EndTale - Galactic (revising w.i.p. - check desc for update notes)

Chapter 3: Unbelievable

I teleported to our house.

My knees trembled as I steadied myself, my grip on Papyrus as steely as I could manage.

I felt really weak after teleporting such a long distance with him in my arms. My experience always was that the further I teleported with someone, the more worn out I'd be once we'd reached our destination, and the sooner I'd need to eat and sleep to recharge. But even just using a "shortcut" with the kid was easier than with Papyrus. So it was safe to say that going from the gate of the Ruins, to our home in Snowdin, all while holding Papyrus, took a plentiful amount of effort. And even that was an understatement.

But... I'd do anything for my baby bro. I didn't really ever bother him about it, but I was the older brother between the two of us. Granted, I was only older by 10 years, but it was enough for it to matter. After all, I'd taken care of him since he was a baby bones. Despite that, these days I just let him treat me as if he was the eldest, for his own sake.

I looked down at Papyrus's unconscious face, contemplative.

Sure, he's the "tall one" which makes him the "big" brother- but hey, I'm okay with that. He doesn't ever use the title to be too overbearing with me, otherwise I would have already said something about it.

I shuffled over to the couch and sat down, Paps still in my arms, and let his full body extend across the entire length of the couch. I rested his head on the armrest to my left, then looked up to stare off into the darkness of the room. I settled onto the cushions myself, my legs underneath his body.

I sighed, eye sockets closing in thought. I safely brought you home, Papyrus. Even in all my weakness, I got you home. The things this Flimsy-Bones does for you.

The silence of the room began to absorb me as I sat there with him, the energy I spent, enticing me to sleep.

I held Papyrus close, protecting him in my final moments of wakefulness.

----
A death.

His screams.

The deafening silence.

One human down.

Another.

Another.

Their screams all melding together.

A voice calling out.

Its words, muddled.

I couldn't hear them.

But they were desperate.

And just when their tone became clear-
----

I woke up in a cold sweat, breath hitching. What the hell was that? I looked to the wall clock, reading the time to see that it was already Tuesday evening. Another day passed like that? I raised a hand to my head, feeling woozy. An unpleasant headache radiated from the back of my skull around to my sockets. I groaned.

The sounds of Papyrus clinking away with his pots in the kitchen and the distinct smell of boiling spaghetti noodles reached my senses.

I used my hands to push myself off the couch, stretching a moment to wake myself up more. I looked to the light in the kitchen while rubbing my skull, and chuckled softly. "Of course he's making spaghetti." As per usual. I reflected on what happened yesterday, stirring some resentment within me. I could feel my face droop with a grouchy expression. "Damn..."

I slowly shuffled into the kitchen, stopping at the doorframe to look over the scene before me. My brother was standing in his "kiss the cook" apron, bent over a steaming pot that he was currently sprinkling salt into. His cooking smelled okay today, but it wasn't really making me want to eat anything, magic-exhausted as I was.