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Papyrus’ eyesockets widened as he read the journal, a blush coloring his cheekbones. He glanced around The Lab guiltily before resuming. After all, Alphys wouldn’t have left this out if it wasn’t okay to read, right?
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It had started a few weeks ago when Papyrus was looking for Undyne so they could complete their daily training. He knew she would often frequent Hotlands to see the Royal Scientist, and besides, it was the perfect place to work on his tan.
“ALPHYS? ARE YOU HERE? I AM LOOKING FOR UNDYNE!” Papyrus called out, his voice echoing. He strode throughout the area, even going upstairs to see if Undyne was studying more human behaviors through Alphys’ collection. Unfortunately for him, it appeared that neither were around. He had been about to leave when he noticed an innocuous looking notebook on top of the cube that was Alphys’ bed. On the cover in a flowery script was written, “Notes of the Underground.”
Papyrus let out an exclamation and reached for the notebook, eager to learn more. After all, this must be information on what happened every day; more importantly, maybe it could tell him how Sans managed to be in what felt like 3 places at once while still doing nothing. He had hesitated for a moment but decided that if it was important then Alphys’ would have locked it up.
When he opened the notebook, he found that it was divided up into segments. The first was as good a place to start as any, so he began to read about something that was titled “The Trouble With Temmies.” While most of what he read was common knowledge, he hadn’t realized that the Temmie called Bob was actually the one in charge of having all the kids, and that the other Temmies would pump Bob full of their juices in order for it to breed the next generation. Alphys had gone into great detail describing this ceremony of sorts, but Papyrus just supposed that was her nature as a scientist. After reading a few more stories, include a particularly interesting one about what Aaron had done with a Tsunderplane and a Vulcan, Paprus realized that he had been neglecting his duties for too long. He quickly placed the notebook back as he found it and strode out of The Lab, a thoughtful look on his face.
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Papyrus had come back almost every day since, reading and learning more about the inhabitants of the Underground. Some of it was frivolous crushes, some of it was general life issues, but occasionally there was something that really surprised him. What was even better is that Alphys was meticulous in updating half-written reports, so that even when Papyrus was left on a cliffhanger he knew that within a few days he would learn the rest of the story. He tried to not let on everything he knew, but he always made sure to smile at the Snowdin shopkeeper now, and he didn’t begrudge Sans the time he spent at Grillbys’ hanging out. The heartache those two have experienced, and how masterfully they went about their daily lives, pretending to be cheerful for the sakes of their friends?! It brought Papyrus to tears to think about, but he had high hopes for a good ending for both of them, once Alphys finished writing their reports up that is.
But then he had found this new report, and he was starting to regret reading it; yet at the same time, he felt compelled to continue. For Sans, he…loved him? Like more than brothers should apparently. And perhaps that was why Sans never ate dinner with him, or always had somewhere to be. It also explained why his door was always locked; Papyrus didn’t blame him for not wanting anyone to walk in while he was doing…that. In fact, he was surprised that Sans had as much energy as this report described, keeping up these activities for hours at a time. This must be why Sans was always so tired, he was wearing himself out every day taking care of…this.
Papyrus’ blush deepened, his magic starting to swirl around his bones. While he had never thought of Sans like…that…before, it didn’t change that there weren’t really any other skeleton monsters in the Underground. And maybe if he started helping to take care of Sans’…needs, then his brother would have more time and energy to devote to his work! Papyrus began to reread the report, trying to look for a clue on how to broach the subject with Sans. He knew that it was a sensitive topic, as Sans would apparently wax on and on about it while alone in his room, having long arguments with himself that all inevitably led to one thing. He made note of anything that it stated was something Papyrus had done to cause an episode of this, and tried to think back of when he had last done it. Picking Sans up? He had done that just last night, and while his brother didn’t seem any different then, perhaps he was very good at hiding it. Rubbing his skull? Papyrus could do that more. He did enjoy sending long caressing pets down his brother’s head, the smooth bone a reassurance that all was right in the world. And from the sounds of it, Sans had all but ripped off his clothes the last time he did that. The thought sent a thrill through Papyrus, his magic feeling almost tangible next to his bones.
As he got to what he considered the best part, he heard small steps coming up the stairs. Quickly, he closed the notebook and placed it down on the cube, just as Alphys came into view.
“AHH ALPHYS, I WAS JUST, UM, LOOKING FOR UNDYNE. HAVE YOU SEEN HER?” Papyrus called out quickly, hoping to deflect any questions.
Alphys must have seen him however, as her face turned completely white. “Di-id y-y-y-you r-read m-my noteb-b-b-book?” Her limbs began trembling even more.
“N-NO, OF COURSE NOT! OR, AT LEAST NOT ALL OF IT. I AM SORRY IF THAT WAS TOP-SECRET INFORMATION, YOU CAN BE SURE THAT I WON’T REPEAT IT TO ANYONE, NOT EVEN UNDYNE. IF WE COULD JUST KEEP THIS BETWEEN US THAT WOULD BE GREAT.” Papyrus was hopeful that Alphys would agree, because if word got out that he had been snooping in the lab and reading classified files, then his dream of becoming a royal guard was as good as gone.
Alphys was still very pale, and Papyrus was worried the small monster was going to faint when she stammered out her reply. “E-er, y-yes don’t tell anyone about this. Especially n-not Undyne. I couldn’t bear if…” Alphys trailed off, her wide eyes staring intently at the notebook. Papyrus nodded eagerly.
“NO PROBLEM ALPHYS, MY LIPS ARE SEALED. WELL, I DON’T HAVE LIPS, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. NOW I WILL LEAVE YOU BE, I HAVE SOME THINGS TO TAKE CARE OF. PLEASE DON’T WORRY, I WON’T TELL ANYONE.” Papyrus practically sprinted out of the lab in his embarrassment, opting to ride with the Riverperson to avoid seeing any other monsters right now. Besides, he had to plan how he was going to get Sans to confess his feelings, and maybe also spend more time listening in on what his brother was always up to in his room. And his brother might be able to tell him how to do all that with his magic as well. After all, Papyrus was ALWAYS eager to learn more.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Alphys’ face burned as she quickly hid her notebook away. She had gotten careless about where she left it since normally she was the only one in The Lab. Her hands trembled as she locked it in the drawer and then collapsed at her desk. How many of her fanfiction works had Papyrus read? Did he even realize what they were? Alphys was so relieved that he promised not to say anything. He was probably worried about being in trouble for snooping and she would hope that was enough to keep him silent.
A thought struck her, her eyes widening. How far had he read? Surely he hadn’t had time to read the story she started yesterday…no of course not. Still, it might be good to watch the Snowdin monitors, just in case.