(You could also name this chapter 'It's Raining', but that would ruin the rhyming, aye.)

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Crackle!

The sound of lightning crashing over a building's roof from nearby caused you to jump from your seat on the pile of bedsheets you'd set for yourself.

You looked around your dim surroundings in a haste, calming down once remembering it was a rainy day.

With that thought in mind, you remembered the war was still on-going. Another four days had passed since the confrontation began, yet you were already growing tired of your surroundings.

The basement was scarce is both ventilation and lighting, which didn't help with your nor Papyrus's health. It was becoming harder to stay inside, and — each day — food and water rations diminished more. You were worried over the future of the two villages, and for the young skeleton's well-being.

The muffled sound of rain and thunder became more prominent to your ears, leading you to notice the open window nearby and a small figure standing behind it.

"_______. . ." Sans mumbled, his tone heavy and body visibly exhausted.

He passed through the window with some effort, whereas you offered your help to get him inside. Once he was secure in your hold, you freed one of your hands and signed him a question related to his health.

"I. . . I'm fine." He huffed, placing a hand over his forehead. "I'm just a lil' dizzy."

Settling him farther away from the window and letting your other hand free to better express yourself, you pondered a moment before expressing your thoughts.

"Let me help you." You offered, providing some encouragement with the help of a faint, but honest smile. "There is a first aid kit next to the mattress."

"I'm fine. I just came to see how you two were doin'."

You furrowed your eyebrows at his stubbornness, wrapping your arms around his waist and lifting him off the ground.

"What the —" He trailed off, his eye sockets widening at your sudden action.

With cautious movements so as to not worsen his condition, you secured him better in your hold, making sure to hold the back of his neck with one hand and his lower back with the other.

Unfortunately, carrying injured people in your arms was one of the things you were most accustomed to after another day came to an end, which led you to react on impulse and without giving much thought to his reactions.

"Really thought you were gonna drop me there for a second." He admitted, a faint chuckle exiting his teeth.

Smiling at his comment, you carried him all the way towards the destined mattress, gesturing for Papyrus to leave some space for him. In response, the young one quickly stood up, leaving the makeshift bed completely empty for his elder brother.

Seconds after, you placed Sans down on the mattress, causing you to end up face to skull with him and for your shorter strands of hair to tickle neck bone and nose cavity.

Observing his injured state, you thought it would be best to take out your notebook again to alert him about what you were about to do in hopes to heal him.

"I am going to take your temperature." You wrote down on a blank page, this serving as a warning for when placing your hand over his forehead. "Please, stay still while I am finished with this."

After a few moments of wait, a consistent heat began to emanate over his skull, this causing for worry to surface over your chest. You searched through the first aid kit for some monster-made medicines, eventually coming across the equivalent to acetaminophen for the human race.

You served him the liquid with a plastic spoon you kept stored inside, which he quite reluctantly accepted.

"I already told ya, I'm fine, _______. You don't have to —"

He stopped on his words, noticing your eyes were on the verge of tears. A confused look was visible over his face, this one turning into surprise once seeing you point at the higher part of his ribcage.

You lifted his shirt all the way to his collarbones, leaving his torso bare and allowing you to see his soul. It was a faint, rather eerie shade of white, almost as if it was gradually fading away into ashes.

"Why. . . Why were you hiding this from me?" You questioned through your trembling hands, a wide frown plastered over your face.

"Hey. . . It's alright, buttercup. This is nothin' you have to worry about." He assured, making the attempt to get up from the bed.

"But you are dying." You signed once more, wanting — though being unable to yell this statement.

"I'm not."

Your small bicker was interrupted by Papyrus tugging persistently over the border of your shirt. You looked down at him and noticed he was pointing at the window Sans had previously entered from, though a taller figure was now standing behind it.

You left the short skeleton on the mattress as you quickly made your way to where the window was. Carefully, you slid open the window, instantly being pinned down on the floor by something heavy falling on top of you.

"_______!" Papyrus yelled, for once in a long time being able to pronounce your name correctly. He ran to your side in a haste, seeing a monster's fainted body lying on top of you.

Witnessing these events, Sans struggle to get up from the makeshift bed and stood next to your side. His eye sockets widened once recognizing the unconscious monster that was pinning you down.

It was a slender body covered in black ashes, which was — at one point — a monster made entirely out of fire.

You slowly began to push the body away, with the help of the two skeleton brothers to avoid causing any more damage to the injured monster. After you were able to free yourself from him, you lifted him up and carried him to a set of spread bed sheets, which you previously used to sleep in.

"What should I use to heal him?" You scribbled down on the small notebook set nearby the bed, showing it to Sans once he focused his gaze on you. "It is the first time I have ever had to heal a monster of this kind."

"I think there's some lamp oil and matches somewhere 'round 'ere." He spoke, looking at his surroundings in a cautious manner. "Uh. . . While I go look for 'em, why don't ya dry him off?"

You nodded firmly to his suggestion and took hold of a towel nearby. Gently, you began to pat the monster's body with it, all the while hoping this would turn out successful. He didn't respond to any of your actions, making you worry over his heavily unconscious state.

"Here ya go."

Sans had arrived next to your side, with the items he'd mentioned being held firmly in his grasp.

He handed them to you and you immediately rushed to pick them up, inspecting what each of the products were and how you were to use them. There was a bottle of lamp oil, a box of large matches, and rubbing alcohol now in your possession. You thanked him with a small smile and focused your attention back on healing the fainted monster.

Crackle!

The loud thunder made you flinch lightly and for the sole, flickering lightbulb hanging over the roof to explode due to the heavy thunder storm taking over the darkened sky.

You were helped once more by Papyrus wielding out a blue bone in his hand, allowing you to carry on with the medical treatment.

After a few silent moments of dealing with the monster's injuries, you felt how a pair of bony arms wrapped around your waist. Soon afterwards, something cold pressed against the crook of your neck.

You quickly looked next to your side and noticed Sans's skull was resting over your shoulder. His eye sockets were closed, leading you to assume he'd only fallen asleep. What made you doubt over these comforting thoughts, however, was noticing that his breathing was in a slow, almost nonexistent pace.

You felt your heart race as you dawned on the perilous situation you were in. A fire-based monster had been extinguished to a large pile of ashes and the short skeleton next to you was currently on the brink of death.