Brothers, A prequel to Brother

Chapter 1: Age

"I can't believe you're going to high school," Undyne fixed my jacket, or, uh, the jacket I borrowed. "I thought I'd have a couple more years."

"I-I'm sorry," I mumbled. I played with the loose string on the sleeve on the jacket. "Do you ever wish that I was older?"

"Not in a million years, Papyrus. I like you just the way you are." She pulled away from the jacket and gave me a smirk, "Even if you're seven," she finished with a wink. Undyne stood up and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Where's your brother?"

My shoulder blades flicked up and down. "How should I know?"

"It's called a rhetorical question, buddy."

"Did Sans ever go to school?" The question leaves my jaw quicker than I can comprehend that it happened.

Undyne just shook her head no. "He had to take care of you. You know he's only a year older than you, right?"

"I know, I know, I was just thinking, maybe we could go to school together."

Undyne shook her head again, "the pressure would kill him." She stood up and looked out the window as if he would appear there in a matter of seconds.

"If I can do it, why can't he?"

"Because he's been through different things," she paused and looked back at me, "different things you wouldn't understand Pap." Her voice had a finality tone to it. Telling me to let go of the conversation.

But before I could stop the honesty in my throat, my voice gave her one more question. "What happened?"

She looked out the window again and only said, "ask Sans, Papyrus."

Sans opened his bedroom door and let out a chuckle, "why are you still here?"

Undyne rubbed her eyes, "Sans. Are you-"

He cut her off,  "Yes, very drunk."

She sighed, "Sans, I was going to take a picture of the three of us at the door."

"Just take a picture of him. I'm going back to bed."

"That was quick."

"You said it," muttered Undyne.

~~~

"Now, class. We're going to go around the room and say one thing that we'd like the rest of the class to know." The thin monster turned to the board and wrote in big letters, 'Mrs. Knox' and turned back to the class with a large smile. "My name is Mrs. Knox. I am a Ninth-grade math teacher." She gestured to a small ghost sitting near the front.

The pink ghost got up from their seat, "M-Mettaton. My name is Mettaton, and I-uh, moved." The ghost sat down awkwardly.

The ghost to the left of them stood up and gave a big smile, "my name is Napstablook, and my favorite subject in school is computer tech." He pointed to the ghost next to him, "that's my cousin. He's really nice if you get to know him."

Napstablook sat down next to the Mettaton. He grabbed Mettaton's hand and squeezed. I glanced down at my hands. I wished Sans was here to hold mine. I started sketching out Sans' hands on the front of my notebook.

"Excuse me," the teacher exclaimed, pulling me out of my doodling trance.

I quickly stood up, and cleared my throat. The desk jumbled, spilling my books onto the floor. I picked up all my books and threw them on the desk. I gently pulled on the hem of my t-shirt. "Uh, um, I'm uh-" I coughed, what's my name again?

"Papyrus, is it?"

"Yeah."

"You look a little young to be in my class."

I presented seven fingers on my hands, "I'm seven."

She walked over to my desk. "Seven? In an AP Math class?"

I shook my head, "y-yep."

"Well, I'm expecting a lot from you, Papyrus."

"I know," and that was the truth.