Underswap AU. Sequel to "Love You too Much". Song used is the Boyce Avenue acoustic cover of Glad You Came by The Wanted.

Tabatha hummed happily to herself as she trotted down the forest road. Papyrus was late home and Sans had asked her to check if he had fallen asleep at his sentry station again and to bring him back for dinner. The human was happy to run such an errand for the shorter of the skeleton brothers and had gone out into the cold with a smile and an extra lollipop just in case.

When she got to the sentry station, she was surprised to see that it was unoccupied with a fresh set of footprints leading into the woods towards her own checkpoint. Pushing her hands into her pockets, she trudged off the path and took the short way to her destination.

She hadn't yet cleared the trees before she heard the faint sound of a guitar—her guitar. Curious, she paused on the edge of the clearing and took in the scene before her.

Well, Papyrus was here all right—tall and covered in bright orange fabric. He was sitting on the edge of her little station, phalanges picking across the guitar strings in a lazy sort of manner. He stopped fiddling with the instrument and repositioned his fingers again before he began to strum...and sing. His voice was low and smooth, none of its usual drawl or rasp in it, like the honey he so loved to drink.

"The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came…"

There was a breath of silence...and then he continued to play, an invisible drumbeat and bassline sounding throughout the woods, no doubt the result of his magic. Papyrus' eyesockets were closed with their magical bone lids as he continued the song, his manner still casual, like he didn't know he was being watched...

"You cast a spell on me, spell on me
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me
And I decided you look well on me, well on me
So let's go somewhere no-one else can see, you and me
Turn the lights out now
Now I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time?Time is slipping away
away from us so stay,
Stay with me I can make you glad you came"

There was a beat before his voice returned, a fervent passion to his words now, pulsing with deep affection.

"The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came"

As there came the instrumental bridge, the lanky skeleton slid off the sentry station's front and stood still with his back to the human. Then he twisted around, still strumming but with his eyes on his one-person audience.

"You cast a spell on me, spell on me
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me
And I decided you look well on me, well on me
So let's go somewhere no-one else can see, you and me
Turn the lights out now!I'll take you by the hand
Hand you another drink
So drink it if you can
Can we spend a little time?Time is slipping away
away from us so stay,
Stay with me I can make you glad you came!"

Papyrus was blushing as he let his eye ignite and his magic formed ghostly hands that slowly took the guitar from his real ones, all while maintaining the music without break.

"The sun goes down!
The stars come out!
And all that counts
Is here and now!
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came!"

Hands now free, the tall monster approached Tabatha, his face flushed and hers completely astonished. He took her hands in his own as he stared at her with a loving smile

"I'm glad you came"

One bony hand trailed up to cup her cheek

"So glad you came!"

His phalanges trailed down the side of her face again to curl around the lock of orange-dyed hair and he brought the other hand he was still holding to his teeth in a skeleton kiss.

"I'm glad you came"

His form was soft for someone made of bones as he pulled the young woman into his arms, cradling her like she was the most precious thing in the world. His words were an earnest murmur now, like a man to his lover.

"I'm glad you came
The sun goes down
The stars come out
And all that counts
Is here and now
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came
I'm glad you came…"

The music died and Papyrus pressed his nasal ridge to the top of her Tabatha's head as his fingers caressed her spine. The human's face was bright red as she slowly brought her arms up to grip the back of his hoodie.

"P-papy," she breathed. "I...I didn't know that you felt...this way."

"been feelin' it for a long time kiddo," the skeleton answered, his voice muffled against her scalp. "just never had the, heh, guts to come out and say it. not until i heard you singing your Soul out for me."

Tabatha had thought she had been blushing. Apparently she was wrong because now she was blushing properly.

"You heard that?"

"every note, princess. and then some."

"I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you!" she blurted. "I just didn't want to put you on the spot and make our home life potentially tense! Sans doesn't deserve to live with a constantly awkward environment! If you hadn't felt the same—"

Papyrus pulled away just enough so he could cradle the human's face in his palms, smiling crookedly.

"so selfless," he murmured. "you're allowed to worry about yourself, you know. i know it'd tear you up if i didn't feel the same, but...how's about we don't worry about the what-ifs? i love ya back and that's what's real."

Tabatha chuckled weakly before she began to swipe at her eyes, denying the tears that were gathering there the opportunity to fall she sniffled as the tall skeleton pressed his teeth against her forehead and then threw her arms around him, trembling against his frame.

"shh, it's okay princess," Papyrus soothed, stroking her hair as she clung to him. "it's okay."

"I love you Papyrus!" she said thickly, muffled by his hoodie. "I love you so much I can't stand it! It hurt so much to hold back! So much!"

"i know honey. i know. i love you too. i'm never gonna let you go."