Chapter Text
Papyrus stepped through the darkness and into his bedroom. To anyone in Hotland, it appeared as if the lanky skeleton had just ducked behind his corn dog stand. But when he stood up with a lazy grin, Papyrus was in his home in Snowdin. For being so tall, Papyrus knew some useful shortcuts.
He pulled off his baggy orange hoodie and threw it on the floor. The trash tornado that perpetually spun in the corner of his room pulled its latest victim into the vortex. He picked out another one of his many nearly identical hoodies from his closet and shrugged it on. Whether or not his clothes were clean didn’t really matter to Papyrus, but his brother Sans always complained when he came home smelling like grease and condiments.
It was Taco Tuesday, so Papyrus was on his best behavior. His boisterous brother made tacos everyday, but on Tuesdays he insisted that they make time to eat together. Even though Sans was busy training to join the royal guard and working as a sentry, he said it was important to do “brotherly bonding”.
So it was strange when Papyrus poked his head out into the hall and didn’t hear Sans cheerfully humming as he cooked.
“Hey, bro! You home?” His voice echoed through the still house. Black sneakers propelled the large skeleton forward and down the stairs with uncanny speed. It only took him a moment to see that Sans wasn’t in the kitchen. His pink apron still hung neatly on the hook next to the refrigerator. The brightly colored message board on the freezer door was blank.
The pulse of his soul set Papyrus on edge. Where was his brother? No monster in the underground would purposefully hurt him. But what if there had been an accident?
Anyone would’ve cleared out of Papyrus’ way if they had seen the serious set of his jawbone. Determined to find Sans, he jerked open the front door. A pile of clothes on the welcome mat made him stop short. It was Sans’ battle body.
“What in the stars?” Papyrus swore as he picked up his brother’s clothes. The bright blue bandana which Sans always wore was conspicuously absent and there was a note pinned to the shirt.
Your brother won’t need these for awhile. He’s with Undyne at the lab. Don’t worry, you huge dork.
ALPHYS
For some reason, Papyrus didn’t feel reassured after reading the captain’s message. He knew Sans wouldn’t miss Taco Tuesday without telling him first. Something fell out of Sans’ pants and clattered to the ground. It was his cellphone.
Papyrus’ soul leaped into his non-existent throat. Unsteady phalanges picked up the sticker covered cellphone. Sans’ phone straps jingled merrily as Papyrus clutched it tightly. Sans would never forget his phone.
Magic began to gather in his eye socket. There was something going on and he was going to get some answers. One moment, the usually laid back skeleton loomed in the doorway, and the next he was gone.
~
Sans softly moaned as he began to wake up. He squeezed his eye sockets shut and curled up, trying to drift back to sleep. It was so warm and cozy in the pocket of Undyne’s lab coat. His blue stomach, full of magic and muffin, made the tiny little skeleton contentedly lethargic. His boney hand rubbed against the soft fabric of the bandana that covered his distended belly. Sans smiled. His stomach ache had been soothed away by the steady strokes of Undyne’s fingers.
Unfortunately, Sans’ pleasant doze didn’t last long.
“Where’s my bro?” A familiar voice growled. Sans felt Undyne jump in shock and let out a yelp.
“P-P-Papyrus! Don’t just p-pop up behind me!” Undyne stuttered.
“Alphys left a note and Sans’ phone on my doorstep with no explanation. I’m a skeleton, but you know I’m not a bonehead. What’s going on?” Papyrus sounded strange. Held so close to Undyne’s body, Sans felt her trembling. For a moment, Sans hesitated to reveal himself. It was bad enough that Alyphs, the captain of the royal guard, saw him like this - all small and defenseless. It seemed even more embarrassing for Papyrus to find out. But a royal guard would never be cowardly and hide, especially from their own mistakes! So as Undyne sputtered, Sans’ skull peaked out of her pocket.
“Papy! I’m quite alright, brother!” Sans squeaked. He sleepily waved up at Papyrus with one hand and covered his wide yawn with the other.
“Excuse me.” A light blue blush tinted the mini-sized skeleton’s cheekbones. “Even future famous royal guards take naps now and again!” Normally Papyrus’ eye sockets rested only half-way open, but now they appeared to bulge as he stared at Sans.
“Bro?” Papyrus slowly kneeled down.
“MWEHEHEH, indeed!” Sans couldn’t resist laughing at his brother’s flabbergasted expression. It wasn’t often that Papyrus lost his cool composure.
He stretched his thin arms up and out. Papyrus carefully extended his hands forward. Sans grabbed one of his brother’s long phalanges and lifted himself out of Undyne’s cozy pocket. The bandana clad handful of a skeleton stood up in the protective cradle of his brother’s bones.
No one said anything for a moment. Papyrus opened and closed his jaw several times, unsure where to start. Sans smiled and stretched, enjoying his brother’s surprise.
“So, this is what you were all keeping on the down low?” Papyrus finally asked.
“Brother! Now is not the time for your ridiculous puns!” Sans indignantly stomped his foot, but he was so light that Papyrus barely felt it at all. Papyrus’ expression relaxed into a mischievous look.
“Now you don’t have to be short with me, bro.” Undyne’s muffled giggle-snort did not go unnoticed. Sans turned around and looked desolately at the doctor as she tried to stifle her laughter.
“No! Not you too! Dr. Undyne do not be swayed by my brother’s terrible attempts at comedy!” Sans implored. Papyrus looked Undyne dead in the eye and then down at the small fuming skeleton.
“Looks like I have a mutiny on my hands.” Sans’ jaw dropped. He spun around to face his brother again as Undyne guffawed uncontrollably. Papyrus winked at him. “Bro, you think my humor is lowbrow, but you’re smiling.” Papyrus continued. Undyne gasped for breath in the background.
“I am and I hate it!” Sans grumbled and crossed his arms. One of Papyrus’ phalanges playfully prodded the bulge in Sans’ middle. He knew it was a store of excess magic because sometimes the space between his rib cage and pelvis would fill with leftover magic too.
As lazy as he was, Papyrus didn’t need to carry a lot of extra. Since Sans’ spent most of his days running around, he ate everyday and maintained a reserve. However, Papyrus had never seen his brother’s stomach extend to such a generous and poke-able size. It was warm and had an elastic give to it.
Sans swatted at his brother’s finger halfheartedly. Papy’s puns were awful, but Sans thought that he partly deserved them today. He felt bad that his brother had been so worried. It was his job to look after Papyrus. Who knew what would happen to the lazybones if he didn’t have such a cool brother taking care of him?
“How did this happen?” Papyrus asked. Sans hemmed and hawed, reluctant to tell his brother about his silly mistake. He glanced up at Undyne. She paused before realizing what her small skeleton friend wanted.
“O-oh! Well, Sans drank a bottle of Shrinking Sauce!” Undyne explained. “It’s not really supposed to be ingested, but Sans seems to be fine. The affects should wear off in a few days…” She trailed off.
Papyrus’ eyebrow ridges furrowed. His questioning gaze landed on Sans. The little skeleton shifted in his palms without meeting his look.
“Even future famous royal guards can forget to read labels, Papy! How was I supposed to know that you dab Shrinking Sauce behind your ears. It’s name is intentionally misleading!” Sans threw up his hands in frustration.
Papyrus shook his head. He let out a long a breath. Undyne tittered nervously.
“What?” Sans demanded.
“Bro,” Papyrus drawled. “We’re skeleton monsters.”
“Obviously, Papy.” Sans replied impatiently. Papyrus looked amused about something. “We don’t have ears.”
Sans froze. Little boney hands reached up to feel the smooth sides of his skull. His eye sockets widened in dawning horror.
“Sans?” Undyne asked, slightly concerned. Papyrus and Undyne jumped as Sans let out an anguished squeal.
“No!!! The Sensational Sans japed himself?!” He wailed. “Alphys must never know of my genius or I will never join the royal guard!”
“Hey, there’s no need to belittle yourself, bro.” Papyrus teased, but Sans was too distraught to admonish his pun.
“Sorry, Sans.” Undyne comforted him. “I guess you could say you got the short end of the stick this time.”
The tiny skeleton covered his face and continued moaning. Papyrus stood up, resuming his slouched posture, and tucked his brother into his hoodie pocket for safekeeping.
Undyne would have thought him completely unassuming if she hadn’t seen his eye socket blazing with magic before Sans had popped out of her pocket.
“Thanks for taking care of him, Undyne. I’ll remember it.” Papyrus held out his hand. Undyne shivered. There was something unnerving about him, but she reached out to shake his hand anyway.
“It was no prob- THBBPTHBPT!” Undyne blushed as Papyrus smirked and held up his hand, revealing a whoopee cushion.
“That joke never gets old. See you later, Doc.” With a mockingly jaunty salute, Papyrus turned on his foot and the skeleton brothers were gone.
Undyne took a deep breath and adjusted her glasses. She fished her phone out of her other pocket and looked at her new background, a picture of itty-bitty Sans sprawled out asleep in her hand. A shy toothy grin lit up her face. Sometimes being the Royal Scientist had its perks.