie asked quietly. "I wanna see my soul colour!"
"Ah! Um! Maybe later?" the lizard suggested tepidly. "You humans n-need to be careful here, alright?"
"Aww, okay."
"If it's something you're truly interested in exploring, I may be able to help you," Gaster said. "Once all this is done." His phantom hands pulled out a second pen and rolled up his sleeve to scribble on his arm. "I'll do my best to remember."
"Th-Thank you very much," June said.
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Sans held in a laugh and went back to his book. The second his eyes hit the pages, in came the fragments. He sighed and flopped it closed. "Might go down again."
"What?" Gaster whirled on him.
"Drink your tea!" Papyrus insisted.
"Are you sure? That'll be, what? Three times in one day?" June said worriedly, holding his shoulder. She poured another cup of tea and made sure he took it. "What's going on?"
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Before he could answer, Undyne got up very abruptly. He would have fallen if the human wasn't still holding onto him.
"Hey, what's the deal?" he said.
"What the hell am I still doing here? This is a waste of time," Undyne growled. She stomped from the house without another word and a stormy aura.
"Uh…" Sans blinked. "Okay."
"Was it something I said?" June asked worriedly.
"…No." Sans winced. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew what was wrong. "Probably time stuff."
"Oh shit," Papyrus said shrilly.
The room froze. The skeleton's eyes went wide and he clapped both hands over his mouth. He clambered to get up and rushed out, too— thumping down the stairs in his boots. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" he squeaked as he went.
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"What was that?" Gaster asked, baffled.
"…Has he ever even said that w-word in his life?" Alphys asked under her breath.
Sans rubbed the back of his skull. He heaved himself to his feet. June stood with him but he held out a hand to pause her.
"I'm okay," he said. "I'll go check on him."
"I'm almost finished here," Gaster said. "Hurry back."
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Sans quickly found Papyrus back in the throne room, pacing in the flowers, one hand covering his mouth as he mumbled into his palm, the other hand gesturing wildly as if he spoke to someone, filled with incredulity.
"Hey, Paps," Sans said.
His brother froze. He looked nervous.
"C'mon back, dad's almost done."
He still hid his mouth behind his fingers. "B-But what if I… say something mean?!" Papyrus asked. "Or rude?!"
"Why would you do that?"
"I don't know!" He threw his hands up in the air. "I just said a rude out of nowhere! That's not like me, right? Shit!" He held his head. "NyeeEEEEEHH! I DID IT AGAIN!"
"Relax." Sans grabbed his arm. "You're okay. It's just a word. Deep breaths."
Papyrus heaved in a gulp of air and then blew it out, letting his shoulders sink. He rubbed his head and he nodded, pouting. "Y-You're right. Nyehh… It just seems so… weird. I don't know." He shook his head. "Ah! I should be finding Undyne, not whining about silly swears! Right?"
"We, uh, may want to give her just a bit of time to cool off, bro," Sans said. "…Think somethin' shifted for both of you."
"It must've," Papyrus agreed. He frowned. "She's… been having it pretty rough, hasn't she?"
"Yeah."
"That's not fair."
"I know."
He put a hand to his head. "How do I tell what's different?"
"I, uh… Dunno," Sans admitted.
"Nyooo, what a pain," he muttered. "But why would something like this happen?"
Sans shrugged. "Could be as simple as someone stubbed their foot in front of ya at the wrong second when you were a kid, y'know?"
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The tall skeleton paced anxiously, rubbing the back of his hand. "Okay. I'm okay. This is fine. Don't worry, this is fine."
"Now I'm worried," Sans teased. His grin turned sympathetic. "Seriously. Anythin' I can do?"
"The only thing you need to be doing is resting, brother," Papyrus said. "I mean, I can't imagine what you…" He narrowed his eyes. "Wait, are you planning something weird?"
"Not, uh… Not really?" He shrugged. "Maybe, uh, dependin' how this goes, though… I mean, if the spell ain't too hard…"
"Oh, I see. You're hoping they can cast it on you?"
"Kinda." He smiled tepidly, but he knew the light in his eyes had darkened. "If I could just talk to 'er, I think… I think I could stop bein' such a mess for a little, y'know?"
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Papyrus sighed heavily. "This isn't fair, either," he said.
"Sorry," Sans said quietly
The tall skeleton shook his head. He folded his arms and tapped his foot in the flowers. "And I don't know what I did to mom."
Sans could only shrug. Papyrus sighed again.
"We still have a lot to figure out, don't we? Are you sure we shouldn't check on Undyne?"
"Welp. Not sure if she'd be happy to see me, but you…" Sans tapped his teeth. "I dunno, maybe give it twenty?"
"I will give it exactly twenty." Papyrus instantly brightened, but then looked at him suspiciously. "Why, what did you do?"
Sans laughed. "Welp. I'm the one who keeps comin' with the bad news, right? And kinda sounding like a lunatic. You're the normal one."
"Nyehh, not by choice," he grumbled.
"I know."
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The brothers stood in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments. Papyrus laughed dryly.
"I feel so small all of a sudden," he said.
"Oh yeah?" Sans asked.
"After the last couple days. Even just that short time outside, I feel like I learned a lot. But not enough, too. There's so much we don't know! Even about mom. And magic. I guess about ourselves, too." He smiled at him sympathetically and put a hand on his shoulder. "And you are just absolutely a wreck. Let's get you a bit more tea."
xXxXx
The older monsters were already outside with the book of Dirges when the skeleton brothers returned to the house. Gaster hurried to them and grabbed Papyrus's arm.
"A stór, conas atá tú?" he asked worriedly.
"Na cuir dragh ort," he answered with a smile. "I just startled myself was all! I'm sorry about that."
Gaster nodded. "And Undyne?"
"I'm going to check on her soon," he said.
"Do you know what set her off?" he asked.
"She's just been havin' trouble in general," Sans said. "Lookin' pretty ready."
"Just about," he said. "Alphys was good enough to say she'd keep the humans company, but she asked me to record the casting on her phone." He held it up and looked a little puzzled "Ah… I may need help."
Sans grinned sideways as he swiped the device away. "It's not hard."
"It's a new model," he protested.
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"Come on, you three," Asgore called. "I figure our golden hall should be big and private enough, don't you think?"
Sans flinched. Had to be there. Why wouldn't it? He cast a cautious look at the shining starlight waiting on the path. Wished, for just a moment, that he could still use those to protect them. In the five seconds he hadn't been paying attention, Papyrus had gone and returned with more tea, and made him chug it before they followed the others.
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The golden hall, as it opened before them, windows emblazoned with the Delta Rune beaming in their ethereal light, echoed faintly with their steps. There was a chill in the air. It was like no one had passed through it in a hundred years. For Sans, it still felt weird coming in here sometimes. He knew every inch of it. Could have built an exact replica with his eyes closed. Kinda hated himself— that even the abysmal memories trapped in this place could make him miss his sister all over again. He leaned up against a column, arms folded, watching as intently as he could. At least the time fragments in here didn't really change colour too much.
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With Alphys's phone in hand after snatching it from his brother, Papyrus set up to record as Asgore and Toriel took positions at opposite sides of a circle that Gaster was drawing on the floor in chalk. The King skimmed the book over one more time.
"So, you've fused two spells here, have you?" he asked.
"I believe it will give me the greatest chance of being able to communicate with my daughter," Gaster said. "Dream manipulation and astral projection. The tempo is the same— I see no reason why it wouldn't function."
"It's a little tricky," Asgore said, "but I think we will be okay. right, Tori?"
Toriel hiked up her long, loose sleeves and braced her paws against the floor. "Second in two days. I believe I'm ready. As long as we can keep time…"
Asgore nodded. He looked down at the pattern Gaster was sketching with interest. "Will chalk be good enough?"
"My mother did it this way. Never had a problem," he said. He finished up and pulled his jacket off, and then emptied his pockets, keeping only the focus nodes and a small knife. His arm bones up to his shoulders were covered in notes in black and blue marker.
"Do we need to get you a new notepad, old friend?" Toriel teased.
"He's worked like that for a thousand years, I don't think a notepad is going to help," Asgore said with a chuckle.
"I'm far less likely to lose my arms," the skeleton said.
"Though it is possible," Toriel said.
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"Sorry! Not to interrupt, but could we please pause the banter and start the spell soon? I need to check on Undyne because time shenanigans are making her grouchy!" Papyrus said.
Asgore cracked a smile. "He's right. Actually, I may come with you afterwards, son."
The skeleton stuck his thumb up. "Ready? Should I record?"
"Go ahead," Gaster said. "Though. I do need to do something that may be alarming. Please, do not stop me, it's a necessary part of the spell."
"Wuh-oh," Sans said dryly.
"We'll do as you say," Toriel said.
Gaster nodded gratefully and stuck the focus nodes onto his temples. He gestured to Papyrus to start recording and the skeleton hopped to attention, gripping tight to the phone and backing up to make sure he got the whole scene in frame.
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Gaster grasped tight to his knife and held it up. The blade shimmered with his shadowy magic and he used it to cut a small nick into his arm, careful to avoid his notes. Asgore drew in a small gasp and Toriel winced in sympathy.
"Gaster, are you sure?" Asgore asked worriedly.
"Very. The instructions were clear," he said. "Not to worry." He lifted the blade and a black, magic ooze glimmering with sparks of red dripped from his bone. He caught it on the tip of his finger and then let it drop down onto the chalk line.
The white of the circle shifted to black and began to shimmer. The skeleton raised a hand and magic glowed in the hole in his palm. Inky notes dotted the air around him.
"Now," he said.
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Asgore closed his eyes and began to hum a low tune, the melody slow and dreamy. Deep red glowed in his hands and his soul took over, an ethereal song of magic echoing in the long hallway. Toriel tapped her foot to keep time and then joined him, violet glowing in her cupped hands. The magic harmonized perfectly. Sparks of each colour raised up slowly from the stained chalk as if caught in an updraft and began to swirl around the skeleton at its centre. A key change. The song swelled. At once, geometric magic circles began to draw themselves in light along the ground, spreading red and violet out from the paws of the massive King and Queen until they joined with the black one.
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The magic was vibrating every note in Gaster's bones. He could feel it pass through him in waves, filling his ribcage up like water. His spiked soul was doing its best to keep up. His skull got heavy. He crossed his arms to hold himself steady. Even so, he could feel a cold darkness seeping out from within him.
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Like a blade from the shadows, the magic stabbed into his soul. He drew in a shallow gasp and his eyes rolled back as the circle below him erupted into a torrent of void and overcame him fully as his body went slack and his consciousness faltered.
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Gaster tumbled blindly for a moment. His soul shrieked and his bones felt mushy, but in the dark he saw a red star. Felt some warmth. It was too familiar. He had to focus. He ignored his form wilting and focused as hard as he could on his daughter. The nodes on his head surged with heat. The star pulsed brightly. Heavy dread sickened him as he felt his skull going slack in ways in shouldn't. He ignored it for now, dizzy eyes focussed hard on the glow of red.
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He saw a shape within the star. A child. His soul screamed that is was her. Must be. He could see her face but the features wouldn't hold in his mind. He reached for it with fingers that stretched too long. He could already feel reality trying to drag him back.
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His hand pierced the red. The child was getting clearer. Tiny little thing, staring with horror right into him. Had to be her. He grabbed her; latched onto a wrist. She didn't pull away. He lurched forward, his head breaking into air. He could hardly feel his jaw and his vision was locked onto this child, dyed red in a world of grey. He must've looked a mess.
.
"D-Dad?!" she demanded shrilly— he could hardly hear her, she sounded like she was speaking through water. "Wh-What happened to you?!"
His soul ached. She called him dad. She looked like she was seeing something horrendous. Even so, that she somehow recognized him meant the world.
"I… I am alright." He was going to be sick. He was so happy, but he had to be sure. He reached out his hand and gently touched her cheek with his fingertips.
She was solid. Warm. Real. He almost cried.
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"…A stór, we were so worried," he said softly.
The kid's eyes glittered with tears and his heart shattered.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm trying to g-get us back, it's just—"
"Forget that, are you safe?" he asked.
"Y… Yeah," she said.
"Good." The word oozed out in a deep, long sigh.
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The pull was getting stronger. The song of the spell in his head began to play softly. This was already too far for it.
"I… don't have much time."
She looked aghast. "Dad, no…"
"Oh! Don't be afraid." He cracked an exhausted, bashful smile. "I should have worded myself better. I don't have much time to talk with you. I was less stable in this spell than I thought." His dark eyes grew hard and serious. "We need you and your brother. The world is moving randomly and chaotically through time."
"I-It WHAT?!" she yelped.
"It's distressing, but not dire yet," he said. The song was getting louder; it was hard to think through it. "You are lost, is that right?"
"We need to f-find our way back," she agreed quickly. "B-But, dad—!"
"It's alright. We…" His form shuddered.
Black ooze from within the void crept up his hand, wrapping into his broken palm, pulling him gently but firmly back.
"We… We'll send you a sign." His vision began to fade and he could feel the darkness seeping in through his skull. He could hardly hear his own thoughts. "A… A beacon. Somehow. Don't worry. Just…"
Everything was grey. He brushed his fingers through her hair before the void seeped up over him, blinding him.
"Watch for us," he choked out, before he was dragged back and overcome by the frigid tar filling his mouth and stealing his words. Should've told her he loved her.
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Again, he fell. His soul was pierced and darkness flowed inwards, and he could do nothing to resist it as it engulfed him. He wasn't sure if he even had a body anymore. He could see nothing, yet somehow felt as if eyes from every direction beamed into him, burning hot. Nonsense noise assaulted him, ripped into him with accusatory notions. Ruiner. Shatterer. Fool. Fraud. Abomination. He knew. It was his own voice.
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He could hardly think above the din, but all he could conjure was the kids. All of his. His nephew and late niece. Even that child whose soul was touched by the void. He had to leave this place. He had to help them. Needed something to help. Anything to help.
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The sound ceased. The cold brushed away, replaced with a gentle warmth, if only for a moment. The absent centre of his right hand began to tingle. It was cold again, like water running down his arm. He thought he heard a song. It grew louder and louder until it overwhelmed him, carving itself onto the inside of his skull. The void stabbed his soul. Anything to help.
xXxXx
The spell was complete. Gaster had collapsed and Asgore cradled him gently as he slept. Black ooze started to seep from the cracks in his skull, his eyes, and the holes in his palms. Papyrus stopped filming and bounded over. He held his father's face in his hands and glowed a warm, healing light.
"I've got you, don't worry," he said quietly.
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Sans stared intently. He folded his arms, gripping tight to himself with sharp fingertips.
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Toriel knelt down at their side and gently rubbed the unconscious skeleton's head. He shuddered. All of a sudden, he shot up, retching black slime onto the ground, where it vanished amongst the chalk.
"Ahh! Dad, are you okay?!" Papyrus asked.
Gaster was too dazed to speak for a moment. Toriel held his shoulder while Asgore supported his back, and the skeleton desperately ripped the nodes from his head and let them fall to the ground.
"Dad?" Papyrus asked again.
"Did it work?" Toriel asked.
He nodded, gripping weakly to his son's hand. "I-It… It did.." His voice was a raspy whisper. "I… I…"
"Did you see her?" Sans asked.
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Gaster put his face in his hands. He desperately tried to catch his breath. Asgore rubbed his back.
"Take your time."
The skeleton swooned. Sans got close and picked up the nodes.
"You see her?" he insisted.
"…Told her… beacon," he said softly. He slumped— he'd fainted.
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"Oh no," Asgore said quietly.
Sans flinched. He put a hand on his father's. It was uncomfortably cold. The right one hadn't stopped leaking.
"Is he okay?!" Papyrus asked shrilly.
"I felt his soul resonating so strangely," Toriel said. She held out her arms and took him from Asgore, immediately starting to heal him. "Let's get him to a bed. Your place for now, Asgore?" She was already headed there.
"Absolutely. Put him in my room." The King turned to the skeletons and smiled tiredly. "Don't worry, your mother and I will take care of him."
"I-It's not too bad, though, right?!" Papyrus asked. "Because, to be completely honest, I don't think I can take another unconscious family member for an extended amount of time."
"Oh! No, no, my boy, don't worry," Asgore said quickly. "I may not have cast a spell like that before, but I have seen Dirges done, a long time ago. The monster being cast upon usually comes out completely exhausted. He knew that. He just needs a little rest." He clapped Papyrus warmly on the shoulder. "Why don't you go check on Undyne, like you planned? I will phone you when he wakes. But it may not be until morning."
"Nyeeeh, okay. Thanks, King-Uncle Asgore," he said, though he was pouting a little. "Sans, want to come with me?"
"Uh. Might catch up later, bro," he said.
Papyrus nodded. He handed over Alphys's phone and hurried off.
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"What a chaotic day, hmm?" Asgore said. "I'm sorry, Sans, but don't worry. Your father is one of the most resilient monsters I've ever met."
Sans looked at the focus nodes in his hand. "Maybe it's a long shot. But, uh, you think you and Tori could cast that on me later?"
"What?! Oh! No, I wouldn't dream of it," Asgore said quickly. "It's far too dangerous for you."
"But…" The skeleton frowned. "Figured maybe it reacted weird with dad 'cause his soul's a mess."
"It's very possible," the King admitted. "But, still, you're in a fragile state. I would not risk you like that. A Dirge can do damage even at the best of times." A sympathetic frown creased his brow. "I'm very sorry."
Sans shrugged. "S'okay. Makes sense." He tried to be sure his frustration wasn't showing on his face. Didn't know why he would have ever hoped. He clenched the nodes in his fist. He'd have to figure out something else.
xXxXx
Papyrus couldn't find Undyne anywhere. Not at her house, or their house, or in the lab, or behind any waterfall. He texted her, but she didn't answer him. He couldn't find a monster who had seen her. On his second pass of Waterfall, he peeked into Gerson's shop, but it was too late at night by now, and the old turtle wasn't there.
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There was another cavern carved into the wall just a few paces away. There was nothing outwardly unusual about it, but it gave Papyrus a tingling, uncomfortable sensation. He cautiously looked inside to find what seemed to be a small house, lit with shimmering purple candles and packed with books and all kinds of hodgepodge contraptions. It didn't look like anyone was home.
"Hello?" he called. "Undyne, you're not in here, are you? It is I, the great Papyrus!"
No answer. He pouted. He found there was a door, but it had been left wide open. He grabbed the handle and closed it most of the way, just in case.
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On his way back, he was surprised to find Sans in one of the wishing rooms, nestled against the stone wall in the dark, illuminated faintly by the blue, glowing Echo Flowers. He had those nodes their father had used on his skull, making it look like he had small nubs of horns, and he was bundled up tight in his black and white hoodie.
"Sans, what are you doing here?" he asked as he joined him. He squatted down. "Did you check on dad? Is he okay?"
"Hm? Oh. Hey, bro. Yeah. He's fine," he said. "Woke up a sec to apologize. Then started snorin'. Didn't get much more outta him than that, though."
"Phew." Papyrus plopped down with him and tapped his brother's skull gently. "You didn't answer me."
"Just, uh… Y'know. Seein' if these things might help me see one of the kids." He frowned. "S'funny, I been passin' out all day and now that I'm tryin' to sleep…"
"Nyeh heh. It's always that way, isn't it?" Papyrus plucked him up in blue and the took his spot before depositing him again and holding him warmly. "Maybe this'll help?"
"Heh. Thanks for enablin' me," Sans said with a wink.
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Papyrus smiled to himself and rested his chin on top of his brother's head. "I'm glad we went out."
"Cool," Sans said.
"Do you think I can get strong enough to fly things around like that without that spell? I'd like to. And don't say yes just because that's what you do."
Sans snickered. "Yeah. Think so. You're strong," he said. "And you're young. You're just gonna keep gettin' better."
"Nyeh heh. Thank you. Also. You should see the photos I took," he said. He passed his phone over. "It's all the things in the museum."
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As Sans browsed them, reading the notes from the displays, he leaned back, droopy-eyed. Papyrus held him snug. Their souls began to quietly sync, magic wrapping together comfortably.
"You're still feeling quite low, hm?" he asked.
"Could be worse."
"Do we even really know what's wrong with you, though?" he asked.
Sans shrugged.
"Are you just very very sad?" he asked worriedly.
Sans snickered. "I'll be fine."
Papyrus sighed. "Sans? Did I…? Did I apologize? For not believing you? Because I am really sorry."
Sans smiled. "Don't need to be. Sounded nuts."
"It doesn't matter. We need to be in this together. A hundred percent! So. I am. Even if it's confusing and weird. And even if I start swearing like there's no tomorrow!"
The short skeleton scoffed and looked up at him with a fond smile. "Thanks."
"You're very welcome!" He leaned back on the wall and turned his head up to look at the glittering ceiling of the cavern. "I feel like… there has to be something more I can do. Don't you think?"
"Kinda drawin' a blank," Sans admitted. "Collectin' that stuff was a good idea, though."
"I know. I just wish…" He sighed. "Oh. Hey. I may have an episode or two of Circuit Super Investigator in there, now that I think about it."
"Perfect, dude," Sans said.
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Sans finished looking at the artefacts from the museum and then started up an episode of the show. Usually, it'd knock him right out, but this time he stayed awake to witness the whole boring, cringe-inducing first five minutes before mercifully drifting off. Papyrus held onto him, putting a hand on his head and lighting his magic comfortingly. The little crystals embedded in the focus nodes began to flicker. He hoped that meant it was working.
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Indeed, Sans was floating through the blackness in his mind, trying to focus as hard as he could on a song he couldn't remember. He could still feel his brother grounding him, a golden safeguard in his mind.
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He was in the water again before he knew it. Cold all around him except Papyrus's protective warmth. He thought he saw a light. Something shining beyond a rippling torrent. A song brushed past him, the notes fleeting and carried away on a silent wind. He tried to focus. He squeezed his eyes shut and put his hands against his skull.
"C'mon, kid, where are you?" he muttered.
Nothing. Dead silence. Stagnant cold.
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When Sans looked again, he wasn't overcome in that black water anymore, but instead stood ankle deep in it, in some chamber where the only difference between what was liquid and not was his mind arbitrarily stating that it was so. Visually, there was no difference save for ripples caught on light that wasn't there.
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A circle of red pulsed from beneath the water. Sans perked up right away and headed for it. Peering down into the water, he was mesmerized by a shining orb. It looked like the sun, at the bottom of this pitch lake. Didn't make sense. The water wasn't deep. Nonetheless, he bent and stuck his hand in. It went in to his elbow, no problem.
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There was that song again. A few notes. He could almost hear it. There was a small shape at its centre, radiating warmth. Gulping, he reached for the red sun and stumbled, toppling forward into the water. He plunged into ice and was engulfed again. He reached out but a current pushed him back. He couldn't even get close.
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He awoke with a start, head spinning. The whole world was a disorienting patchwork mess of light and shadows. He pawed around to try to get his bearings and felt nothing familiar.
"Paps?" he croaked.
"Nyeh! The second I put you down…" He knelt and held Sans by the shoulders, and at least he was steady in his brother's eyes. "Wowie, you look awful."
"I can't, uhh… I can't see too good."
"Aah! Wh…?! Oh! Hang on!" He gently took the focus nodes from Sans's skull. "I was just getting you a snack, okay? One second?"
Sans nodded and Papyrus let him go.
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It took him just a moment to return with a sloppy slice of pie, and he sat with him as he ate a few bites. Only then did his vision begin to return to normal. He started to see tile and cabinets from where he sat against the wall. Asgore's kitchen.
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"Did you see anything in your dream?" Papyrus asked.
"I, uh… I'm not sure." Sans rubbed his head. "I dunno why, I keep just gettin' lost in black water. Or the lake or somethin'."
"Hmmm… Is there anything down there?" he wondered. "Ugh, I wish I could find Undyne, I'm sure she knows."
The short skeleton flinched. "What time is it?"
"Almost exactly three in the morning."
"Oof." He rubbed his skull. He finished his pie and then slowly got to his feet.
Papyrus gave him a little shock of bright amber and then put his dishes up in the sink for him. "So what now? Do you want to try again?" he asked. "Or would you like to help me look for Undyne some more?"
"Maybe, uh, a bit of both?"
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On their way out, though, they almost ran right into Undyne. She froze, wide-eyed, and before Papyrus could properly greet her, she crushed him into a bear hug, pinning his arms to his side.
"Sorry," she said, her voice a low, shame-filled growl.
"I-I'm just glad you're alright!" he choked.
"Cap," Sans said, raising his brows. "What's the deal?"
She released Papyrus and rubbed her hand through her hair, scowling at the ground. "I, uh… My head, it's just…"
"Your memories are going wrong again?" Papyrus asked gently.
She snorted. "Think so." She growled and pressed the heel of her hand against her forehead. "It's just, I feel it, y'know?"
Sans winced. "So how're you now?"
Her eye darted to the door to Asgore's house. "Three humans in there, right?"
"Yeah," he said.
"But… the barrier's down. So it's fine. Right?" She took a deep breath. "We were outside today, right?"
.
Papyrus's jaw dropped and he put his hands to his mouth. "U-Undyne…"
She quickly put up her hands. "It's okay! It's fine. It just… it goes in and out, and when it's out I just get so pissed and I keep having these dreams and—"
The skeleton held her hands, his own fingers glowing warmly, and he whirled, wide-eyed, on his brother. "There's something we can do, right?! There has to be!"
"I could try a little blue?" he suggested. "I'm kinda a wreck but it might keep you a bit steadier?"
"I'll take whatever," she said. She bent down and let him touch magic tinted fingers to her temples. She squinted and looked thoughtful. "Oh. Huh. That does take the itch off, a little."
"An anti-irritant for the first time in my life," he joked.
"Oh shush," Papyrus said. "What were you dreaming?"
"Little goat," she said. "Black lake. It's weird."
.
Gasping loudly, Papyrus pointed at his brother. "The black lake!"
Sans's eyes went wide, while Undyne merely looked confused. She jerked her thumb back over her shoulder.
"Yeah, the one in Waterfall," she said.
"Same," Sans said.
"Wh…?" Her lip curled up in a sardonic grin. "Well that's screwed up."
"What's in there?!" Papyrus demanded. "It has to be something, right?! Sans, mom and that little crocomonster found you in Waterfall that time you wandered, right?!"
Undyne tilted her head. "I mean. There's Bubbleburb. And Whorl, I guess. I'm not sure."
"Can you bring us there?!" he asked.
"Uh. Are you okay underwater?"
Sans shrugged.
"I'm sure it'll be fine!" Papyrus said swiftly. He grabbed Sans's shoulder. "Come on, brother, there has to be a reason the two of you are both being lead there! A weird timey reason."
The short skeleton nodded. He was exhausted, but that wasn't important. "If you're up for it, Cap."
"Hey. Told you. I'm sticking with you," she said. "Uh. Except when I flake 'cause my head's broken, but I'm gonna do my best."
xXxXx
The lake was smooth, pitch black and glistening like polished obsidian. It looked solid enough to walk on until ripples shimmered across it at the footsteps of monsters on the dock. Undyne abandoned her boots and stretched, while Papyrus stripped out of his weatherproof biking gear, scarf, and his t-shirt as well. Sans reluctantly ditched his velcro sneakers and his hoodie, eyes fixed on the calm, bleak water.
.
"You guys ever gone deep before?" Undyne asked.
"Uh. Fell in once or twice," Sans said.
"I've done a little swimming," Papyrus said. "But also it's pretty easy to just walk on the bottom, right?"
"That's the plan unless we find something," Undyne said as she cracked her knuckles. "It's charged with enough magic that you don't gotta worry about breathing. Uh. Wait, do you guys even need to breathe?"
"It's a lot more comfortable!" Papyrus said brightly. "So are we ready?"
"If you are." She dove into the water and vanished.
.
Sans hesitated. Papyrus didn't. He puffed himself up, his soul shining a little brighter in his chest cavity. He took a few steps back and then ran off the dock, cannonballing straight into the water with a loud, blurbling NYEH! His amber glow dimmed into darkness. Sans cracked a smile.
.
This was crazy, right? He was chasing shadows. Desperation didn't suit him, and yet here he was about to jump into the abyss. A little twinge of warmth lit in him despite it. He held one hand over his new scar and took a breath. She'd do it for him. Did do it for him. This was nothing compared to what was out there. He sat down and stuck his feet in the water. Chilly.
.
A twinge of anticipation warned him, but he didn't fight a blue grip on his soul that pulled him into the water. It was dark and disorienting for a second until he he found himself caught under the arms by his glowing brother. They were sinking very slowly, and all around them was blackness except one shining, yellow light. Undyne's eye. She darted through the water effortlessly to join them.
"You guys alright?" The water made her sound pretty strange, but still carried the sound well, even if there was an odd, magical reverberance to it.
Papyrus stuck his thumb up. "This is a little surreal, though, right? So how do we…? Um…"
"I thought you said you'd been swimming before," Undyne said, folding her arms.
"Well, I haaave, but just on the surface," he said. "Of the water. Not the— well, you know. Unless I did. Nyeh… heh."
"Man, I can't just drag the two of you around down here the whole time," she protested.
.
Sans thought for a moment. His left eye flared and, with a snap of his fingers, one of his large, draconic blasters appeared underneath him and he took a seat. Papyrus jerked back but then grabbed onto its snout with an indignant frown on his face.
"Nyeh! You're pulling out your special attack for this?!"
"Sure, bro, I figured—"
"Wait, this is your special attack?!" Undyne asked. "Didn't you shoot me with one of these?"
"Think I shot at you with at least two of 'em," he said.
"Pff. Right. Yeah, you're actually a good fighter, kinda forgot," she said. "Okay, so, you got any clue what we're looking for?"
"Nope."
"Something timey," Papyrus suggested. "Maybe something red or… star shaped?" He looked at Sans for support. "Something like that, right?"
"Could be," he agreed.
.
Undyne looked thoughtful. She held out her hands and conjured two glowing, cyan spears. "Okay." She crossed them and let them float in the water. "That should be a good enough marker. We'll do a sweep and then meet back here."
"Ah! Right! I'll check the bottom, then!" Papyrus said. He let go of Sans's blaster and allowed himself to drift downwards into darkness with a salute. "See you soon!"
"You're alright on your own, right?" Undyne asked the short skeleton.
"Course," he said.
She patted his shoulder and swam off in a blur of bubbles.
.
Sans sighed and leaned back, folding his arms behind his head as he looked at the surface of the water. It was almost indistinguishable. The dark was all encompassing, his blue soul the only light he had. He had to be careful not to just drift off.
.
The blaster was surprisingly easy to sustain for a ride through the lake. He sat up, alert as he could be. The water filling his head was an odd sort of feeling— brought back some memories he couldn't quite place.
.
He saw nothing of interest his first pass. On his second, though, he picked out six little, white lights in the dark. Curiously, he floated closer, but stopped short. He could hear a low, lazy hum here. Sans raised a hand. Drifting up, the lights flashed over deep, turquoise blue, illuminating the jaw of a massive monster. They were almost as black as the water, and had a long, rounded snout filled to the brim teeth like needles and fangs like a viper. Their body was obscured by distance, but their neck was long. Fin-like ears perked up and the whiskers on their snout, tipped with lights, drifted towards him.
"A tiny skeleton," he said in a wispy voice. "All the way down here?"
"…Whorl, right?" Sans said.
The monster dipped his his head slightly. "Have we met?"
"Once or twice," he said. "I'm Sans."
"Did you fall in? I can lift you up."
"Thanks but, uh, I'm actually lookin' for somethin'. Cap's down here, too."
"Cap…? Oh, Captain Undyne, I see." Whorl tilted his head slightly. "What do you seek, tiny one?"
Sans had to stop from laughing. "Anything weird show up down here in the last little while? Or maybe somethin' kinda star-shaped?"
Whorl tilted his head the other way and his ears flapped slowly. His hands— with disturbingly long fingers— emerged from the gloom and cupped under Sans, lifting him up off his blaster skull. "I have seen something."
.
The leviathan swam so smoothly, as if the water posed no resistance for him at all. He brought Sans down deep to a place where a rock wall jutted out and was carved inwards, into a huge, downward sloping tunnel. The glowing bulbs at the ends of Whorl's whiskers shone on the stone, defining the passage, until, finally, a tiny bit of shimmering light met them.
.
There was a massive living room at the bottom of the pit, every bit of quaint furniture built to gargantuan size from pieces of much smaller things. The lights here were little glowing fish monsters that napped in sconces, or luminescent blue and purple crystals put in piles inside stone bowls.
"I would offer you some tea, but landfriends often have trouble with that down here," Whorl said.
.
Another cavern lead to an oversized bedroom with four stones propped up in the corner like a pyramid. Whorl gently placed Sans on the floor where the skeleton drifted slightly, and then leaned past. His unusually long arms reached across the room and pulled away the stones to reveal a yellow star glimmering there.
"It appeared a few days ago out of nowhere," he said. "I sometimes enjoy using it as a lamp. But otherwise it is too bright to sleep with. I had to move my bed." He looked down at Sans. "Many say they cannot see it at all. You know what it is, don't you, tiny one?"
"It, uh… It's a way for certain people to connect to time," the skeleton said.
"It is a clock?"
"Nah, it's, uh… Like a waypoint."
"You wouldn't happen to be able to take it with you, would you?"
Sans smiled sideways. "Sorry." He pointed at it. "Can I, uh, take a look?"
Whorl gestured to it invitingly.
.
Walking underwater was floaty, slow, and strange. Sans bounced over to the star and cautiously tested the water around it with his fingertips. Maybe it was a bad idea. But then again, it wasn't like anyone'd ever saved down here. Might not matter. Might be like the one on the surface. Maybe that was why he'd been drawn here.
"Sorry if I faint," he said.
.
Cautiously, he dipped his hand into the light. It met him only with resounding darkness and the tiniest, faintest bit of sound. Something grey flitted by him. A prickle ran up and down his spine. Felt like there were eyes staring into his.
.
When he backed away, he reflexively tried to catch his breath and accidentally sucked in a bunch of water. He coughed and hacked— which was also fairly awful— doubling over, and Whorl consolingly patted his back with two fingers.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Y-Yeah. Just stupid." Sans's eye sockets stung and he laughed tiredly at himself. "Thanks. Sorry 'bout the light. Guess at least you'll be able to ditch it once you go up top."
"Up…? Oh. Oh, yes, I forgot completely," Whorl said softly. "I will not be leaving until the rest of Waterfall is gone, I think." His fin ears twitched upwards and wavered in the tiniest current. "I hear a voice. I think she calls to you. Shall I take you?"
"Sure, 'preciate it."
.
Lifting Sans up, Whorl ferried the skeleton back up into the black waters where it was almost impossible for him to see, until Undyne's cyan glow sliced the darkness. He caught sight of the shine in her eye and she surged over to them. She looked up at Whorl and raised her hand.
"Oh, you found 'im, huh? Thanks," she said.
"He took a look at my troublesome new lamp for me," Whorl said.
Undyne raised her brows.
"One of those savin' star things. You remember, right?" Sans said.
"Oh. Yeah." She gestured downwards. "Paps found something. He said he wanted to stay near it just in case."
"What was it?" Sans asked.
She shrugged. "Didn't see."
"May I come?" Whorl asked.
"Sure, knock yourself out." Undyne beckoned for them to follow her. "Saves me from having to drag that guy around."
"You could just let me sink," he suggested.
"And somehow you'll end up stuck in a crevasse somewhere. No thanks," she said.
.
The monsters dove deep into the dark again. Not much else lived in this section of the lake— more so it was the caves that were inhabited, except for a small swath of houses called Bubbleburb. They were headed elsewhere, though— somewhere far from where any monster usually went.
.
Sans felt a little lost down here. He was getting light-headed and the dark was oppressive. He was glad at least someone knew where they were going.
.
It wasn't too long before an amber glow signalled a direction to them. Papyrus was standing on the lakebed near a massive chunk of rock, waving, his soul shining with unusual brightness through his ribcage.
"There you are! And greetings, giant someone! I am the great Papyrus!" he said. "Minus my usual majestic attire."
Whorl blinked at him. "I am… the great Whorl."
"Ah! Whorl, who does the magic floods! It's nice to meet you! Wowie, you really do have giant arms."
"Oh. Thank you," the leviathan said.
.
"You're lookin' extra shiny there, bro," Sans said.
Papyrus nodded and pointed to a gap of darkness in the stone behind him. "And the closer we get to this thing, the brighter it gets, for some reason."
"What thing?" Undyne asked.
"Umm… Well, it's a little unusual," Papyrus said. "It's better if you see it, I think." He headed for the shadowy gap in the stone and waved for them to follow.
.
It was too small for Whorl's body, but his neck could fit through. He leaned in and watched as the three smaller monsters entered the stone into a hidden tunnel that lead into a chamber. The only light they needed was Papyrus's soul, which did indeed grow brighter the farther in they went.
"Man, how did you even find this?" Undyne asked.
"If you think I didn't investigate at least ten holes before this one, you'd be sorely mistaken," Papyrus said with a grin. "I am occasionally the great detective Papyrus, after all." He snickered and put a hand to his chest. "Plus, this was awfully hard to ignore."
"Fair enough," she said. She picked up Sans, who was lagging behind a little. "So, uh, where is it."
The tall skeleton pointed to the area that opened up ahead of them.
.
In the chamber before them, a shadow on the ground was the deepest black one could imagine. Even the glow of Papyrus's increasingly bright soul wasn't lightening it at all. As they got closer, however, they could see the strange spot was not a shadow at all. It had an odd, silvery outline. Sans felt a shiver deep in his bones. He'd seen something like this before in his sister's memories, just nowhere near as large or as dark.
"Don't, uh… Don't touch that, huh?" he said.
Undyne knelt down beside it and squinted into it. "But what the hell is it?"
"Welp. That's pretty much what it looks like when the void has a blowout," Sans said.
"Wait, what?!"
"Oh, no wonder," Papyrus mused. He got closer, tilting his head curiously, and his soul shone brighter still. "I bet that's why you kept dreaming about this place, brother." He perked up, eyes brightening with excitement. "Hey, do you think this is a way we could go out and find our siblings?!"
"No. No way," Sans said. "Goin' out there last time almost dusted dad."
"It did?!" Papyrus yelped. "But… Nyeh, then what could it mean? It can't have wanted you to come here just to hurt you, right?"
"I dunno if it can want anything, Paps," Undyne said. She shot a cautious look at Sans. "Uh. Can it?"
The skeleton could only shrug in reply.
"Shall I block this off for safety when you're through?" Whorl asked.
"Yeah, for sure," Undyne said.
"Uh. Maybe leave an air pocket and a phone, if you can," Sans said.
The massive monster's brow furrowed in puzzlement, but he nodded nonetheless.
.
Papyrus folded his arms and tapped his foot. "This is SO weird."
"But, like, what do with do with this?" Undyne insisted. "Is it a dead end? And, dude, why are you glowing like that?"
The skeleton shrugged widely. "Maybe it likes me!"
.
A dark ripple seeped a cold energy in the water. Sans's head was suddenly splitting and he grabbed both Undyne and Papyrus by the soul to drag them away from the gap in the world. Papyrus, though, wouldn't latch. His brother looked at him with confusion as Undyne let out a growl of surprise and toppled back, only for him to be abruptly engulfed in a tendril that shot up and out of the void.
.
Undyne roared. Whorl gasped loudly. Sans felt as if he could turn to dust on the spot. His blue magic would grab nothing and the intense blackness made him dizzy. He struggled through the water to reach his brother, but moving was difficult— like trying to run in a nightmare.
.
Undyne leapt up and dashed through the water like a torpedo. Before she'd even made contact, though, the darkness split and spit Papyrus out. He stumbled back onto the stone, wide-eyed. He clutched his hands tight together. Undyne collided with him and they would have toppled forward had the giant tendril from the hole not given him a weird stroke, like the licking tongue of a beast. At its touch, Papyrus's bones began to fully radiate with a soft, amber glow. The trail of darkness vanished and the impenetrable blackness in the rip calmed to reveal distant, twinkling lights.
.
The shining skeleton plunked backwards and Sans collapsed, too, grabbing him around the shoulders and slumping with a huge sigh.
"Oh my god," he grumbled.
"Dude, are you okay?!" Undyne asked, patting him down and checking around for cracks.
"I-I'm fine!" he said. "That was bizarre!"
"I should definitely put up a sign, at least," Whorl said quietly.
.
Papyrus turned and put a consoling arm around his brother. He showed what was in his hands— a shining, glassy red orb. Undyne blinked.
"You got that in there?" she asked.
"I think it gave it to me," he said, handing it over to her.
"Gave it…? How?" she asked incredulously.
"Did you see anythin' in there?' Sans asked worriedly.
"See? No, I don't think so," Papyrus said. "It did have a strange sort of sound, though."
"Not a hum?"
"Hmmm. No, I wouldn't say so. More like… Sort of an in-and-out kind of rhythm? Very low." He got up and then knelt down at the edge again, peering in.
.
Sans got up and grabbed his arm. "Careful."
"I think it's alright." Papyrus dipped his finger into the void but when he pulled it up, the pitch liquid vanished instantly from his glowing bones. "It's still, I think. Very very very cold."
"Maybe let's not be sticking our hands in there, okay?" Undyne said. "Shit. So what do we do?" She looked at Sans.
.
The short skeleton was quiet for a while, staring into the darkness. He traced the edge with his eyes. It was an off-kilter oval shape. One that might have started as a circle and then been dragged to the side. Now that he really looked, the edges weren't as frayed as the unusual lights he'd seen through his sister, except at one end. Maybe it wasn't a blow-out after all. That made his soul shudder, but he wasn't sure he was able to make any sort of real conclusion from it, aside from that meaning the void itself wasn't unstable like when Gaster was trapped there.
.
"Well?" Undyne pressed.
"You look a little disturbed, brother," Papyrus said, nudging him gently.
"It's fine," he said. He held onto Papyrus's arm with a weak grip. "As long as you're fine."
"I feel excellent, in fact," he said.
"Are you well, though, tiny one?" Whorl asked.
"Sure," Sans said quietly.
Papyrus patted his brother on the back. "Maybe that red thingamajig is what was important to find here? What do you think?"
"Well, something definitely reacted to you, kid," Undyne said, peering over the orb. "Hm. This thing looks kinda like somethin' I've seen before."
"Oh really?" Papyrus asked excitedly. "Where?!"
"Gerson had it. Said it was an old artefact." She handed it back to him. "Maybe it's the same kinda thing?"
Papyrus tapped his teeth thoughtfully. "That's a lead, then! That's good news, right, Sans? Um. Sans?"
.
Sans's eyelids were heavy. He'd almost passed out. He weakly stuck his thumb up. Papyrus sighed. He stood and lifted the short skeleton easily.
"It's been a long night," he said. "Maybe we should take a break."
Undyne nodded. She looked around the chamber and folded her arms. "Yeah. Yeah, you go up, I'll, uh… I'll start to take care of this."
xXxXx
Whorl was kind enough to take the skeletons up to the land above the lake again. With every foot away from that hole in the world, Papyrus glowed less and less, until it was just the normal shine of his soul that glittered amber.
.
Up on the dock where they'd left their stuff, Papyrus knocked water out of his head and then held Sans upside-down to let the dark liquid pour out of his sockets. He gently laid him out on solid ground and got him a snack from inside his phone.
"Sans, are you awake?" he asked.
"Hm?"
"Do you want to have something to eat? Because I really think you should."
Sans sighed. He sat up slowly and rubbed his head. "Sorry."
"No sorry, just eat this." He gave over some citrus cookies and then went back to his pile of clothes. He raised a circle of bones around himself like a curtain so he could change. "Did you faint again down there?"
"Nah," Sans said quietly. "Just kinda low." He slowly nibbled one of the cookies. "…You sure you're alright, huh?"
"Yes, of course!" Papyrus replied. "That glowing was certainly interesting, though, hm? Have you ever seen anything like that before?"
"In dreams, sometimes," he said. "Or, uh… That time the kid was, uh… fightin' the other kid, before the barrier broke. You came outta a soul-steal all glowin'. With a huge shield. You remember that?"
"Umm… Noooo, I don't think I do, but it sounds very cool!"
.
Papyrus emerged from his concealing femurs in some dry shorts and a pink tank-top. He tucked the red orb into his pocket and offered Sans a change of clothes. As the short skeleton got to his feet, Papyrus straightened up swiftly, wide-eyed, to the sound of high-pitched woofing. Something squirmed under his shirt and a small, white dog fell out of his clothes and excitedly ran around his ankles. Sans snorted out a laugh and Papyrus gawked for a moment.
"Oh shi—ooot! How the heck did you get in there?!" he squawked.
The dog did not answer him, but bounced on its small legs up to the height of his head, giving him a lick on the cheek before stealing one of the giant bones and bounding away into the long grass. Papyrus cawed and gestured after the little creature incredulously. Sans wheezed and grinned wide.
"What was that?" he asked.
"I don't know! How did he even get in there?!"
.
Sans tried to catch his breath. A memory from his sister triggered deep in his skull. He recalled a similar artefact near a piano puzzle Undyne had set up in Waterfall. There was a red orb on a pedestal there. When the kid had picked it up, she'd somehow found an entire pomeranian in her pocket soon afterwards. It had taken the orb and bounded away. She'd done the same thing in several timelines, but could never wrap her head around what it was for aside from summoning dogs. He remembered she'd said something about it maybe a month ago: how she'd brought Kid and their goat brother to see it this time around, but none of them had been able to suss out its secrets either, and somehow the dog had consumed it before vanishing into a river. He wondered if it was somehow the same one.
.
Sans held out his hand. Raising his brow, Papyrus passed the orb over. Sans put it in his pocket, and after just a moment, a little white dog identical to the previous leapt from within it, shaking the dampness off itself. It yipped at them, pleased. It ran around again, stole another bone, but this time used it to pole vault across the impossible distance that was the lake and vanish from sight.
.
"Don't tell me I just got grabbed by the void for an orb that summons annoying dogs!" Papyrus said.
"…Kinda looks that way, huh?" Sans took out the artefact and held it carefully. It shimmered faintly in his hands.. "But… that can't be all."
"Can't it?! Why not! OooOOOH, if your dreams led us there and made you sleepwalk just for that I'm going to be incredibly cross with them!" He plucked it away from his brother and glared at it very close to his face. "You better be helpful, you hear me? We really need a win here and you better not have been keeping my brother from having a proper sleep for no reason!"
The orb said nothing. Papyrus's eyes went wide and then he frowned and sighed heavily. He pulled up his shirt and took a dog out from his ribcage upside down. Sans burst out laughing again and his brother held the dog up, only for it to lick his face and yip.
"Are you all the same dog?!" he demanded. "Are you clone dogs?! Are we going to be overrun with dogs?!"
"Wanna take 'em to the lab?" Sans asked with a wink.
"Sans, please," Papyrus said.
"Alright, alright, I'll pawse it."
"Nyehhh…" The tall skeleton gently placed the tiny dog down.
Once again, it stole a bone from the circle and ran off, exceedingly pleased with itself.
.
Sans still didn't know what to think. This orb— it couldn't have been that red sun in his dream, could it? He didn't think so. Still, there was something about it. Something about Papyrus, too. Everything had reacted to him, and very dramatically as well. Another piece of the puzzle without a full picture to guide them.
.
"Welp. Tori did say dogs were good luck." Sans winked. "Could use a little of that, huh?"
"I guess?" Papyrus sighed. "I mean. It's better than nothing, right? It has to be." He clenched his hands. "…Maybe it can help me get my memories back. Somehow."
"Maybe," Sans said tepidly.
.
A big blue arm punched out of the lake with a loud splash— Papyrus jumped back in alarm. Sans raised his hand to greet Undyne as she heaved herself out of the water.
"I miss anything?" she asked as she pulled her hair out of a ponytail and dragged her fingers through it.
"Dogs," Sans said.
She stared blankly at him in reply for a few seconds before turning to Papyrus. "So?"
"Dogs," he agreed. He handed over the orb.
Undyne looked at it in puzzlement for a moment, then her back suddenly went rigid. She stood up straight as a little white dog appeared through her hair, slumped over her shoulder with a happy, panting expression. She looked at him, wide-eyed, and then blew out a sigh. "Seriously?"
"I wasn't maltese-ing you," Sans said.
"Hm." Undyne squinted at the thing in her hand and rubbed the dog's head with the other. "I think I had one of these."
"Is it secretly very powerful?" Papyrus wondered.
"Could be? We'll have to ask Gerson in the morning." She looked at Sans and raised her brow. "And you're still soaked. C'mon. Wanna stay over at mine?"
"But we still don't know what's going on," Papyrus said.
"Dude, did you even sleep since we went outside?"
He pouted. "I don't need to that often."
"Just come have some tea or somethin'. Chill for a minute." Her eye darted to Sans, who had a gloom of guilt about him.
Papyrus caught her angle and he nodded. She grinned and grabbed the dog and handed it off to the short skeleton, beckoning for them to follow her.
.
As they left, Sans stared into the dog's dark eyes. It woofed and licked his cheek. He sighed and gave it a little squeeze.
"You got any clue what's goin' on, pup?" he asked.
The dog simply tilted its head. The skeleton chuckled tiredly.
"Yeah, me neither."
xXxXx
The taller monsters reached Undyne's house first. She noticed her training dummy was gone— chalked it up to time going askew.
.
Though Papyrus doubled back for his brother, he claimed he was fine. Just slow. Still carrying that little dog around. Didn't mind just having a little quiet for a few minutes. Papyrus fully understood and went ahead to start setting up a place for him to sleep. Seemed a bit redundant to him, though. Sans would gladly doze off anywhere most of his body would fit.
.
At the crossroad path leading to Undyne's cave, Sans started to get a little dizzy. He gently put the dog down and patted its head.
"Don't wanna pass out on top of ya, bub," Sans said.
The dog wiggled and booped its cool nose on his hand before bounding away into the caverns. Sans straightened up and rubbed the back of his skull. Here came the fragments again. Light didn't change, but shadows did. Might've seen Undyne patrolling. She'd been through here too many times to count, so that would make sense. He'd spent maybe half the day seeing stuff that wasn't there. He wondered when it'd just take up everything.
.
As he trudged up the path to the house, he paused at a ledge overlooking the shimmering waters. A chill shook his bones. Through some silent fragment of space, he could see her. His kid. He was sure of it.
.
He was cautious getting closer. It was like looking through a window. He knelt down, squinting, and she was right there, though her features still wouldn't stick. An existential chill rattled him when he saw his own arm reach out and hold that kid. He knew this moment. Could never forget it.
.
She'd given him her soul. They'd become a giant, bone beast. They'd decided it was a dragon. He'd learned about every second of her little, lonely life, and she'd had to endure the mess that was his. And yet, they were happy. Overwhelmingly so. Afterwards, they'd come to this exact spot to chill before going home that night. He had one of the charms that Papyrus had made to look like their skull attached to his phone. So had she.
.
His left eye was flaring. He sighed and dropped onto the stone, letting his feet dangle in the water. He rubbed his forehead with his palms.
"Kid, I'm sorry," he said quietly. "If I wasn't such…" He cracked an exhausted smile. Didn't matter. She didn't care, he knew that. Wasn't like she could hear him now, anyway. He just wished he could find her. Had to know she was okay.
.
Something faint dripped into the calm water. He looked up, but couldn't see anything. Didn't know why he bothered. His grin turned sardonic. It was always this way, wasn't it? A cruel joke. Time laid bare in the hands of a loser like him once, which made him uniquely qualified to find its true guardian, and yet he couldn't keep his feet under him for more than a couple hours. Kid was probably fine. Bet she was doing great out there. He was the one so desperately reaching for a red light he was too weak to grasp and too out of it to find. She didn't need him. Nobody needed him.
.
The cut in the side of his hand stung. He looked at it with a raised brow. What was that feeling? Couldn't be scolding him, could it? Great, he thought. He was monstrupomorphizing a scar.
.
He sensed Papyrus before he saw him, but was still a little surprised that he plopped down beside him and put his arms around him.
"Things are going to be okay," he said.
"…Yeah," he said quietly.
"I'm serious. And also, I'm completely positive."
"I know."
.
Papyrus glowed his sunshiny magic, warm and comforting through the chill of the water. "You've been working harder these last few days than I think I've seen you, ever in your entire life. Even though you're still not feeling well, right?" He smiled proudly. "You're so determined. I know that means something. And that thing is! That things are going to work out! We'll figure out the weird red dog orb. And we'll figure everything else out, too. And find our siblings."
"Yeah," Sans said quietly. He huffed out a tired sigh. "Why am I like this?"
"Why are you like what?" Papyrus asked.
Sans just raised a brow and gestured to himself. His brother scoffed.
"Sans, you are sad, and you are allowed to be sad!" he said. "Emotions are good! Showing your emotions is good too! And. I mean. Honestly, any time you don't just answer with something vague and noncommittal when I ask how you're doing is a win in my book."
Sans scoffed softly. "Short book."
"For a short brother." Papyrus chuckled and shot him a wink. "I think we can add a couple lines to it every once in a while. And. At least you are self-aware."
.
Sans laughed tiredly. He slumped and rested his hand on the cool stone beside the fragment of time. From the corner of his eye, he could see the kid. Looked like she was almost asleep, leaning on his shoulder. He couldn't tell if the spot feeling a little warm was just his imagination. She was going to get up soon. They were going to go to Grillby's.
.
Papyrus gave him a squeeze. He couldn't articulate why, but it made his eyes water.
"I guess… I just kinda want everyone to be together again, y'know?" he said.
"I do know. And. You. Deserve. A break."
"Do I?"
"Yes, you do. I have decided, definitively."
"I don't have time," Sans muttered.
"Let me worry about that for a little," Papyrus insisted. "Trust me, brother."
.
Sans slumped where he sat. He didn't know what to think anymore, but he'd believe in Papyrus. That was usually a good start.