Chapter summary: You found the horrortale brothers! . . . YOU FAINTED?!
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The strangest thing was that you had no idea where you were venturing. You just saw red and decided to follow it, although right now.. you weren't so sure of your capabilities with directions. Everywhere you looked nearly appeared the same, saved for the few thorn beds underneath the bushes and trees, but everywhere you looked seem the same.
You kept a careful eye on the ground this time for traps, another blow to the head might be the end of things for you — and you weren't sure of the multiverses' terms of dying outside your own universe, you could simply cease to exist.
The thought alone formed a lump in your throat, forcefully swallowing it as you trekked forward, albeit hesitantly, leaving noticeable skid marks on the tree barks to mark the further you left the camp grounds.
The old song of morning birds chirped, greeting the silence with a little bit of life as you continued on. Humming softly underneath your breath. The forest was alive and you knew that with the constant feeling of being observed never left your body.
The birds continued to chirp their morning song, giving you a sense of comfort the further you walked away from the original campsite.
A twig snapped to your right, causing you to freeze mid-step. Heart beating against your chest as you turned—A flash of red came and went in a blink of an eye. Okay, you were being watched.
Swallowing thickly, you followed after despite your better judgement, keeping your footfalls light and avoiding any particularly large twigs. Lifting your hands to cup your mouth to call out but paused shortly.
In a clearing lay a small shack. The windows were broken, the frame hanging by a lone rusty nail, the door was off the hinges and leaned up against the frame. Plastic bags were used to cover up any major damages to the rundown shack.
The strangest thing wasn't the shack, it was the cared soil, the vegetation growing and recently planted flowers of different kinds. Lilies, marigolds, white roses and —
"OH! A HUMAN?" A voice called.
Tensing up, you quickly dived behind a tree, pressing your back up against the bark in feeble attempts to disappear.
"SHE'S GONE!" The voice gasped, then there was a prolonged silence before the voice laughed out. "OF COURSE! NYEHEHE!"
You perked up in interest at the familiar laughter, it gave comfort and you weren't sure why you were still hiding. These were most likely the missing skeletons, meaning the trip was cut relatively short. somehow you felt better knowing that it only lasted two days; at least you'll have time to tease Classic Sans later.
Reluctantly you crept out of your hiding spot. The garden laid untouched and unbothered, the skeletons in question were nowhere in sight. The breath you didn't know you held released, your shoulders dropped in a relaxed manner as you scanned the area. There were no traces of any monster other than the cared for garden.
Pursing your lips in a thin line, you huffed softly.
Large hands placed themselves on your shoulders, an unsuspecting yelp escaped your mouth as you quickly turned around, ready for anything - yet you froze completely. Eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar.
"HELLO!" The Papyrus greeted, his crooked pink teeth spreading into a wide smile.
Craning your neck back, mouth hung open as your eyes trailed from his abnormally large torso to the smallest sockets you've ever seen. His clothes barely covered his bones, you could clearly see the bottoms of his ribcage, the stitching was slowly becoming undone.
But the state of his clothes wasn't what caught your attention.
It was how tall and gnarly this papyrus appeared.
He was hunched over, attempting to appear smaller than he was, his teeth were long and stained pink, his sockets were tiny and the once clean porcelain bones were littered with nips and cracks.
"WE NEVER HAVE GUESTS!" He gasped, "HAVE YOU LOST YOUR CAMP, HUMAN?" Broken-Papyrus asked.
An involuntary gasp left your lips as you took a careful step back. Your heart beating in your chest, alarms blaring in your ears as Broken-Papyrus silently stared at you with an expression you couldn't read.
"Oh...Please Don't Be-" Broken-Papyrus tried to put his hand on your shoulder, but you backed away. Terror pumping in your veins as you thought of a way to leave.
He sounded so sad.
You located them, now all you needed to do was get Sans and lead him here.
Sans.
You paused, feeling as if you were being watched by a predator. Where there was a Papyrus, A Sans was close by.
"I.." words stuck in your throat, making you bite down on your tongue as you avoided looking at Broken-Papyrus, keeping your gaze low. You nodded stiffly, turned your heel and began walking away, your mind on autopilot.
If Papyrus was like this, you really didn't want to see Sans. This Papyrus looked nothing like your skeleton. This papyrus was a horrifying picture.
An accident gone wrong.
A sound of metal clinking caught your attention as you lifted your head - a shiny object flew past your face, barely nicking your nose as a loud THUD came from your right. Looking towards the direction, you inhaled sharply.
A piece of your soul died at the abnormal loud axe sticking out from a tree trunk. The axe's blade is stained red. Little chips of wood splintered from its handle and the impact it made with the tree trunk.
Feeling your soul leave your body, your eyes rolled back and everything went dark.
*.
Your eyes opened.
It was dim, the smell of cedar smoke filled the air and fire crackled close by. The ceiling was unfamiliar and you had no idea where you were.
A headache pounded against your skull, causing you to groan in mild pain as you turned to your side. Lightly rubbing your temples to help ease the ever growing headache.
Noises could be heard nearby but you paid no attention, instead nursing your headache like a kicked puppy. Groaning in pain as your headache moved behind your eyes, a frustrated sigh escaped your lips as you forced yourself to sit up. Feeling the pressure shift once again.
Deciding that you couldn't do anything about it, you examined the room you were in.
The dark window suggested that it was night. The croaks of toads and frogs were another indication, the room itself looked well taken care of minus the worn down couch you sat on. A table missing a leg was pushed against the wall with two chairs remodelled with metal legs.
There were blankets scattered on the couch, looked new and barely used along with a single pillow.
The noises continued, soft clinks of dish ware indicated that whoever was in the kitchen.
Forest. Camp. Sans... papyrus.
Memories flooded back to you, the ease quickly replaced with tense as you remembered passing out after an axe nearly beheaded you. The terrifying Papyrus watching as you tried to walk away.
Sans threw that axe, you thought. Not remembering seeing him anywhere, he was hidden in the thicket yet still managed to see you clear as day.
Swallowing thickly, you slowly got up. Freezing instantly the moment the floorboards creaked and the clinking of dishes subsided. Your head raced in your ears as you prayed to whichever gods there were to spare your pathetic soul.
When the clinking resumed, you lifted your foot from the floor and hugged your legs. Thinking of ways to leave without alerting these Papyrus and Sans. You still haven't seen Sans, you're not sure you wanted to.
They looked too similar to the non-broken version and it was unsettling, whatever their fates were before being dragged through the machine to appear like that, you couldn't help but feel...
Fear.
The couch suddenly dipped beside you, an object pressed against your side and you numbly looked down at it.
Thick bones.
Thick bones cladding with a ripped blue jacket pressed against you. Feeling your heart dive into your stomach, you slowly followed the arm up.
Your breath hitched in your chest as Sans continued to pick at his teeth. One bright eyelight half-lidded as he looked uninterested, continuing to pick at his teeth then licked the meat off his long fingertips. Fingertips sharpened like claws.
The white turtleneck was stained in deep red, some parts were cut up to fit comfortably over his large ribcage. He smelled so metallic it nearly caused you to pass out again — but what caught your eye wasn't his state of clothes.
It was the gaping hole in his skull.
It looked as if someone bashed it in, cracks stretched from the hole to his nose and behind his head, it looked painful.
It perfectly describes your headache.
The half-lidded eyelight snapped wide, looking at you without turning his head. You bit your tongue from screaming, instead you slowly turned away. Facing forward without a word.
"heh. cat got your tongue?" He grossed out. His voice was raspy and rumbling, almost demanding as he stared at you through the side. "staring n' not answerin' ain't polite, meat."
Opening your mouth to answer, your words caught in your tight throat. You closed it as your gaze dropped to the floor, pursing your lips into a thin line.
The Sans scoffed loudly. His anger practically grew as he reached to the side of the couch and pulled his axe that was hidden from your view originally.
Your stomach twisted painfully as this sans aimed his weapon at you, fully turning to face you, giving you the full view of his face.
Unlike papyrus, his teeth weren't as pink but there was a small hue to it. His smile was strained and tense, the bags underneath his sockets were dark and his left eye was a void of any light while his right was a blazing red.
"talk. who are you, why are you here?" He growled slowly, making sure that Papyrus couldn't hear him as he spoke. Keeping his voice low as he threatened you with a glint over his blade.
Using your fear you mustered every inch of your body and will to speak a simple; "you."
This Sans looked confused, his axe lowering slightly as he examined you. His confusion written in bold letters over his face as he eyed you, no doubt trying to make a connection to you to him.
"Y-..your not-"
"SUPPER IS READY, SANS! DID THE HUMAN WAKE?" Papyrus called from the kitchen, loud thuds in his wake as he approached the living room. You sucked in a breath as Sans pressed the blade of his axe against your neck.
"make m'bro uncomfortable and yer dinner."
You weren't sure how literal he was but nodded anyway.
Sans quickly hid the axe just as Papyrus walked through the door.
Except now, Papyrus wore an apron sizes too small for his large body. He held a large bowl in his arms that was steaming with vegetables, a spatula in his other hand.
Papyrus absolutely lit up upon seeing you, his crooked teeth widening as he took large strides towards you.
"OH I AM GLAD YOU'RE OKAY! YOU TOOK QUITE A SHOCK! FRET NOT. SANS." Papyrus squinted at the towering skeleton beside you. "APOLOGIZE PLEASE."
"...she was rude first." Sans muttered, giving you a heated glare. You shifted uncomfortably before forcing a smile.
"No, it's...okay, Papyrus." You said, taking a deep breather before looking up at Paps. "I was being rude, I shouldn't have tried to run off like that."
Papyrus' mouth hung open in shock, his small sockets wide as he glanced at Sans then back at you disbelieving. "YOU..KNOW MY NAME?"
"you know his name?" Sans gritted beside you.
Despite the warning bells alarming in your head, you nodded slowly. "Yes.. and you're Sans. Not my Sans but a Sans."
"explain." He hissed, his hand reaching over the couch back and you knew he was reaching for his axe.
Biting down on your tongue you nodded quickly. Taking a deep breath, you spoke in one go.
"So this isn't our universe, you two aren't my skeletons. We all collectively got dragged into the 'alpha timeline' with no memory of what happened beforehand. I am from the swapped universe of this timeline so my Sans is your papyrus and my Papyrus is your Sans. I don't know which timeline or which universe you're from - but there are multiple versions of yourselves at classic's house and we, as in me and classic???sans, came looking for you two because he wants everyone on the same roof so keep track of everyone. There is another pair of brothers in the next town over that we have to find but I made you two a priority because your in the forest and-"
"BREATHE! YOU'RE GETTING PURPLE HUMAN AND I DON'T THINK THAT IS A HEALTHY COLOUR FOR YOU." Papyrus cut you off, a frown on his teeth as he placed the spatula over the vegetables to free his hand and place it comfortably on your shoulder, successfully snapping you out of your one-breathe ramble.
Taking greedy inhales, you nodded stiffly. Still feeling the deathly daggers sans continued to give you.
"NOW, SLOWLY TELL US MORE." Papyrus said, then added. "OVER SUPPER. IT IS GETTING COLD, COME."
However Sans grabbed your wrist, pulling you back. "we don't waste food here. eat everything." He practically demanded then followed Papyrus to the kitchen.
Their footfalls were loud, and for a second you were worried where they would fit in the mansion. Would they be forced in the basement?
Or behind the mansion where trees stood, away from civilization.
You worried despite the situation with sans.
Taking a few calming breaths, you trailed after the two giant skeletons. They must've stood at least 7 or 8 feet tall, papyrus maybe even taller if he straightened his poster, sans looked like he could barely fit through a normal sized door. Making a mental note to add modifications to the mansion if classic grants you permission.
The kitchen was rundown like the rest of the house yet it was clearly well maintained. The countertop was sanded down to smooth out the nicks, the table and chairs were modified with metal, and the plates were in perfect condition. The sink was torn but had a small stream fill it up, a tube was used to make passage past the window - it was an everlasting sink.
The cabinets were missing the covers, so you could easily see the harvested vegetables and cups, plates, pots and pans.
On the table laid the bowl Papyrus was carrying along with freshly cooked wild chickens served on an oval plate, flavoured with butter, salt and pepper.
You gawked silently at the meal prep, taking a seat on one of the extra chairs while Sans and Papyrus stared at you, like you were the weird one.
The food smelled amazing and for a second your mind was stumped. A papyrus knowing how to cook? Actually?
You meant.. it took a while to get your sans to quit using glitter, to take actual culinary classes to better his cooking skills
Even so the first few months were terrible as he was still learning.. you wondered how this Papyrus gained his skill.
A plate was placed in front of you, the serving size was big, but not as big as theirs. While you had three thighs, a small (compared to theirs) scoop of potatoes and vegetables. They had whole chickens, scoops of vegetables and mashed potatoes.
"It's.. not like you're starving." You said, "wow.."
Papyrus froze, fork nearly in his mouth as he looked at you. A small spark of regret in his expression as he lowered it.
Sans grit his teeth and his fists were formed. He looked like he wanted another try at throwing an axe at your head, and you wondered what you said wrong.
"we were." Sans growled.
"BROTHER..." Papyrus warned. "IF SHE COULD EXPLAIN FURTHER, MAYBE WE CAN EXPLAIN OURS."
Sans looked at Papyrus in disbelief, trying to come up with something to say but settled on giving you a heated stare.
"I..I'm sorry if I said something wrong." You apologized, remembering what Sans said prior. "What..I said earlier.. you're not in your surface. We aren't meant to exist here, in this... universe. Timeline? I think classic would explain it better than I because.." you trailed, uncertain. "I don't have the whole grasp on it but I do know that everyone got pulled into this universe because of the machine...do you guys remember anything?"
Gods, it felt like you were walking on eggshells. The way Sans stared at you was deathly, and if looks could kill you were fairly certain that you'd be rotting dead on the floor.
The two brothers stayed quiet, slowly eating their food as they thought about what you said.
Sans pulled at the hole in his skull, a complication of his expression told you that he was having trouble remembering. You were the same, so you shook your head.
"Nevermind, I don't remember either so it's okay...but what I said about classic wanting everyone under the same roof... it looks like you made a home here.. but it is property to the city. If the rangers found you two you'll be thrown out." You said truthfully, playing with the vegetables on your plate. Sensing Sans' stare, you forked some into your mouth. The salt and pepper seasoning was mild and wasn't too salty nor peppery, it was perfect.
"If it makes you feel better," you said after swallowing. "I can ask classic to get you an accommodation in the wooded area behind the manor.. you can grow your own food- it is amazing by the way," the slipped compliment made Papyrus smile. "Have privacy. More so than me and my skeletons."
Papyrus bit into the chicken, savouring the flavour and swallowing it down. "THEY..HOW MANY?"
"Huh?" You looked up from your plate. Pushing the fear down now that you knew you had nothing to be afraid of. Or so you hoped, they were being incredible hosts even if Sans did threaten you. "Oh! Uhm.. there's classic Sans and Papyrus, this is their universe... uhm two from.. uh- U-Underfell? Sans and Papyrus; Red and Edge... then there is my Sans and Papyrus; Blue and Stretch. They're..their nicknames because.. everyone can't be known as Sans and Papyrus. It'll be too confusing for everyone.."
Papyrus nodded slowly, following your every word but Sans had pulled a notebook and pen from his pocket and began writing everything you said. He reread the paragraph twice then looked up at you.
"nicknames, huh? what would ours be?" He snickered humorously. "somethin stupid like axe and crooks?"
You flinched at the jab. A small frown on your lips as you shook your head. "No." You had no idea why you were offended. You weren't the one who came up with them. It was classic.
"SANS!" Papyrus frowned. "DONT BE MEAN."
"what? i axe'd her a question, don't be gutted bro" Sans' teeth pulled into a large smile as Papyrus sighed in defeat, choosing to continue eating before his food got cold.
"humour us...our nicknames, what would it be?" Sans looked at you. His snickers subsided momentarily as you froze.
Crap. So he does think you gave those nicknames out, why is he so.. snarky. It's infuriating and you knew you couldn't do anything about it.
Papyrus... he was the holder in this little rundown hut, he prepared the meals and, on your speculation, tended to the garden. This place was basically his world... he also reminded you of a giant.
Perking up in interest, you found the perfect nickname for Papyrus. "Well for starters," you spoke up after a few minutes. "Papyrus could be nicknamed; Atlas."
"LIKE THE MAPS?" Papyrus frowned, obviously not liking the idea of being called maps.
Sans twirled the fork in his hand, a clear warning in his bright red eyelight as he stared you down.
Clearing your throat, pushing the fear past your limit, you shook your head gingerly. "No... like the Titan who holds up the heavenly skies. Some people say he holds the whole world instead... I like the one where he holds up the world because..well.. people depend on him to keep it steady, to help keep balance." You explained briefly. Shredding your chicken and mixing the vegetables together with the chicken. You felt like rice would go great with this meal.
"OH.. OH! I LIKE THAT. ATLAS! THE ONE WHO HOLDS THE SKIES!" Atlas smiled, whispering the name to himself as he finished up eating off his plate.
Despite him missing your point, you decided to just give it to him. He was.. bright if you looked past his flaws, it was hard but his bouncing yet cautious personality made you overlook his features.
"WELL..WHAT ABOUT SANS?" Atlas pointed, cleaning up his side of the table and got up to place the dirty dish in the sink.
"Uhm.." you trailed, looking at Sans for a minute. His hot-headedness and ill temper, his choice of weapon screamed louder than anything. He was ready for anything, good or bad, mostly bad and you... "Ares."
"not into astrology." Sans grit. Finishing his plate shortly after Atlas. "stars were a mockery. ain't worth the damn time."
You quickly shook your head. "Not aries as in the constellation. Ares. As in the god of war in greek mythology. He's ready for battle when he's needed.. he always carries a weapon because of said battle.. the other version of him is mars, the roman equivalent.. but, personally I like Ares. It's.. fitting a-and it seems like you don't like space, either."
"nope. ares is good." Ares nodded his head, satisfied with his newly formed nickname.
You exhaled the breath you didn't know you held. Who knew giving out nicknames was hard?
At least it wasn't crooks or axe. You felt like the only monster would give out such stupid nicknames would be classic.
The two stayed at the table until you finished, and you were stuffed. A good long sleep was needed after being so full of delicious food, cooked the right way and had no random crunchiness, weird textures or anything. You could cry instantly with happiness, and you wouldn't be sorry.
"IT IS LATE, WE SHOULD HEAD TO BED.. IF WE ARE TO MOVE THEN....WE NEED A FULL NIGHT'S REST." Atlas said, putting away the little leftovers carefully in containers.
Which reminded you, where did they get everything?
....
Sans did say that campers were driven away, leaving their belongings behind.
You nodded slowly, understanding that people would run away if they saw these monsters. They looked nothing like the usual ones, the friendlier, approachable monsters.
You bit your tongue and began helping Atlas clean up the kitchen, while Sans went back to the living room to prepare your sleeping quarters, the couch you woke up on.
Surprisingly, the two brothers slept in the same room — there was only one, after all.
After the job was finished, Papyrus hesitated to pay your head. You were scared but at the same time confident in him. So despite your fear you grabbed his large hand and placed it over your head, looking up at him as he ruffled your hair.
"GOODNIGHT...Y/N."