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enchanted-flowers · 7 years

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The Meaning of Forever

A Swapfell Papyrus Backstory Pairing: Papgore Rating: Mature Word count: 8,635 Warnings: Prostitution, Violence, Drug use, Sexual references Category: Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Angst Summary: Two lonely souls take comfort in each other with shared laughter as the world casted them aside. Together, they will find meaning in each other, and create a promise of safety, support, and most importantly, love. Here tells the tale of a purple skeleton, and how one king changed his entire world.

*This fic is rated PG-13 so all ages are welcome to read, but there will be non explicit sexual references, description of violence, and drug use. You have been warned*

(Art by @bonelynomore/ @sleepysmallskele)

His large paws glided over the skeleton’s rough bones, giving him a hard smack on his pelvis one more time before zipping up his pants. Without another word, he tossed 50 G onto Papyrus’s catatonic body and slamed the door behind him. Papyrus laid still, his bones throbbed and cracked, marking him for what he truly is. His fingers twitched. Then his shoulders. Then his knees. He was able to breathe again. Gathering what’s left of his strength, he sat up and leaned against the cracked headboard, spreading his legs to inspect the damage. There was no visible damage to his pelvic bones other than some dark bruises, much to his relief. Papyrus winced as he cleaned himself up, wiping away the sweat and sexual fluids in his magic formed bits. Finally, he was able to dissipate his magic and all memories of the night’s events with it, at least until the next time anyway.

The skeleton leaned over and fished his pack of cigarettes in his jacket pocket dropped on the floor, and frowned once he discovered there was only one left. He’ll take what he can get. Lighting the cig with a lighter from the nightstand, he took a long drag and blew the smoke into the air, the graceful wisps told the story of his misery. The room remained completely dark, the only light from his cigarette and the street lamps illuminated outside his window. It must be the middle of the night, he guessed. The streets were silent from their usual brawl and the snow drifted in tranquil swirls.

The rest of his cigarette turned to ash, and he threw the butt on the carpeted floor and stomped on the ash as he slid out of bed. One wasn’t enough, he needed another, but all the shops were closed at this time and he didn’t want to see his brother’s disappointed expression when he got home so late. So instead, Papyrus threw on his old purple jacket, littered with holes and stained with condiments, then exited the Snowdin Inn, throwing a couple of Gs at the extremely annoyed receptionist. She knew exactly who he was and wasn’t looking forward to cleaning his room.

After living in Snowdin for so long, the cold didn’t bother him. His jacket dampened from the melted flakes and as he walked aimlessly along the path into the forest, the crunch of the snow flooded into his shoes, squeaking with every step that he took. Papyrus had no direction, but the darkness of the forest called to him. He continued on the path, the town lights faded into twinkling Christmas lights and the shadows of the strong trees casted over the sparkling white snow. The pure silence and soft winds grazed against his cheekbones as his soul beat calmed to a pleasant buzz. Out here, there’s no such thing as responsibility.

Papyrus finally reached the end of the path, encountering a colossal mauve doorway, with the kingdom’s emblem cracked and faded in between the opening. The ivy vines had nearly claimed the entire structure, with no door knob or handle to open it. It was definitely a one way entrance. Papyrus knew about this. Everyone did. It was the entrance to the Ruins where the monsters once lived before it became too crowded and the species had to expand. In his opinion, they should’ve stayed and rotted.

His head throbbed as he flicked away the last of the ashes, and tossed the blunt on the ground. Papyrus didn’t know what to do now, but he won’t go back. Not yet. He placed both his hands on the snowy door and pressed his head against the hard metal, and banged it twice, sighing afterwards. Somehow, the heaviness in his soul felt a little lighter.

“Who’s there?” a deep, gravelly voice echoed from the other side of the door.

Papyrus jumped back in shock clearly not expecting anyone to answer or even lived down there. He blinked twice, contemplating on just leaving and become a ghost in the forest before that door opened and he got killed. But instead, his curiosity overridden him.

“Nanna,” Papyrus responded.

“Nanna who?” the voice replied, slow and suspicious, but humored him anyway.

“Nanna your business,”

A deep, dark laugh bellowed from the other side, like the rumble of a great storm or a rushing beat of a drum. Papyrus felt his soul pound from the sheer power of it. A rush of excitement ran through him. Finally, someone who appreciated his humor, rather than throw rocks at him for making jokes.

“Heh, ya like that huh? What do ya call a dictionary on drugs? High definition.”

The deep laugh once again rumbled on the other side, enough to move mountains and cause tremors beneath his feet.

“Why do potatoes make good detectives?” the voice retaliated with a joke of his own, “because they keep their eyes peeled!”

Papyrus laughed, a small bubble of inescapable joy bursting from his chest as he leaned on against the doorway for support, wiping away a single tear. Even if the joke was lame, even if he didn’t even find it that funny, it’s been awhile since Papyrus had a full hearty laugh like that.

“Forgive me, I has been a long time since I’ve talked to someone,” the voice from the door said.

“Don’t worry about it,” the skeleton shrugged, “I didn’t expect anyone to be in there. I thought the Ruins was deserted.”

“Nearly deserted,” the voice simply replied back sadly.

A heartbeat passed, then another.

“Where do animals go when their tails fall off?” Papyrus asked, unsure what to do in the silence. He had never actually had a conversation for this long.

The voice hummed in curiosity.

“The retail store!”

The voice on the other side once again rocked the earth with his joyous laughs, and Papyrus could hear him slump on the other side. He did the same,

“What is your name, funny one?”

“Papyrus,” he said without hesitation, “You?”

The voice paused, as if unsure of his own name, or whether he should answer.

“...Asgore,” the voice responded slowly, with a hint of hesitance.

“That’s a nice name,” Papyrus simply said, unsure why the other monster was so reluctant to give out his name, but he figured that that was his business.

By now, the the snow soaked deeper into Papyrus’s shoes, with a wet squish every time he shifted. He curled his toes in disgust and stood back up, dusting off the flakes that fell on his purple jacket.

“Nice to meet you. I better get going,” the skeleton stated simply, already making his way towards the town.

“Wait!” the voice boomed, and Papyrus stopped in his tracks, glancing at the door curiously, “Will you...come back again?”

The skeleton raised his bone brow, a smile twitched on the edge of his cheeks. He clutched the zipper of his jacket and fiddled with it, the snow blasting in his face.

“Sure, buddy. I’ll visit again sometime,”

Papyrus didn’t know how, but he could feel Asgore’s smile beyond the door, As he walked further and further away from the dark doorway and toward the waking town and glimmering lights, his fingers twitched, already feeling the itch for another cigarette.

“Pleasure doing business with ya,” Papyrus chuckled at his own pun, licking the substance off his face for show, but the taste lingered on his tongue like foul fish.

“Don’t be disgusting,” the red devilish monster buckled up his belt and fished for a few gold coins, then tossed it in front of the escort like feeding a dog scraps, “Now get out of my sight, I don’t want to see you here again.”

Papyrus couldn’t agree more. He hungrily grabbed the gold pieces and stuffed it into his pocket, Without another word, he exited the alleyway behind Muffet’s, and took the shortcut straight to his house. He slammed opened his front door and zoomed toward the bathroom to wash off his face, ridding himself of the grim and spoils that caked his face. He scrubbed every inch of his skull, yet he could still feel it. The hands that touched his yellowed skull, the things shoved in his mouth, the fluids that defiled his body. His breath shuddered as the memories flooded through his mind, his bones trembled as he covered his face with his head in shame. Dread filled his soul with pure self loathing and hatred for what he had become, he would never be anything more than a filthy pro-

“PAPY-RUS!” Sans’s smooth like butter voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

The smaller skeleton knocked on the bathroom doorway in his gray pajamas and little slippers shaped like zebras. Unsurprisingly, his faded purple bandana wrapped around his neck. Papyrus couldn’t remember the last time he say his brother take that thing off, even in the shower, yet it never seemed to get wet. He shook his head once he realized he zoned out again,

“Yeah bro?”

The older brother frowned, and stepped right on Papyrus’s feet and tiptoed, their chests touching. The triangles in his brother’s eyes shone brightly, as if determined.

“Are The Bad Thoughts There Again?” Sans whispered, not wanting to let the “bad thoughts” hear him.

Papyrus nodded.

Sans pouted then his cheeks puffed up and darkened in anger. He raised his hands and smacked Papyrus lightly on the forehead repeatedly, “BAD THOUGHTS GO AWAY! BAD THOUGHTS GO AWAY! LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!”

Sans stepped down from his brother’s feet and smiled brightly, the closest thing to the sun the Underground will ever have. He cupped Papyrus’s face, despite the height difference and squished, playing with the elasticity of his face.

“Did It Work?”

“Yeah bro, it did. Thanks,”

“GOOD!” Sans pulled on the sleeves of Papyrus’s jacket and lead him to his bedroom, efficiently tucking him in, “IT’S TIME FOR YOUR BEDTIME STORY!”

“Actually, Sans,” Papyrus unraveled himself from his mess of blankets and sat back up, leaning against his headboard, “I kinda wanted to read it today.”

“OH!” Sans tilted his head in confusion, then clapped with glee, “OF COURSE YOU CAN BROTHER! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! MOVE OVER!”

Papyrus scooted over and allowed his older brother to climb into his bed with him, sharing some of his fluffy blankets. Sans handed him a short book, with a spider and pig on the cover, and turned to the page where he left off yesterday.

Papyrus blinked at the words that floated on the page, each letter shifted and changed right before his eyes, but he did his best to look past that. Already his head throbbed from the effort, “A-Avery put one peg-”

“Leg,” Sans gently corrected.

“Ah. Uh, Avery put one leg over the fence....?” Papyrus turned to his brother for confirmation.

Sans just nodded and smiled, his eyes glittered with prideful spark.

“Avery put one leg over the fence of the pigpen. He was just about to... to...What does that say?” the younger skeleton pointed to a spot on the page.

“Raise His Stick,” Sans said patiently, encouraging him to continue.

“He was just about to raise his stick to hit Charlotte when he.....” Papyrus squinted at the floating and changing words, then lit up as the words stayed anchored for just one second, “when he lost his balance!”

Sans giggled and praised his brother for finishing and the sentence, giving Papyrus all the encouragement he needed to continue. He soon finished up the page, taking over an hour to do so with Sans leaning against his arms in a soft snore. Papyrus poked his older brother's marshmallow cheeks, proving his slumber and gently laid him down on the bed, and pulled the blanket to his shoulder. He sat there for a moment, watching the other’s chest rise and fall, with murmurs of incoherent words. Very carefully, Papyrus crawled to the edge of the bed and slipped off, watching for any movement from his brother. Once he was sure that Sans wouldn’t wake up, Papyrus slinked out of the room and escaped into the cold night.

He ran this time, into the forest with his soul beat pounded harder than ever and exhilaration rushed through his face. Papyrus didn’t know why he was running, why he was so excited to get to the door. It wasn’t like he knew the guy behind it, yet he just wanted to hear that laugh again. He skidded to a stop before the Ruins doorway, calmed himself down, and knocked.

“Who’s there?” Asgore replied a moment later with raised giddiness.

“Iva”

“Iva who?”

“Iva sore hand from knocking, will you let me in?”

Once again, Asgore’s laughter rang throughout the forest, filling Papyrus with indescribable joy. The monster on the other side bounced off his own joke, and Papyrus retaliated with another one, the two rallied off puns and horrendous humor for hours.

“Heh, you know, no one else appreciates my jokes,” Papyrus shrugged, leaning against the door and lit a cigarette to warm himself up. He blew the smoke in the air and watched it dance to the cavern ceiling.

“At least out there you have someone to talk to,” Asgore simply stated hollowly. The doorway creaked against his weight as he leaned against it.

“Why not just come outside?”

The other monster chuckled deeply, “I do not belong in your world anymore. Besides, I have my duties here.”

Papyrus tilted his head, but didn’t press. That was Asgore’s business and besides, he couldn’t care less about the other monster’s reasoning. If he was out there with the rest of the monsters instead of isolation, he’d probably hate Papyrus too anyway and never would’ve talked to him.

“Alright, Mr. Edgy McEdgy Pants. Whatever you say,”

“You have a funny way of speaking,” Asgore snickered, “It reminds me of the court jesters.”

Papyrus wondered if the Queen even still had court jesters around, though it wouldn’t matter anyway. He was too poor to afford a trip to the Capitol, much less the Queen’s Court. He heard stories about the Kingdom in the past, where it was once a utopia filled with riches and jewels. According to the history books that Sans read to him, there was a time where everyone enjoyed the wealth, where there was no poverty, despair, or want. Everyone was happy and equal, enjoying the life that they built for themselves. Then, tragedy after tragedy struck. First, both the Royal Children died, then the Underground was struck by terrible disease caused by an unknown explosion. The King had disappeared, supposedly succumbing to the disease, and the Queen in her frantic madness and heartbreak, blew half of of the Royal Treasury on protection against the disease for herself. Overtime, the disease went away naturally, but soon, overpopulation flourished, and there was not enough resources for everyone. Papyrus understood that last fact all too well.

He flicked away the ashes of his cigarette, deciding against another one so he could save them for rest of the day, “I should go. I need to be back before my brother wakes up,”

“You have a brother?”

“Yeah. You got any family?” the skeleton asked curiously.

The wind howled among the trees and the branches rustled loudly, like a wailing child. A chill ran up his spine as the silence thickened between them. Papyrus waited and waited for his answer, but none ever came. He called out Asgore’s name, but no response. Papyrus shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pocket and stuck a finger through one of it’s many holes just for fun. As he returned to town, he sighed in relief from the quiet and headed toward his house, checking up on Sans who still layed in bed, soundly asleep. Papyrus smiled softly, and threw jacket on the ground, then crawled into bed with his brother, making as little noise or movement as possible. He pulled his brother’s small frame against his and Sans instinctively wrapped his arms around Papyrus, cooing happily in his sleep. The younger skeleton clacked his teeth against the other’s skull, closed his eyes, and drifted off to slumber.

Muffet slammed her fist on the wooden counter, startling Papyrus enough to knock him off his chair on the bar counter. He grunted in annoyance and scrambled back up, growling at the spider monster. She crossed all six of her arms, then pointed at the door angrily. If he wasn’t going to order anything, then get out. Papyrus rubbed his head and remembered how he came to Muffet’s for breakfast or maybe an early job, but ended up passing out from his lack of sleep lately. He shot her a dirty look.

“Just bring me the usual,” Papyrus sighed.

Muffet rolled all five of her eyes and rudely tossed him a plain muffin on the counter, not even bothering to apologize. Once again, he ordered the cheapest item on the menu, and with how he kept returning, Muffet didn’t see the point of treating with respect anymore. Those were reserved for actual customers who didn’t buy something less than five gold every time they came in.

“What’s your deal? You don’t normally fall asleep here,” Muffet grabbed a glass with one of her hands and wiped it down, while serving a customer with another.

“It’s not like you to worry about my well-being, Spider Girl,” Papyrus took a bite of the plain muffin, stuck to his face and some fell down the counter.

The arachnid monster scoffed and set down her glass to grab another one, “Don’t be stupid. This isn’t some hotel and you’re taking up space. Finish your muffin and leave.”

The spider girl left him to attend to another patreon, her scowl soon replaced with a forced cheerful smile as she took their order. Papyrus slouched and grimaced at his muffin, his appetite suddenly gone as he was reminded about how much of a waste of space he was. Sighing, he threw his breakfast (or lunch now technically) into the nearest trashcan and exited the bakery, the golden chimes of the bells singing as the door closed behind him. He turned toward the alleyway behind the bakery and lit a smoke next to a foul trash can, then relaxed against the wall. The snow crunched nearby and Papyrus perked his non-existent ears. Two canine humanoid monsters in shining Royal Guard armor approached him with devilish smirks, their noses sniffed his scent as they caught his scent. Papyrus’s eyes widened with panic as he threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped out the light, then threw up his hood up, hoping it would cover his face. He wrapped his jacket tighter around himself and quickly paced away from the new Royal Guard members, hoping that they hadn’t notice him, but it was futile.

“Hey! Hey you!” one of the guardsmen threw a snowball at his head, and Papyrus recoiled in pain from the compact snow covered ice, but he didn’t stop moving.

“Don’t you walk away from us!” the other one laughed and sprinted towards him, then pushed him face down down on the burning cold.

Papyrus shrieked as a thick boot pressed down on his spine, cracking it in the process. The two guardsmen howled with laughter, and one of them picked him up the ground, but held him place by trapping his arms under his. The skeleton struggled under the dogs’ grip, his soul drummed loudly in his ear as he summoned a lanky bone weapon, but the other dog monster balled his fist and struck across his face, leaving him cheek heavily bruised. Papyrus’s magic instantly dissipated and his body went limp, the dog guardsman the only thing that supported him up. The dog monster that held him up, panted from the endeavor, his foul breath like a corpse attacked his nostrils. The other guardsman stepped closer, and upon closer inspection, Papyrus noticed dark patches of black fur dotted across the monster's face.

“Do you know who we are?” Foul-breath exhaled closer to the skeleton’s face and he cringed in disgust.

“Royal Guardsmen. Ain’t never seen you around before, you new?” Papyrus stopped struggling and calmed down. He’d rather comply than to risk anything.

“That’s right hot stuff,” Spots lifted up the skeleton’s chin, smirking over his position, “My brother and I were sent straight from the Capital to this...”

“Stinkhole,” Foul- breath finished for his brother, “Because the stupid guard that was station here, isn’t doing his job, and we’re here to clean up his mess.”

“Good for you,” Papyrus snarked.

Spots growled at his tone, “Watch it whore. Yeah, we know what you are, and you’re not getting away with it either. Are you aware that prostitution is a punishable offense? I’m surprised that no one has reported you yet.”

“Everyone probably wants a piece of this trash,” Foul-breath laughed haughtily, “But if we turn you into Alphys, maybe we can get promoted out of this good for nothing town. Maybe someplace nice, Brother. Waterfall?”

A shiver ran down Papyrus’s spine, as the weight of his situation finally sunk in. He thought about Sans, all alone in that big house, probably wondering where Papyrus went, and with no one to read bedtime stories to all night. He’d probably wonder all around the Underground looking for him, and get himself killed in the process. He thought of Asgore, all alone behind that cold door, waiting every day for Papyrus to come by, but he never will. Asgore will think that his only friend abandoned him, or think that he was dead. No. Papyrus couldn’t do that to either of the people he loved.

“Please!” Papyrus shouted, his pride already discarded long before he met these two, “Please don’t! I’ll do anything! H-Hey, I’ll even let both you fuck me for free huh? Just don’t take me to jail!”

Foul-breath raised a brow, “He is kinda cute...”

Spots slapped his brother in the back of his head, “No, we don’t want used trash. When we get promoted to Waterfall, we’ll get the classy whores.”

The dog monster unclipped metal anti-magic handcuffs from his belt and Papyrus struggled and screamed furiously, begging for anyone to help. He caught the attention of a bunny monster walking her brother, but simply turned away shrugging. No one wanted to help the local slut. Foul-breath tightened his grip to keep him in place, but Papyrus was relentless and determined. His magic coursed through his body and electrified at this fingers as he manifested a glowing blue bone. Shouting with might, the skeleton brought up his leg and kicked his captor with full force in his pelvis and the dog monster howled in pain, dropping him and doubling over in the snow. Spot’s beady black eyes flashed with anger as he summoned his ax and swung at Papyrus, but the skeleton quickly dodged and snaked behind him, kicking him into his brother and knocking the both of them down. With the guardsmen scrambling to their feet, Papyrus took this opportunity and ran.

He didn’t even think about where he was going, he just knew he couldn’t go home, so he threw all sense into the air and followed his instincts. Angry shouts and footsteps followed closely behind him, gaining on him with every second, and Papyrus knew he couldn’t outrun them, but he had no choice. The blast of cold air and snow flew into his face, nearly blinded him with the whiteness, and all he could make out were green outlines of the forest trees in his peripheral vision but his feet kept running. He couldn’t stop. An axe whizzed right past him, only missing him by a couple inches and he looked behind him. The brothers were getting closer, and Papyrus knew that there was no escape. He gasped as he reached a dead end right before the Ruins entrance and spun around to face his enemies.

The two brothers cornered him, both flipping their axes and charged with ferocity. Papyrus summoned a wall of bones to guard himself, but they easily broke through it, one blade sliced his arms. The skeleton screamed, but braced himself and aimlessly threw a torrent of bones at the guardsmen, but they simply slapped it away with their weapons, grabbed his injured arm and threw him on the ground. They were both on him before he could even get up, stuffing his mouth full of the dirt snow and punching at his skull and pelvis. Papyrus managed to shove them off of him with a rush of his blue magic and pull himself to his feet, but the dogs were quickly over him again and one of them threw a punch clear across his jaw and the other brought down a blunt force from the blade’s handle. A crack split across his face and ran down to his right eye socket, magical blood dripped on his hands as he tried to stop the bleeding. His body hit the ground, the snow freezing his tired bones as magic leaked from him, his strength and magic all gone. This was it. They were going to take him away and torture him. Those mutts better kill him now.

A sudden warmth blasted in the air, knocking the two approaching mutts away and melted the snow around him, though the flames didn’t just end there. Papyrus watched as a tornado of fire wrapped around the two guardsmen and engulfed their screams, their fur turning scorched black then crumbling to nothing but a pile of dust. His soul bones trembled at the dust before him, knowing that he was probably going to be next, but as the mysterious monster lifted up his body with strong, furry white arms, he passed out.

Warm. It was warm. His vision blurred as he tried to open his eyes, but he reached out towards the source of the warmth, something he hasn’t felt in a long time. It was like he was home, surrounded by freshly baked goods and soft blankets, and Sans was going to come in any second and yell at him for sleeping in...no something was wrong. Papyrus never had that memory, he never had this feeling before, then it all came back in a flash. The dogs. The attack. The fire. He jolted up and flinched as his head spun in dizziness, grunting as he held his head in his hands and a small breeze brushing against his scarred bones. He blinked rapidly, panicking from unable to see through his right eye, then reaching for his socket. A cotton eye patch wrapped around his skull, soft and dry, so at least there was no magic leaking from his socket. The pain throbbed, pulsing and twitching like a drum of pressure, but he had no choice but to deal with it. He peaked between his fingers and noticed his purple jacket missing, and a jolt of terror ran down his spine. Despite wearing a black tank top and pants, Papyrus was completely exposed and vulnerable. He frantically stood up, his magic on standby, watching for any signs of dangers. He was in a living room of sorts, with a fireplace crackling in front of him, warming up the yellow wood walls, illuminated by bright lights. Pictures of flowers surround him, along with a bookcase filled to the brim with stories about a butterfly? There was no one in the living room beside him and the pristine purple leather couch with a knitted quilt pooling around his feet, a warm, cinnamon scent wafting around him and filling his soul with tranquility that he didn’t want. Everything was impeccable clean, with no drop of dirt or dust on any surface; the only filthy thing was him, with his bruised purple bones that scattered throughout his body, flecks of magical blood stained his chest, and a heavy throb pulsed above his right eye. He gently touched his face, only to find bandages tightly wrapped around his head.

A deep voice startled him from behind, “Oh, you’re awake. Excuse the m-”

Papyrus jumped and snarled, his magic sparked at his fingertips, “Who the fuck are you? Where am I?”

The skeleton’s eyes widened at the buff monster before him, his muscles almost ripping through his green shirt, and his broad shoulders and stomach bulges out, commanding nothing but pure, raw, strength and covered in nothing but majestic dusty brown fur and a blonde beard. The monster took a step to approach him, but Papyrus hissed, his magic crackling as a bone formed in his palm, ready to talk.

“No, wait! I do not mean you any harm. Do you remember what happened?”

Papyrus didn’t answer. Instead, his eyelights flickered to a purple fabric that draped over the monster’s arm, and Papyrus tilted his head in confusion. The monster noticed and gently extended the jacket back to him.

“I noticed that your clothes were a bit unkempt, so I hope you don’t mind that I washed it for you. I would have liked to wash all your clothes, but I did not believe you would appreciate being stripped naked.”

Papyrus yanked it back.

“Who are you?” Papyrus growled and repeated his question, his patience wearing thin.

“My apologies, I am Asgore, caretaker of the Ruins. And may I assume that you are Papyrus?”

“...Asgore?” the skeleton lowered his defense, his eyes widening in shock, “But how...I…?”

“Have a seat, old friend. I shall make you some tea and I will explain,”

Papyrus hesitated, still not allowing for his guard to drop, but he clutched his jacket tighter, and took a seat back on the couch. There were no visible exits that he could see, plus Asgore was probably a much more powerful monster than him, and he could be dusted any second. Just because the two shared a few laughs, didn’t mean Paps could trust him, especially now that he didn’t have the protection of the door.

He fidgeted in his seat, twiddling his thumbs and eye staring at the the kitchen. Asgore came back, five minutes later, and set down a steaming up cup golden flower tea in front of him. Papyrus took it in his hands, the warmth seeping through his tired bones, but waits til Asgore takes a sip before he does.

“I was tending to my garden, when I heard some noises through the wall,” Asgore said, the steam of the cup fluttered to his face, “Normally I do not interfere with the affairs of the Underground so I intended to leave them be, but then I heard your voice, and I had to step in. When I found you, you were nearly dead. I patched you up the best I could, but there was nothing I can do about your eye.”

Papyrus touched the patch and winced at the pain, “Why? Why would you save me? What do you want from me? Money? Servitude? Sex?”

Asgore’s face twisted up in disgust at the last suggestion, but he shook his head, “I...I haven’t had a friend in a long time.”

Silence passed between them, and for the first time, there was no laughter.

Friendship…? Papyrus stared at the monster in disbelief, unable to comprehend why a grand monster like himself would to be friends with the lowest of scum like him. But Asgore did save his life, and Papyrus isn’t one to be in debt. Besides, he did enjoy the other monster’s company….back when there was a door between them.

“I have to go. My brother will be worried,” the skeleton monster wrapped his purple jacket around him.

“Of course. Allow me to show you the way,” Asgore said sadly, but led him down a set of stairs, and to the familiar grand door. The goat monster pushed it open, and a gust of white wind blinded the skeleton as snow plastered his face, “You will come back....won’t you?”

Papyrus paused, then nods his head. He didn’t want to lose this friendship either. Asgore beamed at him then sent him along his way.

His vision never returned to his right eye, but he kept a white patch over it, to hide the deep cracks that penetrated his skull. Sans flipped when he saw it of course, but Papyrus shrugged it off, stating that it was no big deal and he was just at the wrong place at the wrong place at the wrong time. Of course, that didn’t stop the elder brother from placing him under lockdown, refusing to let him leave until he deemed that it he was fully healed. Although Papyrus loved his brother, the dude once tried to feed him rainbow sparkled dumplings to “bedazzle” the flu away. But that didn’t stop him from sneaking out and visiting Asgore over the next few months, just as he promised.

He always noticed his affection growing for him with every visit, with shared laughter, drinks and food. During one particular visit, Asgore took him to see the old city and all of it’s abandoned silence. There really was no one here. Just Asgore all alone. During that visit, it was the first time Papyrus wrapped his hand around Asgore’s large paw. They never expected to be lovers, but just as the flowers grew in the Ruins, so did their feelings. Every hello was welcomed but every goodbye was hard, and Papyrus ended up spending days at a time there. With Asgore, he was accepted, cared for, and free. He didn’t have to worry about selling his body, he didn’t have to worry about making money to support his brother, he didn’t have to worry about anything at all, and lose himself in Asgore’s embrace. But, Papyrus always came back home to Snowdin, allowed his brother to tuck him in, then went back to work. Sans was so close to getting that job with the Royal Guard, but until then, Papyrus must do his duty. He owed his brother too much.

“Stay with me.” the goat monster held the skeleton a little tighter as the two laid on the couch.

“You know I can’t. I have my brother.” Papyrus traced circles on Asgore’s chest while he rested his head above his heart.

“Sans could come live with us too.”

“Hah. Sans? Alone with the two of us in the Ruins? He’d have a mental break down. Besides,” Papyrus leaned up and kissed Asgore against his cheek, “We’d never get any alone time.”

Asgore chuckled, deep and throaty, as he flipped his boyfriend against the couch cushions and nuzzled him fondly, careful not to crush him with his weight, “I do enjoy our alone time.”

Papyrus stroked his snout and met his warm brown eyes, “Do you ever miss it? Life in the Capital?”

The goat monster’s mouth twitched and sighed, then pushed himself up and sat properly. Papyrus leaned up as well and sat cross legged in Asgore’s direction, waiting for his response.

“Sometimes. I do not particularly enjoy isolation and the Capital was… beautiful. All the bright lights and glamour, the balls and the riches… sometimes I wish that I never left,”

Papyrus grimaced and tightened his fists. He would never be able to give Asgore that, nor could he even relate to his life at all, “Then why did you?”

“There was a disagreement with my wife. Toriel and I stopped seeing eye to eye on some important matters,” Asgore shrugged.

“Wait...Toriel? Queen Toriel?

“Yes, my apologies, did you not know who I was?” Asgore tilted his head in confusion.

“No, the Queen erased your name from all records. She said that you died,” Papyrus rubbed his temples, his bones rattled as his breath shortened. God, he was going to throw up.

“Papyrus? What is the matter? Are you alright?” Asgore extended his paw, but the skeleton only shoved him away.

“Get away from me!”

“I do not understand. Did I say something wrong?”

“I knew it was too good to be true,” Papyrus stood up and wrapped his jacket around himself, stomping towards the stairwell.

“Papyrus wait!” Asgore cut in front of him, then held his heads, but the skeleton refused to look him in the eye, “What is the matter? Why are you acting like this?”

“You don’t understand do you,” Papyrus growled, “You were a king! Your life was full of beautiful clothes, castles, and a civilization who looked up to you. Respected you. I can never give you that. I’m struggling to even stay alive right now! I am nothing, compared to you.”

“Stop.” his deep voice bellowed, eyes igniting with passion and fury, “Yes, it is true that I had a grand life, but I do not anymore. I hope that one day...one day I will again, but I want you by my side. I don’t care that you don’t have any money, I will have enough for both of us. You are a good man, Papyrus. You are pure and that is all I care about.”

Papyrus didn’t meet his eyes and clenched his jaw, “I have to go.”

Asgore nodded sadly and released him. He didn’t follow him down the long hallway, allowing Papyrus to wipe his tears alone.

Papyrus didn’t see Asgore for a few weeks, instead, chose to spend more time with his brother and helping him outfit his armor. The small little skeleton squealed as he flexed his “muscles” in the mirror. His grey shirt tucked under his black slacks held together tightly with a belt; a metal vest protected his chest and the kingdom’s sigil etched in the middle. Sans cracked his fingers through his thick black gloves, and summoned a hammer bigger than him, with the head in the shape of a dragon’s head, a sheath of purple magic pulsing in its mouth. Sans swung at the mirror and shattered it to pieces, the reflections littering the ground.

“WOWIE BROTHER! DID YOU SEE THAT?! I’M A REAL GUARD NOW!”

“Heh, you really are bro. You don’t start for another week though, are you planning on wearing that all day?” Papyrus patted his older brother’s head with affection, his smile gleamed proudly.

“FOOL! I SHALL NEVER TAKE THIS ARMOUR OFF FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!”

“But-”

“THE REST OF MY LIFE!”

“Okay bro, whatever you say.” Papyrus shrugged, “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you to Muffets? She can be a real ankle biter.”

“NO I MUST GO ALONE! ACCORDING TO MY CALCULATIONS, IT WAS YOUR PRESENCE THAT MADE HER DECLINE MY SUGGESTION TO ADDING DUMPLINGS TO THE MENU!”

“That doesn’t make sense, Sans,”

“ACCORDING TO MY CALCULATIONS IT DOES!”

“Okay well, I’ll see you later then, bro,”

Sans stood on his tippy toes, tugging on Papyrus’s shirt to come down, and the younger brother obeyed. The elder smooched on the other monster’s cheek before skipping to the restaurant next door to convince a deadly spider to add his favorite food to the menu. At least he’s a member of the Guard now.

As soon as Sans closed the door behind him, Papyrus’s smile dropped as he stuck his hands into his pocket for another cigarette. He itched to see Asgore again, and he didn’t want to leave things the way they were. He just...Asgore is, or was, a king, and Papyrus is a common whore with a nicotine addiction. How could he hope to live up to his expectations? Fuck it. He’s tired of being scum, he’s tired of tossing his pride in favor of money. For the first time ever, he has something real and he’s not going to throw it away because of insecurities. After tossing the cigarette in the trash, he slammed the front door, and sprinted to into the forest, the cold air following with his every breath.

CRUNCH!

Papyrus froze and perked at the sound, instantly hiding himself behind a large tree trunk and focusing acutely on the noise. Footsteps threaded through the snow, and he listened, analyzing the steps. It sounded far too light and small to be Asgore, and it sounded like they were wandering around, as if they were pausing to sightsee. It’s rare for any of the Snowdin residents, or anyone at all, to visit this part of the forest, though it’s not unheard of. He has to be cautious, wait for the them leave so he could continue. Out of pure curiosity, Papyrus peaked behind the tree then squinted his eyes to get a closer look. The monster was something that he had never seen before, with pale, bruised skin, two legs, two arms, 5 fingers; their eyes wide and brown with curiosity and pink blush dusting across their face. Messy locks of brown hair swayed at their shoulders and they shivered from the chill, despite the green and yellow striped jumpsuit they wore. He followed their footprints in the snow and his eyes widened when he realized they came from the Ruins. As soon as the creature was out of sight, Papyrus scrambled to the door, slipped on the ice, and once there, he caught his breath, noticing it was open ajar. He pulled it open with all his strength and found Asgore inside, his face buried in his paws and kneeling on the floor. Papyrus is immediately at this side, frantically searching for wounds, then letting a breath of relief after finding none.

“Asgore! Are you okay? What happened?! Who was that?!”

The former king groaned and struggled to his feet, his towering presence looming over the skeleton as his shadow casted over him. Papyrus suddenly remembered how large he was, and how he could easily crushed him with his bare hands. For the first time since they met, Papyrus shivered in fear, yet as soon as Asgore turned around, there was nothing fear, pain, and heartbreak in his eyes, lowering himself to meet the skeleton’s eye level.

“Papyrus,” his voice cracked, flooded with sorrow and loss, “I have something to ask of you.”

“W-Wha? What is it?”

Asgore’s large paw gently touched the skeleton’s face, “I will make you a promise. I will stay by your side, love you, cherish you, give you the life that you deserve, and in exchange, please, protect the human. Don’t let anything happen to them.”

“That thing was a human?!”

“Yes. And I have faith that they will free us all. And when they do,” Asgore presses a kiss on Papyrus’s mouth, his eyes glistening fondly, “We’ll be together forever.”

“Is that a promise…?”

“I promise,”

The skeleton nodded and squeezed Asgore’s hand, giving it one last kiss then sprinting off into the snow, to catch up with the child that held his future.

He greeted the child with a smile and a shock buzzer prank, then learned their name was Chara. They were sweet to him, a bit of a chatterbox, but other than that, he found himself enjoying their company. He easily guided them through the Underground, pushing Sans into friendship with them (not that it took much work) and ducking around Alphys and her many, many flying axe. He helped them through Grillby, Undyne, Napstaton, and by the time the two reached New Home, his bones was littered with cuts and bruises, with a few broken bones, but not a single scratch on Chara. He’s glad. He promised that he will protect them, and he wasn’t going to break it.

“Whelp. Here it is. New Home. Behind this door is the throne room, where you’ll meet the Queen.”

They asked what she was like.

“A bit-” he bit his tongue and remembered to tone down his language, “Not very nice. But don’t worry, I’ll hold her off until you get through the barrier and free us all.”

They looked doubtful, unsure if they could do it.

“Yes you can. And you will. All of us are depending on you,”

They gulped and nodded, and the two of them stepped through the doorway. Papyrus immediately blacked out.

“NII-CHAN! WAKE UP!” Sans shook his brother’s body awake.

“Sans? Ugh, what happened?” Papyrus paused, “And where the hell did you learn that word?”

“I HEARD IT FROM ONE OF UNDYNE’S MOVING PICTURES!”

“No, bro, just never call me that again.”

“I MAKE NO PROMISES!”

Papyrus’s head throbbed, his blind right eye pulsed feverishly, even as he held his head in his hands. Taking deep breaths, he tried to focus and work through the pain, “Argh. Where are we? What happened?”

“THE HUMAN DID IT! THEY BROKE THE BARRIER! WE’RE FREE NOW!”

“What? But how?” he gasped and shot up to his feet, stars bursting in his vision, but he didn’t care, “Asgore!”

Asgore was hugging the little human, nuzzling his blonde beard against their rosy cheeks and kissing the top of their head. As soon as he heard his name called, Asgore’s head whipped over, his deep brown eyes glistened. Setting the child down, the former king rushed over and scooped Papyrus in his thick arms and kissing him everywhere. Sans smiled, and left the two of them alone for some privacy.

“You did it, my love! Now we are free!”

“But how did they do it? All I remember is going into the throne room, then nothing,” Papyrus rubbed his head.

“I am not sure myself, you’ll have to ask them. But the important thing is that we can go to the surface! And we can get married here, on this mountain. Or if you prefer the beach that’s okay too. I just can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you,”

“Asgore…”

A shrill laughter rang throughout the throne room. Queen Toriel, donned in her magnificent purple dress, with the kingdom’s crest over her heart and her sparkling golden crown placed in between her little horns, clutched her stomach and wiped the tears out of her eyes. Asgore growled and set Papyrus down, protectively stepping front of him.

“What’s so funny?”

“This is a joke right?” the queen gestured at the two of them, “This can’t be real.”

“What Papyrus and I have is more real that what you and I ever had. I love him, but you wouldn’t even know what love is, would you?” Asgore snapped, his eyes blazing with fury.

Chara glanced nervously at the two of them, but before they could say anything, Undyne picked them up and led them away.

“Insult me all you want, but I know you Asgore, unlike him. I wonder if your so called love for him would be the same after you find out the truth,” Toriel snickered, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Asgore’s paw twitched, a flicker of flames summoned in his palms.

Meanwhile, Papyrus, watched, his soul thudding and beating cold as drops of sweat rolled down his head. He didn’t want him to know, please, don’t tell him, he can’t know, please. Fear clawed at his soul as he waited through the anticipated.

“Perhaps I don’t,” the queen shrugged, “Maybe you have changed and finally sunk low enough get engaged to a prostitute.”

Asgore froze and Papyrus’s heart stopped. Time froze for the three of them, a second stretching into infinity.

“You are lying,” the former king’s voice echoed with certainty.

“You know that I do not lie, Asgore. I have known about his practices for a while now, but he kept Snowdin happy so I did not care to arrest him. If you don’t believe me, ask him for yourself. I have other matters to attend to.” the Queen’s heels clicked away, her hips sashaying with appeal.

Asgore remained quiet, his back still facing Papyrus, who was trembling and too afraid to speak.

“Tell me she is lying,” all warmth disappeared from his voice, all there was left was the command of a king, a judge.

“....I can’t. It’s true,” his voice trembled, but he couldn’t stop it, he spoke rapidly as the truth flooded out, “But please understand, you knew I was poor, I had to do it for my brother, to keep us both alive-”

“ENOUGH. I do not want to hear your excuses. You lied to me!”

“I DIDN’T LIE!” the skeleton shouted then balled up his fist as a flash of anger pulsed through him, “I did what I had to do. It was kill or be killed and I didn’t have the privilege of high castles and luxurious furniture to keep me afloat.”

“So you resorted to whoring. The most despicable, most vile-”

“I AM STILL THE SAME PERSON! I am the same as I’ve always been. What I did in the past, doesn’t define me and I promise, that I am leaving all of that behind. My future is with you now, above this goddamn mountain and up there on the surface.” the skeleton begged, reaching for Asgore’s hand, but the other monster hatefully pulled away.

“Stars, Papyrus, I am a King! Now that the Underground is free, I need to lead my people again, and I can’t do that with a slut by my side!”

Papyrus flinched, his world shattering into pieces like a broken snow globe, all his love, his hopes, his dreams spilling out into the void, “Asgore, you don’t mean that...You..You promised me forever!”

The king turned away, a wall of ice formed between them now, cold, unbreakable, unapproachable, “Then I suppose, forever ends here.”

Papyrus lost his breath and sunk to the ground, the golden flower petals brushing against his tired bones. Numbness spread throughout his soul, like a wilted rose drying up in the heat. He didn’t feel himself get up and walk, pushing past his brother who tried to stopped him, he didn’t feel himself get shoved by impatient monsters hurrying towards the surface’s lights, he didn’t feel himself tread through the heat, the damp, and the snow and back into his house. He sat on his couch, unmoving, unresponsive, even as the Underground cleared, his mind muddled with past promises and muffled hopes. His stomach churned with scrambling rats, ready to gnaw to his very core. Finally he stood up, his right eye pulsing with his soul beat, each throb like a knife to his head, and he’d give anything, anything to relieve the pain. Opening the kitchen pantry, he found a bottle of painkillers that kept for rougher nights, and spilled the entire contents on the counter. He sighed then balled up his fists, screaming in agonizing pain as he smashed the pills one by one until they all turned to dust. Hot tears sprayed from his eye sockets like acid streaming down his face while his knees shook, struggling to support him up. Wiping his face, he stared down as the remains through blurred vision and rummaged through the drawers for some paper. He soon found a flyer for some Napstaton concert and tore it into strips, then rolling it up into short cylinders, placing it against his nasal and inhaled deeply.

The drugs sunk into his system like a drop of blood spreading in clear water, dulling his pain, his memories, his soul. His mind became stuffed with cotton as his body slumped to the ground. Papyrus never realized how pretty his ceiling was, with it’s swirling grey colors. He couldn’t remember what he was doing there anymore, couldn’t remember what was so important, who was so important to him. Thing was, he didn’t want to anymore. Love was a lie. It could shatter with a single sentence, so fragile and delicate like a newborn baby. All that pain, that hurt, that heartbreak. It wasn’t worth it. But now, he didn’t need to feel it or face it. He could just lie here and watch the colors swirl. And Papyrus knew that there was no turning back.

Forever.

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