Soul of a Broken [Rewriting]

9

You awoke to a few voice messages from Alphys stating that Sans was recovering and was maintaining a consistent breathing pattern and soul health but was still unconscious. You erased the messages and decided to take a breather outside. The morning air was always fresher to you and the slight chill in breeze helped you wake up. The sun was to your right and wasn't blinding you as usual. You inhaled and exhaled deeply, going over the events so far in your head. It didn't help that you could still see some dried blood on the grass.

If Sans hadn't moved you out of the way, you wouldn't even be here soaking in the morning sun. You shuddered and decided to go inside, locking the backyard door behind you. You saw Papyrus cooking the kitchen, though he wasn't humming as usual or even smiling. Everything just felt off.

"Hey, Papyrus." You walked into the kitchen and decided to try small talk. His reply was just a small grunt as he flipped the last pancake and placed it on a plate with the rest. You sat down at the table as he placed the food down in front of you and got back up. He dug in the cabinet and eventually pulled out a box of dinosaur oatmeal.

"You're not eating any pancakes?" You inquired as his odd behaviour was worrying you tremendously.

"No, I'll just eat my oatmeal. It sticks to my ribs." His voice was dull and monotone, and his child-like aura was nowhere to be found. You noticed him wince at the second statement, probably having remind him of his brother's terrible puns.

With a shy nod, you took a bite of a pancake. The food hadn't lost its flavor, however, you'd take bland food and a happy Papyrus anyday. "You're gonna have to cook these for me everyday, Paps! They're so good."

"They really aren't that good. Anyone could make pancakes like me, honestly." Papyrus took the oatmeal out of the microwave after putting in his desired amount of milk. With a couple stirs, he ate the hot cereal in complete silence.

You awkwardly adjusted in your seat. You hated the atmosphere now; it reminded you of the lab after packing away all the equipment.

"I'll go visit him." Papyrus seemed to perk up at this, even glancing in your direction for a second. After a couple beats of silence and you nervously fidgeting with the silverware, Papyrus took a seat next to you.

"Would you, please? Today...?" His desperate tone practically shattered your heart. You weren't going to say no to begin with, but even thinking about it felt like a sin against God.

"I will. Just promise me something, Paps."
"Anything. Anything, what is it?"

"Please be happy from here on out. I can't stand to see this side of you, it's not the Papyrus I know..." You pleaded as Papyrus slumped onto your side.

"It's so hard.. I wasn't there to protect him. If I would have been more vigilant, then no one would have gotten hurt." He mumbled and slumped more weight onto your side. His eye sockets closed with a small tap and on closer inspection you could see dark rings around them. They were nothing compared to Sans' but it still troubled you.

"It's ok. Like you said, even The Great Papyrus makes mistakes." You offered with a sheepish smile.

"A mistake like this should not be forgiven so easily. Why aren't you mad at me, _________? Why aren't you disappointed?" He looked up at, orange tears leaving faint streaks down his ivory colored face.

"Papyrus! I could never be disappointed in you. It wasn't your fault, it wasn't anyone's fault! Don't put all the blame on you," You wiped his tears. "Now, please promise me. I'll make sure your brother is alright and he'll be back here telling his terrible puns in no time!"