Of a Better World

Brief, Brotherly Bickering

Horror had chucked the newcomer into the shed upon arriving home.

It was a brutish way to treat a guest, so it was fortunate that Horror didn't think of him as one. The lack of how and why the sans was in his universe in the first place easily dictated him as an invader over anything else. The guy could claim an innocent title once he woke up and explained himself.

Having no magic jammers on hand he instead opted to chain the smaller skeleton to the shed to prevent any teleporting. The large, rusted chains dwarfed the monster they were wrapped around. There was a stark contrast between thick, reddish steel and delicate, pale ivory bones.

 Skeletons really shouldn't be that small Horror thought, but he had no reference for comparison. Years of fighting over scraps and eating a diet that mostly consisted of humans had definitely morphed Horror into a beast of his former self. Constantly consuming human flesh and the large amounts of determination stored within it had… adverse effects. Thicker bones and a taller frame set him apart from his classic multiversal counterparts.

Despite Horror's irritation at the stranger's presence, he was no savage. Over the years, the lack of temperature regulation from the core had transformed Snowdin from a beautiful winter wonderland into a hostile environment that few survived. The frigid cold seeped into the poorly insulated shed and sucked warmth out of the very air. He was kind enough to layer a few moth eaten blankets on top of the sans to somewhat ease any discomfort. The sleeping skeleton curled deeper into their warmth.

Ignoring the fact that Horror had nearly decided to leave him to his death in the forest, it was a miracle the guy had even survived as long as he had. Even Horror himself began to feel Snowdin's harsh chill bearing down on him after not wearing his coat for a few moments. But this sans looked like he'd come from a universe with some sort of fabric shortage and hardly seemed much worse for wear.

He didn't particularly care enough to judge the skeleton's choice in apparel, but it was notably odd.

Even with the newcomer tucked safely away from public view, hiding him from his brother wasn't an option. Papyrus just seemed to have a knack for prying secrets out of him and for snooping in places where his nose shouldn't be. It was best Horror informed him of the situation before he started yapping all over. Hopefully his brother wouldn't feel inclined to keep the new sans.

A loud banging at the door couldn't have been better timed. Papyrus's voice came muffled through the thick shed door.

"SANS! YOU DIDN'T REPORT BACK AFTER YOUR PATROL! YOU'VE WORRIED QUITE A FEW OF US!"

Oh. No he hadn't. He'd simply disappeared, completely distracted by the new obstacle that stood between him and a perfectly normal day. Oh well. He wasn't dead.

"sorry paps. something, uh, came up."

He could hear the interest spike in his brother's voice. "A HUMAN?"

He wished.

"no, a little bit more confusing than that."

"...A PUZZLE?"

"just open the damn door paps."

Papyrus heaved the door open with practiced ease, and Sans was thankful the padlocks weren't on, knowing without doubt that they would have been broken in the taller skeleton's haste.

He was forced to duck as he entered the shed, a long arm closing the door behind him. Such an unusual diet hadn't left him completely unchanged either.

Papyrus was tall, freakishly so, and unable to stand straight lest he risk smashing his skull on the high ceiling of the shed. His arms were kept bent against his chest so they wouldn't drag on the ground. His battle body was torn in places where his torso has simply grown too big. All his spindly limbs moved rather ungracefully as he moved, an unsettling sight for some.

"SO WHAT'S THE MATTER, BROTHER?"

"that. that's the matter." Horror pointed to the unconscious body.

Papyrus' gaze followed his finger, sunken eyes scanning the area. He squinted for a moment, then looked back at Horror.

"A PILE OF BLANKETS?" He asked in a shrill voice. "IF YOU WANTED TO DO LAUNDRY, SANS THEN-"

"what's under the blankets, paps."

He walked over to the sans and kicked the blanket off of him, paying little mind to the other's safety or the fact that he could have caught the guy square in the chest. Horror pointed again, at the very obvious look alike.

He could see the gears turning in his brother's head, albeit pretty slowly.

"YOU HAVE A TWIN?!"

"my god, paps, no-"

"WELL THIS SURELY IS A CAUSE FOR SUCH EXCITEMENT, I UNDERSTAND NOW!"

"that's not even remotely close- dammit, lemme-"

"WE MUST INTRODUCE EVERYONE TO THIS NEW MEMBER OF OUR FAMILY!"

"paps."

"WHAT'S HIS NAME?"

Horror fumbled around for some sort of explanation his brother could understand that also communicated the urgency of keeping the entire thing under wraps.

"he's not a twin…" Horror started, "he's a, um, alternate version of me?"

Papyrus blinked. "LIKE A CLONE?"

"like a clone."

"AN EVIL CLONE?"

"no paps, but making clones is... illegal? you gotta stay quiet about this, okay?"

Papyrus nodded, not really paying much attention at all as he scratched his chin.

"OH, WELL ALRIGHT. I'LL KEEP IT SECRET, BUT ONLY IF I GET TO NAME HIM! HIS NAME SHALL BE SANS 2.0; THE NEWER, BETTER VERSION-"

"you know what? sure. whatever. but the guy is knocked out, at least wait."

"WHAT? NO HE ISN'T."

"what the fuck do you mean he isn't-"

And he wasn't. He was wide awake, having pulled himself into the farthest corner of the room at some point during their argument. He was alert. He was staring at the two brothers with wide eyes. And he was absolutely terrified.