Bone of Contention (Underswap Papyrus X Reader)

Chapter 22: "Every Cloud has a Silver Lining"

You stood there in shock, silent with tears forming in your eyes as you quickly looked away. You didn't know how to respond, he knew something had been up for just as long as it had been going on, but you refused to tell him. And, if he hadn't been here at this exact moment, you wouldn't have made it out alive. 

Just thinking of all the possibilities of what Austin could have done made more and more tears well up in your eyes. It was getting harder and harder to hold in your emotions by the second. And when you built up the courage, you looked up at Papyrus to see he had a surprisingly harsh look on his face. He looked angry, accusatory, sad... It hurt your heart even more to know hiding the situation hadn't only hurt yourself, but Papyrus as well.

You were unaware that you were shaking under the tall skeleton's judging glance and your breaths quickened, you were almost positive you were on the verge of another panic attack. But, had you brought this all upon yourself?

"is this what you've been hiding from me? is this why you haven't replied to any of my texts or calls?" He asked you, his voice harsh and it made you look away again in shame.

You bit your lip and nodded slowly which caused him to shift his position. "why the hell didn't ya tell me?! i have been asking if anythin' was wrong for weeks and ya denied it. i could have prevented this!" He exclaimed angrily and you gave up with trying to hold in your emotions. You knew that you had screwed up big time, and you regretted hurting Papyrus like this. So, you let the tears roll freely down your cheeks and you quietly began to cry.

At this, Papyrus' gaze immediately softened and he became less tense, looking at you sympathetically. Your lip quivered and you wiped a tear from your cheek before you couldn't stand it anymore, you looked at Papyrus up and down before you quickly ran to him and wrapped you arms around him. You buried your face in his hoodie as you began to sob. You held him close and he seemed quite taken aback. His arms hovering in midair for what seemed like forever. He wasn't exactly sure what to do at first, but he soon sighed and bent down slightly, wrapping his arms around you.

Your quiet sobbing was muffled by his fluffy orange hoodie and he just continued the hug, holding you close to him in the middle of the sidewalk. You had never felt so safe in someone's arms before and you were confused as to why. He wasn't that different from everyone else, was he? 

"it's okay (y/n), he's not gonna hurt ya." Papyrus soothingly whispered to you which seemed to lessen your crying a tiny bit. "I'm s-so s-s-sorry..." You stuttered out as you continued crying into Papyrus' sweatshirt. 

"it's okay, i understand." Came his quiet response.

You didn't want to let go, being in his embrace was so warm and comforting. But, he was in no rush to speed up your crying, he seemed quite calm. And if anything else, he was upset that he had made you cry.

"cheer up, kid. everything's gonna be okay." He told you softly. 

Only muffled sniffles came in response and you could be heard breathing softly from your mouth. You were extremely embarrassed for loosing control of your emotions like that, but you were very grateful that Papyrus didn't simply rush you along. You needed support in a time like this. And well, that was exactly what he was giving you.

Papyrus gently rubbed your back in an attempt to soothe you even more and he sighed again, "ya feelin' better?" he asked you when your crying had slowed its pace. You nodded, which was actually difficult to do with your face buried in his hoodie, but still didn't pull away from the hug. And well, neither did Papyrus, which really surprised you.