I said the next one shot of this series I would work on would be Underlust: I lied. Though I am currently working on it and it will be the next one to go up this time around.

On that note, no one should expect such a small gap between stories. This one only happened as soon as it did because I was inspired and I was trapped in a car for 5 hours without Wi-Fi so obviously I couldn't work on Uni stuff.

With that said: ENJOY!

Papyrus had a habit of retreating to his quarters after a long troubling day of managing the Underground. Few rarely got a chance to see how the weight on the skeleton's shoulders truly wore him down and upset him. In fact, as far as Sans was concerned, he was the only one who ever got to see the newly appointed King without his cheerful, happy-go-lucky façade. Papyrus never allowed himself to not smile or laugh if the two of them weren't alone. One could say Sans had quickly become his brother's confidant. Whatever woe or worry that crossed his mind, he expressed it to Sans and Sans did his best to quell his anxieties in return. He either offered words of advice or made lame jokes. But, most importantly, he always tried to by Papyrus's side throughout his long days of work. Unfortunately, there were some times where Sans had to be away for a few hours to take care of other matters.

The small skeleton wandered the castle halls with quick steps. He was heading back to the living quarters after having spent the entire day handling finance issues and arguing with the merchant's guild over taxes and reasonable prices. Once he had finished, he had passed through the throne room, asking the patrolling guards when his brother had called it a day.

"The King left as soon as the clock struck five." One of them had answered. "He sent the remaining subjects away, asking them to come back tomorrow."

Every day was a difficult one for Papyrus, but he seldom adjourned his audience sessions at the scheduled time when there were still people left with requests or complaints. When he did, it meant Papyrus had had a particularly bad day and that worried Sans.

The smaller skeleton reached the large elegant doors that lead to Papyrus's quarters. The guards posted on either side gave him a small welcoming nod as he walked through. Sans shut the doors quietly behind him rather than let them close loudly on their own. He glanced around the foyer, noticing the doors leading to Papyrus's room left ajar. He sighed deeply now knowing the skeleton in question had decided to soak in a bath while mulling over his thoughts. It really had been a bad day. Sans felt terrible that he hadn't been there.

He strutted to Papyrus's luxurious room, crossing through it to reach the bathroom. On his way, he noticed his brother's scattered kingly clothes abandoned on the ground. The bathroom was only slightly smaller than the bedroom but rivalled it in terms of extravagance. The floor was covered with mosaic tiles depicting the royal crest, the sink and counters were made of finely carved marble, and a large mirror dwarfed a majority of the wall facing the bath. As for the bath, it was likely the most impressive aspect of the room. It was the size of a small pool, made from the cavern wall that imprisoned monster kind beneath mount Ebott, and the water that filled it was drawn from a natural magma-heated water source. The kings of the Underground essentially had a hot spring in their bathrooms.

Papyrus sat in the bath with the water drawn up to his chin. He stared emptily at the unmoving surface, seemingly unaware Sans had let himself in. He seemed very despondent.

"pap…?" Sans called softly before taking a step forward.

"Oh Sans," Papyrus said, taking notice of him, "You're back. How was your work?"

"fine." Sans replied loosely, taking a seat on the wide rim with his back facing his brother. "the merchant's guild took a lot of my time."

"They're not happy with the new tax." Papyrus concluded.

"they're not happy with any kind of tax, pap." Sans shrugged. The last thing he wanted was for his brother to feel guilty over a handful of scrooges. "it's fine. they'll get over it." Papyrus nodded and shifted his gaze back to the water, resuming his unsettling silence. Sans shifted nervously before finally pushing himself to ask: "how was your day?"

Papyrus didn't react for a brief moment. He remained as deadpan as before, but Sans could perceive a dark shift in his demeanour. He seemed to get upset as thoughts of what had previously transpired likely crossed his mind. "I had a meeting with the royal court before my audiences." He said very quietly. Sans tensed a bit. He knew how much Papyrus didn't like meeting with those self-righteous aristocrats.

"what did they want?" He pressed.

"Well, for once they weren't concerned with gold or power." Papyrus sighed, admittedly impressed despite his sour mood. "They wanted me to do something because it would cheer up the Underground…"

"and…?" Sans asked after another uncomfortably long silence.

"They want me to get married." Papyrus stated numbly.

oh.

"They think a royal marriage and a grand celebration will help bring hope. Or, at the very least, it'll distract the population for a long while." He continued, visibly troubled by the prospect. "On that note, they also think I should get children to establish a solid foundation to the new dynasty."

Sans didn't know what to say, though he very clearly understood why Papyrus was so upset. No one knew about them. No one knew about the King's secret consort. It was better that way. Sans also shouldn't have been so surprised to hear the royal court finally demanding Papyrus marry, but he admittedly was. Despite knowing the issue would come up sooner or later, it never seemed to feel like a real eventuality. Now it was happening and to say he was concerned about the state of his romantic relationship with Papyrus was an understatement.

"Say something, Sans." Papyrus begged, shifting to sit upright. His shoulders now stood above the water. "Please…"

"i…" Sans hesitated. His heart told him to convince Papyrus to stay with him whereas his mind told him marriage was a good move. "i…i think the royal court is…right." He uttered and it pained him to do so. He wished he could be selfish. He wished he could have personally told the royal court off. But they were right. Everyone would rejoice over a royal wedding and the population would be all the more charmed by the arrival of little princes and princesses. It felt wrong to take that happiness and potential hope from them when they had suffered so much.

Evidently, this wasn't the answer Papyrus had anticipated hearing. He was thoroughly disappointed by Sans, his mouth falling open in speechlessness. The smaller skeleton couldn't bear to meet his eyes, to see the hurt and betrayal they held, so he looked away, clenching his teeth together. Perhaps he just ought to leave. There wasn't anything he could do to make the situation any better. But before he got the chance, a pair of wet arms wrapped themselves around Sans's waist, holding him in place and pulling him back against Papyrus. He gasped and tensed, unsure how he should react.

"I know they're right…" Papyrus muttered, "But…what if I don't want to do it?"

Sans's shoulders dropped. He was thankful that the other skeleton couldn't see his face in their current position. He didn't want him to see the forlorn smile on his face and the tears building up in his eyes. "you've got a duty, pap." Sans said mechanically, "what makes a good king is his selflessness and concern for the wellbeing of his people."

Papyrus's hold around Sans tightened. For a moment he said nothing and was incredibly still. Sans wondered if he was just about ready to concede and officially break things off between them. However, much to his surprise, the smaller skeleton was suddenly pulled into the bath, clumsily landing on his brother's lap. In mere seconds he was completely drenched and staring up at Papyrus in utter shock.

"I'm not giving you up." Papyrus declared, embracing Sans tightly against his chest. "I love you, Sans. I love you and I won't ever be able to love a wife or my children if they're not also yours."

"pap…you can't…" Sans forced himself to say, "you can't choose me over everyone."

"Why not?" Papyrus frowned, "You're the only one that ever mattered to me, even now. I'm only the King because the Underground elected me. I wouldn't have otherwise volunteered."

"pap…" Sans started, but he stopped there. There was nothing more he could say. Papyrus sounded very resolute and firm in his decision. At this point, nothing Sans could say – or anyone else for that matter – would change his mind.

"I love you, Sans." Papyrus repeated, burying his face in the crook of his neck. "Let me have you."

Sans sank into his embrace, his touch. If he were honest, he likely wouldn't have been able to stand seeing Papyrus pretend to be in love with someone else and founding a family with them. It was better this way – or was that just the selfish part of his mind talking? Not that that mattered anymore. The smaller skeleton shifted his position, straddling Papyrus's lap properly and facing him. He smiled softly, brushing his fingers against the sharp edges of his cheeks before leaning in and planting a kiss upon his mouth.

"okay." Sans conceded.

Papyrus closed his eyes and melted into the contact. He pulled Sans further against his chest as he deepened the kiss. With ecto tongues conjured and thrusting against one another, eliciting delicious friction, their kissing took a desperate and needy turn. They pressed into each other, holding each other tightly as they continued their rough ministrations.

"I love you." Papyrus muttered between brief intermissions. "I love you so much."

And before Sans knew it, he and Papyrus were wrestling his wet clothes from his body. The fabric clung to his bones but with their combined efforts, they managed to pry it off. They tossed them aside without much regard for where they landed – it was the furthest thing from their minds in that moment. Sans felt hot and he was sure Papyrus felt the same if the expression on his face was anything to go by. They both needed to fuck badly.

Papyrus had an ecto cock conjured as soon as Sans's shorts had come off. He waited after Sans to make him something to fuck. There was a short deliberation before the smaller skeleton opted for an ecto vagina this time around. He wasn't sure if it was because he craved the pleasure he would get from the organ or whether it was some sort of subconscious attempt to become the wife the royal court and the monsters of the Underground wanted Papyrus to have. Regardless, the thought was soon cast aside. Foreplay was thrown to the wind as Sans sank down onto the taller skeleton's cock. They both moaned, revelling in the pleasure, and from there a sort of dam broke open.

Sans rose and sank back down with increased speed and desperation. Papyrus seemed to be on the same page as him on an emotional level, holding his hips and helping him maintain the rapid pace he had set for their fucking. The hot water in which they were submerged splashed about wildly, nearly spilling onto the floor but always narrowly avoiding adding to the wet mess that had appeared when Sans was initially dragged into the tub. But neither cared. They could have accidentally flooded the entire castle and they wouldn't have cared either. All that mattered now was each other and the way they made each other feel good.

"ngh! pap—" Sans cried out as Papyrus's cock slammed into a particularly sensitive spot, "o-oh stars, papy! yes! yes! it feels so – ahh! – g-good!"

"Sans—" Papyrus moaned, bucking his hips as Sans sank back down onto his cock, "Tell me you – mm – love me! Tell me you love me!"

Sans threw his arms around Papyrus's shoulders, pressing his face against his chest. He felt so good. His bones were quaking with ecstasy. He could go mad from the bliss pumping through his very being. "oh papy!" He gasped; he was just about ready to climax, "i-i love you! ahh! i love you so much!"

"I love you!" Papyrus groaned. His thrusts were becoming fitful. He too was going to cum. "You're mine! You're mine, Sans!"

"i'm yours!" Sans shouted as he came. "haa! f-fuck! papy—"

"Sans—" Papyrus gasped, jerking his hips uncontrollably as he finally climaxed as well.

They collapsed on one another, breathing heavily as they recovered from their recent ejaculations. Their ecto genitalia vanished almost instantly, leaving their fluids to muck the water in which they now rested. Sans nuzzled his head against Papyrus's ribcage and listened to his heart beating erratically while the other hugged him tightly. This was nice. Sans never wanted it to end.

"Sans…" Papyrus said after a moment. Sans looked up at him curiously. "Why can't I make you my Queen?"

Sans blushed, "w-what…?"

"Yeah…" Papyrus continued as though he were on to something, "Nothing's ever been said to prohibit me from making you my Queen. Heck! Monsters can marry their siblings after all so why would it be different for the King?"

"i-i think the royal court want you to marry a woman, pap." Sans pointed out. "they would probably be fine with us if i were a girl."

"They only told me I should find myself a Queen." Papyrus pointed out cleverly. "No one ever said anything about a woman."

"w-what about children?" Sans stammered, "i can't get pregnant."

"We can adopt." Papyrus replied. "The old King and Queen adopted so I don't see why we would be forbidden from doing the same thing."

Papyrus had made some very valid points. If someone tried arguing with him about their marriage, the points he had brought up would be more than enough to shut them up. But what did that mean? What was this conversation adding up to?

"In the end, it's my choice, isn't it?" Papyrus asked. "And I want to marry you."

Sans felt winded by his words. "wh…what?" he couldn't quite believe what he had heard Papyrus say.

"I want to marry you." Papyrus repeated with conviction, grasping Sans's hands in his, "I love you, Sans. There's no one else I want. Do you…want to marry me too?"

Sans was overtaken by emotions. The last thing he had expected from visiting Papyrus after an apparently miserable day at work was to be asked in marriage. It was strange how things had taken such a starkly different turn. "yes…of course." Sans agreed breathlessly. A part of him was still wondering if this was really happening.

"Then it's settled!" Papyrus cheered hugging Sans tightly, "We'll marry and you'll become my Queen!"