Author's Note: Hello, all! I know it's been such a long time since I've last uploaded any new stories or chapters to existing stories. But now I will be making this new story with consistent uploads. Just so I don't burn myself out, I will be uploading two chapters of this story a week, every Wednesday and Saturday. Mind you, these won't be just willy-nilly tickle drabbles; there's a story to go along with it as well.

Of course, I'm not the only one who wrote this story. Credit also goes to my dear friend and co-writer Karnelia here on FF. This was originally a three-years-and-running roleplay that we've decided to convert into a story for you all to enjoy! Treat this as a... different timeline. Not an AU per se. It all takes place post-Pacifist Route- except for the first ten chapters or so - and there will be headcanons, original characters, and other elements thrown into this to make it a story that separates itself apart from Undertale canon, so be aware of that.

One more thing: some chapters will have some NSFW elements in them, but I will provide warnings in the beginning of each chapter for bits that contain elements not suitable for children. Tickle fetishism will pop up quite frequently throughout the story, but other than that this is a PG-13 story overall.

Well, with all that out of the way, I hope you all enjoy it!

Character Roles

Yoshachu Scorchachu ~ Papyrus
Karnelia ~ Sans

Sans stepped out of his workshop, slippers softly crunching into the snow. He didn't let himself relax until he felt the weighty clicking of the lock, pocketing his key. Walking up to the front door, the skeleton glanced to his left, knowing Papyrus would be done with his patrol shift soon. Gaze lingering for a moment, he finally returned his focus and headed inside and flopped onto the couch.

He was no closer to finding the identity of the anomaly than before, but the usual weariness had crept up on him again, and he figured he could take a break. Besides, seeing his brother would make him feel better and give him a little more energy. His smile slightly widened at the thought of cracking a few puns at Papyrus's expense.

~!~!~!~

About ten minutes later, Papyrus came home, appearing to be a little more tired than usual and lightly panting.

"Oh, wowie... Undyne really gave me a workout today..." He sighed as he flopped down on the couch, but yelped when he realized Sans was there. "What the—? Sans! What are you doing sleeping on the couch again?! We talked about this!"

~!~!~!~

Sans grunted softly, startled out of his light snooze. "oh, hey bro." He scooched up a bit against the armrest, giving Papyrus space to sit. A twinge of guilt rippled through him, but he didn't let it show, instead closing his eyes again with an exaggerated shrug. "heh, well, my bed is sofa away, and I was bone tired." He peeked an eye open.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus groaned loudly and buried his face in his hands. "Saaaaans!"

~!~!~!~

"by the way, you seem a bit out of breath, not that that's a lungshot for a skeleton." Sans slid his hands behind his head, now fully relaxed again. "did undyne work you to the bone, or what?"

~!~!~!~

Papyrus stood up quickly and slammed a boot into the ground. "Sans, I just got home and I'm tired! Your sinful puns are only making the fatigue worse!"

~!~!~!~

Sans continued to smile up at Papyrus, noting that he did indeed look more worn out than normal. And now that he had his brother so riled, Sans felt the urge to ease up and just quietly enjoy his company ... but ... he was having too much fun. He decided to push his luck just a little more. "sorry if you're tired of them bro, but i haven't exhausted my pun repertoire yet."

~!~!~!~

Papyrus glared down at Sans, shooting daggers out of his sockets. Suddenly, an evil grin stretched across his face as he was struck with an idea. "Wowie, Sans. You sure do enjoy laughing, don't you?"

~!~!~!~

A pang of warning shot through Sans — something was odd about the look Papyrus was giving him and the tone he used, but now he couldn't quite stop himself. "heheh, well you know me, i've got a pretty big funny bone." He braced himself; three bone jokes in such a short span was sure to cause a riot.

~!~!~!~

"In that case, let me ask you a question: why did the Great Papyrus' brother laugh?" Papyrus activated his magic and turned Sans' SOUL blue, pinning him down on the couch, still wearing that uncharacteristic grin.

~!~!~!~

"ghh!" Sans eye sockets slightly widened, his hands pulling out from behind his head to gently clutch at his SOUL. It wasn't that the sensation was unfamiliar — or even uncomfortable — it was just so unexpected. Did his brother want to start a fight right here on the couch? No, that seemed silly, he was only pinned in place by gravity. If he wasn't so wary about his brother's next move, this would be pretty comfy. His mind finally processed the question Papyrus had asked and Sans felt his grin briefly falter. "u-uh, because the great papyrus told him a really great joke...?" He knew that wasn't the answer. He knew he was about to find out the hard way.

~!~!~!~

"Because the Great Papyrus tickled his funny bone!" Whipping off his red gloves, Papyrus dove in, tickling Sans' ribs. "NYEHEHEHEHE!"

~!~!~!~

Sans would have jumped if he could from the initial shock, quickly curling up and wrapping his arms around himself protectively. "kkhehehaa! w-wahahait! not thahat!" His ribs were incredibly sensitive and Papyrus's fingers were long and nimble — a dangerous combination. "ahaha, y-you gahat mehe, bro!"

~!~!~!~

"Oh, you think I'm gonna stop just like that? Think again, brother! Nyehehe!" He tickled a bit faster, sliding his hands under his jacket and shirt to scrape his fingertips along Sans' bare ribs.

~!~!~!~

Sans realized with a certain amount of dread that he was really in for it. He had pushed Papyrus's buttons a little too hard this time, so perhaps he deserved it, but he was already starting to panic. "pap, noho, wahaiiieee-!" he outright squealed as his brother's fingers made direct contact. "hahaaha! ihit's too muhahach! eeehee!" Instinctively, he pushed against his brother's hands as he squirmed.

~!~!~!~

"Quit trying to avoid your punishment, otherwise I'll tickle a place you won't be able to protect!" To prove his point, he pinned Sans' ankles down on the couch and began to slip off his slippers. Unable to sit up as a result to the gravity spell weighing him down, Sans couldn't push Papyrus away.

~!~!~!~

"ahahaaa … ghnn!" His eyes snapped open, watching Papyrus apprehensively. The smaller skeleton tried to sit up, but found his brother's magic had been perfectly calculated to prevent even that. "p-pap, wait, it's not like i could help it ... it's reflex, you know?" he entreated, already curling his toes. "i'm sorry, okay? i, uh..." Don't do it. Don't say it, his mind told him. "...i don't need to remind you how sansitive i am."

He regretted everything.

~!~!~!~

"And there goes my last sliver of patience with you!" Papyrus dug his fingers into his socked soles and arches, tickling fast and hard.

~!~!~!~

"i'm sorryyyyyheheheee!" Sans tugged his feet against his brother's grip to no avail, giving the couch a helpless pound with his fist. "ahahahaaa! hahave some mehercy, bro!" Papyrus's fingers were absolutely devastating, Sans didn't know how much more he could take.

~!~!~!~

"Once I feel you have learned your lesson, I shall set you free. But until then..." He smirked as he began tickling his toes.

~!~!~!~

"oh gosh, noho...!" Sans figured he couldn't talk his way out of this, and without any other reasonable options, resigned himself to endure Papyrus's payback in full. His feet violently twitched at the first touch to his toes, the reflexive tugging becoming a little more frantic. "kkhnhnn — ahaa! heheehee!" Another squeal was bubbling inside of him, threatening to break out from his giggling. His fingers gripped the sleeve cuffs of his jacket and he buried his face in the cloth.

~!~!~!~

"And now the socks come off!" Papyrus slipped off Sans' socks before resuming his tickle onslaught, his pointed fingertips scraping against bare bony soles and toes tickling like mad.

~!~!~!~

"nonono...!" he mumbled into his sleeves as his feet were bared. Papyrus had always been careful with him because of his low HP, he knew his brother would never hurt him. But with this, Papyrus could get as ruthless as he wanted and Sans would ultimately be fine. The squeal escaped. "aiiiiiieeeehehee! i canhahan't tahake ihit! ahahehehehaaa, pleahease!"

~!~!~!~

"Hey, Sans, I remember when you used to do this to me all the time when we were baby bones!" Chuckling deviously, he began ticklishly wiggling his big toe. "This little piggy went to market...~"

-

Sans couldn't fathom how such a gentle grip on just one toe could be so maddening. The sensation stole his entire focus, intensified by Papyrus's teasing. His vocal range breached a new height with a squeak that surprised even him. "no mohore, plehehease!" Fingers digging into the couch cushions, he shook his head frantically. "eeeeeheheheee~! pleaseplease!"

~!~!~!~

Papyrus ignored him, continuing to gently wiggle and tickle his toes, humming the rest of the rhyme. "This little piggy stayed home. This little piggy had Face Steak. This little piggy had none."

~!~!~!~

Sans didn't know what to do with his hands. They felt so useless, alternating between feebly pounding the couch, hugging himself, and covering his face as he fidgeted and squeaked — nothing alleviated the flaring tingles that the gentle toe-tickling produced. "nohoho, pleeehehease...!" He begged, voice tinging on a whine. "pahapyrus, i'm sorryhehe!"

-

"And do you remember what this little piggy went?" He grinned evilly as he finally reached Sans' pinky toe, wiggling it slowly as he awaited a response.

~!~!~!~

"kkheheheh~! ghh, you're kihillin' me hehere, bro!" His fingers curled in anticipatory stress. "mayhebe hehe doesn't wahant to go home t-today? maybe h-he wahants to aheh-accept his brohother's apahalogy...!"

~!~!~!~

"Nope! This last little piggy went WEEWEEWEE ALL THE WAY HOME! NYAHAHAHAHA!" He cackled as he tickled furiously all over his foot and toes, leaving no area untickled for long.

~!~!~!~

"gaaaaaahahaaaa~!" Sans writhed, tears beading in the corners of his tightly closed sockets. Maybe he had a little retribution coming, but did he really deserve this? The tickling consumed him, rationality had fled, and before he knew it, his magic reacted in desperation, turning Papyrus's SOUL blue as well. He only realized what he was doing just before nearly thrusting a quivering hand away from himself, which may have thrown Papyrus into the wall had he followed through — a mortifying thought. Instead, he quickly released his magic from his brother's SOUL, continuing to vent through laughter and now slowly dripping tears.

~!~!~!~

The activation and deactivation on his own SOUL was too quick Papyrus hadn't noticed, though he had felt a little funny, but he brushed it off. After a few more moments of tickling, he finally stopped, but kept his brother's legs pinned. "So, brother, what have we learned today?"

~!~!~!~

Sans took in a gasping breath, panting heavily. He felt like he'd gone through a rigorous workout, and yet he hadn't moved an inch from his position on the couch. Feet still tingling, he wiped at his eyes with his sleeves, croaking out, "to leave you alone when you say to."

~!~!~!~

"Aaaaand?" Papyrus began to gently tickle under his toes again.

~!~!~!~

Sans jolted, and not just from the renewed contact. And? And what? His mind reeled in panic. No! "gheheh! aahaa! p-pap, you cahan't be serious..! d-don't take myhehe puns awahay from mehehe!" He flinched, no that was an extreme thought, his brother wasn't that mean, right? "n-no, wahait...!" It was so hard to think with the fingers mercilessly teasing beneath his toes. Finally he recalled everything that led up to his predicament. Right! "no more sleeping on the couch! ahahaaaa! pleasenomohohore!" Ironically, now he wanted nothing more than to curl up and take a nap.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus snickered a bit under his breath. "What else?~" He started tickling a bit faster with each passing moment.

~!~!~!~

"kkhggahahaha...!" Sans momentarily sputtered in shock, realizing Papyrus was just toying with him now. He jerked on his ankles as the sensation grew more intense. "hhn-hahahaa! plehease bro, i'm b-beggihing you! whahat do you wahant from meehehee!?" He gripped the fabric of his shirt just above his SOUL with shaking hands, feeling absolutely helpless.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus grinned deviously. "Exactly what you had said: no more puns for ... let's say a week. What do you say, brother?" He glided his fingers agonizingly light and slow up and down his soles.

~!~!~!~

Sans covered his mouth, eyes wide in horror. Why had he said that? Why had his brain jumped to that idea, why did he give his brother that notion while he was completely at Papyrus's mercy? Or in this case, lack thereof.

Closing his eyes, he shivered at the new pace his brother subjected him to, toes wiggling and curling in his ticklish distress. "aaaaha...~ that's just b-brutahal, bro ... gheh...!" He looked up pleadingly. "h-how ahabout juhust the rest of the nihight?"

~!~!~!~

"One full week starting tomorrow or I'll be tickling you for the rest of the night, brother!" Suddenly, he jumped into fast, merciless tickle torture all over his toes.

~!~!~!~

Sans responded with a suffering whine. He hated making promises and commitments, much less being forced into them. "ah! gaaaahahaahaaaaa, stahap, ahahaaa!" It was unbearable ... but he couldn't let himself be tickled into submission. Papyrus couldn't really keep this up for that long, could he? He had endured even when he thought he couldn't, surely he could assert himself even if he had to take a little more.

"you've gahahtten me bahack alreheady!" he boldly protested, thumping his head lightly against the armrest. "ghnn-nahaha, thihis isn't fahaaair!"

Deep down, he knew he was doomed.

~!~!~!~

"Oh, you think this isn't fair? No, no, brother..." He climbed off him and rushed to another room before coming back holding a couple feathers, a paintbrush, a soft scrub brush, and an electric toothbrush. "THIS is unfair!"

~!~!~!~

Sans struggled to try to sit up in Papyrus's brief absence, but found his brother's magical concentration was too good. If he wasn't so anxious, he'd be proud — Papyrus did train very diligently after all. With a slightly discouraged sigh, he rubbed his feet against the couch, trying to dispel the lingering tingles.

When he spotted what his brother held when he returned, Sans's rebellious confidence completely shattered, his bones suddenly feeling numbly hollow with dread.

"p-pap ... okay ... o-okay," he said quietly, unable to keep the nerves from quavering in his voice, "i might be able to hold off the puns for a week." He curled up as much as he could. "just ... let me go, huh?"

~!~!~!~

"Hmm... You may say that, brother, but do you actually mean it? Let's make absolutely sure you hold true to your word." He chuckled as he pinned Sans' ankles back down, and he turned on the electric toothbrush, taunting his brother with the loud sound and the vibrating, twirling bristles.

~!~!~!~

Sans couldn't help a small whimper as his ankles were dragged back to such a vulnerable position. He'd never really been tickled with much else than fingers before, and never for this duration, he wasn't too keen on finding out what it was like. Wincing at the sound the toothbrush made, he couldn't look away, already feeling pangs of what it might do. "i mean it! honest, bro!" He hugged his arms around his ribs; at the very, very least, he could still attempt to protect himself there if Papyrus decided to switch it up.

~!~!~!~

"Let's make absolutely sure! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!" He began scrubbing the toothbrush fast and hard up and down his soles, the bristles tickling worse than Sans had originally thought.

~!~!~!~

It was indeed very different than what Sans had expected, and in the worst way. His entire frame lurched as the bristles were pushed against his soles, but the most maddening thing was the constant vibrations that resonated straight into his bones; it was absolute torture.

"aaaaaaahaaaaaaaahahahaaaaa~! nohohonononono, turn ihihit off!" he wailed, mindlessly pummeling the couch with his fists. "ahehe, dohohon't lihike it! stahahap! p-pleheheeehease, stahahappit!"

~!~!~!~

"SNEAK ATTACK, NYEH!" Catching Sans off guard, he pounced on his brother's chest and pinned his arms down with his knees before scrubbing the brush along his bare ribs.

~!~!~!~

"hh-ghh!" Sans barely had time to register the transition, let alone brace for it. "gahahaaahahaeheheehaaaaaaa! naha—! nahat there, oh gahahahahaa—!" He thrashed, his now free legs kicking in desperate, ticklish agony. "pleeeahehe...—! pleheasepleasepleheheeheease, dohon't do thihis to meeheheheee! hahahahahaa~!" He didn't think he could feel more helpless as he weakly tugged on his arms, unable to claw out what felt like an angry bee trapped in his ribcage.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus grabbed one of the feathers and began stroking it along his cheeks, neck, and under his chin, still tickling his ribs with the toothbrush. "Nyehehe! You're laughing like a little baby bones! Perhaps I shall treat you as such as well! Coochie coochie coo!~"

~!~!~!~

"kkgghehah~!" Sans flinched at the feather's touch, tossing and turning his head, his already impossibly wide grin quivering. "ahaahehe cahahan't tahahake ihihihit...—!" His breaths were heavy with the threat of sobs, eyes watering again. "ahaaaa—! n-nahat thahat!" Somehow, Papyrus's cooing made everything worse, the tingles throbbing more intensely with every word, reminding him of how powerless he was in this moment.

If only he hadn't challenged his brother, he lamented with as much coherent thought as he had left.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus chuckled, this time sounding sympathetic. He stopped tickling and climbed off, subsiding the gravity spell on Sans' SOUL. "Okay, I believe you have been tortured long enough. Are you okay?"

~!~!~!~

"nnhnn..." Sans panted, exhaling breathy whimpers. He tried to scrabble to a sit once more as he felt the pressure lift away from his SOUL, but his arms trembled and he slumped back right where he was with a quiet groan. "ghh ... that was awful..." Everything was still highly sensitive, even the last of his tears that had shook free from his sockets tickled as they strolled down his cheeks. He hurriedly wiped them away, tilting his head to look at his brother. "i…. ...yeah, bro, just ... could you get me some water? please?"

He couldn't be mad at Papyrus, but he still felt his brother went beyond what he deserved. A growing sense of karmic retribution was gnawing inside of him and he glanced at the remaining unused tools he had been lucky enough to avoid. Perhaps his brother should find out what they felt like. When his energy was recovered.

~!~!~!~

"But of course, dear brother!" He trotted to the kitchen and returned shortly with a glass of cold water, helping Sans sit up before handing him the glass. "I suppose I went a little overboard. My apologies, Sans. I honestly don't know what came over me."

~!~!~!~

"thanks, papyrus," he said quietly, accepting the help and the glass, taking a few relieving sips. His breathing calmed and posture slacked into his usual relaxation. "i must have really—" he faltered. Hit a nerve with you his thoughts finished for him. This was going to be tough. "uh, you must have really been annoyed with me, heh. how'd you get so good at that, anyway? i mean, it was bad for me, but...," he trailed off in a mumble.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus shrugged. "Well, sometimes Undyne likes to challenge me to little scuffles and contests, and tickle fights happen to be one of her favorites. I learned through her techniques and trying to retaliate against her myself."

~!~!~!~

Sans blinked up at him in interest, he hadn't heard that about the Captain before. Somehow the image of her and his brother locked in an intense ticklish battle genuinely amused him and he chuckled with arched eyes. "heheh, wow, well, i guess it was pretty effective bro." Part of him was also happy to realize this meant Papyrus was still ticklish as well. He hadn't really done too much since his brother was a babybones, so he hadn't been sure if he'd outgrown it.

"that's not the reason you came home so tired today, is it?" he asked, drinking the last of his water.

~!~!~!~

"Erm!..." For a moment, he looked alarmed, almost scared, before shaking his head and letting a louder laugh than usual, obviously sounding forced. "Of course not, Sans! Besides, just because we have these tickle fights that doesn't mean in the slightest that I am ticklish — I MEAN!..." Stumbling over his own words, he tried to backpedal. "F-Forget I just said that! We were just having our usual sparring! YES, THAT'S IT! SPARRING! HA HA HA!" He let out another forced laugh as he grinned nervously.

~!~!~!~

It was all Sans could do to hold back a snicker. Papyrus must be really ticklish if he was panicking this much. "of course, bro." Setting his empty glass down on the floor, Sans eyed his socks on the other side of the couch where Papyrus had discarded them earlier. Normally he'd just ask for his brother to hand them over, but now he purposely leaned over his brother's lap, very casually and very lightly brushing his fingers against Papyrus's knee, reaching and grabbing his socks. Pulling himself back, he began to put them on. It was funny how much more secure they made him feel now.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus let out a startled yelp and clenched his teeth together at the light touch against his knee, leaping so high he almost bounced Sans off him and to the ground. He cleared his throat and looked away, trying to brush off his reaction, and his cheekbones were lightly tinted with an embarrassed orange hue.

~!~!~!~

"hey, papyrus," Sans began, slyly gazing at him with his lazy grin, one hand draping off the armrest, "do you know what I like to do more than laugh?"

~!~!~!~

Crossing his arms, Papyrus rolled his eyes — or lack thereof — in annoyance. "Oh, stars, where to begin..."

~!~!~!~

The smaller skeleton chuckled with a mild shrug, subtly clenching his fingers as he turned his brother's SOUL blue, softly flicking his wrist to gently push Papyrus down against the couch cushions, pinning him there. "i like to make other people laugh," he finished, sliding off his seat, and gingerly snatching his brother's scarf away.

~!~!~!~

Eyes widening, Papyrus scrambled to sit back up, but the weight of his SOUL keeps him pinned. He began to panic as he tried to reason with his brother. "S-Sans?! What are you doing? D-Don't do anything! Let me up!"

~!~!~!~

"sorry, bro, but i've got a b—" He stopped himself, maybe he had the upperhand now, but he would keep his promise, even if technically Papyrus had said his pun privileges would be revoked starting tomorrow. "...a score to settle." He threaded the scarf underneath the cushion that Papyrus's legs rested on, and climbing onto his brother's knees, he pushed off his brother's large boots, knotting the scarf around Papyrus's ankles.

With Papyrus being so much lankier than he was — and physically stronger and fitter — Sans hoped it would be enough to keep his brother contained. He glanced at his brother's arms, but he was more concerned about getting kicked than grabbed.

~!~!~!~

"S-SANS!" He began struggling, trying to free his ankles. But once the slightest sound of a rip was heard, he stopped immediately. "OH, NO! I-I mustn't tear my scarf! SANS, LET MY ANKLES GO!"

~!~!~!~

Sans was a little concerned about the scarf's fragility, but he swore to himself then and there he would fix it if anything happened to it. "i don't think so," he answered casually, though he turned away from his brother's feet, sitting cross-legged at his hips. "how about we prove how not-ticklish the great papyrus is, hm?" He hovered fingers above his brother's exposed spine. "i know i'd be really impressed to see that." Lowering his hand, he slowly and softly trailed a fingertip up and down.

~!~!~!~

"Nngh!..." Papyrus gritted his teeth and covered his mouth with his hands, lightly trembling as he struggled to hold in his laughter. "S-See? Th-The Great P...Papyrus isn't t-t-ticklish!"

~!~!~!~

Sans arched his eyes, not letting up in the slightest. "wow, you're so cool, bro!" He gingerly explored each vertebrae, softly prodding into the slight spaces between.

~!~!~!~

Grunting and squeaking with each poke between the grooves, his spine started to tremble and jerk slightly. "S-So you can stop n-nohow!... Hnnngh!..."

~!~!~!~

Sans was a bit mesmerized by Papyrus's reactions, it was rare to see his brother try and restrain himself. "hold on, i wanna try something," he said almost playfully, picking up the paintbrush from among the things Papyrus had previously gathered. With genuine curiosity, he softly danced and twirled the bristles over the length of his brother's spine.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus squealed loudly and began bouncing his backbone around, unable to contain his laughter any longer. "N-NYEHEHEHAHAHAHAHA! SANS, STAHAHAHAP! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

~!~!~!~

Sans actually did stop, grin widening ever so slightly. So many jokes ran through his head, but he painfully denied himself every one, instead only teasing, "oh, wow, pap, i guess you're ticklish after all, huh?"

~!~!~!~

"I-I!..." He groaned softly in defeat. "Yes... B-But I'm not nearly as ticklish as you are! So be sure not to push your luck too far, brother!"

~!~!~!~

Sans twitched at the subtle threat, but shrugged it off. "how about i show you as much mercy as you showed me? then maybe we'll be even." He closed one eye in a wink before turning around, reinforcing the restraint on Papyrus's legs by planting himself on his shins and gently setting his fingertips against his brother's soles.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus yelped and curled his toes, trying to yank his legs out from under his brother. "S-Sans, don't! I-I had a perfectly good reason to tickle you! This is unjust!"

~!~!~!~

Sans was glad he'd chosen to tie Papyrus's legs instead of his hands, or he might've not been able to hang on with the taller skeleton's struggling. Lightly swirling a fingertip in a circular motion in the middle of one foot, he turned his head back to look at Papyrus. "you tickled me to tears, bro. just for a few harmless puns? maybe i went too far tonight, but so did you."

~!~!~!~

His foot twitched and squirmed as he giggled at a high pitch, hands gripping the sides of the couch cushions. "Nyehehehehehe! I-I sahahaid I was sahaharry! Ahahahahaha!"

~!~!~!~

"i know," Sans replied. "i just haven't accepted your apology yet." Turning back to his task, he now used all of his fingers to glide from heels to toes and back. He really did enjoy the sound of Papyrus's laughter. Even if Sans was drawing it out by force, it was so warm and positive, he felt his spirits lifting.

~!~!~!~

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ST-STAHAHAHAP! IT TIHIHIHICKLES! NYEHEHEHAHAHAHA!" Papyrus laughed loudly as he struggled to flee, but the weight of his SOUL and Sans sitting on his legs pinned him in place. He began to bang his fists against the couch as he threw his head back.

~!~!~!~

"oh good, that means i'm doing it right." Sans chuckled, continuing his motions for a few more moments. His fingers stopped at his toes, and he gingerly gripped one set, prying them back. Using his other hand, he prodded and traced around underneath with careful precision and curiosity. Sans wasn't sure he'd be able to match Papyrus's ruthless techniques, but lazily exploring was suiting him just fine at the moment.

~!~!~!~

Caught in a strong, uncontrollable fit of squeals and giggles as he struggled to gain control of his toes again, Papyrus was having trouble uttering a plea. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO-HAHAHAHAHA! NOT THAHAHARE! NYAHAHAHAHA! STA-HAHAHAHA!"

~!~!~!~

"ah, these toes are still pretty sensitive then, huh?" He gently gripped the big toe between finger and thumb, gingerly rolling it between them. "you know, i always did wonder about that human rhyme. why do they associates toes with pigs? is it because their toes are all fleshy like the rest of them? oh well." He glanced back at Papyrus with a genuine smile. "it always made you laugh, anyway."

~!~!~!~

Papyrus giggled uncontrollably as he balled his hands up into tight fists and holds them up to his chest, obviously not knowing what else to do with them. "W-WELL, I'M GLAHAHAHAD ONE OF UHUHUS IS ENJOYING HIMSEHEHELF! NYEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEE!" He let loose a squeaky snort.

~!~!~!~

"oh thanks bro, it means so much to me that you care." He was teasing, but it was actually a true statement about his brother in general, so it didn't come out quite as sarcastically as he intended. He chuckled. "that's adorable, by the way. can undyne get you to make a sound like that?" He shifted his fingers to the next toe, and after half a minute, the next, making his way down the line to the pinky toe.

~!~!~!~

"NYEEEHEHEHEHEHE! N-NOHOHOPE, ONLY YOU CAHAHAN! AHAHAHAHEHEHEHE!" He kept wiggling his toes around as he giggled, the occasional snort slipping out from time to time.

~!~!~!~

Sans finally outright smirked, cradling the smallest toe between his fingers. He firmly gripped Papyrus's foot before softly scratching the toe with his fingertips, wiggling, digging under and spidering over. "i gotcha now, pap, heh. kitchy kitchy! dozzat tickle, bro?"

~!~!~!~

Papyrus squealed as he slapped the couch cushions, tears beginning to fall down his bright orange cheeks. "NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA! N-NO TEHEHEHEASING! NYEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEHEHEHE!"

~!~!~!~

"oh!" Sans eyes lit a bit brighter in honest excitement, his grin deliriously happy. "i think i just got it! pigs squeal, don't they? that must be it!" Now caught up in the moment, his elder-brotherly instincts were kicking into high gear. "heheh, 'samatter, bro? can't take a little teasing? tickle tickle tickle!" His fingers skittered down Papyrus's soles and he picked up one of the feathers, stroking it along his arches and flitting under and between his toes.

-

"N-NOHOHOHOHOHAHAHAHA! SAHAHAHANS! I SHALL HAHAHAVE MY REVEHEHENGE! AHAHAHAHAHA!" He found that all his thrashing and squirming was starting to exhaust him, for his movements began to slow; his laugh, however, was as strong as ever.

~!~!~!~

Sans froze, slowly lowering the feather and turning to face his brother. He noted the tears with a pang of guilt, not having really intended to push his brother so far. "heh, uh ... i guess i got a little carried away myself," he admitted. "but, uh, if you get revenge for my revenge for your revenge, that just seems like a dangerous road to go down, you know...? can't we call it even now?"

~!~!~!~

Papyrus panted heavily — despite his lack of lungs — and hesitated a bit before answering with a tired smile. "I suppose you make a valid point there. Alright, then, the Great Papyrus shall spare you this time! And..." He looked away, a bit embarrassed. "Well... I'm happy you enjoyed yourself even at my expense. Which ... honestly wasn't as bad as I made it out to be. After all, I know you'd never hurt me, brother, so I knew I was completely safe. So you needn't worry about me!" He shot his brother a reassuring grin.

~!~!~!~

Sans's expression brightened, his large, elated smile coloring his voice with warmth. "you really are the best, papyrus." He scooted and dropped himself forward, hugging Papyrus around his chest as he called off his magic to restore his brother's SOUL to normal.

The smaller skeleton glanced up. "heh, and ... if you ever pulled something like that on me again, just keep in mind i'm not undyne, i probably don't have half the tolerance to it that she has." He chuckled weakly. "but, uh, are you doing all right after all that?"

~!~!~!~

Papyrus chuckled and hugged back, sitting up. "Worry not, dear brother, for I was actually successful this time around! Well, to an extent. She really gave me quite the workout, I'll tell you that. Speaking of..." He smirked playfully as he gently poked Sans' ribs. "Perhaps Undyne could help train you as well. It would definitely make you much more active."

~!~!~!~

Sans flinched with a squeak, his eyelights flickering out and back at the thought. "ghehh! ... i d-don't think that'd be necessary, bro, it takes a lot of work to be as inactive as i am, heh." In a certain sense, it was true, Papyrus didn't know how closely he was monitoring the workings of the Underground, even with his ever-growing nihilism, he still cared for the people around him enough to keep an eye on things and intervene if necessary. "besides, the captain is a little intense. doesn't she like you to stand there and take what she throws at you with her green magic? even if it's just a tickle fight, i don't think i could take a friendly hit, heh. i feel safer training with you and dodging..."

He glanced away, then back with a sheepish smile. "here, uh, let me get you your scarf back." Pulling away, he kneeled at Papyrus's legs again, carefully untying the ends of the cloth from his brother's ankles, pulling it out from under the cushion and offering it to him.

~!~!~!~

"I suppose you have a point there. And thank you, Sans." He took the scarf back and inspected it, finding no major tears, before wrapping it back around his neck.

~!~!~!~

"still looks so cool on ya." Sans beamed, reaching up to lightly bat it with a 'dusting-off' motion. He wasn't sure what exactly compelled his next move — all the excitement had left him in a better mood than before, even it had been torturous for him, and especially having to keep his puns in check left him bursting with mischief. His fingers dove between the fabric and Papyrus's neck, wiggling teasingly. "and so does a smile!"

~!~!~!~

Papyrus squeaked in alarm before falling into a fit of high-pitched, rather cute giggles, trying to protect his neck by rolling up his shoulders. "NYEHEHEHEHE! H-HEY! EHEHEHEHE!"

~!~!~!~

Sans quietly giggled right along with him, eyes arched, as he spidered his fingers to the back of Papyrus's neck. "kitchy coo! haha, maybe it was a good thing you were keeping your ticklishness on the down-low from me, this is way too much fun, hehehe~"

~!~!~!~

"NYEHEHEHAHAHAHA! YES, A-AND SOHOHO IS THIS!" Quickly reaching out to Sans' exposed torso, Papyrus tickled his ribs through his shirt.

~!~!~!~

"kkehehahaa~!" Sans's arms snapped up against himself, curled fingers raised to his mouth as he squirmed with a squeal. It wasn't nearly as stressful as with being restrained by his SOUL, but it still tickled like crazy. "aahahaa! ihihit tihickles~! gaahahaaa!" His cheeks were faintly hazed with blue.

~!~!~!~

"Maybe so, but at least you're laughing!" He decided to tickle a bit softer as to not overwhelm him.

~!~!~!~

Sans's squirming slowed to fidgeting at the gentler sensation. "kkheh~! heheh! ahaheh!" Opening his eyes to a squint, he attempted to retaliate, but the only place he could reach that wouldn't expose him further with his own brother's ribs. His fingertips clacked uselessly against Papyrus's battle body, and for some reason, he found the whole thing absurdly amusing, snorting through his giggles.

~!~!~!~

"NYEH HEH HEH! Nice try, brother, but my battle body is tickle-proof!" He suddenly slid his hands under Sans' shirt and began skittering along his spine.

~!~!~!~

Lightly jumping at the rapid touches, Sans flopped down in a slight curl, pushing against Papyrus's arms with all his limbs — socked-feet included. "ghhahah! hehehe, noho! you gohot too muhuch of ahan armor-vantahage, bro!" Immediately horrified, he covered his mouth, eyes wide. It barely qualified as a pun with how bad it was, but the worst ones seemed to get on Papyrus's nerves faster. His allotted time hadn't even technically started yet and he was already breaking his word. "s-sorry!" he squeaked.

~!~!~!~

"Ohoho! You must REALLY want the tickling to continue, don't you, brother?" He grabbed his ankles and placed them under an arm, readying to tickle his feet with the other hand.

~!~!~!~

"i-it just slipped out...! i-i...!" Nervously tugging on his ankles proved that Papyrus's grip was steadfast. Chuckling rather incredulously at himself, he sighed and sat up on his elbows, knowing that he was going to face the music anyway. He might as well be himself. "h-heh, i guess it's harder to vertebrae-ke me than either of us thought."

~!~!~!~

Papyrus chuckled in amusement. "You know something, Sans? I was just kidding. I wanted to tease you and let that pun slide. But now? Now I'm gonna getcha!" He whipped off his socks and grabbed the soft scrub brush before scrubbing his soles with it, the soft bristles tickling twice as bad as the toothbrush.

~!~!~!~

Sans tensed up with a groan, he was getting himself into trouble way too much tonight. With his socks shed yet again, the dreaded feeling of vulnerability returned and his toes curled in helpless anticipation. When the scrub brush hit, everything he was expecting was subverted and he jerked with a whining yelp. It didn't vibrate like the toothbrush which he was eternally grateful for, but the bristles were silkier and glided effortlessly, the bigger tool nearly enough to engulf an entire foot. It was enough to drive him up the wall — or in this case, about halfway up the couch. "oh gaaahahaaa—! stopstopstahahahappit! pap! aahaaaaaaahahaaaaaaa! ihit's reheally bahahad! aaaaaha!" His eyes stayed wide open, staring at the vexing thing in his brother's hand.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus switched to scrubbing his toes. "Let's first see how well this works here! Nyehehehe!"

~!~!~!~

"nnhnn—! ggheheheeehaaaaaaa~!" Sans writhed, his back arching, and he bucked, desperately trying to wrench his feet away from the torment. The brush swallowed his toes in unbearable sensation, able to get under and over and in between all at once. "ahaahaaa, whyyyyyyheehehee...—! oh, gahaa—! pleeeeheaseplehehee...—! aahahaaa…—!" Voice strained at a high pitch, his laughter trailed into silent fits before gasping and starting again.

~!~!~!~

Quickly stopping and letting go of Sans, Papyrus looked down at him in worry. "A-Are you okay? Did I go too far? I'm sorry, brother!"

~!~!~!~

Sans curled up as he was released, bringing trembling fingers to rub his toes. He jumped anew as the lingering tingles flared up again at his own touch, and he decided to let them quell on their own, like letting a hot plate cool. "aaahaa ... oh, wow, pap..." He looked up at his brother a little dizzily, breathing tapered by short gasps. As awful as it had been in the moment though, Sans knew Papyrus sincerely cared about him and would never let him come to true harm. It drove him crazy, sure, but Sans did that to his brother in his own way with his constant pranks. If Papyrus had found a satisfying way to get back at him, well, he'd let him have it. "nah, i'm a-alright ... it's okay, i trust you, ya know?" Wearily sitting up, he leaned against Papyrus with a sigh, his grin hinted just a touch of mischief. "just, uh, maybe use those brushes spareingly, huh?

~!~!~!~

Papyrus threw his arms high in the air, the brush flying through the air and crashing into the other side of the room. "OH, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE!"

~!~!~!~

Sans snickered. "heheheh! sorry, bro, i couldn't resist one more. i really will try to tone it down for the next week though. honest." All the exertion finally caught up with him and he yawned, feeling his sockets grow heavier. "dang, i'm hungry, but ... i might just wanna get to bed..."

~!~!~!~

"Sans, you don't need any more sleep, you already sleep eight hours a night anyway! Not to mention all those other naps throughout the day!" He leapt to his feet, striking a pose. "You might as well eat, and I, Master Chef Papyrus, shall be the one to prepare for you one of the more finer spaghetti dishes! And before you ask, no, you cannot go to Grillby's tonight; as a matter of fact, I forbid it! If there's anything you've had more than sleep, it's grease and ketchup! For Pete's sake, brother, how are you even still alive with all that smelly, icky mess?!"

~!~!~!~

"alright, alright," Sans relented, internally pouting. He could always sneak out to Grillby's later if he was really inclined. Glancing down, he leaned over and picked up his empty cup from earlier, holding it up. "mind refilling this while you're in the kitchen, then?"

~!~!~!~

"But of course! But if you even THINK about sneaking off while my back is turned..." He glared sternly at Sans before taking the glass and backing up slowly into the kitchen, glaring at him suspiciously all the while and doing the 'I've got my sockets on you...' gesture with his pointer and middle fingers.

~!~!~!~

"wouldn't dream of it bro." Sans took pleasure in toying with the idea. He could teleport the moment his brother was out of sight and probably be back with a greasy bag of takeout before Papyrus was done boiling the noodles. But he didn't really want to be so spiteful, especially since his brother was going out of his way to show him he cared. His lids drooped before suddenly snapping open. Sliding down from the sofa, he curled up comfortably on the floor, head resting on his jacket sleeves. If he did fall asleep, at least it wouldn't be on the couch.