Dead or Alive?

I didn't know if I wanted to open my eyes.

I didn't know if I was prepared for it all to have failed.

To wake up and see that everyone was still gone.

That Papyrus was still gone.

What if I was stuck here?

Alone.

I was filled with anxiety.

I was also filled with Determination.

And that Determination shone through, making me open my eyes.

The plain colour of my bedroom roof greets me, a familiar sight. My eyes drift around the room, everything is where it should be.
Quiet.

It was quiet.

I leapt from my bed, sprinting to the door and swinging it open. I stared out into the empty house, no one was here.

"papyrus?" I shout into the empty silence, quiet. So quiet, I felt my soul drop.

He was gone, he was dead.

I was alone. It didn't work.

My brother would never see the surface.

No monsters would ever see the surface.

...

...

...

...

Of course.

Of course, I wouldn't get a happy ending.

I should've known.

No.

I already knew.

A part of me always knew.

I would never get a happy ending.

I would never get to see them again.

I would never get to see him again.

Everyone was dead, and I could do nothing about it.

Papyrus is dead.

I'd never get to see him again.

I'd held onto hope for nothing.

...

...

...

"BROTHER?" A familiar voice calls, I stare. Just stare.

He was here.

My brother.

My brother was alive.

Papyrus pulls me into a tight hug, it felt so warm. So real.

"SANS? ARE YOU ALRIGHT? DID YOU HAVE ANOTHER NIGHTMARE?" Papyrus asks, I can only smile.

"i just really missed you, pap." I say, smiling a large, genuine smile. Thankful.

"MISSED ME? WE TALKED LAST NIGHT? I MEAN, I GET THAT I'M GREAT AND ALL, BUT IF YOU MISSED ME, YOU COULD'VE JUST COME IN." Papyrus says, looking into my eyes. "ARE YOU FEELING ALRIGHT?" He asks, looking concerned. He pulled away from the hug, I wanted to pull him back. I wanted to just sit in his embrace, knowing he was here. Alive. "WAIT! OH MY GOD! YOU'VE GOTTEN TALLER!" He shouts, I let out a laugh. A loud, boisterous laugh that probably woke the neighbours.

"yeah, i have." I smile, Papyrus's eyes widen.

"I'M CALLING ALPHYS." He shouts before marching downstairs, I chase after him.

"what? why?" I ask, stopping Papyrus from dialling her number.

"BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T TOLD A SINGLE PUN SINCE I WOKE UP, AND YOU RAN DOWN HERE! YOU MUST BE SICK!" Papyrus shouts, I can only smile.

"well, pap. tibia, honest, i was gonna give you a short break, but if you insist, I guess i'll throw you a bone." I smiled, Pap's face contorted into a playful rage, but behind that, I could see the relief.

My puns were a bit off the mark, not because I hadn't been using them because I have. A lot of people know that. The reason they were a bit off was because of the sheer amount of joy and shock swelling in my soul.
Papyrus was alive.

"OH MY! LOOK AT THE TIME! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE!" Papyrus calls as he stares at our clock, papyrus yanks open the fridge. The door almost comes off the hinges, Papyrus proceeds as if it didn't.
He hands me a bowl of cold spaghetti, the fondness of this situation made the joy in my chest grow. "WE DON'T HAVE TIME TO EAT TOGETHER, SO YOU CAN EAT MY MAGNIFICENT SPAGHETTI AT YOUR POST! I BETTER NOT CATCH YOU SNEAKING AWAY FROM YOUR POST AGAIN!" Papyrus shouts, marching to the doorway. I follow after him as we walk outside the house, Papyrus and I walk down the snowy trail.
Snowdin looked alive again, everyone was here, doing what they'd always do, smiling and greeting the two brothers as they made their way out of town.
How much I'd missed home, it's still the same every time.
I reluctantly said goodbye to Papyrus and continued on my way to my station. The condiments that sat inside hadn't aged a day, the lamp sitting next to the path wasn't worn or torn—just the same as normal.
I sat at my post, enjoying the solitude as I ate Papyrus's spaghetti. To any other person, it wouldn't be edible, not even close. But to me, it was one of his better creations.
I knew the time Pap came to check on me, it only varied a few minutes every now and then, so I was pretty confident I knew my time limit.

I walk down the unused, snow-covered path. The large purple door stood out against the white snow, I pressed my back against the solid door. Sliding down to sit in the snow, I rasp my knuckles against the door in a pattern cemented into my mind.
I waited a few minutes, knowing how long she normally took to arrive. I could hear her footsteps echo down the hall, a distant but familiar sound. Tori's footsteps.

"Hello, dear friend, it is good to talk with you again." She calls from the other side of the door.

"good to hear from you again." I answer, leaning my head against the door with a quiet tap. "i won't be able to stay as long as usual, only a few minutes." I pause, taking a deep breath. "i need someone to talk to, and i thought you might be able to help with that." I say, she hums in slight shock. I'd never talked to her about private matters, even if she was my best friend.

"Oh? Go on, I shall help however I can." She says, I think my words over.

"i found something, something that could free the underground." I speak, Toriel goes silent. Shock, more so than before.

"Does it have to do with the souls of the children?" She asks, a slight bitterness in her voice.

"no, actually." I say, the tenseness of the air wavers. A calm one replacing it. "i won't go into too much detail, but a part of magic, a special kind, could make a portal strong enough to get everyone to the surface." I pause, subtly looking over to the camera I knew was hidden in the push. Alphys was listening, I was sure of it.

"But no monster soul would be powerful enough." She says solemnly.

"that may be the case, but i've found a special something. it might work." I say, I didn't know why I was telling her this. More or less preparing her, if anything, I felt like I owed her at least this. "i can't really tell you much more, but if this works, monster kind will be free."

"And if not?" She asks.

"then i'll just find another way." I say, Tori hums a slightly delighted tune. "well, my times up. just keep your ears open, i might come back later." I say, standing out of the snow. I dusted myself off, some of the snow had already dampened my clothes.

"Good luck Sans." Tori says, I knock once more on the door.

"i'm gonna need it." I say, walking back down the path. Just as I get out of earshot of the ruin's door, my phone buzzes, I pull it out of my pocket and smile.

I knew it.

A/N:
Helloooo!!!! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Did you think I would actually be that bad of a person and not give the skeleboi a chance at a happy ending? Because if so, you had completely good reasons to think that.
We're still working our way to the story ending, so there are still more to come! Hopefully, you'll be eagerly waiting for that!

1182 words

Boi!

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