[Voice-testing!]

[skelebros]

 Wow, uh...

...I really don't know what you're trying to accomplish here. I just got done getting yanked from place to place by a human with too much power. Not really keen on going through it again. It wasn't a great time. 

[But Sans, think of all the sights you could see!]

I was never really interested in getting out to begin with, remember? I'd really kind of just like to be left to sleep for a month. New and exciting sights and experiences...that's more my brother's thing. He's cool that way. 

...but, look. If, uh, if he wants to go somewhere, I'm going with him. Of course I am. I'd get "bonely" without him. So if you insist on this, and if he wants to do it, and if you make sure he has a good time, I'll make sure you don't have a bad one.

Capiche? 

((ooc: This is technically a joint journal for Sans and Papyrus. I'm defaulting to Sans for now, but one, the other, or both brothers might appear as necessary or requested.))

Comments

[dustless]

...They--muns don't always listen, but you two together might be enough.

[Frisk is kind of quiet. They get a feeling this particular Sans doesn't care for them much.]

[skelebros]

[Actually, upon realizing that Frisk is there, Sans looks about as awkward as a skeleton ever can. He of all people should know how easy it is for someone to be unexpectedly listening, since he's usually the one unexpectedly listening.

It's not that he doesn't care about Frisk - he does. A lot. At least, the kid who went far enough to reach the point of introducing themselves as Frisk. But the idea that Frisk could still reset everything is not a good one, and one tends to develop trust issues after a few dozen resets.]

we usually are.

[Fortunately, Papyrus has a way of making most situations less awkward.]

OF COURSE WE ARE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH ON MY OWN! HAVING SANS WITH ME IS ALMOST UNFAIR, REALLY!

BUT, HUMAN! HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INVOLVED IN THESE AIMLESS SHENANIGANS?

[dustless]

[They understand, definitely. Even the only one they wanted to do was to actually get them to the surface and then stop. But replay value.]

Yeah, you're too tough and cool. Being by yourself with your mun can be a little boring, though. [Frisk doesn't mind their own--the fallen child not being a part of the deal here is pretty nice--just the thought of a skeleton brother being alone without the other makes their chest tight.]

Same as you. Mun wanted to see if she could figure me out. And I wanted to talk to her to keep her from [infinitesimal pause] having a bad time. So I'm stuck here, I guess.

[skelebros]

[It's an idea that makes Sans' chest tight, too, and that's an especially interesting feeling for a skeleton. Papyrus would feel the same, at the idea, except that Papyrus really doesn't have a concept of Sans not being there. It's never something he's lived through, never something he's thought he might have to live through, and so the idea really doesn't compute.]

well, you do seem to have a talent for making the best of a sticky situation, kiddo. [And a talent for keeping others from having a bad time.] shame you keep ending up in them.

to be honest, it wouldn't be so bad here if the mun who scooped us up had more of a sense of humor.

IT'S NOT THAT SHE HAS NO SENSE OF HUMOR. IT'S THAT SHE HAS STANDARDS.

[Actually, mun is most regretful at her lack of good pun knowledge.]

she needs a joke book. it's, um, kind of "punthetic".

[dustless]

That's 'cause I know there's always a way out of bad things. [Frisk is certain of that.]

I think that's why you're here. So she has practice figuring that stuff out.

[Their lips twitch at what Papyrus contributes.] Bad laughs are worth it sometimes. You smile at them. [A finger points right at the taller one's mouth.] I've seen it!

oh my god you have my eternal gratitude. *bookmarks the hell out of that link*

[skelebros]

[Papyrus promptly covers his mouth as though to hide the evidence.] I DO NOT! AND EVEN IF I DID, WHICH I DON'T, I WOULD HATE IT ANYWAY!

[Sans, meanwhile, looks as though he's having trouble standing up straight, the urge to laugh is so great. Frisk has permission to tease Papyrus. This is permission not lightly given, but it's kind of fun to watch.] search your feelings, bro. you know it to be true.

and hey. [He offers Frisk a companionable wink.] we're very big fans of finding ways out of bad things. so we're happy to help.

AND ALSO BECAUSE WE'RE FRIENDS!

and also that. i guess. [Definitely because of that.]

it is not the end-all solution but you are welcome \o/

[dustless]

[Frisk stands on tiptoe, trying to pull his hands down from his face. They're not quite tall enough.] A smile is a smile. Deep down, I'm sure you love them!

There are...bad things around here, but good ones too. [They nod seriously even though they're grinning.] We're the best and we'll be able to get through anything.

Every little bit helps, with me.

[skelebros]

[Noooo, Frisk! Show mercy! Let him keep his dignity, spare him from Sans never letting him hear the end of this!

Or at least letting him hear the end of it even less than he does already!]

we are that.

here, Frisk, lemme give you a hand with that.

[Humans are so light despite having all those extra squishy bits. Or at least, that's Sans' thought as he pretty easily hoists Frisk around the waist up within reach of Papyrus' mouth.

And because Papyrus is incapable of putting up a real fight against Frisk, they will soon prove victorious.

But really, the entire scene is enough to set Papyrus off in a fit of much less reluctant "nyeh-heh-heh!"s.]

making puns is unexpectedly punishing! (also sry for SLOW)

[dustless]

[NO MERCY FOR YOU NOW, PAPYRUS.]

[Despite yelping lightly at Sans' unexpected boost, Frisk wastes no time in grabbing at the taller one's arms and tugging them down away from his face, giggling.]

See! See. You're even laughing. [They cling to his arm with theirs and wrap their legs around his ribcage, sort of, in a strangely-angled but still genuine hug.]

No need to be sry! Your Frisk is adorable enough to be well worth the wait!

[skelebros]

[Oh, well then! Hugs from Frisk can make up for a great many indignities. It might be a bit strangely angled, but that's okay, because Papyrus is kind of strangely angled. He even pulls them nearer in a proper hug, too.]

WELL...MAYBE I AM. AND MAYBE IT'S...NOT TERRIBLE.

[Sans, for his part, stumbles a little as Frisk's weight is suddenly removed. But he's laughing, too.

These...these are the kind of moments that keep him sane. No matter what might happen next.]

hey. we'll take care of ourselves wherever we end up. so you take care of yourself wherever you end up. okay?

though, in the spirit of innocent inquiry...where are you hanging your hypothetical hat these days?

hbgh thank you good 2 know that despite having no idea what i'm doing

[dustless]

Of course. Know you have a funny bone yourself, too. [Frisk heard a few things hiding behind that conveniently-shaped lamp. They rest their cheek against the shoulder of his battle body for a moment, smiling affectionately.]

I know you will. You're always gonna be protecting each other.

[They tilt their head back until they're staring at Sans almost upside-down.] And I've only been here, though my mundane might be putting me in a thing called a "dressing room" soon. [Frisk gives him a curious look. What about the brothers?]

Neither do I! I just fake it exceptionally well.

[skelebros]

[And when Frisk says that, Sans can actually believe it.]

no big plans for us, either. mun hasn't found anywhere cool enough for two guys like us yet.

[Or even anyplace cool enough for one cool guy like (sansational) who is probably the one likely to get sent anywhere.] until then, we're just hanging around where we can. [Mostly on memes.]

"dressing room", huh? sounds like it could be fun, though. if it's got the space. [Even Sans can admit that more than one of him is probably two too many.]

the wingin' it club

[dustless]

[Frisk would be incredibly proud of that if they entirely knew.]

Cool places are...not always that way for us. [They're well aware muse pain is most players' favorite things, even though Frisk hasn't dealt with the brunt of it themselves.]

It might be. It's actually empty right now. She wants to make it happen in a few days when she's less busy. [Frisk is pretty confident things'll go fine if they're the ones first put in there. Mun is plenty more nervous.]

Or heyfreemagic maybe. I don't think you can both go at once, though... [Frisk is very concerned about that.]

We have badges. And cake.

[skelebros]

OF COURSE WE CAN. WHY WOULDN'T WE? [Papyrus is not concerned about that, because sometimes Sans has done too good of a job making sure Papyrus doesn't have things to be concerned about. Sans, meanwhile, looks to be downright dreading the imminent possibility, for a moment, before he banishes the expression from his face to look between his brother and his friend.]

if it comes to that, we'll figure something out, kiddo. either way, somebody's gotta keep an eye-socket on you, right? [Especially guys who made promises to ladies with very bad senses of humor.]

but, you know. keep us posted on the idea where it won't come to that, okay? When the mun behind the kid is a little less busy.

THAT WOULD BE BEST. BESIDES, OURS' IS QUITE BUSY AS WELL. IT'S TERRIBLY INCONVENIENT FOR ALL INVOLVED!

and pies! pies are pretty good.

[dustless]

Player rules. [They lightly thunk their forehead against the battle body's shoulder pauldrons again.] Don't like it. Either.

[Frisk thinks they can take care of themselves yes Sans, they did die, Undyne is very good at her job but the thought is still pretty nice.]

I'm gonna. Promise. I miss you guys. [It isn't hard to admit.]

Schedules are weird. [In general. They're still used to a few cycles of the Underground, where there's no sun. Operating on any kind of time-day thing actually throws them off.]

Pies are the best. And also quiches.

[skelebros]

[Papyrus shoots Sans a slightly helpless look over the top of Frisk's head. Sans, the human is sad! Why is the human sad? Help him making the human not be sad!]

SCHEDULES ARE WEIRD! BUT THEY ARE NOT SO BAD, IF YOU WORK HARD AT THEM! IF I DIDN'T HAVE A SCHEDULE, I WOULD NEVER HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO DO EVERYTHING I DO EVERYDAY! [Admittedly, it can still wind up a moot point because Undyne is not as into schedules as Papyrus is. Not to mention the lack of a day and night cycle. They adjust the best they can - for some people, Mettaton's programming is better than a clock.]

SANS DOES NOT NEED A SCHEDULE, BECAUSE ALL HE DOES IS SLEEP!

you know it. and hey, frisk...we miss you, too. [It isn't hard to admit. Frisk is their friend.]

and then my internet cut out for days ugh (i haven't actually had quiche)

[dustless]

[They nod a little, expecting Papyrus to at least feel it.]

Sleep's good sometimes. So are schedules. I think... You need to keep a balance between both of you.

[Frisk looks around and gives Sans a tiny smile. They don't want him--they don't want either of them to feel bad, but it's nice to know they're not being forgotten.]

No worries! If you ever want to thread something off of DM, let me know!

[skelebros]

hehe. don't worry about it, frisk. we balance each other out okay. [Actually, they balance one another damn near perfectly, though mostly courtesy of Papyrus' efforts to keep Sans on the level of "basically functional".

Papyrus, in turn, can't help but grumble a little:] I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE TO SLEEP.

oh, yeah? if you didn't sleep, how could you get a bedtime story?

[Papyrus...actually has no good answer for that one.

Sans smiles back up at the kid. He knows better than most that sometimes feeling bad is better than not feeling anything at all. Sometimes, you have to feel bad, because it's not right that you shouldn't feel anything.]

hey, papyrus, stop hogging frisk for a second.

OH. SORRY.

[Frisk will find themselves carefully set on their feet, which gives Sans the opportunity to move in and ruffle their eminently ruffle-able hair.]

\o/ LIFE IS BEING RUDE TO ME LATELY but made a thing* if you wanna toss em in there!

[dustless]

[They kinda figured that out, but they don't really know how to tackle that subject. And don't entirely want to right now.]

[The nod.] Still. For that kind of thing, work on it a tiny bit more. Sleep can be nice. Especially if you can get a lot of blankets and hide in them. Too much can make you feel worse, though.

[They make a funny squeak at the tough, but immediately lean into it. It's a little rougher than when Toriel did it, but it's still nice.]

[Almost reflexively, they reach over and brush their fingers over the top of Sans' skull.]


*castle_perrault

[determinedpacifist]

Why would I ever give Papyrus a bad time? He's a big sweetheart!

[skelebros]

Obviously you wouldn't, Frisk. You're cool. [He actually doesn't so much as twitch at the sight of the child. In general, any time Frisk actually talks to them, it's as good a sign as any that they're talking to Frisk.]

But, uh, not all humans are as cool as you.

NOT YET! BUT FOR NOW, ONLY THE COOLEST OF HUMANS ARE ALLOWED TO BE OUR FRIEND!

[Sans offers the human a wink.] we're very exclusive, you see.

[determinedpacifist]

(They rub their arm.)

Yeah, I know. Part of the reason I went to Mt. Ebott in the first place. Er, well, 'this version of me,' says the mun.

I'm glad you'll have me, though!

[resettheworld]

Sleep for a whole month? That's a long time. Why would you wanna sleep that long?

Are you really tired?

[skelebros]

uh, yeah? kind of generally.

i mean, it's not like i get my usual nine hours all that often, anyway. [Papyrus doesn't stand for it, and he's probably right not to. After all, for a monster to fall asleep and just stop is not unheard of.] it'd be nice to just...let things go on without me for a bit, you know? if i knew everyone was going to be okay. [No kids with knives coming along to kill all his friends or creepy golden flowers trying to mess with his brother.]

[resettheworld]

You'd hopefully have good dreams, but I think people would miss you.

You would wake up though...

[The goat kid sniffles. Little cry baby that he is.]

[skelebros]

...yeah. that'd be the plan, anyway.

guess not everyone's that lucky, huh?

[He reaches out to pat Asriel companionably on the shoulder. Sans is more than okay with crybabies, little or otherwise. He doesn't really remember the kid who sucked out his soul - he certainly doesn't recognize him as Flowey - but that doesn't change the fact that Asriel is obviously sad about something.]

[resettheworld]

[The goat kid smiles with the pat to the shoulder.]

Maybe you should tell everyone you're going on vacation. I mean...there aren't that many places to go in the Underground but I'm sure everyone will be okay with that.

[skelebros]

nah. [It's a nice thought, but Sans doesn't hesitate before shaking his head.] just because i might want to take it a little easier for a bit, that doesn't mean i'd want to be away from my brother that long. [Especially since Papyrus is the one who stops him taking it so easy that he doesn't get up out of bed.]

guess it'll just have to be a nice dream. maybe that's for the best. some dreams aren't that great after you wake up.

[resettheworld]

...I guess that's true. Sometimes they turn into nightmares...

[He sniffles again and wipes his eyes.] You're really nice. Your brother is lucky to have someone like you.

[skelebros]

[Sans draws back a little in honest surprise at the compliment - and then he laughs, as though Asriel has just told the best possible pun, before waving a hand carelessly.]

nah. i'm the lucky one. i'm not that great, after all - i just learned from the best.

don't worry. it's an easy mistake to make.

[resettheworld]

[Asriel blinks and his face falls.]

Did I say something wrong? [He's confused now. He doesn't quite understand just what Sans is saying or doing. Poor innocent thing.] If he's a great brother and you learned from him, then you're a great brother too. Right?

[skelebros]

[why are you so cute. Sans can't even right now, and he's already got a pretty high tolerance for cute just from hanging around Frisk.]

you didn't say anything wrong, kid. [He pats him softly on the head in reassurance. Most people don't understand what Sans is saying or doing. In general, he prefers it that way.]

i mean... [And here the joking is going away for a second.] ...that's nice of you to say. and i try to be. and i worry about it a lot.

[resettheworld]

[The goat-son smiles more and those rosy cheeks warm up. He reaches up to hold the bony hand on his head.]

Well...I think you can do it. You're really nice and I bet your brother really appreciates you.

And if he does; I'll have a bone to pick with him.

[skelebros]

[Asriel, if you hold his hand there, he might be forced to commit drastic measures.

He might be forced to give you head scritches.

In fact, he's on the verse of doing just that when Asriel drops that pun, and then Sans covers his mouth with his other hand as he laughs, openly and most appreciatively.]

wow. wow.

that was terrible. [But he says it in the same tone of voice that others might say "that was beautiful."]

[resettheworld]

[Asriel giggles from the reaction.]

I know. My Mom tells jokes like that all the time. Like one was; She is a Momster.

[skelebros]

oh, yeah? [It's surprisingly easy to pretend like he doesn't know who Asriel's talking about. Well...to almost pretend. Sans still visibly lights up in a way you don't normally see when you're talking about a total stranger.]

i always say, those who like bad jokes have an integrity about 'em that you just can't beat.

guess you come by it honestly, huh, kiddo?

[And he might just give Asriel a soft little head-scritch, at that.]

[resettheworld]

[Asriel laughs and leans into the soft little scritchs. They feel good!]

I can thanks my Mom and Dad. They're good like that. Dad doesn't tell bad jokes but he gives good nose nuzzles.

[skelebros]

ah, nose nuzzling. a sacred tradition that i'm kind of always going to miss out on. [He taps the hole in his skull where his nose might be.]

i know a couple of pros, though. they've been at it for years - might give your dad a run for his money, one of these days.

[resettheworld]

My Dad is the champion snoot nuzzler. I bet he'd win against them.

And even if he lost, he'd be happy. Cause that's the kind of Dad he is.