HM/EB: Forgiveness and Sacrifice

Forgiveness

Red balked when Stretch came home, his mouth in a firm line, his little brother in his arms. Something in his mind broke as he took in the broken, defeated form that Stretch carried over to the couch, setting him down gently before immediately wrapping his naked bones with the quilt that always sat on the back. Red stood in the kitchen doorway, his mind reeling. His brother...his powerful, abusive, strong in every way possible little brother, was beat to hell and shaking like he thought Stretch was gonna beat him. It was...extremely rattling.

Terrified, Red ran to the couch side, pushing past Stretch, tears in his eyes.

"Pap?" he whispered, putting his hand on Papyrus' face, crying a little harder at the massive flinch from the contact. Papyrus looked up at him, unfocused for a moment, before his red eyelights brightened and he completely broke down.

"S-s-sans! S-sans...I-I'm sorry, I'm s-sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Papyrus was wailing in Red's face, lifting his arms up just high enough to grab onto Red's shirt, repeating his apology in between sobs and whimpers. Red was terrified, having never seen his brother break down like this. He held Papyrus tightly, loosening a little when Papyrus whimpered, before calming himself. He couldn't help his brother by freaking out. Turning his head to Stretch, he surprised the taller skeleton with the fire in his sockets.

"Go get the first aid kit. And a warm cloth." Stretch nodded, immediately leaving the couch to retrieve the items. Red stayed at his brother's side, lowering the blanket to pool at his pelvis. He wasn't sure he was ready to deal with anything down there yet. From the waist up was bad enough.

"Pap? Are you awake? Can you hear me?" Red caressed Papyrus' face gently, looking him in the eyelights. Papyrus shuddered, nothing but hope and love coming off his soul in waves.

"I-i-i thought y-y-you were d-d-d-d..." Red shook his head, holding Papyrus' skull with both hands before clanking his little brother on the forehead.

"I'd never leave you Pap. Not on purpose, anyways." Red whispered. Papyrus looked into his eyes and broke down again, shaking and trembling, his bones rattling loudly. Red held him for a moment longer before looking up, taking the wet cloth from Stretch's hand. He wiped his brother's brow first, cleaning away the sweat and grime that seemed to have accumulated for weeks. He pushed the thought away. Papyrus needed his help. He couldn't check out now. Steeling his soul, he finished gently cleansing Papyrus's skull, taking extra care around his jaw, wiping away the blood marrow from the holes of four missing teeth, pausing any time the pain seemed to be too much for his brother. Blue had brought him a large bowel of warm water to ring the cloth in, and he used it before continuing to his brother's neck and vertebrae.

Once he had cleaned the grime and blood marrow from the entirety of Papyrus' skull, spine, and ribs, Red sat back, taking in his brother's injuries. He had jagged holes where his teeth used to be, meaning that someone pulled them out, not knocked them out. He didn't lose them in a fight. Someone held him down while they ripped them from his skull. Swallowing his rage, Red continued his thorough investigation. Several of his ribs were twisted just enough to be painful, and he was missing two of them completely. Shaking his head, he took the first aid kit from Stretch, wrapping his twisted ribs once he had carefully reset each, pausing for a few minutes in between so Papyrus could come back from the immense pain he was in. Once all that was taken care of Red helped Stretch get his brother into one of his clean white sweat-shirts, careful so nothing caught on the fluffy fabric.

"Pap, I gotta check your pelvis and legs, okay? I gotta check and wrap up anything that needs it and then we'll get you in some pants and you can sleep, okay?" Papyrus got a scared grimace on his face, but he pushed his skull into Red's open hand, nodding. Red smiled reassuringly before lowering the blanket. What he saw made his soul clench painfully. Papyrus tailbone was almost whittled away to nothing, his pelvic arc was cracked and scratched up, and a part of his sacrum was cracked along three of its holes.

Red had to step away for a moment, still holding Papyrus hand in his own. Stretch had disappeared, presumably out back to throw up. When Red turned back to his brother, he saw that Papyrus was staring intently at him, tears in his eyes but a serious look on his face.

"S-s-sans, I w-w-wanted to t-t-tell you that I'm s-s-sorry for how I t-treated you all t-those years, and for h-h-ow I h-hurt you..." Red was crying again, his face in his brother's neck, holding him as tightly as he could without hurting him.

"No, no its okay, Pap. All behind us, right? No more." Red breathed. Papyrus nodded, hugging Red as hard as he could.

"No more."