Underfallen

[shadow_claw]

That...was his voice. Or, the other San's voice. And that tongue...he knew it better than the back f his metacarpals and phalanges. Just thinking of that joke made him cringe. Dad...used to say that. Alphys thought it was hilarious, as did most who understood it. God...was that...thing really him? Was that was...what Sans had done to his father? He felt sick just thinking about it.

"One thing we have in common." Sans whispered back, wiping his face with a sleeve. It hadn't been on purpose, but...It had been his fault. He was told not to play around the core, and to stay away from it.

 

---

 

Home...It wasn't a far-fetched idea to think Sans would've ran into his house. Ran? No, Sans didn't actually run. It was surprising for the elder skeleton to use his magic. In fact, he hardly ever did! Making sure the barrel was secure once more, Alphys checked the bungee cords. "His house...we can try there-" Her words were cut off when an object was shoved into her hand. Gaster, clicking and screeching softly, had given the woman a toy. A red rubber ball, just small enough to fit in the hands of a child.

 

"Th-this...this is..." She sniffled, removing her glasses as tears welled in her eyes. Sans's ball. The toy he'd been chasing after when he nearly fell into the core. Gaster had managed to snatch his son away from danger, only to fall in himself. "Oh God, I'm so sorry!"

[pudding]

Sans was silent for a few long seconds before hi bony fingers hooked under the cloth that had covered the broken machine. Hitching it up so he could look out, he stared at the other version of him hiding underneath the table. They had come to the same place but had chosen slightly different places to hide. It was hard to believe there were such strong differences between the two of them. Especially when this version of him had also been at fault for their father's death.

"So it's your dad," Sans replied with a slight sigh. Was it from regret? Or perhaps relief. It was hard to tell as he wiped tears away with the back of his sleeve. "It is your timeline after all."

 

----

 

Frisk paused, looking at the barrel as the sludge inside made an unusual noise. The ball that Alphys was holding apparently held significance to her in some way since the scientist quickly began to cry. Tilting their head to the side, they reached up and placed a small hand on Alphys's arm, trying to calm the scientist. Clearly, they were concerned about why Alphys had suddenly started crying and what was wrong.

[shadow_claw]

Sans shifted his weight, crawling his way out from under the desk so he could get a better look at his other self. Funny, how they chose to hide in the same room. It gave him so much heartache to return into the workshop, but nobody could find him here. Not even Papyrus realized what was in the shed, nor how important it was to them.

"I..." He frowned, his face scrunching up. Gaster appeared when the both of them used their magic. He could be from either timeline. And it seemed as if their father's death was a universal constant. That...was really sad. "I would guess so."

 

---

 

Alphys wiped her eyes, whimpering softly. It was only when Gaster took her hands in his own did she quiet down. The creature solidified for a short while, enough to offer a small smile. He released her hands to sign. Alphys remembered little of what she had been taught by Gaster, and only managed to gather a basic grasp of what he was trying to say.

Don't...

By that, she meant only one word. Wiping away tears, she reached down to squeeze Frisk's hand.

"After all this time, you still...you still kept his ball..."

Edited November 23, 2015 by shadow_claw

[pudding]

Sans looked at his opposite with a mixed look. In some ways, he pitied this other version of himself. It was strange how he had spent so long regretting his actions and the fact his father had fallen into the core and yet now he found himself not wanting to see him instead. But, at the same time, a larger part of him also envied the other version of himself. He wanted to apologize so badly to Gaster. It was entirely his fault and he had never had a chance to apologize. Instead, he spent countless nights crying over torn remains of blueprints and incorrect equations. "Does your brother still remember him? Or did he forget as well?"

 

----

 

Frisk looked more confused than anything else but a recognition filled the child's eyes at the symbols Gaster made in his solidified form. Patting the scientist's hands in a comforting manner, they turned to look at Gaster, watching the gurglign liquid carefully before holding out a hand towards the barrel as a sign of friendship.

[shadow_claw]

"He...doesn't know. Anything." Sans admitted this reluctantly, the pain on his face visible. Papyrus didn't even know they had a dad. If he knew...he'd ask if they had a mom too. And...how was he supposed to tell that sort of thing to his sweet, innocent little brother? No...he didn't need to know. At least, not until now. "How...How am I supposed to tell him that?"

 

---

 

Gaster glanced between both Frisk and Alphys, taking each of their hands in one of his own. They stood like that for a while, just holding hands. Until Gaster could no longer hold his form. Then, he slid back into the barrel with a soft gurgle. Seemingly collected now, Alphys released the monster's hand in favor of the wagon's handle.

"Let's...Let's go find Sans." She declared, pocketing the toy. Sans needed to help with this situation.

[pudding]

Sans's scowl turned into a tight grimace as he looked away, turning towards the door instead and refusing to meet the eyes of his opposite. "You can't," he replied, planting his hand on the floor and climbing to his feet. His fingers curled into a fist as he turned his gaze to look down at his own feet. "He doesn't remember and you can't be the one to remind him of that. Not when it's your fault he doesn't have a father any more." Sighing slightly, he walked towards the door and started to open it. This... changed things. It changed them a lot, actually. "My brother is here," He said softly. "I need to go find him."

 

----

 

Frisk nodded and stepped forward, moving back towards the house. When they arrived out front, Frisk reached out and easily opened the door, revealing a darkened interior. Frowning slightly but not dissuaded, they gestured for Alphys to follow them inside. Maybe Sans was in his room. And if not, they could check Grillby's.