Chapter Text
Papyrus lounged against the cool stone outside the Ruins, fingers laced behind his head, legs stretched out across the mossy path. The breeze was light tonight, just enough to carry the faint scent of old flowers and dust from the cracks in the door. The usual soft violet glow of the crystals overhead bathed everything in a dreamlike hue.
Asgore’s voice came through like it always did, low and warm. “You’re early today.”
“Nah,” Papyrus said with a crooked smile. “You’re just late.”
A low chuckle echoed faintly from the other side. “You win again.”
They let the quiet settle between them for a while, comfortable, lived-in silence. The kind that doesn't need to be filled.
Papyrus reached into his pocket and pulled out a wrapped butterscotch candy. He rolled it between his fingers, not really planning to eat it.
“You ever think,” he said, cracking the wrapper halfway, “what you'd do if everything suddenly got better?”
Asgore didn’t respond right away. The sounds of him shifting, maybe sitting on the stone floor, reached through the door like old echoes.
“Sometimes,” he said slowly. “Though I’m not sure I’d know how to live in a world without regrets.”
Papyrus paused, the candy forgotten. “That’s heavy.”
“You asked.”
“I did,” Papyrus admitted with a soft huff. “Suppose I was hoping for something like, 'drink tea and grow a garden.’”
Asgore’s voice softened. “Well, there would be tea. Definitely tea.”
Papyrus smiled. “There we go. That’s more like it. Though it's not—"
Asgore cuts him. "It's not your cup of tea?" He chuckles. Papyrus stops for a moments and chuckles as well.
A breeze rustled the old ivy that clung to the doorway. The day had been quiet. Above, the crystals hadn't started blinking in yet, but the air had the feeling of something winding down.
“I think,” Asgore said after a pause, “I’d like to teach again. Not big things. Little ones. How to take care of plants. Learn how to bake. How to speak kindly.”
Papyrus nodded, though he knew Asgore couldn’t see it. “You’d be good at that.”
“Maybe. I hope so.”
More silence followed, but it was softer this time. Thoughtful.
“You’ve got a good voice for thinking out loud,” Papyrus murmured, pulling his hood up lazily.
“I’ve had practice.”
“Yeah? Well… you can keep practicing with me, if you want.”
There was a pause. Not hesitation. Just full.
“I’d like that,” Asgore said quietly. “Very much.”
Papyrus rubbed the back of his neck. “Guess I like talking with you. Makes the day feel a little less... repeat-y.”
“I know that feeling,” Asgore said gently. “Sometimes I think we carry the same kind of tired.”
Papyrus tilted his head back, staring at the 'stars in the sky', even though they were just crystals, it comforted him. “Maybe. You just got more beard to show for it.”
Another chuckle. “That’s fair.”
The two sat like that for a long while, the evening slipping around them like a warm blanket. No one passed by. No announcements. No fights to win or puzzles to solve.
At some point, Papyrus unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth. The butterscotch was sweet, a little warm on the tongue. He didn’t say anything about it, but he figured Asgore might smile if he heard the crinkle.
“ 'night, old man.”
“Goodnight, Papyrus.”
And though the door remained closed, it felt like neither of them were alone anymore.