AN: So... Time for the second chapter. I don't know why I said "every second day", I wanted to upload chapter 2 so badly yesterday. Heh. More notes at the end of the chapter, if anyone's interested. Reviews would be much appreciated, if you, dear reader, happen to feel like leaving one for me.
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[I Knew]
I hope you can forgive me. I didn't want you to worry.
But I knew I was sick, and I knew I wasn't going to get better.
You watched me all day, that day at the park. You were pretending to have fun, you let yourself get talked into snowball fights and you did magic tricks for the little ones, but you barely took your eyes off me. You kept finding excuses to return to my side. I felt your magic trying to heal me each time you were near, staving off the coughing and the fever, and it helped me get through the day.
It was never going to be enough and we both knew it.
I just didn't want you to worry.
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He had to grab at the doorframe when they finally made it home, overtaken by a coughing fit that left him swaying. Papyrus was quick to hide his handkerchief in his pocket so Sans wouldn't notice the thin, watery ichor he was spitting up, though.
"you should've stayed home, bro." Sans told him, frowning.
"NONSENSE." Papyrus smiled back at him, striding inside. His own voice made his headache throb, however, and he tried to speak a little quieter. "A little cold could never keep me from spending a whole day at the park with my brother and my friends!"
"a little cold? my left patella, paps, there's no way it's just 'a little cold'. go to bed. you're sick." Sans ordered, and there was a hard note of finality in his voice. He wouldn't tolerate argument.
Not that Papyrus had the energy for it anyway.
"Fine! Fine! If it will make you happy, brother, I will." He spun and gave a dramatic bow, then laughed as he turned and continued into the hallway. When he reached his room, he shut the door and hurriedly changed back into his pyjamas, grateful for the light cotton fabric which was so much cooler than the denim and wool he'd been sweltering in all day. In seconds, though, he was shivering, and he barely managed to drop his clothes in the hamper and stumble to his bed, shaking as he finally dragged the heavy quilts over himself. A little while later the door opened and Sans came in, carrying a tray bearing cutlery and a bowl of steaming-hot soup.
"hey." He said as he placed the tray on the bedside table. His tone was softer than before, and he didn't manage to meet Papyrus' gaze. "sorry. i didn't mean to snap at you."
"I know." Papyrus smiled for his benefit, pushing one hand out from under the covers and laying it on Sans' shoulder. His brother looked up, and Papyrus pulled him into a one-armed hug.
"made you some soup." Sans said needlessly when he stepped back.
"Thank you, Sans." Papyrus made himself sit up, and moved the tray onto his lap. Just looking at it made him want to throw up, but he picked the spoon up anyway. "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Papyrus asked him as Sans started towards the door again.
"i'm gonna spend all day in bed, since someone dragged me out of the house today." Sans teased him, grinning over his shoulder at Papyrus. "but i'll let you make it up to me, bro, you can hang all the washing out in the morning." He added, grabbing the laundry hamper and dragging it out of the room after himself.
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AN: I guess this story is both catharsis and a form of confession for me. A lot has been going on over the last few years in my life. I'm finally seeing a psychologist who has determined that I have Autism Spectrum Disorder... Well, there's no 'magic pill' that's gonna make that go away, but hey, an explanation for why I always felt like a square peg trying to fit myself into a round hole actually helps. Knowing the 'why' of things is comforting in and of itself, and gives me strength. The solutions to this thing called 'life' aren't always apparent, but life wouldn't be a learning curve if everything was just handed to us, would it?