Underfell AU.

Papyrus usually prided himself on being quite capable at caring for his human's many needs: he cooked her delicious, nutritious food, was well versed in how to tend to any injuries she might have and knew how to care for her if she should fall ill. But today, he was completely stumped. Ever since Tabatha had come down from her room, she had been irritable and outrightly hostile. Considering that the household had been completely at peace for more than a week, it seemed unlikely that she would develop such a sudden hate towards the skeleton brothers for doing something wrong. And what was worse was the smell that was coming off her-a mix of constantly fresh blood and a sickly sweet aroma that resembled rotting flowers. The tall skeleton had tried to look her over for injuries, but the feisty brunette had refused to let him touch her, hence why she was currently lying facedown on the couch making absolutely wretched noises.

"BELOVED, I CANNOT HELP YOU IF YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHAT IS WRONG," Papyrus said, standing above her. She answered him with a very distinct growl that made him sigh.

Footsteps clomped down the stairs and Sans appeared, yawning and stretching. "morning," he grunted. "did you save me any break-"

The short skeleton froze in place when he saw the scene in the living room, sweat immediately springing up on his skull. "Boss what's going...what's that /smell/?"

"SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MY HUMAN, BUT SHE WILL NOT TELL ME WHAT," the younger brother said flatly, crossing his arms.

"what?!" Sans sputtered, coming all the way down the steps and looking over the back of the couch at the woman lying there. Tabatha glared up at the two monsters with a fierce scowl before she rolled onto her side with a groan.

"It's nothing," she grumbled. "Just leave me alone."

"sweetheart, ya smell like /blood/," Sans pressed. "this ain't nothing."

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Tabatha twisted her head and buried it in the cushion again, her exasperated words muffled by the fabric. When she finally lifted her head again, she mumbled out a sentence that was very hard to hear.

"YOU ARE ON...YOUR PERIOD?" Papyrus repeated in confusion. "I'M AFRAID I DO NOT UNDERSTAND, LOVE."

"It's a sign of fertility in female humans," she snapped. "Once a month, if I'm not pregnant, I suffer cramps and bleed all over myself for up to an entire week."

"so... it's like a heat, but grosser?" Sans asked.

"The crud?! You guys have heats?"

"THEY HAPPEN PERIODICALLY. OUR SOULS ARE FLOODED WITH MAGIC THAT ADVERTISES TO OTHER MONSTERS THAT WE ARE HEALTHY AND CAPABLE OF REPRODUCTION. IT CAN ALSO MAKE OUR BODIES MORE SENSITIVE AND RECEPTIVE TO TOUCH."

"So that's why you get really cuddly every once in a while," Tabatha mused. "Huh. Learn something new every day."

"but how come we've never noticed this happening once a month?" the older skeleton brother asked, scratching his head.

"You guys were always patrolling before, or I was at work," the brunette groaned. "Now that sentries aren't needed, you're spending more time with me than ever."

The human female suddenly curled in on herself, grunting in pain. Both of the brothers immediately leaned closer to her in concern.

"sweetheart? you okay?"

"TABATHA, WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"

"Gaaaaaaaaah," she moaned. "I will freaking murder everything!"

Sans and Papyrus shared a glance, both feeling rather unsettled at what they had just learned and at witnessing her in pain.

"HOW CAN I HELP YOU?" Papyrus asked earnestly. "IS THERE A WAY TO MAKE IT GO ANY FASTER?"

"No," Tabatha snarled. "I just have to stick it out like a big girl and go about my day like I'm not suffering."

"UNACCEPTABLE," the tall guardsman stated simply. "YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE IT EASY. I WILL NOT HAVE THE LOVE OF MY LIFE EXPERIENCE ANY MORE DISCOMFORT THAN NECESSARY. SANS WILL LET GRILLBY KNOW YOU ARE NOT WORKING THIS WEEK."

"Paps, it's nothing I can't just endure through," his girlfriend protested. "I've done it before and I'll do it again-it just makes me feel better if I complain about it. The only thing I ask of you is that you not get offended by the mood swings."

"WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO GET FOR YOU?" Papyrus insisted. Tabatha frowned at first, but that eventually gave way to a smile that bordered on outrightly wicked.

"Chocolate," she said. "I want chocolate. And lots of it. And a massage."

"SANS, GO OUT TO THE SHOP AND GET THE SWEETS. I SHALL ATTEND TO HER PHYSICAL PAINS." The older skeleton brother promptly disappeared from view to do as he was asked. The remaining monster pulled off his gloves and dropped to his knees beside his lover. "WHERE DOES IT HURT?"

"Spine-especially on the lower back- neck, shoulders. Don't be afraid to go deep-I need that tension gone."

Papyrus needed no more prompting: he immediately settled into a rhythm, pressing his long, hard phalanges in between her shoulder blades and rubbing circles into her flesh. The young woman let a low sound of relief as his hands glided up and down her spine, pressing hard on the bones and taking the occasional detour to knead at the muscles in her shoulders. He was tireless, giving every segment of her body equal attention until his girlfriend was limp and relaxed and even then he did not stop, changing from a deep pressure to gentle stroking motions. Sans popped in to deliver the truffles he'd managed to acquire, but he quickly left, clearly uncomfortable at the strong emotions that were surging through both their Souls. Neither of them minded him, just enjoying the glow of contentment that covered them. Every once in a while, Tabatha would tense up again as pain wracked her insides, but Papyrus patiently soothed the aches away with tender attention.

"Thanks Pap," she sighed as he coaxed out a kink in her spine. "I owe you big after my shark week is over."

"NO NEED, DEAREST," he replied, pressing a skeleton kiss to the top of her head. "I AM HAPPY TO DO THIS FOR YOU WITHOUT ANY NEED FOR REWARD."

"Let me know when your next heat hits. I will cuddle the ever-living crud out of you."

The tall monster's skull flushed a brilliant red at the thought of that. The two of them, so close to one another, his bones warm and oh-so-ready for a comforting touch...it would be heavenly.

"I WILL LOOK FORWARD TO IT," he breathed in her ear, taking the time to nuzzle his cheek against hers. She leaned into his touch, making a noise that he knew was her human equivalent of a purr. Yes, once the pain left her, they would truly be in paradise.

I think every girl has had this fantasy about being waited on during the monthly shark week. I decided to make it underfell because gosh dangit, he's probably the hottest AU version of Papyrus.