Chapter Text
Sans coughed wetly, trying in vain to clear his airways of marrow. He sputtered as a heel was ground into his shattered ribs, choking on a mix of his lifeblood congealing with dust. The Player leered down at him, panting, their remaining sliver of HP visibly hovering over their head, as the Encounter was yet to be finished.
“This is boring,” they said, shaking dust from the Tough Glove they’d chosen to use this round. Sans had gotten sidetracked in the basement after clearing Snowdin and they’d managed to empty the Ruins and Snowdin Forest before he could stall them. It made their final fight shorter than the last couple of RESETs. “What would you do if I left and never came back? Hm?”
Sans stopped struggling, staring up at them uncomprehendingly. This wasn’t the first time they’d proposed abandoning his timeline through sheer boredom, but that resolve never lasted longer than a week. Something in his expression must’ve given away his thoughts.
“You can’t live without me,” they taunted, “but I don’t need you.” The pressure they bore down on him eased up as they grinned mockingly. “Go on,” they beckoned. “Do it.”
Their gloved hand lifted above their head and Sans’ fingers twitched; cyan constructs plunged through Sans’ prone body and into the Player’s, shaving off the last of their HP. As their soul emerged, beginning to fracture, the Player slid further down the glowing bones, reaching out to stroke Sans’ cheek in a caricature of gentleness.
"I hope your sins burn as you suffer alone in this Hell.”
The sound of their soul shattering was louder than ever before, and Sans felt the rush of EXP fill his bones, his LV maxing out, HP rising by decimals. All that meant was that Sans was alive and conscious and forced to bear witness to the world unraveling around him as it RESET, the Judgement Hall bleeding into his bedroom. He stared up at the ceiling, panting as the blood was suddenly cleared from his pseudo-lungs, though his body felt like one giant bruise, phantom pain rippling from his chest. His door rattled under his brother’s fist as he called for him to wake and he took a deep breath, closing his eye sockets. It was time to start again.
> Days since RESET: 0
> Days since Timeline Anomaly: 638
Clearing house was merely routine at this point, but it was made slightly more difficult by Papyrus’ especially cantankerous attitude. Usually he waited until Sans started slowing down or getting tired to start his ranting and raving, but it seemed the Player's words had really gotten to him this time. (Even if Sans couldn’t remember Papyrus being present during their little display.)
“What If They Meant It?” he insisted, hovering over Sans’ shoulder as he kicked through Muffet’s dust. He hadn’t sensed the human’s Determined presence, even after erasing Snowdin, so he decided to save the Ruins for last, making quick work of Waterfall (with Undyne being his first stop) and swiftly annihilating anyone dwelling about in Hotland. News hadn’t quite gotten out yet that it was him causing the calamity, as he’d begun his Hotland massacre with Alphys and Mettaton to stall for time before the panic set in.
“you can’t trust the human, Paps,” Sans said. “they never mean it. it won’t be long before they come back, so we need to be ready.”
That made Papyrus’ attitude do a full one-eighty. “THEN I SUGGEST YOU RECOLLECT YOUR EXP QUICKLY, BROTHER! WE WOULDN’T WANT THE HUMAN TO BEST YOU AGAINST BECAUSE YOU WERE TOO LAZY TO TAKE OUT THE EASIEST TARGETS FIRST.”
Sans decided against pointing out that there was nothing remotely ‘easy’ about killing everyone he knew and loved (once upon a time), but from the sour expression settling on Papyrus’ face, he’d read Sans’ mind loud and clear. Fortunately, some new targets coming into view distracted him and Sans was able to get through the Core and New Home before Papyrus started tearing into him again.
“This Time, When You’ve Finished Raising Your LOVE, Destroy As Much Food And Resources As Possible. The Battle Always Lasts Annoyingly Long When They Have Access To Healing Items.”
“heh.” Sans watched Asgore collapse into dust, crown rolling across the floor. “that’s why i need ya, Paps, to think ahead when i can’t. you’re the best.”
“Of Course! I Am The Great Papyrus, After All! Now, On To The Forest And Ruins! Swiftly Now, Before They Show Up!”
> Days since RESET: 233
> Days since Timeline Anomaly: 638 871
With Papyrus’ help, Sans established a strict routine after a month of no signs that the Player was about to return. He’d wake up well before dawn, take a shortcut to The Beginning (where the golden flowers adorning a long-forgotten grave were wilting without Toriel’s tender care), and patrol the Underground on foot, checking every nook and cranny (all of which he became intimately familiar with over countless RESETs), leaving no stone unturned or shadowy crevice overlooked, setting new traps and maintenancing old ones, until he reached the Barrier. (On good days, it only took until the early evening hours.)
After that, he returned to Alphys’ The Lab and monitored the cameras scattered throughout the (previously) most commonly traversed path. Papyrus was only truly satisfied with his efforts well past midnight hours, and finally gave Sans permission to crash. And crash Sans would - increased LV and HP didn’t have a tremendous effect on his overall energy levels, so wearing himself so thin on the daily left him no time to do anything but sleep outside his vigil - until Papyrus roused him again a few hours later.
Sans couldn’t find it within himself to argue against his brother’s demands - after all, Papyrus just wanted him to be prepared and wished the best for him. However, after so many months and not a peep from the anomaly, and whatever food remained running thin with Sans lacking the technical know-how to farm more, he was beginning to grow weary. Of course, Papyrus knew him too well and picked up on his lagging speed and focus in no time.
“SANS!” he screeched as the stout skeleton nearly stumbled into his own trap. “STOP LOLLYGAGGING! THE HUMAN COULD REAPPEAR AT ANY MOMENT! WE MUST BE PREPARED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT! DO YOU WANT EVERYONE’S DEATHS TO BE IN VAIN? DO YOU WANT TO WASTE THE EXP THEY SUFFERED TO GIVE YOU?”
Sans’ permagrin faltered as he squeezed his sockets closed and rubbed them hard enough to have stars flashing in his peripheral.
“sorry, Pap,” he mumbled. “just… just need a moment.”
Papyrus sucked in a loud breath (despite no longer needing to breathe), but whatever rant he was about to unleash upon Sans was lost to the sudden ringing in his skull. Everything felt cold and his body was so h e a v y . . .
“jus’ a min…” he slurred, voice muffled where it was buried in the snow.
His brother gave a heavy, put-upon sigh. “I SUPPOSE YOU ARE RATHER USELESS LIKE THIS. Rest, Brother, And We’ll Continue When You’re Recharged."
Sans was already out like a light before Papyrus even finished speaking.
> Days since RESET: ~532
> Days since Timeline Anomaly: 638 871 1170?
Soft white eye lights drifted lazily across the monitor, split into fifteen boxes, each showcasing a different portion of the Underground - five in every biome. (The only exception was New Home, but Sans would stop the Player long before they made it that far.) As usual, there was nothing to see except snow, rain, and steam, and it only kept so much of his attention. His sockets were heavy after a long night, energy lagging after too long with too little food (having to thin out his meals to make up for destroying most of it to prevent the Player from making use of it), but Papyrus was a stickler for schedules and if he slept now, he would never hear the end of it. Papyrus had become more irritable and easily set off as time went on with no sign of their world’s keeper’s return, and frankly, Sans was getting sick of the ringing in his skull from his brother’s shrill shrieks. (Could skeleton monsters get tinnitus? Because Sans was pretty sure he’d gotten it.)
Sans jerked upright right before his skull could connect with the desk before him. He’d started drifting off while lost in thought; multitasking like that was just one of many “skills” he gained during his extended isolation. (He wasn’t a doctor, and had no access to one for obvious reasons, but he had an inkling that he’d somehow developed a sleeping disorder.) That very symptom of his current lifestyle led to him developing new blueprints and diagrams to aid him in repairing the machine in his basement - during his especially sparse spare hours not spent snoozing, of course. He hadn’t gotten very far, but it no longer looked like a stripped cylinder wrapped in wires. Maybe he would work on it some more once Papyrus freed him from his vigil…
Scrubbing his face, he looked back up, scowling at the fuzzy screens, and froze when he saw that the doors to the Ruins were cracked, with a pattern of indents leading from them. He hadn’t sensed the overwhelming Determination that usually accompanied the Player, and even with the lack of fuel to his magic, there was no way he would miss that feeling - not after so many endless loops feeling it seer into his very bones. He scanned the cameras, following the tracks, and finally the culprit stepped into view on the fourth snowbound camera. It was a skeleton monster, and manipulating the controls to zoom in, it brought a sense almost similar to looking into a mirror - minus the thick monochromatic clothes, of course. He narrowed his eyes, blue beginning to seep into the corners of his vision as his magic stirred, and smirked as Papyrus materialized beside him.
“What Is That, Brother?” Papyrus hissed, mirroring Sans as he squinted at the image.
Sans chuckled as he stood, reaching out for the nonexistence of the Void, a Determined red bleeding the white from his eye lights.
“a new p l a y e r has joined the game.”
> Days since RESET: ???
> Days since Timeline Anomaly: 638 871 1170 0