Both skeletons lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, both wondering how could their lives have taken such a turn in such a short amount of time. Papyrus now had people who cared about him, and he was taken care of. Sans suddenly wasn't alone anymore, and he had a purpose; a real one, not just to serve as an experiment.

The latter still had a lot of questions, but he knew it would do no good to ask them all at once. He could live without knowing everything, at least for now. What was important then was to, first of all, get everything back on track.

"Ok, bud"-he said sitting up, his spine making a cracking sound-"I'm gonna go get you some clothes. You can't wear that gown forever"-he winked at Papyrus, who smiled a tired smile. It was obvious that the adrenaline was wearing down, and the exhaustion taking its toll on him-"I'm gonna get you a pair of pajamas so you can go to sleep and tomorrow we'll get you the rest"

He left the room to go to his own bedroom, where he looked for the oldest pajamas he owned; it was still too big for Papyrus, but at least it would do for now.
When he got back to his brother's bedroom he found him already sound asleep, still laying on the bed but apparently not having found the strength to get under the covers. He smiled at the sight for a moment, then approached Papyrus silently, not wanting to scare him awake.

"Hey, Pap"-he whispered, sitting beside him and stroking his skull softly-"I need you to change into your pajama. Can you do that?"

Papyrus mumbled something that sounded like 'tired', the words slurred half in sleep, and then he turned to his side to be more comfortable. Sans chuckled.

"I know, me too, but you'll feel more comfortable wearing this. C'm on, I'll help you"

With a grumble the sleepy skeleton stood up, his eyes half opened.

"Turn around so I can untie the gown"-once his brother had turned around Sans started untying every knot, noticing his spine had marks in almost every vertebrae. He tried to ignore it as much as he could, knowing that if he didn't it would upset Papyrus, and they were both too tired for that. Once he was finished spoke up-"Now I'm gonna turn around so you can change, ok? Tell me when you're finished"

Papyrus didn't say anything, and kept quiet while putting on his pajamas. He probably was too tired to speak, Sans thought.

"I'm ready"-he heard, and turned around to find Papyrus almost falling asleep while sitting. That made him crack a smile; the kid was too cute. The pajamas were too big for him, like he suspected, but Papyrus didn't seem to mind.

"Great! C'm on, get under the covers"

Once his brother had settled, he stood up, ready to leave. It made him feel uneasy, the need to watch over the little skeleton making him want to stay, but he decided he probably wanted privacy. But as soon as he turned around he heard a small voice calling him.

"Sans?"

He turned around.

"Yeah, Pap?"

"Could you, um…Could you tell me the story again? The one about the bunny?"-he was hiding his face almost completely, but his eyes were visible, showing how hopeful he was.

Sans breathed out, a strange feeling in his chest. He couldn't decide what it was; Relief? Joy? Love? He didn't bother trying to figure it out. He just smiled reassuringly and sat back on the bed.

"Of course. Move a little so I can lie down with you"

Once they were both settled Sans starting telling the story all over again, not minding one bit having to repeat it. He had to change some of the details since he didn't remember everything, but Papyrus didn't complain. After a few minutes Sans started hearing small snores coming from his little brother, but he kept going anyway, determined to finish the story for him. When he was done he could barely keep his eyes open, so he didn't fight the sleep; he was out like a candle in no time.

The next morning Sans woke up alone; Papyrus was nowhere in sight. He stood up as fast as he could, falling to the floor face first in the process. His foot had become entangled in the sheets. He freed himselft and ran out the door.

"Papyrus?!"-he shouted, panicked.

How could he have lost his brother so quickly? What if something bad had happened to him? He ran down the stairs, more than once very close to falling, and he was about to go out to Snowdin when he heard movement in the kitchen. He ran there immediately, opening the door wide.

"Papyrus?"

He didn't expect what he found; Papyrus was sitting on the floor surrounded by opened boxes of food, which was scattered all over the floor. His brother looked up and when he saw him tried to stand up, but slipped with something and fell again. That did it, and Papyrus started crying.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong Pap? What happened?"-he asked sitting next to the child and scooting him up to place him on his lap.

"I just wanted Spaghetti"-the kid cried, letting Sans hug him-"But my bad arm hurt and somehow everything fell and-and-and…"-that was all he could say before breaking down in tears again.

"Shush, shush, it's ok"-Sans whispered trying to get him to calm down-"We'll clean this up, don't worry"

"Please don't send me away"-he begged. Sans swallowed, shocked.

"Of course I'm not sending you away. I just-"

"Then…are you going to punish me?"-the kid looked horrified-"I know I did bad but I promise it was just an accident!"-he seemed like he was having another breakdown. Sans didn't know how many more he could handle watching without his heart actually breaking.

"Pap, I'm not gonna do anything to you. I know it was an accident. You don't have to worry about me hurting you. Please, don't be scared of me"-he knew he was in the verge of tears, and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't stop some of them finally streaming down his face. Had he not tried enough to show him that he was safe now? Did he not do enough?

Papyrus didn't reply, just kept crying for a few minutes until he had calmed down enough to look at Sans.

"I'm sorry…I'm not scared of you. I'm scared of…of doing something wrong and making you not want me here anymore"-Sans tried to speak but Papyrus beat him to it-"I know you're a good monster. It's just…It seems too good to be true. I don't know, I'm stupid. I'm sorry"

"Of course you're not stupid, Pap. You're smart, kind, and the coolest monster there ever was"-the boy sniffed, obviously not believing him.

"The Doctor always said I was stupid. That he didn't expect 'the new one' to be so dumb, just because I always told him he could be a good person if he tried. I know everyone can be. But he didn't believe me"-he frowned-"Maybe I am dumb. You're a lot smarter than me, he said so, though I didn't know he was talking about you then. But that's ok, because you're smart AND cool, so I don't mind being the stupid one"-he smiled, and worst of all a true smile. He seriously didn't mind, and Sans thought he was going to start crying then and there.

How could such an innocent, kind kid have been through that and still hold on to those values? How could he think so little of himself and act like it was something normal? Maybe it was normal to him. But Sans was determined to change that.

"Pap, I promise you, you're not stupid. At all. You understand the world better than anyone, and yesterday you were so strong…Not many people could have dealt with everything that happened like you did. You've been through so much, yet are so good and kind…Papyrus, you're great. And I'm so proud to be your brother"-he finished, managing a small, watery smile. Papyrus beamed at him.

"You really mean it?"

"I do, Pap"

"Wowie! Well…I like being your brother too!"-the child grinned, and Sans had that feeling in his chest once again.

"C'm on, buddy. Let's cook some pasta"-Papyrus stared at him, a confused expression on his face-"Spaghetti"-he clarified.

"Oh! Yes! I'm hungry!"

Papyrus jumped off Sans lap and carefully made his way across the kitchen to where there wasn't food all around.

"Ok, but we have to clean up-"

"That's ok!"

"-and you have to take you medicine"

Papyrus let out a whine and stomped out of the room. Sans laughed wholeheartedly. That kid certainly was something special. And for once Sans was eagerly awaiting what the rest of the day had to offer.

Thanks for the support and reviews guys! I really really appreciate it. I moved and have internet once again so updates will keep coming as usual once again (tho I don't think you really noticed it, but my life's been pretty hectic as of late haha). Anyway, again, thanks for reading!