[Redacted]tale.

timeline n०= 2.

    Denial. Some people deny that their problems exist in the first place. And because they deny reality, they must constantly delude or distract themselves from reality. This may make them feel good, in the short term, but it leads to a life of insecurity, neuroticism, and emotional repression. Not only they deny their problems, but they also deny the truth itself. Well, if they live in a universe where the harsh truth never gets told, then it would be awesome. And sick. And sad. And uplifting. And necessary. But again, the greatest truths in life are usually the most unpleasant to hear.

      Sans sat on the bed, he was trembling uncontrollably. His soul hurts. It hurts so much. An excruciating pain devoured his chest. Sans's ability to reset was always supposed to stay a secret, and he never thought he would have to use it. But once more, his brother is everything he has, and witnessing the poor Papyrus dying was such a profound wound, which remains in him now. In his soul. Sans's disadvantage of resetting is his soul. Every time he resets, it slowly twists. According to his calculations, more than three resets would most definitely kill him. Not literally! ,, Sans breathed shakily with anxiety. Storms was next to him, rubbing itself on his arm, but he gave the animal no response other than awful panting and rushed tears.
"SAAAAANS! OPEN UP!! WHY'D YOU LOCK THE DOOOOR!" Papyrus whined.
"....Papyrus.. maybe.. m- maybe later...?" He spoke behind the door.
"LATER?? LATER WHAT? DID YOU FORGET TODAY'S DATE?!"
Sans gasped softly. He gulped shakily, widened rhombus iris continuing to quake.
"wh- what's... today's date...?"
"AAAAAAAH! APRIL 24TH!!!"
Sans felt like his stomach twisted. He started having unstoppable flashbacks of the crime scenes he saw. And no one remembers. It's unfair.. it's so unfair.

      Sans stared at his cup, insecurity of the future eating his thoughts.
"YOU'VE BEEN STARING AT YOUR CUP FOR THREE MINUTES NOW. ARE YOU OKAY?"
Papyrus spoke as he took a bite of the chocolate croissant.
"i'm ok, Papy." Sans replied with a cold, unsteady voice.
"SANS, IF THE THOUGHT OF COMING TO THE KINGDOM IS BOTHERING YOU, BECAUSE OF THE PEOPLE, THEN YOU CAN SURELY STAY HERE! IT'S O-"
"NO-!" Sans got up harshly, causing the chair to slide backwards. "i'm coming!!"
...
..
.
Papyrus raised a figurative eyebrow, slightly still weirded out.
"I'VE NEVER SEEN YOU SO EXCITED TO GO OUTSIDE..?"
"..a-! aha! haha! it's your birthday, bro! how can i miss the opportunity!"
Papyrus let out a gasp of enlightenment and proceeded to smile afterwards.
"NEYEHEH! THAT'S TRUE!!"
And they both continued their breakfast. Sans didn't eat much; he still had the stomach twist which literally disabled his desire for food. He still drank the caffeine, though.

      Sans wore shoes instead of slippers, and gloves for the cold. He's getting the dreadful déjà vu, but only decides to ignore it and wear his jacket anyway.
"I'M WAITING!"
Papyrus delightedly spoke from outside. Sans shivered a little. He went on one knee to scratch Storms's chin, then stepped out of the house and locked the door behind him. They both walked to the kingdom; Papyrus's nose rose in confidence, and his steps felt so forced yet he's just walking like how a royal guard would. Meanwhile, Sans, the complete opposite, had his head dropped down, nose facing the ground, eluding any type of eye contact with anyone.
"WE'RE HERE! I AM SO EXCITED!! QUEEN TORIEL AND KING ASGORE ARE SO GENEROUS!"
"ye, they are.."
Sans mumbled. Papyrus laughed a little and pulled his older brother for a tight and warm hug, the nervous male eased up under his brother's touch and slid his hands up to get a soft grip on Papyrus's clothes. The siblings broke the hug to enter the palace and await this 'big day''s surprises.

      Almost anything can become addictive, depending on the motivation behind using it. Everyone has their own chosen methods to numb the pain of their problems, and in moderate doses there is nothing wrong with this. But the longer they avoid and the longer they numb, the more painful it will be when they finally do confront their issues.

      The day went on. Nothing's wrong. Sans stayed next to Papyrus the whole time. Not only for protection, but also because this man cannot communicate with people for the sake of fuck.
* You tug on Sans's jacket.
"OOOO! IT'S THE BRAVE HUMAN! HELLO!!"
The mentioned male jumped a little at the sight of the human. He took some time to process the fact that they're here, with them, a part of them.
"what's up, kiddo?"
* You want to take a picture with Sans and Papyrus.
"SURE THING, PRECIOUS CREATURE!"
Sans nodded to confirm his consent, too. Click! A selfie was taken where Sans awkwardly raised a thumb up and Papyrus making his brother and Frisk have bunny ears.

      Honest self-questioning is difficult. Sans doesn't want to think about this issue anymore, even though he is sure the death of his brother will forever haunt him.
"SANS! I GOT YOUR BARBECUE SAUCE! THE HUMAN CHOSE THE LIMITED EDITION FOR YOU!"
Papyrus cheered while making his way out of Grillby's. Sans was too socially unprepared to go for himself. For some unspoken reasons, Sans really likes barbecue sauce. Just like that. With no toppings or food with it.
"thanks, Papy et Frisk."
"IT'S WHATEVER!"
* You raise a thumb up.
The three of them walked back to the house. The silence was too loud, it was unfitting to Sans's liking, even though he likes quiet places. But not this type of quiet. He didn't like how the human's stare was fixed on Papyrus. He didn't like how anything can happen at any moment. He didn't like how the tension was growing. Why are they staring at Papyrus like that? Why are their hands behind their back? Why did they wait until the three of them were alone?
The human was trapped between several bones and their soul was glowing blue by Sans's magic's order. The silence was even worse than before.
"WHAA-! SANS!! DID YOU GO NUTS?! IF YOU DONT LIKE THE LIMITED EDITION THEN TELL US!! DONT GO CRAZY!!"
* You ask Sans to let go.
Sans was trembling. Uneasiness grew more in him, which caused his hand to awfully shake; why did he suddenly act up? What is wrong with him? Why can't he trust the human like he used to? Why can't anyone remember...
Sans gently let go of the soul and made the bones disappear.
"i'm.. very sorry. i don't know what happened. i think i hallucinated something, ahah.."
"IT'S OKAY, SANS. THINK BEFORE ACTING NEXT TIME, SILLY!!"
"ye.. of course, bro."
"HUMAN! ARE YOU OKAY?"
* You stay quiet.
"AAH! HUMAN, SANS IS VERY SORRY! DONT BE UPSET WITH HIM!"
* You ask Papyrus if he knows.
"ABOUT WHAT?"
* You're quiet again.
The three stood there like cats meeting up and figuring out who will attack who.
"..DID I MISS SOMETHING?.."
"d- did you?..."
* You ask Sans if he knows.
"..me..? i think.. i think i know. i think i remember."
* Unlike them.
"unlike them.."
Poor Papyrus didn't even know what was going on.
* You say that Sans can reset.
And there it is, an even worse than a worse silence.
"RESET? WHAT IS A RESET..?"
* You say that it's a reset of the timeline, the actions, the charact-
"OKAY-!.. okay. sh- shut up. shut.. up..."
* You continue and say that Sans hid it from everyone. Even Papyrus.
Papyrus's expression was almost unreadable. It was a mix of shock, confusion, sadness, disappointment,...
"HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU USE IT ON US, SANS..?"
"..wh- i-"
"HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU ERASE OUR TRUE FUTURE?.."
"no. Papy please. dont think like that. i've never used it on you, i-.. i just.."
Sans shot his glare at the human, iris trembling in disbelief. They were never like that. They never did things like this. It's shocking him to be in this situation.
"did you.. want this..? were you planning for this to happen so i would reset..? is that your plan?!.. you know the resets slowly break my soul, that's why you..."
He didn't even want to continue.
"SANS..? I DONT UNDERSTAND... I-I'M NOT MAD!.."
"no, brother.. no. that's not it. that is definitely not it."
Sans pulled out a glowing reset button under his palm. Papyrus backed off.
"SANS-! WHAT ARE YOU DOING..?!"
"i want to know.. i want to know what do they want. i'm sorry Papyrus. b- but it's okay. it will be your third birthday."
"WHAT-?! SANS-!!"
There the human jumped behind Papyrus, fully charged with a knife, ready to make the same damage. Sans pushed his brother away, a deep wound downing him.
* You gasp and drop the weapon.
"WH- N-NO!! SANS!!! NO--"
"no no no.. dont worry, Papyrus.. your pain is temporary.. you.... you wont remember.."
* You try to stop Sans-!
The button, still under Sans's palm, was harshly slammed on by an angry gloved fist.
...
..
.
* DO YOU WISH TO CONTINUE THE GAME?

* Y E S    * N O

* 'Y E S' HAS BEEN SELECTED.

* LOADING TIMELINE N°= 3 . . . . .