EscapeTale

Chapter One

     Sans's head felt fuzzy. His vision was blurry. He could make out the bar in front of him, but his tunnel vision was intense. He took another sip of liquor.

That was a lie. He choked it down like he was drowning himself. His nostrils burned and his eyes stung. He felt like he was going to explode. He slammed the empty glass down on the table a bit harder than necessary. He didn't notice, his ears were ringing too loud for that. "there's no point in anything..." He also didn't notice Grillby gazing at him and shuffling his feet worriedly.

He did, however, notice when the door to the bar slammed open. His eyelids drooped lazily as his gaze flickered towards the sound. His brother was walking in disapprovingly. He vaguely heard him scolding Sans. He couldn't make out words. He knew he didn't sound happy. Why was that again..?

He felt himself being dragged home in the snow. Was this snowdin? He could've sworn the barrier had been broken. He couldn't bring himself to care.

He blacked out.

When he woke up, his head felt like it was splitting apart. What had happened last night? He blinked a couple of times, rubbing his eyes. He was on the couch... why? He had a sneaking suspicion, but he pushed it away. He'd know if... that had happened once Papyrus woke up.

It had happened. He knew before he even saw his brother's face. He heard him miserably trudging down the stairs and he knew what he'd done last night. He felt sick. He'd already vomited half his insides out, so he didn't think anything would happen, but it didn't matter. He'd promised his brother he'd stop doing this. He was on the surface! What did he have to run away from?

He didn't want an answer.

Papyrus stopped at the bottom of the stairs and met his eyes. "I knew there was no point in talking to you last night. So. I hope you can explain yourself." Sans's eye-lights dimmed. He wasn't sure he could. He tilted his head down a bit. "... i'm sorry..." He choked out.

"No. Sorry doesn't cut it. You promised, Sans! I begged you to stop drinking; and you promised! I can't keep doing this. There's no way I can keep doing this. Please, pull yourself together!" He was pleading him. It was like he was asking for mercy. Sans felt like the scum of the earth. His mouth felt dry. "i won't do it again."

A long silence passed.

"Sans, I'm sorry." Sans looked up. "what? why?" His brother looked somber. This was all his fault.

"I don't believe you."

Sans shortcutted to a gas station in the middle of the night. The clerk, a teenage boy, seemed shocked. He didn't care right now. Papyrus had refused to talk to him the rest of the day, and so he'd holed up in his room. He had decided to throw on a jacket and go out, but he didn't feel like walking, so, magic it was.

He picked up a bottle of liquor tiredly. He couldn't make Papyrus any more disappointed in him(it was probably possible, and he seemed to be going for an award. a ruin-your-brother's-life award). He checked out, and the kid looked like he wanted to talk, but he didn't feel like being barraged with questions right now. He teleported away as soon as he finished paying.

Sans didn't know what to do. He sat, dangling his legs over the side of a bridge on the outskirts of town. He took a swig of liquor. Didn't matter now anyways. He'd try not to get drunk. But he certainly didn't want to be sober right now. He dimly stared down below him. He wondered... if he fell, would he die? Woah there, that must be some strong stuff to make him think he wouldn't dust on impact. He literally had one defense. It wouldn't even hurt. His eyelids drooped. If he died, the kid would prolly reset. Or maybe load. To before that night, maybe. How he ached for a do-over. He was aware that he was being extremely selfish right now. And stupid. The kid might even just decide to keep living without him.

...he didn't think he'd mind that.

Part of his brain was screaming for him to stop, part was screaming for him to do it, but most was too fuzzy and dull from the alcohol to listen to either. But still, his body moved. He stood up shakily. He stared down. He took a step forwards, and then-

-and then there just wasn't any ground underneath him anymore.

He was free-falling, straight towards the concrete. How messy. He should've jumped so he could at least make it to the river.

...didn't really matter, though. The outcome was the same.

He... didn't hit concrete? He did make contact with something, though. He felt a snap in his legs and his eyes burned. Then it was over. Thank god he blacked out. For the split second he was conscious, it was absolute agony.

Undyne had seen him. He was falling. Her legs moved automatically. Her brain didn't have time to function, to process who it was. All she could think about was how Alphys had told her when they'd first met. "I wonder if it might lead to simply... non-existence."

"...sometimes I want to jump. Most times, actually."

She stopped him with her magic, but she didn't have blue magic. He still got a lot of impact. She heard a loud crack. Wait, was that Sans?!  Well, it didn't matter right now! She dialed 911.