Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Papyrus threw some pasta into the boiling water, contentedly humming to himself as he began to stir. His humming echoed  throughout the entire kitchen as he did. 

After a minute or two of stirring the pot, he sensed the familiar presence of Sans suddenly appearing within their house. A sensation he has gotten used to over the years. No doubt Sans teleported himself home as a way to avoid taking the few extra minutes it would take to walk home. He swore, his brother seemed to be getting lazier with every passing day. 

Making sure to turn down the heat on the stove, Papyrus stuck his head in the living room. 

“AH! WELCOME BACK BROTHER! DID YOU AND THE HUMAN HAVE FU-” Papyrus stopped when he saw the limp human in Sans’s arms.  

He saw that the human’s head was resting on Sans’s shoulder, with Sans’s arm wrapped protectively around the small child. 

“AH! IS THE HUMAN ALRIGHT!?” Papyrus exclaimed. 

Sans held up a bony finger to his mouth. “It’s alright, bro. Kid is just asleep.” The older skeleton brother stated before making his way over to the couch. 

“Do we have any blankets?” 

“AH, YES! JUST ONE MOMENT!” Papyrus exclaimed. Though he made sure that his exclamation was not loud enough to wake the sleeping human. 

Making sure to be light on his feet, Papyrus headed upstairs. Blanket in hand, Papyrus made sure that he was just as light-footed as he made his way down the stairs. On the stairs, he could see that Sans had laid the human down on the couch, a pillow placed underneath the child’s head. 

Back down in the living room, Papyrus handed Sans the blanket. “HERE YOU GO SANS.” 

“Thanks, Paps.” Sans replied, taking the blanket and dropping it over the sleeping human. Proceeding to give the child an affectionate pat on the head. The sight made Papyrus think of when he and Sans were younger. 

Being the older of the two skeletons, responsibility of caring for the two of them had fallen to Sans. Making sure they had a roof over their heads, getting Papyrus signed up for school, taking on jobs so that they had money, Sans had done it all. 

Honestly, growing up Sans had taken on the role of Father, on top of being the older brother. 

Looking at how Sans was acting with the young human, it made Papyrus think back to those times. Not about the major necessities, though they were important, but to the little things. To the loving pats on the top of his skull Sans had given him whenever he had accomplished something, came home from school, whenever Sans left for work, pretty much whenever Sans had felt like it. Made him think of how there had always been a plate of food ready for him whenever he had woken up in the morning, and whenever he had gotten home from school. How Sans always read him a bedtime story, or how he had always soothed Papyrus whenever the younger skeleton had had a nightmare.

These were all things that made Papyrus look back fondly at his time growing up. As all these little things are what showed him that Sans cared about him and would always be there for him. He appreciated all the things Sans had done for him growing up, even if he hadn’t fully appreciated it at the time. Especially the skull pats. 

When he had been very young, like four or five in skeleton years, he had loved the skull pats. He had loved them because it made him feel good, made him feel like he was a great younger brother. But as he had gotten older, he started to become annoyed with the skull pats. He began to see the skull pats as though Sans was treating him as a child. Eventually his annoyance with the pats became so egregious that Sans stopped giving them altogether. At the time, he had been grateful when Sans decided to stop giving the skull pats, and had seen it as a blessing. But now, watching Sans give the human a pat on the head, it made Papyrus realize that there was a part of him that missed them. Though there was no way he was going to admit that to Sans. 

However, it didn’t stop him from letting out a hearty chuckle at the sight. 

“What’s so funny? Something tickle your funny bone? Hehe.” It was thanks to all of Undyne’s training that Papyrus was able to summon his willpower to not retort to Sans’s pun. He will make a mental note to make her some spaghetti as a thank you.

“SEEING YOU WITH THE HUMAN JUST REMINDED ME OF WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER.” 

“Really?” Sans looked a bit shocked at the statement. 

“OF COURSE! YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CARING AND SUPPORTIVE LIKE THAT! I HAVE ONLY EVER SEEN YOU ACT LIKE THAT TOWARDS ME, SO IT’S NICE THAT THE HUMAN GETS TO EXPERIENCE TOO!” Papyrus exclaimed before jauntily heading back to the kitchen to finish making spaghetti. 

He placed the spaghetti onto three plates. THREE PLATES! Not just two! Something he was quite pleased with. He poured the red marinara sauce on top of the spaghetti, and then placed all three plates on the table. 

“SANS! HUMAN! THE SPAGHETTI IS READY!” When he received no response, he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. Where he was met with a warming sight. 

The human was still asleep on the couch, cocooned by the blanket he had watched Sans drape on them earlier. On the other end of the couch was a sleeping Sans. No doubt having fallen asleep while watching over the human. Papyrus could even see that Sans had a calm and happy expression on his face. 

Seeing his brother in such a state filled Papyrus with his own feeling of euphoria. After all his brother has done for him, even including all the times he has annoyed him with the puns, Papyrus felt that Sans deserved his own bit of happiness. His own chance to have the life he wants. 

“SPAGHETTI LATER THEN.” 

Heading back to the kitchen, he wrapped up the plates of spaghetti for the three of them to have later. 

“OH! I WILL HAVE TO ASK UNDYNE IF SHE KNOWS WHERE I CAN FIND ANY BOOKS ON HOW TO BE AN UNCLE!” 

Chapter Text

Grillby sighed as Sans and the human walked into the bar. 

He had nothing against the kid, as they have been polite every time they have come in. The only thing Grillby has a problem with regarding the kid is their bad taste in friends. So his sighing was directed towards the elder skeleton brother. The man with more puns than bones, and with absolutely no money. Always saying to put things on his tab. 

Grillby was quite certain that Sans didn’t even know what it means to put something on a tab. That, or he does know what it means and is just messing with him. His money was on the latter. 

It doesn’t take long for the two to reach their usual spots at the bar counter, with Sans nonchalantly plopping down on a stool. However, the human seemed to have trouble getting onto the nearby stool. Holding up a bony finger, the human was briefly surrounded by a blue aura as Sans used his magic to lift the child up and gently place them on the nearby stool. 

“Thanks Sans!” The child excitedly signed with their hands. 

“Heh, no problem kiddo.” Sans said while ruffling the kid’s hair. Causing the child to silently giggle in response. 

Once the two got situated, Grillby asks them what they would like to order. Though the question is really only directed at the human, as he already knows what Sans wants. 

“I will take a burger please.” The human signed.

Sans reached out and grabbed the nearest bottle of ketchup. “All good here Grillby. You go help the other customers and we will ketchup with you later. “ Giving Grillby finger guns. 

Grillby sighed and went about helping other customers. Pointedly ignoring the two giggling at the counter. 

Whenever Grillby served customers, he always made a point of keeping an eye on the rest of the bar. Not only did it allow him to stay on top of what his customers needed, making him an effective bartender, but it also allowed him to squelch any skirmishes before they get too intense. 

Thankfully, today he hadn’t noticed any big fights break out. But he had noticed some monsters giving some glances at the kid when they and Sans had walked in. Nothing that had him immediately concerned for the kid’s safety,as those particular monsters were usually all talk and not bite.  But it still had him paying attention, as it never hurt to be cautious. 

Satisfied that it didn’t appear as though any fights would be breaking out any time soon, Grillby turned his gaze back to what really had his attention. Sans and the human. 

The human bounced up and down excitedly in their seat, emphatically moving their hands as they signed. Sans was clearly paying attention to whatever the kid signed, making sure that the kid knew that they had the skeleton’s undivided attention. Though that didn’t stop him from interjecting with a horrible pun every so often. Something the human seemed to enjoy with how they laughed every time Sans made a pun. Which Grillby could not understand for the life of him. 

While the human’s pure excitement and joy was infectious to watch, what he was closely paying attention to was Sans. 

Ever since the human arrived in the Underground, Grillby had noticed a change in Sans’s behavior. Sans had seemed to have mellowed out more. A statement he knew would greatly shock others if they heard it. 

While Sans came off as lazy and relaxed to others , which to be fair he still was, there was still a more serious side of him that not many others bore witness to. Grillby was the one who had listened to Sans being afraid that he couldn’t provide for Papyrus, that he was a horrible big brother. Never feeling that he was doing a good job raising Papyrus. 

Even after entering adulthood, Sans would still come vent to Grillby. Saying that he didn’t think that he had done a good job of raising Papyrus. How all the training Undyne was putting Papyrus through would never stop the worrying of a protective older brother. 

Because of all of that, seeing the happy expression on the two’s faces made Grillby feel all warm inside. Well, you know, warmer than he usually felt. 

When he had first met the child, he had been worried. A lone human in the monster filled  Underground, was not a recipe for an easy or pleasant time. He had been afraid that the child would not last long down here. 

Just like all the others. 

But, much to his relief, he had come to realize that there was no real reason for him to be worried. Just as he and Papyrus had come to care for the human, it had become quite clear that Sans had come to as well. He had no doubt that Sans would do everything within his power to make sure that nothing happened to the child. 

Grillby was pleased that Sans had decided to take the child under his proverbial wing. Since the human had arrived, Grillby had noticed how more lively Sans had become. 

Once Papyrus started hanging out with and training with Undyne, Grillby had noticed that Sans had started to become a bit more melancholy. Like he didn’t know what to do with himself now that Papyrus no longer needed him for things. How he was worried that Papyrus was ashamed to have him as a brother. So it was nice to see Sans relaxed again.

He also had no doubt that Papyrus was happy to see it. 

See, the thing with the skeleton brothers, was that they were both constantly worrying about one another. Meaning that both of them would come to him to vent about the other. Instead of just taking the time to talk with one another. 

Which is how he knew that Papyrus had been worried about Sans for a while. The younger skeleton brother had been coming in to vent to Grillby on several occasions. It had gotten to the point that it had become a weekly occurrence for awhile there. 

But ever since the human had shown up, he had noticed the lack of presence of the younger skeleton brother. Which Grillby had come to take as a great sign. 

And for that, he was incredibly grateful. 

“I will be right back.” Grillby saw the child sign before they hopped off their stool and made their way towards the restroom. 

Even after the child was gone, Sans still had a bemused expression on his face. Grillby was not sure how a skeleton could manage such a variety of facial expressions, but Sans, as per usual, seemed to continue to defy logic. He was just grateful that he knew the skeleton well enough to be able to discern if the expressions were genuine or not. As well as notice his subtle changes in mood. As the skeleton tended to always have that large smile on his face. 

Because of this knowledge, this was how he was able to notice when Sans’s genuine smile became taut and insincere. Though he still kept it large, the smile barely contained the rage that had appeared. He also saw the way the skeleton’s grip on the ketchup bottle had tightened, threatening to cause the bottle to explode. 

The reason for Sans sudden change in demeanor was immediately apparent. As he had noticed it right around the same time Sans had. Was fairly certain that the other patrons had noticed as well, but were choosing to ignore it. Which was certainly the smarter option. 

The reason for Sans’s change in mood? The same group of monsters that Grillby had noticed glancing at the human earlier. 

Where they had been quiet and merely observing earlier, now they were noticeably being quite boisterous. Talking at a rather high volume while glancing in the direction of the restrooms. Specifically, the restroom the child had gone into. It didn't take much to put two and two together. 

Grillby didn’t even need to put in the effort to listen to what they were saying. As the monsters’ voices easily rose above the rest of the crowd in the bar. Their voices made their way to the bar counter with little resistance. 

“Something seems off about them.” 

“Right? They give me a weird feeling.” 

“You don’t think they’re a you know what, do you?”

“It’s possible. We will have to corner them and double-check.” 

“And if we are right, we can bring them to King Asgore and get a rewa-” Faster than Grillby could track, Sans, in the blink of an eye, went from his seat at the counter to appearing right in front of the table the group of monsters were seated at. 

Having suddenly appeared before them, the group of monsters all reared back in surprise. Knocking over their drinks in the process. 

Quickly recovering from their surprise, all monsters shot to their feet. Their stances displayed their desire and readiness for a fight. 

“Hey! What’s your proble-” But the monster stopped , as any bravado any of them had had left them at the sight before them. Something Grillby couldn’t fault them for. It had scared him the first time he had witnessed it as well. 

Hovering in the air a few feet off the ground, Sans had both his hands tucked in his jacket pockets. His left eye was etched in a bright blue glow, illuminating the skeleton’s white bone. A chill could be felt throughout the whole bar. Also….why was he hearing some intense music? 

“Evening fellas.” Sans stated in his usual nonchalant cadence. A direct contrast to the aura he displayed. 

The group of monsters merely gaped at Sans.

“Here is the thing.” Sans continued, not waiting for the monsters to reply. “I overheard you talking just now. About your plans for my friend.” 

The monsters began to pale. 

“So here is how this is going to work. You all are going to leave, and you are going to forget that you ever saw my friend. Nor will you tell anyone what or who you saw today. And if you don’t follow what I say…” The pupil of his left eye turned yellow. 

“Then you are in for a bad time.” 

 The human came back from the restroom just in time to witness the group of monsters running out the door of the bar. Grillby watched as the child looked at Sans, who was no longer hovering in the air and no longer had a glowing eye, giving Sans a confused look. 

“What was that about?” A perplexed look on their face. 

“Don’t worry about it, kiddo.”  

Grillby watched the human look at Sans suspiciously for a second, before shrugging and going back to their seat at the bar. With Sans joining them right after. 

Back on their stool, the child went back to finishing their burger. While Sans went back to drinking from the Ketchup bottle. 

Once they finished their food, Grillby placed the check on the counter. The human starts to reach into their pocket to grab money when Sans holds up one of his skeletal hands. 

“Don’t worry kiddo, I got it.” Grillby and the child both share a look. Before turning to Sans and giving him doubtful looks. 

Sans placed a skeletal hand over his shirt in a dramatic fashion. “Ouch, that hurts. Tibia honest, I’m feeling a little attacked here.” 

Grillby and the human gave him unimpressed looks in response. 

Sans sighed. “Papryus gave me money for the day.” 

Grillby and the human nodded in understanding. 

Ignoring them, Sans takes out the pouch of money Papyrus gave him. He then reached in and took out the proper amount. 

“Here you go.” Handing the money to Grillby. 

Sans then turned to face the child. “Ready to go, kiddo?” 

They nod and hop off the stool. “See you later Grillby!” The human signed. 

The child grabbed one of San’s hands and the two left the bar. Grillby watched Sans say something and the child stuck their tongue out in response. With Sans then ruffling the kid’s hair. 

As the two left his sight he went back to serving his other customers. With no one commenting on the smile on his face. 

Chapter Text

‘There he is.’ The Monster kid thought to himself as he stared at the sleeping skeleton in front of him. 

He didn’t know that skeletons could sleep. This already made the skeleton way cooler than he originally thought he was. There had to be even cooler things about the skeleton, just waiting to be discovered. 

The Monster Kid had the urge to poke the skeleton to see how he would react. Though, unfortunately, not something he could really do without arms. 

As if sensing his thoughts, the Skeleton woke up. When he did, he tilted his skull to the side. “Can I help ya, kid?” 

“You’re friends with the human right?” The Monster Kid asked, as this was the whole reason he had approached the Skeleton to begin with. 

The skeleton quickly shot to his feet. “Why are you asking?” A threatening tone to his voice. 

A threatening tone that the Monster Kid completely ignored. 

“I wanted to ask if you knew a way that I could thank them!”

“Thank them?”

“Yes! The two of us were running from Undyne when I slipped and fell. The human saved me from falling, so I want to thank them! Do you know what they would like?” 

A stretch of - what felt like an eternity to the Monster Kid - in which the Skeleton man just stared at him. It felt weird to be stared at by a Skeleton man. But like in a cool way. 

“You… were running from Undyne?” The Skeleton man finally spoke, his voice slow and measured. As though trying to keep himself calm. 

“Yup! Undyne was chasing them for a while. After the human saved me,  I asked Undyne not to kill them. She seemed really set on trying to kill the human.”  

The Monster Kid turned away from the Skeleton man, but continued to speak.

 “Which I don’t understand why, as the human is actually really nice. Well anyway, Undyne left, and the human and I went different ways. And now I’m here! So, can you tell me what I can get for the human?”

There was no response. 

The Monster Kid turned back to face the stand. Only to see that the Skeleton man was gone. 

“Huh? Where did he go!?” 

Papyrus just finished checking the mailbox when Sans teleported in front of the house. 

“GAH! SANS! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?”

Sans doesn’t answer. Instead, the older Skeleton brother was frantically turning his head. As though he was searching for something. 

“SANS?”

Not answering, Sans walked past Papyrus and into the house. 

“SANS!” Papyrus shouted as he followed after Sans into the house. 

When Papyrus entered the house, he saw that Sans was teleporting all around the house. Even more obvious that he was searching for something. 

When Sans teleported back into the living room for what had to be the tenth time, Papyrus grabbed onto San’s shoulders. 

“SANS! WHAT IS THE MATTER!?”

Sans was still frantically turning his head. “Where is the kid?” 

Ah, now Papryus understood. He read about it in one of the books Undyne had gotten for him. Sans was clearly showing signs of what the books referred to as ‘Protective Parental Instincts’. 

“NYEH, WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST SAY SO? I KNOW WHERE THE HUMAN IS!” 

This seemed to calm Sans down a bit. “You do?” 

“OF COURSE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS KNOWS EVERYTHING! NOT TOO LONG AGO I SPOKE WITH UNDYNE. SHE AND THE HUMAN ARE HANGING TOGETHER AS WE SPEAK!” 

This seemed to have the opposite effect of what Papyrus had been expecting. If anything, the news seemed to actually anger his brother. 

“What.” Sans said cooly. 

“WORRY NOT MY DEAR BROTHER! I HAVE THE UPMOST FAITH THAT UNDYNE WILL TAKE GREAT CARE OF OUR HUMAN!” 

Sans didn’t look convinced. If anything, he appeared to grow more tense. Which made absolutely no sense to Papyrus, as Papyrus greatly trusts Undyne. So, in turn, that should mean that Sans should also trust Undyne. Perhaps Sans is stressed about something else going on. He will have to ask him about it later. 

“Where?” Sans asked. Oblivious to Papyrus's inner thoughts. 

“OH, THEY’RE AT UNDYNE’S HOU-” Sans teleported away before Papyrus finished speaking. 

“SAAAAANNNNSS!” 

Her house was on fire. 

Undyne and the young human stood next to each other in front of her burning house. She still had no idea how a simple cooking lesson resulted in her house being on fire. Sure, things may have gotten a bit out of hand, but that still doesn’t explain why her house was currently turning into ash before her eyes. 

Honestly, she is not all too upset about the house. It won’t take her long to get a new house, and she knows that Papyrus will let her crash at his house until she gets a new place.

What does have her worried was the little punk standing next to her. 

Okay, so the kid themself was not what has her worried. More like, the idea of the kid, if that made sense?  Even though the cooking lesson didn’t go as planned she, though she hated to admit it, had some fun. She thinks that a part of her might actually be starting to like the kid. Though it’s probably for the best, as it is quite obvious that Papyrus is fond of the kid. 

And, if what Papyrus has told her is true, his older brother has become quite protective of the kid. Taking an almost parental role. At least according to Papyrus. Either way, she will have to make sure the kid gets home safely so - 

“Well, this looks like it was an un-fire-gettable experience.” She and the kid turn around to see the older skeleton brother standing not too far away. 

Before Undyne can question how she showed up without her noticing, the kid, running faster than she had ever seen them move, ran right past her and happily threw themself at the skeleton. Sans, which she knows is his name due to Papyrus, happily catches the kid. 

Undyne finds herself feeling irked at the fact that the kid now has the biggest smile on their face. A smile that hadn’t been there when they and Undyne had been having their cooking lesson. 

‘So what if the little runt is happier to see the Skeleton than hanging with me? No way am I jealous of that lazy skeleton!’

“Paps told me you were here. Wasn’t expecting the fire though. You alright?” Sans asked the kid. 

‘Of course they’re alright! What does he take me for!?’ 

The kid nodded in response to Sans’s question. 

“Well, I got to hand it to you kid. You really are on fire today.” 

Undyne groaned while the kid silently giggled. If this is what Papyrus has to deal with on a daily basis, then she is greatly impressed with the younger skeleton’s patience and willpower. 

“You ready to go kiddo?” The kid nodded enthusiastically.

‘Guess I should go talk to Papyrus about staying wi-’ Undyne’s thoughts came to a halt as her whole body automatically went into a defensive battle stance. Years of training kicking in as her body reacted to a threat she had yet to see. 

‘First rule of battle - identify all targets so you can act accordingly.’ She turned her head to see if she could identify this threat. Which didn’t take her long to spot. 

Sans was still holding the human in his arms, the young punk having apparently fallen asleep. Skeletal arms were wrapped protectively around the kid, holding the sleeping human against Sans’s chest. Or, whatever was under that jacket of his. While his arms were locked protectively around the sleeping child, the elder skeleton’s gaze was locked onto Undyne. 

His right eye was still an empty socket with a white light dot for an eye. But his left eye? The left eye was now a bright, haunting, yellow. 

Before, her body had gone into a defensive stance. Ready to attack the unseen threat. Now? Now her body felt as though it were made of lead, refusing to move to her slightest command. 

‘I…I don’t understand. What is happening?’ Her fingers would not so much as twitch. All while Sans continued to stand there and stare at her. 

‘What the hell is wrong with yourself, Undyne!?’ She has fought against King Asgore, the King Asgore, the most powerful being in all of the Underground. She is the Captain of the Royal Guard. A strong warrior feared by many. 

But standing here under the threatening gaze of the Skeleton, Undyne had never felt so small. Never felt so scared. So full of fear. 

It wasn’t a feeling she was used to. But she knew for certain that she didn’t like it. Nor did she ever want to feel that way again. 

Then, just as suddenly as he had appeared, Sans vanished. Taking the kid along with him. 

The two gone, Undyne felt movement return to her body. And it was thanks to all of her training and battle experience that kept her from collapsing to the ground. 

Even with Sans gone, that feeling of fear refused to go away. Her body trembled and she could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Despite her house being located near the waterfall, the amount of sweat covering her body made her feel as though she was standing in Hotland.

‘It’s fine, everything is fine. After some training, I will be back to normal. I just first have to talk to Papyrus about staying with hi-’ Her body felt just like her burning house behind her. As realization hit her that by staying with Papyrus, she would also be staying with Sans. 

The pounding in her ears finally began to settle, though her body remained trembling. A feeling she knew she was going to have to get used to with her new living arrangement. 

‘House guest rule number one - don’t piss off the punk’s terrifying Skeleton Dad.’ 

Chapter Text

Mettaton smiled as he listened to all the positive compliments he was receiving from fans. 

Currently seated in his room/personal lab, he was working on repairing his legs that had exploded off during his fight with the human child. Something he was still quite mad at the child for. 

But he had to admit, the kid sure knew how to drive up ratings. Once he was all fixed up, he might even consider asking the human if they would be up to do an event like that again. He just knew that his audience would eat it up if the two of them put on another spectacle like that one again. For now though, he would focus on repairing his legs. 

Well, he says repair, but he doesn’t actually mean repair. When his legs had exploded off during the fight, they hadn’t simply just exploded, they had been completely eviscerated. So when he said repair, he really meant creating a whole new pair of legs. 

On a nearby swivel chair, Mettaton happily listened to his fans while he watched the machines as they crafted him his new legs. Humming in tune to the whir of the machines. 

The machines had just gotten to work on the knees when they, along with the new pair of legs, froze in mid-air. Both the machines and the legs surrounded in a blue aura. 

“What the-” Mettaton didn't have to look very far to see what caused the issue. As floating in the air above the machines and legs, was a Skeleton. 

The Skeleton looked familiar to Mettaton, but he couldn’t figure out why. Maybe he was a fan? It wouldn’t be the first time a fan had found out where he lived and had decided to pay him a surprise visit. And he was quite certain that it wouldn't be the last. 

The Skeleton wore a simple blue hoodie with a white shirt underneath. Black shorts, and a pair of white slippers. Quite uninspiring in Mettaton’s opinion. 

Of all the surprise visitors he had gotten over the years, the Skeleton was certainly the most plain and non-threatening looking one. You know, if you disregarded the floating in mid-air and blue aura thing.  

Getting over his momentary surprise at the sudden intrusion, Mettaton found his voice. “Why, it’s always nice to meet a fan! Though if you wanted an autograph, all you had to do was ask.” 

This turned out to be a mistake. As it caused the Skeleton to narrow his eye sockets at Mettaton. Which Mettaton didn’t think was something Skeletons could do, but he wasn’t really in a position to question. 

“That’s right. You would do anything for your fans, right?” 

Hearing this caused Mettaton to relax a bit. If the Skeleton was just an overzealous fan, then that was something he could work with. Being as famous as he was, he had gotten accustomed to handling all manner of fans. This one should be no different. 

“Well of course! My fans are the reason I do what I do! If it means that my fans are happy I will gladly-”

“Drop kids through trapdoors?” 

“Um-” 

“And try to kill them on live TV?” The Skeleton asked. Which caused Mettaton to notice that the Skeleton’s left eye was glowing a terrifying blue. 

That is when several thoughts sprang to mind. Rumors of Papyrus's older brother, stories of the older skeleton brother being a terrifying protector to some strange looking monster. Someone, who Mettaton now realized, fit the description of the human child.  

Mettaton had been so focused on gaining views that he had forgotten all about it. Now, Mettaton realized that he should have paid more attention to all the rumors. 

Mettaton felt himself start to panic as more items in his lab started to hover in the air. All encased in that eerie blue aura. 

“It all worked out didn’t it? The kid’s alright, I got my viewers. Everything worked out.” 

“The only reason that everything worked out is because they spared you.”

‘Starting to think that they shouldn’t have.’ 

“And because they spared you, I won’t go against their decision.” 

Mettaton started to feel himself relax. 

“So I better not catch you pulling anything like that again. Are we clear?” 

Mettaton could only bring himself to nod. 

“Good.” The skeleton turned his skull and looked at Mettaton’s new legs, which were still hovering in the air. He then looked back at Mettaton, with a grin so large that it made Mettaton, even with how scared they felt, want to punch the Skeleton in the face. 

“Break a leg.” Said the skeleton, before he quickly vanished out of sight. 

Causing everything suspended in the air to lose the blue aura, and come crashing down onto the floor. 

Chapter Text

Alphys was seated in her work chair, staring at several television screens that were anchored to the wall in front of her. 

Normally, each screen was a different piece of footage pertaining to the human child’s journey in the Underworld - meeting the skeleton brothers, solving puzzles in the waterfall, running from Undyne, the whole thing with Mettaton, to just recently solving all those puzzles with Alphys’s help. Her screens helped document all of the human child’s many accomplishments. 

Currently though, the screens were filled with images of a certain skeleton. 

Since she had gotten a phone call from Undyne about her encounter with the elder skeleton brother, Alphys had decided to pull up all the footage she could get her hands on. To see if she could learn anything about him through watching his movements. Which, for the most part, consisted of her watching him go to Grillby’s, though she had no cameras inside the establishment so she had no way to know what he got up once he entered, or watching him fall asleep at every single of his many jobs. 

 Unfortunately, this seemed to be the only thing she could discern about him. Anytime it appeared as though her cameras were about to capture footage of him doing something else, the feed would suddenly cut out. Because of this, she had yet to capture any footage of Sans that matched what Undyne had described. 

Still having not found anything useful, she switched back to watching footage of the human. At the current moment, she could see that the human was walking through Hotland. Where they seemed to be approaching another puzzle. 

Alphys reached to grab her phone, intent on helping the human with the puzzle. But she became startled when the footage on all of her monitors turned to static. 

“W-what?” She started to fiddle with the controls, to see if she could fix the issue. 

However, no matter what she did, the monitors continued to be filled with static. 

‘What is going on?’ 

“Nice set up you got here.” 

“Ah!” Alphys screamed in surprise. Before turning around to see Sans standing right behind her. 

He appeared just like he has in all of the footage she has seen. Wearing his signature blue jacket and black shorts. In fact, he was even in his usual relaxed stance - hands in his pockets, and a relaxed smile on his face. 

After what both Undyne and Mettaton had told her, she was surprised that Sans hadn’t already started threatening her. Not that she was wanting him to threaten her or anything! Hearing Undyne and Mettaton’s tales of the elder skeleton and his terrifying persona, it had made her fear the day she would meet him. Instead, he was just…standing there. Rocking back and forth on his feet. 

She honestly didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. 

“S-Sans, right?” Alphys asked while fidgeting with her hands. 

“That’s me. And you’re Dr.Alphys, Royal Scientist.” A statement, rather than a question. 

“Yes…that’s me.” 

“Heard from the kid that you helped them during their fight with Mettaton. Thanks for that.” 

“I’m glad I was able to help them.” And she meant that with her whole soul. 

‘Maybe he is not here to threaten me. Maybe I don’t have to worry about-’

“Kid also told me that you activated all those traps so that you could be helpful to them. That you have been monitoring them from the beginning.” Sans stated, no change in expression or vocal tone. Which she realized was more terrifying than if he had. 

Alphys became downtrodden at hearing San’s words, though she knew he was right. 

However, Alphys thought about how the human had forgiven her, even agreeing to be her friend. Despite all that Alphys had done. The thought encouraged Alphys, prompting her to speak up. 

“Y-yes, I did. I did all those things.” The human child’s forgiveness being unable to stop Alphys from mentally berating herself at the memory. 

“I’m ashamed. It’s not something I’m proud of.” Alphys looked at the ground while she wrung her hands. 

“When the human found out about my deceit, I expected them to be angry with me. To want nothing to do with me. I…I wouldn’t have blamed them.” She tried not to let Sans’s silence trouble her. 

“But they forgave me. They…they still wanted to be my friend. Even now.” The thought made Alphys happy. 

“I- um, won’t ever be able to take back what I did.” She raised her head to look at Sans. “But I will do my best to be the friend that they deserve.” 

Silence permeated the lab as Alphys nervously waited for Sans’s response. Regardless of how he responded, she said what she had wanted to say. 

Sans continued to stare at her, his face stuck in that permanent smile. Causing Alphys to start to sweat. 

“I believe ya.” 

This startled Alphys. “Y-you do? Really?” 

Sans shrugged. “Guess the kid is rubbing off on me. If they have decided to trust you, then so will I.” 

“Oh, phew. That’s um- that’s great! Though I’m a bit surprised. After all I’ve heard, I had expected you to pop in here and start threatening me.” Alphys laughed, her nerves finally beginning to settle. 

“Hehe. Wanted to see what kind of monster you are. Which I am glad to say that I have.” 

“That’s um- that’s neat? I was really worr-”

“Besides.” Sans’s voice silenced her. “You and I both know that I don’t have to threaten you for you to understand what will happen if you hurt the kid again.” Though his tone was still in that usual cheerful manner , there was no mistaking the anger that was there underneath. Alphys even swore that the room suddenly felt colder. 

“Y-yes. Of course.” She stammered, as her nerves were back in full force. 

“Glad we are on the same page. Until next time Doc.” Sans stated before teleporting away.  

Alphys's knees gave out, causing her to drop onto the ground. Her hands gripped a nearby table for support, her heart beating rapidly in her chest. Fast enough to the point that she was afraid that it was going to burst from her chest. 

From her position on the floor, a thought began to run through her mind - That she sincerely hoped that the human survived their encounter with King Asgore. And not just because the human was her friend. Because if for some reason they don’t survive…

She was very afraid of what Sans might do. 

Chapter Text

“BROTHER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DEMAND THAT YOU AWAKEN AT ONCE!” Papyrus shouted. 

This exclamation had the intended effect, as it brought Sans back to consciousness. Though it does take a second for him to fully awaken. 

Once awake, Sans sits up, which allows him to see that he and the others were in total darkness. The group consisted of him, Papyrus, Toriel, Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, and Asgore.

 Papyrus was kneeled on the ground next to him. While the others were a little bit away, arguing. He wasn’t sure what they were arguing about, as they were too far away for him to hear. Not that he particularly cared what it was they were arguing about. So, ignoring the others’ arguing, he tried to rack his mind about how they all ended up here. 

But when he tried, he found himself confused. His recent memories were all hazy and muddled. His state of confusion not allowing him to focus too directly on them. Not allowing him to piece anything together. It was rather disorienting if he was being honest. 

The only thing that really came to mind was the slight image of someone using their hands to sign a really bad pun to him. The confused state of his mind caused him to not be able to discern anything about the one signing to him. Just their hands and the fact that they were wearing a horizontal striped shirt, though he couldn’t discern the color of the shirt. 

He was aware of Papyrus saying something to him as he rubbed his spine. Sans tried to focus on the sensation as he continued to try and sort through his memories. 

At first, nothing changed, as Sans still saw the same image of someone using their hands to sign at him. But the longer he sat, the more things started to fall into place. The memories came in slowly, like water dripping from a faucet. 

The first thing for him to notice was that the one in the memories seemed to be fairly young. Certainly younger than him and everyone else in the room. 

The next thing was brown hair. Followed by the color of the striped shirt - light blue with pinkish looking stripes. 

He remembered them silently laughing at his puns. And remembering him ruffling their hair. 

He felt that he might be going crazy, cause the one in his memory looked just like a hum-

“Kid!” Sans shouted, quickly springing to his feet. 

Nearby arguing came to a halt, with everyone coming to stop and stare at Sans. 

“Where’s the kid!” Sans bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the dark space. 

This broke the silence. Everyone freaking out and beginning to call out at once. 

“My child!” Toriel shouted while cupping her hands around her mouth.

“Punk!” Undyne yelled while waving her spear about in the air. 

“Darling!” Mettaton called out. 

“HUMAN!” Papyrus yelled while rapidly turning his skull to search the area. Concern evident in his voice. 

“Friend?” Alphys questioned while nervously wringing her hands. Her normally small voice sounded giant in the dark space they were in. 

“Kiddo!” Sans yelled, his call drowning out all the others. 

As they all continued to call out, Sans felt his mind be hit with a sharp pain. Like something had pierced into his skull. From the way the others were holding their heads, or skull in Papyrus’s case, they all were experiencing the same thing. 

Eventually the pain subsided, before vanishing all together. When the pain vanished, a single word came to mind. No, not a word. It was…it was a name. 

“Frisk?” Sans asked out loud. 

The darkness surrounding them was then broken by a column of light appearing off into the distance. The light illuminated a small section of the ground, no more than 10 ft in diameter. Though the light itself was not what garnered everyone’s attention. 

It was the human child that was laying on the ground in the column of light that did. 

“Kid!” Sans shouted before teleporting to the kid’s side. 

They don’t acknowledge San’s presence. Not even a twitch or a stir. Nothing. He didn’t like how still they were. 

“Kid?” There was no response. 

“Kiddo?” 

Nothing. 

Sans started to lightly shake the child’s body, so as not to hurt them. 

 “Kid!” Sans shouted when the shaking resulted in no response. 

Still nothing. 

“Frisk?” Sans asked. Somehow knowing that the name belonged to the kid. More of a feeling than actual proof. 

But there was still nothing. 

“No no no no no no” Sans muttered. 

He grabbed Frisk’s limp body and cradled them to his chest. Gently placing a skeleton hand on the back of the child’s head. 

He could hear the others drawing near, but he paid them no mind. His attention solely focused on Frisk. 

“Come on kid, it’s time to wake up.” He softly muttered. Soft enough so no one else could hear. 

“What’s wrong with the child?” Asgore asked. Him and the others finally having reached where Sans was. 

Hearing the King’s voice, hearing the man who was the sole reason Frisk had come here in the first place, caused something inside of Sans to snap. 

His left eye glowed both blue and yellow, the two colors intertwining together in a sort of harmony. He summoned several Gasters Blasters behind him, as well as summoning a vast quantity of glowing bones in the air. 

All pointed at Asgore. 

Everyone jumped into action. Undyne came to stand protectively in front of Asgore. Papyrus shouted at Sans to stop. Alphys and Mettaton stood off to the side in fear. Toriel rapidly moved her head back and forth, unsure of what to do. 

“It’s your fault!” Sans screamed at Asgore. 

Asgore held up his hands and began to defend himself. “I-I didn’t mean t-” 

“It’s because of you, everything is all because of you!”

“I can assure you that this was not my do-”

“It’s because of you that my kid is dead!” 

“SANS! PLEASE LISTEN TO ME!” Papyrus shouted, coming to stand in front of Sans. 

“Out of my way Papyrus!” He was still within his mind enough to not accidentally hurt his brother. 

“SANS! YOU HAVE TO STOP!”

“He has to pay!” 

“NOT LIKE THIS!” Papyrus moved a bit closer to Sans. “BROTHER PLEASE. THE HU- FRISK WOULDN’T WANT THIS.” 

“Frisk is gone!” Sans wailed. His voice boomed in the endless space. 

Once the echo subsided, Papyrus could see that realization had set in for Sans. The elder Skeleton didn’t say anything, but the Gaster Blasters and hovering bones behind him vanished. 

“SANS?” Papyrus asked gently. 

Sans didn’t give Papyrus a response. However, tears began to fall down the face of his skull. 

Papyrus watched as Sans, tears still falling, cradled Frisk even tighter. He could even hear his brother continuing to beg Frisk to wake up. 

Papyrus took a knee once more, placing a comforting hand on Sans’s shoulder. Toriel sank down to the ground next to Sans, tears also poured from her eyes. The others all stood off at a distance, though Papyrus could hear the sniffles coming from them. 

This went on for several minutes. With Sans continuing to cry while holding Frisk. All without saying a word. 

Everyone had their gazes directed at the ground, a form of mourning for their friend. Because of this, no one noticed when a small human hand reached up and grabbed onto Sans’s jacket. 

At first nothing happened. No reaction from Sans, as the Skeleton was crying too heavily to notice. So the small hand that was holding onto his jacket curled into a fist and pulled on the jacket. 

This caused Sans to startle. “Frisk?” He asked in disbelief as he looked down at the child in his arms. 

Hearing Sans, the others all snapped to attention. All of them waited with baited breath. 

A few seconds go by before they all watch Frisk slowly open their eyes. They stare up at Sans, confusion clearly written on their face. 

They removed their hand from Sans’s jacket and signed. “Sans?” 

Sans let out a choked laugh, before pulling Frisk into a hug. Everyone rejoicing around them. 

When he pulled away from the hug, he had a look of elation on his skeletal features. “What took you so long, kid?”He couldn’t help but tease. 

Frisk silently giggled. “Why? Were you bonely without me?” 

Toriel laughed while Papyrus and the others groaned. 

Sans let out a hearty laugh. “Heh. That’s my kid.”