Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"My only want is to keep you safe. . ."

//

Your palm skidded across the dirt littered with small pebbles. A grunt escaped you as you fell, your other hand clutching a clothed mass to my chest.

where-

You were unable to finish that thought as your body moved on its own, dodging what seemed to be a large rock. The sharp sound whooshed past your head. Your attention turned to the one responsible—it was a male human, one armed with various weapons and a mean scowl.

"Monster," he sneered, hands raised with daggers in each one.

Your breath caught in your throat as you watched, scrambling to stand. You were noticeably shorter than him, having to crane your neck to see him even after standing, and you felt overall quite small. You clutched the mass closer to your chest, taking a glance at what you were holding. A skeleton. A very tiny one at that, and it looked like a baby. His sockets were black with pinpricked green lights, which were focused on you. What looked to be luminescent tears rolled down the skeleton's flushed-green cheeks, and small hiccups escaped his clenched teeth.

You looked back up, feeling paralyzed as his hate-filled eyes bore into your own. A split second later, he was sprinting at you with the intent to kill. Something inside of you snapped and suddenly he screamed—a sharp object that looked like a bone impaled his chest. You realized belatedly that your arm was outstretched, and your right eye burned with heat. You retracted your arm and clutched at your eye in pain, the bone disappearing and dropping the human to the ground. He twitched before going still. A red mass that resembled a heart emerged from his body, just to shatter and disappear. You could vaguely register a tingling feeling, like you’d gained some sort of strength from it.

You shuddered as you stared at the dead body. Blood oozed from underneath him, reaching your bare feet. Your gaze flickered over the skeletal structure of them before observing your arms, which were completely void of the flesh you were used to. Swallowing thickly, with shaking limbs, you thought... Your name… what was your name again?

You bent down, holding the crying baby in your arms tighter to prevent it from falling. A moment of hesitance passed before you snatched one of the daggers out of the human's hands. He let go easily, his hands going limp against the ground. Your body trembled as you held the sharp object. You pocketed it, just in case.

You started walking, leaving behind bloody footprints. You took the time to scan my surroundings… it was a wasteland, essentially. Buildings seemed abandoned and debris littered the ground everywhere you turned. You trekked onward, glancing up at the cloudy grey sky...

A cry interrupted your thoughts.

You blinked down at the child, his eyes were still stuck on your face. You shushed him, immediately feeling the urge to protect and nurture the little one. Your fingers(phalanges?) caressed his skull, which seemed to soothe the skeleton. His cries quieted and his eye sockets closed, now babbling in a joyful manner. The sight made your heart soften.

You still felt unnaturally small, and light in weight. Glancing around, you found a muddy puddle on the ground nearby. You walked towards it, leaning down to look into the reflection.

The sight that greeted you was unfamiliar. Through the muddiness of the water, you could make out a skeleton staring back. The face was round with blunt teeth except for two sharp, protruding canines. You weren’t able to tell the eye color, but they were small ovals that had a darker ring around them. You parted your teeth in shock, seeing the reflection do the same.

You backed away from the puddle, your mind all over the place. Was that you? You were… human, weren’t you? Are you dead? Where even are you?

You took sharp breaths, trying and failing to calm down. The baby in your arm stirred at your panic, giving worried baby noises as he reached out his hands to your skull.

You stiffened, your hand immediately going to hold his. You tried to give a comforting smile. you glanced at the cloth that wrapped around him—in bold letters, the name Papyrus was poorly stitched on the side.

"papyrus..."

You uttered the name quietly. My voice was completely different. Unfamiliar. It sounded young, like a child's voice. The name you read sounded familiar, something in the back of your mind recognized it.

The little skeleton seemed to beam up at you. That must be his name, you mused. You pet his skull a bit before continuing onward. You weren’t going to get any answers here-

Pain. A sharp stabbing sensation sparked in your side. You yelped, barely feeling your body hit the ground once more. You tried to hide the now crying Papyrus in your arms, desperate to shield him from whatever danger you faced.

The last thing you saw was a tall skeletal monster, reaching out to you...

Then it all went dark.

//

"..ne..."

"Little one...."

You stirred at the noise around you, not registering it in your delirious state. Suddenly, you bolted up, your mind catching up to the previous events.

"Ah, you've finally awoken."

Your gaze snapped to the voice. A tall skeleton figure stood near you. He had two scars running up and down his skull, originating from his eyes. His eyelights were a dull white. He was dressed in what seemed to be a lab coat.

Scooting back, you realized you were in a bed. Your clothing was changed into a gown, the stolen dagger nowhere to be found. Glancing to your left, you could see an odd-looking machine. A wire from it was attached to your arm. Your body shivered, eyes snapping back to the skeleton. You felt your eye heat up, fingers twitching at your sides-

"Now that won't do."

He suddenly spoke, and without warning, a painful shock coursed through your body.

You cried out in surprise, your body tensing at the burning pain that seemed to originate from your arm connected to the machine. After a few seconds, it stopped. You tiredly looked back at him-he held some device with a button, and his finger hovered over it as he stared.

"It’s violent, magic unstable. Untrained and young." He seemed to talk to himself, some sort of floating hand held a device next to his face. "About eight years old, give or take, yet already powerful. Unknown origin. Came with a young one."

You could feel yourself shrinking backwards, feeling scared and vulnerable as he scrutinized you.

"Seems intelligent. A perfect candidate." He ended his speech, and the floating hand disappeared along with the device.

"Little one, what is your name?"

‘my... name?’ You froze at the question, your eyes flickering over him warily.

"...Your clothing... Rags, more like it... Your shirt had the word 'Sans' stitched into it. Is that your name?" He questioned. You continued to stare. The name seemed unfamiliar, yet... right.

Slowly, you nodded. He seemed pleased at the response.

"Is the other one your family?"

At that question, you stiffened. Immediate red flags popped into your head. His look was not a kind one, and he screamed 'distrustful'.

"...what have you done with him?" You answered instead. He seemed surprised at that.

"Oh, nothing yet." His answer made your eye heat up again, but a quick glance to the button he carried made it stop. "I'll be taking that answer as a yes. A sibling, perhaps?" He muttered to himself, stepping closer to you and causing you to tense even more. "You're both quite young. What were you doing in human territory, all alone?"

You didn't answer. You weren’t sure what to say, it's not like you knew either.

He didn't seem that disappointed at your lack of a response. "Little one, I've saved you and brought you to our home, where you belong." He sighed pitifully. "You must have been so scared, you poor thing."

Despite his words, he didn't seem the least sympathetic. You just decided to just nod, and he smiled in response. "Don't you worry, you'll be under my care from now onwards."

You weren’t sure you were too happy with that, but you agreed nonetheless.

//

You held Papyrus in your arms. The skeleton, who revealed his name to be Gaster, brought you two back together. Despite the bad vibes you got from him, you couldn't help but feel grateful.

You felt oddly attached to Papyrus, despite the lack of memory. You hugged him closer as he giggled. Gaster was watching the interaction with a strange look on his face, but you didn’t ponder for too long, distracted by playing with your baby brother.

//

You were introduced to many other monsters, of all kinds. You got used to seeing the unnatural features of paws and muzzles, scales and claws... But it seemed that the three of y’all were the only skeleton monsters. You asked Gaster why, and he explained vaguely that your species was near extinction. You didn't press further.

//

You learned quickly that monsters were in a war with humanity. The reason you were attacked by a human was because you somehow ended up in their partly-abandoned territory.

Half the population of humans were mages. Born with magic that enhanced their physical abilities, they used it against monsters, attempting to exterminate them all. Monsters held their own, and the war has raged on for many years. Gaster is the right-hand man of the king, Asgore, and is also the royal scientist.

Gaster was an odd monster. His words were eloquent and his presence was domineering, demanding attention the moment he stepped into a room. He was respected.

He cared for you and Papyrus, but not in an emotional way. He fed, clothed, housed and taught you.

Sometimes, you caught him staring at you with a gleam in his eye sockets.

Indeed, Gaster was odd.

//

He was not as nice as he seemed.

You were playing with Papyrus, it had been a few years. You were around eleven at this point, and little Papyrus was maybe four. He started walking a year prior, and was now a natural. Sort of. His speech was growing as well.

"baby bro, you're so cool." you giggled as Papyrus stumbled forwards, his innocent gaze fixated on you. He let out some of his signature laughs, a chorus of "NYEH HEH HEH!".

Gaster suddenly appeared and took you away from Papyrus. You were both confused, but you followed obediently, waving at your now sullen brother. You had a bad feeling as you walked, but his floating hand that held your shoulder prevented you from escaping.

You went downstairs and into his lab. You’d never been inside here before, always being told to stay out of it. You glanced around the various machinery and vials, your gaze curious but cautious. The tables were wooden and polished, this room was one of the cleanest in the entire castle—cleanliness was a luxury, even in the King's castle.

He instructed you to sit. "You might want to sit down for this, little one." He had said. You obliged, your heart—no, your soul—beating quicker.

"From today on, you will be training with me." His sudden declaration made me freeze. "Don't think I don't remember your power when I first found you."

He checked you. The invasive feeling filled your soul. You could see what he saw.

-
Sans

LV 2

HP 3/3

AT 23

DF 30

He's scared.
-

You flinched at your status. Gaster didn't seem to care much—instead, his grin widened. "Your attack has gone up, without any training even. Just imagine what you could accomplish!" His voice seemed to grow with some form of excitement, which just made your shoulders even more tense.

You remembered the day you killed that human. You didn't have a choice, yet it still weighed heavily on your soul. The light leaving his eyes, the blood that spilled from his body. His soul shattering.

"Your HP is concerningly small, but your defense makes you resilient." He muttered to himself, breaking you away from your internal thoughts. "You have a lot of work to do from now on, little one."

"n-no." You blurted out before you could stop myself. Your phalanges clenched the sheets you sat on as his gaze turned sharp.

"That wasn't a suggestion." He said simply, gesturing for you to stand. "You wouldn't want to see what might happen if you don't do as I say." He smiled, an evil smile that made me shudder. "You don't want little Papyrus to get hurt, do you?"

His threat made you stiffen. You felt the familiar feeling of heat encasing your right eye, but before you could even move you suddenly felt a burning pain from your arm. You yelled out, holding it tightly against your chest as you went limp against the bed.

"Tsk tsk. I thought you were smart enough to have realized by now." He sounded disappointed, his floating hand pressing a familiar button. You winced, your gaze flickering over it in realization.

"Train with me. Become a soldier. And little Papyrus will remain safe." He suddenly promised, his calculating eyelights studying your reaction. "It's as simple as that. And, well, if you refuse..." He let his words linger in the tense air.

You couldn't do anything but nod. He seemed satisfied.

That same day, you returned to Papyrus, drained and bruised. His innocent eyes seemed worried, but you gave him a reassuring smile and a hug.

"i'll protect you." you said quietly. Papyrus was confused but hugged you back with vigor. You pet his skull, hiding your frown against his shoulder.

‘i'll protect you, no matter what.’

//

As the years went by, your training with Gaster became harder, and likewise your strength grew exponentially.

The amount you saw Papyrus got smaller and smaller. You were always busy, and now that you turned sixteen, you were old enough to go to battle.

You’ll never forget that first battle. You were fresh in the squad, not really respected but not scorned either. You were just there, like the others. There to fight for your survival.

Your squadmates were rough around the edges but weren't unkind. You didn't interact with them much. You didn't interact with anyone really, unless you had to.

When you got on the battlefield, it became so much more real. Humans and monsters charged at each other with killing intent.

Gaster trained you well, you had to begrudgingly admit. Despite your lack of actual battle experience, you dodged each attack and killed with the same skill. Each soul shattered made your body tingle, power fizzling in your eye socket.

You won that battle. Your squad mates were down to 1/3 of their original size.

When you arrived back victorious, you skipped the celebration and immediately went to your baby brother.

His once innocent gaze now seemed less so. When he looked at you, his vibrant green eyes dimmed. He cringed away from you, "NYEH. SANS, YOU SMELL OF BLOOD." Papyrus said, worry underlying his tone while his sockets narrowed in your direction. You ignored his complaints and hugged him tightly. It took a moment, but he lifted his arms to hug you back.

//

Six more years passed. You turned twenty-two, and your brother was now fifteen. Papyrus became more brash. He changed rapidly, and so suddenly that you felt like it wasn't all him. You were hoping it was just his angsty teen phase, but… You had seen Gaster talking to him on more than one occasion. Your suspicions rose when he started talking about soldiers more often with you. He claimed that he wanted to join the Royal Guard. You shot him down immediately.

"paps, you don't want to be a soldier." You said, your gaze lifting from the book you’d been reading. "the guard is not all sunshine and rainbows, baby bro."

He seemed to flinch at your words. "SANS, DO NOT BELITTLE ME! I AM STRONG ENOUGH TO BECOME A SOLDIER TOO." His posture stiffened. "YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH STRENGTH."

You shrunk back at his words. "i'm not saying you're weak, paps-" "THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!" He cut you off, suddenly standing. His green eyelights seemed to glow in frustration. "I AM GOING FOR A WALK. DON'T JOIN ME." And with that, he left.

You stared as he left, your gaze stuck on the closed door.

After that, you went to go talk with Gaster. You accused him of putting these ideas in Papyrus' head.

"you said he'd be safe. joining the guard ain't exactly safe." You fumed, phalanges twitching by your side. Gaster just laughed at you.

"He will make a valuable asset to our cause." His smirk widened. "I cannot help what he plans to do with his life."

"i'm sure you influenced him." You were unable to stop from baring your canines at him. "whatever ideas you're putting into his head, stop."

"What he takes to heart is out of my control." He said simply.

You trained extra hard that day.

A year later, he joined the guard.

//

More years passed, you’d started losing track. The war continued on, seemingly without an end. The rare times you saw Papyrus was usually on the battlefield. You couldn't do anything with his decision to be a soldier, but you always tried to protect him as much as possible.

You faltered as he came into view. He was tall, refined. His eyes were dimmer, and a scar went up from his chin to his eye. You had your fair share of scars, the most notable being a missing chunk on your nose bridge, but many more than that littered your bones.

You breathed in shakily, walking up to him. "paps-" "COMMANDER PAPYRUS." He spoke, his green eyes briefly flickering over your face before pointedly ignoring you. You exhaled slowly. "...commander papyrus." You couldn't muster a smile. "seems like we're working together today."

He didn't respond, just glancing over you once more before walking away. You sighed.

//

The battle was a mess, dust lingered in the air while blood stained the ground. Humans were more desperate than ever to win. You side-stepped a human coming at you and stabbed a bone straight through their chest. You glanced off to the side, peeking at Papyrus. He was ruthless on the battlefield, his presence terrifying and his magic dangerous. You fought alongside him. Despite your estranged relationship, y’all fought well together. He seemed to glance at you in approval, which is all you could ever hope for.

Suddenly, more humans appeared. It seemed that they got backup. Your forces started to struggle, and you had to put even more effort in not getting hit. There were just so many. Even Papyrus was struggling.

You breathed heavily while dodging another human before slicing off their arm with a bone attack. They briefly screamed before you killed them a second later. You blipped in and out, weaving through the humans and killing them off. Your teleportation skills came in handy for situations like this.

Suddenly, you heard a familiar yell. Your eyes flickered wildly to the sound, and you saw Papyrus with a dagger sticking out of his shoulder blade.

You saw red. Before you knew it, you’d blipped over and summoned a bone into your hand, stabbing the human responsible and killing them. You immediately dispelled it and went to Papyrus, taking the sharp object out of his shoulder. Small dust particles came with it as it clattered on the ground, not that you could hear it over the surrounding chaos. As soon as you’d done that, Papyrus’ magic covered the wound, healing just enough so it wasn’t leaking dust.

You had no time to think or speak before you had to continue fighting. The sheer amount of humans was overwhelming, you were very much so outnumbered. You tried to summon blasters, but because you had to keep dodging you couldn’t keep them for long.

You remained as close to Papyrus as possible, unwilling to let him out of your sight as you fought. Your body tingled with bloodlust, the LV in your body spiking with each kill while your eye burned with every magic attack.

Your mind started to grow hazy for some reason. You tried to push past the feeling, but your soul was thumping wildly. You felt like you were flying for a moment.

Then suddenly, everything went black.

//

"shit, look what ya did now."

"god dammit-again?"

"sans, how many times ya gonna mess this up?"

You blinked. Everything was blindingly bright, contrasting the dark sky you were just under. You slowly registered your surroundings. You were sitting on the ground, your palms pressed against a cool tile-like material. You stood up, your blaster summoning, but when you looked up you didn't see any humans. You weren’t even outside. You briefly wondered if you’d somehow teleported somewhere else on accident, but you didn't recognize this place. Your eyes flickered over to your side, where you saw your brother in a fighting stance. He was also looking around in confusion, his green eyelights landing on you before he looked somewhere else.

You followed his gaze and froze. In front of you, there were three other skeleton monsters.

The first one resembled... you? Yet, he was different in every way. He wore a blue jacket and short pants, untattered and fairly clean. His skull was pristine and void of any scars, and his white eyelights were large and round. His dismayed expression turned to surprise when he looked at you and Papyrus.

You looked at the second one. This one looked almost identical to the other, aside from his pointy teeth with a golden tooth, his smaller red eyelights, and his darker clothing. Again, his red turtleneck and black jacket with his short pants had no signs of damage.

The third one... He had the same structure as Papyrus. He was a bit taller than him, but his shoulders were slouched. His eyes were lidded and white eyelights were focused on you. His jacket was a bright orange and he wore baggy pants with strings attached to them.

"holy shit..." The red one muttered. You looked back at him to see his expression become wary. You felt the invasive use of a check in your soul.

Sans

LV 20

HP 4/4

AT 120

DF 135

He's prepared to attack.

You glanced over at Papyrus, your eyelights falling over his own check.

Papyrus

LV 12

HP 180/200

AT 62

DF 100

He wants answers.

Your eyes flickered over his stats. He shouldn't have had to gain any LV. You shook off the thought, looking back at the now shocked skeletons. They looked like they'd seen a ghost.

"WHO ARE YOU THREE. AND WHY DO YOU RESEMBLE US? WHERE ARE WE?" Papyrus took the lead, stepping forward with caution as he spoke.

His questions seemed to snap them out of their thoughts. The blue one spoke up, "heya, i'm sure you have lots of questions. long story short.... uh, we're you. and you're us. this is an alternate reality." He explained, straight to the point. Despite the fact he was speaking to your brother, he seemed to keep glancing at you warily.

A silence stunted the air. Papyrus glanced to you, a frown pulled down his teeth. Your own teeth were slightly bared and frowning.

"AND YOU EXPECT US TO BELIEVE THIS?" Papyrus said after a moment. You agreed, it seemed completely unbelievable.

Tall orange Papyrus spoke up, "yep, look around you. you're in our basement. that machine right there? it transported you both here because it's connected to sans and papyrus' soul signatures."

You looked around as he spoke. The place was clean, extraordinarily so. No cobwebs or dust could be found, and the technology was unlike anything you’d ever seen. Papyrus seemed to come to the same conclusion.

"now, sparky, mind lettin' down yer blast'r?" The red one spoke, and you looked over to see him staring directly at you, red sweat drops rolling down his skull.

You paused for a moment before realizing what he meant—your blaster was out, still prepared to attack. You hesitated before dispelling it, though you remained on guard, your shoulders tense.

The action of you putting the blaster away seemed to make them relax, if only a fraction. You still felt very stared at.

"why don't we... go upstairs." the blue one said hesitantly. The other two didn't seem too keen on the idea, but after a moment agreed. Blue one looked back at you. "we'll talk about this in the living room, so you can meet the others." He said, gesturing for you and Papyrus to follow as they stood by a flight of stairs.

You shared a look with Papyrus before stepping closer. They seemed to want you to go first. You refused to turn my back to them, your gaze hardening as you met his stare evenly.

After an awkward stare down, he cautiously started to go up the stairs, the other two following warily. Only then did you follow, Papyrus going behind as you ascended the stairs.

Chapter Text

"What about you? Who's going to protect you. . . ?"

//

You reached the top of the stairs and went through a door. Papyrus closed it behind him politely as you followed the three skeletons. As you walked, your gaze flickered over their house. It was wide and spacious, various decor hanging off the walls and on the shelves. The walls were a creamy white, and the floor was hardwood with a few carpets. They lived in the same luxury as King Asgore, if not even more so. You couldn’t help but keep close to Papyrus, still high energy and tension from the battle you were literally just fighting. Distant chatter could be heard, and it seemed like you were walking to the source.

Once you reached the 'living room', blue you walked inside. You followed shortly after, and the room seemed to freeze the moment you walked in.

"uh, hey guys. we got another pair." Blue you said, his grin straining at the edges as his gaze flickered back to you and Papyrus.

Inside the room, you were greeted by more skeletons. You looked at them one by one, soul filled with caution

One of your lookalikes was rounder and softer than all of you. His blue eyelights were large circles, and his teeth were up in a kind smile as he watched.

The one next to him was your brother's lookalike. He was tall and imposing, a scratch-like scar going across his eye. His eyelights were pin-pricked and red, and he seemed to glare at you with a tight frown. His gaze reminded you of your own Papyrus.

On the other end of the couch was another Papyrus lookalike. This one was the most strange out of them all. His white eyelights glanced between the two of you, and he had a welcoming smile on his face if not a bit nervous. He wore a t-shirt that said 'Cool Dude'.

On the chair was yet another Papyrus. This one resembled more like the red sans and the orange papyrus in one. His gaze was lazy and his posture lax, though he seemed to be very aware of what was happening. You could tell by the small twitch in his hand that he wasn't as relaxed as he seemed. His teeth were more similar to the red one, with a single golden fang protruding from his neutral smile. His neck was adorned by a black collar.

The nice version of Papyrus spoke, "AH, HELLO THERE! IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU BOTH. I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, NYEH HEH HEH!" His voice was cheerful as he spoke, and you felt a wave of nostalgia at his laugh. You remained quiet and glanced at your brother. He seemed disturbed at the soft version of himself.

Even bluer you spoke, his eyes transforming into stars. "HELLO THERE! I AM THE MAGNIFICENT BLUE." He let out a 'MWEH HEH HEH'. The scarred Papyrus beside him scoffed.

"I AM THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE, REMEMBER IT." Is all he said before he continued to just glare at you.

The one on the chair spoke up last. "the name's mutt." He drawled, his skull rested on his palm as he watched y’all closely.

The three that brought you here piped up one after the other, "sans." "'m red." "name's stretch."

You and your brother were basically frozen in place. He spoke first, "...I AM COMMANDER PAPYRUS SERIF. ALTHOUGH, IT SEEMS THAT MOST HAVE CHANGED THEIR NAME? BESIDES THE ONES ORIGINATING FROM THIS WORLD." At his observation, they nodded.

"YES, TO MAKE THINGS EASIER YOU WILL BE GIVEN A NEW NAME!" Blue said happily. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO PICK ONE?"

Your brother seemed to think for a moment. "....JUST COMMANDER IS FINE."

"that's a bit on the nose, don'tcha think?" Mutt spoke up from his chair, a humorous tone underlying his words. Papyr-Commander just glared at him before moving on.

You froze when all eyes turned towards you. You suddenly felt a bout of anxiety, your magic humming beneath your bones, begging for a release. Preferably destructive. You breathed deeply in attempt to calm down. "...dunno." You muttered, unwilling to look away despite your discomfort.

Pap-Commander had a troubled expression on his face, but you paid no mind and watched the other's intently. They all seemed to have odd looks the moment they really looked at you. You had no doubt it was due to the LV residing in your soul. The slimy feeling of EXP followed you everywhere you went, so you were sure they could tell just by looking at you.

"WELL, WE WILL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO DECIDE." Nice Papyrus said gently, causing your eyes to flicker over to him. His smile was reassuring, and you couldn't help but relax just a little. He reminded you of Paps when he was younger.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening caught your attention. You froze, angling your body to face the door but also not turning your back to the group of skeletons. You watched as a version of you walked inside. He was about the same height as you—which was shorter than the rest—with a scar running up his eye socket. His eyelights were a dark purple color, and they'd immediately locked onto your own eyes.

"LOOKS LIKE YOU FUCKED UP AGAIN, SANS." He said harshly, his eyes narrowing on your form. Said skeleton seemed to shrink away in shame.

"this's black." Mutt chimed from his chair, not that you turned to look at him. You refused to tear your gaze from the purple skeleton—he seemed to be the most outwardly dangerous one here.

Black's expression worsened as he watched you, and you felt the use of a check once more. You didn't look down, unwilling to see the stats for a second time today. His eyes widened and suddenly, you were dodging a bone attack. You immediately went into defensive mode, and all hell broke loose.

The next thing you knew, your brother was holding your arms back. You blinked back into reality, glancing around. The once clean room was now littered with holes and slices, and the couch was vacant. Black was held back by Mutt—the smell of his dust wafted through the air.

"SANS- SANS! STOP THIS NOW." Commander, well, commanded next to your skull. At his words you willed your magic to calm, your clawed phalanges pulling from his arms and scratching at your wrist.

When you came to, everyone was staring, glancing between you and Black. Black himself seemed to be worse for wear, his hand clasping his shoulder to cover a wound leaking dust. Mutt behind him was visibly less relaxed than before.

"I HAD ASSUMED YOU LOT WOULD NOT ATTACK US. IT SEEMS I WAS WRONG." Your brother spoke from behind you, his voice sharp and dangerous.

"no- shit, black-" Red you spoke up, a nervous look in his eyes as he turned to glare at the skeleton. Black growled at that. "YOU CAN'T EXPECT ME TO NOT ATTACK A MONSTER LIKE HIM. DID YOU NOT SEE HIS LOVE? IT'S AT MAX LEVEL."

You frowned at his words, your canines baring subconsciously as you tried to focus on calming down your bloodlust.

The original Sans from this world stepped up, his voice stern as he spoke, "black, you know just as well as all of us how you were when you arrived. these two are being civil, despite their.... high levels." He trailed off, casting you a wary glance. You scratched your wrist some more.

"that was uncalled for. apologize."

Black grimaced, his eyelights shrinking as he looked back at you.

After a tense moment of silence, he muttered under his breath. "I APOLOGIZE. I GOT TOO HASTY."

His apology didn't really make you feel better, but it calmed your bloodlust slightly. In fact, after having that destructive outlet, it was significantly more calm than earlier. You moved away from your wrist to scratch at your right socket, distracting from the itchy burning. You didn’t say anything.

You felt a hand pull your wrist away from your eye. You flinched, but after realizing it was Commander you let him do as he pleased. It was so quiet that all you heard was your breathing, which you belatedly realized was faster than normal.

You pulled back from him. "it's fine." You eventually said, unable to come up with any other response. At least he attacked you and not your brother.

They all seemed uncomfortable, looking at you as if you were about to blow any second. Which, in their defense, was entirely possible. You just stared back until someone finally said something. Stretch spoke up, "right. i'm sure you two are bone-tired. why don't we show you to your new rooms?" At his suggestion, Commander nodded.

You both followed him and original Sans up a flight of stairs. They showed you around the floor, explaining that this is where their rooms were. You and Commander were each given a room right next to each other.

The room itself was the most luxurious bedding area you’d seen. The walls were bare aside from a window, and a large bed was sat in the corner. A dresser was next to it, along with a desk and chair nearby. The sheets were clean and free of holes or tears. It looked inviting. You glanced down at your dirtied clothes.

Stretch seemed to realize your thoughts, and he spoke up, "i'm sure you're uncomfortable being covered in… blood and dust." He cringed a bit as his eyes flickered over your attire. You nodded, gaze fixed on him. He looked at you a moment longer before backing away, "stay here." And then he was gone, blipping out of existence.

You waited patiently, standing in the same spot. He returned maybe five minutes later, though he seemed surprised when seeing you.

"...i didn't mean- nevermind." He had a pile of clothes in his hands. "follow me."

You followed him, still looking around cautiously. He led you to a washroom, but this wasn't an ordinary washroom. It had things you’d never seen before, things that seemed like a distant memory.

"i sense you've never had the luxury of a shower?" You weren’t sure what he meant so you just shrugged. He placed the clothes onto the counter and went to the white tub, turning some sort of metal knob. Water started pouring from a faucet overhead. You realized why it was called a shower, as the water resembled a rain shower.

He adjusted the temperature before glancing back at you. "soap is in those bottles, once you're done there's a towel in that closet." He jabbed a thumb in the direction of the closet. “your bro’s in our other bathroom getting cleaned up as’well. have fun." He then left the room, closing the door behind him.

Your gaze found the reflecting glass on the wall, a mirror. There weren't many in the castle. You observed your appearance.

Your skull was knicked and scarred, the black hole in your nose-bridge contrasting your greyish bones. Your small eye lights were a golden color, surrounded by a red ring. The edges of them seemed fuzzy. Your teeth were about the same, if not just a bit sharper than before. Blood and dust covered your bones and attire, and you promptly stripped your clothes. You looked over your bare body. You had more scars in various places, and multiple cracked and chipped ribs. It didn't affect your HP, fortunately. You slowly took a step into the shower, flinching back at the warm water that hit your bones.

Slowly you relaxed into the warmth. You vaguely registered taking some of the soap and scrubbing your bones raw. Blood and grey dust covered the bottom of the tub. You scrubbed more.

You weren’t sure how long you cleaned yourself for, but the water had turned cold by the time you realized you’d been scrubbing for a while. You stepped out, dripping water on the floor as you walked back to the closet. You took one of the fluffy towels and dried off, taking time to appreciate the softness of the material.

When you were finally done and dressed—the clothes consistent of an oversized plain black tee and grey shorts that were like pants on you, you tried to tie them as much as you could to prevent it from falling straight off. The outfit was… different, to say the least. You looked back into the mirror. Your once grey bones were now a cleaner off-white, and you looked overall nicer. Free of blood and dust. You couldn't help but think your scars stood out more against the whiteness of your skull.

You turned on the sink faucet and started scrubbing at your clothes. Blood red poured down the drain as you used some of the soap on them. Soon enough they were cleaner and only vaguely smelled of blood. You went back to your given room and hung them over the windowsill before going to the bed. You slowly sat, hesitating at the soft feeling of the mattress. After a moment you fully laid down.

It was heavenly. You’d never felt more comfortable in your life. You were clean, cozy in a bed too large for just you. Despite your better judgement, your sockets slowly slid closed...

You were destined to slumber the moment you laid down.

Chapter Text

"Can I do anything right. . . ?"

//

Your dreams were unpleasant, to say the least. Flashes of bloodied bodies, dust afloat in the air, your brother being taken from your claws. You couldn't protect him, you let him get hurt. You broke your one promise...

You woke up from your restless sleep, the sky still dark. You groaned quietly, rolling in the nice bed. It truly was so comfortable... too comfortable. You stood quickly, shaking off the dizzy feeling. Memories of yesterday flooded into your skull, and you could hardly believe it was actually real. You felt embarrassed for falling asleep as quick as you had and being so vulnerable in this new place.

You willed your momentary panic to calm, taking in your surroundings once again. The room was still lit despite the dark sky outside—it seemed the light on the ceiling stayed on all night. Oops?

Making your way to the window, you looked out into the night sky. The stars were much more visible here than back home... if you could even call it that. The clothes you laid on the sill were dry, so you folded them neatly and set them on the bed.

You lifted the window—it was locked in place, but you eventually figured out how to open it—and looked down. The distance wasn't terribly far, so you made your way through the window and jumped off, landing effortlessly and silently.

The slightly damp grass tickled your bare feet. you squatted, running a hand through the small green blades and watching how your palm got wet. You wiped your hand off before standing up, eyelights scanning the surrounding area. After a moment of thought you made your way around the house. The place was massive. The walls were a nice beige, with a dark roofing and pillars along the porch area. You found yourself at the front door on the porch, with a cobble road trailing from the stairs. You were surrounded by woods and white fencing, and by the air pressure you could assume you were on some sort of mountain. There was even a huge garage, which was closed to nobodies surprise.

You stayed out there for a while, memorizing the area. You justified yourself, saying you were just observing, but... You took a deep breath in. You felt somewhat... calm. Which was a first for you in a long time. Soon, the sun began to rise. There was such a beautiful view from right here, you felt like you were in a trance.

Your body twitched at distant sounds coming from inside—it seemed that some of the skeletons were awake. You readied your magic to teleport-

"YOU-"

You startled, barely catching a glimpse of that skeleton you fought before blipping back in your room.

You stood there, anxiety rising. You were too focused on the fucking sky and grass to notice someone nearby. You got caught off guard.

Being unaware was basically a death wish back home. A few hours of rest has already made you sloppy. Disappointment coursed through your soul.

You didn't dwell on it for long though as you felt a familiar energy from the other room—Paps was awake. It was strange, being around him in this type of environment. It had been so long since you could even have a civil conversation. You were sure he wasn't keen on having one, either.

You shut the window before exiting your room, disregarding the unmade bed for another time. Standing in front of your brother's door, you hesitated. You don't know why, you knew for a fact he could sense you there, but your body was frozen in place. You pushed through, lifting your hand.

Knock, knock.

You knocked on the door, waiting patiently. A few moments passed before the door opened. Commander stood in front of you, but you felt whiplash for a moment seeing him.

He was in a different outfit, of course—it was a grey tee with some plain pants—but he was also clean. You remembered Stretch saying he also had cleansed himself, but it was still a crazy sight. Like you, his bones were much brighter than before. He had no blood, dust, or grime in sight. His scars also stood out more against the brighter color of his bones.

He seemed to feel the same way looking at you, glancing over your clothing up to your skull. His gaze lingered on your face for a split second.

"SANS." He eventually greeted, not exactly thrilled to see you. Not that you expected anything more.

"...." You looked up at him, the air settling in a tense, awkward silence.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT." He spoke harshly, and you tried to muster a smile.

"just... checkin' on you, pap-uh, commander." You stuttered over the name. "...you alright?"

His eyes seemed to widen at your question, but they narrowed not long after.

"...I AM PERFECTLY CAPABLE, AND IN NOW WAY DO I NEED 'CHECKING UP ON'." His words were laced with venom, but you tried to keep up the smile.

"i know bro, but uh... it's different here. just wanted to make sure you were okay."

He crossed his arms at that. "I AM FINE." He replied curtly. You just nodded. You knew that you yourself weren't okay, but maybe Paps was just stronger than you were. You twitched suddenly, turning around. You could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. Soon, Papyrus emerged.

"OH, YOU'RE BOTH UP!" He exclaimed in delighted surprise. "I'M SURE YOU'RE HUNGRY! BREAKFAST HAS BEEN MADE DOWNSTAIRS, IF YOU'D CARE TO JOIN US?"

You paused at the word 'breakfast'. Rations were scarce due to the war, so high-quality food was a luxury. You yourself didn't get many of the rations anyway, despite being given them. Gaster had went through a whole phase testing the theory that going without proper nutrition would train your magic to sustain yourself for longer. It involved some DT injections and more things that you just didn't remember. He only allowed you to eat occasionally. Years of under-consumption has made your body used to going without food for days at a time. It was probably the reason you were smaller than the rest of your... counterparts.

Commander seemed surprised at the mention of food, his eyelights studying the softer version for any deceit. He decidedly found none, walking past you swiftly. "I WILL TAKE YOU UP ON THAT OFFER." He said, and you followed right behind him, because of course you did.

The three of you made it downstairs, soft Papyrus chattering on about how he and Blue made it so it was bound to be 'THE BEST MEAL YOU'VE EVER HAD'. Considering the state of your previous meals, you didn't doubt it.

Once you reached the dining room, chatter that you heard previously died down. Looking around, you could see that most of the skeletons you'd met were there—the only ones missing were Mutt and Black. You weren't unhappy about that.

Blue emerged from the kitchen, wearing some frilly blue apron with the words 'HUG THE COOK' embroidered into it. "I'M GLAD YOU GUYS MADE IT! YOUR JUST IN TIME FOR BREAKFAST." His smile was bright and innocent. You felt yourself cringe.

Papyrus led you to the table. "TAKE A SEAT!" He told you, gesturing to the long table. The pairs of brothers sat next to each other—there was Red and Edge on the right, Sans and presumably Papyrus across them, Stretch and, presumably again, Blue on the left, and six more vacant seats. You decided to sit next to Stretch, solely based on the fact he showed you what a shower was so your opinion of him wasn't in the negatives. Your brother went over to sit beside Edge, on the other side of the table. You missed the odd looks they gave you.

Stretch beside you seemed to flinch as you sat, his grin straining at the edges. Your shoulders were tense as you looked around, feeling entirely uncomfortable at the situation.

Sans, who seemed to assume the role as 'head honcho', addressed the table. "so, y'know the drill. got another pair. let's welcome them to our humble a-bone." He seemed to make a play on that last word, winking as he said it.

A-bone... abode...

"heh."

You let out a single laugh, a chuckle really, yet the whole table—aside from Commander—seemed shocked that such a noise could even come from you. You faltered at the eyes, feeling almost embarrassed. "...what? are jokes not supposed to be laughed at?" You muttered defensively.

"nah, just didn't think ya'd have a sense'a humor." Red spoke bluntly, his toothy smile widening.

"I'D HARDLY CALL THAT A SENSE OF HUMOR. MORE LIKE IDIOTIC AND LAZY WORDPLAY." Edge said next to him, his teeth pulled down into a scowl. Commander next to him nodded in agreement, which was of no surprise to you. You vaguely recalled 'torturing' him with puns of your own, when he was younger. When he didn't hate you.

Stretch beside you shrugged, "don't mind him, his a'bone is up his-" "DON'T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" Edge interrupted, but half the table was already chuckling at the joke, you fighting down chuckles of your own. Papyrus and Blue both just groaned, both now carrying multiple plates of food.

"CAN WE NOT JUST ENJOY THIS AMAZING MEAL WITHOUT ANY HORRIBLE PUNS?" Papyrus complained, though his voice held no anger.

Blue agreed while they both set plates down. I watched as he put a plate in front of me. "MOVING ON! BREAKFAST IS SERVED. TODAY IS PANCAKES AND BACON!" Once they finished, they both took their seat.

You didn't really register much of what they said, instead your gaze was focused on the plate in front of you. Three round and golden-brown 'pancakes' were stacked neatly, and there were three strips of pork. A couple yellow slabs were atop the pancakes, which seemed to be melting. You breathed in. Heaven. That's what it smelled like.

Glancing up, everyone else had started eating. Everyone besides Commander. He seemed to be in the same boat as you, unused to the quality of the food. Eventually, though, he picked up the fork and cut into the pancake. Lifting the food, he leaned forward, taking a bite.

He silently put back down the fork, chewing multiple times before swallowing—that wasn't really necessary, as it was mostly made of magic. You were positive he was savoring it.

"...I AM TRULY GRATEFUL FOR THIS MEAL." Commander suddenly spoke up, pausing their conversation.

"OH- YOU'RE MORE THAN WELCOME, COMMANDER!" Papyrus replied, giving him a bright smile. Blue also grinned. "OF COURSE YOU'RE WELCOME!!"

You looked back at your plate, lifting your own fork and cutting into the pancakes. Slowly, you took a bite...

It was just as good as it smelled. It was sweet, overwhelmingly so, and dense with magic. You then took a bite of the bacon. The savory meat went perfectly with the pancake. You chewed before allowing it to dissolve on your tongue.

You put down your fork, the magic from those two bites filling your shrunken capacity. You wished you could have more, savor it more... but you risked the chance of throwing it all back up.

Commander finished first, despite being the second-to-last to start. You focused your magic and blipped your food onto his plate. He stared in momentary surprise, but you knew he could feel your magic signature. Despite that, he spared you no glance, and thankfully just accepted the extra on his plate. He needed it more than you anyway.

Glancing around, you caught eye contact with Stretch beside you. It seemed he watched the whole thing, from you trying it to you giving it away. You just kept his gaze in your own apathetically. He seemed disturbed at something by the way he looked at you, soon turning away his attention to the conversation going on beside him, which just left you to do the same thing.

"-BUT STILL, YOU'D THINK BY NOW THERE'D BE MORE SEASONS." Papyrus exclaimed, clearly passionate about whatever he was talking about. Sans beside him shrugged, mouth full of pancake. Edge seemed appalled with what he said. "MORE SEASONS OF THAT TRASH?! IT SHOULD'VE BEEN CANCELLED AGES AGO!"

They bantered back and forth, until soon everyone was done. Blue and Papyrus gathered the plates, while everyone started leaving the table. Sans addressed you and Commander, "now that you've been properly fed and have had proper sleep, hopefully, we can get on with how you'll be moving forward."

You frowned at his words, not entirely sure what to expect. He just shook his head. "meeting is happening in the living room. come on." With that, he led you both back to the living room.

The remains of your fight yesterday were actually decently covered up. Sans looked between the two of you. "want to sit?" You shared a look with Commander before shaking your head. Sans just shrugged, "suit yourself." He then plopped down on the couch lazily. The others were in various spots around the room, Edge standing near the couch, Red, Sans, and Blue in the couch, and Papyrus sitting on the floor for some reason.

You looked over at the hallway, where Mutt and Black emerged. Mutt lazily made his way to the chair, sitting comfortably in it, while Black stood beside him. You glanced at the skeleton warily, noting how he kept his gaze mostly on you. He didn't seem ready to attack for the meantime.

"so, to start. i'm sure you both have some questions. now's the time to ask." Sans spoke up, leaning back in the couch.

It was quiet for a moment. Commander started first, "WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THAT MACHINE? I DOUBT YOU'RE ACCUMULATING ALTERNATE VERSIONS OF YOURSELF ON PURPOSE."

Sans sighed at that. "ya got me. no, i didn't intend to bring you here. the machine is meant to bring someone here... but not like this."

You felt your curiosity spike. "...then who?"

Sans looked at you. "papyrus and i had a father. he's long gone now, but not in the conventional way. most don't remember his existence. his name was dr. gaster."

"...gaster?" "GASTER?"

You both said at the same time, with varying tones. You felt your magic boil at the mention of his name, and you had to squeeze your arm to hold back. The group seemed surprised at the reactions. "you both remember him?" Sans asked in surprise. "only me, red, mutt, n' stretch do."

"remember him? he's not dead. far from it, the bastard." you snarled. Commander growled at that, shoving your side. You stumbled, immediately shutting your teeth. "DON'T YOU DARE TALK ABOUT HIM LIKE THAT." Commander spoke, and the feeling of magic electrified the air. He turned back towards Sans, who was no longer leaning against the couch, instead sitting straighter. Everyone watching seemed to be surprised, confused, and what not. You kept your attention on your brother.

"GASTER IS INDEED ALIVE... AT LEAST, FROM WHERE WE COME FROM. HE IS OUR ADOPTED FATHER."

Red seemed peeved about something, his brow bones furrowed. Edge beside him was also upset. "so yer tellin' me he's alive in yer universe?" Red said slowly. Commander nodded. "IS HE NOT IN YOURS?"

One by one they shook their heads. You bit your tongue, feeling envious they didn't have to deal with him. Wait...

"you're trying to... bring him back??" You just now realized what he said. Sans slowly nodded. "that's the plan, yeah."

You inhaled deeply. "and bringing all these alternate selves here wasn't part of the plan." You stated. Sans looked guilty.

"it was uh... not exactly in my calculation."

Stretch snorted at that, ignoring Sans' glare. "me 'n my bro have been here for a year. we were the most recent pair, until you two came along." He explained.

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS?" Commander questioned, gaining a sheepish look in response.

"about uh... three years." He admitted. Commander scoffed, "SO YOU HAVE BEEN TRYING AND FAILING TO BRING SOMEONE BACK FROM THE DEAD, NO MATTER WHO IT IS, AND IN DOING SO YOU DRAGGED MULTIPLE ALTERNATE REALITY VERSIONS OF YOU AND YOUR BROTHER FROM THEIR PREVIOUS HOMES AND LIVES?"

"i'm well aware of how it sounds. but this is important. once we figure it out, we'll send you all back home."

A few of them seemed to frown at that, but you couldn't bring yourself to care very much at the moment.

"now that you asked that question, we have a question about you and your universe." Sans stated. "both of you have quite high levels... we just need to make sure you weren't serial killers. a few of us here have some LV, but..." He sent a pointed look toward you, one that you ignored.

Commander frowned tightly. "AH, YES... YOU MUST NOT BE AT WAR IN THIS UNIVERSE." At his words, they all flinched.

"...war?" Mutt spoke up for the first time, causing you to glance at him. His lazy smile was gone. Black beside him lacked an expression.

You felt stupid. How did you not put two and two together? The clean house, clothes, lack of urgency, plentiful food... of course there wasn't a war here. It was an obvious conclusion, yet it felt hard to believe.

"YES. WE ARE AT WAR WITH HUMANITY AND THEIR MAGES." Commander explained matter-of-factly. "SANS AND I WERE IN THE FRONT ORDER. WHEN WE WERE TRANSPORTED HERE, WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE."

"middle of'a- shit, like, smack dab in there?" Red grimaced, ignoring as Edge smacked his skull for his 'stupidity'. Blue's ever-lasting grin was replaced with a frown, his blue eyelights shrunken. Papyrus held his gloved hands across his teeth in shock.

It was quiet for a moment, the group of skeletons processing this information. Meanwhile, you started feeling claustrophobic. It was difficult to stand there under their scrutiny.

After a while, Sans spoke up again. "well, thanks for letting us know. i won't make you say any more." He said, earning a nod from Commander. Sans continued, "i will however say this. it's peaceful here. there will be no harming humans, no matter what. i can only protect you so much, and we need to be on the down-low."

You decided that was reasonable... but doable? You weren't sure.

"WHILE WE ARE HERE, WHAT WILL WE BE DOING? I ASSUME WE'LL RESIDE HERE FOR THE MEANTIME." Your brother asked. Sans didn't seem surprised at the question. "yep, those are your new bone-afide rooms. eventually we'll get you set up in society, after a bit of... rehabilitation." He grimaced, "everyone here has jobs of their own, something to pass the time till the machine's fixed."

"IS IT NOT SUSPICIOUS FOR VARIOUS LOOKALIKES TO JUST SHOW UP?" Commander asked, which Sans shrugged at. "monster's identification is controlled by the king, and we're in cahoots. 'sides that, most humans won't bat an eye at the 'long lost cousin' story."

"I SEE." Your brother hummed, his arms crossed.

Another silence passed.

"so, sparky find a name yet?" Red suddenly asked, making you look at him with a glare—you didn't appreciate being put on the spot. Red's shoulders tensed once seeing your expression, maybe you looked intimidating? Or maybe it was the buzzing LV spiking your magic that he could sense. Either way, it was a bit funny to see another monster scared of you.

You scratched your wrist once more, a distraction against your magic. "i guess spark s'fine, since you like to call me that so much." Sarcasm laid thick in your tone.

Blue piped up, tearing your gaze away from Red, "WELL I THINK SPARK IS A GREAT NAME!" His enthusiasm was disconcerting, so you just gave him a nod in reply. Papyrus also agreed.

"well, that's that then. commander, spark, welcome to the skele-club."

You weren't too thrilled to join the club.