Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Papyrus.” Sans mumbled, looking away from a plump woman speaking to her small, vulnerable, equally fatty child. Sans never mumbles.

He and his friends, his family, his majesties, his idols- everyone he had ever known were all released from their lifelong prison. The barrier was broken, they were free to do as they pleased. They were able to bask in the big ball of light glowing from the earth’s big blue ceiling. They were able to feel the fresh air on their bodies.

When Sans had first reached the outside, he had immediately taken himself to stain his blue kerchief as well as his battle body green with grass. He was ecstatic. He smiled and watched his people smile back as they observed the outside plant life for the first time. Everyone was happy. The outside was beautiful.

It became harder for monsterkind once the humans found out about their existence. Though surprisingly, it wasn't much hassle. After a month paperwork was signed and they were allowed freely into the human city known as Ebott. After a year or two their populations grew large enough that monsters began to move away from the growing city. Things were great.

Humans littered the streets along with monsters, both species getting closer to an equilibrium. So what if one could obviously destroy the other with a single command? So what if monsters were made of sweet, yet bitter and tart dust; and humans were made of bloody, irony flesh?

Sans clenched his fist. So what? He was itchy. “Papyrus.” He mumbled again, looking up from his filthy seat up to his brother, who's head was veiled by the gross lamp stuck to the bus’ ceiling. The child he had seen earlier started crying at something his mother said.

His brother yawned and let his head roll towards him. The lazy skeleton's eyes were half-lidded in a manner that was widely perceived as calm. Sans knew better. Papyrus was tired. Exhausted, even. The smaller of the brothers tugged on the taller’s orange hoodie. His hands were shaking and he couldn't help but growl. “I can't be here, Papyrus. We have to go, papy. ”

Papyrus slowly grasped his hands in both of his own. “We're almost home, bro. The magnificent Sans can hold out for a few minutes longer, right?” He said in a manner that could have been reassuring.

Sans’ expressed contorted in pain, from head to toe he was trembling. He forced his eyelights to become bigger and brighter. The puppy dog eyes. “Please, please, shortcut us out of here?”

“Sorry bro…  Just a while longer, okay?” His brother said, an apology laced in his voice. He pulled his hands away and pat the top of Sans’ head before shoving them in his pockets and sighing.

Another growl erupted from Sans’ non existent throat and sharpened teeth unsheathed themselves. Roughly, he grabbed Papyrus by the shoulders. “PAPYRUS, TAKE US HOME NOW .” He almost yelled, yellow swirling in the blue of his eyelights and blue tears pooling at the edge of his eye sockets.

Papyrus’ eyes went wide before they dropped in an almost disappointed manner. “Kay.” He mumbled and with a short burst of magic the brothers were back home.

He watched as his brother ran into the kitchen and whipped the fridge door open. His pink slippers padded quietly against the kitchen tile as he approached Sans, who was devouring a raw steak like it was his first meal in months.

He put a hand on his older brother’s back and Sans flinched back, growling and panting like a feral animal. It took a moment, but Sans’ eyelights focused upon recognition.

The smaller skeleton let the meat fall from his mouth as he sighed miserably. Blood dripped messily from his jaw and pieces of meat were wedged between his sharpened teeth. He wiped it away and covered his face in his blood-stained gloves. “Oh my god.” The smaller skeleton sniffled, and when he uncovered his eyes they were filled with tears. He looked up to his younger brother, holding back a sob. “I'm sorry, Papy.”

“Hey hey, none of that.” Papyrus kneeled down and wiped the tears from Sans’ face. He pulled the other in for a bone-crushing hug and sighed. His orange hoodie was stained now almost as much as his brother as blood smeared onto it. Papyrus rubbed the back of his brother’s head in a soothing manner. “That was almost five hours this time. That's like- a whole movie and a trip to the mall without your cravings acting up too badly. That's not so bad, is it?”

“Wsh...lkmin..amuph..chll’d l’psh..ammut.” Sans sobbed into his hoodie.

“Sans?” Papyrus inquired, unable to decipher the mumbling.

The smaller of the two sighed, dejected, before speaking in a quiet volume. “I was looking at that mother and child like pieces of meat.”

“...y-yeah. That'll happen, trust me. I know.” Papyrus took a quick glance at his own phalanges. How many times had he guiltily imagined the taste of his brother's dust? How many times had he actually eaten another monster and had not remembered it? He sighed, before repeating himself more quietly. “...I know.”

“I hate this, papy. Why… why me? Why us? Why are we like this, Papy? ” The pleading tone pierced through Papyrus’ fragile soul. Sans, though older, knew so much less about their condition. He hadn't gotten cravings until he had been surrounded by humans. Until he had a taste of the non-vegetarian food most humans frequented.

Papyrus both envied and pitied that ignorance. On one hand, he wished to have never known what they were. On the other, it was good to know their cravings weren't their fault. It was good to have an explanation.

Even with that knowledge he didn't have the heart to tell his brother the truth. “I dunno, that's just how it is, bro.” He'd always answer vaguely.

They weren't monsters. No, they were monsters . But Sans couldn't know that. No, he couldn't.