#gasterblastertober

It wasn’t like their father didn’t want them home with him, but they weren’t tiny baby bones anymore. Both him and his brother were adults, and needed to strike out on their own and have spaces for themselves. Sans was in college, and he was undergoing outdoor training. It seemed much too big to fit that all into their cozy childhood home. It felt like the right thing to do was to attempt to stand on their own feet and do things like a proper adult.

So, their father had helped the both of them find a new place to live, which was literally two houses down from his. They wanted to be on their own, but not that far away. They had promised to visit often, which placated their father. Plus they’d see him at his bar daily, so it wasn’t like they had gone very far.  They could tell it saddened their father to see them go, but it’s the same pain that every parent must bear once their children are grown and ready to face the world.

It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, for either of them.

Papyrus heard a soft shuffle in his bedroom, the noise loud enough to him that he wearily opened his eye sockets to peer into the darkness. He had always had good low light vision and it didn’t take him long to find the source of the noise. 

He sighed.

Of course, it would be his brother.

Sans sat on the floor in his blaster shape, eye sockets forward as he stared at the door, haunches fully planted. He was as still as a statue and positioned directly in front of the door. Nothing would be able to get into the room without running into some serious teeth. Though Sans was much smaller than Papyrus’ beast form, he still packed a serious punch. The shuffling noise was Sans’ claws on the carpet as he subtly shifted to root himself firmly to the floor.

“Brother, what are you doing?” Papyrus turned down the usual volume of his voice to address his brother, doing his best not to startle him. Sans said nothing, and continued to stare at the door. He probably didn’t hear him, not when he got like...this.

“Brother.” Papyrus tried a little firmer, sitting up and pulling his rocket ship patterned covers away from himself. He reached for the lamp on the end table next to his bed and switched it on. Immediately, the room was bathed in warm light and chased away the dark shadows. The sudden change made the elder brother jump with a soft yelp. He whipped his head around, one eye socket black, and the other with a flickering blue/yellow round pupil. He stared for a moment, before he blinked and the usual soft white lights appeared in his sockets again.

Papyrus crossed his arms against his chest, fuzzy pajamas bunching up here and there. “BROTHER, WHY ARE YOU IN MY ROOM?” Now that Sans was lucid and alert, Papyrus switched back to his regular volume.

Sans thought a moment, clicking his fangs in thought.

<“i...was watching...”> His clicks and barks was just as clear as Common to the younger brother.

“YOU WERE STANDING GUARD AGAIN WHEN YOU SHOULD BE SLEEPING FOR YOUR CLASSES TOMORROW.” Papyrus voice took a hard edge to it. Sans’ condition required him to get plenty of rest, and here he was, sitting up all night staring at a door. How long has he been sitting there before the noise awoke him? Any time was too long for Papyrus’ liking.

<“couldn’t sleep.”>

“OF COURSE BROTHER, THIS IS A NEW HOUSE. IT IS STRANGE AND WILL TAKE SOME GETTING USED TO.”

Sans nodded slowly, eye sockets blinking as his body sagged a little. Tension left his bones slowly, reducing his look from a frightening creature of teeth and claws to a tired friendly critter who could use  a hug or two. <“s’ different. yeah”>

“I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WANT TO PROTECT ME, BUT I AM NOT A LITTLE PUP ANYMORE. THERE IS NOTHING THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS CAN’T HANDLE AND I CAN SOUNDLY DEFEAT ANY INTRUDER WHO DARES  INVADE OUR SANCTUM.” It wasn’t quite scolding, but a declaration of fact. Papyrus was an adult. An adult who was skilled at magic and was training to literally rip through rock to find trapped people. He didn’t need protection anymore. “I AM FAR PAST THE DAYS OF YOU NEEDING TO CHECK UNDER THE BED FOR HUMANS.”

Sans sagged a little more until he was outright lying on the floor like a puddle. <“i know bro. i’m sorry...i just...you know...”>

“WITHOUT OUR FATHER YOU FEEL LIKE YOU MUST ASSUME HOUSE PROTECTOR STATUS, YES I KNOW. FATHER HAS TAUGHT BOTH OF US WELL, IT IS TIME YOU SHARED THAT BURDEN. IT IS MY HOUSE AS MUCH AS IT IS YOURS. YOU ARE SLIPPING BACK INTO BAD HABITS, BROTHER.”

Sans was quiet. He couldn’t deny anything being said to him.

Papyrus scooted over in his bed, making a space and patting it with a hand.

“YOU ARE LUCKY THAT I, THE AMAZING PAPYRUS, DO NOT NEED AS MUCH SLEEP AS YOU, AND THUS CAN ASSUME GUARD DUTIES IN YOUR STEAD. YOU SHALL CUDDLE HERE AND BE SAFE UNDER MY CONSTANT UNINTERRUPTED VIGILANCE. YOU WILL SLEEP AND BE RESTED. ”

Sans chuckled softly, and slowly stood. <”can’t argue with the great papyrus, can I?”>

“NO YOU CANNOT! NOW GET UP HERE BEFORE I PICK YOU UP AND MOVE YOU MYSELF.”

Sans climbed up into the bed with a huff. Of course he was wearing the same clothes he wore that day and not pajamas. No matter. As soon as the elder skeleton had his paws steady he was immediately shoved against the now much-larger Papyrus. Papyrus’ beast form was long and wiry, completely different from the short and stocky form of his brother. The best part, though, was that they fit together into a comfortable cuddle pile. It was the same way they slept as children up until they were old enough for separate beds. Even then, during bad nightmares and bouts of anxiety, nothing calmed them down faster than a cuddle. Even the vague upsetting dreams Papyrus had from time to time about steel and snippets of white were dashed away in such piles. Sometimes their father joined, but nowadays they were much too big and would smoosh their poor father.

It didn’t take long for both beasts to settle into the bed, Papyrus pulling the covers over them both with his teeth. Sans sighed, pancaking out as he truly relaxed. Papyrus gave him a soft comforting nuzzle.

<“thanks bro.”>

<“OF COURSE, AS IF YOU NEED TO WORRY ABOUT SAFETY. REMEMBER WHAT FATHER SAID?”>

<“to howl if in trouble and he’d come reduce anything messin’ with us to ash.”>

<“NOT ONLY WILL THEY FACE THE WRATH OF OUR FATHER, BUT EVERYONE IN SNOWDIN. YOU ARE SAFE, BROTHER. NOBODY IS FOOLISH ENOUGH TO HURT US. EVEN IF IT TAKES OUR WHOLE LIVES, I, THE FOREVER UNFORGETTABLE PAPYRUS, WILL REMEMBER TO REMIND YOU OF SUCH THINGS.”>

Papyrus knew what Sans was afraid of. He knew ever since he was old enough to be sat down and be told why his brother acted the way he does sometimes. Sans rarely talked about their lives before their adoption, but he knew what it was. After all, he had the Undernet and it didn’t take long to find archived newspaper articles about it. His brother sacrificed a lot to protect him.

He understood, which was why he did his best for his big brother. It was time for Sans to be protected.

Sans nuzzled in close and yawned as he got comfortable.

<“you’re the best bro around.”>

“THAT'S RIGHT, NOW SLEEP.”

Undyne shouted directions over the noise of echos, Papyrus turning on a dime to keep up his rate of speed. Together, they twisted in and out of various nooks and cavern walls, until Papyrus skidded to a stop. It was only years of working together that kept Undyne from flying off her friend at the sudden stop.

Before them, was a cave in. A whole passage in Waterfall was blocked with chunks of stone too large to move for a normal monster. But Papyrus was not a ‘normal’ monster. With practiced speed he immediately got to work, peeling away pieces of stone and crushing them into tiny harmless bits. Undyne threw her magical spears into the tunnel, keeping it from collapsing any further. They were the first to arrive, which was usually the case, with the rest of the rescue team on their way. Papyrus could not be stopped and he was gone as soon as the call came in.

“I’m heading to New Home to visit Sans,” Grillby had called merely a few hours ago. “and Asgore has invited us to tea, should you like to come.”

Papyrus had replied that he was on duty at the moment, and as much as he wanted to travel along with his father to visit his brother, he was a professional. Grillby was subjected to a speech about how the Great and Vigilant Papyrus must keep an eye out until relieved. Chuckling, his beloved father wished him a good day and hung up.

It was only a while later that the entire cavern shook and sent dust and stone flying everywhere. The long dead volcano that has been their source of power shuddered in an earthquake.  Then came the phone call.

Grillby was trapped, along with a few other monsters in Waterfall. They had managed to get into a safe spot before the tunnels collapsed around them. While nobody was hurt, it would not be long until the oxygen ran out. Being a fire monster, he relied on on it to keep his flames going, if they snuffed out….

Papyrus refused to think of what would happen. He won’t allow that to happen. So there he was, using his bare strength to claw away chunks of stone, his soul thumping in his rib cage. An icy fear gripped his bones as his body felt numb. It was almost like a bad dream, but the pain of his claws digging into stone and the burning thump of his soul told him it was very much real.

He snarled in frustration. It wasn’t as easy as just digging down. Every stone had the potential to cause yet another cave in If removed. It was like a horrible puzzle. Papyrus was great at puzzles, but at the moment he could not appreciate them. Tears stung his eyes behind his goggles as a crooning noise bubbled out from his muzzle in distress.

The monster who had raised him and his brother was below his paws, but separated by piles of stone. Stone that was currently smothering him along with other innocent monsters. His entire life was bonded to the kindness that was shown to him and his brother so many years ago, he wouldn’t know what to do if-

“KEEP GOING PAP!” Undyne shouted from her work of reinforcing the cave. As boulders rolled away from his paw, she was picking them up and slamming them into sturdy piles to hold up the roof of the cage. “YOU GOT THIS!”

A warmth flooded his ribs. Yes. He DOES have this. He was an expert now! He backed up, locking his limbs and straightening his neck and tail. A humming, blue glow built in his chest, rising higher and higher in pitch until the magic launched right into the rocks. His claws gripped into the floor, pouring magic as strong as he could into the rocks. The rocks began to glow orange, then red as the intense heat softened them. As soon as they were red, Papyrus cut the blast and shoved his fore-paws into the stone. His claws dug out melted rock, clawing until his paw broke through into a pocket of air.

He could smell the stale air get pulled out of the hollow as fresh air replaced it. He stuck his muzzle into the hole and barked.

He could hear monsters talking, yelling, crying. He smelled fear, but at least no pain. He dug his claws in after his muzzle and began to rip into the hole, making it wider.

“Papyrus?” He could smell smoke, french fries, and pine cones. A warm hand touched his muzzle and he burbled out a response of happiness and worry.

“Keep going son, you’re doing well.” The hand was removed as the fire monster moved back, giving Papyrus more room to dig.

“See? I told you all. We’ll be okay, that’s my son. Just stay back for a while.” The other monsters quieted down, and Papyrus felt a swell of pride and love in his soul. He had always known that his father was immensely proud of him, but it was always wonderful to hear it.

He could hear the other Rescue Monsters show up. Some were taping off the area to prevent civilians from coming in, some were discussing the cavern’s integrity, and others began to help Papyrus dig. He had to be careful not to accidentally knock someone out with his tail, as it began to wag in relief. By now most of this co-workers had enough sense to stay away from his back end whenever possible.

It wasn't long until he had clawed a hole large enough for even the biggest monster to escape, the others helping to reinforce the hole so there wasn’t any more danger of collapse. Undyne jumped into the hole, and began to help the trapped monsters out of it, moving quickly and carefully. Papryus used his snoot to act like a railing, keeping the monsters from tripping and falling down the slope of stone. They were quickly ushered off to the side, where blankets and medical personal were waiting. Together, everyone got out safely, the last being a very familiar monster.

Grillby was barely even out of the hole before he was snatched up by the back of his shirt and carried to even ground. With soft clicking noises, Papyrus shape-shifted back into his bipedal form, and immediately hugged so tightly that Grillby felt his flames compress.

“OH FATHER, I WAS SO WORRIED!” The usual brash and confident voice was now colored by fear and relief. “I WAS AFRAID I WOULD NOT GET TO YOU IN TIME!”

“I didn’t worry.” Grillby smiled as Papyrus squeezed tighter. “After all, it was you coming to rescue me.”

“I WAS STILL WORRIED! DO NOT GET TRAPPED IN ANYMORE CAVE INS, FATHER! I FORBID IT!” Papyrus shook a bit, sniffling back tears as he outright lifted Grillby off the ground and into an even tighter hug. “YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE IN DANGER!”

Grillby coughed up a plume of smoke from the tightness. “Okay, I won’t!”, he wheezed as he received a skeleton nuzzle. Then, he was put back down on the ground and Papyrus removed his scarf to try and brush off the dust on Grillby’s clothes. Grillby looked over at Undyne for help, but she just smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

Papyrus was so relieved, his soul calming down from the terror he was subjected to. The entire rescue barely took more than an hour since getting the call, but it felt like so much longer. 

“UGH.” To the right, Papyrus shifted in his seat, trying to be comfortable. “I WISH THEY WOULD JUST START ALREADY.”

“Patience Papyrus, this is a big day for a lot of people.” Grillby couldn’t help but softly chuckle. Papyrus was a monster who rarely hated anything. But his one true nemesis would always be having to sit still in a chair. He was simply too animated to be contained in one spot for long. He figured that out long ago, when his kindergarten teacher would call him in a panic, only to find Papyrus happily doing his schoolwork outside. How he managed to escape unnoticed proved he was the complete opposite of Sans, who enjoyed staying in one spot for hours at a time. Papyrus lived for the outdoors.

Angel above, kindergarten was years and years ago.

It was hard to believe that such a tiny little skeleton grew up into a monster that was easily taller than nearly everyone in the room. He stuck out terribly even when seated. A few monsters had to move around him just to see. It was clear how much he hated being here, but there was something far stronger keeping him there, and that was the bond he shared with his brother. Those two would do anything for each other.

Grillby allowed himself to slip back into the past for a while, tuning out the excited chatter and Papyrus’s fidgeting for now. It was difficult to understand just how much time had passed. Good memories and bad ones alike past by with speed. Nothing passed so quickly before to the old general. Not even the first few centuries of entrapment under the mountain went by as fast.

He could still vividly recall finding the two tiny skeletons rooting around in the trash behind his bar. How small and sick they both were. How long it took to get them to believe that not everyone was out to hurt them.

Sans was so fragile both in body and mind. It took years of finding the right therapy and medication before he can actually begin to live the life he was supposed to have from the very beginning. Scars faded, including those horrifying bar-codes, now only remnant grooves with no meaning to anyone else but themselves. Sans rarely spoke, rarely instigated anything, even just asking for something to drink was just too intimidating to him. There were many nights passed holding him and promising that nothing would ever hurt him again, and more time until he believed it.

But here he was now, years later, about to get his bachelors degree in theoretical physics. The first of many, he was told. Sans fully intended to collect plenty of PHDs under his belt, but this was the first stepping stone to that dream. He was happy with his smiles now reaching his eye sockets, all genuine. He had a large group of friends, including his dearest two, Undyne and Alphys. Alphys was in the same class as Sans, while Undyne went off to boot camp with Papyrus. All four made it a point to meet up as often as they could.

It was a transformation so subtle, it hit him then just how much the two have changed.

“OF COURSE IT IS A BIG DAY!” Grillby was snapped out of his thoughts by Papyrus. “BROTHER IS GETTING A PIECE OF PAPER THAT SHOWS WHAT HE ALREADY KNEW BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL.”

“Yes, Sans is very smart, but that piece of paper is what he needs in order to continue his dreams.” Grillby laid a hand on the taller skeleton’s shoulder to get him to sit still a little. “It’s like your certificate, you are now a licensed professional. His just….needs a lot more certificates.”

“FATHER, YOU KNOW THAT WE WILL BE HERE AGAIN FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES. HE’LL NEVER STOP GETTING THEM. I ONLY NEEDED ONE.”

“It’s different for you. I am sure that they do not give out college degrees for tracking lost people and digging out cave-ins.”

“AND THAT’S WHY I DIDN’T GO TO COLLEGE. THEY SHOULD HAVE THOSE! I TELL YOU FATHER, THAT IS UNFAIR.”

Grillby laughed. For someone with past like his dear Papyrus, he turned out completely different than what most people would have expected. Born to be tortured and forced to kill, Papyrus instead has turned into one of the most kindest he has ever seen. Grillby did his best to nurture that in his youngest, and he grew up into someone who would help anyone regardless of who they were. It made sense he would go into his current line of work, search and rescue. His beastly form, designed to kill humans, instead helps him dig out trapped monsters and find lost children. Even as a powerful creature, he always looked kindly, and is adored by children.

Sans’ beast form was the complete opposite. Being so short and stout, he was like a large teddy bear. He would park himself in one place and not move for hours. He often ended up as a cuddle buddy for anyone looking for a nap, as he just looked so cuddly

Gaster did his best to design creatures of violence and death, but he failed. He completely and utterly failed.

And, Grillby was happy for that.

Before he could say anything further, the lights dimmed, and the current dean of New Home university floated to the stage. The crowd hushed and Papyrus did his best to sit still and pay attention. The dean opened up one of his mouths, and began to speak, and Angel above, was it awful to listen to.

Grillby heard all the boring introductions as the dean droned on about a story of a frog trapped in a bucket of cream and something about never giving up and butter and it related to science somehow. Grillby felt himself sighing along side Papyrus as they waited for him to finish the convoluted story and get on with it.

The ceremony didn’t even start, and already Grillby could see Bertram in the row in front of him, sobbing into a handful of tissues. Frank was doing his best to keep Gnash awake as the poor guardsmen kept nodding off. The crowd was doing their very best to stay seated and wait out the terrible story.

FINALLY the story ended, and one by one they began to call students out to retrieve their diplomas. Each student was met with applause and cheering, but then….

“Sans Fire!”

Sans stepped out, his graduation cap crooked and with a size too big robe. He of course, was met by cheers, along with the howling of the Snowdin Canine unit, and “THAT’S MY BROTHER!” shouted over the noise. Sans went to shake one of the many, many tentacles of the dean and took his diploma case. There was a soft ‘bzzt’ and said tentacle was pulled back sharply, as Sans showed off the joy buzzer hidden in his palm. The dean harshly pointed at one of the seats on stage, as Sans grinned. He then turned around and scanned the crowd before resting his eyes on Grillby. It wasn’t like he was hard to find, after all.

Grillby could feel tears of magma build up around the embers of his eyes as Sans winked and nodded, and went back to sit with his fellow students.

For a moment, he was speechless.  A strange feeling overcame him. The past and the present blended together for a moment, and he could almost see that tiny six year old Sans sitting up there instead of the adult he is now.

“FATHER! THE CHAIR!” Papyrus suddenly shouted.

Grillby jerked in alarm and looked down, to see that some of his tears had fallen and started to set the chair he was on fire. Bits of flame fell down and set the tacky carpet alight. A commotion broke out around him as fellow parents evacuated the space around the flame and Papyrus went into full ‘rescue’ mode. Grillby was trying to apologize as Papyrus moved him away from the flames as to not make them worse.

From his seat up on stage, Sans watched and sighed as Alphys patted his back. The commotion at least, livened up the ceremony, as now the dean was trying to calm people down with another long boring story.