The Breaking Point

by HardTack (volatileSoloist)

Summary:

Flowey has finally attained the godlike status he deserves, and with his newfound powers, he can show everyone the true meaning of this world. But, just suppose, how lonely it would be to be the last being in the world? Even evil loves company.

—

Deltarune got me back into the mood for Undertale! If you've read my previous fic "All There in the Name", you know what kind of shit I'm about. This fic is actually a sequel to that one, so go back and read it or some elements of this story may not make sense! Also, make sure to read the warnings and tags, which will be updated as future chapters come out.

Chapter 1: An Era of Terror Dawns

As the dark red of human blood spilled once more onto the ground before the Barrier, Flowey rejoiced in the sheer thrill of victory.

Of course, he’d felt some sense of this before, in many of his playthroughs, but it had been dulled by his lack of a SOUL. Now, with six SOULs—no, seven—he was almost overwhelmed by how much he could feel.

So many emotions at once. Pride, accomplishment, excitement, anticipation. Before today, he’d only been able to mirror those feelings, basking in the pale shadows he found. And even then, since he’d started running out of new and interesting ways to mess with the inhabitants of the Underground, he’d realized he was feeling those less and less.

He’d been on the verge of total apathy when that human had fallen into the Underground, and suddenly, so many things he’d only dreamed of seemed to be in his grasp. Dreams of finally killing the old, foolish king! Dreams of ultimate power! And some part of him, the one that he’d buried deep down, dreamt of the Surface.

Now, thanks to that human, he had two out of three, and there was nothing stopping him from sweeping out into the surface world, and making every living being on its face experience the true meaning of suffering.

They’d certainly put up a fight, that human. He could understand why, given what he remembered of the world now just behind him. He turned and gazed at the Barrier, shimmering in the twilight. With so much power in him—so much DETERMINATION— it looked incredibly fragile. He could break it with a single touch.

...

And yet...

For the first time in a long while, Flowey felt a sting of sentimentality. He’d been in the Underground for so long. He couldn’t just leave it behind to go kill all the humans.

No. He’d kill everyone down here, first. Just for old times’ sake.

Flowey shut off the light from his screen, and the chamber was plunged into darkness. He used a vine to open the door just a crack and cried out, in the king’s voice, “Guards! The human is dead, and I have broken the Barrier!”

The voice echoed in the halls of the castle for a minute before he heard the quick, excited pattering of several sets of feet.

“Your Majesty! Is it true?”

“Oh my gods, can it be?”

“I want to see!”

Can’t have that. “No!” Flowey imitated, making the voice a little more hoarse. “I need to make sure it’s safe for us... and... I don’t want you to see me like this...” He put just a hint of horror and shame into the tone to make it more believable.

“Oh,” the voices said, suddenly filled with sorrow and understanding. Gullible idiots. Then, one asked, “Should we get the rest of the citizens ready to leave?”

An excellent suggestion. “Yes. Send them through, one at a time. No more than that, do you understand?” He paused for a moment before justifying, "It'll make the migration easier."

There was the clanking of armor as the guards presumably stood at attention. “Yes sir!” They chorused, and Flowey closed the door again with trembling vines. He felt so excited.

He felt so alive.

——

“Nyeh! Come on, Sans! We’re going to see the Surface, and you’re dragging your feet?”

Papyrus stared down at Sans, who gave him a sleepy smile. “I dunno, bro. Getting me up in the middle of the night and making me walk from Snowdin to New Home is a pretty big feat already.”

“Ughhh, Sans!” Papyrus sighed, before shaking his head. “You know what? I will allow your puns, for nothing can ruin the Great Papyrus’s mood today!”

“Heh, excited?”

Papyrus laughed gleefully. “Incredibly so! I’ll finally be able to drive a racecar! And there will be so many humans to be friends with! As a matter of fact, when I see the small human, I’m going to give them a big hug to thank them for letting us all out!”

Sans scratched his vertebrae, his expression suddenly unreadable. “Yeah, well... they might be busy, you know? They’re probably gonna be the ambassador for monsters, and so I bet they’ve already gone down to the other humans to let them know we’re coming.”

Papyrus scoffed. “Too busy for a hug from the Great Papyrus? Ha, that will be the day! I bet--”

Before Papyrus could say anything else, a pair of guards stopped them. With a start, the two brothers realized they were already at the doorway to the Barrier chamber. Sans grinned at Papyrus. “You ready, Pap?”

“I was born ready!” Papyrus shouted, and the guards lifted their spears to allow him access. This was it. He was going to see the Surface! Absolutely ecstatic, he rushed into the chamber without a second thought. Then, the door closed behind him, and he was immediately surrounded by darkness.

Well, that was odd.

“Wowie, I can’t see a thing! Did you know the Surface would be so dark, Sans?”

A brief pause. “Sans?” When no reply came, Papyrus felt the slightest trickle of anxiety, before it was stifled with knowing frustration. “Is this one of your pranks, Sans?”

“Howdy!” A voice that was not Sans’ answered.

Immediately Papyrus felt more at ease, because he knew that voice! “Hello, Flowey!” Papyrus said cheerfully, attempting to stumble toward the source of the sound. His path was somewhat impeded by the large amounts of powdery sand on the ground. “Do you know where the light switch is in here?”

“Sure do, friend! Let me shed a little light for you.”

There was a short, buzzing click, and then a large rectangle of staticky light appeared, hovering high above the chamber floor. When the static resolved, Papyrus could see Flowey, who appeared to be much larger than he’d been the last time Papyrus had hung out with him.

“How’s that?” Flowey giggled, his appearance flickering in and out slightly.

“Very tall,” Papyrus said almost meekly, suddenly overcome with a mild sense of vertigo. Then he shook his head, and he smiled brightly again. “I didn’t know flowers could get growth spurts! Congratulations, my friend!”

“Hee hee! Thank you, Papyrus. That’s not the only thing that’s changed about me, either!”

A beat of silence passed, and when Flowey didn’t elaborate, Papyrus cleared his throat and politely changed the subject. “Er, where is everyone? Have they already gone up to the Surface?”

Flowey chuckled again, but this time, there was a dark undertone to the sound, as though Flowey had two voices, and one was pitched much lower than the other. “Nope! They’re all right here!”

The amount of light from above increased, and when Papyrus looked around confusedly, the first thing he saw was...

Oh my god.

There were piles of dust everywhere, carpeting the cave floor, so much so that it reached up to just below Papyrus’ ankles. He felt as though he couldn't breathe, overcome with an intense wave of fear, then dizziness and nausea, and the world seemed to shift and pitch.

“Whoa there, friend!” He heard Flowey say, and something large brushed up against him from behind, steadying him before he could collapse. “You don’t look so good, hee hee!”

“Flowey, I—” Papyrus took a shaky breath in, feeling tears begin to prickle at the edge of his eyesockets. “I—I don’t understand! What happened here?”

Flowey laughed again. “I wouldn’t worry about that. You should be more concerned about what’s going to happen to you.”

Whatever had been supporting Papyrus from behind suddenly wrapped tightly around his waist, and he let out a panicked yelp as he was lifted high into the air. He squirmed in its grasp, panicking when he noticed said grasp was an enormous green arm, covered in leaves and thorns, and bigger than a tree trunk by far.

He squirmed frantically in the iron grip, trying to get free, before he abruptly slowed and connected the dots. Even in his horrified state of grief and terror, Papyrus was as quick as ever at solving puzzles, and it was easy to put two and two together. Teeth chattering, he asked, “O-oh! Is this one of the, um, new changes too?” He tried to force a laugh, wiping away the beginnings of tears. Just don’t look down.

Flowey leaned in closer with a knowing smile. “I’ve changed in a lot of ways, friend. Did you know that I didn’t used to have a SOUL?”

Papyrus felt a foreboding shiver run up his spine. “N-no?”

“Well, Papyrus... now I have seven.”

There was a cavern-shaking rumble and a blinding flash of light, and what had been previously hidden in the dark was now fully illuminated. The first thing Papyrus saw was an enormous face with massive toothy jaws and two sets of bulging eyes. Above that, a writhing, swirling mass of vines with razor-sharp, blood-red thorns framed a giant television screen, flicking with static and split-second images Papyrus could barely catch. Above that, was a pulsing mass of wet, fleshy gray tubes that tethered Flowey to the ceiling of the cavern.

“Hush, hush,” Flowey said, a smile in his voice, and Papyrus realized that he was screaming. When he found that he couldn't stop, Flowey's grip around him shifted, and then he started rapidly shaking Papyrus around in his grasp until he had to clamp his jaws shut from the nausea. As his head spun, a thinner vine lifted his chin, and when he could focus his vision, he saw with a start that the TV screen was staring back at him with a cartoonish but horrifying grin. “When your best friend gets a new look, you’re supposed to compliment them. Aren’t you happy for me, Papyrus? I’m like a god now!”

Making a valiant effort to stop hyperventilating, Papyrus took a deep, shuddering breath in. When he felt like he could speak again without screaming, all he could faintly say was, “Big.”

Flowey laughed raucously. “Yes, Papyrus. Bigger is definitely better!” He stuck out his tongue, and from beneath the television screen, the toothy maw split open to reveal another giant, thorny vine. “Seven human SOULs will do that to you!”

That snapped Papyrus out of his daze. He looked about nervously, and upon seeing the unbroken Barrier, he asked “W-well, if you have the human SOULs, then... why is the Barrier still up? They told us that we were free, that Asgore—”

Flowey let out a humorless laugh. “Asgore, nothing. He’s dead, Papyrus. I killed him.”

Suddenly Papyrus felt dizzy again. “Y-you killed him? You can’t have, I—” I know you wouldn’t do that, but... here he was, surrounded by giant piles of dust. “...b-but he was big, and fuzzy, and k-kind, and—”

Papyrus let out a squeak as the massive hand grabbing him suddenly squeezed hard. “Asgore,” Flowey growled, “was a fool who died as he lived: a pathetic disgrace. It was merciful for me to put him out of his misery.”

As Flowey loomed above him, his expression hardened, and the hand began to squeeze even harder, testing the limits of what Papyrus’s bones could withstand. He let out a strangled groan as he heard them creak.

Flowey smiled. “I think it’s high time I do the same to you, huh?”

Papyrus’s eye lights shrunk to pinpricks as he scrabbled desperately at the hard, glossy vine constricting him. He babbled, panickedly, “N-no—please, Flowey, I—we’re friends, you’re my f-friend—”

Flowey scoffed, and the sheer dismissiveness in his tone was enough to make Papyrus’ heart break.

Just as he was sure he himself would shatter, and that this was the end...

The hand loosened.

——

Having SOULs sucked. Sure, it had been fun feeling emotions for a bit, but now, watching his favorite toy Papyrus squirm and beg for his life, he was feeling things like remorse and guilt. Flowey groaned internally: He hadn’t had issues with killing any of the monsters before Papyrus came in; he never had issues with killing Papyrus before this.

But as the SOULs inside him wriggled, and Papyrus pleaded, Flowey couldn’t find it in himself to refuse. With the strange and foreign feeling of fondness filling him, he let his grip become slack.

“I suppose,” Flowey said thoughtfully, not caring if Papyrus was listening or not, “Being all alone at the end of the world wouldn’t be much fun.”

Papyrus had been a steadfast companion for all those timelines that would have otherwise been so utterly boring. If Flowey could find a use for for that banal skeleton before, he could find a use for him now.

Ah yes, he could find a use. Because obviously he wouldn’t keep him around otherwise. Flowey didn’t get sentimental.

Refocusing on Papyrus, who was shaking and rattling in his grasp, Flowey gave him a bright smile, and felt a warmth inside him as Papyrus gave him a weak, teary smile back.

“I kn-knew you were good,” Papyrus croaked, trembling.

Flowey would’ve laughed, but before he could, the door to the chamber burst open with a BANG and a brilliant cyan explosion. When the dust cleared, there was—ugh, Sans. His eye was glowing with rage, but his expression immediately changed to something like fear—and there, that was another great, new thing—as he gazed up at Flowey’s greatness.

“Well,” Flowey let that laugh loose, a loud, chaotic noise that shook the cavern. “I don’t know about that.”

It was all too easy to send a vine the size of a ship mast sailing down toward the smiley trashbag, fracturing and shaking the ground as it missed him only by inches when Sans teleported a few feet to the left.

“No!” Papyrus yelled, beginning to squirm again.

Flowey sent out a whole thicket of vines, anyway. He didn’t bother seeing whether or not the hit landed, because he had such immense power now that they could basically run on autopilot. He shambled toward the Barrier, Papyrus in hand, and stuck his free arm through it. The Barrier shuddered and trembled around it, but allowed the passage.

“Well,” Flowey said with a wicked grin, “It’d be fun killing you again, Sans, but I’d rather just leave you here.”

Both Papyrus and Sans simultaneously cried out, “No!” but Flowey was already half-way through the Barrier. He was almost completely through when—

THUD. Flowey heard a muted yelp from the other side of the Barrier as Papyrus was pressed hard against it, as though it were plate-glass.

Oh, of course! Flowey moved back into the cavern, narrowly dodging the beam of one of those infernal blasters, and he grinned at Papyrus. “I forgot, you can’t cross through. Boy, that sure is inconvenient!”

Sans fired a barrage at the arm holding Papyrus, but it barely singed the thick carapace.

“Well, I’ll just have to let you borrow one of the SOULs!”

Papyrus balked. “W-what? No!”

“Oh yes,” Flowey grinned. He concentrated for a moment, and the SOULs flickered outside of him. “Let’s see. Should I give you the orange one? It would match your outfit pretty well, but that one’s for bravery, and you screamed like a wimp when you saw me, so—”

A row of bones swiped across the ceiling, attempting to sever Flowey’s grip on it, and it only wobbled him a bit, but all of a sudden, it hurt, and that was unusual. His karma damage was a bitch, even in this form.

“—I could give you the blue SOUL, I know how much you love blue magic, Papyrus—”

“Please, don’t!” Papyrus yelled, banging uselessly at Flowey’s iron grip. “Don’t take me away, p-please—”

Finally, it came to Flowey. “Oh I know! Green, for kindness, it’s so obvious. And,” Flowey said, smiling fondly at Papyrus, “I bet you’ll look great in my color!” He gave Papyrus a wink and a cheeky, “Try not to melt!” before grabbing the SOUL and shoving it into Papyrus’s chest cavity.

“Stop!” Sans screamed, voice cracking, as he reached out his magic to try and turn Flowey’s SOULs blue, but he only managed to grab two of them before bright green light engulfed Papyrus... who screamed and screamed like he was on fire. Geez.

“Don’t be such a baby, Pa—whoa!” Flowey actually jolted as juts of bone began to spike out of Papyrus’s head and spine, sharp enough to scratch at the tough vine, and he began to grow larger in Flowey’s grasp, and the shape of his head began to split and elongate into something like one of the Sans’s blasters, and—

This was getting weird. Better to leave now so he could get the soul out of Papyrus as soon as possible. He turned toward the exit, not bothering to look at Sans, and called out, “Welp, good enough. So long, trashbag!”

And with that, Flowey pushed through the Barrier, taking Papyrus with him.

Notes:

This chapter is kind of an experiment? I published it to gauge if there'd be any audience for it. So if you like it, and want more, please let me know, and I'll try and get it out on a consistent schedule! If you don't like it, tough! I'm gonna keep writing it, but probably at a slower interval.

Chapter 2: A View He'll Kill For

Summary:

He blearily blinked his sockets open, and immediate squeezed them shut again, because the bright, burning light that surrounded him caused a wave of nausea to flare up. He sagged down against whatever was holding him so tightly, and tried to will himself back into unconsciousness. 

Whatever was holding him so tightly...

Once, a long time ago, Papyrus had been setting up a puzzle in forest outside Snowdin. He did this all the time, of course, but that particular puzzle involved hammering a series of stakes into the ground.

Papyrus was generally very good at staying on task, but he found his mind wandering as he thought of all the ways that this particular puzzle could turn out, and how maybe if he just—

SMASH.

He would’ve lost that particular phalange if Sans hadn’t been nearby. Somehow his brother managed to get the two of them back to Snowdin and to a healer fast enough to fix it back on.

But oh gods, how it had hurt.

What Papyrus felt now, as he found himself struggling his way into consciousness, was much, much worse. It was as though he had tried to nail in three different spikes, and misaimed so horribly that they all managed to end up in the back of his skull.

He blearily blinked his sockets open, and immediate squeezed them shut again, because the bright, burning light that surrounded him caused a wave of nausea to flare up. He sagged down against whatever was holding him so tightly, and tried to will himself back into unconsciousness.

Whatever was holding him so tightly...

Papyrus shot up straight and opened his eyes, and those two actions, combined with the memories flooding back to him, wrenched a long, agonized wail from him, and he strained to get free, because if he was right, then that meant—

“Well, well, look who’s awake!”

He could hardly see, what with the brilliance of the light, but when he whipped his head around to stare in the direction of the voice, he beheld the outline of a massive figure resting beside him.

“Boy, you had me worried there for a minute, Papyrus!” Something brushed against his shoulder, like the ghost of a comforting gesture.

Papyrus blinked again, and now his vision started to come into focus. What he saw was... like something out of a nightmare, but... gods, that hadn’t been a nightmare, had it?

Flowey stared down at him with those beady red-green eyes and a terrifying grin on his face.

No, it hadn’t been.

Flowey chuckled as Papyrus continued to stare, slack-jawed, at him. “I know you’re not made of glass, like someone I could mention, but—”

Sans. “Where—!” But Papyrus’ voice came out hoarse and gravely, as though he hadn’t spoken in a thousand years. He panted, cleared his throat, and tried again, because what was most important was, “Where is Sans?”

Flowey rolled his eyes. “That’s what you’re worried about?” Flowey leaned closer, peering down at him with an annoyed expression. Then, abruptly, he smiled. “If I were you, I’d be freaking out about the view, more than anything else!”

“What?” Papyrus asked, bewildered, and a vine snaked out of the ground and turned his chin to look out straight ahead of him, and to his surprise, they appeared to be perched atop a mountain. The rocky crag was occasionally littered with pieces of trash, and there was a even a map posted toward a path leading down, with the words, “Mt. Ebott Nature Trail” written above it. So, that meant that...

Now he knew why everything was so bright.

Papyrus looked further out, and was immediately struck by the fact that the mountain was so vast in height that he could see, stretching out in front of him, an expanse of land so boundless that you could’ve fit at least three Undergrounds in it. There were rolling green hills, a shimmering lake or two, and on the blue, blue horizon was a collection of tall buildings, glinting in the sun.

The sun.

“Ha! You should see your face, friend.” With some difficulty Papyrus tore his gaze away from the magnificent scenery before him and stared back up at Flowey, sockets wide.

“...Why?” was all he could manage to say.

Flowey blinked. “Why what?”

“Why did you... why did you bring me here?”

Flowey raised an eyebrow. “That sounds kinda ungrateful, Papyrus.”

“No,” Papyrus hurried, fearful again, “Why just me? Why... k-kill all those monsters, and then take me?”

Flowey grinned reassuringly at him, but Papyrus wouldn’t have been able to find comfort in it if he tried. “Boy, you must be pretty rattled, huh? If it were anything else, you’d say, ‘Of course it would be me, because I am the Great Papyrus!’”

When the skeleton didn’t say anything else, Flowey winked at him. “Because you’re my favorite.”

Flowey trailed a vine across the back of his skull, as though tousling hair, and that’s when Papyrus felt it.

It... what was it? Something felt different, and he immediately tried to raise his arms up to touch his skull. When the vines holding him didn’t budge, he gazed up helplessly at Flowey. “What...?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah! You remember how I said that I was worried about you?” Flowey repeated the action with his vine, and Papyrus shivered. “It turns out that trying to pull a human soul out of a monster has consequences. Who’d’ve thought?”

Tremulously, Papyrus asked, “What happened?”

Flowey laughed nervously. “Nothing huge. Anyway, I was more worried about damage to your soul, rather than your body, but hey, life’s always gotta throw a curveball at ya!”

Flowey loosened the coils of vine a bit, so Papyrus raised shaking hands to the back of his skull, and then immediately recoiled when he felt...

It was so absurd that Papyrus almost laughed. No wonder he’d recalled the memory about the stakes. Because now, sticking out of the back of his skull, were three short, sharp prongs of bone, rising up like a crest.

“Before you ask,” Flowey said, unbidden, “yes, it does look badass!”

“I wasn’t...” Papyrus mumbled, before he was overcome with another wave of dizziness.

“Easy does it!” Flowey piped up, rubbing his shoulder with one of the tendrils sprouting from the rocky ground. “You know what? You look like you could use a distraction, friend!” The vine hooked around his shoulder and spun him around to look at the view again. The two sat there in a shared silence, one half contemplative, and the other uncomprehending.

Suddenly, Flowey laughed. “Just two friends relaxing on a mountaintop. Brings back memories, doesn’t it, Papyrus?”

For the umpteenth time today, Papyrus stared up at Flowey, utterly confused. “What? I don’t—”

“Now now,” Flowey interrupted. “You’ve had a human soul inside of you. You’ve gotten a taste of DETERMINATION! Don’t tell me you can’t remember anything from the other timelines?”

Timelines? What did that even mean? But even as he pondered, he... he suddenly was overcome with a wave of fear, stronger than anything he’d felt yet that day, but at the same time completely detached from the circumstances.

He stared up wide-eyed at Flowey, and then flinched at the dark grin his friend leveled at him.

“Hmm. Maybe you just need a reminder?”

All at once, the coil of vines around him tightened, and Papyrus started as he was suddenly lifted off the ground. He immediately began fighting to get out of Flowey’s hold, suddenly overcome with a bone-deep sense of déja vû, panic coursing through him.

Flowey laughed at the sight of him. “So maybe you do remember something?” Papyrus found himself at eye-level with Flowey, that multicolored gaze boring holes into him. “Why are you so scared, Papyrus? I only want to play a game with you!”

The more Papyrus fought down the fear, the more intense it became. “A g-game?”

“Yeah!” Flowey chirped. “We can play pretend! You seem pretty stressed out,” and he paused to giggle deviously, “so if you bare your soul to me, I’ll help you relax.”

With those words, Papyrus felt as though he’d been plunged into freezing water. His every instinct was screaming ‘danger’ at him, and he cowered in Flowey’s grasp.

It didn’t go unnoticed. “Or,” Flowey said with a shrug, “We can just go back to an all-time classic?”

That sounded slightly more promising? “O-oh? What game is that?” Papyrus asked, feeling hope in spite of how dire everything seemed.

“Oh, you’ll love it!” Flowey tittered.

“I call it ‘Break the Skeleton!’”

Papyrus felt his eyelights go out, but Flowey took his silence as an invitation to carry on. A vine grew up into the air to wrap around Papyrus’ right arm. “There are so many ways you can break a skeleton, did you know that?”

As the vine flexed around his radius, he suddenly snapped out of his fearful paralysis. “No! No no no no no! Flowey don’t, I—”

His soul skipped a beat as the vine around his center suddenly withdrew, and he yelped as gravity took hold. He dropped only a short distance, still held by the vine curled around his arm, but winced as his shoulder joint took the stress of the fall.

“You seem durable,” Flowey continued, grinning deviously, “but really, the only thing keeping you together is your magic!”

“Please, don’t, I—” Papyrus whimpered, only to cry out again as the vine holding his arm yanked, and he flew up into the air, spinning and flailing as he began to plunge down again.

Only moments before he hit the ground, he felt a pressure around his ankle and how his bone strained as a vine snatched him by it and pulled him back up.

Flowey was no less terrifying to behold from upside-down. Now he was level with one of the two pairs of giant bulging eyes, faced with the gaping jaws of Flowey’s vertical maw.

The monster laughed at the sight of him, and batted at him like a cat would a mouse, causing him to swing around in midair.

Papyrus’ head spun from dizziness, and his soul ached from fear. Flowey was toying with him now, but he knew from the icy feeling deep inside him that there could be much worse to come.

And yet...

That same feeling from deep inside of him also seared with a brilliant heat.

As soon as he realized it, it coursed through him, infusing every bone with its fire, and as Flowey jeered at him, he felt compelled by something deep in his soul to—

Stand fast.

“Just get it over with!” he cried out, and Flowey froze. Papyrus grit his teeth. “If what you’re telling me is right, and that I’ve been through this before, then do your worst! It won’t knock the Great Papyrus down!”

For once, Flowey was silent, staring transfixed at him. For the longest moment, neither of them spoke; Papyrus himself was shocked at the outburst.

Then, slowly, a horrific grin spread across Flowey’s flat features. “I think... I’m gonna have fun testing that out!”

All at once, the heat dissipated, leaving only an empty hollow that was rapidly refilled by fear.

And then, all of a sudden—

“What the fuck!”

Slowly, Flowey and Papyrus turned their heads to gaze at the crest of the hill, where a lone figure stood and gawked at the pair in abject horror.

It was around the same height as Papyrus, and roughly the same shape, but what wasn’t obscured by its heavy clothing was mostly covered with some sort of peach-pinkish material.

Papyrus had only seen one other being like this before.

It was a human, and...

“Howdy!” Flowey said, his voice ringing with excitement.

...and it was in grave danger.

Notes:

Hey, just wanna thank you all for the support the first chapter! Please keep letting me know your thoughts as this goes on : )

I'm gonna try to release this on a weekly basis, either on Saturdays or Sundays, so stayed tuned!

EDIT: Hey, I’m planning ahead for the first sex scene, whenever it comes, so feel free to put some suggestions as to what you’d like to see happen to our poor boy Pap, and I might add it in! I’m low on ideas bc I don’t want to rehash stuff that I’ve done, or that I’ve read other people doing. No ecto-stuff tho!

Chapter 3: Homeopathic Remedies

Summary:

"Flowey, don’t hurt it! It didn’t do anything wrong!”

“But Papyrus,” Flowey said, raising one of his hands to the side of his screen in mock-indecision. No harm in entertaining his friend for a moment. “It just threatened me! Didn’t you hear it?”

“B-but,” Papyrus said, straining to pull himself up out of the throng of vines and get closer to Flowey. “You don’t have to fight! What if we talk to it? And then, I’m sure we can look back on this later, and laugh about it, once we’re all friends!”

Flowey tutted quietly.

—

Please read the new tags! This chapter is going to be a rough one.

Flowey peered down at the human, adrenaline suddenly coursing through his veins.

“I’m Flowey,” he giggled, “your worst nightmare!”

The human took a fearful step back, hand reaching toward a pouch on the back of its belt. “Look, y-you’re a monster, right?”

Flowey tsked softly. “What gave you that impression, buddy? Was it the ‘worst nightmare’ part?” The ground on the mountain peak rumbled Flowey set down one of his hands to drag himself closer.

The human flinched. “I don’t want any trouble, man! Uh, thing? It’s not my fault you were all locked down there!” He seemed to be getting more and more defensive, which piqued Flowey’s interest. Maybe he’d get another good fight out of this one! After all, this one looked like an adult.

He thought he heard a noise from somewhere nearby, but it didn’t seem to be coming from the human, so he ignored it. He had more important things to focus on, like how invigorating it would be to kill this human. Another SOUL for his collection! “Oh, this isn’t about that, silly,” Flowey said, grin stretching wide across the screen, “so don’t worry your easily-crushable little head!”

This seemed to be the last straw, and from within the pouch, the human dragged out a rugged-looking knife, all cool black steel and a sharp serrated edge. He waved it at Flowey. “Stay back, or you’ll regret it!”

“Cute,” Flowey snorted, readying to strike... but his attention was drawn away when he finally noticed that the noise bothering him was Papyrus calling out his name. He looked around for the skeleton and realized only then that Papyrus was still flailing around near his head.

“Whoops, sorry about that, friend!” Flowey’s vine lowered Papyrus onto the ground before quickly pulling him backwards and re-ensnaring him in a thicket of tendrils.

“N-no!” Papyrus cried, struggling only for a moment before realizing the futility of his efforts. He instead looked pleadingly at Flowey and said, “Flowey, don’t hurt it! It didn’t do anything wrong!”

“But Papyrus,” Flowey said, raising one of his hands to the side of his screen in mock-indecision. No harm in entertaining his friend for a moment. “It just threatened me! Didn’t you hear it?”

“B-but,” Papyrus said, straining to pull himself up out of the throng of vines and get closer to Flowey. “You don’t have to fight! What if we talk to it? And then, I’m sure we can look back on this later, and laugh about it, once we’re all friends!”

Flowey tutted quietly. “Don’t you know Papyrus? In this world, it’s kill or be— OW!”

Flowey looked down in surprise to see the human right before him, hunting knife buried in the softer part of one of his thorny arms. “Why you little—”

As he raised the arm the human had dug into, the little devil actually jumped up, clambering up the side of the limb and using the thorns as handholds.

Flowey huffed out a laugh as he shook his arm, trying to dislodge the human. It was lucky his boughs didn’t have a great range of movement, or he’d’ve swatted it off with the humanless one. “Ha, persistent, aren’t you? Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to kill you nice and slow—HEY!”

The human, who was beginning to get on Flowey’s nerves, actually had the guts to stick its knife into the edge of his flatscreen, trying to pry it open. Flowey wasn’t used to pain, not by a long shot, so it was literally like someone was trying to crack open his head.

Finally, Flowey had a stroke of luck. Just as the human began to get some leverage, there was a spark from within Flowey’s head, and it conducted through the blade of the knife before zapping the human. It let out a yelp as it jolted from the electricity and, losing its balance, fell to the ground. It tumbled and rolled several times before coming to a stop.

“You almost got me, buddy,” Flowey said, nearly panting, “But despite everything, you’re a failure.”

Flowey concentrated for a moment, before rows and rows of unusual plants, similar in shape to the human’s hands, burst out of the ground. They deftly made a firing squad’s worth of finger guns, pointed right at the little bugger.

“Now DIE,” Flowey crowed, and as the plants took aim—

The ground surrounding the human rumbled, and out of it sprouted a towering wall of bones that stretched in one direction before making a ninety degree angle, and then again and again and again until the human was neatly enclosed in a little cube of light blue bone.

Wordlessly, Flowey turned to Papyrus, who had somehow managed to wriggle an arm free from the thicket and reach it out to box the human in. Was he trying to protect Flowey from the human? That was so sweet, but ultimately so unnecessary.

“See?” Papyrus said, a rictus of a grin on his skull. “Nobody needs to get hurt, you... you don’t have to hurt it, Flowey!”

Ah.

So that was it.

Cold rage filled Flowey—along with a little bit of hurt that he viciously suppressed—and he forced his own smile onto his face. “Wow, Papyrus! You did it! You finally captured a human!”

The skeleton’s expression grew a little softer, and almost a bit prideful. “Of course the Great Papyrus would capture a human! Maybe now we can just let it—”

There was an wonderful crunching, squelching noise as Flowey’s massive fist swung down onto the cage, ignoring the annoying sting of blue magic, and caved the little ceiling in on itself so that the force of it smashed the human into a bloody, pulpy paste, dripping viscously between his claws.

Flecks of blood sprayed everywhere, even high enough to dapple the surface of his screen. He gave himself a moment to take in the sight, the sensation, and only then did he turn to beam at Papyrus, who stared in stark horror at the fantastic mess Flowey had made. “Thanks for holding it still for me, Papyrus! You’re a big help!”

He could feel Papyrus quivering in his bonds, and Flowey chuckled, extending a vine to wipe a drop of blood from Papyrus’ skull.

The skeleton flinched, and suddenly began to squirm again, free hand clawing at the vines holding him down as tears began to bead in the corner of his eyes. Oh, come on.

Out of spite for the pathetic sight, he tightened the vines before quickly withdrawing them partway into the rocky soil, so that Papyrus was slammed into the ground. He relished the short cry of pain the skeleton gave.

“It’s nice of you to give me a hand, especially when you really hurt my feelings by siding with the human—you know, one of the jerks who stuck us all underground— instead of me, your best friend.”

Papyrus was looking anywhere but him, so the flower monster manipulated his vines to shift Papyrus’s head in his direction, and noted with a vicious satisfaction that his eyelights had gone out. As he quaked in terror, he immediately began to babble. “N-no, I just—I just wanted... please don’t, I—”

“Now, some people would end a friendship over something as rude as that,” Flowey said, talking over him and staring down at him with determined intent. “But I have more faith in you than you might think! I’m sure, with a little bit of work, we can sort out your priorities.”

——

Papyrus’ mind was racing a mile a minute, and he could barely keep up with it in his terror. Bits and pieces of memories were coming back to him, and they were so awful and he didn’t want to think about them, but thinking about what Flowey might do to him because of how he tried to save the human—and oh gods, he didn’t want to think about that either—was worse.

A deep, isolated cave. Crystals on the ceiling like stars. A lonely, secluded mountaintop. Miles from any help.

An ache in his core.

Papyrus jolted back into the present as Flowey lowered one of his giant hands, pressing down hard on his armor with a single blood-red claw. It quickly pierced a hole in the chest piece, cracks spreading out from the epicenter, and it was then the short work of a few vines to break off the remaining pieces of it, leaving Papyrus’ ribcage bare.

He shivered once at being exposed, and then again as Flowey began to wriggle a thin vine in between the outer side of his ribs. In and out and in and out until all of the bones were tangled up, before repeating the process on the other side. It was intensely uncomfortable to feel the bones straining to accommodate the intrusion, but he could do nothing but shift slightly in his bonds, trying hard just to not think about anything, to distance himself from the situation.

Then the vines wrapped around his ribs began to pull, retracting into the ground. It was slow, but insistent, and Papyrus gasped breathlessly as the bone and cartilage began to bend. “No no no no no no...” he whimpered, caught between the urge to sink into himself and the instinct to struggle and try to get out, out out.

The strain was quickly getting unbearable. After a bit of panicked internal struggle, the desire to escape won, and Papyrus twisted his trapped wrist, bearing the sharp burst of pain, to summon a short wave of bones, aiming them at the vines that were going to break his ribcage open.

The attack was so close to hitting its mark, when Flowey reached out with another vine to bat the bones away. Papyrus felt his ribs creak, the place where the cartilage connected to the sternum burning, and he pleaded, “P-please, please don’t do this! I-I didn’t mean to m-make you upset, I—”

Flowey’s answer to that was to give an extra hard tug, and Papyrus shrieked as with a great cracking sound, around half of his lower ribs separated from his sternum. He would’ve blacked out if there wasn’t suddenly a brief sting of healing magic running through him. Even with that small mercy, he felt like his chest was on fire, he felt like he couldn’t breathe, he felt like he was going to die—

“I want you to know, Papyrus,” Flowey said, breaking through the thick haze of pain, “that you can tap out if you need to. After all, this hurts me more than it hurts you.”

Papyrus gaped up at Flowey, vision blurry with tears and jaw shuddering as he screamed, his non-existent throat running raw. When he had to gasp for breath—and that hurt, that hurt so bad—he couldn’t force the words out. Flowey continued to pull, and Papyrus coughed violently, acidic magical runoff bubbling from the corner of his mouth.

With the strain building on the ribs that remained attached, Papyrus finally managed to cry out in a burst of near feral energy, “S-stop, PLEASE!”

And just like that, the pulling leveled out. It was that easy? Papyrus let out a hysterical laugh (which just hurt his ribs all over again) before giving back into short, shallow breaths.

“So,” Flowey said, grinning down smugly at Papyrus, “Who’s your best friend?”

All Papyrus could do was stare blankly up at Flowey. Why would—how could he ask him that? He’d thought they were friends... but maybe they weren’t, or maybe Flowey was mad at him and he didn’t know why... but Flowey stopped when he asked, so...

When Flowey gave a short tug at his broken ribs again, Papyrus let out a short, panicked cry before gasping out, “Y-you are!”

“I’m what?”

Papyrus gritted his teeth before—with a monumental effort—smiling weakly up at Flowey, and said, “You’re my... b-best friend, Flowey!”

Flowey gave him a soft smile. “And you’re mine.”

The vines twisted in his ribs loosened, but pulled inward so that Flowey could more easily reconnect them with healing magic. Nevertheless, the action caused another bolt of pain to shoot through him, and Papyrus couldn’t keep from whimpering. Still, when the healing magic began to run through his injured body, it was so much of a relief that Papyrus couldn’t help it as he let out a soft, gratified hum.

When the last of his injuries—ribs and wrist—were sealed, Papyrus sagged limply in the grasp of the vines that held him down. His eyes fell shut, and he took a few shaky breaths in and out.

“Aw, look at you,” Flowey cooed. “C’mere, friend.”

Papyrus did not quite think himself capable of moving, but that didn’t seem to matter, because with a short scooping motion, Flowey picked Papyrus up and cradled him in his boughs.

There was an uncomfortable quiet for a few moments before Flowey laughed, and Papyrus could feel it rumble through his body from his position in his arms. “It’s so weird to see how small you are now, Papyrus; it makes you look even more vulnerable than before!”

Papyrus shifted, struck once more with the urge to get away from Flowey but with not enough energy to do it. And where would he even go? If he tried to go back home, Flowey would follow him, and he didn’t know anything about the surface world, much less where he could hide.

Struck with a wave of despair, Papyrus gave into weeping, burying his skull in his hands.

Flowey sighed at the sight. “I’m not going to hurt you, silly. Y’know what? I think you deserve a reward for getting back on the right track!”

A reward?

Flowey smiled down at him, and patted him on the skull as gently as he could before lowering him to the ground again, back into the bed of vines.

Back into the bed of vines. Papyrus surged up, finding a bit of that energy that seemed so elusive before and made a desperate effort to scramble out. He’d actually managed to get a handhold on solid ground before the fibrous tendrils wrapped around his limbs, pulling him back into the writhing mass and onto his back again. “No!” he cried, twisting in place, but it was nothing more than wasted effort.

“C’mon, Papyrus, gimme a break! I’m trying to do something nice for you!” Flowey scolded.

Papyrus found himself praying that it might be true. Nevertheless, when a vine ghosted over his still-aching ribs, he whimpered, a shudder wracking his frame.

As if in response, the vines went still, and Papyrus’ soul jumped with tentative hope. He cracked a socket open to peek up at his captor, and found Flowey staring not at him, but rather at his own clawed hands with a look of contemplation.

“Ah!” Flowey cried out suddenly, causing Papyrus to flinch. “I know what’ll work. Let’s see...” He screwed up his face, as though concentrating hard, and he reached down to press one of his claws into the dirt next to Papyrus. There was a flash of green light, and when Flowey withdrew, a small bud burst from the ground. It grew larger rapidly, sprouting light pink, wavy petals greater in size than Papyrus’ head. Then, just as fast as it bloomed, the flower’s petals wilted off, leaving only a large, green pod in the center.

Flowey plucked the pod from the stalk and stuck a claw into the top of it, puncturing a hole. He then passed the pod off to a vine next to Papyrus, which lowered it close to his face.

“Open your mouth,” Flowey said, gently shaking the pod around. Papyrus thought he heard a faint, sort of sticky-sounding slosh from within. When he hesitated, glancing at it with some trepidation, Flowey pouted at him. “Friends trust each other, Papyrus! Don’t you trust me?”

Papyrus could’ve sworn Flowey had said something similar to him in the past, and he’d regretted giving into him after. But the longer he waited, the darker Flowey’s frown seemed to get, so he took a shaky breath in, closed his eyes, and opened his mouth.

“Good boy,” Flowey purred. Then, the first drop fell into Papyrus’ mouth, and his eyes shot open as he winced, almost retching: it was the most bitter thing he had ever tasted. He hurriedly tried to close his jaws, but a vine whipped out from the mass, wrapped around his lower mandible, and forced it open as more of the liquid poured in.

Papyrus choked and spluttered, because while it waved in slowly, it was relentless, and he swallowed just to make it end faster. Finally, Flowey righted the pod and withdrew it, leaving Papyrus to cough and gasp. With watering eyes, he watched as Flowey brought the pod closer to himself, and regarded it curiously before opening his maw and snaking out his thorny tongue to get at the last of the goo inside.

“Ooh, I can see why you didn’t like it!” Flowey laughed, while his lower jaws gritted their teeth at the taste. “But don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have no problem with it soon enough.”

“W-what was it?” Papyrus said, fearing the answer, and Flowey moved to tell him, but... he didn’t manage to catch it, as he was immediately hit with a sudden sense of light-headedness. He blinked rapidly as he tried to shake it off, but soon his sockets drifted half-shut of their own accord. He took in a deep shuddering breath, and it felt like the air had turned to molasses. And then...

And then he felt good. He felt relaxed, and a bit sleepy, and compared to everything else he’d felt that day, it was just... amazing.

He heard Flowey laughing, but it sounded like it was coming from much farther away then he’d been before, echoing through the long chamber of his less-than-focused consciousness.

He almost didn’t notice when a few vines latched onto his shoulder blades and began to gently rub. But when he did, he didn’t mind: it felt nice, like a massage. Just light strokes, kneading the last of the tension out of his bones.

He’d almost fallen asleep when a tendril uncoiled from the mass and began to play with his ribs. Papyrus shivered and fidgeted in place a bit, expecting pain, but while the touching didn’t stop, it didn’t hurt, either; whatever Flowey had given him seemed to have numbed the ache away, which was fine by Papyrus. Eventually, he grew used to it, his thoughts slowing back down again.

It almost felt good. As the vines caressed him, he felt his cheekbones heating up ever so slightly: Papyrus hadn’t known that his ribs were sensitive in this way. Still, in the very back of his mind, there was a little voice that told him that he should be embarrassed. He didn’t really feel embarrassed though, he just felt slow and calm.

Or at least, he did until another vine curled around his backbone. Then he let out a rather undignified gasp, and he curled in on himself, instinctively trying to hide his face in his hands.

“Papyrus,” Flowey said, playfully dragging out the vowels in his name, “Don’t be shy!” Another two vines grew upward to curl around his hands, holding them gently but also pulling them away from his face. “I want to see your face, friend!”

“B-but,” Papyrus murmured, but was unable to finish the thought when the vine cinched around his spine began to quickly stroke up and down. It was a very simple action, yet Papyrus already felt overwhelmed. It were as though reality was moving at two different speeds: he was slow, but everything else seemed too fast. On a particularly hard squeeze, a little moan bubbled out of him.

The little voice was talking to him, trying to get him to remember something, but he wanted nothing more than to block it out. None of those flashbacks had brought him anything but distress, and at least for the moment, he felt alright.

He sucked in a breath when the tendril reached the base of his spine and loosened to rub against the upper crest of his pelvis. What? Where did the rest of my battle body go? He didn’t remember taking off the bottom half, but even with his mind made of syrup, it was fairly easy to guess how it happened.

“No, Flowey, no...” he said, trying to focus his eyes on his friend. He blinked blearily, looking up and then jumping a bit when he noticed that Flowey’s screen was a lot closer to him than it had been before. Now it hovered almost directly over him, and Papyrus tugged at the vines holding his hands, trying sluggishly and futilely to get some distance between the two of them.

“Just relax, Papyrus. I’m not gonna hurt you this time!” Flowey said cheerfully.

I don’t believe you, said the little voice in his head, but Papyrus knew better than to verbalize that particular thought.

There was a rustling sound as one of Flowey’s enormous arms shifted closer to him, and as out of it as Papyrus was, he still yelped when the flower monster drew one of his claws over the front of his pelvis. It was light enough that it didn’t hurt, but it was still a touch to the most sensitive part of his body, and he whined, no longer sure of whether or not he wanted to get closer or farther away.

As Papyrus was beginning to learn, what he wanted was irrelevant: inevitably, Flowey gently began to push his claw into the center hole of his pelvis, and oh gods, now Papyrus really felt overwhelmed.

It was too much, too big. Even with his senses dulled, even though he could only feel it as a vaguely pleasant pressure, he was panting hard by the time the large thorn was fully seated in his pelvic girdle. And that was before Flowey started to slowly thrust it in and out.

Papyrus gave a high-pitched whine as the first movements started, the touch igniting a fire inside him that felt familiar in the worst way possible. Something that didn’t feel bad, but didn’t feel good either.

He asked himself if he should be struggling harder, but between whatever was slowing his mind and the way that the thrusts were making his bones turn to jelly, he could do nothing more than quake in Flowey’s grasp.

Flowey suddenly pushed his claw in a beat faster than before, and Papyrus let out a long moan at the sensation. It was getting harder and harder to fight off the feelings that were taking him over. Maybe it would be easier to just...

A deep thrust had the tip of Flowey’s claw scrape against the bone at the back of his pelvis, and with a gasp, suddenly Papyrus felt awake. “No no no no,” he whimpered, the dull throbbing in his pelvis clueing him into the fact that were he not currently subdued, it would’ve burned, would’ve hurt.

“Oops,” Flowey chuckled. “That’s what I get for trying to be gentle, I guess.” Papryrus choked on his breath as the thrusts suddenly got faster and harder. “Don’t know why I bother.”

“P-please...” Papyrus begged, but Flowey seemed to be too occupied with staring at the way Papyrus’ hips rolled with the push and pull of his claw to care about it. His whole body was rattling from the force of it.

Finally, with an unexpected twist of the flower monster’s finger, Papyrus felt his body lighting up, and he shook and shuddered as his mind finally—mercifully—went blank.

When he came to, Flowey was cradling Papyrus against him once more. He was slowly coming out of whatever haze he’d been in, but very reluctantly: the more he woke up, the more sensitive and pained his body felt. He looked up to see Flowey staring down fondly at him. “...why?” he found himself asking once more.

Flowey laughed before tenderly murmuring, “I wanted it to be more personal this time,” and while a small part of Papyrus was flattered, the little amount of cognizance he could muster was telling him that it was indeed very personal, and not something that friends did to each other.

The flower monster held him for a few more minutes before finally leaning down and depositing him back into the bed of vines, which seemed to be his go-to place to put Papyrus whenever he got tired of him.

Papyrus wanted to be surprised at the negativity of that particular thought, but he was already starting to get used to it.

“Oh!” Flowey suddenly exclaimed, and Papyrus jolted in fear. “I forgot about this!” Papyrus lifted his head to see what Flowey was talking about, and finally noticed a peach-colored SOUL hovering above the large red stain that colored the edge of the mountain top.

Oh gods. Another thing Papyrus didn’t want to think about. Still, he watched as Flowey scooped up the SOUL and held it to his center. There was a flash of light, but a few seconds went by where Flowey was just silent and still, seemingly waiting for something.

Then, there was the faintest pop, and Flowey absorbed the SOUL. To Papyrus’ surprise, nothing changed about Flowey’s appearance, and it was only because he was staring so carefully that he noticed that, just behind Flowey’s back, there was a barely-noticeable orange, heart-shaped glimmer.

Papyrus barely had enough time to realize what it was before it drifted down to the ground, flickered, and disappeared.

Notes:

Wow, this was a long chapter. I debated breaking it into two parts, buuuut I wanted to get this all out.

Shoutout to the folks who have been beta-ing this story so far: snurgle and SleepySkeleton!

Oh yeah and shout out to whatever NSA agent was tracking my google searches for this chapter's research.

Chapter 4: A Lack of Aftercare, and Caring After

Summary:

There would be time for celebrations later. Right now, filled with the euphoria of attaining a new SOUL, all he wanted to do was get more.

Flowey sighed, not sure himself whether it was out of satisfaction or disappointment, and lowered his massive vine-arms to the ground with a rumbling thud. That human SOUL hadn’t changed his power level by much, and it should’ve been stronger than the other ones he had. Still, a SOUL was a SOUL. He’d successfully managed to kill another human, all by himself!

Well, maybe not quite all by himself. Papyrus was indeed turning out to be useful, even if it wasn’t in a way either of them had intended. The thought made Flowey laugh out loud; dear, stupid Papyrus, somehow turning out to be valuable in more ways than one!

And what ways he was useful, indeed! Magical abilities aside, their little romp had been quite a bit of fun for Flowey. Back in the runs where he’d gotten his kicks by fucking with Papyrus—or just plain fucking, he supposed—there hadn’t really been much for him to get out of it. The barest hint of anticipation, maybe, but only for what new outcomes there might be.

Now, with seven SOULs to his name, he could feel again. Excitement, amusement, endearment. Not to mention, as he was claw-deep in his favorite toy, he felt certain.. physical feelings that had been entirely new to him. The heat in his face, and an ache inside his core (and hadn’t that been a surprise)... he’d certainly have to experiment with the capabilities of his new body.

But there would be time for that later. Right now, filled with the euphoria of attaining a new SOUL, all he wanted to do was get more.

He turned to Papyrus, who lay shivering and curled up in the patch of vines with his sockets closed, and weighed the benefits of taking the skeleton with him against the risks. Sure, he could use the additional firepower, but it would take an awful lot of... convincing to make him lift a bony hand to harm another living being.

He’d do that later. Right now, he figured he could more or less take whatever puny humans lived in the city; they were bound to be comfortable in their safe, domestic lives, and therefore unprepared for the type of havoc he could wreak.

“Alright, Papyrus, you stay here and rest up! I think I’m gonna go pay the town a visit.”

Papyrus didn’t give any indication that he was listening, and for a moment, Flowey wondered if he was even conscious.

“Hey, bonehead!” Flowey taunted playfully, using his vines to jostle Papyrus. Papyrus let out a whimper at the sudden movement, and peeked an eye open. Ah, so he was awake. “Behave while I’m gone, okay?”

Papyrus clenched his jaw and gave a short nod. Good enough, Flowey decided.

He glanced in the direction of the city. He supposed that he wouldn’t be able to catch them too off guard: they’d be able to see him coming from miles away. But that was fine. It wouldn’t be as satisfying if they went down without a fight, anyway.

——

When Papyrus could no longer feel the vibrations of Flowey’s lurching descent, he let out a soft groan of discomfort. With the drug Flowey gave him wearing off, he could feel the ache in his ribs again. Even though it had dulled a bit over time, there was now a much stronger, sharper pain in his pelvis.

And above all of that, Papyrus had a nagging feeling that if... whatever that was, was Flowey being kind... he really didn’t want to see Flowey at his worst.

He needed to get out of here, but even flexing his legs exacerbated the extreme discomfort in his lower half. If he tried to hack his way out of the vines with some bone attacks, he didn’t think he’d be able to just walk away.

And now Flowey was off intending to do horrible things to the poor humans in the city, while Papyrus lay helpless on the mountain top, too far away to be able to warn them in time.

He started to weep, feeling an a desolation he’d never known before (you do know it, insisted the little voice in his head). He blinked open his eyes for a moment, just by chance, and then started; he could’ve sworn he’d seen a brief bit of movement on the other side of the peak.

He stared hard, and was rewarded for his vigilance as the orange SOUL suddenly flickered into view again. It was fully visible now, and... it was slowly drifting toward him.

Papyrus flinched in his bonds. His last experience with a human SOUL had been painful and terrifying, and he wanted nothing to do with this one. Still, he could do nothing as it hovered toward him, drawn like a moth to a lamp.

It stopped beside him, and floated up to rest just over his chest cavity. He shut his eyes again, fearing the worst...

And then, there was the soft sensation of healing magic.

He looked up in shock at the the small orange heart, and realized that every few seconds, it would pulse and release a small, glowing green flower that would drift into Papyrus’ SOUL and restore a few HP.

For a few moments he couldn’t even speak, overcome with gratitude for the soothing energy that radiated through him and healed his injuries, both old and new, completely. It suddenly occurred to Papyrus that either Flowey wasn’t that good at healing, or he had just decided not to completely heal Papyrus after hurting his ribs.

Neither was really a positive outlook.

When Papyrus felt his HP return to its normal level, he gazed up at the little heart, still shining brightly above him. Even after dying at the hands of monsters, the human’s SOUL was still compassionate to him.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

The SOUL shone bright for a moment, almost as though acknowledging his thanks, and then floated inside Papyrus’ chest cavity.

Papyrus stiffened for a moment, but it didn’t get absorbed like he thought it would. It just rested there for a moment. Then, he felt more than heard, “Stay bold. Be brave.”

And then the SOUL disappeared from sight once more.

There was a flash of light from the city in the distance, and Papyrus could swear that even from here, that there had been an explosion of some kind. Flowey was out there, hurting humans, and Papyrus could do nothing about it.

But he was thankful that he was too far away to hear the screams, and that he wasn’t alone.

——

Papyrus woke up—unsure of when he had even fallen asleep—to the dragging, thudding sound that preempted Flowey’s arrival. He shifted away from the noise instinctively, and was surprised when the tendrils trapping him snapped clean off their stalks.

The entire bed of vines had practically withered to husks, leaving him laying in a dry, gritty patch of dead plants, some of which disintegrated as he moved. He scrambled out of the pile and, panicking at the sensation of dust on him, hurriedly scrubbed at his bones to get rid of it.

He didn’t have much time. Flowey would reach the mountain top any minute, and he could see nowhere to hide, except maybe behind the large sign posted near the edge. Or would it be easier to see if there was another way down the mountain from the other side of the peak?

You’re leaving your friend behind? Papyrus's conscience admonished, and he paused for a moment. Was Flowey his friend? He was unpredictable, seemed to run hot or cold on the slightest of whims, and he could be dangerous when angry, but... everyone had their off days, right?

He felt a slight warmth in his chest cavity, and Papyrus remembered with sudden clarity that he had a new friend with him now. It had told him to be brave, but what did that even mean in his situation? Be brave enough to leave, no matter what consequences might follow? And oh, there were sure to be many consequences.

As though reading his thoughts, a shadow loomed over him, and Papyrus looked up slowly to take in the fearsome sight of his captor (friend?), and...

... and he could tell from a glance that Flowey was badly injured. His massive vine arms were copiously leaking sap from various puncture marks, and had scorched patches in other areas. Some of the fleshy tubes above his screen were severed and dripping a vile-looking fluid. His maw was missing a tooth, and his screen was spiderwebbed with cracks in one of the corners.

With a sudden conviction, Papyrus was sure that in his situation, bravery meant doing the right thing, even when you were scared.

——

Saying that his invasion went poorly would be an understatement.

Flowey had been so sure that the humans in the city would be unprepared for him, would cower in his presence, would be easy kills, and so on and so forth. But since (as with his earlier prediction) they had seen him coming, they had had enough time to set up some rudimentary defenses.

Entering the city had been like stepping on an anthill. The humans had some sort of equivalent of a royal guard, and they had all been waiting for him. They were numerous, and despite their lack of magic, they wielded various strange weapons that Flowey only vaguely remembered from his first venture onto the surface, oh so long ago.

He had been able to kill some of them, of course. He wasn’t that weak. But for some strange and infuriating reason, he hadn’t been able to absorb their SOULs. He had really been hoping that the power boost from those would’ve been enough to gain the upper hand, but clearly everything was determined to go wrong today.

Things quickly went from bad to worse. Reinforcements arrived, and seeming to have taken a leaf out of his book, they’d brought flamethrowers with them. Flowey had thought he was too hydrated to burn, but that had been before they had dumped some kind of flammable liquid on him from the rooftops.

Eventually, he had been forced to retreat. The journey back had been wearying, to say the least. And when he had finally ascended to the peak, what did he see? Papyrus had somehow gotten loose.

“You’re... you’re hurt,” the skeleton said, slowly advancing on Flowey.

He bristled with indignation. “Don’t get any ideas,” he hissed.

Papyrus stumbled back with a confused expression as Flowey pulled himself further onto the cliff face, his vines lashing agitatedly through the air. “I just—I just want to help, you look really—”

“Quiet.” Flowey hissed, stomping one of his massive paws on the ground. Papyrus tripped and fell backwards onto his rear, one hand raised in defense. In any other situation, it would’ve been cute. As though he could actually stand a chance against me. But right now, seeing Papyrus cower was boring, and his concern toward him was sickening. “You really care, huh? I bet you were so worried. And what good did that do me?” Flowey spat.

“Flowey,” Papyrus said, daring to sound hopeful despite a slight tremor in his tone, “I’m sorry you got hurt, and I want to help, let me help you—”

“Oh, you ‘want to help me,’” Flowey mocked, imitating Papyrus's voice back at him. With a wide, manic grin he didn’t quite feel, he switched back to his own voice and said, “If you really want to help me, buddy, next time you’ll come down there with me and help me kill those stupid humans.”

Papyrus blanched. “B-but...”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Flowey scoffed. “Wow, Papyrus, for someone who’s all bone, you really need to grow a spine. Your silly ‘morals’? They don’t matter out here. Never did, and never will. It’s kill or be killed, and you better pick a side if you want me to bother keeping you alive, friend.”

Flowey stood there, fuming, as Papyrus's jawbone trembled and tears started dripping out of his sockets. Then he looked away from the skeleton with a huff, and turned around to sit toward the edge of the cliff, making a show of gazing down at the city in the distance.

As he came down from his anger and adrenaline, some of the pain from his injuries began to flow back into his focus. His jaw ached from the loss of the tooth, his various lacerations stung, and he had a throbbing headache. Distracted, Flowey held one of his hands over the cracks on his screen, and concentrated hard.

After a few minutes, Flowey felt his HP begin to trickle back toward higher numbers, but the pain mostly remained. He hated how healing magic was compassion-based. Even with his newfound emotions, he still sucked at it, because when it came down to it...

Well, he’d spent so long without feeling anything; he’d embraced the power of LOVE over actual love, so when he’d learned how to heal, it was—just like anything else he could feel—only a shadow of what it could’ve been.

He sat there for a long while, contemplating, and was surprised when he found himself tuning back into the sound of Papyrus crying behind him. He was still going at it, huh? He spared a glance back at the skeleton, who was sitting hunched with his arms around his knees, sniffling and hiccuping quietly.

He finally let out a sigh, and said, “Well, I guess you can come and heal me, if you want to so bad.” If it’d get Papyrus to stop moping and do something useful instead.

Papyrus looked up at that, trying to wipe some of the tear streaks from his cheekbones. “Do you w-want me to?” He almost looked hopeful again.

Flowey shrugged his massive shoulders. “It’s not whether I want it or not, silly. Like you said, I’m pretty hurt. I could just sit here and waste away, but something tells me that a friend like you wouldn’t let that happen.”

Slowly, Papyrus stood up, and shakily made his way over to Flowey’s side. He stayed there for a moment, looking him up and down before placing his phalanges on Flowey’s arm. “I don’t know if I can heal all of it, but I can take away some of the pain.”

That’s all you can hope to do, I suppose.

Notes:

Originally, I wasn't going to post a chapter this week. It's a busy time of year, and I wasn't sure if everyone had gotten a chance to read chapter 3, so I wanted to give them some time to catch up. Buuuuuut I wanted to cap off last chapter's experience with a short little mini-epilogue before the New Year rang in. Tune in same time next week, and (if you're celebrating it) I wish you a happy New Years!

EDIT 11/10/21 - Combined this chapter with the one after it.

Chapter 5: A Last-Ditch Ditching

Summary:

He’s asleep?

That raised so many questions in Papyrus all at once. Can flowers sleep? Why do I feel like I’ve never seen him sleep before?
 
...could I escape?

Notes:

Sorry for the lack of posting, I've been really struggling with motivation. Hopefully updates will be more regular from now on.

How do you like the story so far? Whether it's praise or criticism, let me know down in the comments, it really does help.

EDIT 11/10/21 - Since I combined this chapter with the previous one, I have replaced it with a short but brand new chapter!

As Papyrus sat by Flowey’s side, the sun began to sink lower in the sky. His healing magic was, as he predicted, very slow. But considering how the orange SOUL has brought him back to health, his energy stores seemed greater than before, if that even made sense.

But then again, nothing was making sense anymore. Papyrus didn’t know if it ever would again.

He was focusing so hard on healing Flowey that by the time he finally wilted from exhaustion, the moon was high in the sky. Papyrus sat back, looking up to survey Flowey’s injuries, and... saw that his injuries were almost all completely healed. Papyrus had had no idea that he was that powerful; his healing skills had always been pretty baseline, but it was good enough to save someone in a pinch.

More pressing, however, was that Flowey’s face—or screen, he supposed—was nothing but flickering static. A bolt of dread shot through Papyrus; was he... dead? But how, his injuries were healed as best as he could!

A moment later, Papyrus noticed that Flowey’s enormous mass was shifting rhythmically, almost what more corporeal monsters did when breathing. It was slow, and untroubled, and a moment later, Papyrus jolted when a deep snore came rumbling out of Flowey’s maw.

He’s asleep?

That raised so many questions in Papyrus all at once. Can flowers sleep? Why do I feel like I’ve never seen him sleep before?

...could I escape?

The thought left a bitter sting, in more ways than one. Sure, Flowey was his ‘friend’, but more importantly, he was a homicidal and temperamental monster and a danger to all the humans down in the city. But Papyrus might be the one anchor to Flowey’s maybe-nonexistent morals, and if he left, he was condemning all the humans to indiscriminate massacre.

But, maybe...

If there was one thing Flowey liked most of all (besides murder, apparently), it was playing games. Was Papyrus willing to gamble the lives of all the humans in that town on a slight hope?

It was selfish.

And it was also his only chance to save them.

——

Flowey had forgotten what it felt like to sleep. As a flower, there had been no physical benefit, and while he might’ve dozed occasionally, there was no point to leaving himself vulnerable like that.

But as Papyrus’s healing magic mended his war wounds, he found himself suddenly feeling incredibly drowsy, and the exhaustion of battle finally took its toll, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

He felt incredibly safe, for all his worries about being weak and unprotected, and he found himself for once taking great comfort in having Papyrus around, which was very odd for him. It used to be amusement, and just that, but now, Flowey felt his SOULs swell in gratitude, knowing that Papyrus was there looking out for him.

Which is why when Flowey finally woke, and Papyrus was nowhere to be found, he felt so incredibly betrayed. His paws thumped the ground, reaching around to see if he could locate that infuriating skeleton, but his fingers closed on no one.

I should’ve made sure to tie him down, Flowey thought, as anger fueled his desperate search. I should’ve known. He’s no friend of mine. Cowardly, idiotic, worthless fool.

He was so infuriated that it took him a minute to notice the message in the ground.

Spelled out of blue magic bones, the words, “Hide and seek?” laid on the ground, with an arrow pointing toward the woods on the opposite side of Mt. Ebott than the city.

Flowey stared at them for a good long while before startling himself with a laugh. “What?” Papyrus wanted to play a game, of all things? At the end of his world, in a strange land he knew nothing about?

There had to be a catch, right? Or was Papyrus just stupid enough to think Flowey would willingly wander off away from the city where his beautiful conquest awaited?

... goddamn it. For some reason, Flowey found it really hard to resist wanting to play Papyrus’s game. He can’t have gotten very far, and while Flowey was a slow mover, he could still cover great distances due to sheer size. And stakes, there had to be stakes to this. Any good game has stakes. Maybe Papyrus would finally be willing to help Flowey’s takeover if he won? Papyrus obviously wanted to be found. There was no way such a sentimental, foolishly kind little skeleton would leave all those humans to their deaths.

Alright, Papyrus. I’ll play your little game.

He can’t have gotten very far.

——

Papyrus was a little winded, to say the least. It was night two of his little escape mission, and he hadn’t paused to rest once. As he took a moment to catch his breath, he felt what little hope he had of playing this risky game dwindling. He almost hoped that maybe Flowey would lose interest, and stop chasing him. But if he wasn’t looking for him, he’d go after all those humans he left behind to die.

It had been less than a minute, but already he felt a rumble shake the ground. Despite being bone tired, Papyrus forced himself to his feet and jumped into the lower boughs of a nearby tree. He shakily climbed his way up, and as he poked his head through the canopy, he felt his spirits raise and lower within rapid succession.

Flowey was descending the mountain, in his direction.

His plan worked.

And forgive his language, but he was utterly screwed.

He hadn’t made nearly enough distance, and Flowey seemed to be traveling pretty quickly, dragging himself through the trees, and plowing them down as he progressed down the slope.

His one saving grace would be that he was pretty sure Flowey had no concrete way to track him, and he hadn’t been traveling in a straight line. All he had to do was evade Flowey for long enough to lure him deep into the unknown wilderness before he could double back and find his way back to the city to warn the humans.

He jumped down from the boughs of the tree and onto the ground, and hit the ground running. He was scraping any semblance of energy together to keep moving. But fortunately, at least one thing Flowey had told him was true: whatever happened at the barrier, he had gotten a taste of DETERMINATION, and it was fueling the heck out of his one-skeleton marathon.

He could do it. He could SAVE them all.

He didn’t have any other options.

Chapter 6: Ignore This Chapter!

Summary:

An update for my readers.

UPDATE - 11/10/21

I'm BACK BABY!! Skip this chapter and read the next!

It’s been a while, huh?

I wanted to apologize for taking so long on this story. I know you’ve been waiting for updates.

The long and short of it: I’m not giving up on The Breaking Point. But I also won’t be posting any more of it until I’ve written it to completion. I hope you’re not disappointed.

I look forward to the days when I’ve finished this and can start putting it out into the world again. Until then, keep on being awesome!

 

UPDATE - 05/05/21

Been an even longer while, huh? After a two year hiatus, I’ve started seriously working on this story again. I have the entire thing planned out start to finish (almost 20 chapters), and I’ve employed a new writing technique to help me bang out chapters: every time I want to play video games, I have to write at least two paragraphs first. I've already worked on four new chapters since I stopped posting!

I’m tempted to stick to writing the whole thing first and then releasing it chapter by chapter after, but if you want me to release chapters as I finish them, this is your chance to speak up! You can also follow my writing tumblr “hardtack-ao3” for WIPS and updates! In order to enter this password protected blog, please DM me at my other writing blog “volatilesoloist-ao3” and I will tell you the password.

Wish me luck!

 

UPDATE - 08/23/21

Ignore that random chapter update!!! Sorry, was just testing out some workskin things for future chapters and accidentally published.

Chapter 7: Inside and Outside, and Nowhere

Summary:

I'm BAAAAACK! Please go back and read chapter 5, though, as it now contains new content, since I combined its previous text with the chapter before that!

--

 

Of course, the Great Papyrus doesn’t—normally wouldn’t—run away from a fight! ...if Undyne could see me now, she’d call me a coward, wouldn’t she...?

 

Papyrus shook those thoughts off. What he was doing was very brave in its own right, trying to lure a threat away from innocent lives.

It must have been days.

The first three passed without incident other than constant, nonstop running, into thickets and gnarled branches and tripping over roots and undergrowth. Still, he always got back up and continued to run, losing a few HP every now and again. For the first time, Papyrus was grateful that skeletons didn’t have muscles that could get tired.

Skeletons did need food and rest, though, and even before his escape, he hadn’t eaten since dinner that night when the Underground was ‘freed’. Papyrus was beginning to really miss its absence, but he also knew you couldn’t find random plates of spaghetti in the wild like the ones he left out in Snowdin’s woods.

Not to mention it was hard to run when the remains of the lower part of his Battle Body kept threatening to slide down his hips and trip him up. It was... very regrettably damaged, but dignity was all he had left.

It was the fourth day of fleeing when, even as far away from Flowey as he had previously been, he could feel the ground rumble from the direction he came from. He risked a few moments to scale the branches of a tree again, and peek over the canopy—

Mhm. He was still coming, and fast.

Unmistakably large as he grew closer on the horizon, Flowey was dragging himself through the woods, plowing large swaths of trees over in his wake. Two days was apparently not as good a head start as Papyrus had hoped. His bones started rattling hard enough, fear creeping through him, that he actually fell out of the tree. Another 3HP gone.

Shaking dirt off his limbs, he took off again, this time picking a different direction. The Underground was small enough that one couldn’t really get lost, except for maybe a few places here and there in Waterfall. Even then, you could look at clusters of familiar crystals in the ceiling for guidance. Papyrus knew that humans did something similar with things called “stars”, but he didn’t know any of the patterns. He could’ve been doubling back as far as he knew.

On the fifth day, Papyrus started having trouble staying upright. His magic reserves were severely depleted, the energy consumed by his tired, pushed-to-the-brink body in order to keep him going. At this rate, if Flowey did finally catch up, he would have little to no way to defend himself.

He no longer took the time to climb trees and survey the skyline. He could feel the tremors in the ground wherever he went, and they were getting stronger. Papyrus absently wondered if Flowey had some way of tracking him that he was unaware of, or if he was just really bad at running away.

Of course, the Great Papyrus doesn’t—normally wouldn’t—run away from a fight! ...if Undyne could see me now, she’d call me a coward, wouldn’t she...?

Papyrus shook those thoughts off. What he was doing was very brave in its own right, trying to lure a threat away from innocent lives.

He was starting to slow, and the shaking of the ground was getting so intense that every clawed-hand-fall almost knocked him over. It felt like lines of ice were freezing into his marrow, fear piercing his core.

“Papyrusssss...” That high-pitched yet bass-boosted voice rang out over the treetops, eerily playful sounding. Papyrus couldn’t help but involuntarily whimper, and when the trees behind him started falling, he heard himself start to scream. There was a demonic laugh, followed by the practical deathknell of, “I seeeee you!”

Glancing over his shoulder, Papyrus could see a large green hand reaching out for him. Papyrus’s legs finally gave out, and as his kneecaps hit the ground...

...he fell out of reality.

——

In any other timeline, Sans would’ve given up.

But he didn’t have that option anymore. Not when he had so much at stake.

Papyrus was gone, forced through the barrier by the bastard flower, and as Sans’ memories flooded back of previous timelines once again, he was nearly paralyzed with fear about what Flowey could be doing to his brother. He was even more scared about the familiar form Papyrus took on when having a human SOUL.

The underground was in chaos, Undyne and what was left of the guard trying to calm the chaos. Alphys had been wrangled into trying to break the barrier again, but with her new girlfriend busy, she was a little in shambles. So it fell to Sans to actually fix things.

Well, him, and the work of an old ghost from his past.

An old ghost, one he hadn’t even thought of in years. The past, he hoped, could no longer hurt him, and therefore didn’t consider it relevant at all. As it was, he was pretty good at forgetting.

He’d promised himself that he would never go back into the basement, but Sans was terrible at keeping promises, and his entire world, his brother, they were all at risk. He pulled the tarp off of the Machine and dusted off the panel.

Technically, it was never broken. It was just missing a vital component. SOUL power, to be exact.

He and Papyrus weren’t boss monsters, but their creator, W.D. Gaster, was. The Machine was built as a safety measure to reunite the pieces of his soul, if he grew displeased with his creations that were born of its fragments.

Sans dreaded what the Machine might be able to do. He dreaded anything that had to do with Gaster. But... maybe, if he used it, he might be able to pull Papyrus out of harm’s way... but that was a BIG maybe.

No other options.

He pressed his skeletal hand to a scanner on the main input panel of the device, and held his breath as it slowly booted up, slowed by the years of dust accumulated in its casing. The screen finally flickered to life, a simple message reading,

One SOUL fragment located. Locate other fragment? Y/N

”One SOUL fragment located. Locate other fragment? Y/N”

With trembling tarsals, Sans pressed the Enter button, and felt the familiar jolt-shift he usually felt when teleporting, but this time, it was more jarring, more painful, and when he opened his eyes...

...there was Papyrus.

The two of them were suspended in a black void, one that echoed with muted ringing and shifting forms at the edge of his vision.

Papyrus was shivering and hunched on his knees, hands pressed to his sockets, looking incredibly roughed up and weary, and Sans couldn’t keep staring dumbly any longer.

“Papyrus!” He screamed, and his brother, startled, immediately peeled his hands from his face and stared at Sans in disbelief.

“Wha—what? Sans??”

Sans ran to Papyrus, already beginning to kneel down to hug his brother, but as he stretched his arms out, he smacked into something solid and tumbled back onto his sacrum.

“Sans! Are you okay?!” Papyrus sounded rightfully worried, as something like that would’ve normally dusted him, but in this blank void, there might not be such limitations. But, despite that, despite everything... the Barrier still separated them.

“Am I okay?! Oh my gods, Paps, are you okay?? What happened?”

Papyrus staggered to his feet, pressing his palms against the Barrier for support. He was dirty, he was missing a lot of HP, and his beloved Battle Body was in tatters. He felt a deep sense of sorrow and revulsion, but he tried not to assume the worst right away.

“Flowey, h-he brought me up to the surface. He’s been killing humans, Sans, even when I tried to stop him. I’ve, I’ve been trying to get through to him, but he’s very... t-temperamental?”

“Bro, I couldn’t care less about the humans. Are you okay?? Has he been hurting you?”

Papyrus winced, his hands absently wandering to brush dirt off himself and seemingly make himself more presentable. “I... it’s nothing the Great Papyrus can’t handle,” he said, trying to smile but failing miserably.

“Gods, Paps... I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop him from taking you. I’m going to find a way to get you back, or come to you, or something, anything. I’m so sorry.”

“Well, as far as things go, you have actually managed to help me already! I was in a bit of a tricky situation when you brought me here... uh, where is here, by the by?”

“This is the Void. I think this is where Gaster went when he fell in the Core.”

Immediately, that one sentence seemed to bother Papyrus a lot more than anything else had in their brief visit. He sunk down and huddled into himself a bit more. “Gaster? Is... is he here? Now?”

“No, I don’t think so, but he might be listening for all I know.”

“G-great.”

Papyrus let out the most world-weary sigh Sans had ever heard come from his brother, and it broke his heart. “Well, bro... at least you’re safe here.”

For now

”For now”

Both brothers jumped, but they couldn’t see anyone else in the Void. When Sans looked back to Papyrus, he’d started flickering, his form distorting like television static.

“Sans!!!”

“Pap, I think the Machine is overheating, crap... Stay safe, Paps, get away by any means necessary and don’t trust Flowey! I love you, bro.”

“I l-lo-love yo—” Papyrus's voice fizzed out, and his form finally disappeared. The darkness around Sans slowly shrunk, until with a final hard blink, he found himself collapsed on the basement floor. The Machine was expelling steam from underneath the panels and, and the screen flickered occasionally with a sign showing a thermometer leveled at max heat.

But at least... if he fixed it, or let it cool, maybe he could do this again. His brother wasn’t lost forever, and in the meantime, he could tell Undyne and Alphys about his discovery.

Papyrus wasn’t gone just yet.

——

Papyrus felt his SOUL lurch, and he felt the nauseating feeling of falling through time and space again before he fell to the ground with a hard thump and a yelp.

Immediately, he was back on alert, but Flowey was nowhere to be seen. The woods didn’t look familiar at all, and were much denser than before.

But there was something even more strange only a few yards ahead of him. A small cottage, with a light in the window and smoke coming from the chimney.

He gawked at it for a few moments more before he was startled by the door suddenly opening. A long white cane tapped its way into view at first, followed by an older-looking human woman, clad in furs and leather and a pair of dark glasses with a vibrant pink rim. “Hello? Is someone there?”

“H-hello?” Papyrus answered back. “Where am I, please?”

“A long ways off from anywhere in particular, sonny. It’s getting late, but you can come in for a cup of tea, get out of the cold? I don’t get company very often.”

Papyrus found it very odd that this strange woman was so welcoming to a complete stranger—a monster, of all things. But as he shivered from exhaustion and hunger, body full of aches and pains, he reasoned that monsters in the Underground were very similar to that, utterly hospitable to those who didn’t seem to belong. Utterly shaken by the recent events, he simply said, “Yes, please. I think I’d like that.”

Notes:

I've finally finished the whole story!!! I'll be posting a chapter every week on Wednesday around 5:30 PM EST.

Leave a comment telling me what you’ve been up to since I last posted hahaha.

Chapter 8: Human Comforts, While They Last

Summary:

“What happened to me?”

 

The woman couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “You passed out around three footsteps into the cabin. I’m old and can’t carry a fully grown man, so I just put a blanket around you on the floor. Forgive me for not being able to get you to a more comfortable resting place!”

 

--

In which a new character is introduced!

Papyrus woke up quite abruptly with a sore back and jaw, but a comforting warmth surrounding him. Immediately he pushed himself onto his hands and kneecaps in a panic, trying to get a read on his situation. The suddenness of his movements caused the wool blanket around him to slide off his shoulders and puddle onto the floor.

He was in a small room, walls either piled logs or sections of cobblestone. There was a fire going in a firepit, and sitting in a rocking chair in front of it, was the same old lady who he’d encountered into the forest after what seemed like a long-distance teleport.

The creaking of the rocking chair, along with the crackle of fire, and the gentle scent of herbs in the air, created such a peaceful atmosphere that contrasted starkly with his past torment on top of Mt. Ebott. Papyrus could barely believe it, and he couldn’t keep from barking out an incredulous laugh.

“Oh, you’re awake, dear. Welcome to the world of the living once more!” She made no effort to turn and look at him, instead continuing to face the fire roaring in front of her. From his side angle, Papyrus noticed that her pink-framed, dark-lensed glasses were sitting in her lap.

“What happened to me?”

The woman couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. “You passed out around three footsteps into the cabin. I’m old and can’t carry a fully grown man, so I just put a blanket around you on the floor. Forgive me for not being able to get you to a more comfortable resting place!”

She finally stood, sliding her glasses on and grabbing the white cane from where it lay near the chair. She moved slowly, tapping her cane in front of her until she finally hit Papyrus’s phalanges, at which point she stopped. Papyrus was significantly taller than her, but she didn’t raise her head to look at him.

All around, it was really quite peculiar, and as tired as Papyrus was, he couldn’t help but be curious, like he usually was. “Can I ask what the tapper’s for?”

“It’s my cane, sonny. I normally don’t need it in my house, I’ve got every location mapped in my mind, but since you’re here, and I can’t see you, I figured it would be appropriate to not bump right into you.”

Can’t see me? “Ohh. Wowie,” he said, suddenly feeling a little silly for not connecting the dots sooner. This diminutive old woman wasn’t afraid of his big tall impressive skeleton body because she was blind.

“Enough of that, anyway. Would you like the tea I offered you earlier?”

Papyrus hesitated. He was starving, but monsters couldn’t really completely digest human food or drink, skeletons especially. It’s not like he had an actual stomach, like some flesh-and-blood monsters did. But out of politeness, he acquiesced. “Sure, thank you, lady.”

He moved over to a small table towards one of the walls, taking a seat in a rickety, handmade-looking chair that creaked as he sat. The woman took a kettle from where it was hanging near the fire, and once she located his mug, she poured the hot tea into it.

It smelled rather lovely, but... the undertone of herbs, or maybe flowers, even, set him on edge. With slightly shaky hands, he lifted the mug to his face and made a fake sluuuurp to simulate drinking the tea.

“So,” the lady said—snapping Papyrus out of his reverie—as she lowered herself into the other seat at the table, “who are you, traveller? How did you come across my humble little cottage? We’re quite the distance from any nearby cities.”

“My name is Papyrus. I, uhhh... got lost hiking. Not from around these terrible woods, nyeh heh heh.”

“Poor thing,” she uttered, something in her tone sounding slightly doubtful. “Been a rough couple of days?”

Papyrus rubbed a hand across his skull, suddenly feeling a lot more tired just thinking about it. “Very rough. I’m... heh, bone tired from it all.” Slipping in a joke Sans would make made him feel a little more at ease.

The old woman tilted her head inquisitively, but said nothing. He raised his mug and took another ‘sip’, and then, desperate to fill the silence, asked, “What’s your name, lady?”

“Tully Tarael, dear. A bit of a hermit all alone in these ‘terrible woods’.”

Papyrus winced at her reusing his thoughtless words. “I mean, the trees are, uhh... good for climbing? The dirt’s good for running? The roots and bushes are good for... tripping over...”

At that, Tully laughed, a warm and wonderful sound. “I understand. When you’re running, it doesn’t help to trip.

“So why were you running?”

“What?” Papyrus asked, taken aback.

Tully ran her finger absentmindedly against the grain of her table as she continued, “When you’re lost in the wilderness, it’s not a good idea to run. You want to conserve energy. But you said you were running, so I was curious as to why you were doing that. People don’t normally run around in the woods unless they’re being chased by something.”

Papyrus sighed. “It’s not important, and it’s a very long and wacky story anyway, Mrs. Tarael.”

“I’ve got time.”

Desperate to change the subject, Papyrus responded with his own question, “Why did you let me in, take care of me? A strange mo—man in the woods, dead of night, I could’ve been dangerous!”

Tully put her elbow on the table and leaned her cheek into her palm. “I don’t get visitors very often, and not many exciting things happen. You could call it a calculated risk, but I believe,” she said, tone suddenly very serious, “most people have more good than bad in them, and even the bad ones, you might be able to turn ‘em around with some tea and a few kind words. I chose hope, I suppose.

“So, are you dangerous? I don’t rightly know, and now that you tell me you’re running from somethin’, I got half a mind maybe wondering if you’re running from the law.” Papyrus struggled to find his words, but Tully kept talking, “But you seem nice enough, Papyrus. I wouldn’t rat you out if the cops came calling.”

“It’s... it’s not ‘cops’, whatever that is? I’m... I’m being chased by someone I thought was a friend, but turned out to maybe not be such a good person? He wants me to come back, but I don’t think I’d want to see him again... not like this. I don’t know what he’ll do if he catches me, but I would rather not find out,” he finished with a shudder.

Tully nodded sagely, and opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted with a slight tremor in the ground. Immediately Papyrus shot up from his seat, bolting to the nearest window and pressing his skull against the panes to try and figure out where it was coming from.

“Oh, don’t worry dear. We’ve been getting the occasional earthquake in the area lately, but none of them ended bad.”

“No, no no no... I have to get out of here, Ms. Tarael. I... I can’t put you at risk by staying here anymore.”

“Dear, what are you talking about?”

“It’s him. He’s coming.”

——

Cheater. Cheater.

Flowey was furious. He’d almost caught the damned skeleton, fair and square, and then he had the gall to take a shortcut?? Just like his smiley trashbag brother.

He was seething, but after uprooting and throwing a grove of trees one by one, he slowly cooled his anger. He could still find Papyrus. He had a very unique and strange magic signature that emanated from his SOUL, for whatever bizarre reason. Maybe it was because he had been exposed to DT?

Regardless, it was his best way of finding that treacherous skeleton. He followed it through the woods like a wolf might hunt a deer. Odds were that Papyrus would be able to hear him coming for miles, but after almost a week of chasing, he had to be getting tired.

As he dragged himself through the woods hither and thither, he brainstormed various ways of making Papyrus pay for his cheating. It wasn’t too hard for him to come up with various nasty punishments, given how many resets he’d spent perfecting them.

It was only once he could no longer see Mt. Ebott behind him that he wondered if Papyrus had teleported yet again. He had no clue how he managed to pull it off, since only Sans had shown that ability, of the two of them.

Just as he was starting to get a little bored, however, he finally managed to pick up Papyrus's magic signature, a few miles west of him.

He could cover that in no time at all.

Pulling himself as fast as he could, he thud-thud-thud-ed his way after him. He finally came across less-wooded area, with a pathetically small cabin centered in it. The lights were dark, and no smoke came from the chimney, but there was Papyrus’s magic, huddled in a corner.

With a giant clawed hand, he grabbed the edge of the roof and pulled it completely off the house, and peeked inside like a child might open a dollhouse.

“It’sss Flowey!”

——

Papyrus didn’t have time to run any longer, and there was a chance that maybe Flowey would crush the cabin in his wake if he left. As the roof peeled back with a terrible cracking sound, he readied his last resort.

As soon as he could see Flowey’s screen towering over him and Tully, he raised his hands and pulled up a wave of bones, while simultaneously trying to grab at least a couple of his SOULs and pull him down.

Flowey jolted like he’d been shocked as the blue magic took hold of part of his essence, and he buckled slightly as a few bones smashed into the screen. “Stop that,” Flowey menaced, pulling himself back up and shaking off Papyrus’s blue magic. “I won’t let you cheat anymore!”

From underneath the cabin, vines began to grow and push through the old, weak wooden planks that made up the floor. The entire house shook, and finally, he tripped and fell as Flowey’s vines completely lifted the cabin from its foundation and upended it, shaking all the furniture, Papyrus, and Tully onto the ground.

Papyrus’s world went dark and fuzzy for a moment, but regained clarity very quickly as he felt the ground continue to shift beneath him. And Tully. Where’s Tully?

He pushed off the rocking chair that had landed on him and briefly pinned him to the ground, and he scanned the wreckage for his human friend.

There. She lay at the edge of the clearing, partly shadowed by a tree, and Papyrus raced to get to her, to pick her up and just run, and he was halfway there when—

WHAP!

A vine slammed into his midsection, sending him flying until he finally collided with a tree with a crack, hard enough to completely black out.

He was only out for a few seconds until his vision returned, but was still fuzzy. He lolled his head to the side, his sight focusing just in time to see Flowey raising a vine into the air... with Tully held in his grasp, screaming her lungs hoarse.

“Gee Papyrus, you even got me a human as an olive branch for being a worthless cheater. Thanks, buddy!”

Papyrus yelled, and tried to push himself off the ground to run after him and save Tully, but as he did, he felt something slither around his ankles. Looking down, he saw a small nest of vines sprouting from the ground, wriggling through the gaps in the bone before securing them tightly to the ground. Frustrated and terrified in equal measure, Papyrus suddenly felt utterly useless. He didn’t even have time to get the last dregs of his magic together for another attack.

“Stop! Flowey please stop, don’t hurt her!”

“Papyrus, what’s going on??” Tully yelled, turning her head wildly and unable to focus on any one thing, whether friend or foe.

“I-I’ll do anything!” Papyrus suddenly blurted, no sense of dignity left to keep him from trying to bargain. “Anything you want! Just leave her alone, please!”

Flowey’s expression was gleeful and sickening. “Oh, I know you’ll do anything I want. It’s not like you have a choice anymore! But there’s no getting out of this, Papyrus! This is your first punishment. This is for running away.”

“Tully!” he cried out, “Tully, I’m sorry, I’m s-so sorry—” But no matter how hard Papyrus yelled, it did nothing to prevent the vine holding Tully from tightening, vines curling around her and constricting, until suddenly there was a horrible crack—

—and Tully’s screams were broken off as she went limp.

For a moment, it felt like the world stopped moving, that something this bad could be happening. Flowey held Tully closer to him, and tears flooded Papyrus’s sockets as with a flash and a tremor, her SOUL floated into Flowey’s body. As she was unceremoniously thrown to the ground, he felt like the shock suddenly was gone, and now all he was left with was grief. No.... no no no no no how could I let this happen? This was all his fault. He should’ve run. Now she’s gone and it’s all my fault.

Crying and wailing as much as he was, he almost missed seeing a yellow SOUL pop out of Flowey’s back, catching sight of it as it floated to the ground, flickered a few times, and disappeared.

The vines trapping his legs withdrew, and he hugged his knees to himself, sobbing desolately. Flowey leaned down as far as he could in over to be almost eye level to Papyrus. “You get your second punishment when we get home. Now stand up. You’re acting pathetic.”

Papyrus barely had time to even consider heeding Flowey’s words before Flowey lifted him up to his feet with a massive hand, before a vine split off from the bulk of his arm and curled tight around his neck like a leash, tight enough to make him gag.

“We’re walking home. I’m not going to give you any slack anymore, so I sure do hope you have enough energy to survive the trip, friend!”

How had he thought there was no way for things to get worse? When Flowey started dragging himself forward again, the noose around his neck tightened further, and he had no choice but to walk forward, unless he wanted to choke.

But as they moved toward the edge of the clearing, Papyrus saw the heart suddenly flicker into view next to him, and like the orange one before it, it floated up to his ribcage and nestled inside.

As it did, he felt a pulse of hot anger, the strongest he’d ever felt. For the first time in his life, he suddenly knew what it felt like to hate... enough to want to end Flowey’s existence. It was entirely uncharacteristic, and almost scary, but as he ground his teeth together, in his mind, the yellow SOUL whispered to him.

There will be justice. She will not die unavenged.

Just as quickly, the anger faded back into numbness, but he felt a residual heat in his own SOUL, almost as though the contact had burnt part of him.

Notes:

And swiftly un-introduced, heh.

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters!

Chapter 9: Simpler Times Interlude

Notes:

A little glimpse into Flowey's past.
--
Surprise chapter! So I was going to post this chapter this Wednesday, but since it's shorter than a usual chapter, I figured I'd post it tonight and then you get the next full chapter on Wednesday as usual. (Plus I want to get to that chapter as soon as possible bc it's a big one >:3)

Flowey could remember what it felt like to love.

It was a warm feeling, one of the best in the world. He’d felt it for Toriel and Asgore, and for Chara. It was his love for them that caused his death, after all. Even though those horrible humans had attacked him without mercy, he hadn’t felt any animosity toward them, because he cared for Chara, and these things were humans too.

But once he’d been resurrected by that fool Alphys, he’d lost his SOUL, and capacity for emotion, and that had been a long, long time ago. He remembered panicking as he slowly lost the ability to feel the very emotions that had given him such childish wonder and optimism, his main driving force when he had been Asr—before he was Flowey.

He lost his love for Asgore first. His decree to kill any children that fell into the underground used to be heartbreaking—what if he’d done that to Chara?—but eventually, it just turned into the blind attempts of a broken old fool to keep some grasp on a dying world. The death of his children, and the loss of his wife, had utterly ruined him, and he no longer seemed as inspiring as he’d been when Flowey was younger.

So he left, and went to look for Toriel instead. When he did find her, he managed to reclaim some sense of emotion; he’d always been closer to her. But that could only last for so long. Without a SOUL, he could never truly keep hold of his emotions. They’d just slip away over time, ruining any sense of kinship he could feel.

He’d been sitting in the Ruins with Toriel, watching her read in front of the hearth, when he finally realized that he’d lost any ability to care for her. He used to love spending time with her, playing with toys on the rug in front of the fireplace while she took up a book or knitted nearby. He’d felt so safe and secure like that. But this time, watching her toil away at her work, he realized that what he felt was no longer love, but contempt. Satisfied in staying in the Ruins while the world went on without her, while she became useless. Her platitudes about his condition were no longer reassuring, but what felt like empty words.

So he left them both behind, and instead turned to trying to make friends. Toriel and Asgore had always encouraged him to make friends, but being the prince made the other children awkward around him, and he’d preferred spending time with Chara anyway. Now that no one knew who he was, he had a fresh start.

He’d skipped straight through Hotland, Waterfall, and Snowdin on his journey to find Toriel, so now he figured he’d work his way back. The woods outside Snowdin had been a bit perilous to traverse; he kept having to pop out of the snow that covered the ground, and while neither moderate cold nor heat were serious concerns of his, sometimes he would emerge in a powder-filled ditch, and being buried made him panic.

It was one of these times, thrashing around in a snow well, that he’d first met Papyrus.

He’d been trying fruitlessly to extend his stalk to get him out of the snow, but he still wasn’t used to his powers, and wasn’t having much luck. But he heard someone passing nearby, and though he didn’t have much faith, he’d called for help.

The silly skeleton, bless his SOUL, immediately dropped what he was doing and excavated the entire well by himself, certain that a small monster had fallen in.

As Flowey finally was able to see the open air, Papyrus came into view; he seemed puzzled for a moment, raising a phalange to scratch at his skull before Flowey said, “Howdy!” He jumped about a foot in the air, which, for the first time since his rebirth, actually brought him some amusement.

He quickly recovered, though, and he introduced himself with that beaming grin of his, sockets wide with excitement. “I’ve never met a talking flower before! This truly is a lucky day for the Great Papyrus!”

The Great Papyrus, huh? Flowey wondered what he’d done to earn the title, but the skeleton’s enthusiasm was infectious, and he found himself smiling for the first time in a long, long while.

The fun didn’t stop as he got to know Papyrus better and better. They explored the woods together, and Papyrus delighted in having someone to talk about puzzles with. Flowey had to really admire his dedication; it seemed like he loved it with his whole being. Eventually, they made it to Snowdin proper, where he took Flowey on a grand tour, showing him all his favorite places.

It seemed like Papyrus lived and breathed with a passion for life, even in such a small town. He spoke of every little corner (with the exception of Grillby’s) like it was the best place in Snowdin, and then would move onto the next destination with equal verve.

Normally Flowey would’ve felt a bit too shy to be moving in plain sight, but while people did tend to stare, he didn’t sense any major hostility. He would discover later that most people assumed that any friends of ‘that wacky skeleton’ were trustworthy.

Maybe that wasn’t the case now, thousands of resets later, but back then Flowey basked in the glow having a new friend. Papyrus’s positive outlook made his miserable fate seem a little less dull, and when he eventually did leave Snowdin, he’d found it hard to say goodbye. Even after traveling the whole Underground, meeting new people all over and even making a few friends among them, he always came back to Snowdin.

Papyrus loved helping him explore some of his new powers. He was such an encouraging supporter, cheering each time Flowey grew in size, or managed to grow new vines to manipulate. Flowey felt so grateful for his refreshing positivity; he didn’t know Flowey was the lost prince, like Toriel and Asgore did, so his friendship came with no strings attached: he was just that happy about everything.

Papyrus was the first friend he’d ever made. He was also the first monster he’d ever killed.

He didn’t mean to, of course. He’d been exploring just how big and powerful his vines could be, when he accidentally swatted Papyrus too hard, and flung him into a tree with enough force to dust him.

Flowey was horrified. He screamed, he cried—something he was sure he’d forgotten how to do. And as he grieved, so full of remorse and self-hatred, his SAVE file appeared to him for the first time.

That bright glimmer in space, and the words ‘RESET’ floating above him, were utterly puzzling. But he’d pressed it anyway, because he was certain that whatever happened next, it would be better than dealing with the guilt of killing his best friend.

When he found out exactly what he could do with resetting, it was like a huge weight off his stalk. And Papyrus didn’t remember a thing! They could just keep being friends forever!

And he was by far Flowey’s best friend, out of anyone else. For Papyrus, Flowey found himself actually having some emotions again. He felt happiness, excitement, curiosity, and even some compassion. Nothing could ruin his mood when he was with Papyrus, even if he occasionally insisted on bringing Sans with him.

As Flowey learned more about the power of RESETS, he’d come to realize that anything he did had little consequence for him. He’d started small, stealing from and maybe beating up the occasional monster. It ended up escalating over time though, and he realized that more than anything, the power he held made the Underground so much more interesting.

Many, many resets later, when he’d realized that what brought him the most sense of liveliness was tormenting and killing the worthless monsters of the Underground, Papyrus was still his favorite. That bottomless well of optimism kept him going through even the worst of conditions that Flowey could throw at him. His resilience and willingness to always give him another chance, made Flowey continue to feel shades of those first emotions he’d felt meeting Papyrus for the first time.

Flowey wouldn’t necessarily go so far as to say he loved Papyrus. He hadn’t been capable of loving anyone. But Papyrus definitely came the closest.

And now, even so disobedient and ungrateful to Flowey, who spared him and brought him to the surface, Flowey found that with seven SOULs, now he actually felt love for him. He was still surprising him after so many years of living the same life over and over again, and Flowey really admired that. He was so thankful to himself for taking Papyrus with him; it had been a stroke of genius. There was no one he’d rather take over the world with.

Papyrus was perfect, he really was. It was just a shame that he had to punish him.

Notes:

The chapter that's coming this Wednesday is a very big chapter, but also probably the gnarliest one of the fic. A very much "Dead Dove Do Not Eat" chapter, so please read the tags when it comes out!

Chapter 10: The Very Worst Monster of All

Summary:

“You really worried me, when you ran away. I’ve gotten used to your company; I woulda really missed you. Sometimes I feel like I don’t show you I care about you enough. Because I do, more than any other monster I’ve ever known.

“I’ve been experimenting with my new and improved body a little bit. The tongue on this thing? It’s really sensitive! And I thought to myself, in all those timelines where I was your therapist, hahaha... I never really got to FEEL fucking you! Remember, it’s that thing that monsters who really care about each other do? So really this kills two birds with one stone: I get to have a little fun, and I knowyou don’t like this, you silly thing, so it’ll work really well as a punishment!”

And with that, Flowey’s lower maw split open, and from the depths of it spilled out his tongue… an enormous, green vine.
--
Hey hey! Check the tags, especially that second archive warning, because it is big in this chapter.

I thought running for days in one direction was hard, Papyrus mused in a haze, but the trip back is even harder.

Without the adrenaline of being chased, and the numbness he felt now, every step felt like an impossible challenge. Papyrus felt like some piece of light had gone out of him now that Tully was dead—dead because of me because of me because of me—and he could barely keep himself moving along at Flowey’s slow but long ‘stride’. If he spaced out for even a moment, the vine around his cervical vertebrae would pull tight, and he would stumble forward.

“—and I can’t believe you actually got that far! You’d make a decent athlete, Papyrus!”

Had Flowey been talking? Papyrus wasn’t really listening, and Flowey didn’t seem to mind that he wasn’t. I guess he just likes to talk. A part of him felt guilty on some level for ignoring him, but it paled in comparison to the guilt he felt about his lost companion.

He’d barely known Tully, but after spending so long alone with Flowey as his only company, he was starved for kindness, and he’d found it in the little blind human. And when he needed to save her, he failed. For all his talk of heroism, he’d been powerless to protect her.

Papyrus’s lower jaw trembled. The Great Papyrus... I don’t feel so much like that anymore. He just wanted to curl up and cry, and the farther they walked, he felt more exhausted, to the point that curling up was likely to happen anyway. His eyelights were growing dimmer every few feet they walked, and he knew he was going to collapse soon if they didn’t stop for a break.

As a matter of fact, Papyrus didn’t even notice when he collapsed. He only realized it when he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head, and a tightness around his neck, and he gasped weakly but couldn’t make himself move.

“What’s the matter, Papyrus? Don’t tell me you’re tired already? We still have so far to go!” Flowey giggled. “You know, if you hadn’t run as far, we could’ve been back already. Oh well, no rest for the weary and all that.”

Flowey continued moving forward, which meant that he was now dragging Papyrus across the ground by his neck. He choked, and he managed to grab onto the vine around his neck and pry it slightly looser, and he gasped in a breath when he could.

The ground was rocky and tough, and the pain in his head only grew sharper every time he hit his head against a pebble. He spared a hand to rub the back of his head, and found that the pain was around one of the spikes on the back of his head, which seemed to have chipped; his hand came back sticky with marrow, and he groaned in pain. If he could’ve gotten any dizzier, he would.

He was so tired, but the chokehold kept him in the world of the conscious, and every time he drifted, his hand would fall from the vine and he would snap awake choking again. Flowey didn’t even look down at him.

The voice in his head that would cry, I thought we were friends, was still there, but it was growing quieter and quieter all the time. He didn’t know what he did to deserve being treated like this, or how Flowey could hurt him like this when he used to be so kind. He’d never imagined he’d be capable of such cruelty, and yet this was happening.

And worst of all, Papyrus had lost their little game. If he’d thought Flowey was cruel before, who knew what he’d be planning as punishment. He’d failed to keep Flowey away from the city, to boot, so now the humans were back in danger again. Some hero, he thought, sniffling.

Between the choking, the pain from hitting rocks as he was dragged, and his sorrow over how foolish he’d been, Papyrus found himself tearing up. He always thought of himself as a protector, but now he was a victim, helpless and alone. He desperately wished he was with Sans, back in the Underground. He could take being trapped there for the rest of his life, with the monsters he loved, over seeing the beauty of the surface but being alone with Flowey.

Saying Papyrus was miserable was an understatement. Fortunately for him, his head smacked against a particularly large rock and knocked him unconscious.

——

Head aching, Papyrus eventually woke, and would’ve jumped (had he been able to move) when he saw Flowey’s face directly in front of him; those blood-red and green eyes stared at him with a startling intensity. Papyrus found himself firmly in the grip of one of Flowey’s clawed hands, and knew it would be hopeless trying to fight to free himself.

“Hee hee! You blacked out pretty hard, huh? I can’t believe it, you never even used to sleep back in the Underground. Good thing I noticed quickly, or you probably would’ve choked to death, and I can’t have that!”

Papyrus managed to bring himself to speak as the hand squeezed him tightly. “Th-thank you, Flowey.”

“Oh, no problem. But it was rather generous of me, since you so rudely ran away! And, on top of that, you lost the chase. So I have to think of something especially nasty now, Papyrus! And I’ve had a long walk by myself just to think of something!”

Flowey moved his screen even closer, and Papyrus shrunk into the clawed hand, trying to lean away. As he did, however, Flowey manipulated his claws to tease Papyrus’s legs apart.

Immediately, Papyrus panicked. “No!” he cried, squirming and trying to wriggle out of Flowey’s grasp even harder. Not this. Not this again.

“You really worried me, when you ran away. I’ve gotten used to your company; I woulda really missed you. Sometimes I feel like I don’t show you I care about you enough. Because I do, more than any other monster I’ve ever known.

“I’ve been experimenting with my new and improved body a little bit. The tongue on this thing? It’s really sensitive! And I thought to myself, in all those timelines where I was your therapist, hahaha... I never really got to FEEL fucking you! Remember, it’s that thing that monsters who really care about each other do? So really this kills two birds with one stone: I get to have a little fun, and I know you don’t like this, you silly thing, so it’ll work really well as a punishment!”

And with that, Flowey’s lower maw split open, and from the depths of it spilled out his tongue… an enormous, green vine.

Papyrus panicked. There was no coherent thought in his head as that thing slithered toward him, and even though he was absolutely drained, he’d somehow manage to conjure an attack. It was a complete fear-induced whiteout, and he only realized what happened as he hit the ground with a thud.

He’d speared a bone right through the center of the tongue, and Flowey had immediately dropped him, shrieking in pain. The fall had rattled him, but he scraped himself off the rocky peak and made another mad dash, but this time, it was toward the entrance to the Underground. With one SOUL, Flowey had taken him through the Barrier; surely two would be more than enough. It had to work.

The Barrier shimmered, lighting up the cave with a pulsing glow. Just on the other side was home. He held his hands to his rib cage, trying to conjure the SOULs into visibility.

From outside the cave, he heard a ROOOOAR that shook the stone walls so bad that a few stalactites fell from the ceiling. One almost landed on top of Papyrus, and a few of the shattered pieces of it bounced off the ground and pelted his back.

Even with all the chaos around him, the SOULs were slowly becoming tangible, and Papyrus just prayed, Please. Please let this work.

He pushed his hand against the Barrier, and it gave. It was an almost imperceptible change, but Papyrus pushed his arm through it like it was thick mud, noticing that as he did, the tips of his phalanges grew pointed, with sharp bone spurs suddenly growing out of both his radii.

The SOULs were responding, giving him power, if he could just—

ROAAAAAAAAR!

It was a bestial sound, one he’d never heard Flowey make before, and he felt like his marrow was turning to ice. He pushed with all his might, and because his back was turned, he didn’t notice Flowey’s clawed hand grasping for him. Even though Papyrus was halfway through the Barrier, it was no harder for Flowey to pluck him from it than pulling a stone from the bottom of a murky pond.

“No!” He writhed and screamed, but Flowey’s grip was crushing him, and the SOULs had faded back to nothingness, probably sensing danger. Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me. Tears spilled down his cheekbones.

“You,” Flowey growled, “Are getting thorns for that little stunt, you idiot.”

Before the full weight of that sentence could sink in, Flowey slammed his hand, Papyrus with it, into the ground. He cried out as he felt his ribs creak from the force, but he couldn’t even squirm anymore, flattened and pinned as he was. He couldn’t even turn his head to look behind him.

So when that enormous vine tongue shoved against his pelvis, it was without warning. It was thick, even though it tapered at the tip, with a few somethings curving out of it and getting caught on the ischium.

It pushed against him, trying to worm its way inside of him, but it was just too big. For a second, he almost felt relieved.

“Darn,” Flowey grumbled. “Guess the thorns have to be smaller.”

The thorns shrunk down, and now he could feel them, sharp against the entrance to his pelvic cavity. They prickled, and it was a sharp pain, pressing against the sensitive bone. But it was still too big to easily fit inside.

So when it suddenly pushed, extremely hard, it pushed right through the ring of his pelvis, breaking it down the center with a sickening CRACK.

Once again, Papyrus whited out. He could tell he was screaming, horrible pain radiating through his lower half, but the intensity blinded him and filled his head with static.

And yet, even through it all, he knew he would never forget the sound Flowey made as he slowly pushed through the buckled hollow. An awful, surprised, pleasured moan.

It wasn’t a reprieve from the awful pain that jolted him back down to earth. It was a sickening scrrrrape as those smaller thorns scratched grooves into the inside of his pelvis. Flowey worked the vine deeper inside him, and he screamed again, voice hoarse.

“Ohhh…” Flowey breathed. “This is amazing.”

With every inch the vine protruded into his body, Papyrus could feel the crack near his pubis widening, pushed apart by the increasingly thicker girth of the vine. Papyrus couldn’t stop crying, choking on the pain to the point where he might have thrown up, if he’d even had any food in his system.

Or at least, he might have, until the vine was so deep inside him, slithering up his spine like a snake. The tip poked out of his mouth like a perverted tongue of his own, and he gagged around it, jaw aching as it curled on itself and stroked his mandible.

Papyrus thought it couldn’t get any worse. This was like a nightmare, but he knew he never could’ve dreamed up anything like this.

He was so, so, wrong.

He felt the vine shudder slightly, and then new thorns emerged from it, these pointing in the opposite direction. When Flowey pulled his tongue back, those horrible new thorns scraped on the way out. He screamed again, white hot lines of pain on the inside of his pelvic girdle, sharp enough to slightly gouge the bone.

“Yeah,” Flowey chuckled, still slightly breathless. “Keep screaming. Who knows, maybe someone will hear you! ...and we’ll get an audience.”

No! No no no no!

Papyrus clamped his jaw shut, hard enough he felt one of his canines chip slightly. He couldn’t let anyone see him like this, oh gods, what if Sans saw him like this? He couldn’t let that happen.

As Flowey shoved his tongue back inside, the huge length of plant matter chafing against him, and Papyrus bit back another scream.

But... Sans had seen him like this once.

Foggy memories, the kind that had started surfacing back when Flowey had first bonded him with a SOUL, started flooding back. The peak of a mountain, this one covered in snow. Papyrus, bare and shoved full of vine. Sans, being forced to watch him, the pain in his eyelights mirroring Papyrus’s.

This had happened before. Maybe even more than once. Flowey was obsessed with Papyrus, and he couldn’t understand why.

Remember, it’s that thing that monsters who really care about each other do?

Flowey couldn’t possibly care about him. People who cared about each other didn’t do this.

“Hahhh,” Flowey moaned, “You feel really good, Papyrus. You having fun too?” He finished with a dark laugh.

Papyrus didn’t respond. If he opened his mouth, he would just scream again. Maybe that’s what Flowey wanted.

He was getting lightheaded, the unrelenting pain making him dizzy. With a start, he noticed that his HP was getting dangerously low. The front of his pelvis had completely separated, chunks of bone starting to crumble off when the jagged pieces rubbed together. The inside was getting scrapes along the walls, and when Flowey pushed all the way through, the tip of his tongue deep enough to wrap around his cervical vertebrae, the thorns scratched up against his spine as well.

And as his jaw creaked with the strain of keeping quiet, all he could hear was the terrible sound of Flowey moaning, echoing in the cave and filling his skull. He seemed to be enjoying himself while Papyrus writhed below, pinned to the rocky floor of the cave, with his magic so depleted he couldn’t even try and heal himself to stay in one piece.

He knew that he might die here, and as that little number in his mind counted down, all he could feel was fear.

“Flowey, p-please,” Papyrus begged, “You’re going to kill m—glk!” The top of his tongue pushed through Papyrus’s jaw from the inside again, and he gagged around his plea for mercy.

“Oh, I wouldn’t kill you,” Flowey said dismissively. “C’mon Papyrus, you can take more than that!”

He let out a strangled cry as Flowey pulled back out, thorns dragging against the inside of his ribcage, and then cried out again when Flowey doubled his pace. The spot where Papyrus had speared his tongue was oozing sap, which clung to his bones but did nothing to make this awfulness any smoother.

Papyrus hoped he might black out, and be spared from the worst of this, but the pain was too intense for him to pass out. It was an agonizing push and drag that didn’t end, and Flowey was only going faster.

2 HP.

This couldn’t be how he’d die. He needed to get back to Sans, he needed to protect the monsters in the Underground—and the humans in the town—from Flowey, and, and...

1 HP.

Please, help me, he begged of the SOULs.

But none of them came.

Flowey’s tongue was making halting, erratic movements, which just pushed the thorns against him even more. “Almost,” Flowey panted. “Be good for me, Papyrus.”

0 HP.

His vision was blurring, and he was in so much pain that he almost didn’t notice as the phalanges of his left hand started to crumble. Papyrus might’ve panicked, but it was getting harder to think, and harder to fight.

He’d lost it up to the wrist when Flowey finally stilled with a groan that shook the cavern, and his tongue began to secrete even more sap as he came down from the high. I’m going to end up a pile of mud instead of dust, Papyrus thought hysterically.

“Wow...” Flowey sighed, “that was gre—whoa, Papyrus, jeez!”

His left radius was starting to disintegrate, but Flowey finally pulled his tongue out and vines sprouted from the ground, cradling Papyrus, and finally, blissfully, giving him a burst of soothing healing magic.

In his delirious state, he couldn’t tell if he was relieved or disappointed that Flowey had noticed just in time to save him. The green magic pulsed into his aching, crumbling scratches.

“Now, don’t dust on me,” Flowey said, sounding rather worried, which baffled and... angered Papyrus.

You did this to me! He wanted to scream, but as the pain turned into the numbness of healing wounds, he found himself too weak to even open his jaw. Absently, he saw his HP tick back up from zero to one.

Then the healing magic faded, and pain rushed to the forefront of his mind again. Even if he’d had the energy to writhe in agony, the vines kept him firmly in place.

“Gee Papyrus, you know it’d be a shame if you dusted on me after all that. I really enjoyed what we just did! But... you know, I’m still not too used to healing magic. I think maybe I’ll let you spend the night with that broken pelvis and we’ll try again in the morning, ‘kay?”

The one part of him that he could feel more than pain was that sense of fear and surprising anger. Flowey had almost killed him, and he’d barely even noticed because he was too busy having fun. And now, he wouldn’t even spend the energy to heal the damage he caused. The more he remembered the echoes of past timelines, the more he felt like there was a more potent injury than his physical ones; it was like his SOUL had been torn in half.

Papyrus’s last thought before passing out was that the meager healing magic couldn’t bring back any of the hope he’d had of Flowey being a good friend.

Notes:

Finally, we have arrived at the scene I wrote this story for! I've been so excited to share this one with you all. Years and years ago, there was a nsfw undertale artist on Tumblr called notsafefortem, who made phenomenal boneblossom art. One time on stream, they drew Papyrus getting fucked by Photoshop Flowey for me, and I was obsessed with the idea ever since! They've long since deleted all their stuff, so the sketch lives on in my memory, and this fic!

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters!

Chapter 11: Dr. Flowey Does Malpractice

Summary:

This new body continuously amazed him. The heat of passion, the feeling of Papyrus’s body so tight around him, the afterglow... just, wow. He was sure Papyrus probably didn’t feel the same way, but Flowey wasn’t doing it for him, regardless.

--

Need some time to recover after that dramatic last chapter? So does Papyrus.

Flowey had never felt so good in his entire life. Even with his nigh on infinite number of resets, his small, ill-purposed body had limited any emotions or sensations he could feel. His vines were just tools to manipulate objects, an extension of his body rather than an actual body part. And flowers aren’t naturally meant for the kind activity he’d just done with Papyrus.

This new body continuously amazed him. The heat of passion, the feeling of Papyrus’s body so tight around him, the afterglow... just, wow. He was sure Papyrus probably didn’t feel the same way, but Flowey wasn’t doing it for him, regardless.

He regarded Papyrus's crumpled form next to him, soundly passed out despite all his broken bones. For the first time, he really noticed the extent of the damage, and how close he’d been to losing him—Papyrus was missing half an arm, for crying out loud!

I need to be more careful with the little guy, he admonished himself, even if he does deserve it.

For a moment, he debated whether it would be worth SAVING at this point. He concentrated on his SOUL power, and extended his senses to see what breadth of distance he’d have to be mapping. And boy, was it a lot. Acres of woods, the entire metropolis, and even the surrounding area beyond that, just to be safe. The amount of energy and time that would take would be incredibly inconvenient, and it’d make him considerably more vulnerable. There was no point in SAVING right before he’d get attacked by an angry, weakness-sensing mob, and then have to repeat that over and over again.

No, Flowey decided, There’s nothing out here strong enough to kill me when I’m at peak power. SAVING would be a waste of time.

He glanced down at Papyrus again. And I need to conserve energy to heal this little guy. Truth be told, Flowey could’ve probably healed him completely right when he finished, but... he considered this an experiment. Papyrus was incredibly good at running, prior to this. Too good. If he waited to heal him, he could potentially weaken Papyrus with a permanent injury. Even if it was only a limp, it’d be a lot harder for him to escape.

And I don’t want that, no way. He’s my favorite. Flowey smiled fondly down on Papyrus, still soundly passed out, and resisted the urge to pat him. If he was too careless, he’d just kill the poor guy. He checked Papryus’s stats, and was interested to see that their night of passion had actually lowered his max HP from 680 to 575.

Flowey couldn’t help but laugh. Interesting. I didn’t even know that could happen! If he was too reckless, Papyrus could potentially end up with one hit point, just like his smiley trashbag brother. But that wouldn’t suit Flowey’s needs very well. He liked being able to play a little rough with Papyrus. His few past experiments with Sans hadn’t gotten very far, with Flowey either catching him at a strong moment and getting his butt kicked, or Sans dusting too quickly if Flowey had weakened him. It was satisfying when he could pull it off, but overall not worth it.

No, Papyrus would definitely have to keep his hit points up. What fun would all this power be if he broke his favorite toy?

Sunlight filled the mouth of the cave, suddenly catching his attention. The hours had gone from the night to the dawn, and he’d hardly noticed. A beam of it happened to pass over Papyrus’s skull, causing him to groan weakly and flicker his eyelights on. Immediately, he grimaced and tried to turn his head away.

“Howdy, sleepy head!” Flowey laughed, and the sound made Papyrus flinch even further. “Time for your appointment with Dr. Flowey!”

Flowey’s vines sunk back into the ground, leaving Papyrus unbound for a moment, and although he was tense as drawn string, he made no attempts to move. Poor thing. Flowey gently scooped Papyrus into one of his clawed hands, and raised it close to his body. Since healing magic was based on compassion, Flowey tried to focus on his fond feelings for Papyrus.

Soon enough, a green glow overtook Papyrus, and very slowly, some of his more grievous injuries began to mend. The scratches on the inside of his pelvis began to heal over the marrow, leaving dull indents behind. His hit points began to tick up from the single digits to the double, and then the triple.

By the time he was about a hundred HP from full health, Flowey was feeling quite tired. “Alright, that’s good enough. Your hand isn’t going to grow back, anyway.” As soon as Flowey uncurled his claws, Papyrus made a mad dash to try and get away, but as he tried to hit the ground running, he cried out in pain and crumpled.

“What’s the matter, buddy?” Flowey asked, bemused.

Papyrus groaned, slowly rolling over and curling into a ball. “It... it hurts to stand.”

“Hm. Tragic,” Flowey said, trying not to laugh. “Well, I’m sure you’ll feel better eventually. We can both rest up for a while. I need my energy back pronto!”

Papyrus looked at Flowey cautiously, teeth still gritted in pain as he side eyed Flowey. “W-why?”

“For my next siege of the city!” Flowey said with a grin.

“N-no, you can’t!” Papyrus exclaimed, but as Flowey loomed over him, he clammed up and curled up further.

“Gee, can’t I?” Flowey said. “You’re pretty weak, Papyrus. You couldn’t stop me from playing with you, and you won’t be able to stop me from wiping out those pesky humans!” An idea suddenly struck Flowey, and his smile got wider as he added, “And this time, you’re coming with me.”

“What?” Papyrus cried. “Why?”

“Because clearly,” Flowey said, rolling all of his eyes, “I can’t trust you enough by yourself. So you’re going to get a front row seat! Boy, isn’t that great?”

Papyrus looked like he was going to argue more, but he flinched as Flowey grew a vine and pressed it to his jaw. “Shush. What have those humans ever done for you? And hey, don’t you even remember how it used to be your life’s goal to capture a human?”

He looked almost startled at the revelation, and then looked away in what might have been shame. “Hey, if you help me, I’ll even let you keep one, like a pet or something! You could save someone, least.”

“How could I even pick?” Papyrus said despairingly. “I don’t want to help you kill humans, I don’t want you to kill humans. What did humans even do to you?”

“That’s a pretty dangerous question, Papyrus,” Flowey said, trying to keep his grin from curling into a snarl. “I didn’t have too much against them when I was younger. But getting killed by them does put a bit of a damper on things, y’know?”

“Killed by—what do you mean killed? You’re alive!”

“I wasn’t always a flower, Papyrus,” Flowey said softly. “Once upon a time, I had someone I really cared about. To fulfill their dying wish, I had to take them to the Surface. I meant only to lay them to rest, but the humans attacked me mercilessly. I didn’t live five minutes after coming back. It’s only because of a stupid accident that I ended up as a flower.”

Flowey shrugged, looking over at the cityscape. “Even then, I wasn’t as angry as you’d think. It took a few hundred years worth of resets to slowly realize that in this world, it’s kill or be killed. Humans, monsters... it doesn’t matter who they are. If they’re weak, they deserve to be crushed.” He pounded the mountaintop with his fist, making Papyrus scoot away like a bug, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “So be glad you’re my favorite, Papyrus! Otherwise, you wouldn’t be alive.”

Papyrus was slack-jawed and looked horrified, but in an almost sad way. “Don’t you dare start pitying me,” Flowey growled.

Papyrus clamped his jaw shut. “I... I wasn—”

“Enough, Papyrus, jeez! It doesn’t matter. I’m going to eliminate those pathetic humans, whether you help me or not. I’m a god now, and I’ll do what I want.” He shook his head and grinned. “It’s incredible how something can start so small, and grow to be important. This is a better destiny than anything my fool parents could have planned for me,” he finished disdainfully.

“Your parents?”

Flowey stopped and went back through what he said in his head, and it took a big effort not to get angry at the slip up. “I don’t have parents. Not anymore.” He plunked his mass down, shaking the mountaintop. “No more questions. I need to get my strength back, and if you’re smart, you have a decision to be making.”

——

A day of quiet rest passed; Flowey shut himself onto low-power mode, and Papyrus was smart enough to not try to escape while he was charging. Still, about halfway in, he broke the silence to weakly tap at one of Flowey’s massive hands.

“Hm? What is it?” Flowey said, trying not to sound annoyed.

Papyrus seemed really embarrassed. “Um... you don’t have any food, do you? I... I haven’t eaten in a while and... I’m... really hungry.”

This surprised Flowey, and he realized that they’d been on the surface for almost a week at this point. “Gee, time flies, doesn’t it? Let me see what I can do.” He looked around and found a small puddle on the mountaintop, and tapped a claw into the meager pool of water. When he withdrew it, a small crab apple stalk and a cluster of water sausages bloomed, crowding the small body of liquid.

Flowey turned to Papyrus, an eyebrow raised. “Will this do? Monsters don’t grow a lot of plants, for obvious reasons, but I can only do plants.”

Papyrus nodded eagerly and just about fell over himself trying to get to the food. He plucked a crab apple and bit into it with vigor, and Flowey found it so amusing that he didn’t even care that Papyrus didn’t thank him.

“Yeah, I suppose regular monsters do in fact have to eat,” Flowey chuckled, and Papyrus stopped his feast to look at him quizzically.

“You don’t eat? Not even... whatever plants eat?”

Flowey tutted. “Oh my gods, Papyrus, you can’t just ask why plants don’t eat.”

“S-sorry—”

“I’m joking,” Flowey said, rolling his eyes. “I just absorb nutrients and stuff from the soil. Didn’t you ever get taught biology in school?”

Papyrus shook his head. “I don’t think I went to school?”

Flowey laughed. “That explains a lot.”

Papyrus flushed. “I mean, I think I was... homeschooled? Is that what it is, when the person who raises you teaches you?”

Flowey nodded. “Yeah, that’s homeschooling. Same as me!” He thought for a moment and realized that there was one thing he’d never really known about Papyrus. “Who are your parents, anyway? When I met you, you and Sans were already not really kids anymore.”

Papyrus went quiet for a minute, and looked away. “Sans was the one who really took care of me.”

“You’re avoiding the question,” Flowey chided.

Papyrus took a bite of a water sausage to keep from answering right away. He raised his hand toward his stump of an arm, like he’d meant to fidget, before realizing he couldn’t really do that anymore. “I just... I don’t really remember my dad well. Sans said he was someone important, and he didn’t really have time for us. And one day, Sans just kind of took me and we left home. Said ‘Dad couldn’t help us anymore’, and since Dad never really seemed like he liked us all that much, I trusted him.”

Flowey marvelled at this information. “How did I never ask you about this?”

Papyrus shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know. It’s not really that important. And Sans probably knows more about it than I do.” He started to tear up a little, and mumbled, “And I’ll never get the chance to ask him now, will I?”

It was Flowey’s turn to feel awkward. “Yeah, well... it doesn’t really matter. Growing up, you start learning how terrible your parents were anyway.” He sat in silence for a moment. “Besides, you really want Sans to be up here? Considering everything I’ve done to you, when I like you, and that I hate Sans?”

Papyrus blinked away his tears, and put his water sausage down, half eaten. “No,” he said quietly, “I guess not.”

The two sat in silence for a moment. Finally Flowey spoke, “Well, I still need to charge. You eat while I do that.”

As Flowey shut off his monitor, he saw Papyrus pick up the water sausage again, but the look on his face gave Flowey the impression that he’d somehow lost his appetite.

Notes:

Nice relaxing chapter indeed. Next one'll be fun, though, lots of action!

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters!

Chapter 12: The Second Siege, Pt. 1 - Enter The Beast

Summary:

“Enough,” Flowey said, and patted his jaw with his vine, which prompted him to shut up real quick. “It’s time, buddy. You going to help your best friend, or what?”

A tear trailed down Papyrus’s cheekbone, and he shook his head adamantly.

Flowey sighed. “Have it your way. But you’re coming with me, whether you want to or not.” He lowered one of his hands to the ground, plucking Papyrus up and setting him on his shoulder. New vines sprouted from Flowey's body, and Papyrus shrieked like a baby before realizing they were merely forming a cage around him. “Be good for me, you hear?”

--

It's time for Flowey's second siege on the humans in the nearby town, and this time Papyrus is along for the ride! Place yer bets on what'll happen, folks!

The time had come.

The sun was setting, and Flowey found its red glow over the world was appropriate, considering the amount of bloodshed that was about to happen. He was excited and at full power, and he knew that today would be the day that he finally wiped out those pathetic humans in their garbage city.

It wasn’t really about revenge at this point. Chara was dead and gone, and the dead don’t matter. He just wanted to see the little humans running around like ants as their city crumbled around them. It’d be amusing, at least.

Very unamused, however, was Papyrus; he was sitting hunched into himself, eye sockets dark, and for a moment, Flowey wondered if he’d fallen asleep like that. He gave Papyrus a playful shove with a vine. “C’mon, lazybones, it’s almost time!”

Papyrus flinched ever so slightly, but didn’t pull away from his touch. Either he was getting over his silly fears, or the ‘lazybones’ comment bothered him. Flowey didn’t really care either way. Papyrus finally looked up at Flowey, and Flowey noticed that tears were gathering in his eyes. “Please... please don’t do this. I know my word doesn’t mean much to you, but if you’ve ever cared about me, or actually been my friend, please don’t kill them.”

He seemed so sincere and defeated at the same time, and Flowey found it adorable. “Listen, Papyrus, this is my destiny! I’m not just gonna stay on this stupid mountaintop. That’d be such a waste of our newfound freedom! No, the world is mine to take, starting with their little city.”

Papyrus’s eye sockets widened. “What?”

Flowey laughed. “You didn’t think I was going to stop my fun with only destroying this town, did you? We’re going to go across the world, Papyrus. No one will be able to stop us—or me, at any rate.”

Now Papyrus looked horrified. “But—but you—”

“Really? You haven’t given up on me yet? That’s so cute, Papyrus. But you’re not going to keep me from doing whatever I want, pal.”

“I—”

“Enough,” Flowey said, and patted his jaw with his vine, which prompted him to shut up real quick. “It’s time, buddy. You going to help your best friend, or what?”

A tear trailed down Papyrus’s cheekbone, and he shook his head adamantly.

Flowey sighed. “Have it your way. But you’re coming with me, whether you want to or not.” He lowered one of his hands to the ground, plucking Papyrus up and setting him on his shoulder. New vines sprouted from Flowey’s body, and Papyrus shrieked like a baby before realizing they were merely forming a cage around him. “Be good for me, you hear?”

Papyrus curled up again, and with that, Flowey began to descend the mountain.

When he got within a few miles of the city limits, he heard distant sirens going off, and knew that they were preparing to face his wrath. It doesn’t matter, Flowey thought, they have nothing that could kill me.

When his mass made first contact with asphalt, a wave of humans in dark clothing rushed forward, pointing their weapons at him. “Don’t even try it!” one yelled.

“Aw, darn,” Flowey said, sagging. “Gee, I was really hoping you’d let me play with you guys.”

In a split second, the ground under their feet shattered, writhing with vines, and it threw the soldiers into a panic, shooting wildly at the new growth.

While the gunmen were distracted, Flowey unleashed a hail of cross bullets, which stuck into them like shurikens, and the entire row collapsed. Flowey dragged himself past them and deeper into the city.

As soon as he got to the skyscrapers, already battered from his previous attack, he unleashed a power he’d used only once before, when fighting Frisk. He concentrated, and summoned several green, spiky monsters with gaping jaws. They rocketed away, pounding the buildings and biting into the concrete like butter.

“What are those?” He heard Papyrus cry, and he turned his head to see him leaning forward and clutching at the bars of his cell, slack-jawed in horror.

Flowey laughed. “I have no idea. But they get the job done! Look!”

The monsters had just finished tearing through the building, and with a wonderful CRUNCH, the building began to topple over.

“No!” Papyrus yelled.

“Yes!” Flowey cheered.

There was a rumble, and Flowey assumed it was the building breaking even more, but from the ground, a massive bone grew up from the ground and into the side of the building, propping it up and preventing it from fully falling.

Flowey glared at Papyrus, who had a hand outstretched toward the building. Oh, right. He’s at full strength again.

“You’re just delaying the inevitable, Papyrus.” Flowey bashed his hand against it, expecting it to splinter, but as soon as he touched it, his arm dropped down to the ground, as though gravity were bearing down on him with double strength. “Really? Blue magic? You are so asking to be punished agai—ACK!”

The distraction had given the humans more time to mobilize. They aimed at him with strange weapons; but once they spat out grappling hooks that pierced into his form, he figured out what they were quickly enough. The humans began attempting to pull him down, winches at the bases of the hooks applying pressure to his body.

Flowey was down one hand, thanks to Papyrus’s interference, but he had other things he could do. He growled lowly, and triggered another power: his un-magicked paw bloomed into a large venus fly trap. The jaws snapped open and shut, and from all over the metropolis, there came a low, droning buzz.

One good thing about predators is that they always attract bugs. Humans may not be very dangerous to him, but they were predators nonetheless. From every corner of the city, from kitchens and dumpsters and butchers, flies flew out of buildings and toward him. They flooded the streets and overwhelmed a large number of the ground crew as the insects swarmed and covered them. It was disgusting, but Flowey found it a fitting distraction of his own for these pesky humans. He shook off their grappling hooks and moved on.

He moved further into the city, no doubt crushing a few humans on his way in. He glanced at Papyrus, and grinned at the look on his face at seeing the devastation. As he advanced, he torched several smaller buildings with his flamethrowers, relishing the terrified cries from within.

And for every few blocks he took, more humans would come forth. This time, they rolled out in large, armored vehicles, which took aim, and fired enormous missiles from their barrels. Most of them hit, pushing into Flowey’s plant matter and taking off a decent amount of hit points. He staggered back, squashing a building in the process.

He let loose a retaliating barrage of bullets, but they didn’t seem to be able to pierce the shells of the vehicles. He swatted at one, and tipped it onto its side, but this gave the humans outside of the tanks ample time to shoot at him, the bullets from their guns taking only tiny amounts of health away, but it was adding up.

“Papyrus,” Flowey grunted, “I could use a little healing, buddy!”

Papyrus remained silent, and Flowey whipped his head around to see that... Papyrus was gone. There was a slight wisp of magic hovering where he had just been... just like when he’d teleported like his trashbag brother.

Flowey yelled, the sound shaking the city. He looked all around, but there was no sign of Papyrus that he could see. He’d left Flowey when he’d needed him most, and now he could be anywhere. And Flowey certainly didn’t have time to stop and look for him, when the vehicles shot another round of artillery into him.

Flowey was running out of aces he could pull, and he was only halfway through the city. There was so much more destruction to wreak, but he was down to three quarters of his hit points. Worst of all, from all the humans he’d killed, he hadn’t gotten a single SOUL.

This is going sideways very quickly, Flowey scowled, but he raised his paws, now unbound from blue magic, and summoned a barrage of his own artillery to rain down on the humans. The shells hit the ground and exploded, flinging humans every which way and crunching into some of the tanks. He could hear pained shouting and mayhem, civilians either trapped in their houses or trying to escape using cars that would only get blocked by barricades in the streets.

He moved forward once more, shoving the tanks aside and bashing into buildings as that concrete jungle of a city grew denser. He scanned the streets for his fleeing skeleton, but he was nowhere to be found. Flowey was fully entrenched, and completely alone.

And that made him furious. Only he was allowed to abandon people, not the other way around! Some friend, that Papyrus.

He heaved himself through the streets, squashing the cars around him and hearing the alarms go off in a blaring symphony, with screaming humans as a choir. He looked over the flames, and saw that it was awesome.

But it felt less like…an accomplishment, when Papyrus wasn’t around to gape dumbly at it. He liked showing off for him, because showing fear was the best way anyone could appreciate him.

It’s kill or be killed… even if I haven’t killed Papyrus yet, Flowey mused to himself. He was too good to let go of, at least for now. I’m definitely going to punish that idiot when I find him, but only because he’s mine.

Another wave of humans came forward, this time with shoulder-mounted missiles. They fired, and the projectiles burst into him before exploding, and he staggered back. His body was burned, pierced, and sliced at this point, and a few of his wounds were oozing sap. He had basically one trick left up his sleeve, but that would be a last ditch effort, since it would really drain him.

He sent a wave of vines to entangle them instead, but as they wriggled closer, the humans drew thick blades and sliced away at them, hacking through each layer before he could fully ensnare them. They were sharp, and while each cut only felt like a papercut, there was enough cutting for it to be really annoying.

Things were starting to look serious, that was for sure. But Flowey didn’t want to retreat, especially when he didn’t know where Papyrus was. He scanned for Papyrus’s magic signature, but he couldn’t find a single trace of him. He’d vanished into thin air, leaving Flowey to fend for himself.

Still, he remembered his time chasing him in the forest, and how even though he’d vanished, he had reappeared maybe ten minutes later, not too far away. If Flowey could just hold on until he could find Papyrus again, then he would withdraw to lick his wounds.

It really was disappointing that Flowey hadn’t been able to absorb as single SOUL throughout the entirety of his onslaught. In his wake, he had left plenty of them behind, but he couldn’t make them join his form. It was as though seven was the limit. He’d been able to take in other SOULs before, but each time he did, his count stayed at seven, and that was frustrating.

As the humans sliced through the last of his vines, they pulled out flamethrowers, intent on torching him like he’d done with their city. His plant skin was dry enough to burn, at this point. They were grinning victoriously at him, and he snarled back.

“You wanna fight fire with fire? That’s fine with me!”

Notes:

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters! You can also follow me on Tumblr, @hardtack-ao3 -- I have WIP screenshots for some of the future chapters of this story on there!

Chapter 13: The Second Siege Pt. 2 - Your Best Conscience

Summary:

Speaking of pure destruction, he didn’t have too much trouble figuring out where Flowey was amongst all the chaos. He was large enough to just peek over the skyline, and Papyrus gauged that he had teleported maybe ten blocks away from him.

I have to stop him, Papyrus thought, If I can’t talk sense into him, I’ll have to keep him from hurting people by trapping him... or something.

But getting to Flowey was easier said than done. There was no way Papyrus would be able to walk to where Flowey was, much less run. Still, he had to try.

--

In this chapter, we find out where Papyrus went, and What Must Be Done.

If the siege of the city had been a nightmare, being teleported to the Void was almost as good as waking up. Papyrus was surrounded by cold, black, silent emptiness, in stark comparison to the screaming humans and raging fires back on the surface.

It was a nervewracking silence, though. Ever so faintly, he thought he heard whispering, and he whirled around, trying to find the source. Surely he was alone? It was coming from all around him, so low he thought that maybe he was imagining it.

He didn’t find that voice, but he did find Sans.

“Papyrus!” he shouted, running toward him, and Papyrus was so, so incredibly overwhelmed with emotion that he broke out into a run too, only to get hit with a burst of pain where his leg connected to his hip and barely-healed pelvis, and he toppled over, crying out as he hit the invisible ground.

Still, he was determined, and he crawled over to the invisible barrier where Sans was waiting for him, a dismayed expression on his face. He pressed a hand against the barrier as though he wanted to reach out to him. “Paps, are you okay? What’s been happening? Did he hurt you?”

Papyrus winced and shifted himself to a sitting position, trying to find one that didn’t put all his wounds on display. “That’s... one way of putting all this. But, I can handle it, don’t worry.” He reached out his hand to place it by Sans’, only to make the mistake of using his stump.

“Oh my gods!” Sans whispered. “Paps, what happened?”

Papyrus couldn’t tell him that. If he lived a thousand years, he would never inflict that knowledge on his brother. “I don’t want to talk about it very much, but I almost escaped, and when he caught me he... he almost killed me.”

Sans stood, and started pacing, wringing his hands before tucking them into the pockets of his hoodie. “I swear, I am going to pound that flower into mulch when I get out... if I get out. I’m still trying to work on a way to get you back, but it’s nothing but dead ends.”

“How is everyone doing back at home?”

“Gods, it—everything’s in shambles right now. So many monsters died before we figured out what was going on, and man, with Asgore gone... I’ve never seen so many monsters looking as depressed as I feel.” He gave a self-disparaging laugh. “But Undyne stepped up to shoulder the mantle of responsibility, and was setting up refugee camps pretty e-fish-iently—”

“Sans—”

“No, no, hang on! They were setting up the camps in New Home when—you’re not going to believe this, but the Queen came back! She was in the Ruins all this time! I was doing knock-knock jokes on that door for gods know how long, and she was the one answering back. It’s crazy.”

Sans paused to take a breath, and a look of sadness overtook his features. “They’re all taking care of everyone. Meanwhile, I... feel pretty useless. Especially not being able to help you. Although what else is new? Couldn’t save you from being taken, and I can’t do anything to help you now—”

Papyrus shook his head. “Enough of that. This isn’t the time for self-insults, Sans! Flowey is destroying a city on the surface, and he was making me watch. You helped me enough by bringing me here and away from all that.”

Sans looked a bit guilty. “You’re... you’re right, but—”

“And believe me, I know about feeling help—useless. I couldn’t do anything but just sit there while he was burning everything to the ground. I want to help the humans, Sans, but I don’t know how. He’s too strong.” Tears began to well up in his sockets again, but he wiped them away angrily. He was sick of crying at this point, but he couldn’t seem to stop.

“Papyrus—“

“I used to think I was a hero, but I can’t stop him from doing what he wants, and I—people keep getting hurt! He won’t listen to me, and I keep trying to get him to remember who he was back when we were friends, but he’s like a totally different monster, and I don’t know if I did something wrong, but—“

“Papyrus.” Sans crouched back down next to Papyrus. “Listen, you didn’t do anything to deserve this. He’s a liar and a despicable monster. I know you’ve got a big heart, and you want to save him, and the humans, but you’re the priority here. You need to save your own life first. I just... don’t know how.”

SAVE

”SAVE.”

Both brothers jumped; it was that voice again, Gaster’s voice. It shouldn’t have been possible, but a shadow darker than the void itself manifested right between the two brothers. A single, skeletal hand appeared from within and snapped its fingers, and suddenly there was a spark of light hovering in midair between them. Hovering in front of it were the words, ‘SAVE POINT’.

Papyrus and Sans stared at it for a shocked moment, and went to look to Gaster’s shade again, but it had vanished, leaving the two of them alone in the void with that bright star.

“SAVING… but you can’t SAVE, can you, Paps?”

“What’s SAVING?”

An excited look began to appear on Sans’ skull. “It’s like making an anchor point in time that you can go back to. Flowey can do it. If he dies, he can just go back to a point in the past and do it over again. You were exposed to a SOUL, do you think you can too?”

Papyrus was confused, but Sans’ hopefulness was carrying over a little bit. “I don’t know if I can now, but I actually have made friends with a couple of the SOULs Flowey used to have.” He concentrated and brought out the two SOULs into view. “When he kills humans when I’m nearby, his old SOULs pop out of them, and I’ve been picking them up. Not absorbing them,” he said hastily, “But I keep them safe.”

“Just two might not be enough,” Sans admitted, “But Flowey, on the other hand…” Suddenly Sans snapped his fingers. “What if you could use them to corrupt Flowey’s SAVE file? If you did that, you could wreck him once, and it would work forever!”

“How would I do that? And how would I ‘wreck’ him?? I’m not… strong enough.”

“You could—“ Sans flickered for a moment. When he appeared once more, his sockets were wide with panic. “Crap, the machine’s getting overheated again. Keep collecting SOULs, Papyrus, by any means necessary! If you—seven—could—fair fight!” He was becoming foggy with static.

“Sans! Please don’t go!” Papyrus yelled, banging on the invisible wall.

“Love you—safe—hands magic!”

And like that, the world glitched, and Papyrus popped out back into the real world.

He almost stumbled into a patch of flames on the corner of a sidewalk as he fell, and immediately had to crawl to dodge a piece of concrete falling from a crumbling building.

When he could finally take a second to orient himself, he was utterly dismayed at how much worse things looked than before he was in the void. It was pure destruction as far as the eye could see.

Speaking of pure destruction, he didn’t have too much trouble figuring out where Flowey was amongst all the chaos. He was large enough to just peek over the skyline, and Papyrus gauged that he had teleported maybe ten blocks away from him when he was summoned into the void.

I have to stop him, Papyrus thought, If I can’t talk sense into him, I’ll have to keep him from hurting people by trapping him... or something.

But getting to Flowey was easier said than done. There was no way Papyrus would be able to walk to where Flowey was, much less run. Still, he had to try, and Papyrus summoned a large bone to use as a crutch. He heaved himself up to feet, wrapping his stub arm around it so he could use his remaining hand if he needed to, and began to hobble toward the center of the city.

It felt like it was taking ages, especially with the fires and rubble growing more frequent as he got closer, obstructing his path occasionally. He was quickly getting tired, and he was rapidly falling into despair. So much destruction... how many humans have died because of him?

But he was making progress. Flowey loomed over the buildings, and the look on his screen was one of pure hatred. He turned in one direction, and a wave of fire blasted out from him, torching the already burnt buildings in his path. “Flowey!” Papyrus yelled, hoping to get his attention, but he was still too far away to hear.

And then, suddenly overhead, there was a low, far off buzzing sound, and Papyrus stopped in tracks. In the distance, he spotted what looked like three large... birds, soaring through the sky. As they got closer, he saw that they weren’t birds, but some kind of strange vehicles capable of soaring through the sky.

They were gaining fast, and Papyrus stared bemusedly at them until they suddenly veered, heading toward Flowey. The closer they got, the easier they were to see, he recalled suddenly reading an old book about machines like this. It had fallen into the Underground from the surface, and was very water-damaged, but what he could read of it seemed to be about ‘aeroplanes’. And just like in the book, these were carrying several heavy looking objects with them.

They were bombs. Humankind’s own sort of magic bullets, but these were far more deadly. These planes were carrying weapons, and they were flying directly toward Papyrus’s captor, likely with intent to kill.

And if that didn’t fill Papyrus with mixed emotions.

I need to get there faster, Papyrus thought desperately, but injured as he was, he’d probably get crushed by a building before he made it anywhere near Flowey. He was low on options, but he had one last thing he could try.

He grabbed ahold of his own SOUL with blue magic, and hurled himself into the sky.

He used to do that sort of thing for fun, back before all of this. He was in better health back then, and impromptu ‘flights’ hadn’t drained him that much. As Papyrus flew higher into the air, he could feel his magic straining. If Flowey hadn’t mostly healed him, there would’ve been no way he could’ve done this. But he got good enough momentum, and was now hurling himself at maximum velocity toward Flowey.

How am I supposed to land like this? he thought in a panic as he zipped closer, and at the last second, he let instinct take over. As he began to lose height, he summoned a huge pillar of bone from below him, landed on it with his good foot, and launched himself again.

With a sharpened spear prepared, he finally collided with his captor and jabbed the length of bone into the plant matter of his thorny arm. The impact jarred him, but when he heard Flowey go, “What the hell was that?” He mustered the last of his strength, and summoned another sharp bone so he could climb his way up his arm toward his screen.

“Flowey—” he yelled, but just a moment too late, as Flowey reached his other arm around and swatted him like a mosquito.

As he fell, he thought, This is it. But then he heard, “Oh! There you are!” And then a mat of vines burst from the ground and caught him before he hit the concrete. It wasn’t the softest landing, but at least he didn’t break anything else.

But before he could become too entangled, he sliced at the vines with his sharped bones and fell backward, scuttling away before heaving himself to a standing position. “Flowey, you have to leave!”

Flowey grinned down at him. “How about a little gratitude for saving your life? But anyway, thanks for coming crawling back, pal! You made things much easier for me. But I’m not done here. I’ve got some SOULs here that just don’t want to be absorbed.” He gestured an arm beside him, where three of the heart-shaped objects were hovering on the ground. He then slammed that arm into a building, and it began to topple.

Papyrus ducked his head as debris rained down all around him. “There are more humans coming! They have extremely dangerous weapons, and they’ll kill you!”

“They haven’t killed me yet!” Flowey said gleefully. “I might just finish my rampage today, once and for all!”

He winked and stuck out his tongue, making Papyrus jolt in fear so suddenly that he fell back on himself. “No thanks to you,” he finished, and he turned away to let out another blast with his flame throwers.

Papyrus had no choice. He really needed to change Flowey’s mind, and fast. He hobbled his way closer, intent on launching himself again, but when he got in range, something strange happened, once again.

There were three short pops, and Flowey immediately absorbed the three SOULs on the ground. “What the—” But Papyrus knew what that meant, and he hobbled past Flowey. “Where are you going, buddy?” He called after him, but he was too big to turn quickly and see what Papyrus was doing.

Soon he was behind him, and before he even had to try, three SOULs were hovering on the ground before him. One was blue, one was purple, and one was cyan. He shepherded them into his ribcage, and in his mind, he heard them speak.

Act with integrity. You are above all that is evil.

You must persevere. You are strong enough to withstand him.

Above all, have patience. The end will be here before you know it.

Flowey finally managed to turn himself around, but the SOULs were already hidden. “What are you doing?!”

He didn’t have time to explain himself, not even if he wanted to. He could hear that low buzzing sound again, and it was getting louder.

“It doesn’t matter, because I’m trying to save you!” Papyrus screamed. “They’re going to kill you, and... and you deserve it! But I’m still trying to help you because I don’t want anyone to die!”

Flowey blinked before giving him an interested look. “That’s new! ‘I deserve to die.’ When did you get assertive?”

“Forget it! You are going to die if you don’t leave!”

Flowey’s expression slowly turned serious. “What kind of weapon are they bringing?”

Before Papyrus could answer, that low droning turned into a roar, and the aeroplanes whizzed overhead, dropping their cargo. The shells hit the ground, and the resulting explosion lit up the world with hot searing light and fire, and Papyrus went flying.

When he finally hit the ground, it was hard enough that he blacked out.

Notes:

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters! You can also follow me on Tumblr, @hardtack-ao3 -- I have WIP screenshots for some of the future chapters of this story on there!

Chapter 14: Swift Exit, Surprising Empathy

Summary:

Bullets pelted Flowey’s form, and he looked over his shoulder to see the last of the humans’ defenses advancing on him. If this was the pitiful remainder of their forces, he could easily wipe them out, but if they weren’t...

Well, his own HP was dangerously low.

Heaving a sigh, he began to lumber out of the city. Before the bombs, he’d have been content to completely destroy the whole thing, but with both himself and Papyrus critically injured, he had no choice but to retreat.

It was a bitter twinge, knowing he’d been so close, but Papyrus took priority.

--

The siege of the city has ended in failure. But, perhaps, there might be a hidden upside?

So much happened all at once—the city nearing total destruction, Papyrus reappearing from nowhere, and the bombs being dropped—that Flowey found himself totally disoriented. His eyes were blinded momentarily from the bright light of the explosions. One bomb had hit his arm and left a burning crater, with the limb barely attached. The other bomb had exploded midair in front of him, and he could tell his screen was cracked.

What concerned him most was how Papyrus had stopped yelling at him when the explosions had happened. Where was he? Was he gone again?

...was he hurt?

Slowly, he blinked away the dots in his vision and scanned the wreckage around him. Everything was on fire before, but now it was even worse. The skies were glowing orange and red, and the ground was a sea of flames.

And then, he finally found Papyrus, crumpled onto the ground, unmoving.

And Flowey felt himself overcome with so many emotions. Shock—oh my gods, Papyrus—fear—what if he’s seriously hurt— anger. Only I’m allowed to hurt him. No one else.

The planes swooped around, heading back toward Flowey. He didn’t know if they had any more bombs, but he wasn’t worried about himself. These stupid humans had hurt Papyrus, and they would not get away with it.

Flowey was drained, but he inhaled, concentrated his magic, and shot a wide beam of pure white energy out of his maw and into the sky, aimed right at the planes.

They disintegrated like dandelion fluff in water, and Flowey felt the deep satisfaction that comes from getting revenge.

Then, he gathered Papyrus in his uninjured arm, careful not to hurt him further. Obviously and fortunately, Papyrus wasn’t dead, because he’d have crumbled to dust. Still, Flowey knew he was much more fragile than he seemed, with his max HP cap already lowered once. But when Flowey went to check him... he found that he couldn’t get a clear read on Papyrus's HP?

He tried focusing on Papyrus’s SOUL, but there was almost a kaleidoscopic effect when he tried, giving him a different number every single time. 30... 99... 45... 23... 82… 66...

It was bizarre. Flowey had never seen something like this before... so why did something about all those numbers seem familiar?

Suddenly, bullets pelted Flowey’s form, and he looked over his shoulder to see the last of the humans’ defenses advancing on him. If this was the pitiful remainder of their forces, he could easily wipe them out, but if they weren’t...

Well, his own HP was dangerously low.

Heaving a sigh, he began to lumber out of the city. Before the bombs, he’d have been content to completely destroy the whole thing, but with both himself and Papyrus critically injured, he had no choice but to retreat.

It was a bitter twinge, knowing he’d been so close, but Papyrus took priority. Seeing his limp form in his grasp wasn’t anything new, and neither was the knowledge that Papyrus was hurt because of him. But the fact that he wasn’t the one who did it burned him up from the inside; it was more potent than the fires that still flickered on his plant matter, blackening the once green fibrous surface.

Flowey swung between feelings of seething anger and desperate worry. At the back of his mind… he almost felt… guilty?

No, that was silly. Flowey had nothing to feel guilty over. Papyrus was just too easy to break, and if he’d never left Flowey’s side in the first place, he would’ve been fine!

As far as he could tell, nothing was actually broken, but at the very least the explosion had knocked Papyrus unconscious. Obviously he didn’t have a physical brain, but Flowey wondered if he could still get concussions.

As he finally left the city bounds, he took a deep breath of non-smoky air. All the fire had been nice, but he was a plant, and he needed fresh air in order to feel as energized as possible. As tired as he was, it reinvigorated him a little bit.

Dragging himself back toward the mountain, he looked down at Papyrus again, who was still unmoving in his hand. He looked so fragile and vulnerable, and it honestly broke Flowey’s heart a little. This shouldn’t have happened. This time, I didn’t mean for him to get hurt.

And wasn’t that ironic? After all the times Flowey had tormented, hurt, and killed Papyrus, he’d finally reached a point where there were just some occasions where it was unacceptable.

Having seven SOULs is making me soft, Flowey thought with a dry chuckle, I never used to care this much.

But even before all of this, he had cared, in his own special way. The countless number of resets where he’d befriended Papyrus, torn him down, ruined him, destroyed him… he’d never spent that much time and energy with anyone else in the Underground. After a while, they’d all gotten boring, but messing with Papyrus was the closest Flowey could get to actually experiencing emotion, and having fun.

I’m so lucky to have Papyrus, Flowey realized with a sudden burst of clarity. I… honestly don’t know what I’d do without him.

And Papyrus cared about him too! After everything Flowey had done to him, Papyrus still had so many reservations about hurting him back. He could count the amount of times it’d happened on one hand, and even then, Papyrus had never killed him.

It honestly warmed his SOULs, knowing how devoted Papyrus was. If this was the last run he’d ever do, having finally escaped the Underground and attained unlimited power, then he could think of no other monster he’d rather have with him.

In light of everything, Flowey supposed, I can let Papyrus off the hook for his earlier disobedience. Poor guy doesn’t need to be punished anymore than he already has been, right now.

As he finally reached the mountaintop, he sagged down, and took a moment to check his own wounds. His cratered arm had been oozing sap the whole journey back, and showed no sign of stopping. The crack in his screen spiderwebbed across the surface, and a few of his tubes were slashed and leaking some unknown fluid.

He needed to heal himself, urgently. But…

Papyrus took priority. He could heal Flowey better than Flowey could heal himself, anyway. He’d never been great at healing magic, but with his newfound feelings toward his companion, he figured it would finally be possible.

He took a deep breath, summoned his energy, and channeled his burgeoning compassion. A green glow overtook Papyrus, and this time when Flowey checked him, there was only the 66 HP value out of the ones he’d seen before. But slowly, Papyrus’s HP began to tick up. A grin spread across Flowey’s screen, watching his favorite monster be restored to health, and knowing he was the reason why.

His whole life as Flowey, he’d been inexperienced with healing, and now, he was finally gaining mastery over the last skill that had eluded him. And it was all because of Papyrus.

I really owe him so much.

The sun was rising by the time Papyrus reached near full health, but most of the light was overshadowed by the amount of smoke and fire still coming from the city, making the sky glow in two different places.

It’s beautiful… just like him.

Almost as though on cue, Papyrus let out a soft groan and shifted, rubbing his sockets as his eyelights flickered into existence.

“Hey buddy,” Flowey cooed.

Immediately, he jolted, looking around like he was expecting everything to still be on fire. “Oh! What happened? Are the humans okay?”

“We left. The bombs really knocked you out! But I got us out of there, back to safety, and healed you up.”

“Oh… thanks.” Papyrus hugged his knees close, and gazed off in the distance at the smoldering city.

At first, Flowey was irritated by Papyrus’s undying concerns for the humans. Flowey had almost died too! But then, for a brief moment, with Papyrus at least awake, and not curled helplessly in his palm... he couldn’t look at him. “I should’ve listened to you sooner.”

“Huh? About what?” Papyrus suddenly sounded the most hopeful he’d ever been on the Surface.

“Not leaving the city sooner. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if you’d been even more seriously injured, or dead.”

“Really?” Papyrus gave him a surprised look. “I mean... I think that’s kind of you?”

Flowey scoffed playfully, “I am kind! Listen, Papyrus, you’re my best friend. No one’s allowed to hurt my best friend!”

Papyrus smiled, but it looked slightly forced. “Thank you, Flowey. I, um, appreciate it!”

Flowey grinned down at him, and finally set Papyrus on the ground. “Well, you can show how much you appreciate my compassion by healing me! That fight took a lot of energy, and I could use a little assistance, buddy.”

Papyrus finally took a second to properly look over all of Flowey’s injuries. “Wow.”

Flowey nodded. “I know, right? Those little guys can pack a punch when they want to.”

Papyrus summoned another bone crutch and gingerly stood, hobbling over to lay his phalanges on Flowey’s near-destroyed arm. “This might take a while,” Papyrus said quietly.

“We’ve got time! I don’t think the humans are going to pick a fight with us any time soon.”

“Alright.” Papyrus lowered himself down, evidently deciding that this job would be long enough for standing not to be practical. He closed his eyes, concentrating, and the gentle glow of green healing magic washed over Flowey, seeping into his burnt plant matter.

They sat in silence for a while, with just the sound of wind on the mountaintop and the rays of the rising sun slowly painting the horizon. As Flowey watched his wounds disappear, the thought of magic in general reminded him of Papyrus’s strange powers.

Weird bone growth, teleportation, unusual stats... Flowey had never seen anything like that from Papyrus before. Ever since that initial exposure, Papyrus had started exhibiting new physical traits, like the pointed spurs on the back of his head, and even more recently, sharpened fingertips and spikes on his arms. Normally he was as static as monsters come, the same normal Papyrus every time. Even in dire circumstances, he’d never teased powers like this from his friend before.

Had exposure to SOUL power flipped some kind of dormant switch in him? Most monsters melted when channeling DETERMINATION for too long, and Flowey had only given it to Papyrus temporarily, but maybe that had been enough?

“Say,” Flowey started casually, “Since when did you learn how to teleport? I’ve never seen you do that before, but you’ve done it twice since we’ve been up here!”

Papyrus froze up for a moment, before letting his shoulders sag. “I don’t know,” he said hesitantly, “I don’t think I’m in control of it. It just happens when I least expect it.”

“Some kind of stress response, maybe?” Flowey doubted it, but it could be one explanation.

“Maybe,” Papyrus nodded. He tapped his fingers against the stub of his other humerus, but he didn’t meet Flowey’s gaze.

Flowey looked down at him. “Papyrus, are you lying to me? You don’t know how to lie to save your life!”

“I’m not lying!” There was panic in his voice, a dead giveaway.

“I dunno, friend. There’s something not adding up about you lately. Sudden new powers, and when I tried to check you earlier, your stats were shifting like crazy!”

This time, Papyrus looked back up at him, an odd expression on his face. “What do you mean?”

“Your hit points had like 6 different readings at once! I didn’t even think that was possible before all of this!”

There was a flash of realization in Papyrus’ sockets, and immediately he looked away. “Maybe, uh, maybe it’s leftover from the green SOUL you gave me, when you took me away.”

“Hmm, could be… I think I ought to get a closer look though!”

Flowey scooped Papyrus up in his hand, throwing him off balance, and he scrambled to get himself back up into a sitting position; a small attempt at maintaining dignity. He looked at Flowey warily, and asked, “What do you want?”

Flowey couldn’t help but laugh. “I want your SOUL, buddy. Be a good boy and summon it for me, will ya?”

Notes:

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters! You can also follow me on Tumblr, @hardtack-ao3 -- I have WIP screenshots for some of the future chapters of this story on there!

Happy early holidays to all! To celebrate, the next chapter will be released on Christmas day, at 3:30 PM EST!

Chapter 15: Dr. Flowey Does Malpractice (Reprise)

Summary:

He inspected the glowing heart, letting it float between his claws as he turned it and tapped it, checking for any imperfections or wounds, but there was nothing, not even any cracks or bruises. Flowey had no trouble seeing his HP level this time, which seemed about normal.

Next, Flowey looked at his magic reserves, but they were pretty full as well, for a monster who’d just done a bunch of healing. He CHECKED it, and got the feedback, Nervous, flustered... not used to being alone.

What in the Underground did that mean?

--

Time for some discoveries about SOULs and emotions ;)

“My… SOUL?”

It was so funny to see the confusion in Papyrus’s face melt into suspicion, seemingly recollecting hints of their past rendezvous.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that. I just want to make sure you’re not healing wrong.” He curled his claws in a ‘gimme-gimme’ motion. “C’mon, friend, lemme see it.”

“But, I’m sure I’m fine, Flowey, it’s okay—”

“Not asking, Papyrus.”

“B-but Flowey, really, I—I’m fine, it’s nothing! Maybe you were j-just confused after the battle!”

Flowey rolled his eyes and suddenly turned his hand over. He let Papyrus fall, yelling, a few yards before catching him again and hoisting him back up by the ankle. “I,” Flowey said, “don’t get confused. I need to make sure you’re ok, so quit making this difficult before I have to start breaking bones, get it?”

Papyrus ground his teeth for a moment as he swung from Flowey’s claws, but he acquiesced, raising his hand to his ribcage. He looked incredibly focused, and he passed his phalanges over his ribs for a bit, almost searchingly, before finally, his SOUL appeared.

Flowey righted his hand, spilling Papyrus into his palm. He sat up, rubbing his head, and then looked warily at Flowey before handing it over. He crossed his arms, almost hugging himself as though he were bracing for something terrible. “B-be gentle, please.”

Flowey couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m not going to hurt you this time. I just want to see if something’s wrong. It would kill me if something happened to you because I wasn’t paying enough attention.”

Papyrus looked up at him, wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape, and Flowey paused. Okay, dial it back in, Flowey. Maybe that was a little too vulnerable of a sentiment to share.

He inspected the glowing heart, letting it float between his claws as he turned it and tapped it, checking for any imperfections or wounds, but there was nothing, not even any cracks or bruises. Flowey had no trouble seeing his HP level this time, which seemed about normal.

Next, Flowey looked at his magic reserves, but they were pretty full as well, for a monster who’d just done a bunch of healing. He CHECKED it, and got the feedback, Nervous, flustered... not used to being alone.

What in the Underground did that mean?

When he turned the SOUL over one more time, however, there was something about Papyrus’s SOUL that he’d never noticed before. Looking at it closely, he could see that one half of it glowed less than the other; it was more translucent, and seemed even less substantial. The membrane was thinner, almost as though it had been stretched.

He gently poked each side with a claw, but Papyrus only shivered when he tapped the one that glowed brighter. “Hey, Papyrus?”

“Y-yes?”

“Did your SOUL always look like this?”

Papyrus seemed even more nervous. “What do you mean?”

He pushed it closer to Papyrus’s eye level. “See? Only part of your SOUL looks normal. What’s wrong with the other half?”

Papyrus squinted, leaning in to look. “I th-think it’s always been like that. I never looked at it too closely.”

Flowey hummed. “I just know I’ve seen your SOUL a lot of times, and I’ve never noticed this before.”

He hoped for an answer, but Papyrus just shrugged and hugged himself tighter. Flowey rolled his eyes, pulling it back closer to himself.

The weaker SOUL half was far less tangible than the other, as though Papyrus’s SOUL were attempting to make up for lost matter. But that’s just nonsense. Monsters can’t live with only half a soul. He couldn’t for the life of him figure out what the deal with it was—he wasn’t a doctor, for crying out loud—so at this point, he felt like he was wasting effort.

Or maybe it wasn’t wasted. He glanced down at Papyrus, and a thought sprung to his mind. He gently ran his claw over the surface of Papyrus’s SOUL, and grinned when the skeleton shivered again. He sprouted a vine from his palm, and when it caressed and rubbed over the shining heart, Papyrus let out a small, surprised squeak.

He continued fondling it without saying anything, watching a blush creep onto Papyrus’s cheekbones, and Flowey couldn’t keep from grinning.

“Just like old times, eh?” Flowey said with a wink. “You have to have remembered our little therapy sessions by now, right?”

Immediately Papyrus looked away from him, and unwrapped his arms from his torso to hug his knees closer to himself. “Yes…”

“How does it feel, Papyrus?”

Flowey wasn’t expecting an answer, which is why he was even more surprised than when, after a moment of hesitation, Papyrus uncurled in his palm, looked up at him, and replied, “…it feels nice.”

“...really?” Flowey was almost slack-jawed, and he gazed down at Papyrus with a quizzical expression. “You don’t want me to stop?” He couldn’t believe he was even asking.

Papyrus blushed even harder, but he didn’t say anything else. Testing the waters, Flowey gently poked the tendril through the surface of the SOUL and into the center, and Papyrus let out a quiet moan.

“Wow,” Flowey said, a grin returning to his face. “You keep surprising me, Papyrus.” He dipped the tendril in and out a few times, drawing some small whines from Papyrus.

He summoned several more vines, and began rubbing the exterior of the SOUL with them, enjoying how Papyrus had begun to squirm slightly in response to the stimulation.

“Back then,” Papyrus said breathlessly, “You told me you did this to make me feel better when I was sad.”

“Is it working?” Flowey said jokingly, and felt even more thrilled when Papyrus nodded bashfully.

“I guess I didn’t realize back then how... good this actually was.”

“I’m glad you came around, b... Papyrus!” He’d wanted to say ‘buddy’ at first, but he was pretty certain he and Papyrus were more than friends at this point. The glow of it warmed his SOULs, and his grin got softer as he watched Papyrus twitch and quietly moan in his hand.

Now that Flowey finally had his own SOULs, he noticed that playing with Papyrus’s was making some of his own react, beating harder, and he could feel magical energy thrumming through his being. It was new, and wonderful.

Papyrus was flushed bright orange at this point—it was so fascinating how a monster with no flesh or blood could blush—and even though he was behaving like a treat, he still seemed ever so slightly tense. His jaw was tight, and he kept curling and uncurling his phalanges. “Something wrong?” he asked, slightly concerned.

“No!” Papyrus said, before clamping his mouth shut again. Flowey couldn’t help but laugh, and Papyrus looked away for a second, rubbing at his cheekbones before looking back. “I-I just... I was just wondering if I could do the same for you?”

“Huh?” Flowey said dumbly. “You want to… make me feel good?” When his brain caught up with him, he narrowed his eyes, and asked, “You’re acting really different Papyrus, what’s going on?”

“Nothing... I just… you try to make me feel good, and I never do anything in return! That doesn’t sound very honorable, or like something the… the Great Papyrus would do!”

Flowey wondered if playing with Papyrus’s SOUL was making him nostalgic for the old days. He hadn’t heard any ‘Great Papyrus’ stuff this earnest in a while. Papyrus was smiling at him, and Flowey found he couldn’t keep himself from wanting to bask in this moment. For all the time they’d been together on the Surface, Papyrus had never seemed this calm, or even happy.

Papyrus can’t lie to save his life, Flowey eventually concluded to himself. Wow... he actually wants to make me feel good...

“Well, Papyrus, if you insist!”

He focused, and drew all seven SOULs out from his chest. He looked at them for a moment before frowning. “Whoops, there are still some kid SOULs in here. That’s no good.” He pushed those SOULs back into his being, leaving only the ones he’d collected from adults on the Surface. He held them out to Papyrus, and cheerfully said, “Pick one!”

Was that awe in Papyrus’s eyelights? He was certainly staring at the SOULs for a long time. Then he looked up and shyly murmured, “Can I... use all of them? I really want to do the most I can for you!”

Flowey thought for a moment, puzzled. “I guess you can? Hold on,” and he gathered the SOULs in one hand, before clenching the fist tightly, channeling a current of magic into them. When he opened his palm again, the five SOULs had condensed into one wad of shimmering, shifting magic. He held it out to Papyrus. “Give this a try?”

Almost reverently, Papyrus took the SOUL magic and turned it over in his hand. Cautiously, he stroked one side of it, and Flowey was immediately hit with a tingle of pleasure, unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. His tongue had been physically part of him, but these were his SOULs, the very core of his essence, and feeling Papyrus touch it so gently was like a bolt of sensation straight to his being.

“Like that?” Papyrus asked.

“Yes, good boy, Papyrus. Keep doing that.”

More bravely, Papyrus began running his hand along it, a bit like petting a cat, but it honestly felt so good to Flowey and almost slightly overwhelming. A warm feeling was spreading through him, a surge of arousal that burned inside him, and it was truly the best thing he’d ever felt.

More than that, his emotions were kicking into top gear. Papyrus, who he’d been pretty uncharitable to across hundreds if not thousands of resets, was still determined to be nice to him, and make him feel loved, and—

Love... maybe this is love I’m feeling.

Not LOVE, but affection that mattered, when someone is so special to you that you treasure them above all else. As the feeling of pleasure grew, Flowey felt the tenderness in his heart rising and rising.

Papyrus was drawing little circular motions across the surface of the condensed magic, which reminded Flowey that he should be keeping up with Papyrus’s SOUL. He used his tendrils to massage the whole thing, mimicking Papyrus’s movements and feeling thrilled when Papyrus let out another small moan.

“Don’t be shy, Papyrus... I wanna hear you!” Flowey said, and grinned an overjoyed grin as Papyrus let out a moan that was louder than any he’d heard from him before.

This was really so much more than he could hope for. Papyrus’s face was scrunched up, eyes shut, as though he were focusing really hard, and trying his best to please Flowey, and Flowey amped up his attention in turn. Papyrus was panting at this point from the stimulation, but he showed no signs of wanting Flowey to stop.

“Please,” Papyrus murmured, but there was no fear in his voice—only fervency, or maybe some sense of determination.

“I can’t even begin to tell you how much this means to me,” Flowey said breathlessly, as joy swelled in his heart. “I really care about you Papyrus.”

Papyrus looked up at him, eyes wide. “Really?” His hand made slow, complicated patterns on his SOUL matter, sending shivers up Flowey’s spine.

Really, the sheer novelty of the situation was already bringing him so close to the edge. “Yeah. Papyrus, I... I think I lo—”

Before he could finish, Papyrus made... four really weird gestures with his hand—one that looked like a pinching shape, a peace sign, a cross, and an index finger pointing left, and purple energy glowed from his hands as

t̵̹̐h̷͔̠͒ȩ̴̉ world

Ģ̶̬͚͚͍̝͍̙̦̔̈́̂̎̐ͅL̶͙͍̳̣̹̟̝̬̥̦̰̹̗̤̬͗͑̋͆̉͒̈́͌̈́̆̕͠͝I̸̡̺͔̹̩͔͒T̶̘̬̂̐̍͂̌͂̕C̶͔͙̰̰̋̌͂Ḫ̷̢̗̅͆͊̐̑̓̔͐̍̿̐͂͘͜͝ͅE̶̱̦͋̅̆͂̈́̐̈́̕̕D̸̦̎̽̕.

 

When Flowey came back to his senses, he found that he’d fallen onto his side, and he heaved himself into a sitting position. His vision was blurry, almost like a static filter overlaid on his vision. When it cleared, he saw Papyrus was looking up at him, some mixture of fear and... maybe it was determination in his eyes?

Quickly, Flowey grabbed his SOULs back, protectively secreting them away inside his being. “What,” Flowey said, and found he couldn’t keep fear out of his own voice, “was THAT?”

Papyrus started stuttering out, “I—I don’t know, I—”

Flowey snatched Papyrus off the ground, almost crushing him in his grip. As his fear turned to anger, he bellowed, “WHAT did you DO?!”

Notes:

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters! You can also follow me on Tumblr, @hardtack-ao3 -- I have WIP screenshots for some of the future chapters of this story on there!

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! Since I released this chapter early for the holidays, the next update won't be until January 5th. It will come out at the usual time, 5:30 PM EST. Until then, happy new year!

Chapter 16: Corrupting in Hands

Summary:

He didn’t like being dishonest, but at this point, he was a little beyond trying to consider Flowey’s feelings... even though that was something he never thought he’d be capable of before all of this.

Think, think, think... As he pondered, he found himself running little nonsense patterns over the surface of Flowey’s SOUL, like someone fingerpainting with a blindfold on. That’s what all of his gestures were, though. Little nonsense patterns.

No. Not quite nonsense. Some of them were actual gestures that Papyrus suddenly remembered, because they were recognizable as just regular hand signals. He strained his mind, and found some of it actually coming back to him. But what was the right word, or spell?

—

Time to see things from Papyrus’s perspective, and get a few answers.

This, without a doubt, was one of the worst things Papyrus had ever had to do.

He didn’t want to be doing this, touching Flowey’s SOUL... thing... and pretending he was enjoying it. It was taking everything he had in him to not flinch away, or cry. Flowey playing with his SOUL was bringing back awful memories, too, and he hated this.

But he had a mission, and here was the opportunity to do what Sans had asked him to do. As he gingerly rubbed the fragile, almost slippery surface, he cast his mind back to anything he might’ve known about the strange magic his father had used, back when Papyrus was young.

It was definitely his dad they had met in the Void, and it filled Papyrus with incredible amounts of mixed feelings. He wasn’t exactly the best monster, at least the way Sans talked about him; Papyrus wondered how much of what he’d forgotten about him was because of repressed memories, and if it was possibly for the best.

Now he had to concentrate on what he could remember, and it came to Papyrus like a ghostly imprint in an old photo: Gaster’s magic and speech had been based on hand symbols, making gestures that translated into words. This was the kind of magic that had allowed him to split his SOUL into two while he himself still survived, even long after his body hadn’t.

His mind was being pulled in all sorts of directions, trying to respond to Flowey’s words and actions while acting like he didn’t have ulterior motives, and trying to bring those ulterior motives to fruition. He didn’t like being dishonest, but at this point, he was a little beyond trying to consider Flowey’s feelings... even though that was something he never thought he’d be capable of before all of this.

Think, think, think... As he pondered, he found himself running little nonsense patterns over the surface of Flowey’s SOUL, like someone fingerpainting with a blindfold on. That’s what all of his gestures were, though. Little nonsense patterns.

No. Not quite nonsense.

Some of them were actual gestures that Papyrus suddenly remembered, because they were recognizable as just regular hand signals. He strained his mind, and found some of it actually coming back to him. But what was the right word, or spell?

“I can’t even begin to tell you how much this means to me,” Flowey murmured, breaking his concentration, “I really care about you Papyrus.”

Papyrus looked up, and he struggled to put up a front that was surprised, through all the bitterness he felt at those words. “Really?” He almost had it, it was just at the tip of his nonexistent tongue—

“Yeah. Papyrus, I... I think I lo—”

SAVE

SAVE

That’s what it was.

He made the correct hand symbols: a tear, a peace sign, a one-handed cross, and a finger pointing left, and suddenly a pair of spectral hands appeared, mirroring his gestures. He felt a chill up his spine, and then

t̵̹̐h̷͔̠͒ȩ̴̉ world

Ģ̶̬͚͚͍̝͍̙̦̔̈́̂̎̐ͅL̶͙͍̳̣̹̟̝̬̥̦̰̹̗̤̬͗͑̋͆̉͒̈́͌̈́̆̕͠͝I̸̡̺͔̹̩͔͒T̶̘̬̂̐̍͂̌͂̕C̶͔͙̰̰̋̌͂Ḫ̷̢̗̅͆͊̐̑̓̔͐̍̿̐͂͘͜͝ͅE̶̱̦͋̅̆͂̈́̐̈́̕̕D̸̦̎̽̕.

 

Papyrus blinked hard, and when his vision cleared, he found himself floating in the Void once again... only this time, there was something different.

There was a bright yellow star floating in front of him, a shining beacon in the cold darkness. Below it was that unmistakeable, emblazoned word: SAVE POINT. Papyrus reached out to it, like one might warm their hands in front of a fire, but he stopped short. The spark pulsed, slow and sickly, and he could feel power radiating out from it. It was one of the strongest magical sources he’d ever witnessed, but it was malicious to the core.

Magic is supposed to be kind, powered by compassion, Papyrus thought. This was definitely powerful, but it was as though someone had stripped magic to its basic components, almost clinical and sterile.

Just like someone you used to know

”Just like someone you used to know”

Papyrus whirled around. Looming in the distance behind him was a vast shadowy mass, spreading out endlessly in all directions, and right in the center, poking out of it, was a pale, white, skeletal face.

With those two familiar cracks running from the eyes...

“Da—Gaster,” Papyrus said.

Correcting yourself out of habit, I see

"Correcting yourself out of habit, I see"

“Well, Sans made it clear you weren’t exactly... parental material, and any time I referred to you as our father, it... well, it always made Sans... prickly.”

There was a muted sound, like stifled laughter.

He never did forgive me

"He never did forgive me”

“For what? What did you do??” Papyrus asked, frustrated. “I barely remember you at all, but clearly you did something to hurt Sans.”

For making you two at all. You are two halves of one SOUL, my SOUL. I didn’t do it with the intention of creating you. I just wanted to see if I could, to advance my knowledge of SOUL magic. You two were more a science project than wanted children

”For making you two at all. You are two halves of one SOUL, my SOUL. I didn’t do it with the intention of creating you. I just wanted to see if I could, to advance my knowledge of SOUL magic. You two were more a science project than wanted children”

Even having never really known Gaster all that well, those words stung. And to add to his dismay, Papyrus suddenly remembered what he’d just talked about with Flowey. “Our SOULS don’t have enough material to really be fully functional, do they? What if they stretch too thin, or break?”

SOULs are not meant to exist in such a state for long. It is quite surprising that you have both survived to adulthood. Once you came into the world, I never meant for you to linger. I invented a device that might be able to recombine the fragments, but before I could use it... well, ask your brother about my untimely demise, sometime

”SOULs are not meant to exist in such a state for long. It is quite surprising that you have both survived to adulthood. Once you came into the world, I never meant for you to linger. I invented a device that might be able to recombine the fragments, but before I could use it... well, ask your brother about my untimely demise, sometime”

Papyrus blinked. “What does that even—no, listen, I am not here for you, d—Gaster. Tell me how to corrupt the SAVE file or I’ll figure it out myself!”

Gaster’s head tilted.

You already know how. The magic I use is powerful enough to enact change to DETERMINATION. I am a boss monster, after all

”You already know how. The magic I used is powerful enough to enact change to DETERMINATION. I was a boss monster, after all”

“Is... is that why you were able to split your SOUL in the first place?” Papyrus asked, uncertain.

Of course. Not just any monster could accomplish such a feat. And even then, you must have known that when boss monsters have children, they give up their immortality to ensure their young grow. Can you understand my reluctance to let you live

”Of course. Not just any monster could accomplish such a feat. And even then, you must have known that when boss monsters have children, they give up their immortality to ensure their young grow. Can you understand my reluctance to let you live?”

Papyrus grimaced. “No, I can’t. Parents are supposed to care for their kids! And you didn’t. So just leave me alone!” He turned away resolutely, striding toward the SAVE point.

Not looking at Gaster usually meant you lost your ability to understand him. But this time, Papyrus heard him in his head, and there was a hint of a smile in his normally flat tone.

It doesn’t matter. We’ll be together again sooner than you think

”It doesn’t matter. We’ll be together again sooner than you think”

“Now what in the Underground does that mean?” Papyrus said, whirling back around, but... he saw only the Void. Gaster was gone.

“Whatever,” Papyrus mumbled. “He’s just a jerk, like Sans said.”

He looked once more at the bright spark, and then at his hand. I wonder... He focused hard, and where his left hand used to be, a purple, spectral one sparked into existence. He concentrated, and he was able to flex the fingers, as though they were his own.

That might come in handy, Papyrus thought, and then laughed at his own joke. But he quickly lost his mirth; this was extremely serious. If he didn’t act soon, or even got this wrong, who knew how many innocent lives would be at stake?

He raised both hands on either side of the light, gently touching it. It felt cold, which was offputting for something so bright. With magic sparking through his fingertips, he signed,

FAIL LOAD

“FAIL LOAD”

Immediately, the light emitted by the SAVE point turned dark red, and began to visually glitch. A bolt of magic zapped from it and arced through Papyrus's body, and for a moment, he saw memories that were not his own.

A young goat monster and a human child, running through the underground, laughing.

That same young goat monster, but transformed and powerful, being mercilessly attacked by humans, and not attacking back.

A flower, crying in the dark. “Mom, Dad, help me!” But there was no one coming to its aid.

That same flower, crying again, over a pile of dust with the tip of a red scarf sticking out of it. “I didn’t mean to, I’m so so sorry, Papyrus, please—”

Then the red light overwhelmed him, and his mind briefly went dark as the whole world spiralled.

——

When Papyrus awoke, he was flat on his back on the mountain top, body aching from the fall. He sat up, rubbing his head, and looked up. Flowey lay across from him, motionless and with his screen black. His SOULs floated above the ground between them.

Oh no oh no oh no, please tell me I didn’t kill him!

Then Flowey shifted slightly, and his lower jaws let out a deep groan. The screen flickered with static for a moment before blinking on, and Flowey slowly lifted himself upright. Papyrus started to rise up with him, wondering if it worked... if he had really managed to make a difference, something that would put an end to this nightmare?

If it did, it would be worth everything he’d been through.

Flowey quickly extended his arm and swiped up the SOULs, pressing them back inside his mass. When he spoke, his tone was laden with fear, and Papyrus had to school his expression into one as well. “What,” Flowey asked, “was THAT?”

Papyrus stuttered out, “I—I don’t know, I—”

In the blink of an eye, the crushing weight of Flowey’s hand settled around him, and hoisted him into the air to bring him face to face. “WHAT did you DO?!”

Now he was angry, and Papyrus became genuinely afraid. “Did... did I not do it right?” he said, trying to sound confused.

“Do WHAT?”

“I was just trying to make you feel good! I thought if I used a little magic, it would make the sensation stronger, make you feel even better?"

“What kind of magic was that? It was like being electrocuted!”

Papyrus shrunk back. “I don’t know, it just felt... natural? I guess I’ll use less next time?”

Flowey scowled. “‘Next time’, as if! Like I’d let you do that again. Go figure you’d get something like this wrong, you idiot.”

Papyrus winced, looking away; internally, though, he was relieved and confused. He’s never let me off that easy before. Maybe he really does—

Abruptly, Flowey tilted his hand, and Papyrus slid off it, falling through the air and hitting the ground with a hard smack that jostled his still relatively weak bones, and he let out a pained grunt. No... no, even if he did, I couldn’t trust him.

“I’ll... I’ll make it up to you,” Papyrus said, and suddenly, a thought occurred to him that both gave him hope and dread. “I’ll give you what you really want... I’ll help you with the humans in the city.”

Flowey looked down at him skeptically. “Oh? Go on?”

“I... I don’t want to hurt them, but I can keep them in place for you, and... make it easier.”

This time, Flowey squinted discerningly at him. “I feel like you’re up to something.”

Papyrus felt a stab of internal panic, but only let moroseness show on his features. “Listen, I... by now I’ve sort of realized I’m never going home. If I’m going to spend the rest of my life with you, it’d probably help both of us if we worked like a team. The Great Papyrus usually works alone, but I think I found someone who really needs my help, and it’s you, so... partners?”

Several different expressions passed on Flowey’s screen in rapid time, but the ones Papyrus did catch were shock and... warmth. Flowey extended his hand down, gingerly clasping onto Papyrus’s hand, which seemed miniscule in comparison.

“Partners.”

Notes:

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters! You can also follow me on Tumblr, @hardtack-ao3 -- I have WIP screenshots for some of the future chapters of this story on there!

Holiday break over! Welcome back to weekly updates ^^

Chapter 17: The Final Siege, Pt. 1 - Papyrus the Pa-spy-rus

Summary:

The town hadn’t even stopped smoldering from the last attack. There was no way they would be prepared for another assault so soon. Papyrus’s only hope was that the two people he needed to die would die quickly. Then he would...

Well, what would he do? He hadn’t thought too much about that part, actually. He assumed that having seven human SOULs would give him some kind of power-up, but that still meant he would have to fight Flowey, and... wow, that was pretty intimidating.

--

Papyrus must embark on a secret mission as their final siege dawns.

“You sure you’re doing this?” Flowey asked, again.

Before tonight, Papyrus would’ve found the gesture incredibly touching. But now, it was just psyching him out. Did he really want to do this? No, of course not. But it was his last chance to make things right, to give him a chance to end this once and for all.

He felt the five SOULs he’d collected fluttering, outwardly imperceptibly, in the space between his ribs. They were restless, like too many birds in a cage, desperate to be let free. Soon. I promise soon, it’ll be over.

It has to be.

“Yes, I’m sure. I’ll prove myself to you! The Great Papyrus never backs down from a challenge.”

Flowey grinned. “This is so exciting, Papyrus! I’m looking forward to finally seeing what you’re capable of, buddy!”

Papyrus honestly felt sick to his metaphorical stomach. “I’m not killing anyone! I’m just... helping you... kill people...”

Flowey’s grin only got wider. “Whatever you need to tell yourself, hee hee!”

The town hadn’t even stopped smoldering from the last attack. There was no way they would be prepared for another assault so soon. Papyrus’s only hope was that the two people he needed to die would die quickly. Then he would...

Well, what would he do? He hadn’t thought too much about that part, actually. He assumed that having seven human SOULs would give him some kind of power-up, but that still meant he would have to fight Flowey, and... wow, that was pretty intimidating.

“Well, no time to waste!” Flowey said, and began the arduous task of dragging himself off the mountain peak, into the short stretch of now-plowed down, desolate forest, and descending to the city below. He seemed really eager, and Papyrus was honestly praying for a miracle at this point; it would take a big one to keep Flowey from utterly decimating everything in his path.

Papyrus trailed behind him, trying not to seem too despondent. He imagined he looked pretty sad, mincing his way down the hill on a bone crutch as his ‘partner’ moved closer and closer to what looked like an overwhelming victory.

He debated the merits of asking Flowey if he really wanted this, but any semblance of the innocent flower he used to know had long since wilted. Appealing to his good side seemed almost pointless in the wake of everything that had happened, everything that he’d done to him.

He still couldn’t fathom how Flowey, who used to be so kind to him when they’d first met, could be such a terrible monster. It was clear at this point that he’d been hiding his true nature, and if Papyrus’s returning memories were true, then Flowey had been cruel to him many, many times over... but he didn’t understand what Flowey’s endgame was. Why was Flowey always so interested in him? Being the focus of his attention felt so... isolating.

He tried to call on the SOULs for strength, but they just seemed more agitated, and he knew that they were as impatient for the finale as Flowey was. Papyrus wished it would never come, even if he’d just be stuck like this forever. It would be worth it if no one else would get hurt.

But, just as Flowey reached the edge of the forest, Papyrus got the miracle he was looking for.

Flowey solidly thumped into some kind of invisible wall just outside the city limits. As he touched it, a wave of pulsing white light passed across its surface, highlighting a previously unseen dome.

It was like a pristine bell jar over the city, seemingly impassable, and for the first time in a long time, Papyrus felt a glimmer of hope.

“What? What is this?” Flowey said, sounding more surprised than angry. He banged one of his large fists against the shimmering shield of light. “Did they... is this some kind of force field?”

Papyrus stared at the illuminated surface, shimmering endlessly into itself, and he realized that it was actually somewhat familiar. “I think this is another Barrier!”

“It can’t be!” Flowey said, sounding frustrated as he pushed fruitlessly against the wall. “Or I’d be able to get through it! I have. Seven. Human. SOULS!”

Gingerly pushing his hand against the barrier, Papyrus found that if he put enough weight behind it, his phalanges slowly sunk through the shield. “It’s a reverse Barrier. You must only be able to get in if you have less than seven SOULs.”

“Well that’s ridiculous! I’m not giving any of mine up just to get wrecked by another airstrike!” Flowey pushed against it one less time before settling in front of it, just leaning agitatedly against it, as though gravity might push him through.

Papyrus chuckled nervously. “Oh well, guess this means we can’t attack them today! What a shame!”

Flowey turned his screen and his eyes focused on Papyrus with annoyance… and saw that his hand was still halfway through the Barrier—and then grinned when Papyrus hurriedly yanked it out.

“Oh, that’s interesting. Okay then, partner: why don’t you sneak inside the city and find wherever they’re powering this from and shut it off for me? You’d do that for me, right?”

Papyrus balked, eyelights practically popping out of his sockets. “W-what? But—”

Don’t show weakness.

He quickly schooled his expression into one of determination. “If that’s what it takes!”

Honestly, the idea of sneaking into the city frightened him. He was absolutely not known for being stealthy; generally, he was as loud and boisterous as possible, to make a good first impression.

Lives are on the line. This is not about first impressions.

“Well then, off you go! I’ll give you until sunrise!” And Flowey jovially swatted Papyrus through the Barrier, which he managed to pass through, although it was like pushing through a wall of thick mud. He could feel the SOULs he already had struggling to make it through, but the shield yielded and he made it to the other side, though he lost his balance and tumbled over.

He ignored Flowey, who snickered behind him, and managed to hoist himself to his feet, leaning on the crutch. As he hobbled away, Flowey called after him one last time, “Hey, be careful, partner. I would hate to have someone hurt you!”

There’s an unspoken ‘else’ in there, Papyrus thought with a grimace before rounding a building and soon being out of eyeshot. Away from Flowey’s gaze, he stopped for a moment. How the heck am I supposed to know where this thing is being generated?

He felt a wave of despair well up from within him at such a seemingly impossible task, but he took a deep breath and a moment to think. Circles are all about the center. Wouldn’t it be generated there? It seemed too obvious, but... but it’s the only clue I have to go on. And he moved onward.

The city was deserted. The streets were empty, and in what buildings still stood, all the lights were off. He made it maybe a block into the city before a loud alarm started wailing, and he jumped out of his nonexistent skin.

He hid behind a dumpster, but there were no sounds of mobilizing human troops, or anyone rushing toward him. It occurred to him that maybe the humans had spotted Flowey on the outskirts of the city, and not him. He waited a few moments more, but no one came, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He crept onward, trying to make his footsteps light, beside the noise created from the crutch. Stupid crutch...

But between all the stress he was under, and then thinking about why it was so hard to walk…

Papyrus staggered into a wall, trying to keep himself upright, and failed, sliding down to the ground while his crutch clattered to the side. The scraping of thorns. Broken bones. Starting to dust… Breathing hard, he buried his skull in his hand, trying not to cry. Just thinking about that horrible night made him want to curl into a ball.

I can’t get hung up on this right now, Papyrus berated himself frustratedly, there’s no time. He calmed his breathing as much as he could, and finally grabbed his crutch and got to his feet. Best not to think about it too much.

The sky was dark now, stars shimmering overhead. Before any of this, he would’ve stopped to admire them, but it just made him more aware of the abrupt deadline Flowey had given him. He’s trapped outside, what’s he even going to do? Papyrus thought incredulously.

But he knew better than to underestimate Flowey, and with a shudder he moved on.

Every single block of the city looked identical. Ruined building after ruined building, streets desolate and sometimes hard to traverse, since there was soot and rubble everywhere. He had to clamber over the wreckage of a small pileup of cars, so mangled it was hard to reconcile that they were supposed to look like his bed at home.

I really wish I could just be in bed at home right now. Just all be a bad dream—

“Look!” someone cried, and Papyrus startled, almost tripping. A small face peered out of a window, looking down on him. It was a human child, and he stared at Papyrus in… was that fear, or fascination? “Monster!”

A few moments later, another face pushed in beside the first. “Woooow!” she cried.

“No, no!” Papyrus said, waving his stub arm frantically, “Well, yes, but...” and eventually settled for placing a phalange to his mouth. “Shhh.”

The kids covered their mouths, eyes wide. The boy looked behind him furtively before calling down, “Are you a bad monster? Are you gonna hurt us like the big one?”

“No, I’m a good monster! I’m trying to stop Fl—the big one. I just need to find where they’re generating the shield so I can... I... I can tell them how best to fight him!” Papyrus felt bad, lying to children. But, I guess I have to... “That little shield isn’t going to stop him for long like this.”

The girl gasped. “Really?”

“I’ve got one chance to save everyone, and I need to help them as soon as possible! Do you know where their headquarters is?” It was a longshot, but any intel would be a plus.

He nodded. “Our daddy works there. It’s not that big for a secret hideout, but it’s got big front doors and no windows, and and and... it’s grey.”

Papyrus couldn’t believe his luck. The only humans he encountered, human children, knew exactly where to go? “How did—have you been there?”

The girl shook her head. “We drive by it when we go to school. But lots of kids’ parents are working there now, because of the bad monster.”

“So where is it?” Papyrus asked, trying not to sound strained.

“Hmmmm... that way?” The girl pointed down the road to where, in the distance, the city got more crowded. It was filled with more rubble from all the collapses, but it was, in fact, in the center of town.

Called it!

Papyrus smiled, and he didn’t have to force it as much as he thought he would. “Thank you so much, human children! I’ll go right away!”

“Bye bye!” they both stage-whispered.

He turned in the direction the girl had pointed to, and slowly started making his way down the street. He clung to the sides of the buildings, trying not to make himself easily spottable. He’d gotten lucky with the children, but the next person who saw him might not be so easily fooled.

I have to do this right. To save them, and everyone else. If those little kids got hurt because he couldn’t stop Flowey, he’d never forgive himself. I have to make this quick.

Fortunately, the streets remained deserted, most windows shuttered or blacked out. It was hard to navigate all the ruined pieces of building and road, and even though Papyrus knew he should be saving his energy, sometimes he used a little bit of his blue magic to bodily hoist himself over piles of debris.

But as he started nearing the center of town, he noticed that certain piles had been pushed to the side of the road, with tire tracks in the ash where the road had been cleared. Following those tracks, he encountered some of the first signs of life.

He was walking down a side street, keeping himself tight against a wall, when all of a sudden, he heard the thrum of an engine coming from a ways behind him. He practically threw himself behind a pile of rubble, and managed to do so just in time as a heavily armored truck trundled down the road where he had been. As it rounded the corner and went out of sight, Papyrus thought, That has to be headed somewhere important!

Even at the vehicle’s slow pace, there was no way Papyrus could keep on it; as he saw before, however, it left obvious trails in the dust, and he began to follow them. It was his best lead at this point, since the city was beginning to look the same no matter where he went.

After a few blocks, the truck led Papyrus to a building that looked exactly as the little boy had described. It was low, and more so long than big, with zero windows and front doors that had big mechanical frames in front of them. The truck pulled up right in front of it, and some men in grey jumpsuits got out, and walked single-file to the strange door frames. As they passed through one by one, a green light would go off, and the actual door behind it would open.

Papyrus pondered the strange system. Is it to detect skin? I don’t have skin... or maybe it detects magic? Dang, I have magic. If either of those were true, he wouldn’t be able to sneak in through the front. And just as the kids said, there were no windows, either.

How am I going to get in? If only there was some kind of side route, or maybe a back door, or...

...maybe a shortcut?

Papyrus knew that Sans was famous for taking shortcuts, but not everyone in the Underground knew that Sans’ ‘shortcuts’ were really just him teleporting from one location to another. Ever since Papyrus had been exposed to DETERMINATION, and Sans had been using his strange machine, Papyrus had ended up teleporting twice. Guess it runs in the family.

But could he do it on purpose, and all on his own?

Papyrus snuck across the road to the side of the building, wary of security cameras and their range of rotation. He pressed himself to the side wall, and focused. How was Sans able to teleport? The idea was to not use as much energy moving from place to place... or for comedic effect. The core idea had to be really wanting to be in one specific place, rather than where you are now.

Well, that was easily achievable. Papyrus really needed to be in the room where the generator was controlled, but he had no idea where in the building the generator was, and he had a feeling that it was important to know exactly where you were going.

Start with little jumps. How about just being on the other side of this wall?

He focused very hard, and tried to imagine what it might be like on the other side. Was it a room, a hallway, a closet? Papyrus was hoping for a hallway. As he felt his magic rushing through his bones, he thought, Concentrate. I want to go to the hallway on the other side of this wall.

Nothing happened.

...please?

ZAP!

The world went dark for a second, and became very cold, but then half a second later, the light came back, and he saw a long, white brick hallway, one end going around the corner and the other end with a door.

Yes! I’m in! I’m—

He tried to walk forward, but found that he couldn’t move his legs... because he was stuck halfway through the wall.

Oh ffff...fiddlesticks.

Notes:

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters! You can also follow me on Tumblr, @hardtack-ao3 -- I have WIP screenshots for some of the future chapters of this story on there!

*Knockoff marvel voice* We're getting to the endgame now!

Chapter 18: The Final Siege, Pt. 2 - A Wall and a Hard Base

Summary:

He gave one final hard push against the wall, but there was no getting through it, and he hung limp for a moment, panting from the effort. He’d never seen Sans get stuck before, he just appeared where it was convenient for him. What had Papyrus done wrong?

Maybe if he—

“I saw it on the cam, but I have no clue what on Earth it is, it’s just around the corner—”

Oooooh no!

--

Papyrus is in a predicament! Will he be able to complete his mission?

Ok, ok.... out of all the worst possible scenarios this isn’t the most terrible... maybe?

Papyrus was firmly stuck. Halfway fused through the wall, he could kick his legs outside the building and put his arms on the inside wall and try to push through, but some weird metaphysical occurrence had happened, and he wasn’t making any ground.

Stay calm, you’ll figure this out...

He gave one final hard push against the wall, but there was no getting through it, and he hung limp for a moment, panting from the effort. He’d never seen Sans get stuck before, he just appeared where it was convenient for him. What had Papyrus done wrong?

Maybe if he—

“I saw it on the cam, but I have no clue what on Earth it is, it’s just around the corner—”

Oooooh no!

Two humans with guns rounded the corner, but Papyrus stayed limp and unmoving. Maybe they wouldn’t think he was alive?

“What the hell?” They slowly came closer, and with every step, Papyrus’ nerves buzzed more anxiously. “It’s... a skeleton? In the wall?”

“Yeah, and I could’ve sworn I saw it moving in the cam.”

One of the humans nudged him with the tip of their gun. It was taking everything Papyrus had to not start hyperventilating.

“You’re nuts. It’s probably just a weird prank from the magic department. Those guys do all sorts of crazy shit. Yeah see, it’s even got these weird spikes coming out of the back of its skull and arms. That seems like magic bullshit to me.”

Magic department? There are humans who can do magic?

“I mean... I’m not just leaving it there. It’s weird.”

“Yeah, I getcha. Let’s just throw it out. Show them we don’t care that just because they’re keeping the generator running, doesn’t mean they’re so special.”

The two humans holstered their weapons, and each one grabbed one of Papyrus’s arms, and pulled hard. When he still didn’t budge, they pulled even harder, grunting with the strain.

They’re gonna tear my arms off like this...

Fortunately, the humans seemed to not be putting a lot of effort in, and they stopped for a moment. “What the honest hell? It’s really jammed in the wall. This is solid concrete with steel rebar, how did they even get it in there?”

They stood for a moment. “I’m not paid enough for this,” one of them grumbled, and Papyrus heard him unclip something from his belt.

Please don’t be another gun!

“Magic dep., this is Conrad from security, copy?”

There was a buzz of static, and then a tinny voice responded from the other side. “This is Dr. Elms from Magic dep., we copy. What’s the problem?”

“Can you guys take the skeleton out of the wall? I know you guys like to pull pranks but this is just weird.”

There was a moment of silence. “A... skeleton? In the wall?? What are you guys talking about?”

“You know, the one by the eastern outer wall, that’s just kinda stuck in the concrete? You guys did that, right?”

“... no, we did not. Hang on, I’m coming. Over.”

There was another buzz of static, and then all was quiet. “So...” the human named Conrad said, “If they didn’t do this... what is this thing?”

He nudged Papyrus with his gun again, tilting him sideways to get a better look. Fortunately, Papyrus’s eyelights had long since gone out with fear, so he probably just looked lifeless and hopefully unextraordinary.

“It’s just a skeleton... right?”

There was an uneasy silence, but then Papyrus heard the sound of the door at the end of the hall swinging open, and rapid footsteps approaching.

“You Dr. Elms?” The other human said gruffly.

“Yes, yes. So this is the skeleton? What on Earth...”

Elms crouched down next to Papyrus, looking at him quizzically. She ran a finger across his skull. “It’s not human bone, I don’t think. It’s certainly not the dummy we keep in the lab. And the skull shape is really rather abnormal?” She stood, and crossed her arms. “Yeah, this wasn’t us. I could run some tests on it, but that’d take time. I can probably get ahold of some kind of saw and you can cut it out of the wall, and we can examine it from there.”

That was what finally made Papyrus panic, and there was no thought in his head as magic surged through him, and a wave of bones erupted from the ground in a horizontal line, rippling through the hall and knocking all three humans flat on their backs.

“What the fuck???” Conrad yelled.

“Oh my god,” Dr. Elms breathed, “It’s a monster!”

“That’s impossible!” The other guard said, but he raised his gun and aimed it at Papyrus.

With a flick of Papyrus’s wrist, he grabbed the human’s SOUL, and turned it blue. He flopped to the ground, suddenly so weighed down by the gravity magic that the gun tumbled out of his slack hands.

“Markus, no!” Conrad cried, and now he aimed his gun. “Run, Elms! Sound the alarm!”

Papyrus raised a bone wall just in time to block Conrad’s bullets, but that meant he had to let go of Markus’s SOUL, and he rose to his feet, and started peppering the shield with his own rounds.

Meanwhile, Dr. Elms was getting away.

“Nobody’s leaving!” Papyrus cried, and this time, he raised three bones out of the ground, attempting to knock the guns out of the guards hands and trip Elms.

But since he couldn’t see what he was doing, he instead heard three cries of pain, and a chill went down his spine. And as it did he felt a sense of weightlessness, a flash of darkness, and then he fell to the floor of the hallway, completely inside the building.

He scrambled off the floor, and to his horror, he saw that two of the bones had speared through the guards’ shooting arms, and they’d dropped their guns, screaming in pain.

And then there was the third—Dr. Elms was on the ground, trying to crawl away, but her ankle had been impaled all the way through, keeping her in place.

“Oh my gods oh my gods I’m so sorry—” he started, and then almost laughed at himself at how ridiculous all of this was. They wouldn’t care if he was sorry.

What if I use their pain to get the location of the generator? It was an almost Flowey-like thought, but now in this dire circumstance, he had no other options.

Elms, realizing she wasn’t making any group, began to fumble in her coat pocket for her radio. Papyrus summed a bone crutch and staggered over to Elms, who stared up at him in both fear and awe, before kicking the radio out of her hand.

“How... how did you get past the Barrier? Are... are you with that huge plant monster?”

“No!” Papyrus said, appalled, but then backtracked, “Well... yes, kind of? Listen, I need to shut the generator down, it’s the only way I can keep him from killing everyone—”

“It will kill all of us if you take the generator down! Don’t listen to it, Elms!” Markus yelled.

“I just need him to lose his last two SOULs, and then I can stop him, but that can only happen if he can get into the city!” Papyrus yelled, not caring how desperate he sounded. “Just tell me where it is, or, or...” He raised up another bone, punching through the floor inches away from Elms’s face, and she yelped. “Or I-I’ll make you regret it!”

“I won’t tell you,” she finally rasped. “I can’t let you make this all for nothing. I have sworn to help defend this city, monster. Do your worst.”

Papyrus blinked, shocked, but he prepared to make more attacks. “You—you asked for it!” The ground rumbled, more cracks spreading through the floor, and all three humans flinched. His hands glowed blue.

If I kill these humans, I’ll have all the SOULs I need. There was that nearly-Flowey voice in his head again, and he stumbled and dropped to his knees in shock. The magic in his phalanges died down.

I’m not like him... right?

“I can’t hurt you,” he mumbled, trying not to cry, “But if I don’t do this, then—he’ll kill me, or everyone I love, and he’ll still find a way to get in. Please... just tell me. I promise I won’t let him get away with all the pain he’s caused.”

All three humans were silent, but Elms had an unreadable expression on her face now. Suddenly she gave a dry laugh, and she reached around her neck and pulled off a keycard on a lanyard. “You know what? What do I care if you take this? You’re outnumbered here, and you know that when we catch up to you, there won’t be any mercy. I hope you’re prepared for that, monster.”

“I don’t deserve it anyway,” Papyrus whispered, and took the keycard. He rose again, grabbing his crutch, and hobbled down the hallway to the door.

“No, stop!” Conrad yelled, but Papyrus was already past the threshold, and he wasn’t stopping anymore. “Aren’t you magic, Elms? Do something!”

The last thing he heard was Elms shouting, “I’m a theorist, not a tech! You still have two good arms between you, radio for help, you morons!”

The hallway he entered was labyrinthine, with many other hallways branching off, but the keycard actually had a rudimentary map inscribed on the back, and he took off in the direction labelled ‘Generator’. Hallway after hallway, he felt the urge to sneak, but he knew his time was limited, between the encroaching dawn and the threat of the human guards, so he went as fast as he could.

He finally reached a flight of stairs, with a placard next to it that was labeled, ‘Lab Access”. This has to be it. He began to descend, an incredibly tricky process considering that he was still using a crutch. He was going as fast as he could, but when he was what he hoped was at least halfway down, he heard the door at the top fly open, and multiple pairs of boots tromping down.

Panicking, Papyrus turned and raised a tall bone gate behind him. They either have to break through it or jump to the bottom, and I don’t think humans can do that.

Say, what if he jumped to the bottom? It would be a lot faster, and he could catch himself with blue magic if he was quick enough. The flight of stairs seemed to go on for forever, and as he heard the guards above him shouting, he took the risk and vaulted over the rails, straight down the center gap. The air whistled as he fell, but he kept his eyelights trained below him. Eventually, the ground appeared, and he grabbed his SOUL before he hit it. The momentum of the sudden stop gave him a bit of whiplash, but he had no time to recover. He could hear a slamming noise above him, and knew that his gate wouldn’t last forever.

But ahead of him was a locked door with the words ‘Lab’ inscribed, with a card reader next to it on the wall. Finally.

He slid the card Elms gave through, and the door beeped open. He pushed through, and... into a room full of humans.

They all stared at him in silence for a moment. Surrounded by humans in lab coats, Papyrus felt a situationally ridiculous need to cover himself. He mumbled, “Sorry about this,” and then all the humans rushed in different directions, some grabbing strange rods off of the walls, and a few others pushing buttons rapidly on a console, which had a holographic projection of the reverse-Barrier above it.

An alarm started going off.

“No!” Papyrus yelled, and he made another wave of bones erupt from the floor, knocking all of them down. He rushed to the console as they struggled to stand. He looked wildly at the console, but saw no obvious way of killing the power. “How do I turn this off?” He yelled, trying to sound intimidating and commanding.

“Casters, adjust staves to full power!” A technician shouted, and Papyrus knew he was running out of time.

This is powered by magic, right? Could I overload it?

The humans bearing the rods shot out a spray of bullets, magic bullets, and they passed through him with a sharp sting, karma magic leeching HP out of him with each hit and charging up the beams even further as they did. Papyrus, amidst everything, was shocked. This shouldn’t be doing any damage to me! I haven’t done anything wrong!

Except for attacking three innocent humans and breaking into their base with the intent to sabotage…

Out of options and in lieu of any other scientific or mechanical understanding of the machine, Papyrus summoned another large bone, this one imbued with as much energy as he could. He could feel his reserves draining from all the things he’d done and the hits he was sustaining, but this was the payoff. It had to be worth it.

He stabbed the long bone spear into the control board, and channeled all the magical energy he could muster into it. The panel made a whining noise, and suddenly with a blast of heat, the board sparked and came alight with blue fire, magic sparks shocking through it.

“No!” one of the caster techs screamed, but the lights on the table were dimming, the console blackened and sparking.

“You’re gonna get us all killed!” another wailed.

“I’m sorry! I don’t have a choice!” Papyrus yelled.

“Enough!” A final, authoritative voice called, “Someone call in the Bastions! The rest of you, get that bastard!”

The Bastions?

Suddenly, as the humans got to their feet and ran at him, beams charged at maximum strength, Papyrus realized he hadn’t really thought through an exit strategy. No, wait, of course I do! As the scientists got closer, and Papyrus heard the sound of many boots coming down the staircase, he made one final jab into the board before focusing extremely hard and thinking, Back to Flowey. I need to go back to Flowey.

For a terrifying second, nothing happened. Then, mercifully, that cold chill and darkness overwhelmed him. It enveloped him for a longer time than he’d expected, and he felt the sensation of phantasmal hands brushing against his legs, as though trying to grab onto him.

And then he stumbled back into reality. He heard that familiar voice go, “Woah!” And as he was about to topple off balance, a vine came out of the ground and curled around his waist, holding him steady.

“Golly!” Flowey said, sounding incredibly... impressed? “You made it back before sunrise! But you were gone for a while, Papyrus! If they’d killed you, I would’ve been real mad!”

“No, no... I’m fine,” Papyrus said, feeling incredibly winded at this point. He held his hand to his sternum, trying to quickly heal some of the damage he’d sustained in the base.

“Here, lemme help!” Flowey unwound the vine from his hips and moved it to Papyrus’s left scapula, and he felt even more healing energy pouring into him.

“Th-thank you,” Papyrus said, surprised.

“You’ll need all your health for the coming battle!” Flowey said with a wink. Suddenly, Papyrus almost felt slightly guilty. Here was Flowey, showing him more compassion than usual, and clearly with no idea that Papyrus was just about to betray him.

“Right… of course!” Papyrus said, mustering false bravado.

“Speaking of,” Flowey said eagerly, “did you get the shield down?”

Almost on cue, the reverse-Barrier flicked, and from the top of the dome, the forcefield began to shatter, shards of artificial magic crashing to the ground. A klaxxon sounded from inside the city, but Flowey was already pushing his way through the failing wall. With one heave, he completely shoved his way in, and the rest of the shield collapsed around him.

Suddenly the reality of the attack was approaching incredibly fast, and once more, that deep, harrowing dread filled him. He thought of the two children he’d met, and even of the aggressive humans in the generator building.

He couldn’t let them all get hurt.

“Come on Papyrus! You said you’d help, remember?”

No time to lose. Papyrus hobbled as fast as he could behind Flowey, but at this point, it wasn’t about whether he helped or not.

He just needed to be close to Flowey when he killed his first two humans.

Notes:

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters! You can also follow me on Tumblr, @hardtack-ao3 -- I have WIP screenshots for some of the future chapters of this story on there!

Next week's chapter is actually going to be a new one! An idea struck me and I'm going to write the new chapter over the course of this week. Wish me luck in getting it done on time, haha!

Chapter 19: The Final Siege, Pt. 3 - The Last Bastions

Summary:

He looked down at his side, where Papyrus was standing resolute beside him. “Think we can take ’em?” Flowey grinned, whole body alight with anticipation.

Papyrus gave a queasy smile in return. “Of course!”

Flowey scooped up Papyrus in his hand and plunked him down on his shoulder. “Then let’s show these idiots what we’ve got!” Flowey flicked a clawed hand, and his vines burst through the ground, surging toward the strange soldiers.

—

Some new challengers enter the arena!

Flowey knew his victory was assured. With that blasted magic shield out of the way, the humans’ last line of defense was obliterated, and he was going to burn this stupid, awful city to the ground. He crashed through building after wrecked building, magic primed and ready to fire on any foolish human that might cross his path.

Or at least, it was, before a small but entirely new battalion, cloaked in gray robes, suddenly manifested in the street in front of him. Each one pushed a large, cannon-like device in front of them, and they stopped several hundred meters away.

“Monster!” a voice cried from their midst, “This is your last chance, retreat and you may escape the wrath of the Caster Unit’s Bastions!”

Flowey was utterly perplexed. “What the hell are the Bastions?”

“Leave at once! Final warning!”

He looked down at his side, where Papyrus was standing resolute beside him. “Think we can take ’em?” Flowey grinned, whole body alight with anticipation.

Papyrus gave a queasy smile in return. “Of course!”

Flowey scooped up Papyrus in his hand and plunked him down on his shoulder. “Then let’s show these idiots what we’ve got!” Flowey flicked a clawed hand, and his vines burst through the ground, surging toward the strange soldiers.

Several of the casters drew staves and slammed them into the ground. A wave of fire bloomed out from them, and burned all the plants into ash. “Prime the cannons!” A voice called from within the mass, and the humans took aim.

Suddenly, a wave of bones rippled across the ground, and knocked some of the cannons out of alignment, sending the battalion members scrambling to readjust. This gave Flowey some time to prime his own weapons, and a field of finger-guns popped out of the ground, and began to shoot their finger-like flower bullets into their attackers.

Several humans staggered and fell to the ground as the bullets pierced them, but they quickly rose anew, ignoring everything in favor of shooting their weapons. Other casters were able to parry the bullets back toward Flowey, providing their weakened comrades with cover.

The cannons glowed white, and from them burst beams of pure bright light. Flowey braced himself for impact, but the beams arced over him and anchored into the ground behind him. “What the—” The beams suddenly restricted and branched out in parallel, and began forming... a net, over top of him. He was trapped.

He pushed with all his might against the net, but the magic burned where it touched him, just like the trashbag’s karma magic. It was slowly pushing him to the ground, but he wasn’t going to go down just like that. That’s why he had backup! “Papyrus, do something!”

The skeleton wiggled out from where a few beams were coming down around him, and raised his hand, now glowing blue. He made a fist, and then pushed up, and the cannons began to lift off of the ground, floating under reduced gravity. The net started to lift as well, and Flowey began to wriggle, trying to break free. In the meantime, he shot a wave of cross-shaped bullets from his eyes through the gaps in the net.

The casters began to panic, trying to counteract Papyrus’s blue magic and bring the cannons back into reach, and in doing so were unable to dodge the brunt of the bullets. Some fell to their knees, struggling to raise themselves on shaking arms as they took hit after hit.

Just as Flowey was about to throw off the net entirely, a couple of deep voices cried, “ENOUGH!” Two humans appeared in a burst of sparks, one robed in white and the other in black. The strange human in black raised her orb-capped staff, which was almost twice as tall as she was, and shot out a beam of dark energy... at Papyrus.

Papyrus took the hit in stride, surprisingly. “What was that supposed to do?” He questioned, voice perplexed, and Papyrus raised his hand once more to perform another attack. Before he could do so, however, his eyelights suddenly rolled back, and he staggered and fell to his hand and knees. The cannons fell back to the ground.

“Papyrus! What’s going on?” Flowey cried.

“Feel... weak...” Papyrus panted. “Can’t... I can’t see!”

Flowey looked down at the two humans. “Who the hell are you??”

They banged their staves on the ground in unison. “We are the Bastions, strongest of the human casters on this side of the continent!” said the human in black, beam of dark energy still channeling from her staff and into Papyrus.

Next, the one in white spoke. “We have been summoned from afar to bring you down once and for all!”

Flowey had never encountered humans who could do magic before. Everyone in the Underground knew about the seven human mages who locked the monsters in the Underground, but surely they were dead by now! Not to mention that none of the humans in the town had shown any magical capabilities, so he’d presumed that maybe magic had died out in the human race.

But before he could voice any of that, the white-cloaked Bastion raised his own staff and aimed it at Flowey. “You’ll never get away with the damage you’ve caused, monster. Now let’s see if we can’t disable some of your SOULs!”

“Try it, idiots!” Flowey yelled, and heaved against the net once more. It lifted ever higher, and now he had enough space for his flamethrowers to spread out, and the ground burst into flame. The humans should have been burnt to a crisp, but the flames simply parted around them. The white Bastion shot a beam of light at Flowey, and it plunged right through him.

It didn’t hurt, but it felt cold, freezing cold, and as Flowey shuddered, the flamethrowers died down and fell off, clattering to the ground before dematerializing. One of his SOULs appeared in front of him, a pink one he’d gotten from the last battle, and as he watched, it slowly bleached out its color until it turned white.

“What... what the hell are you doing??” Flowey yelled.

The human in white smirked. “Humans can use many colors of magic, just as monsters can. But I take it this is your first encounter with black and white magic?

“Good,” he said, not waiting for an answer, “That makes it easier for us!”

Papyrus pushed up from his knees, clawing at his darkened sockets for a brief moment before throwing his hand out and sending a wave of bones blindly toward the Bastions. The white-cloaked one jumped out of the way, but the black-cloaked human staggered slightly as it almost hit her, and her beam of magic briefly halted.

“Black!” the white mage cried. “Keep that beam on it!”

Papyrus, now able to see, however, raised four walls of bone around the black mage, blocking her view. “Flowey, t... take her down!”

“With pleasure!” Flowey crowed, and he shifted his fist out from under the net to raise it up and smash down on the black Bastion. At the last second, a gray-cloaked human, who had briefly abandoned their cannon, shot a bolt of purple energy at his hand, forming a line midair. As Flowey’s hand touched it, it completely halted his momentum. He tried to push through, but found he could only move his hand horizontally, rendering it useless. “What?? Unfair! I thought only Muffet could do that!”

Papyrus’s bone box exploded outward in an arc of energy, and the black Bastion emerged from the debris to fire and lock her staff onto Papyrus, whose eyelights went dark once more. He grunted in frustration and discomfort, but he raised a weak ripple of bones out, and since the black-cloaked Bastion hadn’t moved, he actually caught her by surprise, and knocked her off her feet, severing the beam once more.

Flowey changed his concentration back toward the white Bastion, who seemed to be gearing up for another spell. Flowey summoned his flying green ball monsters this time, who sprung forth from him and shot through the gaps in the net. They bounced all around, knocking into already wrecked buildings. One richoted directly onto a gray-cloak and snapped him up in a second, to the horrified shrieks of their compatriots.

The white-cloaked mage took it all in stride, however, and drew an arc with his staff overhead, forming a shield above them. As some of the green toothy monsters hit the barrier, they would harmlessly bounce away. He took aim at Flowey once more and shot that white light straight into his being, and Flowey groaned in pain as another of his souls, the peach one, appeared and turned white.

As it did, all the green monsters withered away into husks before crackling apart. The human who’d been eaten fell from one of the disintegrating monsters and flopped to the ground, groaning.

He could’ve sworn he heard Papyrus huff out a sigh of relief, but he didn’t really feel like investigating when he was busy taking huge hits. Instead he just hissed, “C’mon, Papyrus, more juice!”

Papyrus raised his hand, shining with blue magic, and after a moment of hesitation, he simply picked up the white Bastion, who yelped in surprise. Papyrus threw him backward into a building, where on impact he slumped and fell to his knees, staff rolling away from him.

“Sorry!” Papyrus called down, wincing.

“White!” the black mage yelled, but before she could focus on Papyrus again, Flowey pushed through the discomfort of the white magic and slammed his free hand into her, and she too went flying back, tumbling away from her partner before hitting her head against a piece of rubble. Her staff clattered to the ground.

“Is that the best humanity has to offer?” Flowey said, panting slightly before breaking into a cackle. “Pathetic.” He looked up to his shoulder where Papyrus was sitting, also having trouble breathing from the strain. “Papyyyyrus,” Flowey cajoled, “You wanna finish these two off, buddy? I’ll let you have ‘em!”

Papyrus looked... very conflicted, which was about what Flowey expected.

“C’mon, they’re right there! You could make it a quick end? Better than what I would give them!” he scoffed.

“...R-right...” Papyrus shakily scooted forward, and raised his hand once more. Two large blasters appeared, so strangely different from Sans’, and began to wind up to full power. The Bastions, having regained their senses, gazed up at them in fear.

Then, the black Bastion cried out, “Even if you kill us, you won’t gain our power! Do your worst, and discover how you meet your doom!”

Papyrus’s hand shook.

“Papyrus, just do it!”

He made a low whining sound.

“Do it for me?” Flowey appended, hoping that he might invoke Papyrus’s caring nature toward himself.

Papyrus’s eyelights went out. “I... I can’t...”

“Are you kidding me?” Flowey growled. “Get over yourself already! Did you want to help me or not?? You’re such a coward, I’ll just do it m—”

But suddenly, Flowey got hit with a beam of black energy, and he grunted in pain as his vision darkened to nothingness. “What?? What’s going on??”

“Ha! Quick, while it’s distracted!” he heard the black mage cry out, “White, get the skeleton!”

Flowey heard the distinctive sound of the firing of another beam, and Papyrus yelping. “Papyrus!” he cried. “Don’t you dare hurt him, you little—”

“Wait, what’s going on?” he suddenly heard the white Bastion shout. “Its SOUL, it’s... what the hell?”

“What is it doing?” The black mage said in horrified wonder.

“Papyrus, what’s going on??” Flowey yelled.

“I... I don’t know!” Papyrus cried. “It’s not turning white like yours were, it’s turning... dark purple?”

“This shouldn’t be happening!” the black Bastion cried. “All compatriots, fire on the skeleton!”

Papyrus groaned low, falling to his hand and knees once more. Flowey heard the sound of those cannons gearing up again, but this time they whined much more loudly, and he knew that they’d switched to some new, more destructive form of magic.

“Papyrus... run!” Flowey yelled, raising his free hand to try and shield him from damage. “I don’t want them to hurt you!”

But then, Papyrus let out a scream, and from him, a burst of heat shot forth, searing the side of Flowey’s face and hand as it passed by. He heard the mages scream, and then a moment later, Flowey could see again. A wave of indigo fire had flooded out from Papyrus’s SOUL, and the ground before them was covered in the superheated flames.

The Bastions were... gone.

All that remained was their SOULs, one white, and one black, hovering above the ground.

Their leaders lost, the gray-cloaked casters screamed amongst the chaos, and began to flee as the net failed completely. Flowey didn’t even bother firing after them. He just couldn’t stop laughing.

“Papyrus, that was amazing!!” he cheered. “How in the Underground did you do that? My fire couldn’t even touch them!” Extending both of his massive hands, now completely freed, he scooped up the SOULs of the Bastions and pressed them into himself.

“Now nothing stands between us and victory!”

——

Papyrus was so, so tired. This battle had taken a lot out of him, physically or emotionally. But he couldn’t stop to grieve the Bastions or ponder what strange magic had just happened.

This is it. Now or never.

He launched himself forward with blue magic, just in time for Flowey to absorb the final two SOULs, launching the green and red SOULs out of his back. Papyrus grabbed both of them out of the air, and held him to his ribcage.

This is a kindness. All this pain will be forgotten from your good deed, the green one whispered.

Be DETERMINED, the red SOUL whispered in a familiar voice, and Papyrus knew his dear friend was there with him too. Your redeeming qualities go far beyond making spaghetti, they whispered, a hint of a joke in their tone.

It was time.

Papyrus embraced all seven of the children’s SOULs, and with a blinding flash of light, he absorbed them.

…

And suddenly, he was in the Void again. But now, everything seemed to be blurring and glitching around him. Tangible darkness hovered around him like a black mist. But through all of it, he could see Sans across from him, looking around him disorientedly.

“Sans!” Papyrus yelled.

His brother locked eyes with him, and his usual grin suddenly looked far more genuine. “Paps! D—you—d it—”

Through the glitching, he could barely understand what he was saying, but Sans, normally so leisurely, ran toward him. “C’mon, we—this together!” Eyes welling up with tears, Papyrus hobbled to him.

We’re together again. I don’t have to do this alone anymore.

He was moments away from breaking down and sobbing with relief, but he held it together. With outstretched arms, they smashed through the invisible barrier like it wasn’t even there, and then—

Darkness.

——

Finally. It’s been so long since I was whole.

”Finally. It’s been so long since I was whole.”

Gaster looked down at his hands, still with gaping holes in the palms, but now he had shape and matter to him, his form finally physical. After what felt like vast and empty eons....

He was free.

Well then.

”Well then.”

A grin curled across his skull.

Shall we do this together, children?

”Shall we do this together, children?”

Notes:

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters! You can also follow me on Tumblr, @hardtack-ao3 -- I have WIP screenshots for some of the future chapters of this story on there!

I made it on time! This chapter solved for some clumsy deus-ex-machina shenanigans that would've given Papyrus the final two SOULs. Plus I saw some folks clamoring for the humans to not be defenseless and help out with fighting off Flowey. So here we are!

Chapter 20: The Final Siege, Pt. 4 - Who’s Your Daddy?

Summary:

The moment you've all been waiting for is here.

This was going to be Flowey’s biggest triumph. Above getting the SOULs, above beating Frisk, above making it to the Surface. He was finally going to destroy this stupid city, their last defenders at last defeated, and Papyrus was helping him do it.

He felt practically giddy, and a small twinge of something more sentimental. They were doing this together. Papyrus had finally completely bowed to Flowey’s will, and boy, he had been rightfully excited to see Papyrus let loose on the rest of these pathetic humans.

With the Bastions out of the way, there was no one else who could oppose them. Even though he still couldn't access his flamethrowers or green monsters, he felt that victory was assured. “Now nothing stands between us and utter domination!”

But as Flowey turned to goad his companion on, he was blinded by a burst of brilliant, rainbow-colored light. There was a horrible screech of garbage noise, and the grating sound made the little plant hairs on his body stand on end.

Suddenly, there was a shockwave, strong enough to almost knock even Flowey over, but he dug roots into the ground to keep himself upright.

And when the dust cleared...

What the hell is that??

Standing opposite him was a massive monster, rivaling Flowey’s own gargantuan size, a skeletal wolf-like beast with three eyesockets in its skull: the right iris flickered between orange and blue, the left one flashed cyan and yellow, and in the center above them was one large, violet eye, ringed both inside and outside with red. It stumbled as it landed, its long bony tail flailing for balance, and it slammed into a few half-demolished buildings, completely collapsing them. Then it lifted its head to howl, the sound glitchy and terrifying.

But it was the front left paw—or rather, lack of one—that made Flowey realize that this creature... was Papyrus.

No... not just Papyrus. He’d seen that glowing cyan and yellow eye before, many times, usually right before painful death. That was Sans’ eye for sure, but that made no sense! The smiley trashbag was still trapped behind the Barrier... right?

And that bizarre eye on the forehead... its gaze pierced right through him, and Flowey found himself backing up slightly, unnerved.

“Wh-what? Papyrus, what the hell did you do? What is this??”

The beast growled lowly, and for a second, Flowey saw the outlines of seven SOULs surrounding its skull... each one the color of one of the human children’s SOULs that he ha— that he used to have.

Suddenly everything made sense. He hadn’t been able to absorb new SOULs because seven must have been the most he could possibly hold, and there wasn’t room for any new ones... unless there was another monster around who could absorb the extras.

Papyrus had been... stealing SOULs that Flowey had rightly stolen for himself! And now, he had seven SOULs of his own, transforming him into a wholly unnatural creature, just like Flowey’s current form. Was that kind of power enough to drag his brother’s SOUL from through the Barrier to join them? How did that even work?

Flowey was almost kind of impressed: Papyrus had really fooled him into thinking that all those weird CHECK readings were nothing of concern. He’d successfully lied to his face.

I wonder what other things he’s been hiding from me.

“Alright, alright, very... awe-inspiring, I guess, Papyrus. You gathered up all those SOULs to help me destroy the city? How considerate of you! Too bad I’ll have to punish you later for lying. Now get over here.”

The beast snarled, and with no other warning, it pounced, leaping across the ruined city center to slam into Flowey, who was too unprepared to keep himself from being bowled over. “That’s not what I meant!” he cried.

Its sharp bone talons ripped into his plant matter, and even with only one front paw, they sank in deep as it slashed, and sap began to ooze out from the punctures.

“Gah, stop that!” Flowey grunted, and grew thick vines from his body, wrapping them around the beast’s front paw and trying to pry it off. He managed to loosen the claws from his form, and as he threw it back, he struck out with a wave of bullets from his eyes... only for the beast to suddenly disappear, the bullets flying into empty air.

Flowey had barely managed to rise again when he felt the plant fuzz on the back of his neck stand on edge, and he dodged to the left just as a beam of energy shot past him, punching a line of perfect spherical holes through several buildings near where he’d been. He whirled around to see the beast behind him, jaws smoking from the heat of the energy it’d just expelled. Just like the blasters...

The... Blasterbeast—that’s a good name—lunged once more, and Flowey readied another barrage of bullets, shooting them straight at the monstrosity. A few waves of them hit before the Blasterbeast stumbled and flickered out of existence again.

“Stop cheating!” Flowey called out, growing more irritated. “You going to let your coward brother teach you how to fight? Fight me like a monster!”

He felt that feeling again, like someone walking over his dust; this time, though, he was ready, and he raised a thorn wall in front of him. As the Blasterbeast appeared, it slammed into the barrier, which scraped against its bony exterior. It bucked, but when Flowey peered over the mass of vines, he was amused to see that one of the thorns was stuck around the curve of one of its eye sockets, keeping it from backing away.

“Idiot,” he laughed, and before it could teleport away, he punched down with his massive arm, and the Blasterbeast thumped down at a painful angle with the sound of cracking bone, into a cluster of ruined buildings. The thorn had chipped the side of the socket when the force of the punch had pushed it through.

The Blasterbeast shook its head as it rose, and then roared defiantly as it regained its stance. It rose up on its hind legs and then slammed its front paw down. A whole field’s worth of bones jutted up from the ground, the shafts glowing with blue magic, and their unusually hooked tips shimmering with cyan magic. Flowey was too slow to dodge, and the bones jutted up into his plant matter, snared it, and then pulled it down, rooting him to the ground and stinging with karma magic.

Flowey snarled, and carelessly ripped up through the bones, leaving gouges in his body as he hurled himself at the Blasterbeast and slammed into it, and the force of the leap knocked them back into building after building, deeper into the expanse of the city.

“You think you can fight me like this and win? Pathetic,” Flowey jeered as they finally slid to a halt. “I’ve fought the two of you before, and I win a lot of the time! And in this form, I can outlast you both!”

The Blasterbeast’s jaw creaked open, and from within the hollow, Flowey heard a very strange voice.

Ah, but they’re not alone.

”Ah, but they’re not alone.”

“What?” Flowey said, suddenly feeling uneasy. That voice... was far more deeper, more foreboding than either brothers’. He could hear the power in it, the way it echoed.

The Blasterbeast got to its feet, suddenly moving much more fluidly than before, yet somehow in a way that felt unnatural to such a large creature. The purple and red eye flared with indigo fire, and as it did, two cracks broke open above and below the socket.

So you’re the bully who’s been making my experiments’ lives miserable all these resets?

”So you’re the bully who’s been making my experiments’ lives miserable all these resets?”

“Experiments? Who... who are you? What is this?” Flowey was suddenly... almost afraid? “Whatever you’re doing, trashbags, this is really weird.”

I suspect you wouldn’t know who I am, Flowey—such a childish name—even if I explained... yet... why not? It’s felt like eons since I last introduced myself to someone.

”I suspect you wouldn’t know who I am, Flowey—such a childish name—even if I explained... yet... why not? It’s felt like eons since I last introduced myself to someone.”

The Blasterbeast stood to full height, and as it did, a halo of skeletal hands with holes in the palms flashed into existence around its head… the very same kind that appeared when Papyrus had held Flowey’s SOULs and shocked them.

I am Dr. W.D. Gaster, rightful Royal Scientist of the King, and you, ‘Flowey’... have just picked a much bigger fight than you realized.

”I am Dr. W.D. Gaster, ex-Royal Scientist of the King, and you, ‘Flowey’... have just picked a much bigger fight than you realized.”

If Flowey could have paled, he would’ve. The name sounded familiar, but in the way that something from a previous night’s dream would come back as soon as one’s head hit the pillow; half-remembered details resurfacing only to vanish again into some unfathomable void in their subconscious. But the name filled him with dread, more than he’d felt in a very long time.

But he had no time to reflect on it, as the ring of hands made a series of gestures, and for each hand, a vulpine-like blaster came into existence...

...and their open jaws roared with those same, indigo flames.

Flowey had no time to dodge as waves of hellfire blasted over him, singeing his plant matter so strongly that it peeled away layers of fresh growth to softer fibers within, much harsher than any human’s flamethrower. His hitpoints rapidly reduced, and he shrieked out a piercing, agonized cry.

But as he did, the jets of flame burnt out, and the blasters glitched before crumbling. The Blasterbeast shook its head back and forth, snarling lowly as the orange and blue eye glowed brighter.

Quick, while it’s distracted. Through the pain, Flowey reached for his save file. He hadn’t saved since his battle with Frisk, and this would put him back a long way, but this time he’d learned, and he could keep Papyrus from gathering SOULs, and the humans from trouncing him that first time. I have no other choice. I... I don’t think even I can take this guy...

But as he attempted to LOAD...

ERROR. SAVE FILE CORRUPTED.

”ERROR. SAVE FILE CORRUPTED.”

No. He reached back further. He had a SAVE file all that time ago from around when he had his first pretend therapist session with Papyrus. That’d do.

ERROR. SAVE FILE CORRUPTED.

”ERROR. SAVE FILE CORRUPTED.”

No no no no no no... He’d go all the way back to his very first SAVE file if he had to, back when he’d become Flowey the Flower.

ERROR. SAVE FILE CORRUPTED.

”ERROR. SAVE FILE CORRUPTED.”

...

Flowey felt his sins crawling up his back.

——

The world was dark, with only pockets of light here and there. It was as though someone had drawn shutters over the world, and Papyrus could only peek through gaps in the blinds to see what was going on. The dapples of light shifted as one of the three of them would take control, and Papyrus had to strain to see what was going on outside.

And Papyrus felt big, bigger than he’d ever been before, and he was powerful, far more than he’d ever been—

sans was used to being small, and now he was huge, and he didn’t have to worry about a single hit dusting him anymore—

and if the two of them could quiet down, because Gaster was going use this Vessel to take care of this nuisance once and for all—

Suddenly there was blinding light, and the heat of a thousand fires surged from their shared magic, burning away Flowey’s exterior growth, and Papyrus heard as he cried out in pain.

‘No, don’t kill him!’, Papyrus cried, wresting control from Gaster and fizzling out the blasters he’d summoned.

‘are you crazy?’ sans said in disbelief. ‘this freak needs to be dunked on hard, right into the ground!’ he reached out to try and get control back.

’Your brother has a point. Sparing this miserable creature’s life would be a mistake.’

’I... I know he has to die! I’m not stupid!’

’That’s a surprise, boy.’

‘hey, don’t talk about him like that, you asshole!’ sans changed focus. ‘then what’s the plan, paps?’

’I... I just want him to apologize. I know he’s capable of it, and that’s all I need. Then you... you can kill him.’

’What a waste of our time, my time. We should finish him, quickly, so that I may resume my rightful place in the world with no pointless distractions.’

‘this isn’t your joyride! we didn’t even invite you here!’

'You don’t need to invite someone who is already there, child.’

‘ugh, you’re just as insufferable as i remember. get lost again, old man.’

’Enough. If neither of you will be mature, I will do this myself, without you. I don’t need either of you, regardless. You were both always a footnote in my grand life’s work.

The world, already blanketed in black, became darker yet darker as Gaster smothered their influence. ‘No!’ Papyrus cried, but he already felt his will slipping away under Gaster’s magic, far stronger than their own.

Finally, peace and quiet. Now he could extinguish— Wait, where did he go?

Flowey was no longer cowering before him, and Gaster snapped the Vessel’s head around, trying to catch sight of his prey. He scented burning greenery, and there, in the distance, Flowey was dragging himself back toward the edge of the city, leaving a long trail of smoke and peeling green flesh behind him.

The Vessel growled, and pounced after him, making far more progress than Flowey, even missing one of its paws. Flowey noticed him in hot pursuit, and turned around, magic coalescing around him as he summoned a wave of explosives, falling from the sky.

’You gotta stop them! There’s a house with kids over there!’

‘what?’

’I presume there are lots of houses with children around here. A few more or less will not make a difference.’

’Shut up! I’ll do it myself!’

Papyrus summoned his own blasters, these looking so different than Sans and Gaster’s, and as each shell fell, he destroyed them in midair with beams of bright orange, causing explosions to blossom over the skyline. Then he leapt and crashed into the plant monster, knocking him to the ground.

As they stood above Flowey, his expression a rictus of fear, Gaster took a moment to delight in his victory.

Insignificant fool. You will regret the day you tried to take what is rightfully mine.

”Insignificant fool. You will regret the day you tried to take what is rightfully mine.”

He reared up, powering a final killing blast from the Vessel’s jaws, when Flowey’s expression suddenly shifted, and with a smirk on his screen, his own lower jaws opened up, and he mockingly waggled his—

’Oh gods oh gods not that no no no get back get back—’ The Vessel stumbled away so quickly it almost fell over, still rearing on its hind legs. ‘Get away get away no no no no!’

‘paps, paps he can’t hurt you anymore, calm down, it’ll be okay’

’Stop distracting me, you simpletons, you’re going to get us—’ Suddenly, a blinding flash of light burst from the still open jaws, and a wide, powerful beam seared through the Vessel’s back right leg completely, the bone crumbling to dust as the Vessel took hundreds of hitpoints worth of damage in a single shot, and it toppled over, twitching, as the pain blinded all three of them.

Through the ringing in his non-existent ears, Papyrus could hear Flowey practically bellowing with laughter, and a massive clawed hand grabbed onto the Vessel’s ribcage, hoisting it into the air to be eye-level with Flowey.

“It’s too easy!” he cackled. “As long as Papyrus is in there, you’re going to be weak. He’s mine, after all. I ruined him, and even without all of that, he was always too weak to try to kill me anyway.” He sighed, a grin spreading across his face. “Aw, but I can’t stay mad at you, Papyrus. C’mon, ditch these losers and stay with me! There’s a reason we’re always gravitating toward each other, right? You always worm your way into my heart, and time and time again, I let you. You’re meant for me, and I’m always going to be there for you, each time the timeline resets, no matter what. Because, Papyrus, I’ve finally learned that that’s what love is.”

Papyrus wanted to cry. He felt hopeless in the face of his tormentor, in the face of that... declaration. But... what came out of the Vessel’s jaw was his own hysterical laughter. "You don’t love me!” Papyrus said, “You want to control me! That’s not what love is, and even if you had a hundred SOULs you wouldn’t know what love was if it hit you on the head! I certainly don’t love you. I never have, and I never will, because you don’t deserve to be loved by The Great Papyrus!”

Flowey honestly looked stunned. He opened his mouth to speak, but Papyrus yelled over him. “Keep your ‘love’. Maybe then at least you’ll die having known at least one emotion in your whole, miserable life. It’s sadness, in case you couldn’t tell!”

“You can’t kill me,” Flowey said numbly. “You would never.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Papyrus said. “Not on my own. But I’m not on my own. Not anymore.”

He felt power well up within him. The seven SOULS, his brother’s lifelong support, and his father’s overwhelming confidence.

“go burn in hell,

you miserable whelp,

and stay there!”

Three beams of light, one cyan, one orange, and one purple, gathered in the Vessel’s jaws, and the last expression on Flowey’s screen was one of despair—a freeze frame moment of heartbreak—as the combined power, with a brilliant ring of light bursting out like a sonic blast, punching a massive sizzling hole through the screen.

It took a moment for the beam to sear all the way through the television head, but when it finally burst out the other side, it was with a splash of sickly green fluid, like blood from a bullet wound. What was left of the screen buzzed with static, and electricity sparked around the edges of the hole. Inside was a network of tubes and smaller pulsing organs, intertwined with circuits and breakers in a perverse fusion of biology and technology.

Each of his collected SOULs appeared from the center of his body, growing larger and larger before shattering like lightbulbs with a loud, wailing sound. The body glitched in place, and finally, there was another sound from deep within, like the cry of an animal being slaughtered.

Then, Flowey’s hand slackened until the Vessel fell from his grasp, and the hulking body stayed standing until the static faded to black, and then toppled backward with a thump that flattened a whole block of buildings and shook the surrounding city...

...and lay there, motionless.

Notes:

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters! You can also follow me on Tumblr, @hardtack-ao3 -- I have WIP screenshots for some of the future chapters of this story on there!

How's that for a battle scene! Almost at the end, guys :3c

Chapter 21: Keep It Together? Y/N

Summary:

“we could break the barrier. set everyone else free.”

”Good idea, Sans.” Gaster suddenly spoke up.

“wait, what? you’re praising me?”

”Yes, surprisingly. We will need the strength of the whole Underground for the coming battle.”

--

We are approaching the end at last! One more to go :3

”It’s... it’s over.”

“you did it bro. i’m honestly... so, so proud of you, papyrus. that can’t’ve been easy for you.”

Papyrus felt his brother’s presence nearby, comfortingly close. ”What... what now? It’s... I can’t believe I’m free.”

“we could break the barrier. set everyone else free.”

”Good idea, Sans.” Gaster suddenly spoke up.

“wait, what? you’re praising me?”

”Yes, surprisingly. We will need the strength of the whole Underground for the coming battle.”

Papyrus was startled. ”What battle?”

“From what I have observed, the humans will no longer be of a reasonable state of mind to accept the emergence of monsterkind. Your ‘friend’ did quite a number on their city. We have too, as a matter of fact. It seems most logical to perform a preemptive strike on what is left of the city, does it not?” His tone was calm and rational, as what he was saying was obvious.

Papyrus was aghast. ”What?? We can’t hurt them even more than they’ve already been! We should leave!”

“or was this your plan all along, gaster? to gain ultimate power to wipe out the humans?” sans’ tone was biting.

”I would be lying if I said it wasn't an added bonus. I was alive when the war ended, you know.” His normally even tone was now bitter. “One of the first to be trapped, and one of the last who remembered what those despicable humans did to us. If we rally, we could begin our warpath anew, with our magnificent Vessel at the helm."

”I’m not going to sit here and let you do that! We’ll free everyone, and then... then...”

”You don’t even have a plan, do you? You don’t think very far ahead, boy.” Gaster attempted to make the Vessel stand, and move back in the direction of Mount Ebott, but it struggled to stand on only two paws. “Ah, of course. Allow me.” Two phantom limbs appeared at the end of the stubs, palms with holes punched through the center, and the Vessel staggered to its feet, beginning to shamble out of the city.

“wait a second! we’re not just going to let you do that!” sans’ magic flared, a cyan wave in the dark fog.

“And how, pray tell, are you going to stop me?” Gaster said, tone mocking. “You may have inherited some of my magical prowess, but I am leagues above you, children. This Vessel is of my design, the fruition of years of agonized planning. You are not in control.”

”C-can’t we talk this out?” Papyrus stammered. “I don’t—this isn’t what I want to do with my freedom!””

”Silly child. You are not free. I will soon be whole once again, and after that, you both will fade completely.”

“wait... what are you talking about?” sans was suddenly apprehensive, and it only got worse as the cyan magic flickered before dispelling. in its absence, a flash of light illuminated their shared soul halves. they beat sickly for a moment before becoming clearer, and sans could see the two halves slowly merging together, thin fibrous strands grasping out between them and threading together almost like stitches in a wound.

”From the moment we became the Vessel, the process of reuniting both pieces of my SOUL began. When my SOUL is completely one piece, your egos will fade and resume being what they once were: mere subconscious facets of my mind.”

”What?? I don’t want to disappear! This is terrible! If there's a piece of you that's like me, can't you see how horrible this is??” Papyrus, so sure he’d finally been saved, suddenly felt a renewed sense of fear.

”Hush. It’s already begun. Can’t you feel yourselves weakening?”

“shut up! i can—” sans tried to bring back his magic, but this time, there was no glow of power. “no, this is... we won’t let you! you can’t just get rid of us like this! we deserve our lives!”

”You had your time to be alive. It is once again my era, and I will lead the Underground to their own freedom, with my full magical strength to aid them. Be quiet and do not trouble me. I will need to concentrate to break the Barrier.”

Papyrus saw that while they had been arguing, Mount Ebott had become much closer. How had the time passed so quickly? Already his perception was growing fuzzy. It was only a matter of time before Gaster broke the barrier, but it had to be on his and Sans’ terms, not Gaster’s, or... or everything he’d suffered through would be for nothing.

“NO! I won’t let you!” It took him a moment to concentrate, but his blue magic sparked into existence, and with it, he grabbed onto the SOUL fragments, which were just beginning to re-graft together. He gathered all his strength, though his mind was weakening, and began to pull.

”What are you doing, Papyrus? Stop that at once!” Gaster suddenly sounded much more concerned, and a flare of purple magic pulsed through Papyrus’s mind, trying to break his concentration.

”No! You don’t get to win! You could’ve been a father to us, but you were too busy with your stupid work, and it got you killed! You had your chance! But Sans and I have more in the Underground now than you could ever fathom caring about!”

They were at the Barrier. They were running out of time.

Papyrus pulled even harder. The bonds between the two halves of the SOULs began to fray. “I won’t let you take this away from us!”

“yeah, come on, pap! you’ve got this, i’ll keep him busy.” sans’ magic appeared once more, and he attempted to snare gaster’s consciousness. it was nebulous and all around them, making it hard to get a lock, but he found a trace of it and tugged.

Gaster snarled. ”Insolent. Fine, I will offer a new deal.” The Vessel put a paw on the Barrier, which glowed with rainbow colors as it began to shift and shudder. Gaster continued, “You cooperate with my plans, and I won’t smother your brother now, before you can say your goodbyes.”

“what do y—” suddenly, sans cried out, but the sound trailed off into a whimper as he felt waves of darkness compressing around him, making it harder to form coherent thought, and his vision began to fade. “pa... papyrus!” was all he could manage. he tried to call for his magic, tugging on that small piece of gaster’s consciousness just to keep a hold on his sense of self.

But Papyrus could see him slipping, and a strong wave of emotion rippled the mindscape. This time it was orange magic that flared up, exploding outward in a wave and curling through the air. Papyrus wasn’t going to lose Sans. Not after just finding him again.

“DON’T.

YOU.

TOUCH.

HIM.”

Summoning all the power he had left in him, Papyrus wrenched at the SOUL fragments, and with an enormous blast of energy, the fragments split apart, back into two pieces. It hurt, oh gods did it hurt, nearly smothering him just like sans had almost been. But Gaster was hurt the most, because through the pain, Papyrus could hear him yelling the loudest.

”I WILL NOT BE DISOBEYED!” Gaster shouted. “YOU BELONG TO ME!”

”We don’t belong to anyone but ourselves! Now get OUT of our heads!”

The mindscape juddered and swirled, holes of light punching through the darkness and erasing all traces of the Void.

NO—DON’T—CAN’T—SO—CLOSE—

One last blast of purple magic flared out, clawing skeletal hands ripping at the soul fragments and desperately trying to pull them together. But uncoordinated as they were, they succeeded only in fraying the edges, making Papyrus and Sans both cry out in pain.

And suddenly, with an explosion that rocked the mountain, both the Barrier and the Vessel dissolved into bright, white light.

——

Papyrus’s vision slowly flickered back into existence from the blinding white, and found himself lying on the rocky ground just outside the Barrier, as the sun began to rise in the sky. Or rather, where the Barrier had been. Now it was completely gone, and beyond it was the depths of the Underground.

Yes... Papyrus thought numbly, Finally, we can go home...

He tried to pull himself into a sitting position, but the very motion made him nauseous, and his head spun as he flopped back onto the ground. In addition, his vision in his right eye was a little fuzzy. He CHECKED himself, and saw that his hundreds of hitpoints had gone down to about 10 from the battle.

But the action of peering into his SOUL hurt beyond anything he would’ve expected, and he had to keep blinking in order to clear his vision. His SOUL, previously whole but with only half being substantial, was now only the said stronger half, its edges torn and with small, delicate cracks stretching across it.

Suddenly, seeing the half reminded him of his brother. “Sans,” Papyrus cried out, tipping onto his ribcage and whipping his head around.

“M’here,” his brother answered with a groan, and Papyrus turned to see him lying behind him, flat on his back like Papyrus had been. Something about him looked different, but with his blurry vision, he couldn't make it out. But what he did see—

Oh my gods. His right leg was missing at the knee, and the stub end was crumbling as he watched.

“Sans!” Now he yelled, and with strength he didn’t know he still had, he clawed his way over to his brother. This time he managed a sitting position and cradled Sans in his arms. He looked so much smaller that he usually did...

“Heh, don’t worry, bro. I’ve... been through worse.”

Papyrus couldn’t help but laugh, blinking tears out of his eyes. “You don’t have to lie to make me feel better... we both look terrible.”

Sans laughed with him, but the action made him wince. “What am I at?”

With a CHECK, Papyrus exclaimed, “You’re literally below 1 HP. Decimals! I’m not sure how you’re even alive!”

Sans coughed. “Well, that might not be the case for much longer.”

“No!” Papyrus yelped, before readjusting Sans to rest in his lap, so he could place his hand on his sternum. “I won’t let you die. Sorry, not allowed!” But through his jovial words, he had started to cry in earnest.

This time, Sans CHECKED Papyrus. “You don’t have enough magic to heal both of us, Pap. Don’t... don’t waste it on this lazybones.”

“Stop that!” Papyrus sniffled. “I only just found you again. I didn’t go through hell and back for you to dust on me now. Besides... I think the Great Papyrus can heal a few decimals of HP without passing out.” And his hand glowed green, the health slowly trickling back into his brother.

“The Barrier’s finally down,” Sans mumbled. “What are we gonna do with our new lease on life, bro? You gonna get that race car?”

Papyrus laughed. “What, to ride the streets of the town we just obliterated? I think we’re going to have to go really far away, Sans. Somewhere we won’t be bothered by humans. Maybe the forest! I... I met someone who lived here a while ago. She’s... she’s gone now, but maybe we could live there just like she did!”

“That sounds really nice...” Sans eyelights were dimming.

“Hey! Don’t fall asleep on me! You have to wait until you’re fully healed!” Papyrus said, trying not to panic.

Sans chuckled quietly. “Always... trying to keep me awake, huh?”

“Of course,” Papyrus agreed with a watery smile. “Have to keep you honest.”

Sans’ gaze strayed away from Papyrus’s skull. “Well, honest-ly, you’re not doing too hot yourself. Your arm, Pap.”

Papyrus looked away from Sans, and saw that his stump arm was starting to disintegrate again at the end. “Oh jeez, that’s... not good.”

Papyrus had to make a decision. He didn’t have enough magic to keep either of them alive, just as Sans said, at this point.

“Ok, ok, this is the plan. You listening, Sans?”

“Mhm...”

“I need you to heal me for a little bit. Then I can use the rest of my magic for a walking support to get us to help.”

Sans looked a little more awake now. “Healing’s never been my strong suit, but... I’ll try. Beats dying.”

“I would say so, yes.”

Sans lifted his hand to Papyrus’s shoulder, and a faint green glow surrounded it as he fed a weak trickle of healing magic into Papyrus.

“Ok, here we go.” Papyrus cradled Sans loosely with his stub arm, and summoned some of the last of his magic, making a rather spindly bone crutch. “UPsydaisy—whoa!” As he stood, he got a lot of headrush, and he swayed on the spot.

“You okay?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” Blinking spots out of his vision, he took a deep breath and began to hobble inside the mouth of the long corridor that led from the outside world into the castle. He turned his head back just once, looking at the sunlight they were leaving behind. Would I rather die on the Surface, or in the Underground? He shook the thought away, and kept moving.

Sans slowly turned his head, looking around for signs of other monsters.

Papyrus wanted to know where they were, too. “Where do you think everyone is? How far are we going to have to go?” He had to purposefully relax his jaw to speak, his teeth having been grinding with the strain. “Hopefully not as far as Waterfall, right?”

“You’re looking for Undyne?”

Papyrus nodded. “She’ll be able to heal us.”

Sans let out a sigh of relief. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that. Before you zapped me to the Surface, last I saw her, Undyne was in the relief camps on the edge of New Home.”

“Perfect,” Papyrus said breezily. “We only have to cross, what, a whole city?”

Sans laughed, but it was a little forced. “Well, we better do it fast, or I’m gonna run out of healing magic.”

“We’ll... we’ll get there. We have to. This... this can’t be how it ends.”

But Papyrus was running out of energy, and fast. Too much had happened since the last time he’d been at full health, or even gotten a full night’s sleep. He’d been injured by both the fight with Flowey, and then the internal struggle with Gaster.

He’d made it about halfway through New Home when his legs gave out from underneath him, even with the bone crutch. He slid clumsily to the ground, just barely keeping his hold on Sans. Panting, he sat back against the outer wall of a building, and leaned his head back.

“You okay, Pap?” Sans’ voice was laden with concern, but also fatigue. He’d long since stopped healing Papyrus.

“I think you know the answer to that, Sans.”

The two of them sat quietly for a moment.

“Well, it is a bummer way to go. Could’ve gone out with a bang, or something,” Sans said.

Papyrus was silent for a moment, before swinging his head up and looking back at Sans. “What if we did?”

“Huh?”

“Take my hand, and we’ll use up every last bit of magic we have. Make a big bang in the sky. Maybe... maybe someone will see it before we dust completely.”

“...Yeah, okay, let’s do it. Nothing left to lose.”

“And at least we won’t have lost each other.”

“Yeah,” Sans repeated. “And... it was nice seeing you again. I was worried I never would, after Flowey took you.”

They clasped hands, raised them up, and a bolt of magic flared from their pointed fingertips, racing high into the sky, and exploding into a wave of blue and cyan bones.

“I’m here, Sans. We’re both here.”

Notes:

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter! It lets me know you’re still interested in the story and encourages me to keep posting chapters! You can also follow me on Tumblr, @hardtack-ao3!

Almost at the end! I was debating making this fic display only 21 chapters and make you think it ended here, and then publish the final chapter a week later without warning, but I decided that was too mean ;P But, whose perspective do you think the last chapter will be from?

Chapter 22: New Game+

Summary:

In which a new life has begun.

--

Please listen to this song on repeat while you read to this chapter: Click Here!

Snow drifted over the forest, mostly settling on the canopy, but with more than a few flakes sifting through the leaves to the forest floor.

Nights this deep into the woods were often quiet, broken only by the scuttlings of small animals, or the cries of an occasional fox or similar critter. Leaves littered the ground in a mat of slow decay, this natural process now hidden beneath the white crystal carpet.

Yes, the woods were usually silent and peaceful.

Or at least they were, until six months ago, when new inhabitants had begun moving into the secluded area.

Now, small houses dotted the area, some looking more rapidly constructed than the ones further in. Most of the inhabitants were snugly tucked away inside them; this late into a winter evening, even the residents who were used to snow preferred to be indoors.

But on the porch of one large house, two brothers sat side by side, sipping mugs of hot chocolate.

“It feels almost like a dream, huh?” Sans said, finally breaking the silence.

Papyrus, sitting on a cushion, gazed off into the distance and took a slow sip.

“Hey, Pap.” Sans gently prodded him.

“Huh? Oh! Yes, it... it really does seem like a dream come true.” He put the mug down, and rubbed his hand over the stump of his arm. “After a long while of nightmares.”

Sans looked up at him. “What’s your favorite thing about this all?”

Papyrus raised a brow ridge. “My favorite thing? Besides being free from... him, and living in peace with my family and friends in the woods?”

“Yeah.”

Papyrus thought for a moment. “Clothes,” he settled on. “I thought I’d never be able to wear clothes again! These jeans, and the sweater Ms. Toriel knitted for me... they’re nice but… it’s not the same, is it?”

Sans laughed, but he subsided when Papyrus didn’t join in. “Yeah, rest in peace, battle body.”

But that of all things got a smile out of Papyrus. “Perhaps ‘rest in pieces’ would be more appropriate.”

Sans snorted. “Look at you, making puns! You’re definitely in a funky mood.”

They sat quietly for a moment.

“What are you thinking about, bro?” Sans finally asked, placing his hand on Papyrus’s knee. “You seem like you got a ‘thought’ on your mind right now.”

Papyrus sighed. “Always trying to cheer me up these days, eh?” He looked out again. “I want to go see Tully.”

Sans nodded, “Ok, well, that is in fact something we can do! Let’s ditch these mugs and go... visit her.”

Papyrus nodded, then added, “We should probably let Undyne know we’re leaving. She wouldn’t be happy if we wandered off without telling her.”

Rolling his eyelights, Sans said, “She’s barely let us out of her sight since we got back. The one time she isn’t breathing down our necks, you want to go tell her?”

“It’s the right thing to do.”

“Yeah,” Sans said after a moment, “You don’t get over watching one of your friends vanish, and then almost find two of them dusting in front of you when you get them back.”

“Mhm.” Papyrus grabbed onto the railing of the porch and heaved himself up, before picking up his actual, real crutch from where it was lying on the porch. “Don’t forget yours, Sans.”

“I don’t think I could if I tried,” Sans said, waving his leg stump at Papyrus. He too put his mug down and pulled himself up, grabbing his own, much shorter crutch. Tucking it under his arm, he said, “Let’s go, then, bro.”

Papyrus paused to take a look at Sans. Aside from his leg wound, he’d come out of contact with the human SOULs and the Vessel with slightly pointed teeth and two little horn-like protrusions poking out of the top of his skull.

Papyrus hadn’t come out of the experience without physical change either. In addition to every other growth he’d gotten during his time on the Surface, his skull had also cracked around his left eye, carving down in a straight line, just like Gaster’s.

Sans looked at him curiously. “You’re staring, bro.”

Papyrus shook himself out of it. “Sorry, Sans. Let’s go.”

The two walked through the middle of the small village, which was quite empty in the evening gloom. On the edge of the settlements, a slightly larger house stood, half painted with blue waves, and half painted plain white, but with pink petal trim. The light was on in the downstairs window.

Papyrus knocked, and only had to wait a few seconds before Undyne practically sprung out the door and embraced him in a big bear-hug. “Papyrus!! How’s my favorite sentry doing?”

“Great! But, um, you’re crushing me a little, Undyne.”

“Whoops!” She said, almost completely letting him go before stopping herself and setting him down gently. “What’re you two matching boneheads doing out here in the cold?”

“D-did they come to watch Mew Mew Kissy Cutie with us?” A faint voice called from inside the house.

“Uhh—maybe? I’ll keep you posted, Alphys.”

“How are you watching TV out here?” Papyrus was just bewildered. “You can’t expect me to believe you get cable this deep into the forest.”

Undyne waved him off. “Of course not, we just watch Alphys extensive collection of history films!”

“And the TV is powered… how?” Sans asked, ever the aspiring scientist. “Every house out here uses candles and fireplaces for lighting, and you’ve got electricity?”

Suddenly, Undyne seemed much more excited. “Oh yeah, Alphys has been testing out prototypes for mini-bioreactors! Just chuck in enough leaves and bam, you’ve got power! Man, she’s a genius, isn’t she?” She looked dreamy for a moment before zoning back in and winking at them. “Don’t worry, once she’s perfected it, we’ll hook you guys up with some juice! You’re just in line after Mettaton.”

“Oh wowee, that reminds me, how is Mettaton doing?” Papyrus asked, earnestly curious. “I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Ehhh…” Undyne rocked her hand back and forth noncommittally, “he’s still sulking in Napstablook’s house since he doesn’t have enough power to stay in his EX form. Though I think it’s hitting him even harder that he’ll never get to perform for humans like he wanted.”

“Yeah…” Papyrus said, suddenly feeling guilty.

There was a moment of silence, and Undyne paused to look over the pair. “Seriously, though, what’s up?” She asked, her fins drooping. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no,” Papyrus said, focusing back on the task at hand. “We’re just taking a walk outside of the town limits, and wanted to let you know.”

Sans winked at her. “You know, to cod-dle you a little.”

“Ngahhh! C’mon, you guys, is it so unreasonable to want to know you’re both safe?” She huffed, crossing her arms.

“We are the traumatized ones, not you.” Papyrus said, a small grin on his face.

Undyne huffed. “Speak for yourselves! I still have nights where I can’t forget what almost happened to you both. And you, Papyrus, just being completely gone for 10 days, 20 hours, and 45 minutes!”

Papyrus sighed. “Well, you found us in time, so fortunately, nothing did happen.”

This time, she sniffled. “Yeah. I found you too late and now you’re both low-HP and half-SOULed for the rest of your lives.”

Sans shrugged. “It’s not terrible. I’m used to it, at any rate. Not too different from how I used to be.”

“Still!” Undyne said, snapping to attention. “The least I can do is keep an eye on you guys, and make sure you don’t dust because you tripped out in the forest where I couldn’t find you!”

“Ok, ok,” Papyrus said placatingly, “We appreciate it, Undyne, we really do. We’re just going out to the cemetery. Not that far a walk.”

“Oh,” Undyne said, taken aback before softening. “You’re going to see your human friend, right?”

Papyrus and Sans nodded.

“I understand,” she said. “Hey, say ’hi’ to Asgore for me while you’re there.”

Sans brightened. “Oh yeah, that reminds me, I need to visit Tori some time.”

“She’s where she always is,” Undyne reported. “I’m sure even this late, she’d welcome you sadsacks in.”

“Of course,” Papyrus said, before awkwardly and stiffly shuffling his feet. “We’ll be heading out, then.” He added, and turned away, toward the lightly-travelled path out of town.

Undyne called out after them, “You be careful!”

The walk through the snowy woods was peaceful. If the trees had been pines, and not deciduous, it would’ve almost been like walking in the woods outside of Snowdin. Thinking about that, Papyrus’s SOUL ached a little, so he shook it off, and kept walking.

They were almost there when Sans started slowing down a little. “You okay, brother?” Papyrus asked.

“Yeah,” Sans panted, “Just need a break.”

“We’re almost there,” Papyrus said. “Want a skellyback ride?”

Sans, sensing the determination in Papyrus’s voice, nodded. “If you insist, bro.”

Papyrus crouched down, and let Sans clamber up. Straightening, he continued his way to the cemetery.

Eventually, it loomed into sight. Many of the pieces of Tully’s broken house had been repurposed into fences surrounding the large plot, and an arch over the entrance. Tightly packed into neat rows were small graves, each for one of the monsters who’d perished in the initial killing spree.

There were too many to count.

At the end of the graveyard, three larger, carved headstones stood. One was for the SOULs of the seven human children, which had vanished after the Vessel had broken apart. It was an empty grave, but then again, it was honorary. Two small flags, one white and one black, were stuck into the ground in front of it.

The one in the center was for Asgore. His headstone was the grandest, listing off his accomplishments as king. “Hey, Asgore,” Sans said, nodding at it. “Undyne says ‘hi’.”

In the back right corner, there was a slightly smaller, but no less decorative stone that Papyrus had insisted on chiseling himself. ‘Here lies Tully Tarael, the kindest human, and friend of the Great Papyrus.’

Papyrus stood over the grave and bowed his head.

Sans held on quietly for a moment. “You want to talk about it?” He finally said.

Papyrus’s voice was tight. “I couldn’t save her. There were so many people I couldn’t save. Frisk. Tully. The Bastions. Countless city humans, maybe even those kids I met... We’ve been out here for half a year now, and it all seems like it just happened yesterday. The... the guilt, it just... doesn’t go away, does it?”

Sans rubbed his shoulder consolingly. “Hey, listen. It was a miracle we survived. A miracle you survived, all that time before I could come help you. You went through a lot, and that trauma, those memories? They’re gonna stay for a while, Pap. And you’ll have to push through them. You’re the Great Papyrus. When you’re ready, you’ll move on.”

“I... I don’t know if I can,” Papyrus said, blinking back tears. “Even now, seeing all these graves... I feel like there should be one for... for him.”

Sans recoiled. “You... you miss him?”

Papyrus hesitated. “Not... missing him, but... thinking.” He was pensive for a few seconds before asking, “What do you think happens when something without a SOUL dies?”

With a sigh and a shrug, Sans said, “Probably nothing. Just... blip, disappears. Considering all the horrible things he did,” Sans paused, and then added scornfully, “and that he never even apologized like you wanted, it’s more than that bastard deserves.” His voice was full of venom, but when Papyrus winced, Sans softened. “You know that.”

“I just... I know humans go to some kind of afterlife, and monsters live on in memories, but he wasn’t either of those. I just wonder where he ended up.”

“Well...” Sans said, seemingly at a loss for words, “He’s gone. That’s all that matters.”

Papyrus was silent, but finally said, “Let’s not think about him, here. We’re here for Tully.”

Sans nodded, and Papyrus shakily knelt down. “I... I couldn’t save you, and I’m... I’m so sorry for that. You deserved better, and if I hadn’t come, you’d still be alive. I only knew you for a few hours, but your kindness... it really helped. I hope you’re resting in peace.”

With that, Papyrus clumsily stood. Sans tugged at his sweater, and gently said, “Hey, let’s go visit Tori. She’ll have something to cheer us up.”

Papyrus took a breath. “She will, eh?”

Sans smiled. “Guaranteed. I know you like her butterscotch cinnamon pie.”

“It is good,” Papyrus acquiesced, and with one last look at the graveyard, he turned and began the trek toward town.

The walk back to town was as uneventful as the walk in, but only this time, Papyrus’s bones were starting to ache from all the movement. Still, he powered through it. If he didn’t, he would never get back to his old stamina.

Maybe I never will, part of Papyrus thought, but he tried not to fixate about it. Whatever would happen, would happen. He only needed to focus on the now. On the new life that the monsters had built for themselves out in the forest, far from the human city.

“I want to feel like it’s ended.” Papyrus finally said. “That we only have the future to look forward to.”

“It’s true.” Sans affirmed. “But if it’s an ending, d’you think there’s room for a new beginning?”

“Yes,” he said softly. “I think this will be a new beginning, for all of us… except…”

“Except one?” Sans finished. “Papyrus—“

Papyrus shook his head free of the thought. “I mean… I talked to Ms. Toriel about it, once, and she said something about ‘reaping what you sow’.”

“Always smart, that Tori.”

Continuing, Papyrus said, “I didn’t get it at first, but now… if you reap what you sow, for all that he ever did, and said that he felt, he only planted the seeds of pain. Because of that, he’s gone.

“We’re planting the seeds of new life, of moving on and and loving each other, in the real way. Because of that, we’re still here. It has to all mean something.”

“And it does,” Sans agreed. “We deserve what we got, and he deserved what he got. But the more you dwell on it, bro, the longer you’re keeping his memory alive. The more that memory can torment you.”

“I’m done letting him ruin my life,” Papyrus said quietly. "I just hope that wherever he is, he’s learned his lesson. That’s all.”

Papyrus looked into the town, appearing ahead. Where smoke drifted from chimneys, and many windows were illuminated in the evening from the fires within. Where the lights of Undyne’s house flickered with the glow of a TV screen. Where their new house, built perfectly in the image of the old one, now stood. Where in another house, Ms. Toriel would be waiting with pie, and her soft kindness that seemed to make everything better, especially for Sans.

Where their new community supported Papyrus and had spent six months trying to help him heal.

“But even if I don’t get that closure,” Papyrus finished, “I think… yeah. Maybe this is a new beginning.”

For all of them that mattered.

Notes:

Leave a comment if you liked the chapter, and the series! It encourages me to post future works. You can also follow me on Tumblr, @hardtack-ao3, where I'll post future nc stuff as I write it. No plans for anything new yet, but we'll see what happens!

What a ride!! Did I successfully fake you out in thinking whose perspective the chapter would be from? Anyway, I'm so happy this is finally done. Thank you all so much for reading this story and sharing this journey with me. Because of all your support, the story is now in my top five most viewed fanfics! This is definitely the end of this series though, and I have no plans for another sequel, because I'm happy where this leaves off. Again, thank you all so much. Until next time <3

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of He's My Favorite