Sans regarded the shadowy blob that was Dr. Gaster with a mixture of caution and anger. "My brother," he began, but didn't finish. The unspoken question hung in the air for a moment before the doctor's response came.

(Your brother is fine, all things considered. You understand, of course, that it would be nearly impossible for him to returned to reality.) The white mask Gaster had for a face didn't shift as he spoke.

"Nearly," Sans was determined. He had a brother, Papyrus, who he could finally remember. The human wasn't willing to back down quite yet.

Gaster glitched around, (All the progress I made on the machine in the previous timeline was reset when the void pulled you in. Unfortunately, we will have to start building it from scratch again.)

The lab was dusty [like the machine like the doctor's soul like the memories in Sans' head]. The brother watched the particles of dirt flutter about in the nonexistent breeze before turning back to the character who shouldn't quite exist. "The machine didn't work last time."

(It did,) the monster stared forward, darkness his eyes, (However, I didn't account for the pull the void would create. You recall when I explained the source of discoloration in your left eye?) Sans nodded slowly, remembering the doctor's experiment, (The void is unique in that it doesn't quite exist. In that way, neither do I. Because my soul was implanted into your own, it was pulled towards the void. Things that don't exist, truly, are naturally drawn together in order to prevent paradoxes. Which, I might add, you are.

(I underestimated the void's pull, and you walked straight into it. Really, you should be thanking me,) Sans scoffed under his breath, still bitter over the memories he regained, (I managed to forcibly reset using the powers you haven't used yet. Had you entered the void you would have become just like me, Sans. A forgotten blip on the radar of reality.)

Shifting on his feet, Sans stared into the doctor's hollow eyes unflinching. An idea was forming in the back of his mind. "What makes you think the machine will work better this time around?" The human hesitantly asked. His mind was wandering elsewhere.

Gaster looked away, (I'll have to work on the design. Perhaps more determination would help.) The monster spiraled off into a collection of ideas and speculations for his project, (It might be best if you could get to the save screen. Seeing as controlling time like that is against the rules of reality...)

Ignoring the quiet rantings of the doctor, Sans slowly proceeded around the lab. The stacks of papers on the floor weren't knocked around and smudged. Instead, the files were neatly stacked to one side, as if someone had been reading them recently and had pulled them aside for easier access. Sans' multicolored eyes flashed up to the doctor. He couldn't have moved the papers... Gaster was incapable of interacting with the real world as far as Sans knew.

The ex-royal scientist was glaring down harshly at the human, but seemed to chuckle darkly. He inched forward. (I'm growing stronger.) He calmly stated, briefly flashing his gaze to the pile of papers. There was really no point in hiding much around the human anymore. (I may have enough magic of my own to do certain... actions soon. But not soon enough. Not to mention, if you don't help with the machine, then your brother will never be saved.)

Sans' fingers twitched into a fist that shook weakly by his sides, twisting the fabric of his pants. "You keep talking about him, Papyrus," the name fell off of his tongue, and Sans shook at the thought of how foreign the name really was to him, "You keep telling me to hurry for him. To act for him. But you still haven't let me see him or hear him. Everything you say about Papyrus could be a lie and I wouldn't even know."

It was Gaster's turn to twitch in discomfort. (Ah. I can see how this may be a problem for you. However unfortunate it may be, I cannot let you see your brother just yet.)

Sans raised an eyebrow.

(He was very unwell when he entered the void. I am unsure if he could currently survive much at this point.) Gaster supplied.

"Well then what's the point?" Sans shook in weakly concealed rage, "Build the machine and Papyrus dies? Don't build the machine and Papyrus dies? None of these options are working for me, doc."

(I imagined you would rather try to bring him back than to do nothing at all?) Sans shifted so Gaster continued, (Your brother's being a human likely helps his chances as well. Before the void swallowed us, I injected your brother with a potent dose of determination. On monster souls, determination doesn't do much, but on a human soul the effects of DT could be significant.

(Time control is a definite benefit that never worked for me, but you seem to have access to. Human souls are peculiar, and I'd love to study them more. Theoretically, a human soul with enough determination could do just about anything.)

An idea formed in Sans' mind. It started as a small idea and ended up as a small rebellion. Against what, he wasn't sure. The doctor? Monsterkind? Himself? It was hard to tell. But Sans had a brother, and he was determined to save him.

Alphys didn't show up at the lab that day. Sans suspected it was because he was a day or two early, but her absence may also have been caused by the fact that Sans shut himself into the lab, not even thinking about the door while there. The doctor, Gaster, proposed that Sans get to work on the machine in order to bring both himself and Papyrus back from the void, but the human was hesitant.

The problem was that Sans had an idea. Oftentimes, his ideas worked out, but this one was rather risky. There was some determination vials in the back of the lab, the true lab. Sans had spotted them briefly before, though they were trivial enough to overlook at the time. But then the Dr. Gaster had explained the properties of the crimson substance.

Sans was curious, but not stupid. The determination burned terribly the first time, and he couldn't imagine it would feel great if he were to inject it again. Sans wasn't stupid, but he was a bit reckless, if only for a good reason. DT was dangerous, but the doctor had given him a short break before they were to start work on the machine. Something about fragile human bodies or something. Sans wasn't sure. The human guessed Gaster just wanted to preserve strength in order to control his body more. [Sans had finally grown used to the silence; the lack of constant (stop)(starting) of the doctor's magic moving his body through the motions. A quiet urging to listen to the doctor when he wasn't there.]

Sans had the time, the means, and a mission to complete. The problem was how to go about it. The doctor was stronger now more than ever, and Sans still didn't trust him. Determination vials were glowing red in the palm of the human's hand, unmoving but still there. His brother, living in the void, but maybe just dying there. And Sans, planning but quiet still.

The oldest brother's plan was about as reckless as they got. If determination was capable of anything when in a human's soul, then who was to say Sans could enter the void without the machine? And what could stop Sans from saving his brother from the cold grip of nothingness and prying him out with that determination?

Sans looked at the red vials in his hands.

[Red was the color that burned through Sans' veins and arteries. Red was the color that scorched his insides and tore a scream from his throat. Red was the color of determination. And Sans was. Red was the color that made the world around him lose it. Color, that was. The world grew dark around Sans, then darker. Darker still until the world was a shade of black that felt photoshopped out of existence. All things considered, that was probably for the best, seeing as the human's goal was to located the void, a place that didn't exist.

Sans moved his arms around the darkness despite the claustrophobia that tickled his skin. His arms felt odd, the human realized. Numb, but compliant. Warm, but wet. His left eye was glowing a faint blue color and the occasional burst of yellow helped him to see. The human didn't look down at them.

But he did look around. Mostly looking for his brother, but also for the doctor. The darkness that was the void made it hard to see much, and the lack of anything made it difficult to judge distances. Despite everything, Sans still looked. He looked despite the numbness that was spreading up his arms and tickling his face.

A faint glow of white caught Sans' eye from somewhere else in the void and Sans moved towards it. He didn't walk, but he also didn't float. It was like moving through the motions; you knew you had done something, but you didn't recall actually doing it.

By the time the human looked up from the darkness all around him Sans had reached his destination (or lack there of). Sleeping, or perhaps just still, was the small white figure in the gloom. A... skeleton? Sans blinked. Surely that wasn't..?

"Your brother?" The voice chilled him, "Yes."

Jumping, Sans turned to see the doctor, more whole than he expected, watching carefully. "Wh-what? This is a skeleton. Like—like you..?"

Gaster didn't appear to move, but he was much closer to the pair than he had been moments before, "I have a few theories on the matter. For one, I suspect our joining the void at the same time may have merged us somewhat. Another theory I have been contemplating is that he merely decomposed, but the void and DT kept him alive.

"Though I will admit, I did not expect you to inject that much determination into yourself to forcefully enter the void. I suspected you might but I suppose some part of me still believed you might just build the machine."

Something dripped down Sans' cheek and it wasn't black, like he was used to. It also didn't originate from his eye like he expected. Instead, the goop was... red? And the color of his skin? Shivers shook Sans' frame despite the lack of cold. The lack of feeling in his now numb body.

"The other theory I had," the doctor continued, unconcerened with Sans' rising panic," as to your brother's decomposition was the determination injection. You see, I've noticed that when one becomes too determined too fast, they begin to... fall apart, for a lack of better words. This is why you shouldn't have gotten into my things, human. Who knows what could happen."

Skin and blood spilled down Sans' face which was quickly becoming just bone and raw nerve endings. Sinewy chunks slapped harshly against the human's legs as the tumbled out of his stomach. A quiet sob escaped Sans, not because of the pain (he couldn't feel anything) but because of the cold numbness that took over his body.

"You should have just listened to me, Sans. Though I suppose you could stay here with me for eternity." Gaster looked down, towering over the shriveling human, "Unless you'd like to try again? I'm sure we could find you some determination somewhere."

Sans shook from the weight of his decisions. "N-no."

"I'm sorry?"

Standing slightly, Sans glanced back at the still form of his maybe-dead brother. Dust was building on Papyrus' arms like the dust had collected on everything else Sans knew. Back at the lab, there was an old, broken clock that collected only dust now. His brother needed him. There was really no other hope for the poor kid; he sat in the void perpetually dying and perpetually living and never being remembered. Gaster couldn't build the machine and no one left trusted him enough to build it for him. And Sans was determined.

Gaster seemed taken aback when the melting human reached out for his brother's hand, effectively pulling him to his feet. The younger child stumbled a bit, but retained his footing. Papyrus didn't m/ove, but Sans could still feel some semblance of life in the boy. His soul wavered in his chest upside-down like the monster he now was—the now were.

"What are you doing, human?" Gaster asked, glitching forward a few paces, "There is no possible way for you to leave, let alone with a passenger. If you had only waited to build the machine then—hey! What are you—!"

The red determination moved through Sans' bones as his skin and organs dripped noisily somewhere below. The definition of determination was 'firmness of purpose; resoluteness.' The substance determination gave the ability to complete any purpose that needed completion. "I just," Sans choked out, trying to ignore the stench of melting flesh, "I just want to save my brother!"

Something ticked away quietly. (19/19)

Sans would really give anything to save his brother. (17/17)

The darkness around the children faded slowly. (15/15)

The doctor yelled in disbelief or anger. (13/13)

The darkness only stayed for him. (11/11)

Sans shook. His health depleted quickly in equal sacrifice for something no one fully comprehended. (09/09)

While the older brother grew weaker, they younger began to shake with newly found strength. (07/07)

The lab came into focus. (05/05)

Sans looked down at his hands. (03/03)

There was only bone now. (01/01)]

Papyrus looked up wearily, but his eye lights were dimmed with confusion. "Sans?" His voice was like Sans imagined he might remember it as, "Where are we?"

His voice seemed to lack much enthusiasm, likely drained by his escape from the void. His older brother rushed to his side, despite the numbness that drained his body. "Doesn't matter," he supplied. It appeared as though his brother didn't remember the lab. "Uh," Sans continued, cautiously, "You wouldn't happen to recall Dr. Gaster? Would you?"

"Who?" Papyrus stood up in a burst of newfound energy, "Are you alright, Sans? You're worrying me."

Sans laughed slightly while pocketing an entry badge he found on the dusty floor of the lab. He wasn't sure what else to expect. Of course his brother would lose his memories. Because in a word, the void was complicated.

Wincing slightly as he stepped, Sans reached a small pile of papers. A photograph lie on top of him and Alphys. He frowned at the picture. Blurs of dark, smiling figures stood behind them and next to the machines. Their eyes followed him.

Below the photo were miscellaneous files Sans didn't pretend to understand. The human had left Gaster behind, but turning back to look at his brother reassured him. With curious eyes, Papyrus followed Sans' motions and he pulled out a pen and drew a hasty sketch on the back of one of the papers.

"Don't forget?" The younger skeleton read from over Sans' shoulder, "What aren't you forgetting?"
Sans heaved out a sigh. "Doesn't matter, Pap." He held his brother close, hiding a wince at the sound of their bones clanking against each other. "Let's get out of here, yeah?"

Papyrus only smiled in response.

Somewhere in Snowdin, there was a house better fitted for two.

Wow that whole fic was a mistake. Oh well hahahaha (dies on the inside)

Anyway! This is over now I guess? Thanks for reading it, those of you who did! I appreciate all of you that actually put up with this piece of crap. Also I really like countdowns apparently? Hopefully the formatting is okay in this chapter. And longer chapter bc I didn't want to split it into two.

UPDATE: on the whole sequel front, that is. I've been doing some thinking and there will likely NOT be a sequel to this. Honestly, I really do not like the storyline for this whole thing and would be much more comfortable starting an entirely different story. Which is exactly what I'm going to do. Basically, if your'e only here for the sequel, I'm sorry but there won't be one. I will be writing another story though. I like the plot I've got planned out for it atm but I'm actually not a big fan of the human skeleton bros thing. Hope this is okay with everyone. It will still be UT though. It will mainly be about Sans again, bc he's my favorite character, but this one should have a bit more going on than this trainwreck.

I have a few working titles for the fic atm. They are as follows:

.His Joke; For the Audience of Dust

.The Joke

.How to Adapt: A Guide by Someone Who's Doing it Wrong

Any preferences?

Anyway! Thank you all! Comments always appreciated and thanks again.

AfH