Character Roles

Yoshachu Scorchachu ~ Papyrus
Karnelia ~ Sans, Flowey

Flowey LOADed his SAVEstate. And there was Papyrus, giggling under a few softly teasing tendrils. Flowey withdrew them. "Golly, that sure was fun! Thanks for letting me tickle you, Papyrus!"

Sans was sleeping peacefully until the rippling effects of time washed through him, kick-starting the beginning of an intense nightmare. He flinched, moaning and restless.

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Papyrus giggled a bit and shook himself off to remove the ghost of the tickles. "Not a problem, Flowey! And thanks for not going overboard! I'm glad I can trust you!"

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"Well, of course, friend! I wouldn't want to overwhelm you, that would be rude!" Flowey smiled at him. "I was just a little curious is all. Hey, maybe you should try me? I don't even know if I'm ticklish, nobody's ever tried!"

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"Hmm? Well, okay, if you insist." He experimentally tickled the back of Flowey's petals gently with a finger.

~!~!~!~

It was a little nostalgic, he supposed. He almost had forgotten what it felt like, having lived in his current body for so long. But it still wasn't quite as intense as what he could remember. "Hehehe! Oh, I guess I aham!" He lightly shook his petals, curling his leaves up to his mouth.

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"Oh, wowie! That is really cute! Nyeh heh heh!" He stopped and grinned.

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Grinning back up at the skeleton, Flowey made cutesy small talk with Papyrus until he had his fill. It had been fun playing with him, but he didn't want to burn out his possibilities with him too quickly. Papyrus was still a big favorite of his, after all. But maybe when he tried out a few other things, it would feel fresher and more exciting again. "Golly, it's getting late isn't it?"

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"Oh, yes, it is! I really should be getting home now. It was nice seeing you again, Flowey! I can't wait to visit you again! Good night!" With a final grin and wave, he began his jog back home.

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"I always enjoy our talks, friend! See you around, Papyrus!" Flowey waved back before burrowing under the ground.

Sans was still wrapped up in his nightmare, an impossible darkness hanging at the edges of his mind.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus made it back home, walking in, and almost immediately he could sense his brother having a nightmare in his bedroom. Rushing to Sans' room, he stormed in, noticing him tossing and muttering in fear in his sleep, and rushed to his side before shaking him. "Sans! Sans, wake up! Please! You're having a nightmare!"

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Papyrus's voice guided Sans back from the dark, and he bolted up, wheezing rapidly, bringing trembling hands to either side of his head. He was used to waking from panic-inducing dreams — half the time with his brother's aid — and tried to calm down, waiting for his SOUL to stop fluttering like some trapped insect. "ghhhhnn ... ow ... nn ... thanks for wakin' me, pap." He closed his eyes again tightly. His skull was dully throbbing, which was a bit unusual, but he didn't think much of it, only that it was uncomfortable. "sorry if my fussin' got you outta bed or anything."

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"Er... I-It's no big deal, brother. I'm always here to help you no matter what, you know that. Would you like for me to stay with you until you fall back asleep?" He didn't both asking what his dream was about; he knew Sans would never tell him anyway for some reason.

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At the thought of going back to sleep, a burst of cold terror spiked through Sans. He lightly jolted with a startled breath, hands dropping to clutch at his shirt.

Sans loved to sleep, even the threat of nightmares normally wouldn't deter him from it — even if they were upsetting, they were nothing new. But, what he just woke from upset him more than he initially realized. He wasn't even sure why, it was one of those jumbled, shifting ones that made little sense, but there had been a constant, oppressive ... emptiness that dogged him throughout, and he had a strange feeling like he'd lost something important.

"well, if you wouldn't mind, pap, i ... i'd really like the company." He smiled up at Papyrus and he felt a panging of anxiety that he couldn't place, like he needed to do something, but couldn't remember what. He slid over to make room for his brother.

~!~!~!~

"Thank you, brother. ...Actually, I have a better idea. You're going to sleep in my room tonight. Perhaps a clean bed in a clean room would ease your slumber tonight." He scooped Sans up and walked to his room. Despite not either of them feeling cold, Papyrus' body still felt colder than normal, and a bit wet as well, almost as if he were outside doing something rather than sleeping...

~!~!~!~

Sans gave a soft vocalization of surprise that turned into sheepish chuckles. "heheh, maybe so, bro. thank you." He clung to him a bit more tightly than normal. The lingering chill from Papyrus's outdoor activities was only just noticeable to Sans, and he found that his brother's scarf was quite damp, soaked-through enough to suggest a longer period of time out in the snow than just a brief outing, not yet dried enough to suggest he hadn't been back for long. Sans didn't say anything on the way to Papyrus's room, but it seemed weird — Papyrus hadn't said he'd be doing anything else that night, not that he had to have Sans's permission to do as he liked. But, he didn't want to let it go, so he decided to inquire once they got settled.

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Once in his room, Papyrus placed Sans in bed and draped the blanket over him. "There you go. Much cozier than that messy ol' bed of yours, right? Nyeh heh heh!"

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"well ... i gotta admit, it's pretty comforter-able," Sans glanced at Papyrus with an amused grin, "i mattrass-k you how you keep it so tidy!" He started snickering into his hands.

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Papyrus narrowed his eyes and grunted, then grinned deviously. "Well, the key, Sans, is to tickle your bed until it agrees to be neat and tidy. Just like this!" He playfully tickled Sans' feet through the bed covers.

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Sans's pitch jumped to a squeak, and he reflexively drew his legs up and rolled on his side, grin widening and eyes arched as he lightly thrashed under the covers. "eehehee~! ahahaa! i-i'm suhure ihit knohows nahat to gehet outta line wihith you!" He found his spirits lifting and his previous stress from the night terror was starting to melt away.

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Papyrus laughed as he stopped. "That's right! Even my bed fears the powers and capabilities of Tickle Master Papyrus! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!"

~!~!~!~

"heheh ... i think you've really earned that title, bro," Sans said in mirth. He hadn't forgotten his questions about what Papyrus had been doing so late, but he didn't want to seem suspicious or nosy so he continued to hold off.

And ... well ... he couldn't quite understand it, but ... "hey, pap...," he began slowly. He looked away, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed, cheeks tinging blue. "uhh ... would you mind ... tickling me a little more?" He chuckled, a bit incredulous and sheepish. It must sound so weird, it was so weird. He'd had such a nice day when it came down to it, and when he'd thought about it, all the ticklish antics his brother and friend had put him through distracted from the larger things he worried about, helped him feel grounded to the moment. "n-no magic or ropes—" A sudden feeling of extreme dread welled up in him at the thought of ropes, though he was confused as to why. It hadn't been that awful that morning. "no ropes," he reiterated. "j-just ... i guess it's a little ... fun? if you want to?"

He hoped he wasn't blushing as much as he felt he was.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus blinked in confusion, then he smiled affectionately. "Anything to make you happy, Sans. It's always fun to play with you like this anyway!" He giggled as he began to lightly tickle his ribs, making sure not to go overboard.

~!~!~!~

Sans was greatly relieved that Papyrus was nice enough not to question him about it. He wasn't really sure he could explain how something so torturous was making him happy, because he didn't understand it himself.

His eyes widened briefly as his brother went for the ribs, but he remembered him saying it was his favorite spot to go to on him and he did his best not to fight him off. "gheh—! aahaaaha~! aaha, oh gahash ihit tihickles!" Eyes squeezed shut, he dug the fingers of one hand into the sheets, sliding his other arm under the pillow and curling the edge up to the side of his skull, trying to keep his limbs out of the way. "eheheee! gh~hahahaa! ahahaaheehee~!" His brother's fingers were so devastatingly clever. Geeze, why had he asked for this!?

Part of him hoped he wouldn't stop.

~!~!~!~

"Wowie, I never knew you liked being tickled, Sans! Well, just don't forget you can always use the safe word and I'll stop immediately." He decided to kick it up a notch by removing his gloves and sliding his hands under Sans' shirt to scrape his fingertips against bare bone.

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"ahehe dunno ihif i doohoo!" Sans admitted, blushing fiercely and lightly kicking. He managed to open his eyes enough to give Papyrus a sincere look. "i juhust truhust you—! ahahaaa!" His frame jumped and he squealed as Papyrus touched his ribs directly. "kkkkgh—! oh gahaha—! ahaa! aaahhaahaha, oh plehehehease! eeeheheeee~!" His hands jumped to his own defense, starting to push, but then he drew them up again resting on either side of his head just above his sockets, fingers curled, arms bent at the elbows as he shook with laughter.

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"Nyehehehehe! Let's see just how long you can keep your arms up, brother!" He started to very gently twiddle and squeeze each individual rib, slowly working his way up his ribcage.

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"eeeeeeeehee, nahahaahat thahat! gheh—! aaaaaahaa~!" His grin was stretched out broadly, and he tossed his head at the gentle squeezes. He clenched his fingers against his palms. "whyyhehe does thaha—! thahat t-tihickle soho muhuch! eeeeheeeehee!" One hand departed in a brief, half-hearted bat at the air before returning. It was so incredibly maddening how such little touches could affect him so much. As Papyrus's fingers climbed, his pitch continued to grow squeakier.

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"Awww! Sans, you laugh like a cute little baby bones! Nyehehe!" He grinned happily as he transitioned between gliding his arched fingers across his ribs horizontally and spider-tickling up and down his ribs and spine.

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Sans now covered his eyes, shaking his head. "eeheee, nohoho, no!" Writhing under the sensation, he shivered and jumped. His giggles were a bit whiny at the slow tease across his ribs, "eeheheeee, nnaahaaa~! gghheheheheeee~!" — gasping with breathy chuckles as the onslaught became more rapid and breached his spine. "ghh—! ahaa! ahaha! ghehehahaaa—!" His entire rib-cage was tingling, and Sans finally slipped into a defensive state, pushing and trying to bat Papyrus's hands away in earnest.

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"D-Do you want me to stop? Have you forgotten the safe word? I'm not torturing you, am I?" His tickle onslaught began to drastically slow as he fretted over his brother's well-being.

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Sans's fighting slowed as well, and he was able to take in deep breaths between quieter giggles. "heheh! ... hh ... hahaven't fohorgotten. ahaaa, buhut, ahe'm probably hihitting myhe lihimit. you cahan stahap, haha~!"

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"Oh, okay." He stopped tickling and let Sans catch his breath. Once he finally had, Papyrus began to snicker and smirk teasingly. "Sooooo?~"

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Sans fully relaxed, his breathing evening out. He felt ... happy. He really did.

Then he jumped, finding himself lightly squirming under the expression Papyrus was giving him. Oh, geeze! "so what?" he asked in a higher pitch than he'd meant to, cheeks beginning to glow again.

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Papyrus snickered behind a hand as he smirked. "When were you planning on telling me about your little 'interest' if you catch my drift?~ Wink-wink, nudge-nudge~"

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"oh, geeze, papyruuuuuus!" Sans whined, hiding his face in his hands, mortified. "it's not—! i don't...!" He grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it over his head.

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Papyrus laughed loudly and slapped the bed a few times in his hysteria. "Oh, Sans, I'm only teasing you! But apparently it's true on account of how flustered you're getting. But it's completely fine, brother, I don't discriminate. And if you wish for future tickle sessions to feed your fetish then I would happily oblige if it would make you happy." He smiled innocently.

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Peeking out, Sans attempted to defend himself. "i ... i just enjoy laughing! 'm not some masochist..." He sighed, slowly pulling the blanket back down, not quite yet able to look at his brother yet, though he appreciated how sincere Papyrus sounded. "...thanks for humoring me, pap. i ... it made me happy."

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"Don't mention it at all, brother! I am always willing to help you whenever you need it!" He began crawling into bed next to Sans and hugged him close. "If you need any other favors, don't hesitate to ask." He smirked teasingly. "Unless you ask me to tickle you while roleplaying as the lady behind that large door in the forest~"

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Sans was finally starting to calm down, snuggling into his brother's comfortable embrace. Then he jumped again, cheeks once again flaring brightly. "papyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyrus~! don't say things like thaaaaaaaat! aaaha, geeze!"

~!~!~!~

"Nyahahahaha! What? It's just that I don't know what she looks like, let alone her name, so it'd be strange for me to play as someone I don't even know. But perhaps I could still substitute." He snickered as he poked and scribbled at Sans' ribs, teasing in a high-pitched tone. "Aww, does that tickle, Sansy-Pansy?~ You're just so cute and ticklish, sugar skull!~"

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"oh gahahaha—! have mehehehehercyyyyy! aaaaaaaaha!" Sans was sure he'd die from embarrassment. He wriggled at the tickling, squirming at the teasing, hands back on his face. Finally he shot back, "you'd hahahate plahaying ahas heher anywayhee! shehe mahakes lots of johokes lihike mehee!"

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Papyrus grinned in a challenging way as he kept tickling. "How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh, Sansy? Tentacles! I'm sure that tickles your funny bone, huh? Tibia honest, that joke was quite humerus, wouldn't you say? I'm on femur!"

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"oho no—! staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahap, stop!" Sans shrieked. "oh gahahaaaash, ahehe hahahate everythihihihiiiiing!" He tried to flop himself away from Papyrus's relentless fingers, rocking and laughing uncontrollably.

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Papyrus laughed as he finally stopped. "Okay, okay, I think that's enough teasing ... for now. Don't think for a second that I'll let you live this down, though~" He giggled as he took off his scarf to drape it over the bed frame and snuggle under the blankets.

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Sans gasped for breath as it stopped, lightly thumping his head into the pillow. "ghehhh—! this is so unfaiiiir! you're gonna tease me to dust, bro! aaaaaaha...—! oh, gosh, whyyyyyyyyy...~!?" He stared up at the ceiling, wishing his cheeks would stop burning.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus giggled. "Oh, don't pretend you don't like being teased every once in a while; you do it to me all the time anyway, so it's nice to see you have a taste of your own medicine."

~!~!~!~

"oh, no, no, wait a minute." Sans propped himself up on one elbow. "you're not gonna get off that easy for this. it's your turn under the magnifying glass." This wasn't how he'd intended to ask his question, but he figured it was worth a shot. "i know you went out tonight after i went to bed. where'd you go? have a secret date with someone, maybe?"

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"Wh-what?!" He stiffened before chuckling nervously. "I-I didn't go out anywhere... I was here the entire time..."

~!~!~!~

"oh, c'mon, pap. your clothes were all wet when you woke me up. unless you're gonna tell me you took a shower in your scarf. a cold shower, i might add. maybe having some ... entertaining thoughts there, bro?" Honestly, he wasn't usually so suggestive, but after Papyrus's merciless teasing, he figured on paying him back in the same turn.

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"Nyeh? What do you—?" He stopped mid-sentence as his cheekbones flushed bright orange quick like wildfire; he finally understood what Sans was saying, and he didn't like it. "N-NO! SANS!"

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Sans chuckled at his look. "all right, all right, i'm kidding. but still, i'm pretty convinced you were out unless you have a better explanation?"

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"U-Umm... WELL, GOOD NIGHT!" Fast as lightning, he flopped down in bed with his back to Sans and made loud, fake snoring noises.

~!~!~!~

He should let it go. He should let Papyrus have his secrets. "nuh-uh! you're not getting away with that! it can't be as bad as what you just put me through!" Sans chuckled with a vengeful grin, poking his finger around on the blanket until he found his brother's spine — and continued poking.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus yelped and tried to wiggle his spine away. "St-Stahahap that! I won't tehehehell!"

~!~!~!~

Withdrawing, he gently placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, using his other hand under the blanket to glidingly zip a single finger up along the exposed spine. "oh, so you do have something to hide then, huh?" Sans grinned. He wasn't overly concerned with actually finding out, as long as Papyrus squirmed a little for it.

~!~!~!~

He squealed with a massive shudder. "EEEEK! N-No, I don't!"

~!~!~!~

"then why so nerve-ous about it, bro?" Tapping his fingers up his brother's armor, he reached his neck, gently wiggling and scritching his fingers on all sides. "kitchy kitchyyyyyy! heheh, i gotcha now! i'll keep ticklin' until you tell me!"

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"Eeep! Nyehehehehe! Th-There's nohohothing to tell!" He tilted his head to protect his neck from Sans' wiggling fingers.

~!~!~!~

"hmm, i see we're going to have to take more drastic measures," Sans said deviously before burrowing himself headfirst underneath the blanket until he'd reached Papyrus's feet, making a gentle grab for the taller skeleton's toes, oblivious to the position he'd put himself in.

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"NYAAAAAH! NOT THERE, SAHAHAHAHANS!" Through his laughter and struggling he managed to grab a hold of Sans' ankles. "L-LET GO OR I'LL GEHEHET YOU BACK!"

~!~!~!~

"ghk—!" Sans curled his toes, almost letting go in surprise, but he refused to back down. "but i'm already getting you back!" His voice was slightly muffled under the blanket. Bracing himself, he dug a finger between two of Papyrus's toes and twisted it around mercilessly.

~!~!~!~

"AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HEHEHEHEY! NOT THAHAHAHAT!" He squealed and wiggled his toes, trying to yank his feet away as he began spider-tickling his fingers all over Sans' soles.

~!~!~!~

The bracing didn't help. "aahaheehehee! aha, noho!" His eyes arched and his fingers briefly faltered as he tugged on his own ankles. He chased his brother's feet, managing to wrestle an arm around the ankles, clawing his fingers in ticklish stress and raked over his brother's soles, giggling and snickering.

~!~!~!~

"AHAHAHAHEHEHEHE! STAHAHAP THAT! NYAHAHAHAHA!" He began to lose concentration from his own received tickling, yet struggled to keep up his own fight by scraping under Sans' toes.

~!~!~!~

"ohoho gahahahaha—! stahahahap!" Sans's fingers flexed and he pounded at the mattress with a flat palm. "eeeeehehee! nnahahaaaaaa~!" After a few moments of laughing into the bed, he regained control of his hand, prying Papyrus's toes back, wiggling fingertips underneath.

~!~!~!~

"AHAHAHAHAHA! N-NYAHAHAHAHA! SAHAHAHANS!" Nearly losing his grip on Sans' ankles, Papyrus threw his head back to howl with laughter, trying desperately to gain back control of his toes. He managed to recover from the initial shock and started tickling the tops of Sans' toes, having trouble seeing through his watery sockets.

~!~!~!~

"gheh~heheeehee! nahaahaaaheheheee! staahappiiiit" Sans curled up, relinquishing his brother's ankles, wiggling his toes frantically. "aaaahahaaa~! nohoho! no~!"

~!~!~!~

Papyrus panted as the tickling finally ceased, but he refused to let up on the onslaught, using his legs to pin Sans' arms to his sides, smirking evilly and gripping his ankles tightly. "Looks like I win, brother; never challenge Tickle Master Papyrus to a tickle fight! Now, prepare for the penalty!"

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"aaaaaahaaa, oh gaahahaash, nooooooooooho! no! no! nohoho!" Sans lightly struggled against his brother's legs. "okahaay, okay, you wihihin! nnhnnhnnn—!" He whined nervously in anticipation.

Though that small part of him was giddy.

~!~!~!~

"To be honest, I've always wanted to try this..." He began to experimentally nibble Sans' toes gently.

~!~!~!~

Sans's sockets flew open — this was the farthest thing he'd been expecting and he was nearly paralyzed in ticklish shock. "kkgghahaa! gaahaaaahaaa—! the hehell ihihis thaaahaaaaaat!? kkhghh~eeheheee!" He twitched violently, stretching and flailing and clawing to try to reach the end of the bed. "ihihit tihihickles! oh gahash, it tiiiiiiiiiiihihihickles~! aaaaaaaaahahaaaaaaaa!"

~!~!~!~

"Nyahahaha! I had a feeling this would tickle! Perhaps I should try this tactic on your ribs sometime!" He laughed as he nibbled a bit faster, tightening his hold on Sans' arms and torso with his legs to ensure he couldn't escape.

~!~!~!~

Sans couldn't worm himself away any further, fully immobilized in his brother's hold. "no—!" he squeaked out at the thought, shuddering, then helplessly vented laughter, head to the side, squealing. "eeeeeeeeaaaaaahahahaaaaaaaaaaa! naaaaaahaha—! n-noho mohohore! i wohon't—! you cahahaan keeeheeep your seheecret! pl—! plehe—~! pleheheeeeeeeehehease! aaaaaaaaahaha!"

~!~!~!~

"Nyeh heh heh! That's more like it! But I won't stop, not yet!" He started gliding his fingers up and down his soles as he kept nibbling his toes, even going so far as to use his own big toes to prod and poke Sans' ribs.

~!~!~!~

"aha—! aaaaaaaahaa, ihit's soho cruhuhuuuuel—! pleeheease! p-pleheee—!" His voice started to taper out, starting to laugh in shaking breaths punctuated by gasps, interspersed with squeaks. The sheet beneath his head was soaked by tears. The additional stimulus had him occasionally shivering and jolting.

~!~!~!~

"Have you forgotten the safe word? Or are you just enjoying the tickling that much?" He slowed down a bit on the tickling so Sans could have enough breath to answer.

~!~!~!~

"...sp-spa...! ghehetti...!" Sans answered croakily in defeat between silent giggles. It was all he could say at this point. The now much softer tickling still made his mind dizzy.

~!~!~!~

Chuckling evilly, he continued tickling. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that. What did you say?~"

~!~!~!~

Sans's sockets snapped open, feeling a small pang of anxiety. "ghh—!" He tried again. "spaaa—! aha—! gh...!" He couldn't even get the full word out now. He couldn't even wiggle his toes. It was a little scary, but he still trusted Papyrus not to hurt him. The tickling swirled over his senses, solely holding his focus.

~!~!~!~

"Aww, I'm sorry, I'm only kidding! You poor skeleton!" He giggled apologetically as he stopped tickling and let him go. "Are you okay under there, brother?"

~!~!~!~

Sans took long and deep relieving gasps of air, giving Papyrus a quiet noise of acknowledgement. He closed his eyes, resting right where he was for a little bit before attempting to right himself. Still exhausted, he could barely move. Managing to shift his now free arm, he timidly tapped Papyrus on the leg, silently asking for assistance.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus lifted up the covers until Sans was in sight, then he gently picked him up and laid him down next to him before draping the covers back over the both of them. "Well, at least you'll be able to sleep better now, right?"

~!~!~!~

Sans nodded wearily; comfortably. The few minutes of rest gave him enough breath to use his voice again. "...w's awful..."

Wonderfully awful. His mind supplied. He told that part of his mind to shut up.

"...th'nks, pap..."

He slipped easily into sleep.

~!~!~!~

Papyrus smiled affectionately before gently tapping his teeth against Sans' skull in a skeleton kiss, then turned out the light and snuggled next to Sans. "Good night, Sans..." He drifted off into sleep as well.