Having discovered his voice, Sans' brother "spoke" quite a bit-- not actual words yet, just babbling nonsense, but it was a nearly constant thing. And he had one of those voices-- where Sans' voice was low, his was high, where Sans' voice was soft, his was sharp, and where Sans' voice curved and dipped, his voice stood out tall and straight. It was one of those voices that demanded attention, regardless of the actual words. It was a proud voice.

Since hearing his brother's voice, Sans had been running through all the fonts he could remember from his own name-hunting days.

It had to be the right name. It had to be perfect.

But none of the fonts seemed to fit. They all fell short of the-- ... Of the greatness that was his brother.

So he asked Jeff for help.

"all the tall fonts," he told Jeff, "all of 'em that are tall and straight and... and proud. the ones that are different because they're unusual and amazing and..."

Jeff had nodded, and told Sans he would see what he could find.

From then on, every few days, he would bring Sans a paper or two on which he had printed off a bunch of fonts.

Still, none seemed to fit.

Gaster found some of the papers.

"Sans, S643 is a test subject. Not your brother, and certainly not getting a name."

"you let me have a name."

"And I will not make that mistake twice."

Jeff always took the papers with him when he left, after that.

And still the hunt continued. Jeff started looking farther and farther, hunting through old archives, looking through obscure old typography books, until, finally...

"papyrus." Sans paused, one finger on the printed word. He looked at his sleeping brother, then gently poked him.

The small form uncurled, peering through sleepy eyesockets up at Sans. "Nyeh...?" He questioned.

"papyrus? pap?"

The small skeleton grinned. He didn't know the significance of those words, but he liked the way they sounded.

"Is that it?" Jeff asked, smiling. "Papyrus?"

They both looked at the small skeleton. At Papyrus. "Paah-... Pa'yw-... Pa'ywuh...?"

The edges of Sans' grin lifted. "yeah. papyrus."

And so, he was Papyrus.

Of course, Gaster wasn't happy to learn they had named S643, but in the end, he realized, there was nothing he could really do to stop them.

Not like it mattered in the end. It was still S643. Still his test subject.

~o0o~

Gaster had told Sans that he was increasing the dosages again.

This was the biggest size increase yet.

Sans hadn't gotten used to the previous increase yet. It still hurt immensely, still had him screaming and writhing against the restraints, begging but hardly able to understand his own words...

A bigger dosage would hurt even more.

Perhaps he would ask Gaster again about just knocking him out right off the bat. Sometimes the Royal Scientist would actually do it. Maybe Sans would get lucky.

And then, suddenly, it was time for him to get up.

As he walked behind Gaster down the hall, Papyrus's hand in his, stepping alongside him, he felt something strange.

He was scared. Scared of the bigger dosage, scared it would kill him, scared he would crumble to dust...

Scared he would leave Papyrus behind.

He couldn't do that. He couldn't let Papyrus be alone here.

That alone stirred the Determination in his bones, in his Soul. It flared through his body.

He would survive this. He had to survive this.

And then Jeff met them in the hallway. Papyrus went with him, smiling over his shoulder and waving to Sans as they walked away.

And then Sans and Gaster were walking into the lab. Sans' Soul was pounding.

He took off his clothes. Laid back on the table. Gaster started tightening down the restraints.

"h-hey-... hey gaster?"

Gaster didn't stop with his work. "Hm?"

"d-... d'you think you could just-... just knock me out for it?"

Gaster did pause now, glancing at Sans' face. "I've never fully knocked you out for the phase one injections."

"we-... we've also never done any this big-... i- i'm just really nervous, an'... and i remember you sayin' once before that my body accepts it better if i'm relaxed, an- and i'm not gonna be relaxing any time-"

"That's enough, Sans."

Sans stopped talking.

Gaster sighed. "I suppose I could give you a sedative."

"please?"

Another sigh. "One minute."

Gaster walked away. A few moments later, he returned, and held a cup to Sans' mouth. "Drink."

Sans did so, struggling not to gag on the thick, gross-tasting liquid.

It only took a minute or two before the sedative took affect. Sans started to feel woozy, and his head felt light and fluffy. And then he slipped into darkness.

It was quiet. And warm. Soft. Nothing there, just dark. Peaceful.

Sometimes a slight pressure along his chest or limbs or skull, but it always faded quickly, and wasn't all that uncomfortable.

Sans could have stayed like that forever, in that calm darkness.

And then there was a shockingly loud, sickening CRACK! and Sans was suddenly very awake, and quite aware despite the sedative, but unable to control the way his body writhed against the restraints, unable to do anything about the agony that ripped through him.

And he was screaming, screaming long and loud and hard, and his vision was going dark again, choked thick with all the dust, dust, so much dust. Where had all this dust come from?

And then there was a sound like shattering glass, and everything stopped.

It was black again. Something in the back of Sans' mind clicked into place.

Dust. Shattering. Darkness.

He had died, hadn't he? Yes, he had.

But no! No! He couldn't die! He couldn't leave Papyrus!

Reset             Continue

Sans stared, breathing hard, at the two words in front of him.

Continue. He had to continue. He had to be there for Papyr--

~o0o~

--alked behind Gaster down the hall, Papyrus's hand in his, stepping alongside him, he felt something strange.

He was scared. Scared of the bigger dosage, scared it would kill him, scared he would crumble to dust...

Scared he would leave Papyrus behind.

He couldn't do that. He couldn't let Papyrus be alone here.

That alone stirred the Determination in his bones, in his Soul. It flared through his body.

He would survive this. He had to survive this.

And then Jeff met them in the hallway. Papyrus went with him, smiling over his shoulder and waving to Sans as they walked away.

And then Sans and Gaster were walking into the lab. Sans' Soul was pounding.

He took off his clothes. Laid back on the table. Gaster started tightening down the restraints.

"h-hey-... hey gaster?"

Gaster didn't stop with his work. "Hm?"

"d-... d'you think you could just-... just knock me out for it?"

Gaster did pause now, glancing at Sans' face. "I've never fully knocked you out for the phase one injections."

"we-... we've also never done any this big-... i- i'm just really nervous, an'... and i remember you sayin' once before that my body accepts it better if i'm relaxed, an- and i'm not gonna be relaxing any time-"

"That's enough, Sans."

Sans stopped talking.

Gaster sighed. "I suppose I could give you a sedative."

"please?"

Another sigh. "One minute."

Gaster walked away. A few moments later, he returned, and held a cup to Sans' mouth. "Drink."

Sans started to, then coughed, spluttering and choking. This was familiar. This had happened.

Gaster cocked his head slightly to the side, the ridge of one brow raised. "Changed your mind? Suit yourself."

Gaster slipped away.

"w-wait!! wait, gaster!! no, you can't--!! please, wait-- no, no, listen-- no, no, nonononoNONONONNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHAAAAAHH--HH-AAAAAGGGHHAAA ---

Something broke.

Blackness.

No, no no no! Sans

Could not

DIE.

He had to be there for--

~o0o~

--alked behind Gaster down the hall, Papyrus's hand in his, stepping alongside him, he felt something strange.

He was scared. Scared of the bigger dosage, scared it would kill him, scared he would crumble to dust...

Scared he would leave Papyrus behind.

He couldn't do that. He couldn't let Papyrus be alone here.

That alone stirred the Determination in his bones, in his Soul. It flared through his body.

He would survive this. He had to--

This had happened.

Sans stopped.

This had happened.

"Sa-an'?" Papyrus asked, calling Sans name as best he could, curious as to why they had stopped.

At Papyrus's voice, Gaster turned around too.

"Sans. Come."

"n-no! no, i can't!"

"... What?"

"it'll kill me! i'll die-- i don' wanna die!"

"Sans." --so long as the first test subject is fully functioning, I will not need to experiment on-- "Now."

"t-this's already happened, 'n' i just die! the increased dosage kills me, and i won't do it!"

-- if you cooperate, if you do everything I say, then S643 won't be--

Sans suddenly found himself being shoved aside with Blue Magic, his head slamming against the wall with surprising force.

And Gaster was scooping up Papyrus, who was sobbing and writhing, walking away--

"NO!!" Sans screamed. "PLEASE, NO--!!"

-- cooperate, if you do everything--

But when he tried to stand, he found that his head hurt, and he was too dizzy, flopping back onto the floor--

--say, then S643 won't--

"PLEASE-!!"

Jeff found him like that, lying sprawled on the floor, sobbing and shaking.

"Sans?! What-- oh Annoying Dog-- Sans, your skull is cracked--!"

As Jeff started to heal the cracks in Sans skull, the healing Magic calmed him down just a bit.

"Now," Jeff said, gathering Sans up in his arms, "tell me what happened."

Sans started to sob out the story, in bits an pieces.

Gaster took Papyrus. That was priority.

Why? Because Sans hadn't wanted to do the injections. Had refused to.

Why? Because it had killed him.

It had killed him.

So he had gone back. Gone back to change it. Fix it. Couldn't die.

Gone back.

Gone back.

Blackness.

Reset             Continue

Without hesitancy, Sans reached for reset.

He had to fix--

~o0o~

--alked behind Gaster down the hall, Papyrus's hand in his, stepping alongside him, he felt something strange.

He was scared. Scared of the bigger dosage, scared it would kill him, scared he would crumble to dust...

Scared he would leave Papyrus behind.

He couldn't do that. He couldn't let Papyrus be alone here.

That alone stirred the Determination in his bones, in his Soul. It flared through his body.

He would survive this. He had to--

This had happened.

Sans stopped.

This had happened.

"Sa-an'?" Papyrus asked, calling Sans name as best he could, curious as to why they had stopped.

At Papyrus's voice, Gaster turned around too.

"Sans. Come."

Sans took a breath. If he refused, Papyrus would be taken instead. If he obeyed, he would die.

"Sans."

"g-gaster-- i-- you gotta decrease the dosage--"

Gaster frowned. "What?"

"p-please- please, it'll kill me this high. i don' wanna die--... please, don't take pap-- just not so much-- please d-dec-rease t-the dos-sage---"

Sans was suddenly aware that he was sobbing.

Gaster took a step forward, expression blank. "Sans-..."

Sans pushed Papyrus back, dropping to his knees. "p-please!!! i'll do the injection, just p-please don't m-ma-ke it so much!! please, dings!! don't take my brother!! please, i'll do the injection, please, dings lower the dosage--"

"Sans, enough-"

"What's going on here?" That was Jeff.

"please." Sans whispered, his face wet, tears still dripping from his eyesockets, still on his knees.

"That's none of your business, Jeff. Sans, if you don't come now, I will use S643 instead."

"gaster-- i-- i'll come, just please, lower the dosage!! i don' wanna die!"

"I am not going to-"

"Why not?" Jeff demanded. His fur was standing on end. "Look at him, Gaster. He's on his knees, begging. And it's not even that you stop, just that you lower the dosage. Why can you not do something so small as that? Does Sans mean so little to you that you disregard any of his concerns and fears, even his biggest one?"

For a moment, Gaster just stood there, looking at them all with his cold stare.

"... Fine. I'll decrease the dosage."

~o0o~

Sans began to wake up.

He could feel Papyrus in his arms, clinging to his shirt.

He started to sob. His body shook, trembling, as he choked and cried, hugging his brother to his chest.

"Sans?" Jeff asked, a hand still on Sans' shoulder.

Sans couldn't answer. He could only cling to his brother, sobbing, sobbing so hard, clutching his brother for dear life.

Papyrus just hugged him back.

§

A/N

So, if anyone wants to read a depressing short story on Gaster's reaction in the timelines where Sans dies, if you go to my profile, it's in the Undertale short stories collection. It's title is "A Mistake."

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! Remember, votes and comments are not only always welcome, but always appreciated, too!