I Named This Blog This For A Reason.

The caverns of Waterfall, normally soothing were now nothing but a potential hazard.

Everywhere was.

A traitor, an outcast, and now a mass murderer; Papyrus was a doomed soul. He stood before his former-commander’s home, looking on. Attuned to the slightest sound, the smallest breath of danger, he found the coast to be clear for the time being.

 Undyne had said she wanted to help, but how true could that be?

Hands clenching at his sides, he debated with himself for the thousandth time. What if this was a trap? What if she really did want to help? Would he survive on his own? Would he survive even with her company for that matter?

He was going to have to take this fight to the top, he was going to have to cut off the venomous head of this snake, he was going to have to face the King.

Papyrus knew that it had to be done. There was no other way for his family to be allowed to live. But at the same time, he might not even live long enough to make it so far.

Deciding, he made his way to the enemy’s door.

He knocked, the sounds hollow and final as sweat beaded his brow. His eye shifted about, he strained to hear. And when that door opened, he nearly jumped out of his proverbial skin.

 “Papyrus!” Undyne boomed, the door opening wide to him. The fishwoman was all grins and smiles, but of course that could be a front. He came in, feeling eerily similar to the last time he had come in through that door.

But Undyne gave him his space, backing away carefully. “Hah, its ok, Pap.” She raised her hands in proof of her innocence as he closed the door behind him. The house appeared empty. It was well-lit so that nothing could hide in the shadows. The broken window to his left was covered with boards for temporary protection and would allow no one to enter except noisily.

It seemed safe. However, Papyrus would be a fool if he relaxed.

Undyne went over to her kitchen as if nothing but friendliness lie between them. She picked up two tea cups and set them on her table with a pot of steaming tea. “Here, I know you aren’t doing so well.” She sat and motioned for him to do the same.

Huffing, he did, eyeing her suspiciously.

She poured a cup for herself, and then for Papyrus.

“You said you knew where Sans and Eras were.” Papyrus cut to the point, eager to be on his way.

The fishwoman nodded, carefully sizing Papyrus up. “Yeah, they were at Alphy’s lab the last I heard.” Placing her phone on the table, she let it sit as an offering. “You can call her to see if you want. Her texts are in there too from just a couple of minutes ago as well.”

He pondered it a moment, and then went to take it-

A loud banging sounded upon Undyne's door. 

Papyrus jumped in his seat, recoiling from the phone as a gruff voice called, "Captain Undyne! Open the door! We have urgent business with you!"

 Papyrus flashed a glare to Undyne, magic crackling on his palm. "Liar." He spat with a hiss, to which the fishwoman raised her hands in surrender. 

"Pap, I don't know anything about this!" She flicked her eye to the door, the pounding growing louder. "Go fucking hide somewhere before they break down the door!" 

"WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" The voice outside the door bellowed. "WE'LL, LIKE, BREAK DOWN THE DOOR IF NEEDED!"

Papyrus looked about in panic, the window was boarded up, and the sparse room did not hold many places to hide.

"CHRIST, I'M COMING!" Undyne roared to the door before whispering to Papyrus, "Squeeze your skinny ass in a cupboard or something moron!"

Not needing to be told twice, Papyrus dove into a cupboard, folding his skeletal body as best as he could into the small space. Roughly yanking his leg to his chest, the door to the cupboard closed just as the front door opened.

 He kept his breathing even and shallow, listening to the others.

There was the sound of heavy, armor-clad feet upon the floor, reverberating in the small house. He raised his brow as he heard the sound of table legs squeaking and furniture being moved.

"Hey! What the hell are you two doing?!" Undyne snarled.

"We have orders to search the premises for the traitor Papyrus."

"Well, you aren't going to find him here!" Undyne huffed. "Who gave you permission to search my home anywa-?"

The unseen guard had the audacity to interrupt her. "Like, don't play dumb. We have word from a reliable source that you spoke with him over the phone not long ago."

Papyrus' marrow chilled. They knew? How could they have known he had spoken to Undyne? His soul stopped in his chest, the feeling of his phone in his pocket sharp in his awareness. Were their phones tapped?

 "And who would this reliable source be?" Undyne spat. "I'd like to cut out their lying tongue!"

"That's totally not a question we are, like, privileged to answer." A quieter voice informed, the other guard finally speaking up. "We have our orders. Right, bro?"

"Right, bro." His counterpart barked.

"Is that fucking so?" Undyne growled. "Well then, maybe you can answer this question, soldier: who sent you? Unless His Majesty is keeping secrets from his own Captain."

The rougher voice answered for his companion, his voice dripping with venom. "That's also a question we can't answer, Undyne."

Papyrus narrowed his sockets. Undyne? What soldier would dare call her-

The sound of magic crackling in the air and a flash of green set forth a catalyst of motion. Metal slid upon metal as swords were drawn and armor clinked into movement. 

"Captain Undyne." The fishwoman spat, the menace in her voice unmistakable.

 The air was thick with silence, so permeated was it that Papyrus dare not breath.

Until the gruffer guard laughed. "Captain Undyne. My bad. Huh, what's this?"

"That's my phone, dumbass." Undyne hissed suddenly. "So, claws off!"

"Nice find, dude." The other, softer-spoken guard admonished. "Our source claimed that you had talked with Papyrus on your cell. Like, if you don't know where he is you could try to call him for us. No big deal, right?"

Papyrus stiffened, knowing full well what they were trying to do. He tried to shift enough to get at his phone in his back pocket, trying to turn it off...when the wood of the cupboard creaked.

Covering his blunder, Undyne ignored the sound and sniffed, "Your source is full of shit, flop-ears. And even if I do call, he isn't going to answer me. He hates my guts."

"Then you've got nothing to lose." The softer voice chimed. "Well...aside from a certain egghead."

The house went quiet.

Far, far too quiet.

 This had flown south fast. 

He couldn't reach his phone when he was cramped like this to turn the damn thing off! Papyrus shifted in his hiding place, trying to ready himself into a crouch. There was no way Undyne would choose him over Alphys. After all, he'd be damned if he himself chose Undyne over Sans.

"Fuck you two." Undyne hissed at the guards as the inevitable sound of his phone's chipper bleep rang painfully loud in the tense room.

*beep beep b-deep* sounding from the cupboard in which he hid.

His cover blown, he shoved himself out of his hiding spot, falling to a heap on the floor. Thoughts bombarded his soul in quick succession, his soul pounding with their fury. There were two guards in the kitchen by the table. The window was boarded. The guards were standing in the way of the door. With his magic low, he couldn't risk an attack. There would be no hope of sprinting past either. But, the way they stood by the table...

Without another thought he pounced off the floor, ran forward, and flipped the table up at the guards, not taking a second to glance back as he made his way to the door. Sounds of surprise echoed around him as he slammed his shoulder into the sturdy door with a crunch before barreling outside.

 His feet pounded the dark earth, his socket trained on the path ahead, he needed to keep running. 

"GET HIM!" A guard bellowed from behind. Papyrus kept steaming ahead...that is, until a large pillar of fire-magic shot forth from the ground before him. With his HP so low he slid to try and change direction, but cried out as something suddenly shoved him forth. The flames parted but he was not spared a rocky outcrop as he was pushed from behind. The wind left his chest in a rush when he came to an abrupt, rattling halt upon the rock. Though dazed, he turned expecting assault. Sure enough, claws reached for him. 

He locked hands with the hefty guardsman with smoke trailing from his helm. The dragon monster growled low in his throat, boxing Papyrus in slowly against the boulder. Try as Papyrus might, he knew he was exhausted and the other was too strong. This was nothing but a game he would lose. 

Grunting at losing sweat-laden inch after inch of ground, Papyrus grit his teeth and flashed out his leg to catch the other in the groin. 

"THE FUCK, DUDE?!" Though not hurt, the surprise was all Papyrus needed. Latching around the guard's leg with his own he jerked it out from under him to fell the scaly monster.

When the guard clanked to the ground Papyrus attempted to make his escape. However, the dragon was determined: his sharp claws grabbed Papyrus by the ankles and drug him back through the dirt. "Goddamnit!" Papyrus gasped and coughed as hands grabbed at him roughly and forced his arms back. "Get the fuck off of me!" He strained as his arms were quickly apprehended. Kicking and squirming as hard as he could to knock his attacker off.

 The feeling of imminent panic began to settle in when he found he could hardly writhe under the other's grasp. His soul floundered in his chest, his skull spinning with hate and fear.

They wanted him alive. Why? Well, it could only be for vicious means. Cruel torture awaited him, though his tongue would be kept intact. Yes, he'd live long enough to betray the only allegiance he still held. 

Sans. Eras. They would be killed from his weakness. 

Papyrus knew the King. If Asgore wanted to keep him alive it was only to make Papyrus wish he hadn't been.

 He could practically see his own thoughts mirrored in Undyne. There was no winning for him. Even if she did help him kill the guards it would be impossible for her to explain to whomever sent these guards that Papyrus had gotten away from her. She was the Captain of the Royal Guard. And because of this the Captain of the Royal Guard could only stand watching her fallen Lieutenant writhe, the rabbit guard at her side eyeing her for weakness. Despite her knowing Papyrus' plight, she stared down at him with a careful deadness he had seen many times over. There was no compassion for traitors and in this he was truly alone.

The feeling filled him with a primal fear and raging will unlike anything he'd felt before. He felt his bones shake and his soul shiver behind his ribs. Magic not unlike fire burned in his marrow. Like a dimming spark clinging to a dead leaf his soul caught flame.

Papyrus bucked hard causing the hands holding him to slip, the other having a hard time finding purchase on Papyrus' smooth bones. Taking advantage of this boon, he wrenched out from the guard's grasp he whipped around and smashed his fist into helm and scaly crests. "GAH!" The guard cried in shock as Papyrus got to his feet to run once more. The rabbit guard sprang into action then, readying his weapon.

 Papyrus was not going to let himself be caught. And if he was going down, he was sure as hell going to make a mess of things.

Magic blazed in his socket and flashed into his palm. He called forth sharpened stakes of bones from the earth, the guards shouting at his sudden vigor.

"Shit! Stop him!" The rabbit hollered, hopping out of a red bone as he commanded it from the earth. "He's gonna drain his soul, dude!" 

The dragon guard was quick to rush forward, his sword raised.

A calm had swept over the skeleton as he faced him, drawing out his long bone without a wince. His gaze only focused on the enemies before him. He clashed with the dragon guard, fighting with reckless abandon. The long bone groaned and splintered from the impacts, the magic deteriorating from the stress he pushed into it. He poured more magic forth, the bone blazing bright in the dark of Waterfall.

The dragon guard huffed with smoking puffs, grunting as he tried to keep up with the ex-Lieutenant. He gave no recess, his humeri shaking as he gave a sharp cut to the other's off-hand. He struck true, nicking the guard's side. Though the guard took the pain well, the other was not as experienced and left himself wide open in his surprise. 

 Papyrus readied his attack to strike him through when hands grabbed him roughly from behind. So focused was he, that the unexpected assault made the weak grasp on his magic falter and sputter out.

"CAPTAIN!" The rabbit guard wrangling Papyrus screeched, "We could use your help, dude!" The dragon guard was quick to aide his partner, yanking Papyrus' hands behind his back. 

"NO! NO, FUCK!" Papyrus roared. Thrashing and writhing, he was slammed to the ground. Like a Roman candle he had burned bright, but when the two guards used their weight against him he was snuffed. Until a scream pierced the air.

"GRAHHH!" The dragon pinning him roared, weight upon his frame lifting instantly from the outcry.

Shuffling around in the dirt he could see the guard holding his bicep in agony, a terrible wound caused by a powerful attack. Broiling blood simmered with wet plops out of the guard's damaged armor, the green spear that had pierced it standing proudly in the dark earth before dissipating. 

"B-BRO!" The rabbit monster was quick to feel instead of think as all rabbits do, casting aside his helmet to crouch beside his partner. "A-are you okay, bro?" Healing magic lit the surroundings while they argued and bickered amongst themselves. Papyrus all too eagerly got to his feet to flee before they finished, but stopped.

 There stood Undyne not a few paces away, a cruel grin of sharp teeth upon her face. 

"YOU CRAZY BITCH!" The dragon guard fumed when he caught sight of her.

The rabbit snarled with a rage unbefitting his kind, "YOU COULD'VE, LIKE, KILLED HIM!"

"Oops. My bad." She said flatly, ignoring the guardsman. Her good eye turned to Papyrus, staring him down. "Must've missed...this time." Magic flashed onto her palm, a green spear forming into a deadly tip.

Her warning was all he needed. The only promise needed to get his tired legs moving and chest heaving with panting breaths.

He grinned with the sort of giddiness only one kissed by death can wear. There was nothing to stop him, nothing to slow him down in the flat realm of this land. He dared not even look back, feet pounding the earth and femurs burning, he bolted dead ahead-

 Something snagged his foot and he went flying end over end in the dirt.

Dazed, he tried to get up and found something was caught on his feet. There had been nothing there! There had been nothing and there was nothing around! He reached down to try and free himself, his phalanges brushing along something thin and translucent. While trying to tear himself free of the string the guards had caught up to him. He stretched out his hand, fingers curling to call forth a final attack. His magic sapped his health, his vision going dim as he readied to cast.

He hissed as a weak attack smacked his hand just before he loosed the attack, canceling it. "Bastard!" Dazed, he was hardly aware of the hands shoving him to the ground. "Stay down, goddamnit!" The dragon guard snarled as he roughly smashed his knee down into his spine. A strangling gasp of pain wrenched from Papyrus' teeth as stars blinked in his vision. "Fucking ungrateful-"

"Watch his HP! We can't exactly use his dust, bro!" He heard the other guard threaten, his voice labored and huffing in exhaustion. The dragon guard holding him down merely grunted in response, winding a strangely thin...wire about his wrists. While he was being bound, the other came round to stare down at Papyrus. Given the time now to see him, Papyrus recognized the rabbit: an old trainee of his. Buck-toothed and always on the verge of a smug grin, he certainly was one Papyrus did not wish to see. And that infuriating-bunny monster crouched before him, smirking as recognition bloomed on his former trainer's skull. "Heh, nice to see you again, Sir."

Papyrus would have hissed in spite had his skull not been forced into the dirt, coughing instead as dust kicked up. "Just kill me!" He hacked, turning his skull to glare just as a cloth was pressed to his face. Struggling, he tried not to breathe as the fumes burned at his nasal aperture and eye. 

"Heh heh, if it weren't for my orders it would be my pleasure." The dragon rumbled behind him.  "Just fucking take it and get it over with, asshole." 

Even as Papyrus was able to pull himself away, the guard pinning him down roughly gripped his skull, thick claws scraping at his bad socket. A gasp from the pain, a ribcage full of fumes and his skull was spinning. His vision was going dark, his soul tingly and warm from the noxious chemical on the cloth. Giving a final attempt to struggle he shuddered into a world of darkness.

 Hey, sweeties. Hope this was fairly coherent. Hah, it was pretty fun writing for the guards. They’re RG01 and RG02 if that wasn’t obvious.

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The woods were his sanctuary. With long, thin, boney limbs he blended in with the twigs and branches of the scraggly trees. The shadows and dappled flecks of minuscule light hid him easily. If one were to see him, they might catch a glimpse of a piece of tattered cloth, or perhaps a flash of red light that was easily blinked away, but no more.

Papyrus shifted between the rustling branches, the wood quiet save the breeze that tickled the trees.

Soul aching with hunger, he made his way towards town, thankful for the closeness of the natural cover to the residential area.

He could steal food. He could try to make his way inside one of the small houses...but with his magic so low it would be risky. Deciding against that thought, he left his cover to press against the cold surface of a nearby home, eyeing the trash bins round back. This was less of a risk.

It was deplorable what he was about to do, but truly he shouldn't care. He held no status anymore, had no reason to fear the taint of humility. Besides, when he and Sans were younger they lived off such scraps.

He scrunched his nasal ridge as he opened the first metal bin, the scent of rot too strong from this one to be safe. Moving on to the next he found that it wasn't so strong as the last. Taking a quick glance to be sure he was still unseen he rummaged through the garbage as quietly as he could. There were some vegetable tossings, parts he had learned when young that were indeed edible. Though slightly wilted and tasting of the slimy beginnings of rot, he was able to get it down. He hated eating trash. Always had. When he was younger he had promised Sans that they would never have to eat trash again when he became a royal guard. Technically, he'd been right. For all his time in the guard he had kept them safe, clean, housed, and well-fed.

Now look at him.

Fishing a half-eaten sandwich out of the grime, he picked away parts that seemed molded and ate without tasting. Look at him eating garbage again, surviving off meager slices of bread and lesser, unpalatable parts of meat and veggies.

He was pathetic. He was a fallen traitor. He had turned his back on everything that he'd worked so fucking hard for. He had thrown it all away. The glory, the honor, his duties, his respect, his accomplishments and goals and dreams.

Biting into what he thought was a decent tomato, his teeth sunk in sickly, the juice squelching upon his chin. Hissing in anger he spat the bile out into the snow, his mood as sour and rotten as the revolting garbage. He tossed the shit back in the pail.

Look at him fucking starving to death, bones rattling with tiredness... And for what?!

For something he hadn't asked for.

For something he had never wanted.

This should not have happened to him. He hadn't wanted Sans to engage him in his heat. He had never wanted Sans to come in as he had. And what was the result of his brother's carelessness?

Something that should not have been possible or conceivable to begin with!

It was all a mistake.

Eras was-

Papyrus paused, feeling ill at the thoughts in his skull. Magic overflow burned at his teeth, but he forced it back. He leaned against the building a moment as he pressed his skull to the cold brick, letting the chill ease his anger.

He sighed, guilt seeping into his soul.

No, he hadn't asked for this. No, he hadn't wanted this. But he refused to think about it as something detestable. Papyrus refused to think of it-

Once more he wanted to retch at his own thoughts. It?! No, this was no "it" his mind had turned on in rage. This was Eras. He knew it, and he refused to think of Eras as...as a mistake. And he certainly wasn't about to go blaming his child either out of self-pity.

Papyrus could have ended all of this before it had ever begun, back when he had first saw that growing soul in the mirror. He had stood and contemplated, he had readied and steeled himself to end the unwanted pregnancy.

But he didn't. And as soon as he made that decision the choice was his. Eras was his. Sans had forced this situation upon him, yes, but Papyrus had ultimately made the choice himself. First and foremost, he had come to terms that his child was his responsibility with or without Sans. And because of this, logically speaking, Papyrus had no right to feel that Eras was a mistake.

Had he ever wanted to have a child? Certainly not, but Papyrus loved Eras very much. He loved the child more than he ever could have imagined.

So no, he hadn't expected the pain and turmoil, the tears and strange bonds that came with them. Papyrus didn't expect such weaknesses in himself to be brought to light, but he was stronger for having met them. He was stronger because of this unexpected occurrence, for this strange little family that had blossomed despite the odds.

A sound caught his attention: snow crunching underfoot.

Papyrus whipped his skull around, his magic too low to usher an attack, but still he raised his fists. He caught sight of a figure in his peripheral, and his arm flew forward to deliver a bone-crushing punch-

He missed as the monster that had been there mere seconds before fell, tripping on their own feet in fear.

Looking down, his sockets widened at what lie frozen in the snow: a child. Two large eyes stared up at him in horror, their entire frame shaking. Their mouth hung open, mute as they watched Papyrus with wheezing breaths. The pitiful creature was entangled in their own torn, striped smock, unable to get free without arms.

It was rare to see a child. So much so, that Papyrus had to blink away his initial shock. It was a wonder this particular monster had made it as long as it had. Such deformed monsters were often found deep in the wood, frozen stiff, surrounded by their afterbirth, rejected by their mothers. No use investing time, health, resources, and care into a creature that would fall.

Yet, this cripple was alive. Even more striking was the fact that it survived and it was an orphan. It was obvious with such tattered apparel...surely they would have been picked off before this age with no caretakers? Not to mention the fact that they lacked any means of self-defense.

They shivered under his scrutinizing gaze, grunting and whining low as they struggled to kick their feet free of their torn clothing.

It was clear that they would need assistance to disentangle their legs. He should put the thing out of its misery. Papyrus could make it quick and painless for the scrawny thing. It looked to be all skin and bones for fuck's sake, a quick end was a far better way to go than starvation.

But when he saw their lip quiver and tears begin to glisten in their eyes he could only think of his own child in their place. "Oh goddamnit." He sighed to himself sourly. He really was letting these feelings get to his better judgement. Papyrus squatted beside them in the snow, the child loosing a small sound of fear. "Shh." He hushed them, reaching forward to help them free their feet. "I won't hurt you."

The armless monster whimpered, trying to squirm away from his grip. They were smart enough to not scream and draw attention to themself at least, but still they were being too noisy for Papyrus' liking. "Be quiet, or someone less forgiving will come." He whispered to them, finally getting the monster's legs free as he tore away the hanging shreds that had tripped them.

The monster child was quick to shove its face in the snow, pushing its body up to bring them back on their feet before they took off running. They bolted into the trees with a warbled gate, hiding behind a protective tree. And there they remained, having gained enough distance to be safely out of Papyrus' reach, but close enough to observe him.

They would probably end up dying, but he supposed his conscience was clear for the moment. He let them be and continued his rummaging. Drawing in a steadying breath, he steeled his reserve. With determination, he attempted to get his magic and health to an acceptable level.

Looking over his shoulder, he caught sight of the monster kid ducking behind their tree. Grumbling to himself, he put some food into the trash bin's lid, the flat surface becoming a sort of makeshift plate. Balancing a generous portion of food, he set it down by the tree line and then left.

It was time he headed to Undyne's.

Short chapter for now. I’m trying to get back into the groove of things. It’s a lot harder than you might think.

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