Chapter Text
Sans had sensed that today was not going to be a very good day. He had felt it down to the very marrow of his bones, which ironically was now dripping down onto the fresh snow beneath his sneakers. Why must nothing ever be easy for him, sure the world they lived in was harsh but it would be nice to have a day off.
"...fuck" The small skeleton looked out over at his opponent, a green reptilian monster brandishing a piece of two by four. Sans eye lights were fuzzy and unfocused, his vision blurring slightly. That wack to the head had been pretty hard, it had even reopened his old scar that ran above his right eye socket. Causing bright red marrow to run from his temple and mouth.
Spitting nonchalantly into the snow, Sans wiped his face against the back of his jacket sleeve. So this fucker wanted to mess with him huh. Thought just because he was the smaller and weaker of the two brothers that he'd be easy prey. He'd have to prove them wrong. Hopefully...
"is that all you've got? A whimsum could hit harder!" Sans taunted, signature smirk on his face as he watched the other monsters reaction.
He didn't get what he was hoping. Instead of the lizard getting angry, thus maybe causing his attacks to get sloppy as he tried to bludgeon the small skeleton. The other monster just smiled and shrugged like it was no big deal. Sans could feel the sweat start to bead on his skull.
"Oh, well. Guess we'll just have to swing a bit harder then. Won't we."
"we...?!" Sans eye sockets went wide as he sharply turned to his right, jumping back just in time. The bat missing his face by mere inches. But the second monster, a blue flame elemental, didn't miss a beat. Boots gripping into the snow as he moved forward for another swing.
Fuck! Sans couldn't get out of the way. His sneakers couldn't make a good enough purchase in the snow and he was sliding. He couldn't dodge. He didn't have time to counter attack. He needed to teleport but there was no time to gather up the necessary magic. He just couldn't get the fuck out of the way!
The bat made contact with Sans ribcage, all the air leaving his nonexistent lungs as a sickening crack filled the forest. The small skeleton sent flying like a fucking home run baseball, body skipping off the ground once before landing and skidding to a stop a few yard from the lizard monster.
As Sans laid there body in the snow, he couldn't help but curl into himself. His breathing coming in labored gasps as the pain of the hit radiated through his entire frame, feeling his health dropping to dangerous levels. That hit should have killed him but his body had managed to resist it, but now he'd pry dust if they so much as blew on him.
"sh-shit...shit..." Sans managed to rasp out, vision darkening as his body tried to shut down in order to preserve what little life it still had. The small monster watched as his two enemies advanced.
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Papyrus was a little annoyed. Okay that was a lie, he was more then a little annoyed. The tall skeleton had explicitly asked for Sans to be home on time today, he'd even managed to get a promise out of the lazybone to not be late. Papyrus had made special plans for the two now that their relationship seemed to be on the up and up. Or it was until a certain no good asshole skeleton had decided to not be home, even though their shift had ended almost an hour ago.
So here Papyrus was, begrudgingly trekking to his brothers sentry station. He'd already checked Grillby's first and was irritated (if not a bit worried) that Sans was not there. In fact the bartender hadn't seen Sans since the early afternoon when he'd stopped by to grab lunch to go, meaning he had to still be at his post.
'The idiot most likely fell asleep at his station again. Fucking pathetic.' Papyrus thought in exasperation. It's not like this hadn't happened before. Even now Sans inability to get a good night sleep because of his nightmares sometimes still caught up with him. But he'd been getting much better, so him not being home was maybe slightly disconcerting.
As Papyrus came into view of the sentry post however, he could tell that something was very very wrong. Sans was not there. Not only that but part of the wooden structure had been knocked in.
Papyrus was suddenly on high alert as he broke out into a run, magic flaring. His brother was in trouble. While Papyrus had been grumbling about Sans being an asshole for being late, something horrible could have been happening to him. He pushed himself to move faster.
"Please be okay, please be okay..." he began mumbling to himself.
There in front of him. Two figures were facing off against one another, one of them was Sans and he had his back to Papyrus. The small monster looked no worse for wear, he had not been to la... a third figure appeared, approaching fast on Sans right.
"SA...." the words caught in his throat as he watched. Time slowing down as Sans dodged the first blow, but had not been fast enough for the second. Eyes widening in horror as he heard the sound of cracking bone, his brothers small body being sent flying to the hard snow covered ground.
The two assailants, weapons brandished. began advancing on Sans crumpled form.
Papyrus was frozen in shock, feet rooted to the ground even as his soul screamed for him to get moving. To go to Sans before it was to late.
A small whimper of pain escaped between his brothers clenched teeth as he shrunk in on himself, effectively knocking the taller skeleton out of his daze and back to the present. Eye sockets focused on his targets, Papyrus's magic roared to life, his right side being bathed in a dark crimson red. A sharpened bone club forming in his hand as the royal guardsman charged his opponents, several other sharpened bones coming to life around him.
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Sans knew he was gonna die here. He knew as he watched the two monsters advance towards him, weapons raised and ready for an easy kill. Sans wanted so bad to move, to get up and run but his body would not listen. He wanted his magic to cooperate, to teleport him away from the danger so readily in front of him. But it to wouldn't listen.
He'd be dust and... and he'd never get to see Boss again. Boss... Just the thought of leaving his little brother alone brought on a new pain, even greater then his broken ribs. Sans very soul burned with regret. Regret that he had not been stronger. Regret for not being a better brother. Regret for leaving Papyrus like this.
As Sans vision darkened, tears began to well up in his sockets. Red eye lights becoming dim and faded as his consciousness continued to fail him. He waited for the weapons to fall and end it.
Instead a scream rang out, the two monsters scampering away from his line of sight. They were replaced with a single figure, tall black and imposing...
"...b..boss..." was all Sans could get out before the darkness finally overtook him, tears running down his cheek bones.