The Boy at School (A Papyton Highschool AU)

Something In The Air

I held his hand as we left the diner. "So what shall we do today, babe?" I said as I shivered in the cold.

"Well, maybe we could just spend some time together." He looked up and saw me shaking. "Are you cold?" I nodded, I was too shaky to mutter any words. This time of year, I'm usually in Hotland spending time at the beach. Now, I'm wearing one layer of clothing in the middle of freezing cold Snowdin. "Well, I, the Great Papyrus, shall keep you warm!" He wrapped a tan, muscular arm around me, and started walking somewhere.

"Babe, where are you taking me?" I said, slightly tensely.

"Well, I thought you might like a slight break. We could just hang out at my place." He said sweetly, pulling me closer to him. I felt myself blush and a delightful shiver down my spine. We walked for a while before we got to the small, cozy looking house. He unlocked the door and lead me inside. I sat down as he closed the door and turned on an electric fire place. I relaxed as I felt the heat radiate from the fire onto my face. I sighed in relaxation as Papyrus sat next to me. I felt comfortable around him. It was as if I was safer whenever we spent time together. I held onto his hand and smiled. "So, I take it you aren't much of a fan of the cold." He chuckled slightly.

"Well, I've never really dealt with a winter in Snowdin. Ever since I was six, Blooky and I would always go to Hotland in the winter. And before that, I lived there. I've always had a sand filled Christmas."

"I've only ever had winter in Snowdin. I don't leave much."

"You must have left at some point." I looked over at him. I saw his gaze lower to the floor. Something was bothering him. "Papy? Are...are you alright?" I couldn't see his face.

"I...I did leave once." As his voice cracked, so did my heart. "I was four y-years old..." I heard him sniffle. I knew he was crying, but he tried to hide it. I leaned down and saw his face. His eyes were red and puffy, his caramel skin stained with tears. I lightly gripped his chin with my thumb and forefinger. I turned his head to face me. One could feel the pain in his eyes by just looking at them. Without saying anything I pulled him into my arms and held him tight. I heard his sobs get heavier.

"Shh...it's alright...you're fine, you're okay. I got you..." I rubbed his back. It was like taking care of a toddler who had just scraped their knee. All it takes is some care and showing that they're fine. His sobbing lightened up slightly.

"Thank you, Mettaton..." I held onto him a little longer. I could tell he needed it.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine, Papyrus. This is obviously an emotional topic for you. I think you just need to-"

"No, Mettaton. I'll...I'll be fine. I've bottled my emotions up for too long." His voice was different. Not just 'I've been sobbing violently and need to catch my breath' different, it was quieter, deeper slightly, and a little bit raspy. "When I was a baby, my Dad was a very famous scientist. He did lots of really cool science stuff, and got to meet really important people. Sans looked up to him as if he was a hero. In a way he was, I suppose. When I was about 3, there was an accident at the lab he worked at. Some chemicals spilled, there was acid, sulfur dioxide, and some other things. He made it out fine, but he inhaled some of the toxic gases surrounding the area." My jaw dropped. "He was fine, and happy to be alive, but after about a year he started showing some...negative side affects. He started to get pains here and there. He told us he would be fine, but he wasn't. The pains got worse until, one day he was driving Sans around and started feeling really dizzy. He thought nothing of it and almost got hurt really bad. I don't know what saved them, but that was when my Dad decided to give in and finally see a doctor. We found out that it was from the toxic exposure, and he had to go to a fancy hospital. Of course, Sans and I went with him. That was the first, and only, time I'd ever left Snowdin." He was no longer looking at me. I couldn't believe he had been through so much.

"Papyrus...I...I had no idea."

"Nyeh...I don't tell people often." I grabbed his hands and kissed them.

"That must have been very hard for you. Especially at such a young age."

"It was worse for Sans, honestly. He looked up to Dad so much, of course I did too, but I was much younger. I don't have as many memories with him." I squeezed his hand and smiled weakly.

"Well, I'm glad you decided to tell me." He mimicked my smile in reply. "Now, you've been crying a lot. I'll go get you some water." I said as I gave him a kiss on the forehead and headed into the kitchen. I grabbed a glass out of the cupboard then filled it with ice and water. I heard learned from experience that drinking water was very helpful after crying. I carried the glass back to Papyrus. He grabbed it and smiled.

"Thank you, Mettaton." He took a sip as I sat down next to him and rubbed his back. "This really helps."

"Yeah, I learned that it's good to be taken care of when you don't feel good, especially emotionally." I stopped, realizing what I said. "Which I learned online from...uh...reading. Not that I'd know personally, I'm too confident to be upset." I said semi-confidently. I don't like other people knowing about me feeling, or acting, anything other than confident. He finished the glass of water. "Feel better now?"

"Yeah." I held him close to my chest and we both laid down of the couch until we fell asleep.

-------------------------------------------------------
(Ayyyy new update! Hope you liked it! I'll try to get at least another update out over the weekend as well. See you in the next update, my lovelies!

~Hayley)