Cage Of Bones

Chapter 43: Dying Breath

Author's Note: Well THAT certainly escalated quickly. But YAY! Papyrus is free now! Let's see how he's doing, shall we?

Trigger Warning(s): Uncensored language, implied off-screen murder, implied off-screen character death, examples of racism/dehumanization, examples of internalized racism/dehumanization (if you squint), references to past physical/magical violence against another character, references to past child abuse/endangerment (both physical and emotional), reference to past suicide attempts (real & fake), references to past suicidal ideation, victim blaming, gaslighting, misuse of firearms, physical/magical violence against another character, and on-screen character death. Viewer discretion is advised.

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The first thing Papyrus saw when he opened his eyes was white light shining straight into his sockets, causing him to wince and bring a hand up to shield his face as he groaned in mild discomfort.

The light was immediately turned off as Adara's face filled his vision, immediately making quick work of disconnecting wires and peeling sensors off of his skull with a frantic expression.

"Oh my goodness, you poor dear, are you okay?! Didn't mean to blind you there! Okay, try not to make any sudden movements, alright? Your body has been put through a lot of strain that you haven't really been feeling so it's probably best to take it slow for a bit while your brain plays catch up..." she'd state, her voice dipping into a professional tone as she helped him sit up slightly on the cot he was laying down on.

"A-Adara? What are you doing here? And what do you-?"

He quickly realized what she meant as he quickly brought a hand to his skull; hissing at the dull, burning ache that he was starting to feel from the scorch mark adorning its surface.

"Y-Yeah...sorry about that Pap...got a little carried away earlier..."

Papyrus immediately identified the owner of the voice as he looked across the lab to see Grillbz sitting in a chair, looking the palest the skeleton has ever seen him as he offered a weak smile; the tips of his fiery hair a kaleidoscope of blacks, purples, and whites.

"What the hell HAPPENED to you?!" he asked worriedly, shifting forward slightly to get a better look at Grillbz.

"You look like death!"

"Easy for YOU to say!" Fiyoku remarked as she walked up next to her father, offering him a hot water bottle that he gratefully pressed to his forehead as he took a few deep, measured breaths.

"Turns out dad got his soul shit all linked up with your brother's and can feel all of Sans' fear and pain as well as his own right now; so you can imagine how Sans' panic attack earlier may have messed him up a bit." she continued, offering a short laugh to hide the residual panic she was likely experiencing just a few moments ago because of that exact scenario.

Papyrus' eyes would widen at the news, looking over towards Grillbz in concern.

"Are you going to be alright?"

Grillbz would raise a hand and wave it dismissively at the skeleton.

"It's nothing to worry about Pap, I'll be fine." he'd answer, his daughter nodding in turn.

"Yep! We're working on something to give Sans an extra boost! Hopefully in a few minutes he'll have the upper hand and there'll be less reason for EITHER of these knuckleheads to worry! The sooner that happens, the sooner dad's soul can stop freaking out! Problem solved!"

"THAT'S if Sans can actually survive long enough for us to get this done. I know he means well, but he just made this situation far riskier than we thought it would be. Hopefully our pair of Dreemurrs gets back soon. We're gonna need all hands on deck once Alphys wraps this up." Kacee added, handing a tool off to Alphys as the scientist went back to her makeshift workstation.