This is the final chapter, guys! But before I get into this, I just have to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this fic. I cannot iterate enough how much it keeps me motivated and helps me get through all the struggles of writing.

I’m glad to say I can finally tick this one of my giant list of WIPs (every-growing, rip). So, without further adieu – please enjoy the longest chapter yet! No warnings necessary (mild intrusive thoughts, maybe, but it’s quickly snuffed out. this one is very fluffy).

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

AO3 Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12388203/chapters/29654856

Title: Rules are made to be broken

Summary: Fell knows that Swap loves him, he just needs a little more convincing before he actually believes it.

Relationship: UF Papyrus/US Papyrus (and another surprise ship!)

Tags: smut, mild angst, soul sex, FLUFF (warning: this chapter is nsfw!)

Word count: 7,426 (sorry?)

---

Fell couldn’t recall ever having
experienced a feeling of such ecstasy. The sound, feeling, and smell of Swap
seemed to dominate his senses, eliciting a burning in his soul, which he could
feel glowing in his ribcage. Their magic twisted together in a heated kiss,
doing next to nothing to satisfy Fell, only intensifying his desire for more.
He wrapped his arms around the back of Swap’s neck, pulling their bodies flush
together, so that he could feel every movement Swap made, every tingle of magic
that ran through his body.

Swap moaned softly, the sound
muffled by the close press of their mouths, and Fell took it as a cue to push
forward, trailing his hands down Swap’s spine. He was rewarded with a series of
shivers, Swap’s fingers gripping delicately onto the back of Fell’s shirt as
their kiss deepened. He could feel Swap’s magic, like a warm electricity
buzzing in the air, and he allowed it to envelop him, giving in to the feeling
of contentment it channelled into his soul.

Trailing his tongue over Swap’s
jaw, Fell began to nip gently at the bones of his neck, evoking a string of
short gasps from the other skeleton. He smiled against Swap’s vertebrae, breath
ghosting over the jagged bones. “Am I right in assuming you want to do this
here?” he asked, fingers hooking under the waistband of Swap’s pants.

“Heh, you know I’d fuck you
anywhere, Fell, but…” Swap paused for a moment, breath catching as Fell dipped
his fingers lower. “But—uh… I would’ve thought—being the f-fussy little brat
you are—you would’ve wanted this to be… perfect.”

Fell paused for a moment, his
hand itching to continue its exploration of Swap’s bones. But instead he
glanced up, meeting Swap’s gaze. There was no hesitance in his eyes, no hint of
reluctance or second-guessing. In fact, their golden colour seemed brighter,
and his cheekbones were flushed. Fell leaned in, cupping his jaw and kissing
him delicately, as if anything more might be enough to break the absolute
sublimity of this moment. He shook his head as he drew away, smiling. “This is
perfect. This is…” he trailed off, taking a deep breath. “This is everything I
could ever ask for.”

He kissed Swap again, this time
with a greater sense of urgency, his tongue persistently exploring every inch
of his mouth. His hands began to roam over Swap’s ilium, creeping lower as
their kiss intensified. Swap hummed softly, and Fell couldn’t stop himself from
releasing a small whine of reluctance when he slowly pulled away. “Didn’t we
have a rule about fucking in the kitchen?” Swap asked, gaze flickering around
the room with a smirk.

Fell narrowed his eye sockets,
observing Swap for a moment before allowing his hands to rest on his iliac
crests. “To hell with the rules—I’m fucking you here.”

Swap grinned, eye-lights
glinting. “Really? I mean—I’m not opposed, but honestly Fell, it’s a little
unhygienic, and—”

“Oh, shut up, will you?” Fell growled, fingers scraping over the smooth
bones of Swap’s hips as he switched their positions. He managed to draw a sharp
inhale from Swap as he spun them around, pinning Swap to the counter so that he
was unable to move away, completely susceptible to every ounce of attention
Fell was lavishing his bones in.

Fell could practically picture
Swap grinning above him as he dipped his head once more, releasing a sigh of
satisfaction at the feeling of Swap’s hand on the back of his skull. “Fell,
hmm…” Swap breathed heavily as Fell’s sharpened teeth caught on the bones of
his neck. “If I’d known you’d get like this… I would have—t-told you sooner…”

“Fuck, I love you,” Fell
breathed, “I love you so fucking much.” The words brought wave upon wave of blissful
relief to Fell every time he spoke them, his soul almost swelling in his chest
at the soft sweet nothings spilling from Swap’s mouth as Fell doted on every
inch of him.

“Hah, Fell… I need you… please…”
The words were spoken quietly, but there was a hint of desperation to them, a
need that Fell couldn’t deny he was feeling too. He clutched onto Swap
insistently, trying to gather enough composure to look him in the eye.

“Bedroom. T—take us there, now.”

Amusement crossed Swap’s
features, though the itching desire was still apparent beneath. “What happened
to ‘I fuck you where I like’?”

Fell rolled his eye-lights,
Swap’s teasing seeming to snap a little sense back into him. “You were right.
This is terribly unhygienic.”

Swap blinked for a moment, his
grin broadening. “Did you just say… that I was right?”

“Love does strange things to
you,” Fell said, deadpan. “Besides, this is more like lovemaking than fucking,
since we’re…”

“In love?” Swap suggested, releasing
a small laugh. The part of Fell’s mind that still found Swap irritating to no
end was telling him to chastise the lazy skeleton for his half-hearted pun, but
just hearing the confession ignited such a deep, sudden longing in his soul,
that he found himself pressing forward and enveloping Swap in an urgent kiss
instead. Swap released a small noise of surprise, which quickly devolved into a
soft sigh as Fell cupped the back of his skull, drawing him closer.

Allowing his eye sockets to fall
closed, Fell melted into the kiss, letting himself relax for a moment. In the
back of his mind, a small voice was still telling him that things weren’t
perfect. That he was still a killer, and that Swap still disapproved of that
small detail. But right now, it was very easy to ignore that voice. To let
himself believe that Swap really did love him, despite the LV that still
tarnished him.

When they parted, Swap was
smiling, and that look alone was enough for Fell. “I love you too, you know.”

Fell found it easy to return
Swap’s smile, and he shook his head. “I know. Now hurry up. I’m horny.”

Swap grinned, pulling Fell
closer, that glint of teasing in his eye-lights. “Short-cut?” Fell’s nod of
agreement was stiff, though he had to admit, he was glad Swap was asking his
permission for a change. Still, he squeezed his eyes shut as the world swirled
around them. Despite the mood, he knew he’d never grow to enjoy teleportation.
The dazed feeling was quickly wiped from his mind as Swap’s hands dropped to
his belt, making quick work of the buckle.

“No more foreplay?” Fell asked,
regarding Swap with amusement.

“Fell, these past two months have
been enough foreplay for me. Just fucking make love to me.” Fell’s cheekbones
heated in spite of himself, and he swallowed against the magic pooling in his
mouth, letting Swap guide him to the bed. He fumbled slightly with Swap’s
pants, shaking a little with nerves and anticipation. This felt different
somehow, and he couldn’t dispel the intrusive thoughts telling him that this
happiness he was feeling was as fragile as spun glass.

Somehow sensing his anxiety, Swap
tilted his chin upward, their gazes meeting. They were both silent for a
moment, but the soft smile Swap was giving him sent a soothing wave of calm
over Fell. He allowed himself to be shifted into a reclined position, Swap
situating them side-by-side. Even in the midst of the charged sexual tension,
Fell found himself enjoying the moment of stillness; the absolute tranquillity
that he was so unused to.

He felt Swap’s hand trailing down
his spine toward his pelvis, and his mouth was suddenly occupied again, Swap
pressing against him with a renewed fervour. Fell’s breath caught as Swap’s
hand brushed his cock, already hard beneath the confines of his pants. He could
feel Swap grinning as he nipped gently at Fell’s tongue, fingers curling around
the appendage, thumb rubbing smooth circles over the head. “I’d be lying if I
said I hadn’t missed this,” Swap murmured, dragging a phalange along the length
of Fell’s cock.

Fell did his best to withhold his
whimpers, but the taste of Swap’s magic, combined with the feeling of his
practiced hands working his cock, was enough to draw a few strained gasps from
him. Not wanting to be outdone, he dropped a hand beneath the waistband of
Swap’s pants without warning, finding his cock already leaking precum. The
quiet hitch of Swap’s breath as Fell gripped it tightly sent an immense amount
of satisfaction through him, and he trailed his tongue down Swap’s jaw as he
began pumping his cock. “Hmm, I agree—you always make the most delicious sounds.”
Fell’s words were rewarded with another poorly concealed moan from his
counterpart, and Fell chuckled, nuzzling into the nape of Swap’s neck, before
grazing his teeth over the sensitive vertebrae.

“F—Fell… shit…” He could feel
Swap slowly falling apart beneath him, his own movements on Fell’s cock
stuttering slightly. With a deep groan of contentment, Swap tilted Fell’s head
again, kissing him with an insatiable longing, heated enough that Fell had to
grip onto the back of Swap’s neck, as if to hold himself steady.
“F-faster—Fell, please—ah, I’m s-so close…”

Fell could feel his own climax
impending as well, and hastily quickened his pace on Swap’s cock, pumping it
with an almost salacious need to draw more of those wonderful sounds from Swap.
Whining and panting without restraint, Swap clutched desperately onto Fell,
fingers digging into his shoulder as his own movements on Fell’s cock became
faltering. “Oh—fuck,” Fell groaned, pressing his forehead against Swap’s
shoulder. “Fuck, I love you, Swap—I love you so much, please—come for me… let
me hear you.”

His face buried against Fell’s
neck, Swap cried out, releasing his magic onto Fell’s hand and staining the bed
sheets. “Ah—Fell… I love you… I l-love you…” Swap trailed off into a string of
incoherent whispers and gasps. The words alone were enough to tip Fell over the
edge, and he groaned as he came, losing himself in the delirium as he breathed
in the scent, the feeling, and the taste of Swap, his soul threatening to burst
through his ribcage as it pounded heavily.

They both lay for a few minutes,
still wrapped in each other’s arms, their combined magic smattered over their
bones. Swap’s heavy breathing sent Fell’s mind into a deep lull of euphoric
peace, and he let his eyes fall closed as he pulled Swap closer. “You’re perfect,”
he breathed. “You’re fucking amazing.”

Swap’s chest heaved slightly with
gentle laughter, and he pressed a light kiss to Fell’s neck. “I can’t vouch for
that, but… you’re almost as good at making love as you are at fucking.”

Fell huffed, giving Swap a gentle
shove, but he was struggling to hide his smile. “I’m excellent at both,” he
mumbled, and Swap grinned. They were silent for a moment, and the pleasant haze
of Fell’s mind began to clear as he gazed at the ceiling. “You know,” he
murmured, resting his hands on his still heaving chest, “if we’re going to… be
in love and all that crap—”

“You always had a knack for
pillow talk, Fell.”

“—then,” Fell continued, pointedly ignoring Swap’s jab but shooting
him a glare nonetheless, “there’s something we should do.”

Swap shuffled closer, slinging an
arm over Fell’s chest and resting his skull against his shoulder. As much as
Fell enjoyed being intimate with Swap, he couldn’t refute that this was his
favourite part. The stuff that came after. The way everything seemed so serene
around them, the closeness he felt to the other skeleton. His soul still
emitted a pale crimson glow through his shirt, and he couldn’t discern whether
it was caused by their recent activities, or just the simple fact that he felt
so safe and warm with Swap curled up against him. “You suggesting we fuck after
we make love, to balance it out?” Swap asked, breaking the peaceful silence.

“Ugh, asshole, no,” Fell grumbled, elbowing Swap in the
ribs. “And stop saying ‘make love’—you’re wearing it out.” Swap was looking all
too pleased with himself, grinning up at Fell with that teasing glint in his
eye. Fell gave a lingering sigh, shaking his head. “I think we should…” he
trailed off, swallowing heavily. There was still a small part of him that
seemed to be fighting this. Even in this moment—this perfect moment—he felt too
vulnerable. Too open and exposed.

Trust wasn’t something that came
easy to him. Letting himself feel something more than wariness, or that
protective urge that seemed to ignite any time he was around people he cared
about—was strange to him. It felt… almost wrong. Out of place. Unfamiliar.

But at the same time, it was
exhilarating. The feeling of exposure was accompanied by one of safety. The
fear of the unknown also conjured an excitement within him—an almost
intoxicating need to further explore this, to bear his soul, and just let
everything go.

“This is a very long dramatic
pause.” Swap’s amused tone broke Fell out of his reverie. He glowered down at his
irksome counterpart, who was still smirking, his hands tracing idle patterns
over Fell’s ribs. “But please, continue to hold me in suspense.”

Fell rolled his eye-lights, but
didn’t push Swap away this time. In truth, his proximity brought a sliver of
comfort in the face of something Fell still wasn’t entirely certain about. “The
rules…” he said, quietly. “I think we should…”

He still felt hesitant. In spite
of everything, he was still clinging to the rules in some way. Even though he
felt no real desire to abide by them, they provided that stability and
structure he so desperately needed. They almost allowed him to believe that
this wasn’t real. That he was still safely guarded behind his walls. And he loathed
the small part of him that still wished he was. The part of him that was still
afraid.

He almost flinched when he felt
Swap lacing their fingers together. He glanced down to find Swap looking at him
with sincerity, that small playful smirk still present. “I think we should,
too,” he said, his hands stilling where they were rested on Fell’s ribcage.
“Are you ready?”

For a moment, Fell couldn’t
speak. He hated that he still had doubts about this. That he was almost
reluctant to allow himself to feel this happiness—that deep down, he still felt
that he didn’t deserve it. But as Swap observed him patiently, squeezing Fell’s
hand slightly, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. Nodding, he said, “Yes.
Yes—let’s break the rules.”

Swap sat up, grinning. “Awesome.
I can think of one or two I’d like to smash into pieces—but, uh…” He grimaced
slightly, giving Fell a dubious look. “You do remember rule number one, right?”

Fell frowned, nodding slowly with
a scowl. “I do recall.”

“And you really want to tell
them?”

Fell closed his eyes, clutching
Swap’s hand a little more tightly. As much as he’d rather avoid this impending
conversation, in his mind he knew it would help cement this for the part of him
that still had its doubts. “Yes.” He sighed, already feeling the early signs of
regret creeping up on him. “As much as it pains me—yes, let’s tell them.”

****

“Ya owe me twenty G, Berry. Cough
up.”

Fell and Swap exchanged a look of
incredulity, before glancing back down at their brothers. Blue was looking
miffed, arms folded across his chest as he scowled at Red, who leaned back in
his chair, placing his feet on the kitchen table. But—somehow—neither of them
seemed surprised at the news Fell and Swap had just broken. “You—you knew?” Fell spluttered in bewilderment.

Red glanced at him with a shrug,
looking all too pleased with himself, gold tooth glinting as he grinned.
“C’mon, Boss. ‘Coolin’ off in Snowdin Forest’? Pfft, heatin’ up’s more like it,
am I right?” That earned him a rough smack to the back of the skull, and he
grimaced, rubbing it as Blue reluctantly handed over the coins. “’sides. I saw
the look on yer face when ya saw ‘im in the livin’ room this mornin’—ya don’
even give me that look.”

Fell frowned at his brother,
deadpan. “Considering our involvement with each other is not romantic, Red—one
would certainly hope not.”

Red was still looking
frustratingly self-satisfied, continually shooting Blue smug glances. “So, how
long’ve you two been datin’ then? Me ‘n Blue started ta notice stuff ‘bout a
month ago, but I know what yer like, Boss. Takes more than a few trips ta the
bar to get ya ta warm up.”

Fell noticed Swap sending him an
awkward glance, before clearing his throat. “Well, um, we haven’t quite been…
dating.”

To Fell’s surprise, Blue seemed
to perk up at this, turning his attention to his brother. “You weren’t dating?”
he asked, eye sockets narrowing slowly. “Then… what were you doing?” Blue was
observing Swap very astutely, and Fell frowned in suspicion.

Swap was looking flustered
however, glancing at Fell in a silent plea. But Fell was about as eager to
answer Blue’s question as Swap was, and held his silence, giving Swap a
deliberate look. Scowling, Swap turned back to his brother, mouth tugging into
a very forced looking grin. “Well. Uh, we’ve just been…”

“You were sleeping together,
weren’t you?” Blue asked, a grin on his face.

Swap spluttered, looking
scandalised. “N-no! Well… yeah. Yeah, we were. Just a little.”

“Almost on a daily basis,” Fell
murmured, earning him a shove from Swap. He noticed his brother’s face falling,
horror crossing his features. “Is there a problem, Red?”

Red shook his head, swallowing as
his cheekbones paled. Blue glanced at him, suddenly seeming very pleased with
himself. “I’ll take that back!” he declared, gathering up the coins he’d just
handed Red. “And—I believe you owe me a date!”

Beside him, Fell saw Swap startle
slightly, his eye sockets going wide as he stared at his brother. “You—you and
Red are dating?” he asked in disbelief.

Blue’s grin broadened, and he
threw an arm around a very disgruntled looking Red’s shoulders. “Not yet! But
given the outcome of our bet—we will be very soon!”

Fell couldn’t help the smile that
crept onto his face as he regarded the two shorter skeletons. Swap still looked
utterly astounded, gaze frantically darting between Red and Blue. But Fell
folded his arms, smiling at Blue. “What were the terms of your bet?”

“Red was under the impression
that you two were dating,” Blue explained, shooting Red a grin, and receiving a
glower in return. “But I knew that Papy would never be so direct—I believed
your arrangement was purely physical. And I was right!” Blue beamed. “So now
Red has to go on a date with me!”

Fell smirked, unable to deny that
he was rather impressed with the little skeleton. His gaze flickered to Swap,
who was looking a little dumbstruck, seeming unsure what to make of the
situation. “Well, technically—we are dating now,” Fell said, carefully sliding
his hand into Swap’s. The way Swap’s fingers curled—perhaps
instinctively—around his own, made his soul flutter.

“Ha! So I was right!” Red declared, grinning at Blue. Fell could hear the
uncertainty in his brother’s voice, and he clacked his teeth together with a
shake of his head.

“When exactly did this bet take
place, brother?”

Red’s smile faded, and he shot
Fell a glare. “A month ago. Not that it’s any of yer business, Boss.”

Fell raised a brow bone in
dubiety, placing his free hand on his hip. “We were not dating a month ago,
therefore, as a completely impartial third-party judge, I declare that Blue is
the winner of this bet.”

Blue clapped his hands together
gleefully, giving Red a playful nudge. Red was looking more embarrassed than upset,
truth be told, and Fell could see hints of cherry colouring his cheekbones.
“Yer such a dick, Boss,” he grumbled, scowling at the floor.

“Oh, come now, Red. It was hardly
a fair bet in the first place.”

“Exactly!” Red cried,
exasperated. “That’s what I was trying to—”

“Twenty gold in exchange for a
date with you?” Fell tutted. “That’s hardly worth five G. What does Blue even
get out of that? It was a win-win situation for you—I can hardly say the same
for him.”

Blue stifled a small giggle as
Red fumed silently, shooting daggers at his brother. “Why you let him fuck you
is beyond me,” he said to Swap, giving him a pointed look.

Swap grinned, and Fell startled
slightly when he casually threw an arm around his shoulders. “Actually, I’m the
one who did most of the fucking.”

Fell growled, shoving Swap away.
“That’s a lie and you know it!” Swap shrugged, Fell’s outrage only seeming to
entertain him.

“I suppose you’re right. I did
tell you to go fuck yourself an awful lot.”

“Enough cursing!” Blue scolded,
pinning Swap with a scathing glare, immediately silencing his brother. But a
small smile still twitched at the corner of Swap’s mouth, and he gave Fell’s shoulders
a light squeeze. Blue turned his attention back to Red, who was looking a
little put-out, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, smiling. “Come, Red, I
believe we have a date to plan!”

Red swallowed, glancing at Fell,
who gave him a small nod of encouragement. Fell supposed it would be
hypocritical of him to judge Red for it, but his brother had never exactly been
receptive to affection—the fact that he’d even agreed to the bet with Blue
bewildered Fell. Still, he could see the fondness that crept into Red’s
expression when he looked at Blue, and couldn’t help but think that this might
actually be good for him. Red turned to Blue, and Fell could tell the smile on
his face wasn’t forced, a genuine tenderness in his eyes as he shrugged.
“Alright, Berry, but I’m warnin’ ya, my standards are through the roof.”

Fell scoffed derisively, more
than ready to refute his brother’s claim, but Blue merely snickered slightly,
shaking his head as he grinned at Red, guiding him towards the Swap brothers’
living room. “I know you do! That’s why you are going on this date with me!”

Fell watched as they left the
kitchen, Blue chatting animatedly about potential dating locations, and he
couldn’t stop the faint swell of warmth that formed in his soul. Once they were
gone, he turned to Swap, who was still looking a little aghast. “Our brothers?”
Swap said, shaking his head. “Who would’ve guessed?”

“I suppose they must have been
thinking the same thing.” Fell smirked at Swap, who rolled his eyes. “They’re
more switched on than I thought,” he admitted. “Especially Blue—that was rather
perceptive of him.” Fell gave Swap a deliberate look, Blue’s words about the
lazier skeleton’s inability to be direct prickling at the back of his mind.

“Heh, yeah. He’s way too cool.”
Swap avoided Fell’s gaze, his hands shoved in his pockets. They were both
silent for a moment, Fell’s scrutiny not wavering as he regarded Swap.

“So,” he said at last, tone
questioning, bordering on accusatory, “was asking me on an actual date instead
of asking me to fuck you ever actually on your agenda?”

Swap chuckled, blushing slightly
as he buried his hands deeper in his pockets. “Heh, uh… guess not? Didn’t
really think dating was your style.”

Fell smiled, looping an arm
around Swap’s waist and drawing him close. “Well, I can’t deny our arrangement
was rather gratifying.” Swap returned his smile, face still glowing with a
faint tint of magic. “Any more rules you’d like to break?”

Swap considered for a moment,
before a grin stretched across his features. “Oh, I can think of one.” Fell
raised a brow bone in question, and Swap leaned closer, his voice dropping.
“Number seven.”

Fell paused for a moment, trying
to recall the rule. Then it hit him, and he released a surprised laugh. “The
tape? I’d almost forgotten about that. I thought you were embarrassed about
it?”

Swap scoffed, looking
incredulous. “Embarrassed? Oh please, Fell, I know I look good in bed.”

Fell frowned, a little surprised.
“Then why—?”

Swap shrugged, making a
non-committal noise. “Eh, figured it might be a bit too… personal, y’know? The
whole point of the arrangement was for me to get you out of my system—wouldn’t
exactly help if one of us was reliving our heated passion every night.”

Fell huffed in disapproval.
“Please, I’d hardly watch it every night. Every second night, at most.” Swap
grinned, and Fell shook his head, sighing. “And maybe during the day,” he added
under his breath, just loud enough for Swap to hear.

Swap’s laughter was light, and
Fell couldn’t stop himself from cracking a small smile. “So, you game?” Swap
asked, hand resting on Fell’s iliac crest—more out of affection than teasing,
it seemed.

Fell nodded decisively, placing a
hand on his hip. “Of course I am. I do look excellent in leather.”

****

“Wow, Fell, you really do look
good in leather.” Fell blushed, curling in on himself slightly where he was
seated on the bed. Swap grinned at him, adjusting the laptop screen so that it
was facing him. “And I don’t look half bad either. Especially not with my cock
buried in your—”

“Okay, okay, enough!” Fell cried,
burying his face in his hands. “I can’t believe you convinced me to do
this—this is so…”

“Perverted?” Swap suggested,
grinning as his gaze flicked back to the screen.

Fell shook his head, groaning.
“Embarrassing! Why did I even agree to make this ridiculous film with you in
the first place?”

Swap regarded him for a moment in
silence, appearing amused. Slowly, he reached a hand to cup Fell’s jaw, gently
running his thumb over the edges of his filed teeth. “I was doing you a favour,
remember?”

Fell grimaced, though the memory
was a little comical. “You were helping me get back at Mettaton,” he recalled,
his frown slowly morphing into a smirk. “It was a brilliant plan, actually.”

Swap grinned. “I am a maniacal
genius.” Fell rolled his eyes, turning back to the computer, where Swap had
slipped a hand beneath the skimpy underwear Fell was wearing. “You and
Mettaton…” Swap said slowly, sounding hesitant. Fell glanced up to see him
frowning slightly. “When you two were dating, was it…?”

Fell scoffed, shaking his head
with a small laugh. “’Dating’ is probably a very generous way of putting it—in
fact, our relationship hardly differed from my arrangement with you, just
without all the formalities. I suppose it’s a lot easier to free-reign it when
there’s no danger of actual attraction.”

Swap grinned, and Fell couldn’t
help but notice the hint of relief in the expression. “So, you ever ‘date’
anyone before him?” he asked. His gaze was fixed on the computer screen, but
the genuineness behind the question was given away by the occasional flicker of
his eyes back to Fell.

“Not in the literal sense, no,”
Fell replied. “It’s not really… done, in Underfell.”

“Guess you and I are in the same
boat, then.”

Fell gave a small snicker.
“Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.”

Swap looked at him, his outrage
betrayed by the amusement in his eyes. “What are you trying to say? That I’m
not romantic enough to date?”

“Swap. You asked me out by
proposing we fuck each other… platonically.”

Swap crossed his arms, something
awfully akin to smugness creeping into his expression. “And? It worked, didn’t
it?”

Fell rolled his eye-lights,
shoving Swap away as he tried to lean in. “Yes. I’m completely smitten.”

Swap chuckled quietly, resting
his head on Fell’s shoulder. The act was simple, yet somehow, it lit that tiny
flame of warmth in Fell’s soul that always seemed to accompany Swap’s smaller
gestures. Slowly, he wrapped an arm around Swap’s shoulders, drawing him
closer. He could feel Swap’s cool breaths against his mandible, and he let his
eyes drift closed, relaxing into the moment. “See?” Swap whispered. “I told you
I was romantic.”

Fell’s eyes snapped open, and he
frowned down at Swap, deadpan. “We’re watching our sex tape,” he commented.

“Shit, this isn’t what’s
considered romantic?” Swap sighed, dipping his head in a dramatic display of
remorse. “I’m gonna have to take another look at that advanced dating manual.”

Fell chuckled quietly, looking
away with a small shake of his head. His gaze landed on the computer screen,
and he flushed slightly. “You really destroyed me, didn’t you?” he remarked,
trying not to sound impressed by the lewd acts unfurling on the computer
screen.

Swap smirked, shifting closer to
press himself against Fell’s chest. “I did, didn’t I? Wouldn’t be opposed to a
repeat, would you?”

Fell flicked Swap’s cheekbone,
earning him muffled yelp of surprise. “I’ll consider it.” His eyes wandered
back to the computer, and—upon realising the point they’d reached in the video
(after all, he had become very familiar with it during his editing)—he turned
to Swap, leaning close with a grin. “You know, if you were hungry, you
should’ve just asked,” he murmured, gesturing towards the screen, where Swap
was biting down—very hard—on his fist.
“I would have been more than happy to let you—”

Swap’s gaze snapped up, eyes
going wide as they landed on the screen. “W-what?”

“I must admit,” Fell purred,
pressing his teeth against Swap’s cheekbone, which had slowly turned a deep
shade of gold, “you do have a very impressive bite. You should let me sample it
sometime.”

With a strained noise of
embarrassment, Swap reached forward, quickly slamming the laptop shut. Fell
grinned at him, feeling extremely satisfied at the bashful expression he’d
managed to coax onto Swap’s face. Thus far, the embarrassment at the tape had
felt awfully one-sided. “I was rather curious as to how you managed to last
longer than me…” Carefully, he lifted Swap’ hand, tracing over his fingers,
which still bore the faint lines inflicted by Swap’s attempts at quelling his
arousal during the making of their film. “Your appetite is apparently
insatiable in more ways than one.”

Despite the burning magic on his
cheekbones, Swap released a stifled snort of laughter, trying to turn away.
“You obviously have no idea how good you actually look in leather,” he said,
failing to yank his hand out of Fell’s grasp. “And I couldn’t exactly finish
before you—we were on camera!”

“Hmm…” Fell hummed as he nipped
at the thin bones of Swap’s fingers. “Was I really that good?”

“Oh, shut up, you know you were,”
Swap chided. He glanced at Fell, a dubious smirk turning the corners of his
mouth. “How did you even notice that anyway?” Leaning in, he pressed his teeth
to Fell’s cheekbone, murmuring, “Exactly how many times did you watch the tape
during your ‘editing process’, Fell?”

Fell blushed profusely, letting
Swap’s hand drop as the other skeleton chuckled. “No comment,” he said,
stiffly, nudging Swap away with his elbow. But Swap quickly shuffled back, wrapping
his arms around Fell’s ribcage and nuzzling against the nape of his neck.

“Well, I quite enjoyed breaking
that rule—any others on your mind?”

“Well, I certainly won’t be
asking you to break rule number nine,” Fell said, unable to hide his sneer as
he regarded Swap.

Swap rolled his eyes, grinning.
“Hm. If I recall, I was the victim
of—” he gave a small cough “—a lack of oral reciprocation when it came to that
one.”

“And I paid you back for that…
small oversight,” Fell said tightly. “Thoroughly.”

“I don’t suppose I can get you to
budge on rule number ten?” Swap looked hopeful, and Fell almost felt sorry for
him. Almost.

“Absolutely not,” he said
resolutely. “I may be in love with you, but under no circumstances does that
mean I’m putting up with that filthy habit of yours.”

“…don’t even have lungs…” Swap
muttered under his breath, scowling as he picked at a loose thread on the bed
sheets. “Alright, what other rules do you wanna break, then? I guess the three
‘golden rules’ are already out the window, so that just leaves…”

“I want to break number four,”
Fell interrupted, his voice dropping almost to a whisper. He found himself
struggling to meet Swap’s gaze, almost ashamed of himself.

“The one about… soul stuff.” It
wasn’t a question, and Fell could hear the sudden shift in Swap’s tone. They
were both silent for a few moments, the mood seeming to grow heavier. Even for
a Tale verse monster, Fell knew anything involving the soul was particularly
intimate—even more so when the participants were close to each other.

No one had ever seen Fell’s soul,
not even his brother. And a month ago, the idea of revealing his soul to
another monster would never even have occurred to him. He’d mostly thrown the
rule into the mix as an afterthought—when rules had been so easy to toss
around. But now… it felt like a step he had to take. Something he needed to do
in order to overcome his doubts and anxieties.

Swap rested a hand on his arm,
looking him in the eye without a hint of his usual teasing or humour. “Fell,
are you sure? I know that it’s… I mean—Blue’s the only one who’s ever seen
mine, I—”

“We don’t have to do this,” Fell
said quickly, but Swap immediately shook his head.

“No—no, I want to… I really want
to.” He fell silent, looking contemplative. One of his hands, still tracing the
pattern of Fell’s ribs, inched towards his sternum, resting there for a moment.
“I know you’re not exactly the type to—heh—bear your soul.” Fell rolled his
eyes-lights, but ignored the joke. “I just… I want you to be certain.”

Fell didn’t speak for a moment,
observing Swap in silence. Gradually, his hand crept to the centre of Swap’s
ribcage, where his soul would appear if he conjured it. In the quiet, stillness
of the room, he could almost feel its warmth, the peacefully charged magic
flowing through Swap’s bones. Taking a long, decisive breath, he nodded,
fingers curling into a fist where they were rested on Swap’s sternum. “I’m
certain.” Fell warmed at the flicker of relief in Swap’s eyes—he wanted this
too. The thought sent an easy wave of calm over him, and he leaned back on the
bed, relaxing as Swap shuffled closer, hand never leaving Fell’s chest.

Pressing a soft, but lingering
kiss to Fell’s teeth, Swap whispered, “I love you, Fell.” Closing his eyes,
Fell allowed the words to sink in. It all still felt so surreal—like at any
moment the harmony within him would devolve back into chaos. “Relax,” Swap
breathed, moving to straddle Fell’s hips, his mouth trailing down Fell’s jaw.
Fell did his best to oblige, allowing his arms to go limp at his sides, trying
to ease the ever-present tension in his bones. He felt vulnerable—unprepared
for an impending attack, even though he knew
it wouldn’t come. Letting go wasn’t a luxury living in Underfell permitted,
and the feeling was strange. Fell was completely at Swap’s mercy.

He flinched at the sudden feeling
of Swap’s fingers on his ribs. “Don’t open your eyes,” Swap whispered, but he
halted his hands nonetheless. Fell was rigid for a moment, the tension
returning to his limbs. “Is this okay?” Swap had begun to trace gentle circles
over Fell’s sternum, the movements slow but deliberate. Fell nodded wordlessly,
forcing himself to focus on nothing but the feeling of Swap’s fingers, the
comforting aura the touches emanated. He gradually began to calm down, even
when Swap’s fingers trailed lower, dipping beneath his shirt, where Fell had
yet to conjure his soul.

“Are you sure you still want
this?” Swap asked, his mouth close to Fell’s, his soft breaths shifting the still
air. Fell opened his eyes, meeting Swap’s golden ones, which were filled with
unfaltering trust. Fell swallowed, nodding firmly in an attempt to crush the
doubts still swirling within him. Swap held his gaze for a second longer,
before dropping his hand to where the red glow of Fell’s soul shone through his
shirt.

Fell could sense the proximity of
Swap’s fingers, stirring the air around the crimson organ. Swap slowly lifted
Fell’s shirt, pulling it over his head and discarding it, before returning to
his ribcage, fingers tracing over the scarred bones as he reached his soul. His
fingers brushed the edge of it—the touch so light Fell almost didn’t register
it. But still, the contact was too much, and he flinched violently, grasping
Swap’s wrist and yanking it away from his chest. “N-no,” he gasped, his hand shaking slightly where he held Swap in
a steel grip. “I—I can’t.”  Fell was too afraid to meet Swap’s
eyes—afraid of what his alternate’s expression might convey. Was he angry?
Hurt? Was he going to ignore Fell’s wishes and touch his soul anyway?

A gentle hand came to rest under
Fell’s chin, slowly tilting his skull upward so that he was forced to look at
Swap. “It’s okay,” Swap murmured, leaning forward to press his teeth lightly to
Fell’s forehead. Fell remained motionless, his soul still hovering in his
ribcage, the glow pale and uncertain. But Swap’s hands were nowhere near it, and
Fell was able to relax—just a little. Sitting up, Swap pulled his hoodie over
his head, revealing his pale bones. Fell’s breath almost stuttered at the
sight. The thin, fragile appearance of Swap’s ribs had always escaped his
notice, but right now, he looked as delicate as porcelain, ready to shatter
before Fell’s eyes.

Still, Swap made no move to hide
himself, or flinch away when Fell reached up, pressing his fingers to the
centre of Swap’s ribcage, where the faint glow of his soul radiated. His breath
caught as the golden organ came into sight, burning like a small flame in the
dark room. “You can take it,” Swap said, hand coming to rest over Fell’s,
guiding him towards his soul. Fell glanced up, eyes going wide with hesitance.

“Swap, I—I don’t know if I
should…”

“It’s alright.” Swap’s touch was
gentle, his movements slow as he trailed Fell’s hand downward, pausing just
before the rougher skeleton’s sharp fingers reached his soul. Fell’s own soul
pulsed, mesmerised by the sheer radiance of Swap’s. Deliberately prolonging his
movements, Fell carefully enclosed it, hearing Swap’s breathing falter slightly
as he did so. He looked up, and Swap gave him a steady nod. Slowly withdrawing
his hand, Fell cradled the golden soul.

Fell could feel his own soul
flickering wildly, as if trying to escape his ribcage, but he was too
enthralled by the delicate object in his hand to give it much notice. Swap’s
soul was a lot like his bones—smooth, pale, and fragile-looking, like stained
glass. He could see the deep golden magic swirling beneath the surface, charged
with vehement compassion, and Fell’s soul strained to connect with it.

He almost jumped when Swap’s
fingertips brushed his ribs, breaking him out of his trance. Swap was looking
down at him patiently, though Fell could see the tell-tale signs of yearning
beginning to ignite in his eyes. He noticed Swap’s gaze flickering down to his crimson
soul, an unspoken question in the gesture. Fell took a deep breath, before
nodding slowly. The brush of Swap’s fingers against his soul sent a shiver
through Fell, and he held his breath as Swap gently withdrew it from his chest.
Cupping it delicately in his hand, Swap met Fell’s gaze, as if checking for any
reluctance.

But Fell wasn’t looking at Swap.
His gaze was fixed on his own blood red soul. It was so different from
Swap’s—in more ways than just the colour. Where the surface of Swap’s soul was
smooth and clear, Fell’s was hard and coarse, like roughly cut stone. There
were thin cracks across it, and the light it emitted was dim—almost pitiful—in
comparison to the pure splendour of Swap’s. Tears prickled at Fell’s eye
sockets, and he looked away, disgusted. “Fell…” Swap’s fingers traced the edge
of his jaw, trying to turn his head.

But Fell obstinately kept his
gaze averted, the sight of his soul giving rise to overwhelming revulsion.
“Don’t—” he managed to choke, shaking his head, “it—it’s hideous.” Fell could
still feel Swap’s own soul in his hand, pulsing gently. He tightened his grip
on it slightly—but still remained gentle, afraid of shattering the delicate
organ—bringing it to his chest. “I—I don’t deserve—”

Fell gasped, gaze shooting back
up to Swap to see his counterpart pressing his thumb against the rough surface
of Fell’s soul. It wasn’t hard enough to be painful, but Fell could feel it so deeply, he felt ready to
collapse. “Swap, gah—”

“Don’t you dare, Fell,” Swap
said, tone dropping low. “Don’t you dare tell me that you don’t deserve
love—that you don’t deserve to feel happy.” Fell couldn’t hold Swap’s gaze, and
tried to turn his head away, only to be stopped as Swap’s hand cupped his
cheek. His golden eyes were almost blazing as brightly as his soul, and they
were full of sincere determination. “I love you—damn it, Fell, I need you to
believe that.” Swap closed his eyes, bringing Fell’s soul to his teeth, and
pressing a light kiss to its surface. “I’ll make
you believe me if I have to.”

Fell was quivering—whether from
the crushing shame at seeing his own soul, or at the unmarred devotion in Swap’s
voice, he couldn’t quite tell. A startled gasp escaped him as Swap ran his
tongue over the scarlet soul, the feeling somehow both overwhelming and
intangible. More than anything, the act possessed something so astoundingly
benevolent—the intention completely pure and unburdened by doubt or disgust.
Fell whimpered, a thin crack appearing down the centre of his hardened soul. He
could feel Swap’s breaths against the surface of it, warm and comforting—safe.

Swap traced a single phalange
down the crack, and Fell shuddered, his toes curling and his fingers tightening
around Swap’s soul, which shone in his hand. Swap leaned in then, pressing his
teeth against Fell’s, fingers still running smoothly down his soul. Fell failed
to stifle a sob, even as Swap’s tongue swept a delicate trail across his teeth,
lavishing Fell in adoration. When Swap withdrew, Fell tensed at the sight of
his soul. The crack had deepened, revealing the magic beneath the hardened
surface. It was bright, untainted, churning zealously as Swap dipped a finger into
the fracture.

The moment he came into contact
with the translucent crimson magic, Fell crumbled. Releasing a choked cry, he
succumbed to the utter euphoria of Swap’s touch, charged with a love so
intense, Fell feared his soul might shatter. “That’s it, Fell,” Swap breathed,
pressing their bodies together, wrapping his arms around Fell as he pressed
past the thick, hard outer layer of Fell’s soul. “Don’t hold back, don’t shut
me out anymore—I’m here.”

Fell clutched onto Swap as he
allowed the glorious bliss to consume him, drowning out everything but the
close touch of Swap’s body against his own. He’d never felt so naked and
vulnerable, utterly exposed and defenceless—yet completely at ease, as if all
his troubles had evaporated, leaving only this warm safety, untarnished by any
doubts or worries.

For the first time in what may
have been a lifetime, Fell didn’t feel alone.

****

Long after Swap had drifted off
to sleep, Fell lay awake. And for once, it wasn’t because of nightmares, or the
constant feeling of threat looming over him, or those intrusive thoughts,
ticking away in his mind. In fact, he felt completely at peace. His arms
tightened slightly around Swap, and his still-glowing soul warmed a little more
as Swap unconsciously pressed closer to him. He could feel the gentle rise and
fall of Swap’s chest, the soft sound of his breaths, the scent of his magic,
still lingering in the air.

It wasn’t perfect, but by the
stars, Fell couldn’t imagine anything better.