Chapter Text
Alphys couldn't have known. There was no way- she was trying to help. She did the best that she could. It wasn't her fault.
You stood outside of the small room in the lab, staring up at the ceiling and taking deep breaths. You told yourself the words over and over, but you knew you could never really be prepared to go in there. But you had to. You knew that you couldn't leave them.
It had happened so suddenly. Both of them, at once- they just... stopped. They weren't dead. They weren't alive. You had no idea what caused it. Nobody did. Alphys had ran so many tests, she was so so sure that what happened before wouldn't happen again. You couldn't bring yourself to even take part in the conversation. Undyne and Toriel pressured her. They couldn't have known, either. They were saving them. You had all been trying to help them.
You steadied yourself. Alphys was being consoled by Asgore, who had yet to see the abomination in the small room. Undyne was nowhere to be found. Toriel was unwell. You had only caught a glimpse, but you knew you had to go in. They deserved that, at least.
You opened the door very slowly, careful not to make any sudden noises or movements. The inside was still brightly lit, but the tables were absent. You saw them huddled in the corner with their back to you. They made incomprehensible noises that made your heart hurt. Everything hurt. But they were hurting more, so you stepped forward. You made sure your footsteps were loud enough to hear as you walked carefully past the operating tables. You stopped while you were still a number of feet away from them. They heard you give a small cough, and their body shook, and the sad noises turned to fear.
They turned to look at you and your heart turned to stone and fell deep into your chest. They were horrifying and grotesque. The amalgamates had been one thing. This... you kept your face calm and raised a hand very slowly to wave as the four pairs of eyes met your own.
Whatever had happened, it was a mistake. It would have been better to kill them, but now that was impossible. You wanted to run away but you held firm.
Sans and Papyrus watched you in quiet fear. Their bodies had formed together, melding into dark sludge, deforming them, turning them into a terrible amalgam of two beings that should never have existed as one. They both cried. They both whimpered. The only true appendages they had, one arm a piece, were grasping each other as though for comfort.
You got to your knees to be at eye level with them. You held up both hands
“It's me, guys. Don't be scared. It's Frisk.”
It took a moment, but they seemed to understand. A garbled voice came out, mutated and strange, but it sounded quite like your name. You held back tears.
“It's okay, guys. It's okay. It's okay.”
It wasn't okay. Nothing was okay and nothing would be okay ever again. But they recognized you, and you could practically see their memories coming back to them. They moved forward, slowly and awkwardly, and although the voice was awful and made your skin crawl, you could make out what they said.
“Fr...isk... wha...t happ...en...en...” They labored through the words and seemed ashamed. Their eyes would not meet yours. They stopped and shook and began to cry again.
You didn't want to touch them, the thought made you ill, but you moved forward and put both of your hands on the two they held together.
“Y-you guys... Alphys, Undyne, Toriel, they thought they could heal you... but... but...” you sucked in a shuddering breath. “I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I'm sorry, Sans, Papyrus, I-I'm... sorry...”
You were sobbing. Your chest hurt. Your heart hurt. You felt like your soul would shatter and die any moment, but as you closed your eyes and lowered your head, you felt a cold hand touch your cheek.
“D...don... cry...”
“This is all my fault. This is all my fault- I'm so sorry, I'd give anything to go back, I wish it'd been me, I-I-I did this, I thought I could- change- things-” you bawled, and soon you had to stop because your words became unintelligible. You moved forward and wrapped your arms around their stiff, sludge-y body and you held them tight. Their two heads fell against yours on either side.
“N...no... it... is...my... fault- Sans- my fault... Sans... all my fault... Sans... no... my fault...” the voice kept interrupting itself, and you were beginning to see that it was very slightly different when one or the other spoke.
“No, Sans, none of it is your fault. You... you guys didn't do anything wrong. You don't deserve this- you don't deserve to be like this- oh god... oh god...” you sobbed. You released them and stood up because you could barely stand this. The reaction was immediate.
They lurched forward in horror and held out their hands to you. “No- no- no- don't-don't leave us... please... Frisk... sorry, sorry- I didn't know-I was a bad- brother- sad- Sans I'm sor- Frisk- P-Papyrus- no- no no no no-”
You realized very suddenly that you didn't care at all what you could or could not do. You saw the pain in their eyes and you went back to them and grabbed them and held as much of them as you could. “No, no, I'm not leaving, I'm right here. I'm right here, I won't leave you, you're safe. I'm here. I'm right here, okay? Sans, Papyrus, do you understand? I'm not leaving.”
“Bad- Frisk- we are bad- cry- you're crying- scared- so scared Frisk I'm- I'm- we- scared...” they wailed. If the universe stopped existing you would have been happy. You hated this. You hugged them tightly and their faces found their way back to your shoulders and their hands unclasped to gently hold your back.
“Shh, shh, I'm here, I'm right here, you're okay. Don't be scared. I'll stay with you. This isn't your fault.” You sobbed, and they nuzzled their sobbing faces into your hair and whimpered.
“You... are... good. Please... leave- don't leave- us- I- we- us- I-I...”
“I promise I won't leave. I'm right here. I've got you. I'll protect you. You're safe. You're both safe. I don't care what happens, I don't care, I'll help you. You're safe. I'm not letting go.”
Their voices seemed to battle each other, each overlapping and wobbly and very uncertain and terrified. You moved back and wiped the tears from their faces.
“Shh, shh, it's okay. One at a time- try that. Tell me what's wrong.”
There was a long moment of whimpers and breathy words that you didn't really understand, but after a little bit, the garbled voice became sorted out, and you watched Papyrus's half-melted face and held his cheek in you hand.
“I-I... I... can hear... Sans... brother... think. I...” he paused for another long moment in which his sludge-stained eyes closed as much as they physically could. “He... hurts... he is... hurting... I never knew... I am a bad brother... so... bad... so much... pain...” Papyrus stopped and whimpered a long string of chatters. The other, lower voice spoke.
“I... a-am... sorry- sorry- sorry- Papyrus, I... didn't know... not... want... to worry... about me...”
“I should... have... you are... my... brother... I had no... no... idea...”
“Not your fault- not your fault, not your fault, Papy- yrus- no no no no, not your fault, not your fault, no, no, Pap-rus- no no no no no no-”
“Shh, Sans, it's okay. Sans, calm down, please, relax...” you said, because the Sans half of the amalgam was getting very worked up and their side of the mess was getting less rigid and you were getting scared.
“Not... his... fault...” Sans cried. “Not, P-Pap... your fault... you... you... you should... would have been better- better- if I... if I...”
Whatever Sans was about to say, or whatever he thought, Papyrus reacted suddenly and violently.
“No! No, no, no, no! No! No! S-S-San-S! No! No! No! Need you- I- you- need- you- no. No! No!” Papyrus was nearly screaming. The noise was shrill and filled you with horror.
“Sorry sorry sorry no no I didn't- you- didn't- P-Pap I didn't- mean- it- I'm sorry sorry, I sorry, sorry,” Sans sobbed. Both of them were beginning to deform. They were losing themselves.
“Stop!” you shouted, and they both looked at you in sudden fear. You held each of their cheeks and you were crying. “Stop, please, you're getting worse, please you two, please, don't fight, please... I can't lose you- I can't lose you again, please-”
Both of them froze.
“I'm so sorry I did this to you- I-I'm sorry, and I'm scared, and I don't know what to do- I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry, Sans, P-Papyrus... I'm sorry... I'm sorry for... making you... like...” you couldn't catch your breath between the sobs.
They slowly put their arms around you. You held them tight because you were terrified that they might break down and you'd never see them again. You were selfish. Any real friend would have killed them and put them out of their horrible misery.
“I can't lose you. I c-can't lose you two, I love you both, I love you, please... don't leave...”
You cried. They both cried and the sad noises were like a broken record to your ears, it hurt you so much to hear them like this, so compromised and... wrong. They were wrong. But you hugged them tightly and they hugged you back and once more they put their heads on your shoulders and they cried too. All three of you murmured and babbled things through broken sobs.
It was an hour later when Alphys came in. She found the three of you sleeping fitfully , with you between their two halves, holding both of their hands, and their heads resting against yours.