Spilling the beans
Frisk sat on her bed under her covers in her comfy night shirt, staring at the far wall of her bedroom as the light from the outside shown patterns on the painted yellow surface. It was now midday. She had awoken hours ago, but she could not bring herself to get out of bed. She was still undoubtedly dealing with the events of her past. The memories still existed in her mind like a fresh wound, but for the most part the searing pain, uncontrolled sadness, and intense fear had left her. They had instead settled into a state of numbness.
The one thing that had not left her, however, was Chara’s voice. Frisk could still hear him whispering to her, telling her things. At first, he had only told her that what she was seeing wasn’t a trick, that it was indeed her past, dashing her hopes that she was simply experiencing a nightmare. Now, he wouldn’t say a lot, only simple things, yes and no answers to her questions, or rather the questions that she thought she was only asking herself, but it was enough for Frisk to know that he was there.
Frisk didn’t know how she felt about his presence. At first she honestly believed that she was going insane, that her mind had broken from being overwhelmed by her past traumas. Maybe, Chara was a way for her to vent, or cope with the situation at hand? She was sure that he wasn’t real. She was simply losing her mind, that was it. But whenever she thought these things Chara would only snicker inside of her head.
“Of course I’m real silly. I’ve always been here, you know this already.” He would say.
She would recoil and then he would back off, seemingly aware that she was having trouble processing everything. At the moment he was quiet, which Frisk was very thankful for. She needed the quiet. She needed everything to just stay still for a while as she tried to piece herself back together.
Sans had thankfully left her alone. He had been trying for the better part of the morning to talk to her. He had sat with her for most of the night as she cried trying to comfort her, but when the numbness took a hold of her she found that she didn’t want him to be near her anymore. She had asked him to leave. He was reluctant of course. She could see that he was worried about her, but she had simply said that she wanted to sleep. He had insisted that he stay with her that night, but she had refused him. She was too tired to care about the slightly hurt look that crossed his sockets or the shaken expression on his face that he was trying to desperately hide with a smile.
She needed the darkness. She just needed to float untethered by the waking world for a while. She couldn’t bare the light of reality right now. It burned her eyes and screamed in her head. Quiet, stillness, calm, that’s what she wanted. She didn’t want to talk, and she didn’t want to listen, So when Sans knocked on her door again in the morning she ignored him. She let the sounds of his worried please disguised in jokes to fall on deaf ears, she only replied to him once.
“I’m tired.” She said, and he was silenced after that, saying that he would let her sleep some more and come to check on her in a little bit. She simply closed her eyes again and went back to bed.
Hunger was what was keeping her awake now, however. Her stomach had been growling for the last hour or so, not allowing her to drift back again to her numbing slumber. She furrowed her brow annoyed. Why couldn’t the world just leave her alone for a while? But even she knew that she was being unrealistic at this point. She pulled back her covers, stepping on the cold wood floor with her bare feet. She almost didn’t even bother getting dressed before walking over to the brother’s apartment, but knowing that Papyrus would surly take note of her less then decent wardrobe forced her to shrug off her night shirt and put on her grey slacks. She knew that if he decided to lecture her, she may just snap at him and she didn’t want to do that to the younger brother. It would just lead to more questions that she didn’t have the energy to answer.
After she had gotten herself mostly dressed, deciding against the extra effort of putting on her vest or combing her hair, or properly tucking in her shirt, she slowly sauntered down the hall toward the skeleton brother’s apartment.
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Sans sat on his bed as he stared at nothing in particular his sockets devoid of any light. He was still and he was silent on the outside at least, but internally he was a whirlwind. His anxiety was through the roof, and his nerves were shot. What had he done? What the fuck had he done?!
He was currently analyzing the events of the last few hours over and over again. He was certain that his presence in Frisk’s soul wouldn’t have caused any damage, wasn’t he? He wouldn’t have gone through with his plan if he had thought that something like this would have happened, right? His self-doubts were eating him alive as he tried to explain to himself what had gone wrong, but even as he tried to find excuse after excuse the overwhelming crushing guilt settled firmly onto his shoulders.
He knew there were risks to this idea. He didn’t exactly know that this would be the outcome, but he knew that there were risks…
But he had explained to Frisk that soul searching was personal and had given her every opportunity to back out…
That doesn’t matter. Frisk trusted him and he took advantage of that trust…
His intentions were harmless. She was supposed to stay completely unaware of his presence…
His intentions were inconsequential and now Frisk was aware of everything.
This was all his fault and Sans knew it. He had been so desperate for answers about Gaster that he had completely disregarded Frisks safety to get what he wanted. He had put her in harm’s way. He had taken advantage, she had trusted him and he used that trust to manipulate her into allowing him to have access to something that should have stayed hidden and buried. He had allowed His obsession with finding Gaster to taint his relationship with Frisk. He had hurt her. He had broken his promise and that thought alone killed him.
Sounds in the kitchen alerted Sans to the fact that Papyrus was back on his break and was now making lunch. He would be expecting Sans and Frisk to join him. Frisk had already missed breakfast. Sans had tried to get her to come out of her room but she hadn’t responded. Papyrus was immediately curious as to why she hadn’t gotten up yet, but Sans brushed his suspicions aside by simply saying that she was getting a little bit of a cold and decided to try to fight it off early by getting a few extra z’s. Papyrus had happily excepted Sans’ story, but Sans knew that that excuse wouldn’t last forever. Sooner or later Papyrus was going to realize that something else was wrong. Very wrong. Sans sighed loudly, just another thing for him to worry about, another lie that he would have to come up with to hide his atrocious mistake.
Sans still hoped that Frisk would at least show up for lunch. He wanted to talk to her, he wanted to make sure that she was doing alright. He knew that it would be horrible for her to face off with her past alone and he didn’t want to leave her all by herself to confront her trauma, but he wasn’t sure if he had the right to be her protector anymore either, not when he was the one who had subjected her to this in the first place.
With one more huff Sans got off of his bed and headed to the kitchen. Whether Frisk decided to show her face or not, Sans would just have to wait and see. He fastened his practiced lazy grin back on to his face before he opened up his bedroom door as to not worry Papyrus, but despite his efforts it felt heavier than usual.
Sans rounded the corner of the small hallway and walked through the living room until he made it to his seat in the kitchen. Papyrus was humming something pleasant as he stirred a pot of something else that was pleasant on the stove.
“Smells good bro, what’s cooking?” Sans questioned, keeping in tune with his usual habits. Papyrus smiled, delighted to answer his brothers’ question.
“ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP. I THOUGHT THAT SOMETHING NICE AND WARM WOULD BE GOOD FOR FRISK SINCE SHE IS GETTING SICK AGAIN, AND NOTHING FIGHTS OFF A COLD BETTER THEN SOUP.” He answered.
“Heh, sounds Souper .” Sans replied. Papyrus’s smile firmly fell into a frown.
“SANS, DON’T YOU START! YOU’RE GOING TO RUIN MY APPETITE WITH JOKES LIKE THAT!” He scolded.
Sans smiled and shrugged in return. Normally, he probably would have worked in a few more puns, but now he really wasn’t in the right mind set. The bare minimum would do as long as Papyrus was satisfied that nothing was amiss.
Papyrus continued getting lunch ready and as the time ticked on Sans couldn’t help but glance toward the doorway every few seconds. He strummed his fingers over the table top and bounced his leg impatiently. He tried to keep up a conversation with his brother in an attempt to distract himself, but nothing seemed to hold his attention long enough to keep his sockets away from the door. He was anxious. He couldn’t decide if it would be better if Frisk did turn up for lunch, or if she stayed in her room instead.
If she did show her face would it be considered a good thing? Would it mean that Fisk wasn’t as hurt as he expected that she was? Would it mean that she was ready to talk to him, or even forgive him? Was he even ready to talk to her? What would he even say?
His nerves continued to buzz as he sat at the table. He felt like he was awaiting an axe to drop as the seconds passed by.
Maybe it would be better if she didn’t come. Sans knew that it was a selfish thought, but if she didn’t show up then he wouldn’t have to lie to his brother if Papyrus saw that something was wrong. He wouldn’t have to try to discreetly or secretively ask Frisk if she was alright without him seeing. He wouldn’t have to sit there pretending like everything was fine as Frisk also faked a smile, or brushed off what it was that she was actually going through… He wouldn’t have to feel so dirty about the mess that he had gotten Frisk and himself into…
Just as Sans felt an inkling of relief that perhaps his confrontation with Frisk would be put off until later, Frisk then opened the front door to the main apartment and walked inside. Sans stiffened as a flare of panic overwhelmed his senses for a moment. His sockets widened as they focused on her and he almost stood from his seat in his utter surprise. He managed to stop himself at the last second by griping the edge of the table firmly to keep himself in place.
“OH, FRISK!” Papyrus exclaimed happily when he turned around to see his human roommate walking toward the kitchen, though his smile fell slightly when he took in her less then groomed appearance. Her hair was a mess, her shirt was untucked and wrinkled and she looked unbelievably tired with dark circles under her eyes.
“Hello Papyrus.” She greeted politely, though it wasn’t very convincing.
It was like she wasn’t entirely present as she took her seat without so much as another word. Sans continued to stare at her. He wasn’t sure if she was mad at him or not as she hadn’t really even acknowledged his existence since she walked into the room. As he studied her expression trying to decipher what it was that was going on in her head, he kept coming up clueless. Her eyes held no anger or spite, but at the same time they just weren’t right. They appeared sort off glazed over, like she wasn’t really seeing through them at the moment. They were dull, disengaged from reality.
Now Sans wanted to say something. He didn’t care what it was, he just wanted her to look at him. But when he tried to open his mouth he froze. His usual sharp tongue had tied itself into a knot. He sat silently scrambling to find the will or words to simply say hello but nothing came to him. Instead, his teeth ground together and his usual lazy grin became a cage not letting any sound to escape from behind it.
Sans had no idea how to even start. He couldn’t just simply go on with this false façade, not when there was so much already on the line, not with what had just happened. He couldn’t simply put on a smile and pull out a joke to make everything go back to normal.
“FRISK, MY, YOU MUST BE FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER.” Papyrus then stated. “BUT NOT TO WORRY, I HAVE MADE YOU A NICE BOWL OF HOT SOUP SURE TO CHASE OFF ANY COLD!” Papyrus then placed the steaming bowl in front of Frisk and her gaze was briefly drawn to it
“Hm? Oh, thank you Papyrus. It looks good.” She replied absentmindedly. Her tone was dreamlike and Papyrus narrowed his brow bone in confusion. It wasn’t like Frisk to be so spacey. It was almost as if she wasn’t entirely focused, as if something else was drawing her attention.
“FRISK? ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE FEELING ALRIGHT?” Papyrus asked concerned as he stretched out his hand toward her, wanting to place it on her forehead to take her temperature. As he did so, Chara suddenly revolted inside of Frisk’s mind. His quiet murmurs and whispers turned to sharp, ear-splitting screeches as Papyrus’ hand approached
“You worthless creature! You get any closer and I’ll make you suffer for it!” He screamed in her head, his words filled with such venom toward the younger brother that Frisk actually flinched away from Papyrus’s touch. She stood up from her seat before standing rigid as Papyrus stared at her with wide surprised sockets, his hand still outstretched. A heavy silence surrounded the trio as both brothers stared at Frisk at a loss of what to do or say.
“Sorry.” Frisk then got herself to mumble before she picked up the soup bowl. “I- I’m sorry, I’m just feeling a little crowded is all. It’s making me nauseous. I think I’ll eat in my room.” She then stated her eyes downcast as she refused to look Papyrus’ way. She hated lying.
Papyrus’ shocked sockets softened as he nodded in understanding, but Frisk could still see worry clear as day on his face.
“OH, OK THEN. IF YOU THINK THAT IT WILL HELP.” He said, and Frisk nodded before quickly making her way to exit the room.
Sans stood up. His pinpricks followed her as she left. He wanted to go after her, but he still felt reluctant to do so, and his feat remained as stuck to the spot as his jaw was. After a moment more of stunned silence papyrus turned to his brother.
“SANS…I THINK THAT SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG.” He said his tone somber. Sans’ gaze was then drawn to Papyrus, and after he glimpsed the clear concern and fear that Papyrus was displaying for Frisk, he knew that he couldn’t try to brush his little brothers worry under the rug this time around.
“I think you’re right bro.” Sans then said before he re-seated himself at the table.
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Frisk hurriedly scurried to her room in a panic before she shut her door and firmly locked it behind herself, leaning her body up against it as she took some comfort for the barricade that it provided from the rest of the outside world. She stayed leaned against it for a while as she replayed the events of what had just happened over again in her mind.
There was no way that she could have imagined that. Those thoughts, those vile feelings of hatred, and rage, they weren’t hers …. but she still felt them. She remembered as she saw Papyrus’s hand coming toward her that she had felt a feeling of utter disgust fill up her being, and then Chara had been so loud and clear in her mind, his voice so shrill that she was surprised that the brothers hadnt heard it like she could. Tears pricked at the corner of Frisk’s eyes as her breathing started to become labored with her panic. She slowly let her body slide down the door until she was seated on the floor.
What on earth was happening to her? She felt so scared and confused. She didn’t know what to do.
“Don’t cry Frisky.” Chara’s voice remerged from the shadows of her mind and Frisk tensed, her terrified breathing caught in her throat.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have shouted like that. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He cooed, his voice oddly sweet. Frisk began to feel her tears flow more freely down her cheeks as her fear paralyzed the rest of her body.
“It’s just I don’t trust them Frisk … I’ve always warned you about them, haven’t I? Monsters are cruel Frisk. All of them only want to use us.” He continued.
Frisk frowned at the words as she slowly began to come back to herself. That wasn’t true, not all monsters were bad, not all wanted to use her.
“Oh, you disagree?” Charas voice challenged tauntingly, and Frisk was almost silenced back into her submissive state again.
“You went through the same hell that I did Frisky, that should be more than enough to convince you of what they are capable of.” Chara continued.
It was true. Doctor Gaster had been the evilest creature that Frisk had ever encountered before. Just the act of thinking his name stung her deeply and sent her mind spiraling into a whirlwind of fear, but Gaster wasn’t all monsters. What about Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Alphy’s, Papyrus, and what about Sans? They would never hurt her. They would never do anything like that at all.
Chara laughed bitterly inside of her mind.
“Is that so? How about we start with your so-called mother then shall we?” Chara chided, his tone condescending. “She claims to love you like her own, but she was fairly quick to abandon you in that orphanage without so much as a goodbye now wasn’t she?”
Frisk shook her head. No, Toriel had done so out of a want to protect her from harm. It wasn’t to get rid of her.
“She wanted to protect herself.” Chara cut in. “A monster raising a human child would have drawn attention. She realized this quickly after that incident in the market square. She couldn’t risk Asgore finding her.”
Frisk frowned and turned away, not wanting to even consider that possibility.
“Not that I blame her for wanting to get away really.” Chara continued. “You and I already know how much of a ruthless beast Asgore can be. We both know of the carnage that Ebott suffered through after he decided to seek revenge on the humans of the city. The streets were littered with corpses after that fiasco.”
Frisk remembered the headlines on the newspapers during those days. Nothing but lists of dead human mobsters taken out by the Pansies. She remembered the fear that she felt whenever she crossed paths with a monster on the street back then. Asgore had ordered the death of anyone and everyone who was so much as an associate with the human gangs of Ebott and though Frisk knew that she and Chara were small fry, and were mostly invisible to anyone who really mattered in the undercity, she couldn’t help but feel suspicious of any monster that she saw. Now though, Frisk felt shame for those baseless assumptions.
“Baseless?!” Chara scoffed. “What about the first time that you were dragged to this hell hole against your will? Who was it that greeted you by placing a spear to your throat? even though Asgore had ordered your presence?”
Frisk paused as she couldn’t deny the violent first encounter that she had experienced with Undyne.
“She would have taken your head clean off if she hadn’t been interrupted.” Chara continued.
Frisk winced at the imagery painted clear in her mind. She could see Undyne’s victorious form with her toothy smile glinting, while she stood over the headless corpse of Frisk herself. Frisk shivered. She shook her head and willed the vision away. That was in the past.
“So was Gaster but it still hurts doesn’t it?” Chara hissed, getting annoyed at Frisk’s defiance. He paused for a moment as he decided to change his tactic.
“The Pansies were partners with him you know.” He then said. “That little yellow one, Alphys, she practically idolizes him for his inventions… for what he has done to us.”
Frisk stiffened. Alphys didn’t know. None of the Pansies knew.
“Would it really make a difference if they did?” Chara shot back. “They would still use the candies. Anything to give them an edge. Do you really think they would care when it came down to it?”
Frisk averted her gaze, not willing to respond even though she already knew the answer. Chara smiled smugly at her silence.
“That’s right. It would be swept under the rug. They would just turn the other way and play oblivious.”
Frisk battled away from the dark things that Chara was whispering to her. She needed to find some hope, something that she could hold on to, something that couldn’t be tainted by the darkness…Papyrus. That’s right Papyrus hadn’t done anything to her. He had been and angel for the entire time that Frisk had been involved with the Pansies. He had welcomed her, a strange human, into his home and had helped her feel like she belonged. He had called her a friend, even when all of his comrades bared their teeth and snarled at her from across the room.
Chara rolled his red eyes at Frisk’s persistence.
“That kind of attitude only gets you killed in the end.” He spat. “Papyrus would be dead already if he didn’t have his stronger friends to rely on… he is easy prey. You shouldn’t idolize that Frisk. You know better.”
Frisk then saw the memories flash passed her mind’s eye of when she was little. She was so dependent on Chara for everything back then. She was weak and powerless against the world.
“That’s right Frisk.” Chara said, his tone rewarding. “I was the reason you survived. You were a burden on me, but I kept you anyway. I taught you how to live on your own. I taught you not to trust anyone because everyone is, first and foremost, out for themselves. You have forgotten this lesson Frisk. You have been lolled in by these monsters, but you were only ever a means to an end for them. They hired you and you have been foolish and have mistaken your relationship with them as something more.”
Frisk brows furrowed as Chara’s words cut her deeply. That wasn’t true. She was more than that. She was more than just a hired hand. Sans was special to her, and she to him.
Chara scoffed, his voice becoming harsh and edged with disgust.
“What you have with that monster is disgraceful!” He said. Frisk winced at his words before shrouding herself away from Chara in her mind. Chara took a breath and tempered his anger, not wanting to chase her away from him.
“I ….can understand.” He began carefully. “The want to be close to someone after being alone for so long… He told you sweet things and you believed him, but it was only a trick Frisk. this is no more than a joke to him. It was never real.”
Frisk absolutely rejected that thought. No! It was real! There was no faking this!
“Maybe for you it was real, but that skeleton used you and you can’t deny it.” Chara continued. “He convinced you to trust him. Everything he did was to get your guard down. He knew about your connection to Gaster Frisk. He knew it and he never told you. But he had to make sure that his information was correct, so he convinced you to show you your soul! And YOU did! Because HE asked! How can you not see how twisted his motivations were?!”
Frisk didn’t want to hear anymore. It wasn’t true. Sans had told her what the implications were, he had explained and had given her the opportunity to say no.
“But you would never say no, not to him. He had you completely under his spell and you fell for every line.” Chara pushed. Frisk continued to deny what it was that he was saying, but her resolve was getting weaker. Chara could feel it begin to break.
“Frisk, he was the one who unlocked the door to your past.” Chara then said. “Sans was the one who let out the nightmares. I tried to stop him. I told him that he would regret it, but he didn’t listen. He wanted his answers, and now look at where he has gotten you. He’s left you trapped in the dark with all of these terrible things and you can’t escape them. Ever.”
Frisk froze at Chara’s unforgiving calculated words. That wasn’t true…. that couldn’t be…
“It is Frisk. I even warned him. I told him not to interfere, but he did it anyway.” Chara continued.
Frisk didn’t respond this time, as instead a heavy feeling settled inside her chest. she didn’t try to speak to Chara anymore, or defend her friends. She sat silently and turned her face away as a few stray tears slipped down her cheeks.
Chara, seeing that he had made his point, willingly faded into the background noise of Frisks thoughts, allowing Frisk time to process his warning.
Now that Frisk was alone, she didn’t try to hold back anymore. There was no one around now, even Chara had given her some privacy, so she wouldn’t have to try and put up a stoic front. She wept openly and unapologetically as she felt defeat sit on her shoulders, crushing her determination completely.
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Sans made his way down the stairs to the bar below as he tried to suppress his agitated energy. It was still relatively early in the day so the space was sparse of its usual thirsty patrons, but even so Sans felt his soul hammer in his chest as he stayed out of the direct line of sight of the few individuals who were around.
He had been debating with himself all morning on what to do, feeling trapped in his own skull. Sans realized quickly that he had no idea how to handle this situation concerning Frisk and himself. He knew that he had to do something but he wasn’t sure how to approach her. Papyrus was also more suspicious then ever leaving Sans pinned, not able to comfort her for fear of involving his brother in the mess he had made. He cussed himself briefly for his cowardliness. Maybe if he had been honest with his brother from the start about Frisk and himself then he wouldn’t be so cornered now, but even so Sans still couldn’t bring himself to tell Papyrus the truth. It was just so dangerous to involve him, and sans hoped that if things did go sour, which now he was sure that they would, maybe Papyrus would be spared if he remained oblivious.
Though, even if Sans wasn’t going to tell his brother what was going on, he still knew that he needed help. Which is what led him to this moment, asking Grillby if he could borrow the phone for a while, before staring at the numbers blankly while the dial tone rung in his ear cavity as he built up the courage to call Alphy’s.
She was the only other monster who Sans could think of who had scientific knowledge and practice when it concerned human souls, and Sans was worried about the damage that he had done already thanks to his lack there off. If anyone could help Frisk it was Alphys …. or so Sans hoped.
The phone was now ringing, and Sans blinked his pinpricks back into focus surprised that he had actually managed to dial the number. Three rings sounded and Sans held his breath, fighting hard against the urge to hang up, but before he could be tempted fully, a timid voice then sounded on the other end.
“H-Hello?” Alphys answered and Sans jaw stiffened together as he struggled to find the words to reply.
“Um h-hello?” Alphys said again and this time Sans was able to speak.
“Alphys hey! It’s uh, Sans.” He replied. He cringed at the obviously over jovial tone that he had answered with.
“Oh! Hello Sans. Is um er – what can I help you with?” Alphys then stammered a little awkwardly.
Sans scratched the side of his skull as he took a moment to think of what to say.
“Well uh, I was wondering if you could maybe come down to the bar later…. I uh, I need your help with something…” Sans said, trying to sound casual.
There was a silent pause on the other end of the line before Alphys spoke again. Sans winced as he could practically see the confused and suspicious look on her face thanks to his poor reply.
“Oh um, I think that I could do that. What is it exactly that you need help with?” She asked.
“It’s uh, well Frisk is feeling ill, and I think it has something to do with her soul…” He began carefully.
“Her soul?! That doesn’t make any sense.” Alphys exclaimed.
“Yeah I know. Look Al, I can be more specific when you get here, I promise.” Sans interrupted before she could prob further. “Just do me a favor, and bring any equipment you think will be helpful and meet me at the apartment in about an hour ok?” He then asked, hating how much he sounded like he was pleading at this point.
“O-ok Sans.” Alphys then agreed, seeming to sense Sans discomfort. “I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Thanks pal.” Sans said before he hung up the phone and let out a tired breath.
He took a moment for himself as He leaned his weight on the wall. He wasn’t sure if he was making the right decision by involving Alphys like this, but he couldn’t think of any other choice to make. He had no one else to turn to. All he could do now is hope that Alphys would understand his predicament… and hopefully be sympathetic enough not to blab to anyone about it …. Though since she was now seemingly an item with Undyne, the underboss of the Pansies, Sans found that it was more likely that things would get much more heated before they cooled down. Another few seconds passed and then Sans hulled himself from the wall. He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he began to make his way back to the apartment.
When He made it in through the door, He was surprised to see that Papyrus had still not left to get back to work.
“Paps? What are you still doing here? You’re gonna be late if you don’t get a move on.” Sans began as he eyed his brother who was meticulously scrubbing the Kitchen counter still in his apron.
“I’M NOT GOING IN TODAY SANS.” Papyrus replied. Sans blinked, the edges of his grin falling slightly in response.
“What do you mean you’re not going in today?” He questioned, and Papyrus sighed as he took a break from his domestic duties.
“ I’M WORRIED ABOUT FRISK!” He answered his eye sockets showing his sorrow. “SHE WAS SO STRANGE AT LUNCH TODAY. I WANTED TO CHECK ON HER, BUT WHEN I WENT TO KNOCK ON HER DOOR, SHE DIDN’T REPLY …I KNOCKED AGAIN AND SHE TOLD ME TO LEAVE!” Papyrus then turned to his brother, his concern clearly etched on to his blubbery expression.
“HER RESPONSE WAS SO COLD SANS. THERE WAS ALMOST NO EMOTION BEHIND IT AT ALL! SHE DIDN’T SOUND SAD OR HURT OR ANGRY, SHE JUST SOUNDED …. ODD. I DON’T LIKE IT!” He continued.
“Paps …” Sans began. “You can’t just not show up… they need you out there you know?”
“FRISK NEEDS ME HERE MORE!” Papyrus argued.
Sans sighed internally. Papyrus couldn’t be here when Alphys showed up. It would lead to too many questions, and Sans wasn’t ready to answer them all…. not yet.
“Paps, you don’t have to go getting yourself into trouble over this you know? Hey, why don’t I take the heat? I mean, I’m always slacking off after all, heh. It won’t be a bother if I call in, but you know, you have a really good reputation, and you worked hard for it. It would be a shame to damage it.”
“BROTHER… I COULDN’T ASK YOU TO SKIP WORK… THAT WOULD MAKE ME A TERRIBLE INFLUENCE!” Papyrus exclaimed, becoming even more emotional than before. Sans only chuckled.
“Nah bro, you would be doing me a favor. Besides, after everything that’s happened Asgore owes me a little breather anyway. It will be fine.” Sans said, holding Papyrus’ eye sockets with the most earnest smile that he could manage.
Papyrus stared his brother down for a moment before letting out an exasperated huff.
“I SUPPOSE YOU ARE RIGHT SANS.” He then admitted. “IT WOULD BE PUTTING DOGGO AND THE TEAM ON THE SPOT SINCE I WOULDN’T BE GIVING THEM AMPLE NOTICE…”
“See, that’s the spirit bro.” Sans encouraged. “And uh, don’t worry about the kid. I’ll get to the bottom of it.” He said sounding much more confident then he actually felt.
Papyrus smiled at him, seemingly put at ease by his brother’s sentiment.
“OH ALL RIGHT SANS. I WILL ENTRUST OUR FRISK TO YOUR CAPABLE HANDS.” He said as he undid his apron strings before folded the garment neatly on the counter.
As Papyrus waved farewell and strutted out the door, Sans let out a breath of relief. Though before he could truly relax Papyrus popped his head back into the room.
“DO MAKE SURE THAT SHE EATS SOMETHING FOR DINNER. NO MORE SKIPING MEALS.” He cautioned.
After catching his soul before it had almost flew out of his chest cavity, Sans turned back to his brother and smiled weakly.
“Will do Paps.” He said.
Papyrus nodded and was about to leave again when he paused in the doorway.
“AND ALSO, IF SHE IS FEELING DOWN, I FIND THAT THE RADIO CHEERS HER UP A LITTLE. SOMETHING LIVELY AND JAZZY GETS HER OUT OF DULL MOODS.” Papyrus continued. Sans smile turned a tad more genuine at his brothers fussing.
“Heh, ok bro.” He said.
“OH! AND IF ALL ELSE FAILS, HOT COCO AND A SNUGLY BLANKET ARE GOOD WAYS TO MAKE HER COMFORTABLE AND-”
“Paps!” Sans said, cutting him off as he suppressed a chuckle. “Don’t worry I got this.” Papyrus smiled sheepishly as he scratched at his cheek bone.
“OH RIGHT, YES, Oh right , WELL I'M OFF THEN! TAKE CARE BROTHER.” He then said finally ready to leave.
Sans rolled his eyes good naturedly in response.
“Have a good day.” He called out as Papyrus closed the door behind him.
Sans then lingered in the kitchen alone for a few moments, the smile on his face slowly falling as the silence of the empty apartment surrounded him. He glanced at the clock he still had some time before Alphys would arrive. Sans strummed his fingers as he debated if he should try to speak to Frisk again before then. After brief deliberation Sans forced himself to push his weight off the counter and saunter over to Frisk’s bedroom.
He paused outside of her room working up his nerve to knock on her door. When he finally managed a meek ‘rapa tap tap’ he was met with no answer. He wasn’t surprised, but also felt disappointment way on his shoulders as he slouched defeated outside in the hall. Instead of turning away he rested his skull on the worn wood of her door and listened. He could hear the occasional shuffling of covers. She hadn’t gotten out of bed yet. Sans frowned as he decided that he would simply try to speak regardless if she would answer back or not
“Hey.” He began pausing for a moment to see if she would answer.
Nothing.
“So, uh, I called alphy’s over. She is gonna take a quick look at you, make sure everything’s working alright with your soul and such….”
Again, no response.
“I uh, could call someone else if you want.” He continued. “Maybe Tori? or uh, Undyne?” You know if you’re feeling heh, bonley ….”
Another shift of the sheets and Sans frown deepened when he realized that she had most likely pulled the covers over her head to drown him out.
“But you know, you could also always just talk to me…. He continued not able to hold himself back anymore.
“I know I messed up here kid, but I want to help…. please just….”
Before Sans could finish his thought, he heard the creak of someone coming up the staircase from the bar below. He clenched his teeth before he stepped away from Frisk’s bedroom door, turning expectantly to where Alphys eventually made her appearance by the top of the banister.
“Oh, hello Sans.” She stammered, slightly surprised to see that he was waiting for her outside of his apartment. She fiddled with her spectacles as she cleared her throat.
“I uh brought my equipment, so what seems to be the trouble?” She asked, noting the slightly vexed look in the shorter skeleton brother’s sockets.
Sans rubbed at the back of his head and broke eye contact away from his friend.
“Well uh…” He began, having trouble finding the words to explain the situation accurately.
“Why don’t we take a sit down and I’ll tell you what’s going on ….” He then said instead, not able to bring himself to confess his sins just yet.
Alphys’ brows furrowed as a look of concern crossed heavily over her features.
“Sans is everything alright?” She questioned, her voice now sturdy as her worry for her friend took over her usual nervous nature.
Sans winced in spite of himself.
“No Al, not really.” He admitted before he walked over to Frisk’s door and placed a hand on it briefly.
“I’ll be right back Frisk, promise.” He called out though he already knew that she wouldn’t reply
He then turned back to Alphys who was now just looking at him with a confused and concerned expression.
“Alright doc.” Sans said with a sad smile. “let’s get this over with.”