UnderCorrupt

12 ~ Love Among the Siblings

It was Sunday morning. Gaster came into the lab to find Sans already awake, sitting up on the cot, waiting for him.

When Gaster came in and Papyrus wasn't with him, Sans frowned. "where's pap?"

Gaster glanced over his shoulder at Sans as he walked over to one of the many cabinets in the lab. "I told you I'd be giving you a sedative before I let Papyrus anywhere near you, Sans."

For a moment, Sans' expression was something between concern and fury. Then he let his shoulders slump in defeat, his expression going blank. "... right. okay."

"You don't need to worry; you should still be fully functional. Just too relaxed to move strong and fast."

Sans didn't respond.

About twenty minutes later, Gaster was leading Papyrus into the lab, and Sans was sitting with his back against the glass wall, looking half asleep.

When Papyrus ran over to the wall, shouting Sans's name, a funny feeling filled Sans' chest. It was sort of warm and fluffy, and made him a little lightheaded.

Papyrus stopped at the wall and dropped down onto his knees, setting his hands against the glass. "Sans!" He was smiling.

Sans twisted a little to get a better look at him, and set one of his own hands against the wall, right over Papyrus's. "heh... heya, pap... you alright? i... i didn't hurt ya... did i?"

Papyrus frowned for an instant, but was quickly smiling again. "You hit my ribs pretty hard and bruised a few, but it's alright! It's already almost healed!"

Maybe it was because his head had been hit really hard, or maybe it was some side effect of the sedative, or maybe something else entirely, but Sans felt bad about that. About hurting Papyrus. Bad enough that it was bringing tears to his eyes. He blinked once or twice. "pap, i... i'm real sorry about that... i'm sorry for attacking you... i-... i'm sorry."

Papyrus smiled patiently. "It's okay. You didn't mean it."

"n-no pap, i did mean it. i wanted ta kill you. i wanted you dead. and i don't even know why i stopped. i'm so, so sorry."

"Sans. It's alright."

Sans drew away from the glass. He was shaking a bit now, and his tears were threatening to drip from his eyes. Mentally, he chided himself for being so weak, for crying. But there was a part of him that forced him onward for his brother. "i'm s-sorry. for all of this. for- for hurting you, and for lying to you... and f-for being so mean to you in the beginning-" Sans paused a moment and took a shaky breath.

"Sans, it's okay. I forgive you."

But Sans had already started, and couldn't stop now. Tears dripping down his face, he continued. "a-an' i'm s-sorry f-for giving in. for becoming c-corrupt. a-and for l-leaving you in the f-first place. i'm s-sorry, p-pap. s-so sorry, t-that you h-had to l-live with th-this war-"

"Sans. None of that's your fault. Those are things you couldn't have controlled."

Sans didn't answer immediately, just started sobbing. He wrapped his arms around himself, hugging himself tightly, rocking slightly back and forth. "i- i jus' wanna g-go h-home-- an' e-ev-ver-rything g-go back t-ta h-how it w-was--"

Before Gaster could stop him, Papyrus leaped to his feet, ran to the airlock-like door of the cell, punched in the access code, and ran in to Sans. He dropped to his knees next to Sans and, without hesitancy, hugged him. Sans turned and hugged him back, burying his face in Papyrus's scarf, all the pain and misery he had forced down over the last year finally surfacing as he choked and sobbed against his brother.