I hadn't anticipated a second chapter but the story has a few expectant follows so I felt the need to oblige.
[Papyrus]
He couldn't decide if he felt more numb or more pained as he was roped towards the surface of consciousness. There were parts of him that ached so deeply he wanted to tear them off, the pain rising and falling like a buoy in a storm. Other places tingled on occasion as if to remind him that there was still something there. His lower left arm- from the end of the humerus to the tip of his phalanges- was a particularly constant tickle that bordered on painful after certain periods of time.
Through it all he never really felt alone. A familiar feeling lurked like a cognizant presence nearby, never straying very far for very long. To the young skeleton it was a grand reassurance to have. Being alone…was too scary to think about.
Much like the tides he'd pulled in and out of consciousness over some immeasurable length of time. Until this moment, however, Papyrus hadn't really come close to breaching the surface of the water. Merely, he'd let himself be carried along a lazy current, his body as relaxed and light as it could get given the circumstances.
But finally he'd come close enough to sense the fresh air, to see the churning waves above him. Papyrus wanted to reach out but his limbs felt heavier so close to the surface, like someone had let Undyne tie her weights to his arms. Though he heaved and struggled they stubbornly refused to budge.
So he decided to try a new tactic.
Relaxing somewhat he sent out a shy ripple from his soul, tenderly pushing against an invisible membrane that, if broken, would cause him the most unimaginable pain.
Almost immediately he received a response, warmth and familial companionship wrapping around him with all the health and strength its wielder could muster. It made his call feel so much weaker by comparison. Papyrus had hardly caused more of a disturbance than a small leaf landing on the surface.
He was dutifully checked over a few times and he used the opportunity to catch the name he was so desperately looking for.
Sans, he sleepily realized, a soft smile on his face. His recognition was awarded with an elated celebration from the much stronger soul and Papyrus felt as though he'd been gathered up in his brother's arms and tossed in the air. Happiness bloomed within his soul too and he pushed against the membrane hindering its locomotion.
He almost immediately regretted the decision when a bolt of pain split through him. Sans wrapped himself a little tighter around Papyrus, trying to protect him while he suffered.
It wasn't a smart move.
He'd gone so long without comfort to subdue his agony that Papyrus had somehow been conditioned to expect further abuse. As a result he flinched back like a scaled worm snail, but not before lashing out and forcing Sans back first. With a great deal of reluctance his brother backed off. As the pain washed over him, throbbing with increasing agony, Papyrus was driven to near-convulsing heights. An eternity later the terrible attack ended and he was left panting and sweating like a snowdrake in the hotlands.
A pitiful keening moan was dragged out of his throat. He was so tired but he hurt too much to sleep, soul burning with a terrible hellfire just remnant of the pain he'd only so recently experienced. Papyrus desperately didn't want to be alone and despite everything he made a very feeble and guilty reach for his big brother's comfort.
Sans, however, wasn't nearly as hesitant in his response and with a respectful speed scooped him up. Papyrus felt so utterly small beside his brother's blazing soul, letting it engulf him, curling up within the powerful protection it offered him. Given that he was exhausted as he was it shouldn't have surprised anyone at all that some of his suffering diffused across the fragile membrane that segregated their souls and prevented them from fusing. When his brother flinched Papyrus did too, his little soul skittering away so as not to hurt him further. Sans didn't let him get very far before dragging him back and surrounding him with a warm, fuzzy, incredibly loving blanket.
Papyrus felt like a cocoon or some sort of burrito as he was wrapped in his elder's protective embrace. Absent of the energy and will he needed to free himself the younger skeleton brother sagged, becoming as limp as a cotton doll.
For the first time in many months Papyrus felt safe, perhaps mostly because in this moment Sans was sending him not to subtle messages. He was frequently shown the color blue, rows of zig-zagging bones, blue spears, green, and bright red fabric. Sans injected some of his memories into Papyrus' and the latter struggled to process them, weighted and steadily floating back into the abyss. Greater dog and Lesser dog were patrolling the house outside, Gerson was downstairs reading a book, Undyne was in the kitchen – all of these things portrayed the same message:
You are safe. We are going to keep you safe. No-one is going to hurt you.
For a split second, Pap thought of Flowey and the terrible creature's face filled his mind, manic laughter echoing in the distance. It interrupted Sans' assurances. In the brief moment before his brother could contain it Papyrus felt raw fury, disgust, and concern pulse through Sans' soul. He wanted to reassure him but didn't know what to say or do. In the end he didn't need to because he was once again enveloped by the strength of his big brother's love. There was a pained tightness to the gesture and a little voice from the farthest distance reached him just seconds before he collapsed back into the black, spent of all his energy;
Stay with me, buddy. Please, just keep holding on for me.
Just before his consciousness left him Papyrus did the soulful equivalent of squeezing his elder brother's hand, reminding him that he had nowhere else to go. Not a second later he was once again overcome by the soft and heavy obstruction known as sleep.
I'm with Pap on the whole sleeping thing. [Back-flips into bed] That's it for me, g'night.