"Here, bro. I got you some food." Sans tossed the candy bar over to his brother. It landed on the ground next to him. Without looking at Sans, Papyrus snatched it up and unwrapped it, propping himself up against the cave wall. Sans watched his little brother's HP replenish. HP 38. ATK 10. DEF 8. LV 2.

Not bad.

A surge of emotion hit Sans as he recalled the look on his little brother's face as the Woshua shattered into dust. How they had locked eyes for a moment, and how, for once, Sans couldn't think of anything to say.

It was supposed to be a proud moment. All the work Sans had put into raising that shrieking little parasite was finally starting to pay off. Still a full head shorter than Sans, it seemed not only could he hold his own in a fight, he could improve. And if he kept improving, he could eventually be a respected member of the commmunity. Sans wasn't hoping for anything extraordinary-but perhaps one day they might have a roof over their heads. This was the first glimmer of hope he'd had in years. All those times he'd thought about leaving his baby brother on the side of the road and didn't...it actually might have been worth it.

So then why did he still feel so...disgusting?

Water dripped from the ceiling. Heaps of human garbage surrounded them on all sides. They would be safe enough here. He sat down. Sweat beaded on his brow.

He couldn't take the silence. "So how's it feel, squirt?" He said, trying to sound cheerful. "Is LV 2 all it's cracked up to be?"

"You just stood there."

His brother's gaze was steady now. Sans forced himself to maintain eye contact, grinning mirthlessly. "You implying something, punk?"

But there was no fear in his eyes anymore. Just hurt. Something squirmed inside Sans.

"You just watched it happen," Papyrus said. "That thing almost killed me and you just stood there and watched."

Sans shrugged, "It was a test, bro. I wanted to see if you could do it. You did great. Just don't get too cocky about it, okay? You've still got alot to learn."

Papyrus thought about this. "...So you would have stepped in if it looked like I was gonna lose?"

His big brother's smile twisted into a snear. "I don't know, Paps. You ain't really worth the effort if you can't even hold your own against a Woshua." He hesitated. "Don't waste your time with 'what-if's,' squirt. You should be proud. LV 2 is a big accomplishment at your age."

Papyrus stared down at himself. A thin layer of dust coated his clothes. He felt smaller than he ever had before. He wanted to cry, but he knew Sans would just yell at him for it. He ventured one more question. "So...h-how many people have you killed?"

"Too many to count," Sans answered, a bit too quickly. A drop of water fell from the ceiling and landed on his bare skull. He pulled his hood up.

Sans had never sparred with his brother before, and he had always told him it was rude to CHECK someone outside battle. And Papyus always listened to his big brother. Sans knew best. He had way more experience in and outside of battle and he always knew what he was talking about.

Papyrus CHECKED him.

HP 1. ATK 1. DEF 1.

Sans felt his brother's gaze and met his eyes with a cold grimace. He waited for his little brother to say something, but he just kept staring at him. Sans thought the hollow space beyond his eyesockets seemed just a bit darker. But maybe he was just imagining it.