Horrortale : Rotten apple | Horrortale AU

Chapter 10: Clarifications

Papyrus walked calmly behind Undyne, his face shut. They had been crossing the Hotlands for several minutes now and he couldn't withstand anymore the angry stares some monsters were addressing to him. He kept the facade but he was not so overconfident.

It was rare Papyrus physically showed his feelings. He was very good at hiding them and he had learned to keep smiling in every circumstance, a bit like Sans. A bit too much like Sans, he thought. Everyone thought he was the life and soul of the party, an inveterate optimist, but the truth was that Papyrus was nothing like that. He was acting only so that Sans stopped worrying about him. His brother was already not so well, if he realised the both of them were like this, he would let himself sink into despair. As long as Sans thought he was happy, he still held on to hope, and that was all Papyrus wanted. This, and to hope that everything would get fixed by itself.

To begin with his relationship with Undyne : he was not mad anymore, not really, he already got over it, but the words she used were still hurting him. Naively, he really thought Undyne knew him well by now, even to the point that he could confess to her and that he could finally let the mask fall. He was so wrong. Just like Sans, all she saw was the facade, the nice gentle giant who wanted to join the Royal Guard by impressing her with complex puzzles.

When she started to give him cooking lessons instead of fighting lessons, Papyrus played with her. He was not stupid. He saw how she avoided the Royal Guard topic all the time and himself didn't believe he would be hired for some times now. The only thing he was waiting for was honesty. He wanted to hear her say "No" with her own voice. But she didn't. Or more exactly, she did, behind his back, to a human she met an hour sooner.

Papyrus thought she had understood by now that he didn't care anymore about the Royal Guard. He was not hanging out with her for this. He loved her cheerfulness, her overexcitement about tiny things, her sudden shyness every time they talked about Alphys, the training that always ended chaotically, and, in a more general way, the fact he could finally trust someone and call them a friend. He didn't feel betrayed because she didn't want him in the Royal Guard, but because he thought she had understood all he wanted, the only thing he ever asked for, was to finally be himself with someone.

There was another someone he used to think was a sincere friend too, but apparently, he also manipulated him. He didn't see Flowey again since everything that happened, however, he would have a serious talk with him too later on. He wanted to understand.

He sighed. Nothing was alright anymore in his life, and he had a feeling that was not going to get better soon.

They didn't take long to reach Alphys' lab. Undyne dived through the open door and turned around to be sure the skeleton was still following her. Papyrus hated that place. There was something bad in the air that he didn't like. He felt uneasy every time he came here. He didn't know why. Sans did. But Sans would never tell him why so he came to terms with it.

Instinctively, he searched for Alphys, but she wasn't here. Shame. For once, some exterior moral support would have been very welcome.

"She's downstairs." Undyne answered his silent question. "She's filling nerdy papers. Come, get comfortable."

Two huge pink pouffes had been set in the middle of the room. Undyne sprawled in the first one without any delicacy. Papyrus tried to sit with more style, but his pelvis sank in the big pillow and he got stuck legs in the air, thanks to his featherweight. He struggled to find a better position, then finally looked at Undyne.

Even if she was laughing at him, something was clearly not normal in her attitude. Sans often said that death changed people. Papyrus never thought it could be taken quite literally before today. Undyne seemed to have aged ten years in only a few days. Her eyes had dark rings, she had dishevelled hair and she looked exhausted. Her fighter aura had disappeared for a sadder and more melancholic one. He didn't recognise her. If the situation was different, he would have rushed to take her in his arms, but he knew it was not the best time for this. After all, they were not here for her, but for him.