"DAD?"

Yes Papyrus?

"WHY HASN'T ALPHYS COME OVER TO PLAY WITH ME THIS WEEK?"

Her SOUL sent out its first bonding call, Papyrus.

"OH. SO WHY CAN'T WE PLAY?"

You remember when your SOUL sent out its first call, don't you? You and I stayed in the Lower Labs for a week while you adjusted to the bonding. Alphys is just a little uncoordinated right now, and first bondings are always more messy and raw than later ones. She's been having some problems keeping her magic under control. Even if she didn't mean to, she could hurt someone by accident, so her father is helping her sort things out.

"OKAY. WHY IS IT HAPPENING NOW? I'M THREE YEARS YOUNGER THAN SHE IS, SHOULDN'T SHE HAVE ALREADY DONE THIS?"

Not everyone is as advanced as the Great Papyrus. Some monsters take many years to feel comfortable enough about themselves and the world around them to let themselves go. Still, the longer it takes, the more difficult the transition will be. You only took a week to get used to it, and only lost control of your magic once. Alphys will probably take another few days or so, since she's already 73. That's rather late for a monster to be bonding, but she is rather shy. I bonded when I was in my early thirties, and it took me nearly a month just to get out of bed.

"I SEE. WHY DID YOU WAIT SO LONG, THEN? DIDN'T IT HURT?"

A little. being without any kind of a bond is very lonely, but letting other monsters into your SOUL like that scared me. What if something went wrong? Even just a platonic bond, or one with family, can have disastrous consequences if it isn't done right. The longer I waited, the more terrifying it was to me. Eventually my body decided that if I wasn't going to make the decision, it would do it for me. I fell asleep one night and woke up several weeks later with my entire family standing around me.

"THAT DOESN'T SOUND VERY NICE."

It wasn't, but if I had waited much longer my HP would have started to diminish. As it was, they decided to get as many people as felt they were close enough to me to bond. It helped, since I'd built up quite a lot of magic. I don't think I could survive it, if I'd waited till now.

"IF YOU HADN'T, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE HAD ME!"

Very true. And it's rather nice, bonding with people. Maybe when Alphys is feeling better, you can ask if she wants to form a friendship-bond with you.

"REALLY?"

Really. Come on, I can help you write the card. We should have some blue paper still lying around from the CORE's opening party.

"MAYBE WE CAN MAKE ONE FOR YOU AND DOCTOR SANS, TOO! YOU LIKE HIM A LOT, SO YOU SHOULD ASK HIM TO BOND WITH YOU!"

...I don't think so, Paps. Doctor Sans is...not interested in doing something like that with me. Some monsters are very selective in who they bond with, and he seems to be one of those. I don't think I've seen him accept a bond with anyone. I suppose that's just his way.

"DOES THAT MEAN I CAN'T ASK ALPHYS?"

No! I just...want you to know that sometimes monsters will reject you, even if they still want to be very good friends. It just means they aren't comfortable with bonds in the same way you are.

"OKAY...I THINK I'M STILL GOING TO ASK, THOUGH. MAYBE WHAT THEY REALLY NEED IS A FRIEND AS GREAT AS ME TO SHOW THEM THE WAY!"

The bell above Grillby's door jingled merrily. The bartender looked up, cheeks brightening at the idea that perhaps Sans had finally dropped by to…

Papyrus stood in the doorway, peering around the warm room with an air of hope that gave way to despair. He took off a large yellow raincoat, shaking it carefully and setting it on the rack by the door. The entire population of the bar, human and monster alike, watched the towering skeleton wince his way over to the bar. He eyed the stool, then sighed and took a seat.

Grillby hurried over to the fridge and grabbed a milkshake. The child had introduced him to the concept a few weeks after they'd arrived on the surface, and the non-greasy treat had instantly become the only item on his menu that Papyrus would drink. As Sans had not been to the bar in weeks, the only reason he could see for the taller skeleton's presence was one of these dairy-filled beverages.

"THANK YOU, GRILLBY."

Papyrus took a long, long sip, draining half the glass before setting it back down with a thunk. His shoulders hunched up, and the rings around his eyes spoke of far too long without sleep. Grillby picked up a nearby glass and started polishing. He knew a skeleton in need of a confidant when he saw one.

"YOU HAVEN'T SEEN SANS IN HERE LATELY, BY ANY CHANCE, HAVE YOU?"

Grillby shook his head mournfully. Sans was one of his closest friends.

Papyrus let out a breath of deep unhappiness.

"I WAS AFRAID OF THAT. NOBODY HAS SEEN HIM ANYWHERE! EVER SINCE FRISK PULLED MY FATHER AND THE CORE TEAM OUT OF THE VOID, SANS HAS BEEN SPENDING LONGER AND LONGER AWAY FROM HOME. YESTERDAY WHEN DAD CAME HOME, SANS CAME DOWN THE STAIRS, TOOK ONE LOOK, AND VANISHED! JUST LIKE THAT."

Grillby hung the glass up dejectedly, and waited. Papyrus took yet another extended sip from the glass. Thoroughly drained, Grillby felt confident in taking it over to the sink, where he nestled it with the others. On his way back, he grabbed another from the fridge and set it down. Papyrus hadn't looked up.

"DAD THINKS SANS THINKS DAD IS GOING TO BE MAD AT HIM FOR PRETENDING TO BE MY BROTHER ALL THESE YEARS. HE ISN'T, AND NEITHER AM I, EVEN IF I DIDN'T KNOW. HE STILL TOOK REALLY GOOD CARE OF ME. BUT WE CAN'T TELL HIM THAT IF HE WON'T LET US TALK TO HIM, AND HE ISN'T PICKING UP HIS PHONE, OR ANSWERING HIS TEXTS, OR ANYTHING!"

Grillby tapped on the countertop, then signed, quick and clear, in front of his chest.

-Bondmates?-

Papyrus wailed, "NONE! EVERYONE WE'VE ASKED WAS EITHER TURNED DOWN OR DISCOURAGED BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE WAS TURNED DOWN! EVEN THE QUEEN! EVEN ME!"

Grillby frowned. He'd thought Sans was just a bit of a selective monster, but that...surely someone had bonded with the shorter skeleton! Sans was at least...at least…

-How old is Sans?-

Papyrus sniffed, "I DON'T KNOW. DAD SAYS HE LOOKED REALLY YOUNG WHEN HE APPLIED FOR THE JOB AT THE CORE, BUT SINCE SANS HAD HIS PHD HE DECIDED NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT. THAT WAS FIFTEEN YEARS AGO! WHY DOES IT MATTER?"

-Monsters who don't take bondmates often suffer from health problems. It's why so many monsters form platonic bonds within the first few weeks of meeting someone. If Sans hasn't taken a bondmate in all that time, he might be very, very depressed. I knew he was a little bit, but he always said he was holding himself together for you. I thought that meant you two were bonded. But if he ran away when your dad came back, maybe he's worse off than I thought.-

Papyrus gasped, and the Dog Squad, who had been sitting at their usual table for the Friday Night Poker, turned their heads. Doggo slid out of his chair and made his way to the bar.

"We heard you gasping, boney pup, and were maybe a little bit eavesdropping about Sans. Anything we can do to help track him down? Lesser and I might have been turned down as bondmates, but we still hold a bit of a torch, if you catch my drift. Consider the Dog Squad at your disposal."

Papyrus turned worried eyes to face him.

"THAT WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. DAD AND I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING ALL AROUND MT. EBOTT. I DON'T KNOW WHERE ELSE TO LOOK!"

Doggo scratched his head.

"Have you tried searching Underground? As lonely as it is, sometimes familiar territory is all a monster wants to see."

Papyrus' eyeballs bulged.

"OF COURSE! SANS IS ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT WAKING UP IN SNOWDIN. MAYBE HE WENT THERE? OR MAYBE HE FORGOT SOMETHING AT THE LABS...OR WENT TO GO SEE THE CEILING IN THE WISHING ROOM. I'LL CALL UNDYNE AND ALPHYS AND HER MAJESTY AND DAD AND EVERYONE. ONE OF US WILL SURELY TRACK HIM DOWN!"

"Well howdy! Isn't this a surprise? Coming back to gloat, Smiley Trashbag? Surface lose its charm?"

Sans didn't stir. Flowey scowled, burrowing up another twenty feet.

"Hello? Underground to Idiot? Are you even listening to me?"

Sans skull slowly tilted back towards him. In the dim light coming down from the distant stars, the scattered golden petals of the First Human's grave were almost the same shade of grey as the skeleton's jacket.

"oh. hey flowey. s'been a while, hasn't it? just over three years now."

Flowey rolled his eyes.

"Uh, yeah. That's why there's nobody living here anymore, idiot. They all moved on to better things."

Sans chuckled, breathily, "yup. y'know alphys' is getting a kid soon? her and undyne's paperwork finally made it through. they're already planning about teaching them magic."

"Great. More stabby fishsticks. Just what the world needed."

Sans didn't seem to hear him, "grillby opened a new bar. well, more like a chain, really. seven different stores, one for every day of the week. he's pretty happy now, too."

Flowey stared at Sans' hands. They were folded over the skeleton's ribcage, but every so often he could make out a passing quiver.

"tori and asgore are opening the gates of the new school in less than a week. doubt they'll ever get back to being buddy-buddy, but at least they can stand to be in the same room."

The flower tried to ignore the wave of grief at the mention of his parents in his fragile speck of a SOUL. Not enough to do anything useful, but just enough to give him the occasional twinge. He hated it, but even that was an improvement.

"frisk is doing well. knocked another item off their checklist a few weeks ago. only another two hundred to go. stars but can that kid be determined."

Flowey turned his petals up towards the stars.

"Which one was that then? Finally getting Alphys to watch Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 3?"

"they got pap's dad back out of the void."

Flowey burst out laughing.

"Really? Old Crack-face? Why'd they go and do that, he's dry as a stick and almost as annoying as you."

Sans shut his sockets, blocking out the stars.

"pap doesn't need me anymore, flowey."

His face whipped around so fast his own petals hit him in the face. Smiley wasn't allowed to sound like that. No one was allowed to sound like that. Only Chara was allowed to sound like that. So...broken. That was how they'd sounded when they told him about the plan.

"Hey, what are you talking about? Of course he needs you. He's the most trusting, gullible idiot in the universe. Someone has to be there to give anyone who hurts him a bad time."

Sans rolled away.

"that's gaster's job now. he always did it better than me."

Flowey was actually worried now.

"So? What does that got to do with it? Anyway, what about Frisk? Didn't you make some stupid promise to Mo- the old lady?"

Flowey poked him with his vines.

"Trashbag?"

No reaction.

"Idiot?"

Why didn't he answer?

"Sans?"

The faintest white glow suffused the cave. Slowly, ever so slowly, a SOUL appeared, battered and grey and almost as small as his. Flowey's jaw went slack. It started to shiver.

"NO!"

His vines raced out, wrapping around the grey heart and holding it in place. He could feel it, feel the desolation and exhaustion and fragility. It wanted to be done with this. It wanted to not have to live like this anymore. It was so tired of being lonely.

Flowey's petals whipped around. No smiling idiots backflipped out of the shadows. No heroic fishsticks barrelled in from the sky. Crud. He'd have actually take him to help, wouldn't he?

His vines snaked around the collapsed skeleton, spinning him up in a thick, padded cocoon. As he dragged his burdens out into the Ruins, he couldn't help grumbling to himself about the incredible unfairness of it.

"Stupid Trashbag, coming all this way to die, making me drag his greasy bones all the way through the Underground. WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS? Smiley Trashbag, there had better be a nice reward in this for me!"

Papyrus sat, despondent, next to the decaying remnants of Sans' old Sentry Station. They'd been searching for 52 hours now. The Capitol, Core, Hotland, and Temmie Village had all been exhausted. Most of the searchers were still in Waterfall. Those caves went on for miles and miles.

Undyne had ordered him to go to Snowdin and take a rest after the third time he'd tripped over that Annoying Dog. He'd rebelled only a little bit, walking all the way through town out here to the edge of the Ruins before his legs had finally given out. He was starting to seriously wonder if Sans was even in the Underground at all.

"Hey, you! Idiot! Get off your butt and help me out!"

Papyrus skull shot up.

"FLOWEY? IS THAT YOU?"

"Yes it's me you idiot, now get over here! Geez, he's heavy. What did you do, let him get a job at a ketchup factory?"

His hopes skyrocketing, Papyrus lept to his feet.

"YOU HAVE SANS?!"

"Yes, sheesh, I have the Smiley Trash Bag! NOW COME PICK HIM UP!"

Papyrus was kneeling beside the wilting Flowey before he'd even finished the sentence.

"IS HE HURT? WHERE DID YOU FIND HIM? WE'VE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER! IS HE OKAY? HAS HE EATEN?"

"In direct order: maybe, Ruins, I doubt it, and why in the world should I know? He was just laying in the flowers saying all this stupid garbage about nobody needing him and Gaster and then he stopped responding and his SOUL popped out and I had to hold it, which was gross by the way, and carry him all the way here. Fix him."

Papyrus carefully picked his not-sibling-sibling out of the nest of vines and cradled him against his chest. Sans was trembling, his entire frame vibrating with unspent magic. His sockets were empty, black pits, blending into the rest of his skull smoothly via the dark circles rimming his eyes. His clothes were a mess of plant debris and ketchup stains and one slipper had left his body somewhere in the past few days.

The only reason Papyrus was able to keep himself from crying with relief was that he was already crying with worry. He let his skull fall against Sans' chest and nuzzled in, breathing in the slight odor of grease and particle physics that, for the past fifteen years, had meant home.

"SANS…"

His voice faded into silence. Flowey waited, then growled with annoyance.

"Don't forget this, idiot."

He extended the smaller ball and, vine by vine, let Sans' SOUL come back into the open. Papyrus sucked in a breathe and swayed, almost dropping Sans under the influence of whatever signals that little ball of grey goop was sending.

"F-F-FLOWEY, CAN YOU-"

He visibly sucked in a breathe, setting Sans' body gently on the path and reaching out to cup the SOUL.

"I NEED YOU TO GO OVER TO WATERFALL AND FIND SOMEONE, ANYONE. TELL THEM TO CALL GASTER AND GET HIM TO BRING EVERYONE WHO IS WILLING TO BOND WITH SANS AND BRING THEM HERE."

Flowey leered, "Oh, geeze, taking advantage of your poor, tired friend Flowey when he just-"

"FLOWEY, DO IT NOW."

Flowey's vines retracted at record speed. He let out one last shot before burrowing down.

"Fine. You really owe me big time, though."

Papyrus sighed the moment Flowey left. He turned his attention to the SOUL in his hands. It was pulsing and crying out so loudly he could barely think. Every beat pushed harder and harder against his own magic, demanding, pleading, begging him to open up and let it in. It was terrifying, so much stronger than what he'd felt when MK went through his own first bonding call a few years back.

"OH SANS. WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS SO HARD ON YOURSELF? IF YOU HAD JUST TOLD US YOU'D NEVER BONDED...WELL, I SUPPOSE IT HARDLY MATTERS NOW."

He settled himself comfortably in the snow, clearing his mind as best he could and pulling his magic to the brink. He hummed quietly as he began to build, coaxing Sans' SOUL and his own to stretch out in just the right way so he could spin them together. The words of the song eluded him, but music was calming, soothing, and caring, and all the other things that he thought of when he thought of Sans. With every note, he felt his almost-brother draw a bit nearer.

The song ended as the bond faded into place, smooth and strong and perfectly formed. He preened a little at how well he had pulled it off. Confused support and absolute adoration radiated along it, and he smiled.

"HELLO, SANS. IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO."

Cautious reciprocation and puzzled vertigo. His smile wilted.

"YOU'RE CONFUSED, AREN'T YOU? DIZZY? DISLOCATED, EVEN?"

Agreement and frustration were mixed with pride at the subtle pun. He registered the far off tingle of an incoming shortcut. He laughed out loud.

"WELL, THAT IS ONLY TO BE EXPECTED! THE PRESENCE OF SOMEONE AS WONDERFUL AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, IS SURE TO BE OVERPOWERING! ALTHOUGH IT WOULD PROBABLY BE LESS DISORIENTING IF YOU HAD NOT WAITED SO LONG TO OPEN UP TO A BOND. I AM AFRAID YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE QUITE A LOT OF PEOPLE WORRYING ABOUT YOU UNTIL YOU WAKE UP."

The looming figures of their former Majesties crunched through the snow. He turned a cheerful, if tired, grin towards them.

"GREETINGS, ASGORE, TORIEL. I DO HOPE THIS IS NOT TOO MUCH OF A BOTHER, BUT IT SEEMS SANS DECIDED TO RUN OFF JUST IN TIME FOR HIS FIRST URGE TO BOND TO OVERTAKE HIM."

Asgore's eyes bulged, and Toriel frowned.

"Surely that is a jest, Papyrus. Sans is far too old for this to be his first time."

Papyrus sighed, and brought Sans' SOUL, which he had cupped protectively against his chest, around towards them. The moment it was out in the open, the two gasped. Asgore was the first to recover, gulping down his anxiety and shuffling over. He lowered himself beside Papyrus and held out his hands, then hesitated.

"You don't think he would object to me joining him, do you?"

Papyrus passed the request along, and vocalized the response.

"HE TRUSTS YOU, EVEN IF HE THINKS YOU CAN BE A BIT...ODD, SOMETIMES. HE'S MORE CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING THAN ANYTHING ELSE AT THE MOMENT. HE THOUGHT HE WAS-"

Papyrus swallowed, "HE THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO DUST."

Asgore winced, but his hands were steady as he raised them up under Papyrus' own. The bright mix of orange, red and blue sparkling around his palms spun itself into a tether within seconds. Papyrus scowled, but reminded himself that Asgore had bonded with hundreds of monsters over his long lifetime. Through Sans, he felt familiar encouragement tinged with a large helping of surprise.

Asgore wiped away a tear.

"I am glad you feel so kindly towards me, Sans. I know you and I have had certain...disagreements in the past."

Papyrus caught the edge of dry humor and rolled eyes, and frowned.

"SANS! YOU SHOULD NOT BE SO FLIPPANT TO ASGORE, EVEN IF HE IS NO LONGER THE KING!"

On his other side, Toriel brushed her skirts back elegantly.

"On the contrary, Papyrus, my former husband deserves every bit of flippancy he may receive. Asgore, SOUL."

Sans' amusement at Toriel's brusk confidence filled Papyrus with joy. Positive emotions were very good.

Her bond took even less time to stabilize than had Asgore's. She beamed at Sans, SOUL and body combined.

"Oh you coy flatterer, stop that. If that door had not been standing between us I would have asked you to bond years ago. As it is, I most certainly will have a few words to say about denying your urge to connect when next you wake."

The backlash of confusion was even stronger this time, insistent and frustrated while still being calm in a way only Sans could pull off. The three of them were equally confused.

"Sans...you did know what it was that other monsters meant by bonding, did you not? This...please tell me this was not a complete surprise."

The equivalent of grumbling and hands thrown up in the air filled them all. In the distance, Papyrus felt his father drop off another load.

"Oh dear."

Sprinting footsteps quickly approached. Papyrus curved his body in a defensive huddle over the top of Sans, quickly eclipsed by the two former monarchs doing the same.

"NGAHH!"

"U-u-undyne, slow d-d-down!"

Asgore sat up and, smiling, went to greet his former Captain of the Royal Guard and Royal Scientist.

"Howdy, friends! I take it you wish to help Sans too?"

Undyne finished settling Alphys onto the ground, taking off her own coat and wrapping it around the cold-blooded monster. She then grinned widely back.

"Of course! He might be an annoying, over-pranking nerd, but he's our annoying, over-pranking nerd. Isn't that right?"

Alphys nodded hastily as she shuffled her way between Asgore and Papyrus.

"Uh, yes. He's been a f-f-friend of mine for...years? Even b-before the, um, Core incident made you forget, Pap? He...he's always been there to lend a hand. Even if there w-w-was a whoopie cushion in it."

Sans' SOUL chuckled merrily. Toriel, reluctantly, unwrapped her paws from around it and let it gravitate over to Alphys. Her bond was sloppier. It wavered in and out of alignment before finally settling in with an audible snap. Everyone winced.

Alphys' right hand reached up to rub at her left shoulder.

"Y-yeah. Sorry, Sans, I didn't, um, didn't mean to- oh? You really…? Oh, um...thanks."

The waves of reassurance and humor tickled at Papyrus' SOUL. He stood up to give Undyne his seat. He swayed, bracing himself on Toriel's shoulder as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. Sans' fresh bond with him, as well as Papyrus' older ones with Undyne and Alphys, all inundated him with concern. He sat back down, and Undyne instead swapped places with Asgore.

"I thought I told you to take a rest, punk! You are going to sit there and warm up your broth- warm up Sans until I tell you otherwise, you here me?"

He wilted, "YES, UNDYNE."

"Good. Now, Alphys...hey, you're alright with me doing this, right nerd? I know we're not exactly besties, but-"

"HE IS FINE WITH IT AS LONG AS YOU DON'T MAKE HIM TAKE COOKING LESSONS AND BURN DOWN THE HOUSE. ONE HOUSE IS MORE THAN ENOUGH. I AGREE."

Undyne rolled her eye, "Fine, sure. Gimme the SOUL, Alphee."

The former Captain's bond took ages to form, crackling and spiking at the slightest sound. Gaster dropped off yet another load in the meantime, Doggo and Lesser Dog loafing into the clearing. Toriel and Alphys politely exchanged positions with them. Everyone's eyes were trying to find something interesting to look at in the muffling snow. Sans himself was patiently bored, if such a thing existed.

Finally, the bond was fixed with a bright burst of energy that was more show than substance. Undyne's grin split her face.

"FINALLY! Almost thought you were giving up on me, nerd, but welcome to the family. You now get automatically invited to all Anime Nights and Monster Truck Rallies. So's Pap, but he never goes. Says it's too dirty or something."

Sans gave off the equivalent feeling of waggling eyebrows. Undyne scowled.

"Ugh, fine. But no weird stuff, okay? That cooking show one was confusing as heck."

Lesser Dog barked, and Undyne turned her head.

"What? Oh, yeah, here you go. Nerd says it's fine."

She growled when both Lesser's and Doggo's bonds took only a minute each. Lesser looked almost apologetic, but Doggo only grinned and spat out his dog treat.

"No offense, Undyne, but not everyone's as much of a stick in the mud when it comes to getting pranked as you. Even pulled a few of our own on Sans, over the years. Remember that, Sans? Heh, yup. That was a good one. You and me should team up sometime and get those old fuddy-duddies at the Town Hall something good."

Asgore chuckled, "I will pretend I never heard that."

Toriel looked up at the sky.

"Come, Dreemur. I think some of us should get a fire going over in Home. It is somewhat nearer than Snowdin, and certainly possessed of a greater number of guest rooms."

She stood up, shaking the snow off her gown. She paused halfway upright.

"...what do you mean, Sans?"

Frustration and a query.

"...of course we are going to stay with you. What would possibly make you imagine we would do otherwise?"

The feeling of learning, and paperwork, and impending excitement.

Doggo barked out a laugh, "What, the school? If you aren't up and about by the time that opens up, they can probably get away with leaving for a day or two. You've got, what, seven bonds now? And the Doctor said he was bringing at another two."

Overwhelm. Doubt, confusion upon confusion, mounting frustration, worry, fear, depression, self-hatred, denial, self-sacrifice, embarrassment...everyone nearby visibly shuddered from what amounted to a physical blow.

The clearing around them swarmed with indigo lights laced with gold. Several tree branches swayed in a non-existent wind. Doggo's discarded dog treat lifted into the air. Magic surged.

Papyrus neatly reached out and enclosed his once-brother's SOUL in his own blue attack. The clearing froze, its inhabitants' expressions ranging from terror and confusion to admiration and even resignation. Slowly, Sans' power settled down. Papyrus sighed and let loose the containment he had erected.

Alphys coughed. They all faced her.

"What was that?" She squeaked.

That was Sans.

Everyone but Papyrus, who was too exhausted, Sans, who was still collapsed, and Doggo, who had been facing the path to Snowdin and had seen the monsters approaching, jumped.

Gaster minced his way into the clearing, a sheepish expression on his face. Behind him, bundled up to his ears in waterproof clothing still damp from the summer rains, Grillby walked with slightly less care.

Sorry. I didn't mean to scare anyone.

Toriel rubbed at the bridge of her nose.

"Of course you did not, Wingdings. Still, you somehow always do. I take it you and Sir Grillby are the last of us?"

Grillby's hands moved quickly.

-Not Sir, and yes. Gaster thought any more than nine might cause a bit of an overload. There were at least seven more dressed up and ready to go. I think he just got worried and wanted to see Sans for himself.-

Gaster flushed.

M-maybe, so? Nine bonds in one day is still more than any monster in recorded history has undergone. We have no idea what the effects might be.

"SO FAR, THEY HAVE BEEN CONFUSION, FRUSTRATION, AND AN INCREASE IN THE DESIRE TO PUN."

Undyne's eyes were blazing with excitement.

"Don't forget that blaze of light, Pap! That had to be the biggest display of raw magic I've ever seen!"

Asgore frowned.

"Yes, it was rather large, wasn't it? Toriel?"

She nodded, "Indeed. How old is Sans, Papyrus."

The skeleton threw up his hands.

"WHY IS IT THAT EVERYONE ASKS THAT QUESTION OF ME? I DON'T KNOW?"

Two pulses of annoyance, then a pause, then five, then a longer pause, then two and a shrug.

Everyone turned to Sans with astonishment.

Undyne croaked, "Please tell me you forgot how to add up to ninety."

Laughter and a no.

Lesser dog whined.

-I feel you, my friend. Sans. How in the world have you managed to go so long without bonding?-

Silence. Undyne looked annoyed, then Alphys jumped.

"Oh! Sans, did you c-c-catch any of that?"

Uncertain denial and a request.

"Grillby, um, would you- would you come over here, please? He w-w-wants to talk direct- as d-d-directly to you as he c-c-can."

Grillby sparked, and hurried over. Gaster laughed, and Toriel scrunched her nose at him. He wiped away the tears as Grillby channeled his flames.

Sorry, but you have no idea how hilarious that was. Or possibly you do, and I am more hysterical than I thought. Probably that. I don't think I've slept for three days now.

Alphys, Papyrus, and Toriel scowled at him. He waved them away, oozing closer to his son and the skeleton who had cared so well for him when he had been trapped in the Void. Grillby's bond settled in seconds before Gaster's own hands reached out to take the SOUL. Grillby's flames crackled and popped as he shared a few choice thoughts with the smallest skeleton he knew. Finally, he sighed.

-Sans, I am not sure what you mean. Is this really a surprise?-

Affirmation strong enough to send them all swaying. Toriel herself summoned a handful of fireballs to knock away the bones. Grillby rubbed his forehead.

-No one told you.-

Yes.

-No one explained to you.-

Yes.

-You never bothered to look it up yourself?-

Laziness and nihilism.

"Of course it matters, silly skeleton," Toriel sounded almost as frustrated as Sans, "We must know so that we can be certain this will not happen to another monster ever again."

Placid shrug and justification.

Undyne sighed. Gaster sweated as his bond failed to take shape.

"Well, you better give us a good explanation later, punk. What kind of parents would fail to tell their kid something like this."

Grief quickly brushed aside by defensiveness, then washed over by apathy, then shattered by hatred and fear. The blue bones barely had time to form before they crumpled under the attacks of Doggo and Lesser Dog.

Asgore and Toriel blinked, and Gaster swore as yet another attempt at a bond evaporated at his fingertips.

Sans, if you do not want me here, please just have one of them tell me. This is getting ridiculous.

"THAT WASN'T YOU, DAD. SANS HAS...COMPLICATED FEELINGS ABOUT HIS BIRTH FAMILY."

The complete sensation of Sans response could be translated as: no duh, you think?

Ah, I see. Nevermind then. I take it I am still welcome here?

Magic filled the clearing once again.

Asgore cleared his throat, "Sans seems to have...complicated feelings about you as well."

Undyne happily smashed a spear through a giant, floating skull. Gaster blinked at it in wonder.

So that's where they went. I was wondering about that.

He paused.

Complicated how?

"HE STILL THINKS YOU ARE MAD AT HIM. AND GUILT. QUITE A LOT OF GUILT," Lesser Dog whined, "AND SOMETHING LESSER DOG SAYS FEELS EXACTLY LIKE BEING A PUPPY AND GETTING KICKED BY SOMEONE YOU STILL WANT TO CALL YOU A GOOD BOY."

Papyrus' scarf unraveled itself from his neck and buried itself on top of Sans' SOUL and face.

I take it that was embarrassment?

"Yep."

Gaster sighed and freed Sans' SOUL from the scarf with care.

Sans. I am honestly baffled as to why you think I'm supposed to be mad at you. You took care of my son for fifteen years with no warning or training whatsoever. Not to mention the fact that you did so alone, and managed to handle his impression that you were his brother swimmingly. The guilt probably has something to do with that, and if you try to tell me it has anything to do with me and my team falling into the Core I will smother you. Probably in hugs. It was my own fault and you know it.

He cleared his throat.

As for the other emotion, I think it might have something to do with the previously mentioned 'complicated feelings' about your parents, the relationship you've built with Papyrus, and your time as my assistant and friend. If you would just let me form this bond with you, a great deal of that would be cleared up, but since it seems I have to, let me say this.

He took a deep breath, passing a silent message to Papyrus, who responded with an overwhelming yes.

If you are feeling uncomfortable because you still feel like Papyrus' brother and wish I could be your dad, the two of us would be more than happy to take you in.

The energy sprang from Sans' SOUL to Gaster so quickly he nearly screamed. Then he laughed and let it in, feeling the brilliantly happy, bubbling relief echo through his SOUL.

Undyne snorted, "Looks like you've got a brother again, Paps. Try not to shout the mountain down in your excitement."

Flowey, a few hundred feet away in the bedrooms of Home, winced as Papyrus' shout of excitement knocked a picture frame down off the wall. He rolled his eyes, picking it back up and tugging it straight on its hook.

"There. Smiley Trash Bag better be getting me something really good for all of this."

He vehemently trampled down the faint echo of amusement from what, if he had had any more of a SOUL than he did, he would probably have admitted to being a bond.