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"Hey," Sans said, with a soft smile. "It's been a while. How are ya?"
The wind licked at his phalanges, curled into the grass.
"Good, huh? Glad to hear it." Somewhere, a dog barked, the breeze carrying the sound. He chuckled. "Little guy still givin' ya a hard time, huh? Maybe you show throw him a bone."
The wind picked up in intensity briefly. "I'm just teasin' ya," Sans assured, softening. His smile faltered a bit. "…I miss teasing you."
This time, the wind was quiet.
"I miss you," he murmured. "I know you'd want me not to. I know what you'd say. 'Make the most of every moment. Don't get stuck on the past. Keep moving forward.' All that. And you'd be right. You always were. You were…" He laughed, "You were so smart. So much more smart than anyone gave you credit for. I wish I'd…"
Keep moving forward.
"…I know. I just wish I'd told you it more. Y'know?"
He did. Sans trusted he did.
He understood.
"Thanks. For getting it. For always getting it." He sighed. He stared at the flowers a bit too long. "Sorry for getting on your nerves all those times."
…
"Sorry for… Hurting you." He swallowed thickly. "I know I did. Not all the time but I did. I'm sorry."
. . .
"I guess…" He smiled again, ruefully. It hurt. "Guess I can catch you up on things over here. If ya wanna hear."
The branches of the tree above him crackled gently.
"We're doin' okay. All things considered. Thought it'd be harder. But humans don't mind us all that much. And the kid started Fourth Grade. Tori's their teacher, heh." He paused. "Asgore trimmed a hedge in the shape of your smile. You'd wanted that, right?"
A louder crackle from the branches.
"Yeah. Was real nice of him. I'll be sure to tell him that."
He continued.
"Alphys quit her job as a scientist. Eh, well… She was more like. Fired I guess. But she seems to be doing alright. Seems to wanna switch her attention to 'fanfiction' instead. Whatever that is. Undyne's doing well too. Started going to some kind of cooking school. She wants to become a chef."
The wind whistled.
"Yeah, 'cause of you," Sans confirmed softly. "You've inspired a lot of people, hon. Don't you know that?"
Sans supposed he probably didn't.
"You've inspired me," he told him, voice thickening. "You always did. But now more than ever. I started… Picking up my socks," he joked, but it came out more of a choke. "And napping less. I even, uh…" He chuckled again. It was watery. "I got a real job and everything. Not just sellin' 'dogs and slackin' off all the damn time. Are you—"
A sob threatened to escape him. He swallowed it back, breath hitching.
"Are you proud of me for that?"
The wind didn't pick up in intensity, nor settle.
"Heh. Maybe not. That's okay." He wiped at his eyesockets. "Don't really blame ya. Should've listened to you when you were alive, huh?"
A breeze gently tickled his skull.
"Sorry," he whispered. "Dunno what you mean."
And, all at once, in a crushing wave…
It hit him that he didn't know what any of it had meant.
The truth was, he had no idea how his little brother was doing.
What he was saying—if anything—to him.
If he was… There at all.
Hell, he wasn't even talking to his actual dust. No one had ever found it.
This was just… A sorry excuse for a memorial.
A patch of flowers in his honor.
Sans couldn't even be bothered to find his dust.
Truly, he was a lazybones until the bitter end.
He hiccuped, and then finally let out the sob he'd been holding back, bringing his knees up to his chest as he fell apart.
He wasn't talking to his brother.
He was gone.
Papyrus was gone.
. . .
.
.
.
No.
No, he wasn't.
As long as Sans was alive, Papyrus couldn't be gone.
As long as Sans held him in his Soul, his little brother lived on.
He lived on in everything.
The trees, the grass, the wind. The sky and the clouds and the sun and the stars themselves.
The very nature of existence held Papyrus in it.
And.
…
And…
Sans sniffled.
Looking back up at the flowers, he slowly unfurled from himself.
Someday…
Someday.
Sans would be able to hold him again, too.
Someday.
But.
Until then…
He closed his eyesockets,
and breathed.
"I miss you," Sans murmured.