#swellcest

Wringing his hands, Papyrus decided to start from the beginning. “When we moved here, I was so happy, Sans. We were near your work, nearby the local park and I can walk anywhere I need to.”

Something flashed over Sans’ face at that, but Papyrus wasn’t sure what it was, so after Sans said nothing about it, he continued.

“All of my greatest friends are close by, and I can be with them any time I choose to.” Looking down at the floor, Papyrus sighed. “Sometimes, I was so lonely that was the only option to abate the nasty feelings.”

He could feel Sans tense up beside him, likely about to say something, but he was not about to be derailed.

“Because you were gone. Always gone, never home, never here with me, to spend time together, to go out on the town, to make love and smooch and do all the things couples and best friends do.” Papyrus paused, closing his eyes as tears began down his cheeks. “You weren’t ever here , Sans, and it hurt . It hurt so badly, why were you never here?”

Looking up, he found Sans staring at him in a sort of mute silence, tears in his own sockets and something like guilt on his face. Still, he stayed silent until Papyrus finally waved his hand, chuckling, “Yes, you can talk now.”

Sans laughed, the noise humorless, before he turned his head down to the floor. He was silent for a long moment, before his shoulders slumped, misery filling his expression. “I really… I really thought you were happy.”

Papyrus was confused, but he didn’t have to wait long for Sans to continue.

“I’ve been working on several extensive, involved projects at work, most of which have to have someone there with them at all times or else there’ll be a meltdown. Alphys couldn’t stay because Undyne finally introduced a curfew, and some of the other guys just didn’t want to do it, so…” He stopped, rubbing his hands over his face, as Papyrus continued to watch him.

“And some nights, when someone else was watching it, the others would ask me out for a drink or to get something to eat, either for celebration or just because, and I… I went with them.”

Papyrus swallowed, hands still fidgeting in his lap as he asked the question that burned his soul as he thought about it. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

Sans glanced up, miserable. “I thought you knew? I guess? Or that you were still understanding and happy and that you were just having a good time with your buddies and I just…” He stopped, choked up, before he looked away, guilty. "I came home and saw you happy and healthy and thought... you didn't really need me anymore."

Silence followed, neither of them breaking it for a moment. It was a terrible excuse, Papyrus knew that, but Sans seemed to know it as well.

After a long moment… Papyrus spoke again. “Your scent is no longer on me.”

It would have been an invitation, at one point, the welcome of a pun about intercourse and they’d head to the bedroom but… now it just seemed to make Sans even more mournful.

“I’m… saying I’m sorry isn’t going to fix this, saying I was wrong won’t either but I don’t know what else to do.” Sans finally said, Papyrus nodding in agreement.

“It… helps. It doesn’t fix it, no, but it’s a start.” Papyrus sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing his face to scrape away the tears. Glancing over at Sans, he confessed, “I went to Fell’s last night.”

A sheepish grin came over Sans’ face. “Yeah no, I know. Red, uh… Red came to pay me a visit.”

Papyrus closed his mouth, eyes wide as he imagined just what Red might have had to say to his brother. Silence followed, the two of them awkwardly staring into space, everything explained, everything discussed. Or at least, so Papyrus thought.

“So uh, those scents on you last night, those were the rest of the PapSquad?”

Papyrus squinted at his brother, studying his face, but it didn’t appear that Sans was being accusing, so he slowly nodded. “Yes, we spent the day yesterday together. At the arcade.”

Sans nodded, seemingly thinking about something. Once he came to a decision, or what looked like one, he turned back to Papyrus. “Its okay, y’know.”

Embarrassed, Papyrus looked away… but nodded.