Reborn As A Dust Sans [Undertale Multiverse]

Ch2 - Brotherly Ghost

Ashe's POV

You sobbed even harder, covering your face with your hands as you did so. Learning you had apparently taken over the life of a supposedly fictional character after having drowned to death was not doing anything to help calm your distress. Everything was just too much.

"BROTHER, PLEASE, CALM DOWN... FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING, ALRIGHT? I'M HERE. IN AND OUT. BREATHE. I'M HERE. STARS, PLEASE JUST TRY TO BREATHE..."

His ghostly form moved towards you, arms wrapping around your trembling body. Whilst he didn't phase through you like he probably should have, his touch was so faint you could barely register it. It was more like a cold echo of touch, like an intense memory brought to life, yet you could still feel his intent through it.

He cared for you. He cared so much it made you cry even more. And even if he was a mere spectre, a ghost of a being long dead, his presence was enough to help you feel more stable, to make you feel less alone in your distress. You clung to his words in desperation. You couldn't be alone, not anymore.

"Do..nt.... go.... pl..eas..e..." you managed to choke out in a whimper. Even your voice was different now, it was deeper and quieter, and using it was physically painful for you. The cringe that it caused was both from the discomfort of how it felt, and the discomfort in knowing you sounded different to how you should.

"SHHH....I'M NOT GOING ANYWHERE, I PROMISE. JUST KEEP BREATHING..." He stayed with you, never abandoning you with how long it was taking you to calm. He just waited with you, soothing you with gentle words, that look of concern never leaving his face.

"I.... dro....wn..ed?" you choked out, unable to get the images of water to leave your mind. There was water, so much water, and you couldn't breath, it was cold, couldn't breathe, can't breath, cant--

"SANS, YOU DIDNT DROWN, YOU HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN NEAR WATER. WAS IT A BAD DREAM? ARE YOU OKAY?" He soothed out, still so gentle. When you could not bring yourself to form a response, he seemed to light up with an idea. "IF TALKING IS HARD RIGHT NOW, YOU COULD TALK IN HANDS!"

His words lingered in your mind as you attempted to process exactly what he had meant by it. Was he referring to sign language? You didn't recall having ever learned sign language, but somehow, you had a feeling you would be able to use it if you were to try.

You let out a shuddered breath, bringing your hands to your face and experimentally flexing your fingers. As disturbing as it had initially been to see your fingers as fleshless bone, somehow, it was beginning to feel more natural to you. It was as though the initial overwhelming shock of waking up as a skeleton was wearing away. Or maybe you were just so tired out you couldn't bring yourself to care anymore. Dissociation was a hell of a coping mechanism.

'Talking hurts really bad,' you finally signed out, your movements slow and deliberate. You could not stop the trembling, but it seemed that this ghostly Papyrus could still interpret without difficulty.

"THATS OKAY! WE CAN SIGN AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE! I CAN TALK ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF US! NYEH HEH!"

He seemed so gentle and sweet. But you couldn't lie to him, even if through omission. You needed to talk about what happened. You needed to tell him that you weren't Sans, that you weren't his brother, that you were supposed to be dead. He deserved to know the truth, regardless of how frightening it was to admit.

'I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm not Sans. I was human? I remember dying. I remember drowning. I couldn't handle the pain so I drowned myself. Now am I here? How am I alive? Why?'

Several emotions seemed to cross the other's features at your confession. There was confusion, and shock, and uncertainty, yet never anger or judgement. "...YOU WERE ASLEEP FOR A LONG TIME. I DO NOT KNOW IF YOU HAD A BAD DREAM OR IF YOU REALLY ARE SOMEHOW SUDDENLY SOMEBODY ELSE, BUT EVEN IF YOU ARE, YOU ARE STILL MY BROTHER AND I CARE ABOUT YOU."

His answer was surprising. You had expected anger, or disbelief, or denial, or something bad. You expected him to yell, or say he was disappointed, or just abandon you without a word. Yet... he still cared?

'Really?' you responded, tears streaming down your sockets as you formed the word, unable to say anything more than that.

"ALWAYS. I KNOW YOU'RE SCARED, BUT I AM HERE FOR YOU..."

He really did love you, you could feel it. He didn't hate you, he didn't blame you. He loved you. He wanted you to be okay. You couldn't remember a time anybody had cared for you before.

"BROTHER, I KNOW YOU WOULDN'T JOKE ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS, SO IF... YOU DONT WANT ME TO CALL YOU SANS ANYMORE, I COULD CALL YOU SOMETHING ELSE?"

You nodded quickly to that. You wouldn't feel right using Sans as a name knowing you were not the person who truly owned it. And if the multiverse existed as you remembered, then you would need a unique name anyway, as you couldn't go around being called Sans when so many different Sanses existed.

You were finally calmer, but the exhaustion made your head fuzzy. It was hard to come up with names now. 'Can you help me decide?'

"OF COURSE! NYEH HEH! THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL FIND THE BEST NAME EVER!"

'Thankyou,' you signed. You really were thankful though. He had comforted you through your distress, promised not to leave you even after you admitted to not being his brother. And... honestly... you already felt very attached to him. As though he really were your brother. Was it possible the memories and feelings of this body were bleeding into your own?

"HMM. HOW ABOUT DUST?" he suggested after a long moment of thought. "BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL DUSTY!"

You shook your head. It did seem like this was likely to be a DustTale route of some sort, especially considering your Papyrus was a phantom and you were definitely covered in monster dust, you did not want to use a name that was potentially being used already.

"...WHAT ABOUT POWDER, THEN? OR... SOOT? ASH? PARTICLE?"

'How about A-S-H-E?' you suggested. You liked that the suggestions were all still easily recognisable, but Ashe seemed more gentle, somehow, and you liked that. It made you feel more like you.

"ASHE! NYEH HEH! THE COOLEST NAME FOR THE COOLEST BROTHER!"