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[Rescue is an undeniably good thing, Papyrus reminds himself through the escape back to Loomis Drive. Even when he's aching in ways that the healing power of time... might not mend. Or when he's jumping at shadows and strange sounds through the tunnels, with Sans pausing and pointedly avoiding certain areas.

Or when they finally emerge into the light of day, the brightness leaving his eyes watering... with tears stinging from salt in the rawness of his face, and the renewed realization he can't wipe them off. Thankfully nobody can see them, especially if he turns his face up to the sun and lets it dry them while he pretends just to be glad to see the sky again.

As he recovers and they continue, the city looks the same as it had, however many days before. (Papyrus doesn't ask how many days it's been, and Sans doesn't offer the information. Acknowledging things like that... not yet. Not yet.)]

S-so... I don't think I asked. Where to? Do we have some, fortified base, to lay up in? Ringed with puzzles, and traps...?

[Sans is undoubtedly relieved once they're outside, and that relief grows the farther they get from the elementary school and its worst secret laboratory basement ever (seriously, Alphys's doesn't even come close). Still, his tension doesn't leave him entirely; there's a stiffness in his shoulders and a sharpness to his senses that remains, and some part of him is still expecting something to jump out at them. As lazy as Sans is with traps and puzzles and all the trappings (heh) of his old sentry job, for once, he thinks it might be a good idea. But--]

Nope. Just my place. [He can only provide his house on Loomis Drive. He'd think to ask if Papyrus wanted to go back to his own house under different circumstances, but right now it doesn't even enter his mind as an option.] But we can make some traps in the living room if you want. [Look at that, Sans is even offering to help.]

[A faint 'oh' escapes Papyrus's mouth with Sans's first clarification, the answer something of a disappointment, and he looks around with renewed foreboding. Sayori was taken just as much as Papyrus and Kiara were, so there's nothing about Sans's home that makes it safe... yet, as Sans makes that offer, it sounds a better idea than going back to the Knochenmus home.]

Living room traps... I'm sure that couldn't hurt. [He nods slowly, building up a little enthusiasm as he goes.] Window locks, didn't do the trick. B-but I hadn't put traps in the house.

[Even if they're not effective at warding away mysterious home intruders, there's something to be said for the comfort of building puzzles and knowing his brother's around.]

[That disappointment is noted, but Sans kind of expected that. Or, rather, Sans already kind of thinks anything he had to offer in terms of making Papyrus feel safer is disappointing, because--well, he's not going to get into that right now. Better to focus on how he does seem interested in the whole trap idea.]

We should probably hold off on messin' with electrical stuff, but other'n that, we can make whatever you want. [This offer is a pretty good indication of Sans feeling guilty about the situation, even though it's not like Sans could even have done anything, because letting Papyrus come up with puzzle ideas is just asking for something complex and time-consuming. The only reason he's even saying to hold off on the electricity is that he's not sure how much Papyrus actually knows about how human houses are wired (Sans definitely doesn't know), and learning via getting hurt seems like the worst possible option right now.]

No electrical...? [Papyrus mulls it over with some skepticism, finger absentmindedly reaching up to scratch his chin. He stops just short of the mask when another pang reminds him of it, then drops hand to his side with a nod instead.] Yeah... Yeah, that's for the best. Security measure that turns off, with a simple power outage? That's no security.

[Not that there's city-smothering snowstorms going on right now, but it's easy to imagine something else taking those power lines down. Strong winds. Rampaging bulls. Construction vehicles run amok.

Kidnappers going in with wire cutters.] Maybe something... with tripwires... [Even as he speaks, it seems overly ambitious. All he really wants to do, this moment, is take a long bath and sleep. He can't even find it in himself to be outraged by the feeling.]

[Sans hates hearing Papyrus so subdued. Sans is sure he'd be feeling a hundred times worse in the same situation, but even so, Papyrus should be energetic and excited. That's how Papyrus is! There's a simmering anger at whoever did this that's only growing, but he can't actually do anything about that.] I stuffed the Christmas lights up in the attic somewhere, we could use those. [Some of them are probably still up, actually, but there were a lot of lights involved in that decoration fight. Sans is mostly suggesting it because those are ridiculously noticeable and would therefore make for terrible tripwires, and maybe that will spark some annoyance from Papyrus.]

[If nothing else, decades of knowing him have certainly given Sans some insight into ways to rile his brother - or at least bait for luring him into their usual bantering patterns. Papyrus scoffs and turns to frown at Sans as they walk, though his face remains obscured by the expressionless mask, and he's still speaking slower than usual in an attempt to minimize the pain of it.]

Hey, weren't we... not using electricity? Unless, you just mean, as unlit wires. Which is... a big waste of good lights. [Honestly, Sans, have a little appreciation for those lights. Decorative, defensive against random light-fearing weirdos...]

Just as wires. [Sans's grin widens when Papyrus turns to look at him, even with that mask--he's gotten a response, and he can work with this. Even if it's stupid. Especially because it's stupid.] You tie it to the couch and I'll lay on it to make sure the couch doesn't go anywhere. [This does not address the other side of the wire and also it's dumb.]

What...? [The mask does nothing to restrict Papyrus's expressiveness with his hands, and he raises both in a helpless shrug as his mind races to try to make sense of what his brother's saying.] Why are we trapping the couch, Sans? The whole point, is stopping mysterious doctor kidnappers? Not the couch, which is... already at home??

[The mask, he's finding, is only so flexible - which means it only really lets his jaw open so far before stitches and muscles tug and everything throbs even more. So rather than raise his voice to its usual volumes, he gestures further bafflement at Sans.]

Okay, so we put the couch in front of the door first. [That would actually block the door, but it makes the wires useless. Also, Sayori and Lorna still need to use that door, probably. But wire trapping it wouldn't make it easier for them anyway.] And I can still sit it to weigh it down.

That... the problem... [He stumbles a little on the word, the p and b and m all more difficult for his lips when bunched up like that.] It isn't the couch, brother. We can bolt down a couch. It's...

[Papyrus can already feel himself getting low on breath, and he's barely gotten worked up. Little exercise and little food, catching up to him again. He hisses annoyance between gritted teeth, slows down to try to subtly catch his breath again.]

Surgeons. You know, doctors. We need... [To not get that close to the real problems, when they're still out in the open where people can see his face. He scrabbles for a more bantering sentiment, and settles on:] We need to get some apples.

[Sans holds his expression steady as Papyrus stumbles over his words a little, but he can't help the little twist in his smile when Papyrus mentions surgeons. He stuffs his hands into his pockets, ignoring the stinging pain of his left, still kind of badly-bandaged hand at the motion, and shrugs as casually as he can.] Sure, we can get those. They've got 'em at the grocery store. Hey, apples grow on trees, right? We could put one in the yard.

[Sans has no idea at all how long it takes to grow an apple tree, except "probably a long time".]

Apple trees...? That sounds right. Maybe. [He doesn't really acknowledge the idea of going to the grocery store, because right now... no. He just wants to go home. But for trap planning...] Why stop at one, we can make a whole... apple barricade. Trees all around the yard. I bet that lasts... a lot of days.

[Papyrus gives a breathy laugh, enthusiasm building a little again as he pointedly ignores things like bandages on his brother's hand or the throbbing in his ribcage as he walks. This is more like it. Not Sans's maddeningly unhelpful couch ideas. Something just ridiculous enough to be humorous, and just close enough to maybe effective that he sincerely wants to try it. Cartoonish doctors venturing close to the yard, scalpels in hand, only to hiss at the fruits in the yard and back away.]

How 'bout a maze? [Something a little like what Papyrus used to make in the Snowdin forests, but without the switches.] That way you could put more puzzles inside. And if they get 'em wrong, you drop some of the apples on 'em. [Surely this would be anathema to any doctor.]

Well... [It does sound familiar and homey an idea, building proper mazes. Appealing. But there's an issue with the practicality of it, if they're not using any electricity to automate things.] I don't want, to wait outside, with the apples.

[Worn out by the surgeries and mild malnutrition and lack of good exercise as he is, he could still throw an apple at someone. It wouldn't take too much to just keep a few apples in his pockets - even if it would weigh more than summoning a bone. Besides, the real crux of the matter is:] Something like the lights... so they don't come inside. Whoever they were.

[Sans - and the other rescuers - haven't figured out that part of the mystery, have they...?]

[Sans hasn't been thinking too much about the actual practicality of this apple maze--of course not--but he wouldn't want Papyrus waiting outside either. And that's a little concerning, because normally their opinions on approaching potential danger don't match up like that. Sans can finally see his house--if someone did show up tonight, what could Sans even do? He's used up almost all of his magic reserves. He doesn't have a real good blue magic toss left in him, he's sure. Not without knocking himself out.]

Hey, you're great at puzzles, they won't get through the apple maze to begin with. [Ultimately worthless platitudes, but Sans can't offer anything concrete. They don't know who it was.]

Of course they won't! Not if... that old saying, has any truth to it.

[Of course, if this hypothetical puzzle - based on the repulsive powers of apples on medical professionals - has no actual weight behind it... back to the drawing board. But there's other things to squint at and focus on, like the familiar neighborhood coming into sight. Even with being a little winded, Papyrus picks up the pace. The better to get back into the shade, in a comfortable place, again.]

[Once they're actually inside--Sans picked up the pace, too, for once--Sans locks the door behind them (he's going to have to keep an eye out for Sayori coming back so she's not stuck outside).]

I haven't done much [any] cleaning, but I better get a better review than the last place you stayed. [He nudges Papyrus's arm. It's a thoughtless sort of motion, albeit gentle, but it's only after he's done it that Sans realizes that's the first physical contact he's had with Papyrus since before Papyrus got kidnapped.]

[Papyrus doesn't flinch at the nudge, and it's almost a surprise in the moment he realizes what happened. Every part of him is sore, but his arms aren't sore sore, so it didn't startle him in a painful way. He laughs a little, in a mix of relief and humor at the bad joke, and goes to wipe his eyes - before redirecting to brush his hair back, instead.]

Heheh... Miles above! Incredible, you've won by doing nothing. [With regards to the cleaning, that is - Sans has definitely done several other important things today. Papyrus'll have more gratitude to share on it... later.] And, if you have a bathroom to spare, I'll upgrade your review... to a whole three stars.

[Papyrus really is here. That's a stupid thought, because Papyrus has been there--they've been walking and talking for a while. But now they're back in Sans's house, and even if it's not home and it's not really safe, it's safer, and Papyrus isn't going to be tortured even more at least right now.] I knew if I just did nothing long enough I'd get somethin' for it. Bathroom's all yours, bro.

[Maybe Sans will even make Papyrus something to eat in the meantime. Maybe. Get that up to three and a quarter stars.]

Okay... good. [Papyrus pauses to bump his wrist against Sans's shoulder, a follow-up affirmation that this is real, tangible, and expression of wordless gratitude.

But while it's not torture per se, waiting in the bathroom... it's not likely to be great, either. Seeing the mess of his chest, where he can still feel threads catching on his pajama shirt, and there's clearly bloodstains along the sides of it, and flaking loose along his hairline. Seeing his reflection, for the first time since all this... He takes a deep breath, and steps away.] I'll be, uh... a bit.

Take your time. You know I would. [Sans winks, and his face is locked in place this time, even though he's wondering exactly how bad things are, and if he should actually maybe stay near the bathroom just in case. He hedges his bets and stays upstairs, for the most part. Sans is exhausted, but for once he's restless, too, and that's enough to propel him toward changing out his bedsheets for clean ones. He's not about to make Papyrus take the couch after all that. He dumps his old ones on the couch--Sans can use those himself.]

[It's easiest to start the water and muffle the world outside as the room starts filling with steam. Distantly Papyrus can hear the ongoing motion as Sans shuffles about, but there's no haste or alarm in the sounds, so strange as his brother's mystery labors are, he has other things to focus on.

His pajama top isn't stuck to his sides, an almost pleasant surprise as he removes it - but it's pretty quickly clear, that's only thanks to running around dodging mannequins. There's too much caked blood in common places, between his sides and shirt, and fresh blood in the places most sharply throbbing - torn loose in all the movement, probably.

And in the further inspection... There's the strange soft indentations up and down his ribcage, the places where there simply... aren't ribs, anymore. The long lines of stitches, plainly holding skin together as much as any shirt needs the thread to stay intact. The... other stitches, along the edges of his face, where even a breeze hurts. The impression of white in the mirror at the side of his eyesight as he passes it, and stops to stare into it.

...He'd thought Sans's injury from the zombies had been bad.

...No wonder Kiara seemed confident he could survive losing some ribs, if he's holding it together like this.

...He'd just gotten used to his face.

Within a minute, he abandons the mirror for the hot water, which stings worse than just about anything he's known, but at least he can pretend the pain's not from crying. It's harder to muffle his sobs when he can't get a hand over his mouth itself, can't bite on the nearest towel or anything, but he does his best.]

[One thing about human bodies Sans has noticed is that they react to a lot of the same things his monster body reacted to, but differently. That seems reasonable enough--no magic, lots of weird watery fluids. Different mechanisms, but human bodies still react to shock, to happiness, to sadness. Humans and monsters can both cry.

Papyrus has always been freer with his emotions than Sans. Of course, that's not difficult. Papyrus will cry over movies and over particularly inspiring moments. When he was younger, Sans remembers tears about not making friends. What Papyrus doesn't cry over, not really, is his own injuries, and he's gotten more than Sans ever has. Minor electrocution incidents, training with Undyne... But nothing like this. He's never been hurt like this.

Sans doesn't know what to do. He freezes in the hallway when he recognizes the sound, muffled as it is. It's like a void has opened in his stomach and made all his insides drop at once, sucked up all the heat.

What does he do? He could knock on the door, but Sans wouldn't want someone to see him in that kind of state. Of course, Sans's opinions on emotional closeness aren't really the ones he should follow when it comes to Papyrus. But Papyrus--Sans doesn't think Papyrus would like it anyway. Because-- Because it messes everything up, right? This isn't--how it's supposed to be. Papyrus is very cool and very tough and very brave and he takes care of Sans. And all of those things are true, as far as Sans is concerned, but appearances matter way more to Papyrus.

In the end, Sans just leans heavily against the wall in the hallway outside the bathroom as his mind simmers. Even if it would knock Sans out, if he saw the person who did that to Papyrus right now, he would make his last bit of magic count.]

[Even in the privacy of the bathroom, the door closed with no sign that others are aware of what he's doing or wanting to come in, Papyrus can only cry so much. A few minutes sobbing wears him out, the exhaustion of everything catching up to him. There's only so many tears in him, even if there's plenty more feeling to inspire their flowing, and his eyes stop watering eventually.

Part of it's reflexive, a practiced tendency to try to hide the unhappinesses he hasn't decided to share. To put on a cooler, confident face, so... so the things that only he knows, aren't as real as the things everyone knows.

But part of it... part of it is, he doesn't feel safe yet. Of course he doesn't, with no explanation what happened and no assurance it can't happen again. Once he's down to the point of hiccuping instead of sobbing, eyes and nose stinging with salty residue, he begins to notices how quiet the world outside seems. No more mystery sounds of moving things around. Probably Sans has fallen asleep in the middle of whatever he was doing... probably. He's fine, right? Nothing's happened in the few minutes of Papyrus being here, no second group of unknown kidnappers swooping in to take Sans as soon as they split up. Right...?

He clears his throat, coughs a few times to be sure he can keep his voice steady, then calls out:] S-Sans? Are you out there?

Backdated: rescue day

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cw: post-surgery fun

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