thisavrou | text; have u seen this bone

[To say Sans hasn't been around recently is a massive understatement. Since his public dumping, he's been taking in the scenery of his bedroom relatively exclusively. Occasionally he would broaden his scope and investigate the inside of an empty bag of chips for extra crumbs, but that was only on good days.

More than anything, he slept. That was supposed to change today, at Papyrus's nagging, petulant insistence. They'd agreed to meet today in one of his little brother's patented snap out of it jogs around the ship. Sans had never looked forward to exercise quite so much.

When Papyrus didn't show and the MID directory listed his name wreathed in nervewracking red, that excitement turned quickly to gnawing, persistent denial.]

hey so. hope everyone's doing alright. heard a lot of babies crying through my door the last few weeks. lemme know if you need babysitters, i've been looking for a few more chairs around here.

anyway...

i was wondering if anyone's seen my bro, papyrus. he's a morale officer around here, you may have met him through that? if you haven't, here's a picture. it's kinda old, he sent it to me from his MID a few months back. still looks pretty much the same, but his uniform might have more puff paint on it now (he's the circled one).

just to get this out of the way now: yeah, we're skeletons. yeah, we're really alive. no, how we eat isn't that interesting.

it's no big deal if you haven't seen him, he a busy guy. but if you DO see him could you let him know his brother's looking for him. he knows where to find me.

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right, yeah. thanks again, toriel.

[And, against all better judgment...]

things okay with you?

[She just stares at the text for a long moment. Partially surprised he replied again.]

I have been better. I have been worse. I cannot complain.

[Well. Sans knows a shut down when he hears it. Can't really blame her, either, as much as he wishes he could rewind time right about now. It'd be nice to have his best friend right about now.

Not that he feels he deserves her. Who would?]

cool, cool. glad to hear it.

[Toriel is content to leave the conversation there. She does for at least for ten minutes until her natural concern hits her. Even with that her next message is short and a bit sharp.]

I know you are not well. So I will not bother asking. I'd rather not waste our times.

Remember to take care of yourself, at least for your brother's sake.

[The words sting. He was staying in his room this long for her, or so he told himself. It was a convenient lie, anyway.]

i'm really fine, t. but i will, promise.

[As soon as he sent the word promise, he regretted it. It wasn't a word he used lightly to begin with, but it was one that always came so much easier with Toriel.

Easy enough that he forgot what became of his last one.]

[The next response on Sans part just makes her... angry. Far angrier than she expects.]

Do not make idle promises you cannot keep. Much less promises you have no intention of keeping.

You are going to continue wallowing in your room. You will make excuses and hide. You cannot live like that. Not for yourself, not for Papyrus.

i mean, i appreciate that you're concerned, tori. i do.

but with all due respect.

kinda... not your problem anymore, is it?

Ah, yes.

Thank you for the reminder. I won't waste either of our times anymore. Well, my time at least.