[Stupid. Stupid. Let himself get distracted by this world. Let himself get taken in by Wonderland. He never lets his guard down. Never. Can't afford to.]
[But he can never be reasonable or rational when it comes to Papyrus. Doesn't matter how hard he tries. Doesn't matter if he doesn't try at all. He just can't.]
[A hand snags his arm and he's caught, forced to stop. Caught, trapped. He tugs against his better judgment, and he can't hear Papyrus's voice anymore. The King has a hold of him. Sans knows all too well how tight that grip is.]
no. let go.
[His voice is utterly calm.]
[He tugs again, uselessly, and the King's arm retracts. Sans's feet skid against the ground and then he's tugged off-balance, the King dragging him backward. Away from Papyrus.]
no.
[Focus. He needs to focus. The King is saying something. He's figured it out. How?]
[Oh. The hoodie. Of course.]
[Sans looks back at him and remembers exactly how much danger he's in. The King looks...merciless. And he has a hold of him. And Papyrus is too far away. And the tear is too far away.]
[The King is probably going to kill him now. And Sans realizes that he can't do this. He can't do this again. He can't die at the hands of someone he--]
[Someone he...]
[Cares about. Someone who cares about him as well. He got used to it in the Underground, because he didn't have to remember enough, didn't have to think too hard about the ache he felt when the kid came at him with that Knife. Only had to think about it when he got to Wonderland. The kid, Papyrus. Mettaton.]
[Sans doesn't think he'd recover from it this time. And Mettaton would never forgive him, or himself.]
[He reaches up to grip the King's hand.]
i don't care.
[He tells the truth.]
i don't care about any of this. tv shows, souls, rebellions. i just wanted to see him. just once.
[And now it's too late. He can't just call for him. He'd just drag Papyrus into this, and then Papyrus might have to watch his brother die again. Or Sans would have to watch Papyrus die.]
[He's out of reach.]
...you're right. i don't belong here. so if you let me go, i'll leave. no harm done. just--go easy on the real sans. he had nothing to do with this. and papyrus can't take it if he dies.
FUCK
[Stupid. Stupid. Let himself get distracted by this world. Let himself get taken in by Wonderland. He never lets his guard down. Never. Can't afford to.]
[But he can never be reasonable or rational when it comes to Papyrus. Doesn't matter how hard he tries. Doesn't matter if he doesn't try at all. He just can't.]
[A hand snags his arm and he's caught, forced to stop. Caught, trapped. He tugs against his better judgment, and he can't hear Papyrus's voice anymore. The King has a hold of him. Sans knows all too well how tight that grip is.]
no. let go.
[His voice is utterly calm.]
[He tugs again, uselessly, and the King's arm retracts. Sans's feet skid against the ground and then he's tugged off-balance, the King dragging him backward. Away from Papyrus.]
no.
[Focus. He needs to focus. The King is saying something. He's figured it out. How?]
[Oh. The hoodie. Of course.]
[Sans looks back at him and remembers exactly how much danger he's in. The King looks...merciless. And he has a hold of him. And Papyrus is too far away. And the tear is too far away.]
[The King is probably going to kill him now. And Sans realizes that he can't do this. He can't do this again. He can't die at the hands of someone he--]
[Someone he...]
[Cares about. Someone who cares about him as well. He got used to it in the Underground, because he didn't have to remember enough, didn't have to think too hard about the ache he felt when the kid came at him with that Knife. Only had to think about it when he got to Wonderland. The kid, Papyrus. Mettaton.]
[Sans doesn't think he'd recover from it this time. And Mettaton would never forgive him, or himself.]
[He reaches up to grip the King's hand.]
i don't care.
[He tells the truth.]
i don't care about any of this. tv shows, souls, rebellions. i just wanted to see him. just once.
[And now it's too late. He can't just call for him. He'd just drag Papyrus into this, and then Papyrus might have to watch his brother die again. Or Sans would have to watch Papyrus die.]
[He's out of reach.]
...you're right. i don't belong here. so if you let me go, i'll leave. no harm done. just--go easy on the real sans. he had nothing to do with this. and papyrus can't take it if he dies.