Chapter Text
When Sans went back to the lower level Core labs they were empty of all monsters. Out of habit, he’d grabbed his key-card before he’d left the apartment. It was a pointless muscle memory - when he’d gone back the day after the accident it hadn’t worked on the doors. And it didn’t work now.
He'd avoided the monsters on the upper floors, and taken a shortcut down to the bottom levels. To where he’d last seen the machine. It was still there.
The lab itself was a ghost town, without even the ghosts. It looked as if it had been abandoned for years.
He breathed out in relief at the sight of the machine, however. And he quickly started working on the calculations necessary to move something that large through a shortcut. Realising quickly it would be much more complicated than anything he could work out in his head, he looked for something to write his calculations down on.
Searching through the softly illuminated lab, a red glow filling the room from the dense, magically reinforced and sealed magma viewers on the floor and wall of the lab. He’d never really liked it, it had always felt ominous to him, and had been glad when he’d been moved off the lower floor to do some correspondence work with the sister lab in the West side of Hotland.
A niggling feeling of discomfort came to him at the thought of the Western lab, but he quickly dismissed it. He and Papyrus had spent a lot of time there when Dad was assigned to that lab when they were young. And he’d enjoyed corresponding with the head of the lab there, Dr Alphys had been nothing but accommodating.
He started digging through the mess that used to be Dad’s workspace. So much seemed missing or scattered, although surprisingly unharmed. He eventually found an ordinary enough blank book to use.
Flipping it open he grabbed a pen and started working on the calculations, only moving when he needed to go check the dimensions of the machine.
He couldn’t exactly weigh it... He’d need to make an estimate.
Taking into account the alloys and amounts used, judging by the thickness of the metal, as well as the breakdown of the components making up the bulk of the mechanics…
It took him a while, but eventually, he felt he had a close enough idea of what would be needed to move it.
Now to calculate the distance and altitude differences!
He felt another moment of unease as he worked, but this time he knew the cause. He wasn’t the best with mechanics and electronics. His focus had always been much more theoretical and mathematical.
Papyrus had always been better at more practical things like this.
But now…
Papyrus had said he would help, but who knew how much he could even still remember about this stuff! Considering how upset he’d been yesterday, Sans didn’t want to push it just yet, and Papyrus hadn’t shown any inclination towards practical sciences since the accident - or even really made any mention of the labs except in the vaguest most unclear terms. Why would he get a job doing deliveries to help them pay the bills when he could easily find a more qualified position otherwise? No matter how okay Papyrus claimed he was, he clearly wasn’t. But Sans didn’t know how to even begin to broach the subject with him.
Hopefully, it would get better with time.
But now that he thought about it... maybe Dr Alphys could help.
He’d liaised with her before when she’d first been assigned and taken over at the Western Lab, he couldn’t remember what he’d been working on at the time. That was one of the gaps he hadn’t been able to fill. And then again recently just before the accident, he'd worked with her again in passing. But, Dr Alphys, she’d been some kind of mechanical genius! Even if she’d been assigned to a non-mechanical project, she was still the most capable person he knew of in the field, and mechanical expertise was exactly what he needed.
Doodling idly in the notebook while he thought, he finally made up his mind. But first, to move the machine.
Hours and hours after he’d first arrived, and calculations firmly in mind he made his way over to it and slipped through space.
Stepping through he looked around Dad’s room. It’s a good thing he’d shifted things to the sides before he’d left the apartment, the machine took up a lot of room. The only space left to work was on the small bed really.
Looking up at the machine he took a deep breath. Time to get to work.
More time passed. A new Royal Scientist was selected eventually. Papyrus tried not to pay too much attention to the news, even though Sans had brought it up a few times. Papyrus always managed to make himself scarce.
Papyrus kept working hard every day, while Sans spent his time in... his room with the machine. Papyrus did his best not to think about it, really. But he still made an effort to give Sans encouragement when he could!
After all, this had finally pulled Sans out of his depression, and no matter how he felt about things he wouldn’t let his, and his brother’s efforts go to waste!
His brother was doing better and there was no way Papyrus was going to get in the way of that!
And if he spent longer hours at work to avoid being under the same roof as that machine and what it represented, well! It wasn’t as if they didn’t need the extra money!
It was like being stuck between a rock and a bigger rock as far as he was concerned, spend more time in the apartment, or spend more time outside in Hotland. At least he sometimes got to see places other than Hotland outside, so that was something.
Speaking of places other than Hotland…
Papyrus had finished work for the day. Technically he’s finished a while ago. His last delivery had been near the edge of Hotland, and after dropping the bundle of letters off at the Western lab door he briskly made his way away from the building as quickly as possible, feeling shaky and slightly sick.
His soul was still vibrating in his chest as he tried to gather himself together beside the flashing 'Welcome To Hotland' sign he's made his way to, he didn’t want to go back to the apartment. Not right now at least.
Walking, somewhat unsteadily, he continued westwards towards Waterfall. The air temperature started to drop, and arid heat gave way to warm, damp humidity and the distant, calming sounds of running water.
Exiting the long tunnel and entering the large cavern at the start of Waterfall, Papyrus strolled down towards the bridge. There was an old monster who often hung around over there, and Papyrus had come to enjoy listening to the elder talk about things when he had the time. He wasn’t there today though.
Turning around, Papyrus made his way back towards the tall peak that enveloped the tunnel entrance from this side. After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled himself up the side of the tall rock formation, without concern for the sharp drop beneath him, until he found himself a relatively level spot to sit, overlooking the abyss surrounding the sides of the outcrop.
He sat there quietly, listening to the distant sound of water deep in the abyss, invisible to the eye. Leaning back against the cool rock, he pulled off his gloves and dropped them next to him.
He’d never spent time here before, by this peaking rock formation. At least not that he knew of, he corrected himself mentally. He hated that he still wasn’t sure about so much.
Picking at the cracks and grooves in the bone absently, he gazed out at nothing, vision blurring. Thinking about everything.
Soon his thoughts started taking up so much of his focus that he became completely unaware of his surroundings.
He could hear the distant whispering, but it wasn’t following him the way it did in Hotland.
Suffocating him in his own mind.
He’d managed to avoid going to The Core with his job so far, mainly by trading deliveries with other people to avoid doing so. But he hadn’t thought to check his deliveries to make sure he didn’t have to go to the Western Lab. This oversight was on him!
He scratched hard at his knucklebones.
There was so much he still wasn’t sure about. And what he was sure about… he wasn’t that sure about.
No, that wasn’t true. He knew what he remembered was real, he knew what he’d remembered that day when he’d first left the apartment was true!
But Sans didn’t remember it.
And that…
Wasn’t a bad thing.
His fingers hooked in the open gap in the bones of his palm, tugging absently at the bonds held together with magic.
If Sans didn’t remember, it would make him happier. It was making him happier!
And as long as Sans was happy, Papyrus would be happy too!
He dug his fingertips into the bones surrounding the hole hard.
That was what mattered.
Papyrus was so lost in his thoughts he didn’t hear the sound of someone mumbling as they climbed up the rock formation.
“...the story of our people and… um… shit! What should come next? Ughhhh!”
Undyne, the newest head of the Royal Guard, clambered up the rockface. This was one of her favourite places in Waterfall, it was so awesomely dramatic - the perfect place to practice epic monologues! She’d only been the head of the guard for a few months, but she was going to be fully prepared if another human fell down one day!
Pulling herself up over a large boulder with ease, something caught her eye, and her chest lurched for a second once she looked again.
A skeleton monster was just sitting there, gazing into the abyss. He looked very thoughtful. The light in his eyes strained and distant.
Her mouth felt dry.
This was familiar.
It hadn’t been that long ago that she’d met someone else with a very similar look on their face.
Her heart rate picked up when she saw the way his hands were digging into each other in a way that had to be painful. He didn’t seem to notice.
After a moment's hesitation, she moved.
“Hey!” She said loudly, a wide grin on her face, as she dropped down next to him.
The skeleton jumped in shock, and next thing Undyne knew she was caged in bones.
Looking at the impressive magical construction surrounding her, Undyne grinned even wider.
“That! Is so awesome!” She grinned, poking one of the bones, “You barely even had time to realise I was here! But look at this thing!”
The skeleton meanwhile looked mortified, and the bones quickly collapsed and vanished.
“I’M SO SORRY!” he gasped loudly, “That was so rude of me!”
Still keeping her grin wide she scanned the skeleton monster. From close up, she could see blood in some of the joints of his hands from where he’d been digging into them. She didn’t let her eyes linger. Instead, she let her gaze drift casually and focused on his face. A wide grin on her face.
“You kidding? That was such amazing control! You noticed a potential threat and instantly handled it in a way that gave you time to better analyse the situation without causing harm to what might have been an innocent civilian! SO! FREAKING! COOL!”
She did a double fist pump to further illustrate this point. She had not expected this.
“Thank you?” The skeleton replied.
Undyne noticed he was pulling on gloves out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t draw attention to it.
“What’s your name, by the way?” She asked, “I’m Undyne - Captain of the Royal Guard!”
“C-captain?”
“Yup!”
There was a lull before he seemed to realise he hadn’t answered the question.
“Oh! I’m Papyrus!” He exclaimed loudly.
“Nice to meet you Papyrus!” She said, sticking a hand towards the smaller monster.
He flinched at the sudden movement but quickly took her hand in return. She squeezed much more gently than she usually would have.
“So what are you doing up here?” She asked casually.
Papyrus blinked, before giving a small shrug, “I just didn’t feel like going home, this seemed like as good a spot to sit as any.”
He spoke much more quietly than he had before.
“Cool, cool. I get that,” She replied, looking up at the cavern ceiling high above, “This is a pretty neat place to spend time away from home. I spend a lot of time here myself!”
“Oh?”
“Yeah! You should see the view from the top! The wind really howls up there too! I asked a friend about it since weather like that seemed kinda strange in the underground - she said it’s probably caused by a breeze being funnelled through narrow passages in the rock until it gets really strong or something. I don’t really get the science of it, but it made sense when she explained it to me!”
The skeleton nodded, “That sounds like Bernoulli’s theorem. The total mechanical energy of the breeze, consisting of the energy associated with the pressure, gravitational potential energy, and the kinetic energy of the motion of the wind, remains constant. It’s part of fluid dynamics. Um.”
“Oh-ho! Looks like I've got myself another nerd here!” She grabbed him under her arm, pulling him in and giving him a gentle noogie.
He laughed as he struggled out of her grip. He was still laughing as he leant back against the rock, hands crossed over his knees. Grinning back, she threw an arm over his shoulder, “C’mon, let’s climb to the top!”
He nodded, tears in the corners of his eyes as he continued laughing softly.
Papyrus felt lighter than he could ever remember as he’s made his way home. This was the longest, most enjoyable time he'd spent with someone who wasn’t Sans.
And it had been great! The weight that he felt on him at all times had fallen away for a few hours as the Captain of the Royal Guard herself spent time with him. The climb had only been the start! They’d ended up messing around with their magic and attacking boulders after they’d climbed the peak, it felt like he hadn’t let loose with his magic in forever!
He couldn’t remember laughing in forever…
And moving and exerting himself felt so good! He really felt alive. His bone formations had been perfect and organised and had done everything he wanted perfectly. and he felt the warmth and satisfaction that came from that. And Captain Undyne had been so impressed as well!
That thought made him feel slightly dizzy.
The Captain of the Royal Guard knew who he was now!
Forgettable
He shook that thought away. He didn’t want to be forgettable! He wanted to be great! As great as Undyne! As great as Mettaton! He wanted to be the Great Papyrus! Someone who was worthy of being friends with people!
Someone who could maybe even be friends with Undyne one day!
The casual tackles and arm punches she’d sent his way while they’d spent time together had made him feel more connected to the reality around him than he could really remember being before. He felt like he was really real!
He was practically vibrating with energy when he finally reached the apartment.
And then, the day got even better.
Sans had a surprise for Papyrus when he got home.
“oh, papyrus, you’re back!” Sans said, sitting on the ground next to the couch, papers scattered on the ground in front of him.
“You were much later than usual, is everything okay?”
“YES! I’M GREAT! EVERYTHING IS GREAT!” Papyrus replied with enthusiasm.
Sans chuckled, “that’s great. so i have some news.”
Papyrus froze, “Oh?”
“yup.” Sans spoke, “so i know you hate it here, and i’ve been thinking. maybe we should move. there’s not really enough room for me to work in this apartment, and with you working so hard for the rent here so i can keep working on this. i thought this might make a nice change.”
Picking up one of the papers on the floor, he held it up. Coming closer so he could see, Papyrus squinted at the pamphlet.
Snowdin?
“i went to check out a house there yesterday while you were at work. i checked my savings, they still exist… thankfully,” Sans muttered that last bit, “and i have enough for the down payment. i’ve got all the paperwork, i’m just waiting on your say before i sign things. cost of living is much cheaper there from the looks of things, so that’s a bonus too.”
Papyrus couldn’t speak. This day had to be a dream! Life could not be this perfect, it couldn’t be real.
But dream or not!
Diving forward he pulled his brother into a tight hug.
Chuckling into Papyrus’s shoulder Sans patted his back, “i take it this means you’re happy with the idea?”
Still not trusting himself to talk he nodded.
Life was really getting better!
Snowdin was small, and the forests surrounding it were sprawling and calm. While Sans was taking a nap after the exertion of moving and unpacking everything into their new house, Papyrus stood outside and took it all in.
There was more open space than he’d known existed in the Underground! Photos and books didn’t do it justice!
It was late, and after making a splash in town this morning when they’d first arrived, the two of them had spent the rest of the day hard at work. And now, the sleepy small town had closed most of its doors for the night. A gentle glow and the occasional laughter or bark came from the direction of a place called Grillby’s, just down the road.
Boots crunching on the snow, Papyrus walked around the town. Everything was new! Really new!
It was perfect!
It was everything Hotland wasn't!
Puffing out a breath in the cold air, he thought about what he’d have to do tomorrow. He’d quit his job in Hotland - never again! He was not going to go back ever again if he could help it!
Never again!
So he'd have to look for something new!
Undyne kicked over another old refrigerator, it tilted slowly as it was caught by the garbage beneath it, before crashing into the water and sending a surge of ripples across the area as she continued scanning the garbage for anything good. She’s asked Alphys if she'd wanted to meet her here so they could look for more records of human history, but Alphys had declined due to work. Again.
Undyne scowled as she hunched down and started digging through the heap. Alphys had closed off again and hadn’t left the lab much at all lately. It was starting to get to Undyne.
She hoped everything was okay.
Alphys was so cool and passionate and smart, and Undyne really enjoyed spending time with her. She was so glad she met her. And she didn't want anything to change that.
Gazing towards the rushing waterfalls further in the cavern she crushed the broken radio she was holding.
Really glad.
She was so glad she'd met her when she did.
Shaking herself she focused back down, she’d phone Alphys on her way back and tell her about anything good she’d managed to find!
Maybe she’d invite her to help out with setting out that bridge-seed puzzle. Undyne hated having to deal with the precision needed to make sure the measurements all worked out. But Alphys would be great at that! And it’d get her out of the lab!
Undyne heard a splash from behind her. Looking over her shoulder she saw movement a few heaps over. Curious, she made her way over.
She grinned when she saw a white skull come into focus.
“Hey! Papyrus, right?” She greeted.
Looking up in surprise, Papyrus seemed to freeze for a moment as if processing something.
“I-! YES! I am Papyrus! Captain Undyne, how are you?” His eyes were comically wide, and he almost dropped what he was holding.
Scanning him quickly, Undyne could tell immediately he was better than the first time they’d met. His eye-lights were bright and the shadows of exhaustion on his skull had faded almost completely.
“Good to see you again! I haven’t seen you in, man - how many months has it been? What’re you doing here?” She asked, clapping him on the shoulder. His knees buckled slightly.
“Oh! I was told by my brother that this is the best place to find things if you can’t find what you’re looking for elsewhere else!"
“Yeah! It’s pretty great here, so what are you looking for, maybe I can help?” she said, taking note of the damaged electronics in Papyrus’s arms.
“I’m trying to find enough parts to put together a computer, but you don’t need to help me if you’re busy!”
“It’s no problem! I think I know where to look. There’s a bunch of electronic junk down that way” She motioned to the east, “C’mon, let’s go!”
As they waded through the water Undyne broke the silence again, “So how’s things been? You still awesome at magic?”
“Of course!” Papyrus said, radiating confidence.
Undyne grinned at the completely different skeleton to the one she’d first met months back, “That’s great! You can prove that later - I live really close and I've got a training yard set up.”
Papyrus was practically bouncing with energy at the idea.
Walking home from his second meeting with Captain Undyne, who had remembered who he was! He was still in shock over that! He was in high spirits. All the computer parts he’d managed to find tucked carefully in the rucksack slung over his shoulders.
He couldn't wait to have a working computer! He'd heard the Undernet was a great way to meet new friends.
Speaking of friends...
It would be nice to do stuff like this with Undyne more often! She seemed like she would make a really great friend!
Papyrus faltered slightly.
He had no idea how he was supposed to make friends with someone really. He’d done his best to learn from Mettaton’s great example by continuing to study his shows in great detail. He had been working his hardest to become the sort of person he wanted to be friends with! In the hopes that doing so would maybe make other people want to be his friend too.
So far it hadn’t worked.
The people of Snowdin were generally kind, but despite his best efforts, people either seemed to avoid him or treat him with a kind enough sort of indifference. Sans had suggested he was coming on too strong, but that didn’t seem right to him, Mettaton was much more forward than he was on his shows and everyone liked him!
He’d never made a friend before.
He had his brother, and he was a great friend of course! But Papyrus felt it must be different to actually be friends with someone who wasn’t his only family.
That was why he wanted a computer after all.
And he really wanted to spend more time with Undyne!
How could he do that if he wasn’t her friend?
The thought hit him like a rock as he reached the checkpoint between Snowdin and Waterfall.
Of course!
It was perfect!
It would allow him to work with the great Undyne, and grow his popularity as well! Everyone respected the Royal Guard, and maybe that would be the key to befriending more people in Snowdin as well!
Running the final stretch home, he slammed open the door. Sans looked up blearily from the couch. He’d been napping on the couch. Again.
He’d been doing that more often again. Sleeping a lot. It worried Papyrus. Sans had been spending less time in the backroom as well lately, and Papyrus had mixed feelings about that. On the one hand, it meant Sans was unlikely to bring him back, but on the other and more important side, it left Sans with nothing to do with his time.
Well! Maybe Papyrus could fix that too while he was at it!
“SANS!” Papyrus yelled.
“hey bro, what’s going on?”
“I’m going to join the Royal Guard!”
“what?”
And maybe he'd be able to help get Sans a job as well while he was at it!
Papyrus was bouncing as he jogged back home. It was much too early for most of the population of Waterfall to be moving, but he’d done it!
He’s persistence had paid off and Undyne had agreed to train him!
Life really was great, and he was doing his best to become great enough to match it!
As he neared the edge of Waterfall, he paused as he saw a moving splash of yellow in the calming blues.
Looking in that direction he saw the strangest thing.
The flower turned to look up at him in return.
“Oh! Hello there!” Papyrus grinned.
“Howdy!” Came the smiling reply.