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Sans had heard of soulmates a few times in his life.
The concept had first entered his mind when he was smaller; about ten years ago, when Papyrus was roughly up to his shoulder. The two were laying together and Sans had awoken from a light sleep to the sound of crying. It was his father in his office, his emotions spilling out over old photographs held in older frames that were littered across his desk and held in his hollow hands.
Sans hadn't known much about his mother; he was only five when she had dusted from complications from childbirth, leaving his father alone with Sans and a newborn Papyrus who miraculously managed to survive the ordeal. The previous warmth of the household had seemed to leave with her. His father, who was just starting an apprenticeship with the King's scientist, had to leave often - often in the dead of night - and Sans soon learned how to take care of his baby brother either by himself or with help from neighbors in his father's frequent absences. When he was home, Gaster often isolated and buried himself in his work to cope with the loss of his lover. The home was somber and quiet most of the time, but Sans couldn’t hold it against him.
"Your mother... Your mother was an angel, Sans," His father had said quietly, holding the frame close. Sans could make out three figures in the photograph- his mother, his father and himself, cradled in his mother's arms. Paps hadn’t been born just yet.
"She was my other half. My soulmate ."
Sans didn't know what to say back then. He was never that good at comforting people, even as a child. He leaned into his father with a soft hum, who hugged him tightly in response; as if he were holding onto his son for dear life.
The next time he heard of the term was in school a few weeks later. It was a particularly cold Snowdin morning and a gray ram monster was teaching the class, with curled horns that framed their face along with the thick glasses they wore.
They wrote the word "soulmates" with chalk upon the board with neat handwriting before they tapped a ruler on the desk to get the chattering students to quieten down and pay attention. Sans quickly snapped out of his sleepy daze from the sound and blinked his eyes open to watch the teacher, who cleared their throat as the talking died down to silence. He rubbed an eye socket as he tried to focus before his metaphorical heart sank slightly at the word written. It brought back the painful memory of the talk with his father.
"Today, we'll be learning about soulmates," they said. "Who can tell me what they are?" they added, and a few students' hands shot into the air. The teacher picked a student a few seats away from Sans who was waving their hand frantically; a mouse monster with large glasses and a huge purple scarf wrapped around their neck which extended down to the floor of the classroom.
"A soulmate is a monster who's bonded to another monster's soul! My mamma says that almost everyone has one!"
"Good job, Ellie! Anyone else?"
Sans felt his eyes begin to close and he let his head slump into his crossed arms, quickly giving into the temptation of sleep. The chattering of the voices around him and from the teacher eventually faded away and blurred into nothingness as he slipped into a black dreamless nap. He’d had those a lot back then, as he’d slept as often as he could to make up for the missed hours of sleep at night.
After what felt like mere minutes, the young skeleton awoke with a start to clicking fingers and lifted his head to see his teacher looking at him with concern etched into their features. The classroom was empty, and by the light outside it was about lunchtime. The skeleton rubbed his eyes.
"Sans," they said worriedly. "This is the second time this week you've fallen asleep in class. Is everything okay at home?”
"i’m ok, sorry for fallin’ asleep again..." he mumbled an apology as he yawned again. "pap had a nightmare and pa wasn't home las’ night."
“I understand,” the teacher replied, giving Sans a comforting pat on his skull as they smiled. “I’ll bring you your bag - you can stay here for lunchtime if you want. I’ll just be tidying up.”
“thanks, teach.”
As time progressed a few years, things suddenly changed for the skeleton family. Their father had abruptly left their lives in the blink of an eye as he had been seemingly dusted in a laboratory accident which had claimed both his and his science team’s lives.
The Royal Investigations hadn’t found his body or anyone else’s at the scene, leaving much for dispute, so their father and his team were listed as deceased in their files until they could find evidence that somehow proved otherwise; though Sans wasn’t confident that they had survived. Despite the strange circumstances, the royal services paid Sans regular grievance compensations, as he was the elder brother, and sent their heartfelt apologies and wishes to the newly orphaned brothers. However, all the wishes and apologies and gold in the Underground couldn’t bring their father back.
Sans had a tough time explaining to Papyrus about their new circumstances. He began to work to support his brother and pay for rent and the bills, as well as trying to save up as much as he could for when the grievance compensation eventually stopped. He didn’t mind the work, of course. He’d do anything for his brother, and it helped take his mind away from the crippling grief he felt.
The two were walking back home a few months after the sudden change, and things were starting to recover and their lives were beginning to settle into yet another new routine. The elder skeleton had picked up Papyrus from school that afternoon, and he piped up with a question Sans didn’t quite see coming up in conversation just yet.
“Hey, Sans… what’s a soulmate?”
“a soulmate? where’d you hear that one from, paps?”
“Some of my classmates were talking about it… I don’t know what it is. What is it?”
Sans stopped walking and thought for a few moments as he put his hands in his jacket pockets. “ well, it's like… someone who’s another part of your soul. like you’re part of them and they’re a part of you. you’re meant to be together.”
Papyrus’s eyes lit up at his brother’s words. “Wow! Will I meet my soulmate someday?”
Sans chuckled softly and gave his brother’s head an affectionate pat as they walked together. “i know you will, paps.”
The young skeleton paused, looking worried. “But- Sans, how will I know who they are?”
“you’ll feel it, right here,” Sans replied with a smile, pointing at his chest, where his soul resided. Papyrus curiously mirrored the action and looked up at his brother, his eyes wide.
“In my soul?”
“yup.”
“Wowee! I hope they’re as amazing as I am!”
It was a few months later when Sans’s first soulbond experience occurred, and thus experienced breathing for the first time.
Sans was still bewildered somewhat from the unnatural movement; how he subconsciously inhaled and exhaled without even having the lungs to do so. A second curious breath followed by another confirmed it without a doubt. Not a lot phased the skeleton nowadays, but this definitely was a weird discovery. His white soul was gently quivering inside his ribcage, which proved that this was definitely soulbond related.
He sat up on his bare mattress, continuing to pseudo-breathe as he thought. I’ve heard of monsters gaining traits from their soulbond, but a breathing skeleton? That’s pretty weird, he commented internally, curiously retrieving his soul from his chest and feeling it vibrate and flutter in his bony fingers. Is this gonna be a constant thing now?
To test his theory , the skeleton stopped breathing. No pain or gasping for air followed, even after several minutes. Might just be a passive thing. Not that big of a deal. He placed his soul back into his ribcage and eased himself back onto his mattress before he pulled a nearby blanket over his form, letting out a soft exhale into the night air in his room. Good to know I have a soulmate.
Hope the next signs aren’t so weird, heh.