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“Grillby, we need to talk.” Papyrus said and Grillby immediately set down the cup he was holding and looked into Papyrus’ eyes. The flame monster knew very well that Papyrus hated grease. So, for something to bring his son into his restaurant…for something to bring him to actually sit down at the bar, completely ignoring the whoopee cushion stationed under his seat…It had to be deadly serious.
“We went to the doctor’s today.” Papyrus rubbed at his arm, and Grillby’s flames dulled slightly. Even after fifteen years, you could still see the faint traces of a barcode on Papyrus’ Ulna.
“….What Happened?” Questioned Grillby. He had gripped the countertop so that he could ground himself for whatever news was to come. The counter had already started to singe.
“Sans…......Sans....H...He only had...” Papyrus paused to catch his breath. Smoke had started rising from the counter.
Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say.
“He only had one HP.”
The counter caught fire.
One HP.
Sans only had ONE HP.
A sharp intake of breath.
No.
Nonononononononono-
Smoke filled his vision.
My child, my poor child.
I’ve failed you, haven’t I?
Papyrus began coughing.
One hope. No hope.
One hope. No hope.
One hope. No hope.
ONE HP
The bar filled with gasps and screams.
I…I…
I’m so sorry.
He felt somebody shove him to the floor.
H O W – H A V E – I – N O T – N O T I C E D ?
He heard a hiss of water; had the bar caught on fire?
Why haven’t I noticed?
The world went black.
What…happened?
“Dad? Dad!”
Grillby opened his eyes slightly and was met with a blinding light “…Nngh…” He turned his head and curled into himself. He hurt all over.
“Dad, are you okay? Please wake up! You’re worrying me!”
Something shook his shoulders. Grillby’s stomach lurched, but he managed to wave the thing shaking him off before that feeling furthered.
“…Dad?” A second voice called out, and Grillby shot up and immediately regretted the decision as magic overloaded his brain and he nearly passed back out.
“S…Sans….” He called out; his vision was still blurry, but he could still see the faint fuzz that made up his oldest son.
“Yeah dad?” Grillby felt a small pair of hands steady him and another pair slide his glasses over his eyes. He was finally able to focus on his two sons.
“Papyrus….Sans…” Grillby blinked steam out of his eyes, and then looked directly at his eldest son. “Sans, what’s wrong? What happened?”
Sans’ hands shot back like he had touched sulfuric acid as his smile turned into a grimace.
“What do you mean, B? I’m perfectly fine!”
Grillby’s heart shattered.
Sans was not okay.
He wasn’t okay at all.
Grillby reached out for Sans; only for him to recoil. His pupils widened to the point where there was more white than black in his eye sockets.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Papyrus block the back bar’s only exit.
“Grillby, I’m f…fine…” Sans began to hyperventilate. His chest grew and shrank at a rate that made Grillby worry that he’d snap a rib if he didn’t stop.
“Sans…Please.” Still dizzy from his fainting spell, Grillby moved closer to Sans and attempted to embrace him.
Bad decision.
“I’M FINE.”
Sans pushed himself further away from Grillby and turned so that he could run, but Papyrus blocked the way.
“Sans….Please, stop lying. We’re worried about you.”
Sans gripped his head and screamed.
“I’M FINE. I’M FINE I’M FINEEEEEE”
He curled into himself and shifted.
Hands and feet became paws and legs, his spine twisted until he could no longer stand, and his face elongated into a muzzle of bone.
Sans whimpered and backed under the bar.
“m’fiiiinnneeeee”
His communication became long and drawn out.
“n’t hurrtt”
If Grillby could cry, his face would be soaked with tears. “We’re worried about you Sans; please, just tell us what’s wrong…”
Sans responded in a series of barks and whimpers, before launching himself from under the counter into the wall– into which he disappeared.
“SANS!!!!”
They know.
Strong legs pounded on the cold winter ground.
T H E Y – K N O W
A mix of tears and magic flooded his eyes, leaving him running blind.
Where do I go?
When he was upset, he usually just went to Grillby’s.
What do I do?
But that wasn’t an option, was it?
I don’t know.
Where would he go?
I don’t know!
What would he do?
I – D O N ‘ T – K N O W
It’s not like he didn’t want to tell them what was going on.
I’ve told them before
But what was the point?
I’VE TOLD THEM A THOUSAND TIMES.
What was the point of telling them if they were only going to forget?
WHY DO THEY ALWAYS FORGET?
So he ran.
He ran and ran and ran and ran until he lost feeling in his legs and his lungs were consumed by fire.
Why?
He collapsed.
“Why…do they always forget?”
Sans woke up and the world was white
He blinked, looked around.
Still white.
“Whaaaaat?”
He winced; it was like something had clawed his throat to shreds. He looked down at his….paws?
Well, at least he knew why he felt so heavy
He stood up, only to fall back down.
His legs were aching and the ground was frozen solid.
A quick glance at his HP bar showed it to be barely half a point.
He couldn’t move.
He wasn’t even sure if he wanted to move.
It’s not like it would really matter if he just died here, would it? The world would just reset anyway, so what was the point of living?
He closed his eyes.
“SAAAAANS?” Papyrus’s voice echoed through the air. “WHERE ARE YOU, BROTHER? PLEASE, I’M REALLY WORRIED!”
Sans opened his eyes again, his health bar had recovered back to one HP
“Papyrus…?” His head was killing him, his bones felt like Jelly. He couldn’t breathe…
“Sans! Please, if you’re out here let us know!”
“Grillby?”
Sans shivered, it was freezing .
“Sans, Please! Nothing is going to hurt you Sans!”
Sans froze.
“Sans, Please! Nothing is going to hurt you Sans!”
He screamed in pain.
Visions of needles filled with determination, tests that he failed over and over and over again leaving only punishment and pain and torture, Papyrus crying….
“Sans, Please! Nothing is going to hurt you Sans!”
Reset after reset after reset after reset after reset
Just more death and death and death and death and death AND DEATH.
.
.
.
.
And nothing would ever stop it....
.
.
.
.
“Sans, Please! Nothing is going to hurt you Sans!”
L I A R
He never stopped hurting, it seemed that everything just wanted to hurt him more and more and more and more and more and-
He couldn’t escape it.
IT WOULDN’T LET HIM.
Whatever the thing that kept causing the resets was….It would never stop.
Did it even know it was hurting him?
His vision faded again.
It was so cold….
The last thing he heard before he passed out again was.
“Oh Sans…I’m so, so sorry…”
He woke up in his bed covered with blankets, Papyrus sat next to him.
Sans shivered.
“Sans! You’re awake!” Papyrus cried and Grillby burst through the door a few seconds later carrying an entire pot of soup.
“Sans….You’re alright…” Grillby sighed with relief and set down the pot next to Papyrus.
Sans tried to retreat into the blankets, Papyrus stopped him.
“Please Sans…stop running from us”
Sans whimpered and shook. He knew where this conversation was going and he didn’t like it.
Grillby sat down next to Papyrus and gently touched Sans’ forehead…and even though he was supposed to be distancing himself from Grillby and Papyrus….Sans leaned into his touch.
“You’re burning up…” Said Grillby as he gently stroked Sans’ skull with his thumb.
Sans whined.
He felt the bed shift; Papyrus had crawled in next to him.
“Sans….” Papyrus pleaded. “Please tell us what is wrong….What made your HP drop so low?”
Sans shook his head. “n’t dstand….”
“We’ll understand if you tell us Sans.” Said Grillby.
“Forget….”
“Why would we forget Sans?” Papyrus pulled Sans into his lap and Sans willed himself to shift back into his bipedal form so that Papyrus could hold him closer.
Sans was scooped up into a hug. His fingers dug into Papyrus’ battle body.
“Because you always do.”
A loud clanging sound was heard, Grillby had dropped the bowl he was holding, soup coated the floor and Grillby’s knees sizzled out, he hissed in pain….but he just looked up at Sans; his glasses had fallen to the end of his nose.
“What do you mean…‘we always forget’?”
“Grillby…Your knees.” Sans reached out for him. Grillby didn’t move
“What do you mean ‘we always forget,’ Sans?”
Sans felt tears leave his eyes, he went to wipe at them, but Papyrus was already wiping them away for him.
“Dad, get out of the puddle.” Papyrus said. “You’re scaring Sans….and me too”
Grillby sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed Sans’s back.
“I’ve told you why my HP was at one before….” Sans mumbled “But the world reset, and you forgot.”
“Sans, why would we ever forget something as important as that?” Papyrus asked, his voice shook.
“And what is a reset?” questioned Grillby.
Sans guessed he’d have to explain it again, at least they’ll support him through the rest of the timeline.
He took a shuttering breath and he closed his eyes.
“Imagine if everything you did, if everything you thought and said and asked and learned, and created…” He buried his face into the crook of Papyrus’ neck. “Imagine if it all just…disappeared and you’d have to do it all over again.”
The room was uncomfortably quiet….Until Grillby asked, “Just….how far back are we talking, Sans?”
Sans looked at Grillby
“A few months.” He rubbed at his Ulna, it burned. “Just after we put the lights up.”
“I’d…be rather angry I guess,” Started Papyrus, “All of my hard work just…gone?”
“Everything….and you’re the only one to even remember you did it in the first place.”
Grillby and Papyrus spoke at the same time:
“Sans, is this what you’ve been going through?”
“Is this what you’ve been facing?”
Sans sobbed. “Yes…” and felt himself come closer to His brother and Father as they held him. He clung to them and sobbed; Grillby sizzled when the tears hit his neck.
“A–A…And You wanna know the best part!?” Sans began to laugh maniacally. “The world is just gonna reset again and we’ll just replay this scene over and over and over and it will never stop!”
Papyrus began to cry as well and Grillby shook with emotion.
“Sans I–” Grillby tried to speak, but was interrupted.
“WHY CAN’T I JUST STAY DEAD?” Sans shouted, the volume scaring both Grillby and Papyrus.
“What do you mean ‘stay dead,’ Sans?” Sans didn’t even register who spoke that line, he just muttered.
“In every other timeline, whatever is causing these….resets...It just decides to kill us all!” Sans sobbed and clung to Papyrus. “I’ve seen you die Papyrus….” Sans buried his head in the crook of Papyrus’ neck. “I’ve seen you die a thousand times because I couldn’t protect you…Because I’m a failure of a brother…”
Grillby’s flames rose by at least a foot. Whoever’s been hurting his boys, they were going to pay.
“You’re not a failure, Sans” Grillby kissed the top of Sans’ head.
“You’re the best brother anybody could ask for, Sans…” Papyrus held him tighter in his arms
“THEN WHY CAN’T I SAVE YOU?” He roared and clung at his head. “WHY CAN’T I STOP IT FROM KILLING US?”
His voice fell again to barely a whisper.
“Why do we both end up leaving Grillby all alone?”
He sobbed.
“You want to know why my HP is so low? He laughed bitterly and looked at the ceiling. “Because I’ve abandoned all hope that the resets will ever stop…”
A pause
“I’ve abandoned all hope in life…”
Papyrus and Grillby stayed silent. How could they even be able to respond to something like that?
Grillby felt steam burning his eyes, it seems he was crying.
He clinched his fists.
Why couldn’t the world just give his boys a break? Why couldn’t the world find a different training dummy? Why was it so intent on taking his sons’ happiness away?
Why?
“It’s not fair…” Papyrus mumbled. He held Sans’ right hand to his soul, his eye glowed softly.
“I know it’s not…” Sans responded and rubbed a thumb over the markings on Papyrus’ Battle body.
They stayed like that for a long time…Sans closed his eyes.
It wasn’t fair…
It just wasn’t–
Sans woke up in his bed, tears staining his face. He looked around, he was alone…His stomach dropped.
From downstairs he heard Papyrus’ voice call out: “SANS, YOU LAZY BONES, HURRY UP AND GET DRESSED. WE HAVE TO CONFIGURE THE PUZZLES!”
Sans began to sob.
fair
But it seemed the world just didn’t care about what Sans thought was fair or was unfair.
Because
It
would
Just
all
[ R E S E T ]