Birds were chirping outside. For the life of him, Sans never understood that. Why did such small creatures feel the need to shriek at the sight of dawning light? Who knows: maybe they had some sort of bone to pick with the sun. A very small, very light bone…

Sans' jokes were even crappier when he was just waking up.

The skeleton blinked his eye sockets open, meaning to stretch…but his arms were trapped at his sides. Waking up more rapidly now, he looked up for the source of the trouble.

Aeris' face was inches from his, still fast asleep. Her lips were parted slightly, her breath washing over his face. Sans fought his rising blush down, reflecting that Aeris could really use a breath mint right about now, clinging to that little detail so he didn't dissolve into a flustered mess.

Slowly, details of the night before came back to him, piece by piece. The nightmares he had, one of the past, and one of a very possible future. Nearly skewering Aeris when she made the mistake of waking him. Falling apart in her arms as she held him, comforted him, kissed him…

Okay, that bit wasn't helping with the 'keeping calm' attitude he was trying to employ at the moment.

Sans breathed slowly, staring at Aeris' face. He thought about slipping from her grasp, but he was almost afraid it would disturb her sleep…and then they would have to talk.

"Until morning," Aeris had promised. Right now, morning felt like a death sentence.

The skeleton sighed, tempted to go back to sleep. He couldn't lie—he was comfortable here, in Aeris' arms. She was soft and warm…again, having skin seemed to have its perks. And, other than her morning breath, she smelled good, like Toriel's pies, or Papyrus' spaghetti, or the snow on pine trees…

She smelled like home.

Aeris coughed. Sans stiffened, but it was a baby cough, little more than a hiccup. She continued to sleep, arms wrapped around him, without a care in the world. Again, Sans envied her effortless sleep. But he wouldn't tear her from it, if he could help it.

Sans tried to shift over, see if he could get freedom by backing up. Aeris' arms tightened around him in response, as if she sensed escape and was determined to prevent it, even in her sleep. The skeleton sighed again. Looked as if he'd have to resign himself to his fate.

He was facing her chest now. This didn't particularly bother him, but he wondered if Aeris would be embarrassed by it, since she worried about human things like that. Sans grinned to himself, imagining her reaction if she woke up with him like this. Her chest fell and rose evenly, slowly—

Abruptly, Sans remembered Frisk tugging Aeris' soul into view. Silver, just like her eyes, with a crack splitting it down the middle, representing her time left…

Sans found himself raising a hand, hovering from Aeris' chest. How much time did she have left now? Days? Hours? Would she die here, asleep in his bed, before either of them realized it, before Sans could say everything he meant to say to her?

He had to know. It was a serious invasion of privacy, but considering everything he'd done to Aeris thus far, this sin would hardly weigh the heaviest. Sans held his breath and concentrated, focusing on pulling Aeris' soul forward, into view. A light began to glow around her chest—

A pale hand grabbed his, squeezing his bony fingers together. Sans' breath whooshed out in surprise, eye sockets flashing up to meet Aeris' eyes. They were still closed, but she was frowning now.

"Dude," she grumbled, her voice rough with sleep, her eyes half-lidded when she finally opened them, brow puckering at Sans, "you can't just tug it out like that. Rude."

"That's what she said," Sans replied, unable to help himself. Aeris' lips twitched.

"Said no man ever," she countered after a yawn. She closed her eyes again, seeming in no hurry to release Sans' hand. "Seriously. What're you doing?"

Sans reluctantly sobered. Well…she did say until morning…

"…I wanted to see how big the crack had gotten," he admitted. Aeris opened her eyes again, watching him for a moment. If she seemed surprised at his knowledge over her cracked soul, she didn't show it.

"That's a serious invasion of privacy," she told him, raising her eyebrows to offset her scolding tone.

This made Sans grin. "Says the woman who climbed into my bed without permission last night."

Aeris had the decency to blush. "Don't say it like that. I feel like some sort of temptress when you say it like that."

"You are a temptress," Sans said, only half-joking. "With that bed head and that gunk in your sleepy eyes? You're drivin' me crazy, Princess."

Aeris made a face at him, and began to sit up.

"Move. My arm's asleep because of you," she demanded, poking his skull. Sans sat up obligingly, and Aeris shook out her arm, flexing her fingers. "Jeez. You know, for just a skeleton, you sure are heavy."

Sans thought of a couple weight puns to throw around, but surprisingly, now didn't seem like a good time. He merely watched as she rubbed at her eyes and finger-combed her hair, apparently taking his comment to heart. Was she really that self-conscious around him?

As if she could feel him staring, Aeris glanced over at him while in the process of trying to get her hair to behave. She seemed to give up after a moment, and turned to fully face him, her eyes somber.

"So," she began with an air that suggested she wasn't excited to have this conversation, "are we still fighting?"

Sans thought about that. Honestly? It would be easier to say yes—then they could go back to trying to ignore each other, and Sans didn't have to obliterate whatever was left of their friendship. He could carry this weight, carry it with him either to his grave…or to Aeris', which was admittedly fast-approaching.

But when the skeleton looked into her eyes, he knew "easier" wouldn't be "better". And Aeris deserved better from him. She would even if he didn't love her.

"I don't want to fight anymore," he admitted honestly. A small smile tilted the Aeris' mouth, and she held out a hand.

"Truce?" She offered.

Sans grinned a little, resisting the urge to whip out a whoopee cushion as he shook Aeris' hand. Just this once, though.

"You're oddly formal this morning," he observed, winking at her. "I miss the kisses from last night."

Aeris blushed red, and Sans' grin widened. Oh, look who was all bashful, now that they had a night to sleep on their actions.

"About that," she mumbled, looking highly embarrassed, but whatever she was about to say was cut off by her surprised coughing after the door was suddenly thrown open.

"SANS! HAVE YOU SEEN…oh." Papyrus trailed off, and Sans stiffened. Well, this could only end badly…

"Papyrus," he began, searching for a way to explain, but after a moment, Papyrus' face lit up.

"So! You two made up! THAT'S GREAT!" He cheered, and then scowled. "But you could've invited me to your make-up sleepover, you know! I've been worried, too!"

"Sorry, Papyrus," Aeris wheezed, fighting for her breath after her latest coughing fit. She rubbed at her mouth, glancing over at Sans. "It was kind of…impromptu."

"Well! Next time, I, the GREAT Papyrus, would like to be invited to an impromptu sleepover!" Papyrus assured her, posing dramatically. And Sans felt guilt and relief in equal measures. Dear, sweet, innocent Papyrus.

"Anyway, this calls for a celebration!" Papyrus decided, clapping his bony hands together. "My SPECIAL spaghetti recipe for breakfast! No need to thank me! NYEH HEH HEH!"

As he rattled away to make the spaghetti, Sans let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"There's a fine line between reward and punishment in this house," he remarked, and Aeris flicked the side of his skull.

"Stop it. He's just happy to know we made up." But the way she glanced at him and then away, red blooming in her cheeks, let Sans know that he wasn't alone in believing that 'making up' wasn't all there was to last night.

As Aeris got up, clearly meaning to leave, Sans caught her hand. An unexpected fear seized him, that if Aeris left his room, the peace and understanding they'd finally gained would be shattered, and he needed this safe space to be able to tell her everything, or he'd never have the courage again.

"Aeris," he began, and Aeris turned to him, looking apprehensive; he wondered what kind of face he was making to make her look like that. "I need to talk to you."

Aeris paused, gazing at him. Then her eyes travelled to the door, where they could hear Papyrus rattling around in the kitchen, clearly in high spirits. Her lips pursed, she turned back to Sans.

"Later, okay?" She tried to pull her hand out of his grasp, but Sans held tight, clenching his teeth.

"You said," he started, lowering his voice as though he didn't want the walls to hear, "until morning."

Aeris frowned, like she didn't like being reminded of her words from the night before. She sank down onto her knees, gently disengaging her hand from his, both her hands smoothing over Sans' cheek bones, holding his skull in place. Sans froze, her touch too intimate, reminding him of last night. She leaned forward, determination in her eyes, and a thrill shot through Sans, thinking she was going to kiss him again—

She stopped just short of his face, her eyes intense as she stared at him.

"Later," she whispered, her thumbs stroking his cheek bones, "I promise."

Wordless, Sans could only nod meekly. Aeris smiled and regained her feet, her fingertips trailing across his cheekbones as she walked away. Sans stared dumbly after her as she left his room, equal parts relieved and disappointed that she didn't kiss him again. He was also not quite sure about the whole "humans can't do magic" thing, since that was now twice that Aeris had gotten him to do what she wanted.

Whatever spell she had him under, it was clearly a powerful one.

Papyrus was on Cloud Nine. Sans hadn't realized what his fight with Aeris was doing to his brother, but now that they had called a truce, Papyrus was practically walking on air. And Sans felt so guilty about this that he did something he thought he'd never do:

He took Papyrus to a live show featuring Mettaton and his music group.

"THIS IS AMAZING!" Papyrus cheered, jumping along with everyone else, riding the high from the energy of the crowd. "SANS, WHY DON'T WE HAVE GLOW STICKS? LOOK AT THESE THINGS, THEY'RE AMAZING! WE SHOULD GET ONE FOR EVERY ROOM!"

Sans grinned to himself. Personally, he found it odd that so many humans and monsters could mingle like this without problems, in the middle of the day, in an abandoned warehouse, where the concert was being held. Didn't these people have jobs? Not that Sans was one to talk, but still.

Well, at least Shyren looked happy. And to think, Sans had sold out of tickets for her first concert ever. He was so proud.

The highlight of Papyrus' afternoon was probably when Mettaton began to set up for his solo, "You Light My Circuits On Fire". As if he knew he was there all along, Mettaton picked Papyrus out of the crowd and invited him onto the stage to sing to. Sans thought his brother would die of excitement, and it was only with mild trepidation that he urged his brother forward, making a hasty vow with himself not to fling the robot off the stage if he got too chummy with Papyrus. After all, if attention from the flamboyant robot made Papyrus happy, who was Sans to stand in the way?

…Okay, so his guilt might've played a huge factor into it as well. But no one else had to know that.

"THAT. WAS. AMAZING!" Papyrus was still cheering as they were heading home in the evening, decked out in nearly all the merchandise they had for sale at the concert. There was also a very ostentatious kiss mark on the side of the skeleton's skull, and Sans was doing his utmost best to ignore it. "THE PASSION! THE DRAMA! There was no bloodshed, but I AM OKAY WITH THAT! Whew!"

Papyrus rubbed sweat from his forehead, blushing a little. "I just wish Princess could've come with us," he reflected to himself, "too bad she had to work, huh?"

Sans paused, his eye sockets on the snow. "About her…" he began, keeping his head down as he spoke, "…I need to tell you something, Papyrus."

He heard Papyrus pause a couple steps away from him.

"What is it, Sans?" He asked curiously.

Sans' hands clenched in his pockets. He'd been trying to figure out a way to say this all day, but it had been verrry slow-going. After all, how did you tell your brother that you were in love with his crush?

And Sans wasn't sure of his motivations behind telling Papyrus anyway. What did he expect Papyrus to do, back off? Sans would never ask him to—he absolutely refused to do so—but if he knew Papyrus, he knew that his brother would just want him to be happy. But Sans wanted Papyrus to be happy just as much, if not more. So, if Aeris made him happy, who was Sans to stand in the way of that? Nobody.

Then it was decided. He'd make Papyrus aware of his feelings for Aeris, but assure him that he didn't plan to act on them. After all, Papyrus confessed his attraction to her first. And it totally made sense for Aeris to be happier with Papyrus than with him. It was only fair…wasn't it?

Sans grit his teeth, steeling himself. He could do this. He could give up Aeris. He had to. He didn't deserve her anyway.

He looked up, meaning to tell Papyrus exactly how he felt—but something distracted him. Something sprawled out in the snow, a distance away from him and Papyrus. Something with dark, tangled hair and a lanky form…

Sans stopped breathing.

"AERIS!" He shouted.

"What about her?" Papyrus asked, bewildered by Sans' sudden shout, but the short skeleton was rushing past him, sliding in the snow in his haste to get to Aeris. She was face down when reached her…not a good sign.

Panicking, Sans rolled her over. Her face looked still. Too still. Shaking, he reached out, pressing his fingers to her neck. For one heart-stopping moment, he couldn't find her pulse. But then it was there, beating faintly against his fingers, but still present. Brief, painful relief washed through him. She was still alive. But only just.

"Papyrus!" Sans shouted over his shoulder for his brother, "Help me!"

Papyrus stood there, dazed for a moment, staring at Aeris' still form. It wasn't until Sans called for him again, his voice cracking this time, that the tall skeleton jarred himself into action. Together, they lifted Aeris into Papyrus' arms, and Sans teleported them to Toriel's. He didn't know how much time Aeris had left, but he didn't want to waste a second of it walking.

Sans slammed his hand on Toriel's door three times.

'Please be home, please be home, please be home,' was the chanted mantra in his head, his panic rising with every second that Toriel failed to answer the door. Finally, the door was pulled open, and there stood Frisk, still holding their fork from dinner. Their mouth popped open at the sight of Aeris.

"Kid," Sans greeted, seizing Frisk's shoulders, "please tell me Tori's home."

Frisk nodded hurriedly, and ran to get her. Sans moved aside so Papyrus could bring Aeris in, and a moment later, Toriel was rushing out of her room.

"Oh my!" She cried, her hands flying to her mouth at the sight of Aeris. "What happened?!"

"We found her," Sans said, feeling short of breath, "collapsed in the snow. Please help her, Tori. Please."

"Of course." Toriel carefully took Aeris from Papyrus' arms, cradling her as if she were nothing more than a child. She rushed off to the guest room, calling for Frisk to bring her the first aid kit. Frisk obliged, and they shut the door to the guest room.

Which left the skeleton brothers to wait.

This did not sit well with Sans. As Papyrus paced with a worried look on his face, Sans sat in Toriel's armchair, his head between his hands as his mind spiraled out of control.

How did this happen? Had she had a fit and passed out in the snow? If so, how come Sans hadn't found any blood like last time? Did something attack her? No, again, he hadn't found anything marking Aeris. Then again, he was more than a little frantic, so maybe he didn't get a good look. If she had been attacked, then he would annihilate whatever was responsible. But if she hadn't…if this was just nature taking its course…

The tips of Sans' fingertips scraped against his skull as he agonized.

Was this it? Was Aeris finally out of time? She had stopped him from peering into her soul earlier; at the time, he thought it was because he was being rude. But what if Aeris knew that she would die today? What if that was the reason she had stopped him from taking a look?

But then, if she knew, why wouldn't she let him talk to her? If she knew she would die today, why would she promise that she would listen to what he had to say later? Had she promised just to stall him, knowing that she might never hear what he needed to tell her?

Anger and uncertainty warred in Sans' mind, clashing painfully and making him wince.

How could she do this to him?

'She wouldn't do that.'

How did he know?

'I've known her for almost two months. I know what she's like.'

Was he sure?

'She wouldn't blow me off, knowing that I had something important to tell her—'

Even though there were clearly more important things on her mind? Like her untimely demise?

Sans had no answer for that. Still, the questions circled each other in his mind, rattling around in his skull like angry, ricocheting wasps. They rebounded everywhere inside his cranium, stinging everything they touched, making his head throb. He clutched it more tightly, squeezing his eye sockets shut, willing the world to stop turning just for one minute—

"She's all right," said a soft voice.

Sans' head snapped up, fixing on Toriel's face. She looked tired, as if this experience had aged her, but she still smiled.

"It's a fever," she reported, and Sans became able to feel his limbs again. "I noticed she was a little off today, but I thought it was just…you know. Turns out, she has a temperature of a hundred and one degrees, and the average temperature for humans is ninety-eight point six. It'll take some time for her to cool down…but I think she'll be fine."

Sans processed this as fast as he could, considering his brain seemed to be jammed, like someone had shoved peanut butter inside his skull. "She's not dying?" he wanted to verify, his voice weak with relief.

Though Toriel still smiled, her eyes turned grim. "No more than usual," she assured him.

That was all Sans needed to hear. He got up from the armchair and hurried down the hall.

"Sans, wait!" Toriel protested, but the skeleton ignored her, heading into the guest room.

Aeris was asleep, though this slumber did not appear peaceful like usual. Her face was flushed, and she twitched in her sleep, as if uncomfortable. There was cooling pad on her forehead, but she was still sweating bullets. Sans stood beside her bed, breathing slowly to calm himself down. He reached out and took one of Aeris' hands in both of his, his fingers trembling. He never thought he'd be so relieved to feel warm skin, even if it was too warm, like Aeris'.

"Mmn…" Aeris opened her eyes slowly, her eyes out of focus.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Sans joked with a small chuckle. He had definitely made Aeris regret her decision to marathon the Disney Princess movies with him, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys and Frisk—now he had never-ending joke material at his disposal, and there was nothing she could do about it.

If she was feeling better, there was no doubt in Sans' mind that she would've scowled at him while trying to hide a smile for calling her by the name of her least-favorite Disney princess ("She's so ineffectual it makes me want to cry," she had complained once to Sans). Sans blamed it on the fever when she did nothing but smile vaguely.

"Back here again. I'm getting déjà vu," she said. Her fingers wrapped around Sans', and he gave her hand a squeeze.

"You were in Tori's room last time, though."

"Oh, right." With what seemed like a large effort, Aeris focused on Sans. "I remember now…I asked if you were Death the first time I saw you…"

"You did. That's racist, y'know," Sans told her gravely, "I'm thinking of filing a complaint."

Aeris laughed a little. It was a pathetic shade of her true laugh.

"Sorry," she apologized, and Sans could practically feel her energy draining. She closed her eyes, apparently too tired to keep them open anymore. "That's right…you had something you wanted to say to me, didn't you…?"

Oh, sure. She chooses now to bring that up.

"Later," Sans quoted her, brushing stray strands of her hair away from her forehead with his free hand, his other hand still keeping a tight hold on Aeris. "Let's wait until you feel better, okay? Then I'll ruin your day."

Aeris' brow puckered. "Is it that bad…?"

"It's worse," Sans promised her, not even able to joke about it. "But worry about it later, okay? Just rest for now."

Aeris yawned. "Yeah…like I'll be able to fall asleep after hearing that…"

Despite her words, she did, quite effortlessly. And Sans watched her, still keeping hold of her hand, even as her fingers loosened. She was a lot more trusting of him staying put this time than she was last night, when she gripped him so tightly, even in her sleep. Maybe something in his expression told her that there was no way he'd be moving from her side this time around. Not by choice, anyway.

"Brother?"

Sans looked over at Papyrus, who stood in the doorway, looking awkward.

Uh-oh. Papyrus only called Sans that when one of them was in trouble. Looking at his brother's face now, Sans had a bad feeling that it was him this time.

"Er…may I speak with you?" The tall skeleton brother requested, oddly formal. Sans gave him a long look, and then glanced down at Aeris. He hesitated.

"…Is it important, Papyrus?" He wanted to check, hating how he was prioritizing things right now—Aeris had really just turned his whole world upside-down, hadn't she?

Papyrus paused, as if surprised by the question. Sans wouldn't blame him—despite his laziness, he usually came running whenever Papyrus called, whatever the problem was. Sans had never had to ask whether it was important or not before. Again, Sans blamed Aeris.

Papyrus' gaze fell on Aeris' hand, the one Sans was holding as if his life depended on it. As if he just realized he was still holding it, Sans dropped her hand, but the damage was already done.

"Yes, it is important, Brother," Papyrus decided. Trying not to sigh, Sans reluctantly left the room, following his brother back to the living room. Sans could hear Toriel and Frisk in the kitchen, where Toriel was apparently making soup for Aeris. For the first time, Sans didn't feel compelled to join them and watch over Frisk. It surprised him just how much he had changed in just two months.

Once again, he blamed Aeris.

"What's up, bro?" Sans dared to ask, trying to keep things light, at the very least. Papyrus had his back to him, which Sans didn't like—it meant that Papyrus was purposefully trying to hide his feelings from him.

"…I figured it out," the tall skeleton said quietly. Sans wished he would turn around and face him. "That's what you were trying to tell me earlier, wasn't it?"

Papyrus slowly turned to face Sans. Sans, who had been expecting sadness or anger from his brother, received a shock when he deciphered the look on Papyrus' face: it was sheepish.

"You're in love with Princess," Papyrus announced in a tone that suggested it was the most obvious thing in the world. Sans thought he heard the sound of chopping falter in the kitchen.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking down at the floor.

"Yeah," he confirmed, dejected.

Neither of them spoke for a long minute.

"Then…last night, you two were—"

"Nothing happened," Sans assured Papyrus. He paused and sighed, feeling like that was a lie. "Well…something happened. But I think she was only trying to comfort me after a nightmare I had." That was the only thing it could be, after all. It wasn't as if Aeris actually felt the same way about Sans…

"Heh," Papyrus laughed, rubbing the back of his skull, his expression still awkward. "I feel like…I should've known. I mean, you're my brother. I may not know everything, but I thought I'd be able to pick up on something like this, at least. I guess not, though. Nyeh heh…heh…"

"Papyrus," Sans began, forcing himself to meet his brother's eye sockets. "I'm sorry. Really. I did everything I could—I tried—"

"I don't blame you, Sans," Papyrus assured his brother, though it made him feel worse instead of better, "I told you she was pretty, right? It was only a matter of time before you noticed, too, I guess."

Papyrus laughed a little to himself. "But you don't just think she's pretty, right? I've noticed: you think she's funny, too. And smart. She makes you laugh, and you always look like you're having a great time when you're with her. You two get along so well that I was really surprised by the fight you had. And it looked like it was hurting you both a lot, being near each other, but not being able to talk because of hurt feelings. I kind of wondered why you two were acting so weirdly…but I guess it all makes sense now. After all, love isn't exactly rational, is it?"

"Whoa, Papyrus," Sans said, a little unnerved by just how much his brother had observed, as well as what he was misunderstanding. "You've got it all wrong. Aeris and I…she doesn't love me. Not like that."

This news seemed to surprise Papyrus. "She doesn't?"

"No."

"She told you this?"

Sans side-stepped that question. Truthfully, he wasn't sure how Aeris felt about him. Only she knew, didn't she? He was heavily leaning towards 'not', however: after all, the species debate notwithstanding, what kind of sense did it make for her to fall in love with someone like him? Didn't she have better things to do with the limited time she had left on this earth?

"That's not the point, Pap. The point is, I was going to tell you earlier that I…that I have feelings for Aeris, because you deserved to know. But I was also going to tell you that I wasn't going to pursue it."

Papyrus stared at him, his mouth slightly open. "What?"

"I'm not going to do anything about it," Sans assured his brother, with a grin that was barely there. "After all…you're a lot cooler than me, bro. And Aeris probably likes you. So, if you want her—"

"That…IS THE MOST BONEHEADED THING I'VE EVER HEARD YOU SAY!" Papyrus suddenly shouted, startling Sans with his abrupt anger. The short skeleton stared up at his brother, who glared furiously down at him, stomping his foot in rage. "SANS, YOU LAZYBONES! HOW COULD YOU SAY THOSE THINGS?!"

"Wha—" Sans began, but Papyrus cut him off, still in a rage.

"I KNOW THAT I AM VERY COOL! I SAY SO IN THE MIRROR EVERY NIGHT BEFORE I GO TO BED! BUT BEING COOL HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS AT ALL! THIS IS ABOUT FEELINGS, AND EMOTIONS, AND, AND—"

"Papyrus!" Sans called, further alarmed to see that his brother was beginning tear up, "calm down!"

"NYAAAAAH HAH HAAAAAH!" Papyrus cried, and a gush of tears exploded from his eye sockets. Sans could only watch, dumbstruck, as his brother sank down on the couch, covering his face with his hands as he wept noisily. "IT'S NOT FAIR! IT'S NOT FAIR! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS ACT LIKE YOU DON'T DESERVE HAPPINESS, SANS?! I DON'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL!"

"Papyrus," Sans began, but he wasn't sure how to proceed, completely thrown off-balance for once when it came to his brother. He hadn't been expecting this at all. What was with people surprising him left and right these days?

He waited until the hoses that were Papyrus' eye sockets dried up, the tall skeleton sniffling loudly, using his signed Mettaton t-shirt to mop up his face. He glared at Sans again.

"Don't you dare say that you're giving up!" He asserted, grabbing the collar of Sans' turtleneck and pulling him in so that they were almost nasal cavity to nasal cavity. "Princess deserves someone that will fight for her! Haven't you been paying attention to our anime marathons?! The hero always gets the girl because he fights for her! If she found out you were quitting, just like that, she would be MOST upset with you, Brother!"

"But," Sans protested, though Papyrus' sudden anger still left him reeling, "you like her, too, Papyrus—"

"So what?!" Papyrus demanded, and Sans gaped at him in shock. "If I weren't your brother, would you care if I happened to have feelings for Princess as well?"

What was he even talking about anymore? Sans had no clue. "But you are my brother, Pap—"

"EXACTLY!" Papyrus shouted, dropping Sans' collar so the short skeleton stumbled onto his tail bone. Sans stared up at Papyrus as the tall skeleton leapt to his feet, striking a pose. "And as your brother, who is very cool, I, the GREAT Papyrus, want you to be happy with whomever you so choose! Even if…" Papyrus blushed pink, rubbing the back of his skull. "Even if I happen to admire her bone structure a little more than is appropriate."

Sans could only stare up at him. His brother's nonsense had officially maxed out today.

"I can't do that," he said, pushing himself onto his feet. His hands clenched into fists, but he stuffed them into his pockets, hiding them from view. "I can't be with her, Papyrus. Not if it'll hurt you. I may…love her…but I loved you first. Besides, she probably prefers you anyway. How could I compare to you? And I can't just say, 'Let me have her' to you…"

"Why not?"

Sans hadn't realized he'd looked away from Papyrus until his head was snapping back up, staring at his brother in astonishment. Papyrus, however, was just smiling, that usual happy-go-lucky smile he always wore firmly in place. There wasn't a trace of sadness, resentment, or doubt to it. It was just honest, and it was just Papyrus. He was being sincere.

"Why not just ask, Sans?" Papyrus prompted when Sans said nothing. He was beyond words at this point. This conversation hadn't gone anywhere he expected it to go, and he was thoroughly mystified. Was the universe playing a prank on him today?

"Pap—"

"Go on! Ask me!" Papyrus urged him, striking another pose. "And I, the GREAT Papyrus, shall grant your wish! But only if I can tell you are sincere in your wish!"

He was serious. He was completely serious. Sans didn't know how to react. He felt his knees start to shake, and was afraid his legs might give way. And Papyrus was just staring down at him, expectant, even a little excited…

Sans grinned a small grin. "Do I…have to get on my knees and beg?"

"Hmm," Papyrus hummed, considering this. "Standing is fine!" He ultimately decided.

Sans laughed, though really, he wanted to cry. He really had the coolest brother ever.

"…Great Papyrus. Please, though it's unspeakably selfish…grant my wish. Let me have Aeris."

"Very well! I, the GREAT Papyrus, shall grant your wish!" Papyrus made a show of waving his arms about and mumbling mumbo jumbo under his breath. Finally, with double snaps, he grinned. "Done!"

He patted Sans' shoulder, his grin softening. "All yours, Brother. Now, was that so hard?"

It was one of the hardest things Sans had ever had to do. Unable to say anything, he merely moved forward, hugging Papyrus. And, despite his silence, something about the way his brother patted his back told Sans that Papyrus understood.