Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s silly really just how much stuff the two of them have collected over the past month for decorating for their first Gyftmas up on the surface. Sans shifted a few of the lights around, frowning at the fact they were trying to tangle together already. They just got them!

“BROTHER, BRING YOUR BOX OVER SO WE CAN START STRINGING LIGHTS UP!” Papyrus shouted from the open front door, peeking his skull in to glance at his brother with his eye lights glittering bright. 

Sans lets an easy smile spread across his skull as he finally stood up from his kneeling position while lifting the box with a bit of blue magic. Is it excessive? Sure. But the tick that suddenly had Papyrus’ socket twitching was so worth it to see. 

“MUST YOU BE SO LAZY EVEN NOW, BROTHER? YOU HAVE TWO PERFECTLY GOOD ARMS. IT’D DO YOU GOOD TO ACTUALLY USE THOSE MUSCLES YOU DON’T HAVE!” Papyrus huffed, shaking his skull as he ducked back out to the front yard where he’d been busy putting up other decorations. When he learned of animatronic reindeer and snowmen, he’d gotten a small army of them to display across the finely dusted snow in their yard. 

Sans’ smile softened as he stepped out onto the porch, taking in for the first time how his brother had set everything up. It looked amazing. As it should with how cool his little bro was. 

“lookin’ real good paps.” Sans sets the box down to the left side of the door with a flick of his control hand. He bent down to grab one of the strands of lights, grumbling under his breath as he pulled out the entire wad instead. “dammit, i thought these were all separated so they wouldn’t get tangled.” He muttered under his breath. 

Sudden warmth behind him had Sans stilling at feeling his brother suddenly so close. He’d deny the squeak that slipped out when his brother’s larger hands came over his shoulders, Papyrus using his taller height to grab the ball of lights from him. 

“IT’S SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO EVERYONE. AND I FIND IT FUN TO UNTANGLE THEM. IT’S LIKE A PUZZLE, SANS!” Papyrus grinned as he stepped back, missing the way Sans had hunched over slightly to keep the blush from showing too much.

“heh, you always were the best with puzzles.” Sans agreed once he was sure his blush was gone. That had been close. Being on the surface had loosened a lot of the not-there nerves Sans had leaving him almost revealing things he knew he couldn’t. At least not without risking his brother hating him. 

Shoving those dark thoughts aside, Sans slouched forward as he watched Papyrus deftly untangle the ball of lights before setting them to rest across the railing on the porch. Wanting to at least do a little something more than carry a box out, Sans went back inside to get another box, only to find his amazing bro had already taken them all out. 

Looking around the entryway, Sans let his shoulders sag for a moment. His eternal fatigue dragged his sockets down as he took a step back to lean against the wall, sighing heavily. They had a lot planned for the next few weeks leading up to Gyftmas. Sans honestly just wanted to spend the time napping and being with Papyrus. Yet the surface offered so many opportunities his little brother had never done. Who was he to say no to Paps?

“SANS! WHERE DID YOU GO? I NEED YOUR EYE LIGHTS TO TELL ME WHEN I REACH THE MIDDLE SO I KNOW WHEN TO ADJUST THE STRAND OF LIGHTS.” Papyrus called from outside, his voice sounding higher up than usual getting Sans to raise a brow bone.

Slipping through a shortcut to move faster, Sans sighed quietly to himself seeing Papyrus at the very top of the ladder they’d gotten over the fall so they could clean the gutters. It wouldn’t be so bad if Papyrus wasn’t standing on the very top where he wasn’t supposed to. 

He lifted his hand and a bit of blue magic seeped into the ground at each leg of the ladder, keeping it in place as Papyrus continued to maneuver around with the string of lights, attaching it to the hooks he’d put up while the weather was still warm out.

“it’s looking real good, bro. you’re at the center in about three inches to your left.” He called up, his smile reforming when Papyrus looked down at him with a bright grin. 

“THANK YOU BROTHER! WHY DON’T YOU WORK ON THE RAILING OF THE PORCH? I SET OUT SOME GARLAND AND ANOTHER STRAND OF LIGHTS.” Papyrus called down to him. 

“sure thing bro.” Sans moved back up the steps, keeping half his attention on the ladder and his brother, pushing it over when his brother called down to him to do so. 

They fell into a comfortable silence only broken by a random comment on the way the snow had picked up its pace. Sans knew they’d have to shovel the walkway before the night settled in with how heavy it was now. There was no hint of the brown grass or gray concrete under all the white stuff. Sans had mixed feelings about seeing it as it brought back so many memories from Snowdin and the time they’d spent there. 

When they were done, the light was just beginning to fade, the tilt of the earth making the sun set much earlier than Sans liked. But it also meant he had more time to stargaze. He grinned at all their hard work, the lights twinkling from every corner of the house. The animatronics moved slowly, giving a bit of life to the winter scene. He really liked the smallest one that kept dipping its head down like it was trying to eat the snow.

“I LOVE IT!” Papyrus declared. “THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME GET IT TOGETHER, SANS.” 

Before he could answer, Papyrus swooped Sans up into a tight hug, and nuzzled his skull against his brother’s cheek. 

“y-yeah, sure thing, bro. it was fun.” Sans managed to squeak out, his soul thundering behind his ribcage at how close the two of them suddenly were. Carefully, he wrapped his arms around his brother’s neck, being sure to keep his arms from tightening too much. He couldn’t help his blush from fully forming this time though and cursed himself for wanting so much more from Papyrus. 

not going down that line of thinking, moron. He thought firmly to himself. Ignoring how his bones felt hotter and how he wanted to just bury himself into Papyrus’ chest.

Chapter Text

It became a tradition at some point though for the life of him Sans can’t remember when or why. Maybe it was the fact he was only a teen raising a hyper child from such a young age. Maybe it was something Paps had asked and he asked for so little back then Sans had given in because how could he not?

With his penchant for working long hours for all the gold he could back in the Underground to provide everything his younger brother could want, getting Papyrus some candy hadn’t been that far of a stretch. He’d give them whenever his brother did well on a test, or a holiday that day. Leading up to Gyftmas became something Paps really looked forward to. Finding that piece of candy always made him smile.

Sweating as he held himself a few inches off the floor, Sans hovered just beside Papyrus’ bed. Watching his younger brother sleeping. It wasn’t often Sans caught him like this so how could someone blame him for taking a few seconds to marvel at the way the dim light from the hallway glimmered across his brother’s elongated skull? Was it creepy? Probably. Did he care? Oh, sure. But not when he could catch glimpses like this of Paps. Not when it gave him a moment to indulge in something he swore he never would because it would lead to his brother hating him, he just knew it.

Slowly so as not to alert his brother to the movement, Sans slipped his hand out of his pocket, making sure not to crinkle the plastic wrapper before carefully sliding the piece of hard lemon under Papyrus’ pillow. Holding his breath as he moved inch by inch, Sans kept flicking his eye lights over to his brother. Only to let out a soft sigh of relief when he managed to stick the candy in its hiding place. 

He couldn’t help it as he moved his hand back out from under the pillow but to stare at Paps more. Stars, how he wanted to reach out and stroke along his brother’s cheek to see if it was as smooth as it looked. Would it be warm to the touch or only do that if his brother flushed?

Before he could risk getting caught like this, Sans gathered his magic and side stepped into a shortcut back into his room. Falling back onto his bed with a groan. He ignored the muffled crinkle of plastic wrapped candy shuffling around in his pocket though it did make him smile faintly. He’d found a new type to give his brother this year in celebration of reaching the surface. He wanted everything to be new and exciting for Papyrus. Not that Sans was any good with new and exciting things lately. 

Feeling himself sagging into his mattress, Sans ignored the uncomfortable lump of his sheets pressing into his spine. He was pretty sure he’d wrapped them into a ball during his latest nightmare and hadn’t bothered to unball it. Why should he when he was just going to lay here doing his damnedest not to think of things he shouldn’t?

Sans reached up with his hands and rubbed at his sockets, hard. Trying to grind out the thoughts flitting through his skull. It’d been a few days since he let his dreams get to him. But being so close to Papyrus while his brother looked so peaceful and carefree had his soul thrumming and his magic buzzing. 

“dammit.” Sans muttered under his breath, huffing out a weak growl. It wasn’t fair or right but he couldn’t stop himself any more. He needed this. He needed at least some kind of release before he risked letting something slip.

Shame curdled deep in his soul as he closed his sockets, refusing to watch as his hands slid under the hem of his hoodie, his phalanges plucking and stroking along each rib. Tiny gasps of pleasure left him before a sigh of relief escaped his maw when his ecto summoned. Burning need sang through his bones as he ran cool bones along his stomach before pushing his shorts down without any fanfare. 

He could feel the way his cock twitched just before his hand fisted around the already hard construct making him gasp. He used his other hand to press against his teeth as a reminder to stay quiet. Papyrus might be a heavy sleeper, but that didn’t mean he might not wake at any sounds of what could be construed as distress coming from Sans’ room. 

Thoughts of his brother filled his skull as Sans slowly started pumping his shaft with slow and deliberate movements, paying special attention to the tip with each drag of his fingers upward. It didn’t take long for pleasure to curl his toes as he finally let his sockets crack open to peer down at his cock. Pre coated the tip aiding in his hand gliding along the sensitive ecto with each movement. Images of Papyrus cross his mind, the handsome curve of his skull. The way he held himself as he worked; the sheer confidence that embodied his little brother.

Sighing out a groan he couldn’t quite keep down, Sans shuddered at the mental image of his hand becoming larger and his bones thinner like his brothers. “f-fuck. feels so good~ just like that.” He whispered under his breath, unable to stay silent any longer as his skull filled with a soft buzzing of pleasure. Despite the shame he felt every time he did this, he couldn’t deny how good it felt. The guilt only adding to the thrill and pleasure he chased each time.

Turning over onto his front as his hand finally grew to be too little, Sans whimpered as he balled his sheets further into a wad. His pelvis rutted into the soft material as he kept his fist tight around his cock. His other hand moved to scratch lightly against his ribs, his breath stuttering at the pleasure it brought. He wished he could reach other places like his spine or better yet, his tailbone to really rile his bones up. But alas, he wasn’t quite that flexible. 

Squeezing his sockets tight as the coil in his belly tightened further, Sans moaned long and soft as his orgasm hit him hard. His bones rattled and he shuddered through the ecstasy even as he kept pumping his fist hard and fast while his hips thrusted a few more times. 

“p-papyrus~” He whined, shivering through the aftermath of his release. His breath was ragged after cumming as he shifted once more to lay on his side with his back to the door. Seeing the glowing blue of his cum on his palm as he finally let go of his cock, Sans hummed softly before bringing it up to his maw. Summoning his tongue, he gave a slow lick and shivered at the taste. It was sweet, almost unbearably so. Like candy. 

Focused on cleaning, or at least licking off his fingers, and blissed out from his release, Sans didn’t see his door slightly ajar, or the bright orange light glowing at the crack as two eye lights peeked in at him. Papyrus’ flush was high across his cheekbones as he held a hand across his teeth in surprise and slightly embarrassed arousal. He’d never heard anyone say his name quite like that before

Chapter Text

The next few days after Sans gifted his brother that lemon candy under his pillow, he found it hard to sneak into Papyrus’ room without his brother being awake. So he resorted to leaving the pieces of candy under his pillow after his brother had called him down for breakfast. It was the easiest time to sneak into his brother’s room without the other knowing. 

The shame and guilt followed Sans for the next little bit, leaving him feeling less like himself and more like a walking zombie. Heh, at least he was already part way there given he was a skeleton monster. There was no skin to rot off his bones. Morbid thoughts aside, Sans was looking forward to tonight. 

It was the first time they were lighting up the fireplace in their house. It was something they’d never needed to light in their old home in the Underground. Firewood wasn’t exactly easy to come by either, so Sans had just let the fireplace stay cold. On the surface, there were more resources for everyone and thus Sans had proposed to Papyrus they should burn some wood in the fireplace and snuggle together while watching a couple animated movies they’d heard a lot of things about from their human coworkers. 

Curled under the blanket with Papyrus sitting beside him, Sans was careful to keep just a bit of space between him and his brother while trying not to make it obvious. The last thing he wanted was for Papyrus to question why he wasn’t leaning into him more. Frosty the Snowman was playing on the big flat screen television and held all of Papyrus’ attention. 

A small smile spread across Sans’ skull as he watched Papyrus instead of the movie. Admiring the way the flashing colors and bright cheerful music set an ambiance for the whole room. The heat coming off the fireplace was a nice touch as well and Sans hoped Papyrus would be willing to do something like this again in the future. It was nice. Really nice. 

The movie came to an end before Sans was ready and he froze when Papyrus turned to him with a wide grin and his eye lights glittering with literal stars within them. “SANS! WE SHOULD BUILD A SNOWMAN IN THE YARD AND PLACE A TOP HAT UPON HIS HEAD AND SING SO THAT HE MAY COME TO LIFE AND PLAY GAMES WITH US AND GREET SANTA WHEN HE COMES THIS YEAR!” Papyrus twisted to face his brother, reaching up with both hands and resting his palms atop Sans’ shoulders.

Sans couldn't stop the smile that stretched across his face as he relaxed back slightly, easily taking his brother’s extra weight. “sure bro. just one problem with that plan.” He said gently, waiting for his little brother to realize what it was. 

Papyrus narrowed his sockets down at him and Sans had to suppress the shiver that threatened to rattle his ribs at that look. It wasn’t fair how easily his brother affected him with a mere look. “OH, YOU MEAN THAT IT HASN’T SNOWED ENOUGH YET FOR THERE TO BE THE RIGHT AMOUNT FOR SNOWMAN BUILDING.” 

“snow big deal bro. we can still make tiny snowmen if you want when the sun comes up tomorrow.” Sans grinned at the slight twitch in Papyrus’ expression before the taller skeleton let out a heavy sigh. 

“THAT WAS WEAK EVEN FOR YOU.” Papyrus hummed, tilting his skull to the right a bit to get a better look at Sans. “ARE YOU FEELING OKAY, BROTHER? I HEARD STRANGE NOISES COMING FROM YOUR ROOM LAST NIGHT. FOR THE PAST FEW NIGHTS ACTUALLY.”

Sans fought to keep the panic from bubbling up into his soul. But it was lost cause when his brother looked at him with such worry. He just couldn’t lie to Paps, not when it would have his brother looking at him with such a crestfallen expression. That was the last thing he wanted right now. 

His shoulders sagged even as he kept his smile in place. “just sad we can’t make that snowman and sing him to life bro. it sounded like something fun we could do tomorrow.” Sans hoped his brother would accept that as reason enough. 

“THEN WE SHALL MAKE TINY SNOWMEN INSTEAD LIKE YOU SUGGESTED.” Papyrus smiled, giving Sans’ shoulders a squeeze. “THAT STILL DIDN’T ANSWER MY QUESTION ON IF YOU WERE OKAY AND WHAT THOSE SOUNDS IN YOUR ROOM WERE THOUGH.” 

Damn, seems his distraction wasn’t good enough. Shoving the panic and thoughts just thinking about the past few nights brought, Sans let his smile stretch further across his skull to hide his anxiety. “i’m okay paps. past few nights have been a little rough because of a nightmares. nothing out of the ordinary.” Sans waved it off as he slowly moved to get out from under the blanket, immediately missing the warmth being beside his brother offered as he dug through the pile of movies Alphys had lent to them and grabbed one at random. Something about someone named the Grinch and stealing Christmas. Sounded interesting. “let’s start the next movie before we get dinner started, how does that sound bro?” 

He turned and froze at the way Papyrus was staring down at him as he pushed the dvd into the slot in the player. He’d never seen his brother give him that look before. It was quickly gone though after Papyrus blinked and seemed to come back to himself with a bright smile. “OF COURSE! WHICH ONE DID YOU CHOSE THIS TIME?”

“something about a grinch.” Sans replied, a bead of sweat forming on the back of his skull. Why did it feel like he was missing something? What did that look mean? It was hard to concentrate on the movie with all his thoughts running around with possibilities. He needed to be more careful about what he let slip going forward. He couldn’t drag his brother down with these stupid feelings. They weren’t something he could let his brother find out.

Chapter Text

Sans had to admit despite the last few days being full of ups and downs considering all the times he’s caught himself staring at his brother without meaning to, he’s really excited for tonight. They’d both taken the next couple of weeks off after learning it was the holiday season and Papyrus had declared he wanted to spend the two weeks with his brother. That had Sans’ soul thumping any time he thought about it and he did his best not to overthink about it at this point.

Tonight was special as there was a meteor shower just before Gyftmas was going to be here. The peak of it was hitting tonight and Sans was excited for it. Sure, he and his brother had climbed the mountain a few times since surfacing to see the stars in all their glory. But this time was even more special. It would just be the two of them going up the mountain. Not that he didn’t enjoy spending the time with his friends and getting to regale them with all his knowledge of the stars he’d gained over the years. 

Gathering another pile of blankets, Sans shortcut himself to the large clearing he’d found just for this purpose, his soul fluttering with excitement seeing everything ready. There were LED candles burning in various places to light the clearing up as well as a warmer to keep the spaghetti hot. Now he just had to get Papyrus and it would be perfect.

Returning home, Sans went into the living room where Papyrus was busy slipping his big red boots onto his feet. He looked up and grinned at Sans. “OH, THERE YOU ARE BROTHER. READY TO GO OUT AND SEE ALL THE PRETTY STARS?” 

Sans returned his brother’s smile with a soft one of his own. “yeah, came to see if you were ready to go yourself.” He answered as Papyrus finished tugging his boots on. 

“WELL, NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT TO GET GOING! WE DON’T WANT TO BE LATE AND IT TAKES A GOOD HOUR TO DRIVE THERE.” Papyrus agreed, heading over toward the front door to grab his keys before stopping when Sans stepped in front of him. 

Rubbing the back of his neck, Sans tried to ignore the bit of sweat that formed on his skull. “actually, paps, i was thinking we could take a shortcut there.” He glanced up at his brother, that pesky bead of sweat slowly dripping down his skull. 

“YOU KNOW I’M NOT THE BIGGEST FAN OF THOSE SHORTCUTS OF YOURS.” Papyrus hummed, leaning back a bit as he folded his arms across his ribcage, a bit of a frown forming across his skull. 

Another bead of sweat formed as Sans shoved his hands into his blue jacket, slumping forward a bit. “i know bro.” He said, his voice soft. Not many liked his shortcuts and he couldn’t really blame them. The void wasn’t the most fun place to experience when it came down to it. 

“THEN WHY DO YOU WANT TO TAKE A SHORTCUT THERE AND NOT RIDE IN MY AMAZING RED CONVERTIBLE?” Papyrus prompted when Sans’ gaze dropped to the floor. It wouldn’t be that big a deal if they did drive there, but the clearing Sans had found was a bit off the beaten path. He’d chosen it for that very reason. 

Kicking his slippers against the plush carpet, Sans sighed. “i wanted it to be a surprise, but i got food waiting in the clearing for us. it won’t stay warm that long if we drive and then have to walk there.” Sans answered.

The sharp inhale from his brother had Sans’ white eye lights darting back up to meet his brother’s gaze with concern flaring in his soul. Only to freeze when Papyrus took the three steps over to him and grabbed his shoulders with a beaming smile down at him. “I WOULD LOVE TO GO THERE BY SHORTCUT THEN SANS!” 

Sans blinked up at Papyrus for a long moment seeing the excitement and obvious joy on his younger brother’s face. His own smile returned full force then. “heh, all right bro. remember to close your sockets and hold your breath. makes the trip easier.”

“I REMEMBER BROTHER! NOW LET’S GO AND HAVE A MERRY TIME WATCHING THE STARS FALL!” Papyrus promptly closed his sockets after stepping closer to Sans who held his own breath as the warmth and unique smell of his brother wafted over him. It was a bit sweet yet tangy, like an orange. 

Doing his best to shove any thoughts from forming in his skull, Sans gathered his magic to teleport them after gingerly wrapping an arm around his brother’s waist. He didn’t let himself dwell on how nice it felt having his brother in his arms like this.

Once in the clearing, Sans tapped his brother’s arm with his free one. “you can open your sockets, bro. we’re here.” Sans chuckled gently as Papyrus opened his sockets and stepped back, his skull turning both ways to look at the little set up Sans had done for them. He turned a slow circle, taking it all in, his gaze pausing on the hot pot then the telescope Sans already had set up in the direction most of the meteors were going to be coming from. 

“Wowie Sans. This is… this is amazing.” Papyrus said, his voice softer than usual in the quiet of the forest around them. 

Sans leaned his weight back onto his heels to get a better look at Papyrus, his soul flooding with warmth at the wide grin on his younger brother’s skull. With a gasp, Sans automatically wrapped his arms around Papyrus’ neck after his brother practically leapt at him and tugged him up into his arms for a hug.

Chuckling warmly, Sans let himself have a moment to press his skull under Paps’ own, burying his face into his brother’s neck and inhaling selfishly. He didn’t want this to end at all but they still had food to eat. Gently pulling back enough to meet his brother’s gaze Sans swallowed thickly at the open affection and pride radiating from Papyrus’ soul and intent. 

“Thank you for doing this for us Sans. I know you don’t often get out and do things for just us, but I appreciate all you have done for us ever since we came to the surface. Even before then you did so much to make sure we had what we needed.” Papyrus leaned forward to nuzzle against Sans’ cheek making him blush a bright blue. 

“ah bro. you know i’d do whatever i can to make you happy.” Sans said, his voice just as soft as his brother as if they were the only two in the whole world. Being out here they might as well have been. “come on, let’s eat. i can imagine you had a busy day at work and are hungry.” 

Papyrus nodded doing as Sans suggested and putting him down carefully then walked over to the opposite side of the blanket and promptly sat down. He reached for the warmer but Sans shook his skull. “let me.” He said firmly. 

Moving to sit across from Papyrus who was watching him with literal stars in his sockets, Sans fought to keep his blush from getting any darker. Reaching over to the warmer, Sans pulled the lid off and couldn’t stop his blush from deepening anyway at the loud gasp of surprise his brother gave at the sight of the spaghetti sitting steaming in the cool forest air. 

“Sans? Did you make spaghetti? All on your own?” Papyrus whispered, leaning forward to get a better look at it, the stars in his sockets shifting to inverted hearts for a moment before switching back to stars. 

“h-heh, yeah. wanted to make something that you’d enjoy.” Sans said, the blush still hot along his bones. “i did try the sauce and it tasted okay. not anywhere near as good as yours though.”

“Nonsense! It’s amazing and will be perfect because you made it for me.” Papyrus declared, before twisting a bit to look for the bag that Sans had set beside the warmer where all the utensils and plates were. 

Sans tried to protest his brother dishing them both up some but he quickly caved seeing how happy it made Papyrus to do it. He took his plate, waiting for Papyrus to try it first before he dug in as well. His sockets going wide. It was surprisingly good actually. Papyrus regaled Sans with praise the entire time they ate, leaving Sans flustered and stuttering out thanks. 

Once they were done eating all the spaghetti Sans had brought and drinking the sparkling soda as Sans didn’t want to risk shortcutting them to the wrong place after star gazing. The two of them moved to the telescope. The stars glittered and twinkled above them, spinning with the Earth’s journey around the sun. Leaving Sans feeling so small in comparison to the rest of the universe. 

Laughing as he told tales to his brother about the constellations and the celestial bodies inhabiting the skies, Sans relaxed further, leaning against Papyrus with a sense of peace he hadn’t felt in a long time. If only the night would never end. Maybe each star that fell during the meteor shower would let his selfish wish come true for just a second longer.

Chapter Text

Sans hated the mall. There were too many people here, especially humans he really didn’t want to deal with. They kept looking at him and Papyrus as the two of them drifted from store to store in search of the perfect gift for their friends. Papyrus had been planning this shopping trip for weeks now and had been excited that Sans agreed to come with him. What better place to find all the puntastic gifts to give his friends?

Papyrus hurried from the most recent pop up store that held an assortment of bits and bobs, his arms full with bags. “SANS! WE SHOULD STOP AT THE CANDLE STORE AND GET SOME NEW CANDLES FOR UNDYNE AND ALPHYS!” Papyrus exclaimed, not seeing or ignoring the stares he was getting as the two skeletons walked through the mall. 

The crowd left a wide berth around them even with it being packed with holiday shoppers. Sans forced himself not to think about it as he instead looked up at Papyrus with a gentle smile. He took the bags from his brother and simply shortcut them to the trunk of the car with a snap of his fingers. 

“yeah sure bro, let’s go there next.” Sans agreed easily. With his attention fully on his brother, he missed the guy marching right toward them with a beet red expression. It was only when Sans was knocked back and his soul jump started with magic to shortcut him a foot backward that he realized someone had gotten so close. 

“Watch where you’re going, freaks!” The man snapped, passing the two of them with muttered curses and the odd slur at the two of them. 

Panic seized Sans’ soul feeling the anger and intent to hurt wafting from the man. Before he could react to it and lash out with his magic to snatch the human’s soul right from his chest for daring to get close to his brother like that, warm arms wrapped tightly around Sans’ shoulders. 

“Breathe Sans. You need to remember to breathe. Can you do that for me?” Papyrus’ soft voice whispered against the side of his skull. Without noticing Papyrus gently led his brother over to a small alcove as Sans panted hard. His eye lights flickering with magic and fear. 

“he-he was going to hurt you.” Sans whispered, turning to press his skull against Papyrus’ chest and inhaling the sweet citrus scent coming from his brother. It was proof nothing had happened. 

“You wouldn’t have let anything happen to me just as I will never let anything happen to you as long as we are together.” Papyrus murmured. 

Shaking with the aftermath, Sans closed his sockets as he pulled his magic back into himself. He didn’t want to cause a scene in the middle of the mall where there were innocent people that could get dragged into it. The man was long gone anyway. He needed to stop dreading a future that hadn’t happened. 

Taking one more deep breath, Sans managed to push away from Papyrus. He looked up at his brother, his eye lights wobbling within his sockets. “i know you wouldn’t let anything happen to me.” He offered a shaky smile. “shall we finish up this shopping trip? i kinda wanna get home sooner rather than later.”

“Of course Sans. Let’s head home after the candle store. I’ve gotten everything for everyone I wanted to here anyway.” Papyrus beamed as he turned to face the same direction as Sans, taking hold of his hand into his larger one.

Blushing a soft blue, Sans looked down at their hands twined together, his soul finally coming down from the fright and instead filling with a burst of warmth and adoration for his brother. He didn’t know what he would have done if Papyrus wasn’t there. Fuck, he loved his brother so much.

Chapter Text

Chapter Six: Gift wrapping

Whoever invented gift bags deserved a medal. Sans had lost count of the number of times he had given up on trying to wrap gifts for his brother and friends. Finding it easier to just wrap them in more tape than paper by the time he got fed up with wrapping things. 

So watching his brother quietly following along to a tutorial on the internet was refreshing. The gift Papyrus was wrapping up for the coming get together for Gyftmas had Sans smiling softly. 

“looking real good there bro. you’re really getting the hang of that new style of wrapping you found.” Sans commented, seeing the oddly shaped ball Papyrus had been wrapping for Frisk was done. His brother had made his own gift bag to hide the shape of the ball. Sans was pretty sure it was called a football. Frisk had begun to show more interest in the different sports the school offered and Toriel had requested the others get things for her child to try out. 

“THANK YOU BROTHER! I FIND THE TUTORIALS I FIND ONLINE TO BE VERY EASY TO FOLLOW. THOUGH SOME ARE MORE EASY THAN OTHERS.” Papyrus beamed as he held up the wrapped football, his eye lights glittering with pride. “HOW IS WRAPPING COMING FOR YOU?”

Sans gave a sheepish chuckle, shoving the few presents he’d brought down into another bag he’d gotten while at the mall. He was going to run out though before they were all done. “eh, you know me. getting it all wrapped up already. with a pretty bow on top even.” He winked as he placed a silver bow on the handle of the gift bag with a cheeky grin.

“SANS! WHY MUST YOU TRY TO RUIN EVERY INTERACTION WE HAVE WITH YOUR TERRIBLE PUNS?” Papyrus screeched, tossing his hands up into the air before rising to his feet with a grumble. 

Sans chuckled softly watching his taller brother gather up all his gifts he was done with and take them right outside to his car to take over to Toriel’s place later that day. Probably within the hour if Sans had to guess. “awe, come on bro, that was a good one!” He called after his brother’s retreating back. 

After the garage door clicked shut behind Papyrus, Sans let his smile drop, his shoulders sagging as well. It had been another shit night trying to get sleep of any sort. His dreams conniving against him to show him Papyrus in various positions that left Sans hot and bothered under the collar. He’d woken with his cock and pussy summoned, dripping from both and panting heavily. If he didn’t know any better he’d have thought his heat was about to hit. But he’d already had that just before Halloween and wasn’t set to have it again until about Valentines. 

Sighing heavily, Sans picked up one of the candles he’d gotten for Alphys, some kind of cherry blossom scented one that had seemed like it would be something his friend would enjoy. He stared at it unseeing, falling into his thoughts as exhaustion took hold of his soul. He was so tired. The last couple weeks had been a lot preparing for Gyftmas, and it was still a few days from now. And there was so much Papyrus wanted to do. 

Closing his sockets, Sans leaned back, his skull thunking softly against the seat cushion of the green couch that had followed them up from the Underground. It was one of the few things Papyrus had agreed to letting come with. Sagging against the plush and worn fabric, Sans huffed out a quiet breath. “bet i wouldn’t be so damned tired if i didn’t have to watch my every word and touch.” He muttered softly, missing the sound of the garage door opening again as Papyrus returned. “be so much easier without these damn feelings.” He said even softer. 

The heavy thud of the door closing startled Sans into sitting upright, his cheeks flushed a faint cyan as he looked over at Papyrus. “hey bro, got all the gifts in your car?”

“YES OF COURSE. I SEE YOU ARE NOT FINISHED YOURSELF. WOULD YOU LIKE SOME HELP?” Papyrus stared down at his brother, an unreadable expression on his skull there and gone before Sans could get a good read on it. Dropping to the floor in front of Sans, Papyrus reached out for the candle he was still holding and gently took it from Sans’ limp grip. 

“uh, yeah, thanks paps.” Sans finally managed to answer. He felt like he was missing something. His soul pounded in his rib cage as his tongue summoned. He licked along his teeth without thinking as he pulled one of the rolls of wrapping paper over for Papyrus along with the tape and scissors. 

“ANY TIME BROTHER. WE DO NEED TO HURRY THIS ALONG ANYWAY. THE QUEEN IS EXPECTING US SOON. SHE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT GETTING TOGETHER TO SHARE IN THE EXPERIENCE OF EGGNOG!” Papyrus deftly wrapped the remaining gifts Sans had without preamble, his mind already set on taking the two of them over to the Queen’s as soon as he was done. 

Sans watched him with a soft smile, his eye lights glowing faintly. Though his smile slowly faded as he couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to reach up and touch Papyrus’ cheek with his palm. Would his skull be as warm as the rest of his body was? Would Papyrus flinch away from the touch like Sans knew he should? Or would-? He brutally shoved that hopeful thought away, not even giving himself the chance to entertain it. He couldn’t as his dreams were already wearing him down more than usual lately.