You Can Never Go Home

ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴘᴀᴘʏʀᴜꜱ

The rest of the walk back to the skeleton's brother's home was uneventful. As you reach the porch, you gently shake off any remnants of snow, kicking the steps twice for good measure. While the remainder of the walk was tranquil, your eyes were weary, shoulders slumped in defeat.

As your hand brushed against the doorknob, Sans's cold gaze appeared in your mind, causing you to freeze as if time had suddenly come to a stop. For a moment, you silently stood there, snowflakes dancing gently behind you as they fell to the ground. Before your thoughts could wander, you shook your head, pushing open the door with a sharp creak. The corners of your mouth dipped as you stepped into the warmth of the house, quietly closing the door with a gentle click.

"HELLO HUMAN! HOW WAS YOUR DAY EXPLORING?" Papyrus cheerfully greeted me from the kitchen. Quickly, you forced your expression into something more pleasant, simultaneously slipping off your snowy boots. Once you were sure there was no bitterness left in your gaze, you turned past the dining room and peeked into the kitchen to find Papyrus.

He was cleaning, a dirty rag in his gloved hand as he passionately wiped down the counter. He didn't look at you as you walked in, but you were sure he knew you were there by the subtle way he slowed as if awaiting your response.

"It was fun," you answered, leaning against the wall as you watched Papyrus work. "Frisk did a good job showing me around and such," you added. You decided not to mention the strange encounter with Flowey, not finding a good enough reason to bring it up. His grin widened at your answer as he twisted the towel over the sink, and mindlessly, you watched as the water droplets trickled down with faint drips.

"I'M GLAD YOU HAD A GOOD TIME." He answered happily, now moving to wipe down the dining table. Noticing a dish in his way, you forced yourself to move as you smoothly picked it up, spinning away before Papyrus could scold you. However, it seemed you weren't that lucky as he stopped his dutiful cleaning, his grin fading into a playful frown.

Here we go again. Rolling your eyes with a smile, you turned on the sink faucet, awaiting the familiar speech Papyrus always gave you whenever you attempted to help.

"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU GUESTS SHOULD NOT..." His sentence trailed off, leaving only the sound of running water in the room. You paused at the feeling of his piercing gaze burning a hole through the back of your head, and you slowly shut the water off. Silently you turned, your brows furrowed in concern as your eyes connected with the skeletons.

His eyelights became bigger as you made eye contact, his hand falling off his hip as you both looked at one another. His usual grin was wiped off his face, his mouth slightly agape as he stared at you in what looked to be surprise. It was then you noticed he wasn't staring at you; he was staring at your coat.

Eyes widening in realization, you immediately went to explain. "Sorry for using your coat. Frisk gave it to me because they said it was one of your old ones, but I should've asked you before I left." You apologized sheepishly, slipping the oversized orange-red jacket off your shoulders. Before you could slide it off completely, he intervened.

"N-NO NEED HUMAN; YOU CAN WEAR MY OLD COAT!" Papyrus coughed out, staring back toward the wet dish in your hand. However, you didn't notice, too busy staring at the faint orange hue on his cheekbones.

Is he blushing? Before you could ask, he swiftly moved toward you and snatched the plate from your grip.

"Hey!" You objected, trying to reach for the unwashed dish; however, he easily lifted it out of reach, using his other arm to usher you out of the kitchen.

"YOU SHOULD GO TO BED. YOU'RE STILL HEALING AFTER ALL, AND I WOULDN'T WANT YOU STRAINING YOURSELF!" he insisted. You tried to dig your heels into the wood, but Papyrus was stronger and successfully forced you to the stairs.