Really and truly, this is a direct sequel to The Divine Arrangement, and while I trust your ability to figure out who these characters are and what's going on if you want to just pick this up and go, it really will make more sense if you read that first.
For those that are returning: slight hike in rating: a little bit of swearing, a little bit more making out, surprisingly fewer death threats. Get strapped in, this one's a bit slower paced so the ride's gonna be a bit longer, but boy does it ever have a fun climax.
Papyrus was normally a very punctual person, he refused to disappoint someone by being late. So he would like to say he went to the temple bright and early! Except he knew how pointless that would be. If Sans really had stayed up until dawn he would likely be sleeping until after noon, and even if Sans had fallen asleep before dawn he wasn't one to pass up an opportunity to laze about. Papyrus didn't see the point in standing around for several hours while Sans took one of his extended naps. Thus it wasn't until early afternoon that Papyrus arrived at the temple.
He did think it was strange there was no priest stationed at the entrance to the outer court, but shrugged and entered it anyway. There were already quite a few people gathered in the outer court, and though Papyrus knew he was allowed to simply enter through living quarters he thought it was best to see what news those gathered already had before just barging past them all. He tapped the shoulder of one of the onlookers.
"EXCUSE ME, I'VE ONLY JUST ARRIVED, WHAT'S THE NEWEST NEWS?"
The other monster shrugged, "No idea. Something seems to be going on, though."
Papyrus thought that odd, he would think the priests would at least be reassuring everyone that Sans was alive and well after the way everyone had been panicking before he was chosen. "WELL THANK YOU ANYWAY." He strode past all the monsters milling around and up to the entrance, where a priest he didn't recognize was nervously waving people away.
"I'm sorry, the temple is closed today due to his Lordship's marriage." The priest said the word marriage strangely, like they didn't like the taste of it on their tongue. They smiled nervously at Papyrus as he didn't move.
"YES, I KNOW, I WAS THERE." He paused, unsure what to say next. "… IT WAS A LOVELY CEREMONY." That's what people said about weddings, right? And he supposed it was a lovely ceremony, all ceremonies were lovely.
"Oh, that's uh… that's nice. Thank you?"
They both stood there staring at each other, neither seeming to know what to say or do next.
Another priest, Papyrus recognized her as Gem, the earth elemental he had chatted with when Sans was first chosen, came running up and grabbed the first priest's arm to shake it with excitement. "Triplets!" she yelled excitedly before dashing back into the temple.
"WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?"
"No idea, everyone seems to be in too much of a rush to stop and tell me what's going on." The priest sighed heavily, drooping in on themself.
Papyrus leaned to his left a little, looking past the priest into the hallway. Gathered around the entrance to the inner court was a whole crowd of priests, all of them murmuring and jostling each other to look at something within the inner court that Papyrus couldn't see over their heads. He felt a tug on his sleeve.
One of the onlookers in the outer court had latched onto Papyrus's sleeve. "Say, aren't you related to the bride?"
"THE BRIDEGROOM. AND YES, I'M HIS BROTHER."
"Oh! That's why you were at the ceremony!" The priest looked relieved.
"What's the news? You must know something."
"I HAVEN'T BEEN INSIDE YET, I KNOW JUST AS MUCH AS EVERYONE ELSE. BUT I INTEND TO REMEDY THAT, SO IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME." He gently pried the onlooker's fingers form his sleeve, then strode past the entrance and into the hall. Soon he was at the edge of the crowd and tapped the shoulder of a priest impatiently trying to look over the others' heads. "EXCUSE ME, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON?"
The priest looked back, "Oh! You're the brother, right?"
"I DO HAVE A BROTHER, YES."
"Hey! It's the brother, let him through!" The priest latched onto the priest in front of them and shook for their attention. They looked back, took one look at Papyrus, then turned around and started jostling the other priests around them to move out of the way. This pattern continued, priests jostling each other to let Papyrus through, then eagerly crowding in behind him once he had moved forward even a step. Fortunately there was an area of empty space around the altar itself the gathered priests seemed hesitant to enter, the only exception being a few holding various items and one person who wasn't wearing priestly robes of any kind. All of them gathered around Sans.
He was sitting on the edge of the Eternal Fire's urn, half in the flame with his legs dangling limply over the lip, completely nude. Papyrus huffed and put his hands on his hips, so much for Sans saying he wasn't going to wander around bare boned. The lecture he was about to give died behind his teeth. He paused a little longer, further taking in his brother's appearance. The way he was covered skull to toe in soot, the hunched posture, the empty eyes. The pseudo-flesh that spanned from his ribs to his hips. There was Sans's usual sharp blue hue to the frosty looking flesh, but there was also a yellow glow shining softly from over his hips.
Triplets, Gem had said.
Oh.
Papyrus looked at all the priests gathered around, talking excitedly, the few brave enough to get near Sans touching his arms, his knee, anywhere they could get that wasn't too close to the fire. Papyrus firmed up his stance and opened his mouth.
"ALRIGHT, THAT'S ENOUGH. IF YOU'RE NOT ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING USEFUL THEN YOU NEED TO LEAVE." Papyrus made shooing motions at the gathered priests. "GO ON, OUT OF THE INNER COURT. YOU'RE ALL BEING RIDICULOUS."
As if Papyrus's words had opened their eyes, the gathered crowd sheepishly started shuffling away. Even the priests who looked like they were trying to help looked unsure if they should stay or not. Papyrus turned to the one holding a pile of clothing and took the top layer off, he threw it over Sans's skull. Thankfully the fabric didn't catch fire as it settled over him.
Then Papyrus clapped the priest on the shoulder. "THANK YOU, THAT WAS MOST THOUGHTFUL. YOU SEEM LIKE SOMEONE WITH A GOOD HEAD ON YOUR SHOULDERS, SANS WILL NEED A BATH AND I NEED YOU TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN."
The priest preened with the praise, "I can make that happen."
"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" As the priest left, Papyrus turned to the one holding a tray full of food and took it from them. "THANK YOU AS WELL, BUT IF MY BROTHER AND I COULD HAVE A MOMENT OF PRIVACY, PLEASE."
"Right, of course. Goodness, I don't think any of us were expecting this." They giggled, then went about helping to herd the rest of the priests out and away. That left only the person who wasn't a priest.
"I'M SORRY, I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE."
"That's alright, I'm Spookins, the midwife." Their button eyes had sparkled as they watched Papyrus take charge, the smile stitched on their fabric face growing all the wider.
Papyrus glanced down at Sans, who had pulled the cloth off his head and was currently holding it over his front, gripping it tightly. "I SUPPOSE HE NEEDS ONE NOW?"
"Yes, he's having triplets! I've never seen that before, it's completely unheard of in monsters."
"SANS IS ALWAYS FULL OF SURPRISES." And also babies, apparently. Sans will like that joke later, he'll have to remember it.
"Sans, right, no one saw fit to introduce us when I was first called here."
"AND I'M THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SANS'S BROTHER!"
"It's very nice to meet you."
"VERY NICE," Papyrus agreed, he wasn't one to deny any monster his amazing presence. "AND AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU MORE, I'M AFRAID SANS MAY NEED A LITTLE TIME TO HIMSELF."
"Understandable, he's had quite the shock this morning, the poor fellow. For now there's not much to worry about, I'll be back later today to talk more about how to best care for himself and the little ones."
"THANK YOU, I'LL BE SURE TO BE THERE SO THERE'S AT LEAST ONE PERSON LISTENING."
Spookins chuckled, then gave a little wave before leaving.
The inner court fell silent, even the sound of the bonfire behind them seemed oddly quieter than even its usual oddly quiet crackles. Papyrus sat on the lip of the urn next to Sans and held up the tray towards him. When that didn't get a response he picked up something, it looked like leftovers from yesterday's feast and thus easily eaten with just their fingers, and held it up to Sans's teeth.
"YOU MUST BE HUNGRY, SANS, YOU SHOULD EAT." To Papyrus's relief a bite sized portion of the offered food turned to energy and disappeared into Sans's teeth. "THERE, SEE? ISN'T THAT A LITTLE BETTER?"
Sans nodded shallowly, his eyelights slowly lighting back up and trailing to Papyrus's face. Papyrus nudged the thing, a canapé he thinks it was called, up against Sans's teeth to encourage him to keep eating. To Papyrus's surprise and delight, Sans actually grabbed it with his own hand to finish.
"YOU'RE DOING SO WELL, SANS. I KNEW YOU WERE JUST A LITTLE OVERWHELMED." He picked up another item, a deep fried cheese ball of some kind, he tried not to wince, and offered it to Sans.
"Is it really true?!"
Papyrus looked up to see Fieri come rushing into the room, he stopped short just past the entryway and stared at them with wide eyes. The four visiting head priests were right behind him, Bonnie just barely managed not to barrel into him as they abruptly had to stop with him blocking the way.
"What's going on? Why did you just stop?!" She looked past him to see them sitting practically inside the Eternal flame, her eyes grew just as wide as Fieri's.
Sans shrank in on himself. Papyrus made an annoyed sound, then shifted the tray into Sans's lap. Sans absently accept it, along with the cheese ball Papyrus nudged into his hand. "DON'T WORRY, BROTHER, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TALK TO ANYONE UNTIL YOU'RE READY TO. JUST KEEP EATING AND I'LL TAKE CARE OF THIS." He stood then, placing himself between Sans and the priests. "GOOD MORNING, I HOPE YOU ALL SLEPT WELL."
"Quite well, thank you," Terry said as he sidled past the still dumbstruck Fieri and approached Papyrus. Bonnie followed after him. "We were told Sans was found inside the Eternal Flame this morning, is that true?"
"I DON'T KNOW, HE WAS ALREADY SITTING THERE WHEN I GOT HERE. AND I MUST SAY, I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE STATE I FOUND HIM IN." Papyrus crossed his arms and leveled his most disappointed stare in Fieri's direction, hard to maintain when Sans's muffled guffaw made the corner of Papyrus's disappointed frown twitch. "REALLY NOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT BEING A PRIEST ISN'T LIKE BEING IN THE GUARD, BUT YOUR LACK OF CONTROL IS SIMPLY APPALLING."
Fieri sputtered, "My lack of control?"
"YOU WEREN'T UP WITH THE OTHERS TO KEEP THEM FROM CROWDING AND OVERWHELMING SANS THIS MORNING, I HAD TO CHASE THEM OUT MYSELF. AS THE HUSBAND OF THE GOD YOU SERVE YOU WOULD THINK MAKING SURE SANS WAS PROPERLY TAKEN CARE OF WOULD BE A HIGHER PRIORITY THAN LAZING ABOUT IN BED UNTIL WELL PAST NOON."
Terry and Bonnie both snorted and shot amused glances over their shoulders at Fieri, who was burning an embarrassed orange, the brightest Papyrus had ever seen him.
"WELL, IT'S TOO LATE TO CHANGE THE PAST NOW. AS HIS BROTHER IT SEEMS I'M BEST SUITED TO MAKE SURE HE'S TAKEN CARE OF…"
"i'm the older one," Sans quietly muttered.
"AND TO START WITH, HE'S CLEARLY IN NEED OF A BATH. SO IF HE'S FINISHED EATING," Papyrus glanced back to see more than half the food missing from the tray, which was enough to satisfy him, "WE'LL BE TAKING OUR LEAVE NOW."
"Now hold on," Fieri said indignantly, face still a blotchy orange, "we have some questions that need answering."
"AND THEY WILL KEEP. SANS, THE BABIES, AND YOU ALL WILL STILL BE HERE AFTER A BATH."
"So that part's true?" Bonnie said, a wide grin growing across her face.
"THERE WAS A MIDWIFE BY THE NAME OF SPOOKINS HERE EARLIER, I'M SURE THEY CAN EXPLAIN IT ALL MUCH BETTER THAN I CAN. NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME." Papyrus turned back to Sans and took the tray from his lap, then stood there, unsure what to do with it.
"Here, hun, I'll take care of that for you." Bonnie stepped up to Papyrus and held her paws out for the tray.
"THANK YOU, BONNIE, THAT IS VERY KIND OF YOU." He handed the tray over, then scooped Sans up.
"i can walk, y'know," Sans protested grumpily as Papyrus adjusted his grip.
"CAN YOU REALLY?" Papyrus asked pointedly.
A blush spread over Sans's face as he looked away.
"I THOUGHT SO. NOW, WHICH WAY TO THE BATH?" Somehow in all his visits that had never come up.
"I can lead the way," Terry offered. Ignis and Geoli, the other two visiting head priests, gently maneuvered Fieri out of the entryway so the brothers could leave the inner court behind them. For now, at least. Papyrus had a feeling Sans was going to be spending much more time there than they had originally suspected. But those were thoughts for later. For now, they had a bath to get to!
AN: Ah ha ha ha hah! We finally get to see some of the jokes and plot I was chomping at the bit for all of Arrangement! Anyway, remember how we last left our lovely OTP? There's only one way to make a baby (or three), they definitely had a lot of fun. On Grillby's altar. Fieri would probably have a heart attack if he ever put two and two together. XD But I'm so glad I got a chance to write Paps being a wonderful bro and being there for Sans, they love each other so much. Plus it's fun writing Paps being assertive and steamrolling someone over with his care and concern. You know you did really badly if Paps is disappointed in you.