CICK, CICK!

Papyrus's tiny hand tapped against the sides of his brother's eye socket as he struggled to grab the small glowing light within. He had been at it since the beginning of their walk towards the multiple power restoration stations, seemingly unaware or unable to comprehend how futile his goal was.

CICK CICK CICK!

"lemme know when you're done, bro," sighed Sans, slightly annoyed. He wasn't at all happy about their little trip, and the tapping was starting to get to him. It was bad enough that he had to replace the drained magic crystals, but the fact that Gaster had ordered him to bring Papyrus along made it worse.

The scientist had noticed that the baby bones crib was still covered in ectoplasm, but unfortunately it was too late to do anything about it. The orange slime had long since hardened and was now impossible to remove, meaning he would have to get a new crib altogether. After lecturing Sans about his "excessive laziness" Gaster decided to punish him by giving the comedian his least favorite job. Apparently he was under the impression that it was SANS' job to clean up after Papyrus, and not his.

It's not fair. It's not MY job to get ectoplasm off of PAPYRUS'S crib! He's not MY son!

"Nyeh heh heh! You gots some big ol' glow eyes, Snas! Where'd you get those glow eyes? Baby would like some glow eyes..."

Sans ignored his brother and continued onward through the annoyingly long hallways. It would have been nice if the power stations were closer together, but the volcanic activity in Hotland made underground construction dangerous.

CICK CICK CICK!

"please stop."

WHY would they dig into a volcano to begin with? I mean, who had that FUCKING idea?

"we've a second story with ZERO rooms..."

"Nyeh?" Papyrus looked down at him in confusion. "You got some glow eyes in a book?"

"wh-no. i was thinking about something else," sighed Sans wearily.

The baby bones scratched his tiny skull as he tried to figure out his older brother's riddle. What book could Sans have been murmuring about?

The only book Papyrus knew of that could hide things was Peek-a-Boo With Fluffy Bunny, but Sans had always stayed clear of THAT particular piece of literature...

"A book with no rooms..."

"hey pap, didja' hear what i said? i said there IS no book. second story means second floor. i'm talking about the lab."

"The glowies on the second floor?"

"no-"

"They on the second floor in a book?"

"NO."

CICK CICK!

*sigh*

"I can't reach da' glowies, Snas. Help da' baby."

"no."

"Why not?! You gots two and I don't gots any! You greedy as hell, big Buther!"

Sans took one of the colored orbs filled with magic crystals and replaced the drained one, starting the second generator in the process.

Two down, two more to go...

"You's SUPPOSED to teach about sharing, Snas. I's impesshinable, ya' know? I gots to learn to share or I's gonna be a Scroog duck. Ya' know dat duck wit the gold swim pool?

"i know who you're talking about."

"He gots a cane and a big ol' hat, but no pants."

"okay?"

"You know why he don't have pants, Snas?"

"..."

"You know why?"

"..."

"You know why?"

"..."

"You know why, big Buther?"

Oh my god.

"WHY bro," asked Sans, struggling to keep his temper. "WHY doesn't he have pants?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"hello-"

"I don't know why, big Buther."

Are you freaking kidding me with this?

"you're driving me nuts, pap."

"Well I's sorry bout' your nuts, but I thinks mah footure be more important."

"keep bothering me and you're not gonna HAVE a future," warned Sans, putting in another orb.

Three down...

"You bedder be nice to me, stink buther! I's the one watching over you down here...also dis where I's gonna put some of the sparklies when I gets em'. Is dark as hell!"

"'sparklies?' oh right, the stars."

"Yep! Some gonna go in yo' room and some gonna be down here. Imma make dis room as bright as your smile! Nyeh heh heh!"

"uh..."

"Dis the part where you say, 'Awww! Such a nice widdle baby..."

"sorry bro, the only word flashing through my mind right now is gay-"

"YOU GAY!"

Sans chuckled as the baby bones frowned down at him from his shoulders. To anyone else, he would have looked like a jerk teasing an infant, but he was more than used to Papyrus's manipulation tactics.

It kinda scares me actually...makes me wonder what he'll be like when he grows up. He's obviously going to get smarter...

Maybe this is just a baby bones thing...?

I think the FontSearch said something about them using manipulation as a means of self-defense...about them purposely trying to be as cute as possible so people will protect rather than attack them.

CICK CICK CICK!

The kid comedian looked around in confusion for a few seconds before letting out another annoyed sigh, his brother having pulled him from his thoughts.

Wrong turn...

CICK, CICK!

"why don't you go watch a movie Papyrus? we found lots of barney videos at the dump yesterday-"

"Because the power's out stink head. Also they thow those away for a reason, Snas. They suck."

"you suck."

"YOU SUCK!"

"You both suck." The boys both jumped in surprise at the sound of Gaster's voice behind them. "I asked you to restore the power fifteen minutes ago, Sans. WHY is the lab still dim?"

"because you're still standing in it, genius."

"NYEH HEH HA HA HA!"

"Excuse me?!"

"i said i'm working on it-"

"I'm fairly sure that isn't what you said and I'm getting more than a little tired of your sass, Sans."

"Go way, douche da-"

"And YOU shut your thumb-sucking mouth!" snapped the scientist. "It's YOUR fault the power ran out so quickly! Have you the slightest inkling how few crystals we have left?"

"We gots...dis many," replied the baby, smiling straight ahead.

"...You didn't raise any fingers."

"Dat's how many we got."

"*Sigh*"

I can't deal with this...

"How come you don't buy more rock stuff, Daddy? How's da' baby supposed to get an ed-jew-ma-cation if the tv don't work?"

I can't DEAL with this right now!!

"You's awful irra-sponsible-"

"SHUT UP."

Gaster put his hands over his head as if he were trying to block out Papyrus's voice. He hoped it would signal his oblivious children that he wasn't in the best mood, but instead it only made his eldest concerned.

"dad...?" Sans took a step back, wondering if he should put the crystals on the floor and teleport out of the room. His father looked crazy and he was ninety-percent sure that wasn't too far off from the truth.

To be honest, the royal scientist WAS at his wits end. With the mines closing, it was HIS job to find an alternate source of power for the entire Underground, but how was he to do that when he had a vengeful baby bones destroying his progress and/or making it impossible to progress..?

The more things he had to do over again, the more work piled up for the next day. It had gotten to the point where he had more mail from demanding citizens than actual paperwork!

WHY?

WHY would he have the microwave, washing machine, AND stasis chamber on ALL AT THE SAME TIME?!

Multitasking was Gaster's thing, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. He enjoyed science; he enjoyed learning, inventing new things, achieving what others had already deemed impossible.

Not this.

Not having problems thrown at him like knives toward a dartboard.

Not having a kingdom of ungrateful parasites sucking the knowledge out of him without a second thought.

"GRAH!"

"hey, dad chill..."

I hate them. I hate them all. They expect me to find a way to destroy the barrier THEY put up, they expect me to fix the gas leak that THEY created, they expect me to find an alternate power source that THEY should have already found as a backup!

"THEY EXPECT ME TO DO EVERYTHING!" yelled the scientist, startling his sons once more.

It's not worth it. THEY'RE not worth it...

"i'm sorry, dad," said Sans, looking down at the floor. "i was thinking about something and took a wrong turn..."

"THEY DESTROY MY PEOPLE AND EXPECT ME TO GIVE ONE HUNDRED AND SIX PERCENT EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!"

"huh?"

Is he not talking about us?

"BACKSTABBING COWARDS!!"

Does he even know we're still here...?

"THEY DESERVE IMPRISONMENT!!"

"Nyeh..nyehhh..."

"hey dad? you're scaring pap."

Sans reached out to pull his father's sleeve, but Papyrus quickly leaned over and grabbed his own. "Don't tug Daddy Snas, I sense the danger..."

"nahh, it's okay baby bro. i'm pretty sure he's just in his own little world right now. i do this too sometimes."

"Daz not good, Snas."

"I'LL BURN THEIR HOUSES DOWN WITH LEMONS!!"

"..."

"mayyybe we should just keep going."

"Kay'."

Before the two continued on, Papyrus leaned over once more and dropped a Snickers into the front pocket of Gaster's lab coat.

"...Di-Did you just put a candy bar soaked in garbage juice into my pocket?"

"You's not you when you's hungry."