[Hiatus] Reincarnated and Soulless, Yet I Create

Hot Chocolate, Unnamed

It didn't take long for us to arrive. Papyrus had been rather insistent on carrying me there, citing something about feeling dangerously cold. I really didn't understand why he hadn't just covered up more if he was that cold, but if he really wanted to show off his battle body that much- well, to each their own.

That was how I'd found myself sitting on his couch, wrapped in numerous blankets, gazing deeply into the hot chocolate in my hands.

"- BECAUSE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, FUTURE MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD, COULD NEVER IGNORE A MONSTER IN SUCH A DIRE-"

"How did you even find me?" I interrupted, my voice so quiet the I doubted he would even hear over his own booming voice. He seemed to have heard me just fine, though, as he paused his speech before answering.

"YOU WERE RADIATING SO MUCH INTENT, LITTLE ONE! I COULD FEEL IT HALF WAY TO SNOWDIN, YOU MUST BE VERY POWERFUL TO SPREAD YOUR INTENT THAT FAR. EVEN I CANNOT ACHIEVE SUCH A FEAT YET, AND I'M GOING TO BE A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD SOME DAY!" His voice grow more boisterous the longer he spoke. I wasn't sure what had happened, but it seemed whatever had worried him in the forest had before melted in the face of his ever increasing confidence. "YOU MUST HAVE BEEN OUT THERE FOR SOME TIME AS WELL. WORRY NOT, FOR I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE MAKING DINNER NOW."

He went into the kitchen before I could process his words. Little one? Was he making fun of my height? It wasn't as though I was offended given my current lack of emotions, but it certainly seemed a bit out of character for Papyrus. At least he was making dinner, though I couldn't imagine I would enjoy his infamous spaghetti. It was a good thing I hadn't refilled my emotions just yet, because I didn't feel like I could hide my disgust at the idea of fermented spaghetti noodles.

"I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU WOULD PROTEST TO SOME OF MY FAMOUS SPAGHETTI, WOULD YOU?"

I weighed his question in my mind. If his spaghetti was as bad as I was expecting it to be, I didn't want to find out what the dishes he had less experience with would taste like. I answered his question with my silence, but it seems he understood well enough regardless because I could hear him moving about.

I sat there silently for a while, the TV not even on. The only the sound that accompanied me was Papyrus moving about in the kitchen, and the sound of my own breathing. I supposed it was strange, now that I was a skeleton I shouldn't even need to do something like breathe. Perhaps later I could try to hold my breath and see how long it took before I either felt a burning sensation in what used to be my lungs or otherwise discovered I didn't need to breathe at all.

Caught up in my thoughts, I didn't notice my new company until he called out. "hey bro, why is there a baby bones on our couch?"

Baby... bones?

---

Sans had been searching frantically. A call to Undyne let him know his brother wasn't training with her, and a check of Papyrus's cardboard station showed he wasn't playing as a guard either. He hadn't been in the shed, nor playing with the dogs, nor angrily chasing after that little white dog that always stole his bones. Normally at this time Papyrus would show up to wake Sans up from his last nap of the day and they'd go home together, a task which his brother had never once in all the resets forgotten.

Had the human come a day early? Slipped past him somehow and done something to Papyrus? He knew he'd been right, knew not to trust them just cause they hadn't killed anyone. Besides, the resets were proof the kid wasn't doing any of this out of the kindness in their hearts.

There was only one last place to look, but Sans was far too scared to check. He stood outside his house, hand hovering just over the knob, hesitating. When he finally heard it, the clattering of dishes that always accompanied his brother's cooking, the relief overwhelmed him. Sans didn't know why his brother hadn't retrieved him today, but he was alive and well and that was the only thing that mattered.

As Sans opened the door, the smell of dinner pervaded his senses, his eye sockets falling closed. Papyrus was cooking spaghetti again, the leftovers would be used as a 'trap' for the human tomorrow. This must have been a new fun value, one he'd never experienced before. Everything would be business as usual by the next reset.

When Sans's eye sockets finally opened, his eyelights instantly darted left, resting on the tiny skeleton in his living room. They were so deep in their thoughts, they hadn't noticed him, the hot chocolate in their hands no longer giving off steam. Different fun value indeed. He'd never seen any skeletons except his brother and— well, someone. "hey bro, why is there a baby bones on our couch?"

That seemed to snap them out of it and alert them to his presence and they turned and stared at him. For some strange reason their expression was very off-putting, and Sans shivered under their intense gaze.

"THAT-" Papyrus paused and stepped out of the kitchen. Great, now the house might burn down. There's no hiding that from the human. "IS THE LITTLE ONE I FOUND FREEZING TO DEATH BY THEMSELF IN THE WOODS. AND THEY WILL BE STAYING WITH US FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE."

"so they were-""DON'T YOU DARE" "chilled to the bone" Sans watched as his brother stomped the floor repeatedly before taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"ANYWAYS, THEIR NAME IS-" Papyrus froze, clearly startled that he didn't know the answer. It wouldn't be the first time his brother had forgotten to ask the name of a new friend, but it was a little confusing that it happened this time. At least with the human, no one asked their name because they didn't want to know the name of someone who would be leaving, one way or another. With this kid though if Papyrus was going to offer them a place to stay he should've at least asked their name. Sans would have to remind him about stranger danger again.

"My name is..." They practically whispered, which seemed to snap papyrus out of it. They both listened intently, but the kid didn't finish their sentence and just sat there for a moment, stroking some red thing on their bandolier.

Sans exchanged a look with Papyrus, before Papyrus seemed to decide something "WELL LITTLE ONE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO CALL YOURSELF ANYTHING YOU DON'T WANT TO. WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE US TO CALL YOU?"

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(Words: 1137)

Papyrus my beloved, please be careful about inviting people you have just met into your home!

Anyways, sometimes in fics Sans will instantly jump to trying to murder anyone who shows up in his AU. Which- even with his character- only makes sense if there was a preexisting reason. Usually that means it never does. Even canon Sans isn't going to murder a baby bones without a reeeeeeaaaally good reason.

A human, maybe (that's the law in the underground, after all), but most DEFINITELY not a monster child (or someone he perceives as a monster child, anyways).