secrettklstories - Tumblr blog

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

And that's it folks!

I was originally going to have a bit of a cruel ending where the two of them got jump-scared by a passing Temmie thinking it was the Cheshire Cat. But honestly, I feel like our boys have been through enough and I really wanted their journey to end on a higher note. So there you go.

This by far has been the biggest, most stressful and most fulfilling project I've done in a really long time. I'm so glad I was able to do this for my best friends and for everyone who read along and appreciated the art (which by the way there is still more coming!).

This entire story was something I had in the back of my head for many years and it's still so surreal that it actually came to be here on Shenanigans. Mods Yosh and Kitty were so beyond awesome in helping to put the story together, coming up with prompts, helping me during writer's block, and giving me endless support and encouragement.

I literally could not have done it without them and it honestly still blows my mind that two of my absolute favorite fanfic writers that I've followed since the early days of DeviantArt are now my best friends in the world.

I love you guys, this project was a dream come true, and Happy Halloween!

(Ima go take a nap now)

LaughterLand - Chapter 31: Wake Up

(story by Mod Secret, art by Mod Kitty)

"...Five...

…Four...

…Three...

…Two...

…One...

Awaken!"

There was the sound of a snap, it seemed to echo off into the distance. A bright white light shone down from above. Although Sans could tell his eyes were closed, the harsh light still stung his sockets. He felt so confused … what happened? Did he finally pass out from the stress?

He shifted his bones, trying to get a grip on where he was or what was happening. His entire body felt stiff and heavy, all the way down to his toes. As if he had been in this position for hours. But … that just couldn't be, could it? His eyelids felt insanely heavy, like he was going to need every metaphoric muscle in his face to open them. The blinding white light wasn't helping.

He didn't want to force himself to open his eyes, he was certain that he was still in the empty white void with all of its evil inhabitants. He didn't want to face anymore horrors, didn't want to know who would be looming over him next. Suddenly there came a voice, it was deep and familiar. It spoke slowly and gently from right above him.

"That's it, S-1, open your eyes."

S-1 … there was only one monster in the whole world who knew him by that name.

Sans slowly opened his eyes. As to be expected, the light was blinding and painful. He fluttered his eyelids rapidly trying to get used to the overbearing glow. Against the light, he saw a shadowy figure leaning over him. He felt the remains of anxiety starting to build up in his chest, but was immediately relieved upon recognizing who the shape belonged to. As he adjusted to the light, the image of Gaster manifested before him. He never once thought that he would be so glad to see the old skeleton. But in that moment, he would have thrown himself into his father's arms if he had the physical strength for it.

"G…. Gas … ter?" His voice was weak, but surprisingly, not hoarse or strained in anyway.

“S-1, what do you remember?” Gaster’s tone was low and urgent, Sans could tell that he needed answers immediately, but honestly so did he.

He blinked several more times, allowing the light to slowly reveal the world around him. At first only small objects came into view, a coat rack, a desk equipped with medical tools, pictures of bizarre-looking x-rays on the walls. Gaster immediately noticed Sans’s tired eyes slowly scanning the room.

“S-1, do you know where you are right now?” he pressed on.

It took several minutes and a lot of readjusting of his concentration. But after some much-needed deep breathing, Sans was finally able to recognize his surroundings. He was back in Gaster’s True Lab, back in the Underground, he was home!

“I…. I’m … home?” He almost couldn’t say it. The relief was so immeasurable that he could almost feel tears welling up in his sockets.

“Well, of course you’re home, where else would you be?” Gaster asked, his voice sounding confused, but candid.

He turned to pick up his stethoscope before moving to Sans’s right. Confusion still plagued the exhausted skeleton’s mind. He had no idea how he ended up back in the Underground, or what had happened to all of the evil residents of LaughterLand. The last thing he could recall was being bound by the sticky web, watching as they all moved closer towards him and his brother. He drew in a sharp gasp as he suddenly remembered.

“Papyrus!”

He sat up way too quickly. The dizziness hitting him like a hard slap in the face that nearly sent him toppling over again. He groaned loudly as he forced himself to stay upright, but cradled his now throbbing skull into his hands.

“S-1, I’d advise you not to sit up so carelessly.” Gaster responded calmly. “You’ve been in a state of unconsciousness for the past six hours. Give your body time to recover.”

Sans’s sockets flew wide open, in an instant he was wide awake and aware. Although he was certain that he had heard his creator loud and clear, he still had to make absolutely sure.

“S… Six … hours?” His voice was stronger this time.

Although his tone and demeanor seemed calm, the inside of his mind was flooded with racing thoughts and questions. He was unconscious for the past six hours? But how? Was the stress of being endlessly tickled for so long enough to make him pass out for that long? But then, how did he end up here? Did Gaster find a way to save them? What day was it? How long was he gone for? More importantly, where was Papyrus?

“Please find a way to calm yourself S-1,” Gaster cautioned, pulling back his stethoscope. “P-2 is fine, he’s just coming out of it now.”

At the mention of his brother’s experiment name, Sans whipped himself to the right where Gaster was standing over an unconscious Papyrus. He was twitching and whimpering too softly to make anything out. His brow was covered with a thin layer of sweat and he seemed to be trying to will himself out of this strange trance he was in. But he was okay! Alive, breathing, and in one piece. Sans nearly collapsed again from the relief, but kept his shaky arms firm as he tried to get up from the metal table.

“Papyrus!”

As Sans nearly launched himself from his resting place, he felt his unsteady knees immediately buckle beneath him, and he collapsed onto the floor with a heavy grunt.

“S-1, please get ahold of yourself,” Gaster said firmly, his tone raising to one of irritation. “You could very well give yourself a Soul-Attack if you don’t slow your reactions.”

Completely ignoring his father’s warning, Sans scrambled back to his trembling feet, gripping the side of the metal table that held Papyrus. As he watched his brother starting to shift out of sleep, he noticed that Papyrus’s favorite scarf was wrapped around his neck again, looking as if it had never even been moved. He glanced down to see his left glove was back on his hand as well. Somehow both of his accessories had been returned to him without so much as a speck of dirt or a tear. How was it possible?

Sans experimentally moved his hand down his shirt. Expecting to find the tear where the Chortlewocky had completely ripped it in half, but there was no tear. He looked down to see for himself, but sure enough his shirt was completely whole again. Not only that, his blue jacket had returned to him as well. Nothing about this made any sense. He knew that the both of them had lost their favorite articles of clothing in the tussle with the Tickle Monster. But even if they somehow managed to get them back, it didn’t explain how Papyrus’s glove returned from the dark abyss, or how Sans’s shirt became one piece again.

"Awaken."

Sans was so caught up in his own confusing thoughts that he didn't realize that Gaster had just finished counting backwards.

"Mmmnhh … uffmnh .... uhhhh…."

Papyrus's muffled whimpering became louder and louder, although neither skeleton could make out what he was trying to say.

"Deep breaths, P-2," Gaster quietly instructed. "Just open your eyes for me." Papyrus began to tremble, seemingly trying to force himself awake. "That's it, nice and easy," Gaster compelled.

Suddenly, Papyrus's eye sockets flew wide open. For a moment, the entire room was silent. But just as quickly as the quiet began, it was abruptly cut off as Papyrus let out an ear-piercing scream.

"NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"

This immediately prompted a scream from the older skeletons until the entire lab became an impromptu screaming match. Papyrus, now startled out of his mind, sat up too quickly. As a violent rush of dizziness overtook him, he tumbled off of the metal table and landed to the ground with a heavy crash, abruptly ending the screaming match.

"Owwwie…," Papyrus quietly moaned, reaching a hand up to rub at his tender skull.

"Pap!!"

Sans immediately rushed to his brother's side. He nearly tumbled over himself, still not having fully regained his balance. But thankfully, he didn't have very far to go before kneeling down next to Papyrus.

"Ohhh, my head." Papyrus sighed deeply, trying to shake himself awake as well as readjust to the light.

"It's okay, Pap. I'm here, we're safe," Sans soothed, gently placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"S…. Sans...?" With sockets still partially shut, Papyrus reached a trembling hand up to grasp at Sans's. Comforted to at least know that his big brother was there with him. "What … happened?"

"You just snapped out of a six-hour trance," Gaster explained calmly. "You need to slow down and relax, P-2. Your body needs time to readjust to the—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Backup a minute." Sans held up a hand to his creator, his mind trying to make sense of what he just said. "What do you mean, a … trance?"

"S-1, do you not recall why it is you were called here this afternoon?"

Gaster looked at his sons quizzically, studying their faces to take note of their reactions. Both brothers looked at him, then at each other. Everything was fuzzy, they were having a hard time remembering just when they had come down to the lab in the first place. All that filled their minds were the colorful memories of that place … Laughterland. The bright unnatural colors, the extraordinary creatures and plants. But most of all … the horrifying enemies that they left behind, and all the different ways they nearly tickled them to death.

"Fascinating…," Gaster mumbled as he scribbled something onto his clipboard. "Apparently, the lingering effects cause a temporary lapse in memory."

"Okay, look," Sans replied bluntly. "We appreciate you pulling us out of that … colorful world of tickling hell. But … how exactly did you find us?"

Gaster's expression shifted to one of utter confusion.

"Find you?" he repeated, sounding perplexed. "What are you talking about? You never left."

"Yes we did!" Papyrus answered loudly. "We were taken away to this … this AWFUL place where the monsters, the animals and … even the PLANTS tickled us past the brink of insanity!"

He couldn't help but shout. Fear increasing the pitch in his voice as he recalled the dreadful events that took place in that world. He became so excited that he began stumbling over his words as he spoke.

"And—And we tried so hard to get back home … but we kept falling into more and more traps! And—And there was this spider, and this—these Ghost Children—oh! And the cat! The CAT! He was the worst!"

Papyrus was beginning to sound less like he had just woken from a trance and more like an over-active child who had just gotten into too much sugar. Sans firmly placed both hands on his brother's shoulders in an effort to calm him down.

"Whoa! Easy, Pap, it's okay. You're okay." He tried not to raise his voice too loudly over Papyrus's, but he somehow managed to put a gentle stop to his brother's mad rambling. "We're safe now, bro. They're not gonna find us here."

Gaster's jaw dropped, the brothers looked up as they heard him draw in an astonished breath.

"You mean … S-1 … you've had the same visions as him?"

Sans shot Gaster a dumbfounded expression. What exactly did he mean by ‘visions’?

"Yes?" he questioned, unsure of how to properly respond.

Gaster immediately turned back to his desk to flip through a series of notes. He scrambled for a pen to frantically add to them.

"Amazing!" he gasped quietly. "Somehow, the hypnosis allowed the two of you to venture into the exact same dream! But just how? I have no idea, somehow the sound waves intermixed within the—"

"Wait!" Sans again silenced his father's scientific mumbling. As he put the pieces together, he suddenly felt a warm tingling of a blue blush appear on his cheeks. "Hypnosis…. You mean … all this time…."

A red-hot mixture of embarrassment, amazement, and rage flashed through his mind. He suddenly remembered it all. He and his brother were part of another one of Gaster's insane experiments. They never left the Underground, they never even left the lab! There was no Cheshire Cat, no sentient flowers or feather-vines, no Tickle Monster or Witch or Ghost Children. There was no LaughterLand.

"You mean you just had us under a trance??" Papyrus finally caught up to Sans's realization. "The entire time?!"

"Well I certainly didn't expect you to sleep for that long, P-2," Gaster responded frankly. "The initial experiment was to see if a simple hypnotic suggestion would heighten one's sensitivity in … certain aspects."

"Their TICKLISHNESS by chance?!" This time Sans spat the word out through gritted teeth, he no longer cared.

"Well … yes." Gaster shifted his glance away, seemingly embarrassed to admit it. He cleared his throat authoritatively. "Well, I mean, I wasn't going to subject you to an endless sensation of pain or discomfort. An increase of ticklishness was ultimately the more harmless option."

"HARMLESS?!" Papyrus shrieked, nearly falling over a second time as he slapped his hands to his skull.

"I tried countless remedies to try and wake the two of you up," Gaster continued on as if he had not heard his youngest scream at the top of his lungs. He fumbled through his notes trying to remember his many failed remedies. "Splashing you with cold water, dousing your nasal cavities with pepper. Shaking you, wrapping you up with tight sheets. Laughing gas, herbal aromas, light deprivation. I tried this strange concoction of caffeinated beverages. Nothing was working."

As Gaster recounted all of his missteps, the brothers were hit with flashback after flashback of every crazy misadventure that their dreamt up journey had taken them. From the flash flood, to the fairies' tickle dust. The crazy cloud-ride, the snakes' binding coils. The botched magic spell, the flower's poisonous pollen. The dark cave, Dropwart's disgusting potion. All of it seemingly triggered by Gaster's meddling with their subconscious.

The more Sans realized what the old skeleton had put him and his brother through, the more unbridled fury burned in his Soul. His old man seriously had no idea the amount of stress, panic and torture he had caused them both, and it infuriated him.

"Who knew that the simple act of counting backwards from ten was enough to snap a monster out of a six-hour trance?" he mumbled to himself. "You two certainly didn't make it easy. You somehow managed to conjure up bone constructs in your sleep — and teleport, of all things."

That's when Sans finally remembered. Stopping for a moment to feel the pulsations of his Soul, he realized that it was once again filled to the brim with magic. Experimentally, he summoned a small bone construct to appear at his fingertips. It manifested so easily. There was no strain or exhaustion, but instead an immediate warmth and satisfaction in his Soul. Feeling the magic replenishing itself again, just like it was always meant to.

His attention immediately went back to Gaster, the arrogant old skeleton still yammering on about the curiosities of his experiment. Still harboring a need for vengeance, Sans's eye began to glow as he summoned a large Blaster, pointing it right at his creator. Papyrus covered his mouth as he let out a squeaky gasp, prompting Gaster to turn around facing down the snout of Sans's weapon.

"Sans, what are you doing?" His tone was dry and deadpanned. He stared at Sans with a look of apathy.

"Do. You. Have. ANY IDEA WHAT YOU JUST PUT US THROUGH, OLD MAN?!"

Sans growled with a sense of rage that was beyond abnormal for his usual laid-back demeanor.

Rolling his eyes, Gaster placed a hand on the snout of the Blaster. It immediately vanished into thin air with an electrical shock that literally jolted Sans back to reality. Stunned by the sudden zap, Sans was blasted straight back onto his tailbone with a loud THUD!

"Oww!" He sat up rubbing the harsh tingles out of his hand.

"Sans! Are you okay?" Papyrus immediately got up to go comfort him. But was swiftly reminded of his unsteadiness, and slowed himself down once he got to his feet.

"You completely forgot that I constructed those powers for you, didn't you?" Gaster asked curtly. "They're called 'Gaster-Blasters', Sans, you might want to come up with a different way of letting off steam."

Sans glared bitterly up at Gaster, keeping his low and gravelly tone as he responded.

"You almost killed us back there, G." He calmed down enough to avoid shouting, but was still very much angry over all the trouble his father had caused. "We may have been asleep as far as you could tell, but that place was WAY too real to the both of us."

"Yeah." Papyrus nodded with a heavy sigh. "Honestly, I can't believe how much I remember. Usually my dreams are relatively blurry, but I feel like I could retell the events of this one perfectly."

"Really?!"

Suddenly, Gaster's entire face lit up with intrigue. He turned and practically leapt back towards his desk fumbling mindlessly for a notebook and pencil.

"Okay, just start from the beginning. Don't leave out any minor details, even the most insignificant ones." He practically leaned into Papyrus with his pencil steadily placed on the paper, ready for note-taking.

"Oh, come on, G!" Sans rubbed two fingers against the top of his nasal cavity sounding aggravated. "We just got out of this nightmare, nobody wants to talk about—"

"Well, when we got there, there was nothing but white," Papyrus jumped into the beginning of the story, seemingly not having heard Sans's complaint.

"Papyrus…," Sans grumbled.

"I mean, there was just white everywhere, white sky, white ground, everything!"

Papyrus continued as Gaster feverishly took down notes. Too tired to put up with it anymore, Sans grabbed ahold of Papyrus's scarf to begin dragging him out of the lab. Although clearly on their way out the door, Papyrus didn't stop retelling the story, not leaving out a single detail just as Gaster had requested, and never even pausing to realize that his brother was pulling him into the elevator.

Gaster followed them every step of the way, seemingly oblivious to what his older son was doing as he jotted down every word from Papyrus. The elevator ride seemed so much longer to Sans as he just stood there listening to his brother ramble on about the Ghost Children and the chase into the forest. By the time the elevator had taken them to the top floor, Papyrus was just beginning to describe the ferocity of a feather-vine. As Gaster followed them right to the door, Sans practically shoved his brother outside, cutting off his dramatic retelling. He faced Gaster down with the same deadpanned expression he had when he first entered the lab earlier that day.

"Well, G, what can I say?" He talked as if he were in a rush. "It's been … a nightmare. A literal living nightmare so … y'know, don't be in a hurry for the next 'family reunion' okay?"

"Wait!" Gaster held up a hand to stop Sans from closing the door. For a moment, Sans paused, giving his father one last chance to say a proper goodbye. "Could we…."

Gaster also hesitated. He wasn't one to truly speak about what he was feeling. But Sans could already tell that he was still anxious to know and understand what went on during this extraordinary trance. At the sight of his loss for words, Sans took in a breath.

"Look," he began. "Next week, okay?" he practically mumbled. As much as he didn't want to give Gaster any more of his time, he could tell how important this discovery was to him. Beyond that, there was a part of Sans that didn't want everything that he and his brother had gone through to be for nothing.

"No experiments, no tables or lab tools. You bring the coffee, I'll bring the ketchup. We'll sit down and tell you everything, okay?" Sans looked him in the eyes, making sure the old skeleton understood the terms to this agreement. There was a lightness in Gaster's face, as if Sans had just laid out everything he was hoping for.

"Alright." He nodded, allowing Sans to peacefully exit the lab. "Thank you, Sans."

He cleared his throat, returning once again to his professional monotone acknowledging his sons as they left. Sans gave a light scoff as he closed the door.

"Later, G," he mumbled.

He knew that was going to be the closest thing to an apology that either of them were going to get from him. Refusing to let it get to him, he and Papyrus headed back to the River Person to catch the first boat ride back to Snowdin.

For the majority of the trip, they were quiet. Besides letting the overall shock and disbelief of what had just happened to them sink in, they were content with just sitting there and absorbing the cool silence in overcoming such an ordeal. The soft mist whipping up from the water felt soothing on their faces, and the gentle splash of the waves was more than just comforting ambiance.

As they were less than a minute from home, Sans turned back to Papyrus. Somehow, his brother's face looked to be an odd mixture of relaxed and exhausted. He could only imagine that he looked the same way, if not worse. Their bodies had told them that they had been sleeping for most of the day, but their minds were insistent that they go home to recover some actual sleep. Papyrus turned to meet his brother's gaze, he gave him a sleepy smile as well as a deep sigh.

"What's on your mind, bro?" Sans asked gently.

"I just…." Papyrus shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe we were gone for only six hours."

"Yeah," Sans scoffed lightly. "Feels like we've been gone for a month."

Papyrus stifled a chuckle in reply. "What about you?" he offered. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking...." Sans stretched out his arms to rest behind his head. It felt good to stretch out without fear of someone going after his underarms. "...I'm thinking that I'm gonna need to 'ketchup' with Grillby for dinner tonight," he joked, though at this moment nothing sounded better to him than a fresh bottle of Grillby's delicious ketchup.

"Ugh, really, Sans? Grillby's?" Papyrus groaned, though he smiled to know that Sans was still his lazy old ketchup-loving self.

"Yeah," Sans sighed happily. "Heh, don't worry bro. I'll get one for the road." Papyrus shook his head as the boat came up to the snowy shore, somehow he doubted that Grillby was just going to let Sans walk away with a full ketchup bottle.

"Come again sometime, tra la la," trilled the voice of the River Person.

Sans and Papyrus stepped off the boat and into the crunchy snow. The chilly sight of Snowdin had never before looked so welcoming. Most of the town's residents had gone inside already, all except for the usuals who were known for hanging around Grillby's establishment in the later hours of the day.

"Heh, guess it's a little later than I thought…." Sans sighed deeply at the warm sight of his favorite eatery.

He turned to Papyrus. Both wore a weary but content smile, happy to finally be home and out of danger. Their own cozy little spot in the Underground, chilly and cramped, but home nonetheless.

"So do you wanna head home and heat up some spaghetti or—"

Papyrus bent down to wrap Sans up in a tight hug, abruptly cutting him off. At first the older skeleton was taken aback by the fast movement, but immediately returned the hug, wrapping his arms around his brother tightly.

"I know it wasn't real," Papyrus said quietly. "But it still means so much that … even in dream form … I can always count on you."

Sans smiled warmly. He felt a little foolish for already feeling the need to fight back tears, so he buried his face into his brother's scarf to try and blot them away before anyone could see. He hadn't forgotten all of the amazing things Papyrus had done for him in dream form either. He wished he had the words to tell him how proud he was of him, but exhaustion was fogging his mind. There almost wasn't a need anyways, Sans could tell just from the embrace alone that Papyrus understood.

"I love you, bro," he said quietly.

"I love you too, Sans," Papyrus replied.

He pulled away and wiped away a tear of his own. He couldn't help but chuckle with embarrassment as he noticed Sans staring at him.

"Heh heh! I-I don't know why I got so emotional back there, sorry," he admitted bashfully.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Sans replied. "A nightmare like that would upset anybody."

"Yeah just … don't tell Undyne I was crying over a nightmare, okay?" Papyrus, again, tried to hide the blush on his cheeks, eliciting an amused giggle from Sans.

"Oh, why not? Afraid she'll try to toughen you up with even more tickle attacks?" he teased.

"Sans!" Papyrus nearly shrieked. "Seriously, don't! I'll never hear the end of it!"

"Ohh, I don't knoooow," Sans taunted. "I think it'll be worth it just to tell her everything that you fought against in dreamland."

"No way!" Papyrus laughed despite himself.

"Oh yeah, I'm telling her alright!" Sans grinned as he shifted away from his brother trying to push him over. "I'll tell her about how you were caught by a bunch of giant flowers...."

"Sans quit it!" Papyrus leapt for Sans, trying to grab ahold of him to get him to stop talking.

"And about how you were caught by sparkly fairies…." Sans continued to playfully dance away from him. "And kissed to death by a bunch of fish...."

"Oh, that is SO IT!!"

Papyrus catapulted himself at Sans, they landed with a crash right into a big pile of snow. Papyrus pinned his brother down to the ground and began digging his fingers into his ribs.

"Take this, you big-mouth-brother!! Nyeh-heh-heh-heh!!"

"Aaaahahahahaha!! Pahahap nohohohohoho!! Papyrus!! Aagh!! Hahahaha!!" Sans laughed and flailed in the snow.

Papyrus gasped and immediately pulled back, allowing his brother to breathe. After several moments had passed, the two of them stared at each other in tense silence. They both could tell they were thinking the same thing. Was it too much, too soon? Were they actually traumatized by this bizarre nightmare that they shared. The guilty look on Papyrus's face made Sans's Soul sink. He didn't want Papyrus to feel bad for playing with him. He wasn't feeling scared or anxious or even powerless. In fact, it was safe to say that laughing because of playful brotherly tickle fights was all the therapy he needed to recover from this.

He gave Papyrus a reassuring smile. One that shifted his brother's expression to one of relief, then to happiness, then to mischief. Sans let out an impish growl as he dove for his brother, knocking him into the snow and tickling at his ribs.

"Nyaagh!! Ahahahaha!! Sahahahahans!! Heeheeheehee!!"

They wrestled around in the fluffy coolness. Practically taking turns pinning each other down to go after their worst spots. As they laughed and screamed like two rough-housing children in the snow, a deep euphoria washed over them. They missed the joy that this weird bonding activity had brought them. They missed the mirthful laughter that only the two of them could draw out of each other. But if this strange misadventure had taught them anything, it was that they had missed the trust that they had in each other. Not tickling each other for food, or for personal gain, or for anything harmful. Just doing it to hear the other one laughing, just to play and have fun with the other.

As the tickle fight came to an end, they laid breathlessly in the snow, taking in the peaceful silence. Sans brushed away another tear and chuckled.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah," Papyrus laughed in reply. He got to his feet and reached out a hand to help Sans off the ground. "Come on," he said as he pulled him to his feet.

"Let's get you that ketchup."

34 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

So...unsurprisingly this was the Chapter that I was looking forward to the LEAST.

And it's also the one that I'm probably the most self-concious about sooooo please be gentle with your criticisms 😅

The main struggle I had with this is, like I mentioned before, every Chapter is like a mini plot. They get stuck, they get tickled, they learn something about themselves or how to survive it, they move on. This doesn't really have a plot to hang onto. They just get trapped and tickled and that's really hard to make into something to get invested in.

So splitting up the tickle time between all the villains seemed like the right way to go. Otherwise it would have just been, bros get tickled by everyone, the end.

Plus it was fun diving into a little of Sky's backstory, giving him this kind of Jekyll and Hyde personality when it came to his newfound addiction. There's just something special about these bros.

(BTW sorry about all the monologuing, idk it was just a lot. Lolz!)

LaughterLand - Chapter 30: Ambush

(story by Mod Secret, art delayed due to technical difficulties)

“N-No…! NO!!”

A sob caught in Papyrus’s throat as he and Sans stared into the many faces of their tickling enemies. Sans fought through the harsh trembling to grab ahold of Papyrus’s hand. Before he even had time to register what was happening, he whipped himself and his brother around to make a bolt back to the door.

Running on pure terror and adrenaline, they made one last desperate leap for it. But before they could even put so much as a fingertip on it, the ivory door vanished into nothingness, leaving the skeletons alone with their adversaries.

“No! No! No! NO!!” Sans shrieked as he pounded a fist on the ground.

It was gone, the door was really gone. They were trapped in an endless world of white with the creatures they feared more than anything in this world. Nothing to hide behind, nothing to defend themselves, nowhere to run. The skeletons trembled violently as the horde of villains approached them with wicked grins and greedy chuckles.

“Sorry, fellas, it’s sunset.”

They looked down to see Sky standing just off to the side of where the ivory door used to be. The traitorous spider adjusted his blue top hat as he spoke to them with that same cheery tone that now sickened the skeletons to their very cores.

“That door will be long gone from here by now. I did warn you that you didn’t wanna be caught out there after dark now, didn’t I?”

The skeletons just stared at him. Papyrus’s jaw trembled as it practically hit the floor. Tears came to his sockets as emotions of disbelief, sadness, and humiliation circled the poor skeleton’s Soul.

Sans’s Soul, on the other hand, thumped loudly in his ribcage. Not just from the fear of everyone closing in on the two of them. A white hot rage burned within his chest as he stared down at the spider they once dared to call an ally. Thoughts of vengeance swirled around the older skeleton’s skull, until he thought of nothing else but to squish that despicable bug beneath his foot. He shakily took a step towards him, the disgusting green bug dared to look up at him with that same good-natured gleam in his eyes.

“You….” Sans’s voice was low and intimidating, but rapidly grew in volume at the sight of Sky’s sunny disposition. “You … TRAITOR!!”

He screamed as he lunged for the loathsome bug. Sky effortlessly jumped out of the way, looking like he was about to make a break towards their other enemies, who were all watching and chuckling with amusement. Instead, he just moved a little ways in front of the group, still staring at the brothers with a cocky look in his eyes. The sight of the little green spider standing before the hostile tickling party really told the brothers how alone they had been this entire time.

Sans growled deeply as he stared daggers at their newfound enemy. He moved to lunge for him again, only to have Papyrus hold him back.

“Sans, don’t!” Papyrus tearfully urged. “It’s not going to help, brother!”

To Papyrus’s surprise, Sans still kept fighting to lunge after Sky, groaning and straining for Papyrus to release him.

“You should probably take his advice, big fella,” Sky responded with a colorful smirk in his tone. “After all, you’re going to need all the energy you can get. Especially when I get MY time with ya.”

“TIME?!” Sans growled hatefully, now using his own hands to physically pry Papyrus off of him. “You wanna talk to me about time, bug?!” He grunted loudly as he managed to pull away from his brother. “Then how about I give you a bad one, you dirty, lying, sleazy little—AGH!”

Before Sans could finish his rageful rant, a mysterious force latched onto his wrists and pulled them upwards. It dragged him several feet away from the little green spider kicking and screaming. Until he came to a stop right next to Papyrus.

“AGH! HEY!!”

At the sound of the younger skeleton’s cry, Sans looked over to see his brother’s wrists hanging high above his head just in the same position he was. They tried to kick and tug at their arms, but the invisible force would not release them. Sans looked closer to see that what was holding them up wasn’t so invisible after all … it was web! As four more thick, sticky web nets shot out of the white nothingness to restrain the brother’s ankles, they glanced back over at Sky who was letting out a low chuckle.

“Well done, Auntie,” he mused as he looked high above the brother’s heads. “Didn’t I tell you that I would find a decent meal for you and the kids?”

The skeletons let out a horrified gasp as they glanced upwards. The mother spider and her four spiderlings were descending down from high above them like something out of a horror movie. They had a happy and hungry look in their many eyes as they came to a stop just where they could meet their prey face-to-face.

“Did you miss us?” teased one of the spiderlings.

“Because we REALLY missed you!” joked another.

“Can we feed now, Mama? Huh? Can we? I’m starving!” chattered an excited spiderling as he dropped to the ground to skitter close to Sans’s feet.

“Patience, my darlings,” the mother spider spoke gently, following the excited one down to the ground. “Everyone will get their share.”

“Yeah! Don’t forget who found them first!” called the voice of the Ghost Boy, prompting the spiderlings to look around trying to find where the voice came from.

“Yes,” came the low voice of the Cheshire Cat. “Everyone here will get to enjoy them, thanks to you, my fine arachnid.” He moved closer to Sky to give him an approving look.

“Aw shucks, it was nothing.” A subtle blush decorated the spider’s face as he waved one of his front legs in embarrassment.

Despite their feelings of sadness and rage, the skeletons still couldn’t get over the shock of seeing Sky suddenly acting so cruel towards them. For the latter half of their journey, he had been their guide and protector. Saving them from the giant spiderlings, the predators of the jungle, the poisonous pollen from the talking flowers, and even rescuing them from the fearsome Chortlewockies. It was difficult to accept that, all this time, he was leading them right to an ambush. For Papyrus, it still didn’t make any sense.

“Why would you do this?!” the younger skeleton shrieked desperately. “I thought you weren’t even interested in the feeding of laughter! Was everything you ever told us just a big lie?!”

“Of course it was a lie, Pap,” Sans replied in a low and hateful tone, staring at the little spider with thoughts of vengeance. “He’s no different than any of these other freaks!” He spoke louder to address everyone else in the space with them, eliciting amused responses from everyone.

“Well, actually,” Sky replied coolly, “for a while there … I really wasn’t.”

Both brothers were taken aback by the candid response. For what felt like the first time, Sky’s tone didn’t have that usual cheerful disposition. It sounded real and genuine, like he wasn’t putting on a persona of being upbeat and optimistic. As he continued talking to them, there was no doubt in either skeleton’s mind that he was speaking with one-hundred percent honesty.

“I had never once had so much as a snicker before you two dropped in,” he began. “You’d think that’d be impossible for someone who was born and raised in LaughterLand, right? Well, let’s just say your old boy Sky Spider grew up as a bit of a picky eater.”

As he spoke, the brothers’ minds couldn't help but remember the first time Sky had literally crawled into their lives by crawling all over their feet. They could tell that the same memory was sneaking into the arachnid’s mind as he continued on.

“I was content for the longest time just feasting on the elements of clouds and rain. That is … until I accidentally tried to make a new home out of your feet. I was used to hearing laughter being drawn out all around me. I was around it my entire life. But this was the first time I had ever been the cause of drawing it out myself. The delight … the power … the … TASTE!”

As he went on reminiscing about their first encounter together, the little spider’s tone picked up with greedy excitement and he mindlessly wiped a bit of drool from his fangs. An uncomfortable chill came crawling up the skeletons' spines. How could this manic-sounding spider have ever possibly been their friend?

“I just … I don’t know what happened,” he went on, though there was a subtle look of craziness in his little eyes. “I just … couldn’t stop. Even after you fell out of the tree I just … needed more. I didn’t snap out of it until you tried to smack me.”

“B-But, you let us go!” Papyrus frantically pointed out, still secretly hoping to find whatever remained of their friend in this new bug. “Right? Why would you help us escape if you were still craving our laughter?”

Sky let out a low chuckle. But as the frenzied hunger slowly began to seize his face, the laughter shifted in pitch, growing louder and more deranged. The skeletons froze with terror upon hearing the unnerving sound. It was so maniacal, so unhinged. By the time Sky stopped to take in a breath, both brothers’ faces were agape with horror.

“Honestly…,” he breathed out, the crazed laughter now left to be a far-off echo into the white void. “I don’t know. Maybe I was still trying to believe that I wasn’t ‘like all the other freaks here’. But … eventually we all come to accept the true nourishment of this place. One way or another.”

Sans and Papyrus looked up to see the others smiling and nodding in agreement. It was a terrifying sight. For whatever reason, the unbridled laughter that was kept inside the two of them was the holy grail of heavenly feasting for these creatures. They wanted nothing more than to feast on them for all of eternity.

“After your cloud took off into the air…,” Sky continued, “…I lassoed onto another one to follow you.”

“Wait … you were following us the ENTIRE TIME?!” Papyrus shrieked in disbelief.

“Give or take a few steps,” Sky answered casually, brushing at the fuzz on his legs. “I kept telling myself that I was only going to have just one more light snack.” His expression turned smug again as he gazed at them. “Sure was adorable listening to the two of you tease and tickle each other, when you got a spare moment to breathe, that is.”

Sans and Papyrus felt their faces flushing, embarrassment filled their Souls as they heard the amused reactions from everyone around them. They wanted so badly to move their hands, just to at least hide their humiliated expressions.

“But…,” Sky interrupted the teasing giggles from the crowd. “That wasn’t good enough for me either. Any creature of this land worth their salt in laughter-consumption will tell you that the best flavor comes from a little … resistance.”

They skeletons looked up as the crowd reacted again, giving the spider nods, gestures, and words of approval. Clearly, they all felt the same way he did about the source of their food.

“I followed you on that cloud ride until that stick-in-the-mud Fear Beast took ahold of ya. Thankfully, you didn’t stay there for very long before he chucked you out like a pair of used feathers,” he went on, leaving Sans and Papyrus to relive all of the horrible things that had happened to them in this place. “I managed to feed off of the lanky one … at least until those worms of yours showed up, Dropwart.”

“Ha!” The Old Witch cackled as she gently scratched under the chins of her hissing serpents. “Sorry, spidey. It’s not my fault you left your prey wide-open for recapture!”

“Anyway … I wasn’t able to keep up with them after they drug you two away,” Sky explained. “And by the time I reached the old hag’s cottage, it was already up in flames, and you two were gone. Luckily you left behind a lotta good folks here, who you cheated out of a proper meal.”

He gestured towards the other adversaries. The Cheshire Cat and Tickle Monster smiled broadly. The Ghost Children let out a burst of sinister giggles. Dropwart made a show of cracking her knuckles while her serpents unleashed a hungry hiss.

“After we came up with the plan, I just had to find you again,” Sky continued. “It wasn’t hard, you fellas have quite the volume on those hysterical laughs of yours. And all I had to do was just include my dear Auntie in all of this.”

Papyrus turned his face away in response to the remark about their laughter. Meanwhile, Sans hadn’t let up on his hateful glare towards him. He gritted his teeth, making sure the traitor could feel every ounce of resentment burning through his sockets.

“So yeah, that long-winded speech was just your way of telling us what a dirty scumbag you really are!” Sans snapped bitterly.

“Oh, there’s no need for cheap insults, my friends.” The Cheshire Cat stepped forward, once again giving them an intense green-eyed stare. “You should feel honored. Your laughter is the tastiest treat these folks have had in years … decades even. It was so enjoyable that they chased you to the end of LaughterLand just for another sample.”

As he turned to head back towards the group, his long fluffy tail swished against the bottoms of their feet causing them both to jolt and choke back a subtle shriek of laughter.

“And now…,” he said slyly. “You’re about to make all of their dreams a reality. You’re about to keep everyone here as happy as can be … for the rest of all time.”

Sans remembered what the Cheshire Cat had said to them upon their first meeting — how nobody in LaughterLand ever feels satisfied after a meal, how they don’t feed to survive or to fend off hunger. It was all for the taste, all for the pleasure of making their victims suffer for as long as they were able to. A sickening feeling settled into his nonexistent stomach as he watched them all start to creep closer

“W-Wait! No! Please! Don’t do this!!” Papyrus shook hard in the sticky bindings as he pleaded. “Please! We won’t be able to take it!”

“He’s right!” Sans frantically added. “If you all come after us, you’re just gonna kill us from the exhaustion!”

For once, there was no underlining plan of escape in his words. Sans was out of ideas, and all that flooded through his mind was the horrifying thought of all of their fingers, claws, feathers, and bushy tails attacking every exposed inch of their bodies. All causing them to laugh to the point of passing out, or worse … dusting.

“P-Please!” he unwillingly begged as they moved closer. “Please! We’ll be no use to you if you literally tickle us to death!” He wasn’t even sure where he was going by putting the fate of their lives on the table. Panic engulfed his thoughts, and he would do or say anything in that moment to get them to stall their attack.

“Hmm….” The Cheshire Cat paused to ponder the older skeleton’s words. “Perhaps you do have a point there,” he mused, raising his paw to stop the other villains in their tracks. “After all, it certainly behooves us to … savor the flavor.” He greedily licked at his pointed teeth as he drew out the delicious threat.

“Oh, come on!” Everyone abruptly turned to look at Sky as he let out an aggravated scream of rage. “I have followed this prey across the entire realm! I’ve had to help feed them to the DOOR in order to deliver them to you! Now you’re telling me that I have to wait AGAIN?!”

His barking tone was so crazed, so unhinged, even borderline psychotic. Sans and Papyrus could feel their bones grow momentarily paralyzed with the terrifying sound. But what immediately pulled them out of their shock was the reply of the Cheshire Cat’s cruel chuckle.

“Oh, no, my friend.” The feline grinned deviously. “I wouldn’t dream of making you wait for this divine meal that you graciously delivered to us.” His gaze turned back to the helpless skeletons as they squirmed in the bindings of the web. “I’m merely suggesting that you and your kin have the first few bites, the rest can follow soon afterwards.”

The brothers trembled as they heard the happy sounds of the giant spiders hissing with delight. Even Sky seemed to calm down from his rage-filled rant upon hearing the Cat’s suggestion. The others, however, let their disapproval be known with long-winded sighs and disapproving groans.

“Aww, no fair!!” came the whining voice of the Ghost Girl.

“Yeah, we saw ‘em first!” followed the Ghost Boy.

“Yeah, so you brats have already had first dibs!” snarled Dropwart, still trying to figure out where to point her glare. “If you let me go first, I could at least make the laughter last longer.”

The Tickle Monster bared its teeth as it watched the spider family move towards the skeletons. The Cheshire Cat held up his paw a second time, silencing the group of disgruntled creatures.

“Patience, everyone.” His tone was soft, yet authoritative. He turned to look them all in the eyes. “You don’t all want to go at the same time do you? The short one makes a point. You must savor your time with them, take your moment when it comes. Feast and enjoy every sound that you draw out of them and know that you are the only cause of such delicious laughter.”

The way he spoke, it sounded like he was describing the experience of fine dining at a gourmet eatery. It instantly caused the bickering to cease amongst the antagonists as they began to dream of the rich rewards that came with taking their turns and savoring it.

The skeletons tried to speak, tried to come up with the words to form any kind of powerful protest, but they just couldn’t. Even Sans had run out of his usual snarky quips and comments. As they looked into each other’s terrified eyes, it finally sunk in … they were trapped. Horribly, hopelessly trapped. Even if they somehow managed to get out of this sticky binding, there was no way they could outrun or fight every single one of them. Nobody knew where they were, nobody was coming to find them. They were going to be tickle tortured … forever.

The Cat turned back to the now drooling spiders, the evil look in his eyes now wild with ravenousness.

“Dear Arachnids, do proceed. We’re all quite famished, you know.”

“With pleasure….” Sky’s voice was greedy and gravelly, he wasted no time sprinting towards Sans, followed by the much bigger mother spider and her babies.

“No! No! Wait!” Papyrus uselessly pleaded. “Please! Don’t do this to us! PLEASE!!”

“Keep up that begging, son,” Sky teased as he started the long crawl up Sans’s leg, causing the older skeleton to twitch uncomfortably. “They LOVE that!”

As the little spider disappeared into Sans's shirt, the older skeleton clenched his teeth, but couldn't hold back the strained squeal that escaped from him. The spindly legs weaved across and in between his rib bones, causing Sans to erupt with fits of distressed cachinnating and snorts.

"Bwaaahahahahaha!! Oh—Ohoho no!! Dohohohohon't!! G-Gehehehet ohohohohout!! Hahahahahaha!! Gehehet outta thehehehere you little—AAAAAGH!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

A panicked, giggling shriek tore from him as he suddenly felt the old familiar feeling of the oversized spiderlings using their coarse, hairbrush-like fangs to nibble on his toes.

"Heeheehee! Remember us?" giggled the nibbling spider before going back for more.

"AHAHAHAHAHAAA!! NOHOHOHO!! NOOO!! NAHAHAHAT AGAIN!! PLEHEHEHEASE!!" He couldn't even hope to hold back his pleas for mercy now. His entire body had been wracked so hard with every manner of tickling, there were no more defenses left to put up.

"Oh, yes! I think he definitely remembers us now!" squealed another as it proceeded to weave a silky web between the toes of his other foot. "Which means he also remembers THIS!"

The spiderling pulled Sans's toes upwards, leaving them taut and exposed. It wasted no time digging its fuzzy upper legs into the sensitive appendages. Sans lurched forward, hopelessly pulling against the sticky webs as manic laughter poured out of him.

"NYAAAAGH!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! NOHOHOHOHO!!"

The older skeleton's gaze quickly shifted towards Papyrus. The other two spiderlings were crawling all over his ribs and teasing at the back of his knees.

"NOHOHOHO!! PLEASE!! PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE!! STAHAHAP IT!! NYAHAHAHAHA!!"

The spiderlings responded with excited snickers and looks of giddiness in their many eyes. Enjoying the meal that Papyrus was providing, he was clearly still the favorite amongst the young arachnids. The mother spider hovered over the younger skeleton, her eyes frantically scanning in every direction where her children were crawling.

"Not too harshly, now," she gently instructed. "Remember to start on the lighter spots, then work your way up…." Her gentle motherly tone trailed off as her gaze slowly shifted to one of insane hunger. She let out a low growl, her tone now deep and gravelly as she stared down at Papyrus.

"You know what … I'm HUNGRY!"

She gently nudged one of the spiderlings off of Papyrus's upper body. As she lifted herself overhead, she began using six out of her eight long legs to poke and scribble against the poor skeleton's ribs and underarms.

"NYAAAAHAHAHAHA!! STAHAHAHAP!! STAHAHAP IT!! OHOHOHO GAHAHAHA...!!"

Papyrus trailed off into breathy squeaking, his eyes bulged out of his skull as he felt the two spiderlings repeating the process of stringing up his toes and nibbling between them.

Once again, Sans tried to use the sight of his brother as motivation to pull himself loose. But no matter how hard he tugged against the webs, they gave him barely enough slack to shake and spasm in place. A shrill squeal tore from him as he felt Sky crawling up towards his right underarm, not forgetting the many methods that he had used on the sensitive spot back at the door. As Sans's cackling grew harsher due to the four different tickle tactics applied to his hollows, he suddenly heard Sky's low menacing voice.

"This is only the beginning for you tasty morsels." Although the little green spider was a fair distance from his face, it felt like the cruel arachnid was whispering directly into his ear. "I can already hardly wait for my second turn to come. Followed by the third … then the fourth...!" His voice raised in pitch as well as crazed excitement as he went on.

But before he could continue with the verbal teasing, the tickling came to a complete halt. Sky, the mother spider, and all four spiderlings were abruptly pulled off of the exhausted skeletons by some strange, invisible force. As the hysterical laughter faded from the exhausted skeletons, they could hear the old familiar tune of the whistling coming from the Cheshire Cat. It didn't take long to realize that his eerie song had caused the spider family to be pulled away.

Once the whistling had successfully dragged the arachnids away from the brothers, a series of disappointed groans and childish whining came from the spiderlings, obviously unhappy with being cut off from their favorite food. Sky let out a feral-sounding growl as he turned to face the Cat, murder in his crazed expression.

"What. Was. THAT?!" the little spider shrieked in his menacing tone. "How dare you pull me away, Feline! I was just about to dig into the sweet spot!"

"Now, now, old chum," the Cheshire Cat tutted. "Fair is fair, I only allowed your family to go first as a thanks for getting them here. Now it's time to give the others a try."

As the devious feline conversed with the spiders, Sans and Papyrus frantically caught their breath, too terrified to allow themselves to rest and recover, knowing someone else was coming for them next. After nearly coughing on a puff of air, Sans quickly turned towards Papyrus.

"Pap…," he breathed out. "Are you … okay?"

Papyrus nodded tiredly, sweat glistening on his skull.

"I'm so … exhausted, brother…," he exhaled. "I can't … take another…."

"Oh, no worries about that, my deary!"

Dropwart's voice suddenly cut Papyrus off as she approached them. Her hissing snakes followed right behind her, their flicking, feathery tongues invoking terrifying memories in the frightened skeletons. She reached into her pocket to pull out a large flower. The sight of it immediately brought Papyrus back to the memory of the giant flower garden and he trembled. Sans noticed right away, although this flower was large, it was not sentient.

It was pure white with five large petals, protruding from its center were many bulbous red stamens. They looked soft and wispy and ready to be used as yet another tickle tool. But rather than bringing the delicate plant down towards an exposed tickle spot, Dropwart abruptly shoved the white flower directly into Sans's face.

"Smell this, deary!" she insisted. "It'll cure what ails ya!"

Dropwart's sudden and unpredictable movement startled the older skeleton. In his frightened gasp, he unintentionally inhaled a generous amount of the flower's aroma. It was sickly sweet, it almost reminded him of the potion Dropwart had made to turn him into a doll. But it had a bizarre spiciness to it that caused his sockets to water as he felt the scent traveling down his nasal cavity and into his skull. He coughed and spluttered as he tried to pull his face away from the strange scent, but Dropwart kept it close to his nose, making sure that the distressed skeleton inhaled as much as she wanted him to before pulling back.

As Sans's body absorbed the warm buzzing aroma, his Soul thumped steadily against his chest. He suddenly realized that his bones were no longer weak and heavy. There was a renewal of strength coursing throughout his body. As he drew in a long healing breath, he suddenly felt like he was strong enough to pull at the webs, almost feeling confident that they would break. He gave his wrists a harsh couple of tugs, but that was enough to tell him that despite this newfound stamina, they weren't going anywhere.

He glanced over at his brother; even the dizzying blur had faded from his vision. If he wasn't so worried about their predicament, the replenishment of his energy would have felt amazing. He noticed Dropwart pulling the flower away, having given Papyrus the exact same treatment. Sans watched Papyrus's expression change remarkably fast. From initial resistance, to disgust, to confusion, to a wary relaxation as his own strength was restored.

"W-What…. What just happened?"

Even the sound of Papyrus's voice seemed stronger. Dropwart let out her signature high-pitched cackle as she proudly held up the strange white flower.

"Meet your new best friend, boys … we call her the Ha-Hawthorne."

Sans couldn't help but roll his eyes. Of COURSE it would be called something like that.

"This beauty will bring back all of your energy, so we can keep tickling you … as long and as hard as we want!" She moved closer to their faces, her golden eyes childlike and gleeful.

Before either of them knew it, her snakes had slithered up behind them. They unleashed two loud and eager hisses as their feather tongues danced and flicked along the backs of their necks. Both brothers erupted in surprised squealing laughter, now stronger and louder than ever.

A sickening feeling of panic gathered in their bones. Despite feeling more energized and refreshed thanks to that mysterious flower, they knew this only meant that they would have to re-experience being tickled past the brink of exhaustion over and over again. It was a horrifying nightmare that they were trapped in, and quickly their screams of laughter morphed into screams of terror.

"NYOHOHOHOHOHO!!" Papyrus screeched, feeling the feathery tongue starting to flitter down his spine. "NOHOHOHO!! PLEHEHEASE!! PLEASE DOHOHON'T DO THIS TO UHUHUHUS!! PLEEEEEEASE!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!"

As Papyrus panicked, Sans unleashed a series of angry growls and grunts between his frantic cackling.

"GAHAHAHAHA!! Y-YOHOHOU—AHAHAHA!! Y-YOHOHOU UGLY OLD—AHAHAHA!! CROHOHOHOHONE!! AHAHAHA!!"

He wracked his brain trying his best to come up with a better insult to spit in her face. But his mind went blank with hysteria as the feather tongue of the magenta snake once again fluttered under his left underarm. Sans was no longer able to choke out anymore insults, and as a result, his unending laughter came out sounding angry and forceful as if he were trying to shout. Dropwart cackled again, amused at the skeleton's frustrated reactions.

"Well my pets, as much as I love to see you two enjoying a good meal…." She raised up both of her hands, teasingly showing off her perfect fingernails. "I'm afraid I can't let you have all of the fun!"

POP! POP!

Both of her hands disconnected from her wrists and crawled towards the skeletons faster than either of them could blink. The right hand crawled up Sans leg and began skittering around his ribs, making sure to take full advantage of his ripped shirt. Sans's voice responded with high-pitched squeaking and snorts as the snake moved on to the other side, and Dropwart's hand occasionally paused to dig in between the spaces of his ribs.

"Ohoho yes! You love that, don't you, deary?" Dropwart chuckled.

Her left hand skittered up to Papyrus's spine. She cleverly used a single finger to gently scratch and scribble the front of his spine while using her other flexible fingers to apply harsher tickles to the opposite side. Papyrus threw his head back, but nearly choked on his own laughter in the process as the lilac snake took the opportunity to flitter its tongue around to the front of his throat. Papyrus squealed and scrunched up as best as he could, but was so lost in laughter he barely knew where he was anymore.

"P-P-Plehehehehehease...!!" His voice was surprisingly soft as he begged through the giggles. "Pleeheease!! Hahahaha!! I-I cahahaan't...!!" He trailed off into silent laughter as tears gathered and fell from his sockets.

The whistling of the Cheshire Cat came gliding through the air, once again causing the tickling to stop as the snakes and the Witch were unwillingly dragged away. The brothers gasped and coughed hard, tears and sweat falling from their faces and landing with surprisingly loud drops on the ground.

"Oh, phooey!!"

Dropwart groaned as she was pulled back, her snakes, in turn, hissed with annoyance as they were forced to stop their game.

"Time's up, my dear," the Cat mused as his whistling came to a stop. "Afraid it's time to turn it over to someone else."

"Like me!" Sky's sudden gravelly tone once again surprised the group. "Give it to me, Witch! I'll make them laugh enough for all of us!"

He let out a skin-crawling cackle. As it echoed off of the white space, everyone, including the villains froze with intimidation. Everyone except the Cheshire Cat. Keeping his cool amongst the spider's mad ravings, he gently approached the insane arachnid.

"All in due time, my friend. All in due time," he assured, his voice somehow managing to calm down his sudden lunacy. "I assure you there's still plenty to go around. But first … we should let the children have a taste, wouldn't you say!"

Childish squeals and cheering echoed through the air, letting everyone know that the Ghost Children were floating just above them, dancing and leaping in their levitation.

"Hey!" Dropwart suddenly shrieked as she felt a mischievous hand start digging into her pocket.

Before she could properly react, the white flower levitated from her dress, now in the clutches of one of the giggling Ghost Children. In a flash, the flower zoomed past the LaughterLand antagonists and practically slammed into Sans's face. The spicy-sweet aroma was forced into the older skeleton's nasal passage and he nearly choked again as it burned into his system.

Once the flower was removed from his face to be shoved back into his brother's, he inhaled slowly, feeling the effects of the recovery spell bringing back his energy and stamina. It was a bittersweet feeling.

"P-Please…," Papyrus whimpered once the flower had healed him in turn. "Please no more, it's … it's too much!" His breathing shook with fear, again not knowing exactly where the Children were located.

"Too much??" came the Ghost Girl's teasing remark. "You hear that? It's too much!"

"Leave him alone!" Sans growled, surprised that the flower had even recovered the strain in his voice. "I mean it, you stay away from him!!" Sans knew how hopeless his threats were, but that would never stop him from defending Papyrus.

"Well, look at that?" mocked the Ghost Boy. "They think they can tell us what to do!"

"Well, we'll show you, ya big meanies!"

As a sudden gust of wind fell against Sans's face, he instantly became aware that somebody was hovering directly behind him. He tensed, uselessly searching for any kind of sign that would tell him where their fingers had been placed. He got his answer as he felt two little hands suddenly scribbling along the back on his knees and along his femur.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA!! STAHAHAHAHAP!! AHAHAHA!! STAHAHAP IHIHIT!! Y-YOHOOHOU DIHIHIRTY BRAHAHAHAHAT!!" he growled as he thrashed and squirmed hopelessly.

"Oh! Calling me a brat now. Huh?" came the voice of the Ghost Girl behind him. "I'll show you brat!"

She mercilessly began walking her fingers along Sans's soles of his feet. The angry laughter immediately turned into shrill, panicked giggling as he helplessly wriggled his toes against the torture.

"AAAGH!! NO!! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!! AHAHAHAHA!!"

"Then you'd better apologize for being a big old meanie!" the Ghost Girl teased, paying special attention to the way Sans screamed as she tickled along the balls of his feet.

"NYAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! OHOHO GAGAHASH NOHOHOHOHOHO!!" Papyrus unleashed a frantic squeal of his own as he felt the soft fingers of the Ghost Boy digging into his underarms. "NOHOHO MOHOHOHOHORE!! NO MOHOHORE!! I-HEEHEEHEE CAHAHAHAN'T STAHAHAHAND IHIHIHIT!!"

"Aww what's the matter, skeleton-man?" the Ghost Boy teased directly into his ear, causing a deep orange blush to form on the younger skeleton's face. "Huh? What's wrong? You can tell me what's wrong?"

"Come ooooooon!" taunted the Ghost Girl, digging her fingers in between Sans's toes. "You better say sorry if you want me off your tooooooes!"

Her voice was sing-songy, and it drove Sans absolutely bonkers how much fun the invisible brats were having with them. He looked up to see the other villains' amused grins and chuckles. A deep blue blush began to decorate his own face. With the children being invisible it must have been really entertaining to see the two of them just hanging there, laughing hysterically at supposedly nothing.

An anguished squeak tore from him as she began using both hands on his right foot. One digging between his toes, the other one harshly scribbling along the balls of his feet.

"AAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!" The harsh, shrill laughter spasmed out of him as he thrashed. "AHAHAHA!! O-OKAHAHAHAY!! OKAHAHAY!! HEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!! I-I'M SOHOHOHORRY!! I'M SORRY—HEEHEEHEEHEE!! AHAHAHA!!"

It was humiliating, being tickled into saying whatever this little Ghost demon wanted. He greedily sucked in a breath as she immediately lifted her hands away from his foot to obnoxiously cheer for herself.

"Yaaaaaaaay! I win!" she shouted loudly. "Now for my prize!"

Sans's sockets flew open with panic as he felt both of her hands going after his left foot in the exact same way.

"What's wrong, Boney?" the Ghost Boy continued to tease, switching between going after his ribs and underarms to keep him guessing. "Huh? What's wrong?"

The verbal torment drove Papyrus crazy, it was utterly maddening how much this horrible child was toying with him. He wanted so badly to fly into a raging scream like Sans had done with Dropwart, but his words were lost in the unending giggles.

"What's wrong? I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong? What's wrong?"

He couldn't take it anymore, he inhaled as much oxygen as he could manage.

"YOU'RE TICKLING MEHEEHEEHEEHEE!!"

And as if it were the secret safe-phrase, the whistling echoed through the white space, pulling the Ghost Children off of their prey. They groaned and complained, but the exhausted skeletons couldn't make out a word of it. They didn't even try to fight it as Dropwart snatched the flower away from the Ghost Children and aggressively shoved it into their faces again.

The spiced aroma reignited their strength much more, but they both just hung there, mentally drained above all else. They spared each other an exhausted glance, both too overcome with strain to speak or even offer any kind of look of reassurance to the other. As the Cheshire Cat confidently approached them, Papyrus swallowed hard.

"Well, I suppose it's my turn then, isn't it?" He grinned slyly.

All of a sudden, the Tickle Monster, who had been waiting patiently for its turn, let out a loud and aggravated grumble. The Cheshire Cat turned back to look at it, his wide grin never dropping, but a look of annoyance caught in his eye.

"Oh very well, old chap. I suppose you can join me in my turn."

Excitedly, the colorful beast lumbered over to Papyrus, grunting with joy as it raised up its long claws.

"No! No! No! Wait! Please!"

Papyrus pleaded, but it was no use. The Monster lightly dug its dulled claws into the younger skeleton's underarms.

"NYAHAHAHAHA!! NOHOHOHOHO!! OHOHOHO PLEHEHEHEHEASE!! M-MAHAHAKE IT STAHAHAHAHAHAP!!” Papyrus wailed miserably.

His giggling became shrill and squeaky once more as the creature's two bushy tails slipped effortlessly under his battle body and began bristling against his ribs. Sans, meanwhile, was left to deal with the Cheshire Cat. The grinning feline lifted his front paws up to tickle at Sans's hips while his bushy tail was left to swish along the older skeleton's feet and legs.

Sans and Papyrus laughed and pulled hard against the webs, though in reality, the tickle attacks from the Monster and the Cat were a lot tamer than the attacks from their previous adversaries. Sans realized fairly quickly that the gentle tickling was leaving him plenty of oxygen to enunciate a proper plea, or even an insult. But he kept everything inside, the consequences of insulting the Ghost Girl having finally taught him how hopeless his words were.

"Oh, come ON!!" came Sky's screeching voice over the brother's giggling. "Can't you do any better than that?! They haven't even started screaming yet, and your time is almost up!"

"Oh, I'm well aware," grinned the Cheshire Cat. "You see, I'm simply warming up my food while I wait for the … seasoning … to arrive."

He let out a low chuckle as he hopped down from Sans's hips. The Tickle Monster, in turn, followed the Cat's lead and stopped tickling Papyrus. Both brothers rapidly inhaled and exhaled, but with the attack having been so light, it didn't take long for them to recover at all.

"S…. Seasoning?" Papyrus nervously stammered. "What…. What on earth do you—"

"Hellooooooooo!" came a high-pitched voice.

From just barely off in the distance, everyone could see a trail of glimmering lights floating towards the group. Sans and Papyrus froze, an unspeakable terror filling their bones with lead, they felt dizzy enough to faint. They recognized the look of these multicolored lights immediately — the fairies had returned, and they were carrying a fresh new bag filled to the brim with Tickle Dust.

"No...." Papyrus's whimpering voice caught in his throat. "No … this … this isn't happening. Sans, please tell me this isn't happening."

"Oh, it's happening, old friend," grinned the Cheshire Cat. "You've been a wonderful main course for the lot of us. But I like to think that the best part of any meal is the dessert."

The group of fairies carried their new drawstring bag down towards the Cheshire Cat.

"Sorry we're late to the party!" squeaked one of them.

"Hope we didn't keep you waiting!" chirped another.

"Oh, not at all, my dears," the Cat replied coolly. "You're just in time actually. We were all about to dig in together."

Excited smiles and cheers spread across the villainous group like wildfire. The brothers cried out in terror and began thrashing and tugging against the sticky webs harder than ever before. It was their worst nightmare come true! Everybody was coming for them! Nobody seemed to care about taking their time anymore, and now they were literally going to die laughing!

"So where do you want this?" Asked one of the fairies holding onto the drawstring. The Cat laughed evilly, he turned back to the skeletons with a maniacal look in his big green eyes.

"Their worst spots … if you please."

As the fairies rapidly flew towards them, both brothers screamed in total panic. Overlapping each other with their screeching pleas for mercy as the fairies began applying their deadly dust onto Sans's grooves, and Papyrus's hips.

For several moments the skeletons' faces were completely frozen. Their eyes were wide and wild, and their jaws were locked open as silent laughter exploded out of them. For a moment, the world around them was dizzy and silent as they struggled to draw in a gasping breath. But when they did, it didn't resemble anything close to laughter, just unhinged, desperate screaming followed by sharp spastic inhalation. The tingling overwhelmed them in an instant, it was the picture of pure unadulterated ticklish agony.

They couldn't feel the tears falling from their faces, couldn't see the amused reaction of the crowd before them, they could barely even pick up the sounds of each other as they shrieked and cachinnated. Nothing except the agonizing tickling sensation. They barely registered what was happening as the villains began to slowly circle them. Gazes wild with hunger; claws, feathers, tails, legs, and fur all raised and at the ready.

"Alright my friends," announced the Cheshire Cat proudly. "This is the moment you've all been waiting for!" His voice was disoriented and barely echoed off the white space. "On my count … ten…

...nine…

...eight…"

The world around them began to spin, the creatures of LaughterLand suddenly becoming more blurry, even through their unstoppable tears.

"...seven…

...six…

...five…"

Within a matter of seconds, everything began to swirl together like an odd painting. Unidentifiable shapes and colors flew past them like a wild and bizarre-looking hurricane. They could suddenly feel themselves drifting, though they couldn't tell which direction they were going.

"...four…

...three…

...two…"

…

Everything went silent.

17 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

*MIC DROP!*

Oh the misery! Everybody wants to be my ENEMY!! 😆

Okay but seriously though I am really impressed with those of you who figured it out right away. Hopefully I was able to string you along just a little bit with it almost being the idea of the brothers betraying each other by having to tickle each other. If not, oh well. It was a fun ride!

This chapter was reeeeeeally juicy for me. Long and exhausting as all get out, but really fun. Nothing is ever gonna be easy for these poor brothers lolz!

Also, Yosh told me that I wrote this like a tickling version of the movie 'Vile'...now I can't unsee it...thanks a lot Yosh!

(not a movie for the faint of heart and honesty.....neither is the next chapter. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED)

LaughterLand - Chapter 29: Betrayal

(story by Mod Secret, art by Mod Kitty)

“I gotcha, Sans.”

After pulling himself up onto the grassy ledge, Papyrus reached over to help pull Sans up. Once both skeletons had made it safely up onto the grass, they collapsed onto their backs, finally taking in all the air they needed to recover.

“You fellas alright?” Sky asked, looking concerned.

“Yeah … I think so…,” Papyrus breathed out.

“Just … tired…,” Sans replied. “And a little … ow … sore….”

The adrenaline having finally passed left both brothers now fully aware of how strained their bodies were. Besides feeling the leftover ache of having slammed into the wall of the ravine, they felt the lingering soreness of where the Chortlewockies had dug their claws and teeth.

Papyrus had been used to recovering from this kind of feeling after so many tickle fights with Undyne that got out of hand. But Sans laid on the ground moaning miserably as the soreness made him not want to get up again.

“It’s okay, Sans…,” Papyrus comforted, softly rubbing his brother’s shoulder. “Just breathe through it, it’ll go away.”

“Quickly now…,” Sky urged. “Looks like about twenty minutes ‘til sundown. We gotta get you through that door!”

Finally remembering why they crossed the gorge in the first place, both brothers ignored the ache in their bones and leapt to their feet. They approached the enormous ivory door, looking at it with a sense of awe. It seemed to have a heavenly glow as it reflected off the setting sunlight, which was fitting since they knew this would be the door that would lead them home.

As Sans placed his hand on the large doorknob, he looked down at Sky. The little spider still had that cheerful look on his face as he beamed at them. Sans gave him a gentle smile.

“Hey, so…,” the older skeleton began. “Thanks for … y’know, everything.”

“Oh, yes!” Papyrus agreed enthusiastically. “We couldn’t have made it out of this nightmare without you. You have all of our gratitude!”

“Aw, shucks fellas!” The little spider blushed as his gaze turned downwards. “It was nothing. Just doing what I can to help the outsiders, that’s all!”

“Well, hey,” Sans replied with a shrug. “If this door ever appears in your neck of the woods, pop in and see us sometime, yeah?”

“You betcha!” Sky nodded happily. “Now you better skedaddle before you miss your chance!”

Feeling better for having given their new friend the thanks he deserved, Sans took in a breath and twisted the knob.

It didn’t move.

Confused, Sans twisted it again. Again, it refused to move.

“What the…?”

Sans tried again and again, but the knob refused to turn. It was stuck, and they were still trapped in LaughterLand.

“Sans … what’s wrong?” Papyrus asked hesitantly.

“It…. It won’t budge.” Sans’s voice was heavy with fear. He pulled on it with both hands, but the door refused to open. Sans turned to Sky, panic flashing in his sockets. “Sky … what’s going on?”

“I … don’t know.” The little spider sounded confused. As Sans pulled his hands away, he hopped up onto the knob to inspect it. “There must be a way to open it. Lemmie take a looksee.…”

The brothers watched as he crawled around the doorknob, his many eyes carefully scanning every inch of it, unsure of what could be the problem. Finally, he crawled underneath the knob and found a tiny keyhole. Much too small for even himself to crawl through. It was in the shape of an open mouth, almost looking like it was laughing at them. Sky let out a heavy sigh, he knew what this meant.

“Well boys…,” he said as he crawled back up to the top of the doorknob. “It’s locked up tight.”

The skeletons felt their Souls begin to sink. If they couldn’t find a way to unlock the door, they would be trapped here forever.

“W-Well, can’t you just unlock it?” Papyrus offered. “Isn’t there some kind of a key?”

“Afraid not, guys.” Sky shrugged meekly. “No key is gonna open it.” He pointed down to the oddly-shaped keyhole. “See that right there? That’s a LaughterLand Lock. If you want to unlock it, I’m afraid it’ll take something other than a key.” He stared at them with a solemn look in his eyes.

“I don’t understand,” Papyrus replied, beginning to get worried. “What are you saying?”

Sans sighed deeply. He crossed his arms uncomfortably, he knew what it meant.

“I know what he’s saying,” he answered coldly. “It’s not a key that’s gonna unlock the door. It’s our laughter. And we have to feed it willingly.”

“Oh no…,” Papyrus moaned, physically sinking his body down. “This nightmare never ends, does it?”

Sky looked back up at the sun. He noticed how much further it had gone down since arriving to the other side of the gorge.

“I know it’s the last thing you fellas wanna do,” he reasoned. “But, if you get it done, it really will be the last time you’ll have to do it!”

The skeletons looked at the door, then back at each other. There was an understanding in their expressions. If they wanted to see home again, they would have to be tickled just one more time. Looking at each other, they silently agreed right then and there that they would do whatever it took to unlock the door.

“Okay….” Sans let out a heavy sigh. “How do we wanna do this?”

Papyrus bravely stepped forward holding his arms above his head. He cringed with how uncomfortable it made him feel. But he was grateful nonetheless that it would be his brother who would be eliciting the laughter out of him, rather than another adversary.

“Just make it quick, Sans,” he said nervously.

Sans hated that he had to be the one to do it. His mind immediately flooded with all of the horrors that Papyrus had already faced at the hands of LaughterLand. As he raised his hands up to go after his brother’s spine, he couldn’t help but hesitate.

“Try to hurry, son,” Sky quietly urged. “The sun is setting.”

Trying not to dwell on it any longer, Sans began scribbling his fingers along Papyrus’s spine. He was gentle, only putting as much pressure on his tickling fingers as needed to get an audible response. Papyrus immediately flinched and kicked up his feet as he giggled.

“Nyeheeheeheeheeheehee!! Hahahaha!!”

Maybe it was the fact that his journey through LaughterLand had left him feeling so raw and vulnerable, but Papyrus struggled with holding his arms up more than he thought he would. He locked his fingers together behind his skull as he continued to dance in place.

“‘Kay bro, I’m gonna move up to your ribs,” Sans gently warned as he arched his fingers. “You ready?”

“Nyahahahaha! O-O-Okay—Yeeeeheeheeheeheehee!!”

Even with the warning Papyrus couldn’t stop himself from letting out a high-pitched squeal. Sans cringed at the sound, keeping his eyes locked on the door as a distraction.

“Okay, is it unlocked now?” he asked as he hesitantly scribbled along Papyrus’s lowest rib.

“No, it’ll open all by itself,” Sky replied sadly. “You might have to try something a little rougher.”

Clenching his jaw, Sans reached up to further tickle along Papyrus’s ribs and back. Still trying not to overwhelm him, but feeling pangs of guilt for having to put his brother in such a vulnerable position again. He couldn’t help but look around, fearful that that sound of his laughter would draw attention from another unwanted predator. But thankfully, the trio were alone on the other side of the gorge.

“Nyeheeheeheeheehahahaha!! O-O-Okahahahay! Okay! Stahahahap!! Breheheheheak! Hahaha!”

Sans immediately pulled his hands back allowing Papyrus to catch his breath. Papyrus put his arms down, rapidly inhaling and exhaling.

“S…. Sorry, Sans … it was … getting hard to … breathe,” Papyrus confessed, sounding guilty.

“Hey, it’s okay bro.” Sans placed a gentle hand on his back. “We’ve been through a lot. I certainly don’t expect you to be at full strength right now.”

“The problem is, that wasn’t enough laughter to open the lock,” Sky pointed out, sounding worried. “I think you two will have to try something a little bit stronger.”

Sans sighed again, he was afraid of that. This door wasn’t going to take any small giggles, it wanted big laughs. He glanced over at Papyrus. The younger skeleton wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead as his breathing regained its normalcy. He didn’t want to put Papyrus through anymore harsh tickling, so he knew what he had to do.

“Okay, Pap, don’t hold anything back,” he said as he raised his arms up.

At first Papyrus was taken aback. But he recognized right away what Sans was doing. Big brother instincts were taking over and he was trying to protect him again. Papyrus felt a pang of guilt as he placed his arched fingers over his brother’s ribcage. He knew that Sans had been through just as much turmoil as himself. It wasn’t a good feeling to have Sans, once again, taking his place in the hot seat because he was too weak to carry on.

“Are you sure, Sans?” he asked hesitantly.

“Just do it, Papyrus.” Sans nodded adamantly.

He didn’t want to waste anymore time thinking about it, he just wanted to get it over with. Papyrus took a deep breath before scribbling his fingers into Sans’s ribs. At first, he felt the ache from the last time his ribs were dug into so harshly. But his pained expression was immediately replaced with laughter.

“Aagh! Ahahahahaha! Oh-Ohohoho jeheeheeheeheeheez! Hahahaha!!”

At Sans’s remark, Papyrus immediately pulled his hands away. Terrified that he was already going too hard on him.

“S-Sorry!” he stammered. “Too much?”

Sans gasped in response. Not just from the lack of air, but also from the concern that Papyrus had stopped too quickly. He knew they weren’t going to get anywhere if they kept pausing for breaks.

“No! No! Pap, keep going. I can take it, I promise.”

He tried to brace before Papyrus got back to it, but was caught off guard when he felt his brother’s fingers starting to scribble along the bottom part of his bare ribs. He had nearly forgotten that one of the Chortlewockies had ripped his shirt in half during the scuffle. He nearly buckled as he felt ticklish sensation dancing along his bare bones.

“Agh!! Agaahahahahahaha!! P-Pahahaha…!! Ahahahahaha!!”

Locking his fingers behind his head, he decided to silence any form of begging in case it caused Papyrus to feel guilty enough to stop again. Though he did purposefully try to make his laughter louder and more boisterous in an effort to try and get the door open faster.

"Ohh … sorry, brother." Through pangs of guilt, Papyrus raised his wriggling fingers up to a higher spot on his ribcage and began digging his fingers through the in-between spaces.

"AAGH!! Ahahahahaha!! Oh no—Aaahahahaha...!!"

Sans had no trouble keeping up the volume of his laughter for this. As he danced in place and locked his fingers tighter and tighter, he erupted with bursts of frantic laughter intermixed with snorting spells.

"That's it, Sans," Papyrus quietly encouraged. "Just hold on a little bit longer."

The younger skeleton peered up at the door, to his dismay it still hadn't opened even a crack. He knew this meant that he had to go for an even worse spot. He didn't want to, he already felt horrible enough for forcing Sans to bear through his snorting spot. But he remembered what Sans had said about not holding back. He took in a breath.

"I'm sorry, Sans." He raised his voice to be heard over his brother's cackling. "I have to go a little higher, just … hang on…."

Trying to get it over with quickly, he practically jammed his fingers into Sans underarms, tickling fast and hard.

"AAAAGH!! AHAHAHAHA!! OHOHOHO NOHOHOHO!! AAH!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Sans didn't know what happened, but he instantaneously felt a loss of control and clamped his arms down tightly. Papyrus still managed to keep his fingers wriggling deeper into the poor skeleton's hollows, so all Sans really accomplished was trapping his brother's fingers into his horrible sweet spot. He tried to find the will to lift his arms back up, but the insanity had almost locked his arms down against his will. He fell over onto his bottom, laughing hysterically and dragging Papyrus down with him.

Papyrus almost laughed in spite of himself. If they weren't still in such a high-stakes position at the moment, it almost looked like their usual form of sibling japery. But no matter how much Papyrus kept tickling him, the door still didn't budge, though he could have sworn he saw the frame itself shake a little. As Sans devolved into near-silent squeaky laughter, Papyrus knew it was time to stop. He pulled his hands out, allowing Sans to catch his breath on the ground.

"Are you alright, brother?" Papyrus asked nervously. "I'm sorry … if I went too far that time."

For a few moments, Sans didn't answer as he breathed in heavily. Though he gave Papyrus the reassurance he needed by nodding and looking up at him with a weary look of certainty. Once he managed to shake off the tingling, he sat up to gaze at the door. Despite all of that effort, it still didn't open an inch.

"Oh jeez…," Sans muttered after a groan. "Now what do we do?"

"Well…," Sky finally spoke up. "I wonder if it's because … well…." He seemed unsure of how to put it into words.

"What is it?" Papyrus implored. "We'll try anything!"

"I don't think the lock will take to any … 'safe tickling' so to speak." He held up two of his front legs to make air quotes for emphasis.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sans asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well lemmie put it this way…," Sky explained. "Your laughter has a different sound and feel to it when you're tickled by … someone or something that you're unfamiliar with. When you two tickle each other, there is a sense of danger there, but the sense of trust that you have in each other is going to completely override the panic you would have in your laughter otherwise. Does that make sense?"

"Hang on...." Sans held up his hands, finally getting a grasp on the situation. "So you're telling me, this stupid lock not only wants us to get tickled AGAIN, but wants to put us in serious danger while doing it?"

"Wowie…." Papyrus sighed as he lifted a hand to his skull to gently massage his temple. "Who knew tickling could be so complicated?"

Sky looked back up at the sun, then back to the brothers with anxious eyes. He knew they were running out of time as well as options.

"Look fellas, I know we're not exactly enemies … and I'm not really keen on the idea myself … but if you let me, I can probably tickle you just enough to get the door unlocked."

Sans and Papyrus looked at each other. Much like Sky, they didn't really want to ask for help with this kind of thing. Besides it being embarrassing and uncomfortable as all get-out, neither of them were entirely sure how much experience a non-laughter-eater in this place could offer.

"What do you think, Sans?" Papyrus asked meekly. "I mean … we're not really getting anywhere with each other."

Sans nodded, knowing that there was no other way forward. He didn't know how many more times he could convince himself that this would for sure be the 'last obstacle' before they were home free. But he hoped with all his Soul that this would be it.

"Okay," he sighed. "Do it."

Without another word, Sky approached Papyrus and immediately started crawling up his left leg. Papyrus shivered as the felt the little spider's tingly legs moving quickly without so much of a warning.

"A-Agh! Aheeheeheehee!!" Papyrus was already giggling, he just couldn't help it.

"I'm gonna start with you since he needs a little time to recover," Sky explained as he made it onto Papyrus's hips.

Papyrus instinctively clamped his hands over his mouth as the spider was dangerously close to his secret sweet spot. But quickly removed his hands, remembering that his laughter was crucial to the plan.

"Whatever you do, try to hold still." Sky gave one last instruction before crawling up Papyrus's spine and disappearing into the top of his battle body.

"NYAAAGH!! NYAHAHAHAHAHA!! OHOHOHOHO NO!! THAT—WAHAHAHAHA!! THAHAHAHAT—THAT REHEHEHEALLY TIHIHICKLES!! AHAHAHAHA!!"

As Sky proceeded to climb up and down Papyrus's back and ribcage, the younger skeleton let out a shocked squeal. He didn't expect the little spider to be such a good tickler, especially given that he didn't partake in the consumption of laughter. Sky wasted no time skittering across every single rib bone several times over, even weaving himself through the in-between spaces, making Papyrus shriek and squirm.

"NYAHAHAHAHA!! OHOHOHO MY—AHAHA!! OH MY GAHAHAHAHASH!! IT-IHIHIHIT'S—AAGH!! IHIHIHIT'S REHEHEHEALLY AWFUL!! PLEAEHEHEASE!!"

Sans could do nothing except shift his gaze between his squirming brother and the door, now looking like it was actually starting to tremble. A small spark of hope ignited in his Soul as he noticed the movement, as bad as he felt for Papyrus he was starting feel better about their chances to make it through to the other side.

"Hey! Hold still out there!"

Sky's muffled voice immediately drew Sans's gaze back towards his brother. Papyrus was doubled over, trembling as he rocked back and forth on his heels and toes. His arms were crossed over the front of his battle body and he was gripping onto the fabric tightly in an effort to relieve the horrible tickling sensations. Though it was clear that Papyrus was giving Sky a harder time with the tickling treatment, squeaky laughter still pounded out of the skeleton as his face became bright orange with stress.

"Whoa! You're jostling around too much, son!" Sky sounded shaken up as Papyrus accidentally lurched too far forward in his squirming. "You gotta keep your hands away, or I'm not gonna get very far!"

As Papyrus managed to alleviate Sky's tickle attacks in the only way he could, Sans noticed with horror that the door had ceased its movement. Once again, it stood still and lifeless before them. Papyrus didn't even realize what he was doing, he had been so consumed with fighting off the horrid sensation that had plagued him since this horrible journey began. He didn't even realize that they had no time for him to try and defend himself. Sans noticed Papyrus straining to force his hands away. But just like with himself and the underarm tickling, rationality was completely overrun by his body's desperate need to defend himself. Sans knew what he had to do.

Steeling himself, he grabbed ahold of Papyrus's wrists and forced them down, leaving him wide open and defenseless.

"NYAAAHAHAHAHA!! S-SAHAHAHAHANS!! HAHAHAHA!! W-WHAHAHAT ARE YOU DOHOHOHOING?! AHAHAHAHA!!" Papyrus shrieked.

In his hysteria he had momentarily forgotten what was happening, his mind only consumed with the thought of escaping. Sans fought back the pang of guilt as he held his brother down. This simple act went against his deeply rooted big brother instincts to keep Papyrus safe from harm. He turned his focus back to the door as it began to shake again. The movement was subtle, even in spite of Papyrus howling in desperation. But it was enough to tell Sans that despite the guilt, he was doing the right thing.

"It's okay, Pap!" He wasn't sure if he was trying to reassure his brother or himself. "It'll be okay, just keep laughing!"

Papyrus reluctantly obeyed, though he couldn't stop himself from tugging against Sans out of reflex. He let out a new series of panicked shrieking as he felt Sky frantically stuttering down his spine to begin scratching along his kneecaps and legs. His legs were so spindly, almost sharp, but they tickled badly! Especially when he tried to tickle along the back of the younger skeleton's knees and travel up his femurs. Papyrus threw his head back, nearly on the brink of silent laughter. He tried so hard to keep his feet still, but ended up stamping and kicking the one that Sky had left alone.

The door hadn't changed its pace, the shaking was still subtle and it still remained closed. Noticing this, Sky suddenly jumped down from Papyrus's leg. As the younger skeleton finally took in a harsh breath, the door stopped trembling and remained still once more. Sans gave him a look of shock and confusion.

"Hey, why'd you stop?" Sans questioned as he released his brother's wrists.

"It's still not budging," Sky fretted nervously. "We need something stronger."

Sans looked at the locked door, then back at Papyrus. The younger skeleton quickly wiped away tears that were forming in his sockets. Sans knew that he didn't have any energy left for another tickle attack, and they didn't have time for him to recover. It was his turn. He just couldn't believe what he was about to say out loud. He took a step in front of Papyrus and sat down on the ground with his arms stretched over his head, a look of determination on his face.

"S-Sans … what are you … doing?" Papyrus breathed heavily.

"This way you won't be thrown off your game if I end up toppling over." Sans said facing Sky. The little spider nodded his head in understanding. Sans turned his head to face Papyrus. "Pap, do you think you can hold onto both my wrists with one hand?" He could already feel the warm tingle of a blue blush as his brother stared back at him in confusion.

"I-I suppose so … but … why?" Papyrus asked, his breath slowly regaining its normal pace.

"Because he's gonna need your help." Sans faced away as the warmth consumed his face. He honestly couldn't believe he was saying this so seriously. It was embarrassing and strange, but again, they were out of options. "He'll have to take … one underarm … and you take the other."

He almost couldn't say it, it was such an out-of-body experience. He just couldn't put into words how bizzare it was to be asking his brother and someone they just barely met to hold him down and tickle one of his worst spots. Taken aback by Sans's extreme request, Papyrus attempted to refuse.

"Sans, I-I don't want to—"

"Pap, just do it!"

Sans abruptly snapped. He didn't want to talk about it anymore than he had to. He just wanted to get it over with.

"We don't have time to waste worrying about my sanity. If that door closes, we'll be up against way worse than what we're doing now. Don't think about it, okay? Just do it." He shut his sockets tightly. Bracing, but also silently praying that his brother would swallow his hesitation and get on with it.

"He's right!" Sky added as he crawled up to Sans's hip. "I can't do it alone, you have to help me."

Papyrus's insides churned with worry. He didn't want to hurt Sans, or end up pushing him past the point of insanity. In his mind, that made him no worse than any of the other horrible creatures of this world. But when Sans looked back at him with pleading eyes, Papyrus knew that he had to put his faith in his big brother. That even though it was going to be unpleasant, Sans's laughter was going to unlock the door and get them home. It would all be worth it.

Without allowing another doubt into his mind, Papyrus gripped onto Sans's wrists with his left hand. It was difficult to reach around, but he managed to secure his brother firmly enough to keep him from pulling free. He then dug the fingers of his right hand deep into Sans's exposed hollow. Tickling, scribbling, swirling, and every motion he knew that would drive his brother bonkers.

"WAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!! AHAHAHA!! NOHOHOHOHOHOHO!! AHAHAHAHA!!"

Despite knowing exactly what he had agreed to, Sans still couldn't stop himself from begging and squirming for dear life as the terrible spot was toyed with. After seeing Papyrus finally committing to what had to be done, Sky immediately traveled his way up Sans ribs to join in the underarm tickling. Sans let out a surprisingly high-pitched squeal upon feeling the sharp tingling of Sky traveling up his ribs. But as the little spider secured himself to his opposite underarm, the squealing was replaced with frenzied screams and cachinnating.

"AAAAAAGGGHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! NOHOHOHOHOHOHO!! NOHOHOHO!! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE STAHAHAHAHAP!!"

He was only half-sincere in his begging, he knew that they couldn't stop no matter how much they wanted to. The tickling under his arms was absolutely horrid! He wanted nothing more than to pull his arms down and roll away. But true to his word, Papyrus kept his arms perfectly upright and unbending. The poor skeleton could already feel warm tears sliding down his cheekbones as he laughed and struggled with all his might.

"I'm sorry, Sans! I'm so sorry!" Papyrus profusely apologized.

But contrary to his words, he kept the harsh tickling going strong. Not stopping even with the added noise of Sans's frantic pleading. Sky, too, was using all eight of his legs to scratch and scribble mercilessly along his underarm. Following Papyrus's lead, he tried to silently instruct every one of his appendages to use a different tickling method in order to draw out the most laughter from the hysterical skeleton.

Two legs were poking around, another two were swirling in circles, while another pair was harshly scribbling, leaving the last two to slowly trace up and down. It was a mental struggle to say the least. But one that seemed to be working as Sans harshly screamed as a result of the horrifically ticklish techniques.

"Can you see the door?" Sky called to Papyrus through the fabric of Sans's sleeve.

Papyrus looked up at the door. Sure enough, it was beginning to shake again, this time even stronger than before.

"It's working!" Papyrus cheered. He turned to Sans to give him the good news, but was mindful to keep the tickling up so they didn't lose any progress. "Sans! It's working, brother! You're doing great!"

Sans almost seemed to have not heard Papyrus's joyful announcement. He threw his tear-stained head back as a mixture of harsh laughter and subtle sobs poured out of him. His knees were kicking up frantically and he pulled harder and harder on his wrists, nearly throwing Papyrus off-balance.

"AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! PLEAEHEHEASE!! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE STAHAHAHAHAP!! I-I-HEEHEEHEE CAHAHAHAN'T!! I CAHAHAAN'T TAHAHAHAHAKE IHIHIHIHIT!! AHAHAHAHA!!" Sans screamed loudly.

As to be expected, the insanity overtook his mind and all he knew was that he desperately wanted it to stop.

"PLEHEHEHEHEEEEEEASE!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! PLEASE PAPYRUHAHAHAHAHA...!!"

He opened his teary eyes to give Papyrus a look of utter desperation. His pupils were reduced to tiny pinpricks, it broke Papyrus's heart that he was putting him through so much torture.

"I…. I'm sorry, Sans!" He apologized even louder to be heard over his brother's screeching. "L-Look! Look at the door!" He tried his best to distract him through the ticklish torment. "See it shaking? We're almost there, brother! Don't give up! You're gonna get us out of this!"

"Wait! You mean it's STILL not opening yet?" Sky shouted from beneath Sans's sleeve.

"No … just a lot of shaking!" Papyrus called back. "But it's getting there, I know it is!"

"AHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!! PLEAEHEHEASE!! I-I CAHAHAHAN'T DOHOHOHOHO IHIHIHIT!!" Sans wailed miserably, sobs wracking through his useless pleas and guffaws.

Sky paused in his tickling to peek out from the end of Sans's sleeve. Just as Papyrus had said, the door was still shaking, but it wasn't yet unlocked. He recognized right away that even with the two of them going after one of Sans's worst spots, it still wasn't going to be enough laughter to open the door. He crawled out of Sans's shirt and lowered himself to the ground. Once Papyrus noticed the little spider no longer tickling Sans he stopped in turn to stare at him with confusion.

"Wh-What's going on?" he stammered nervously.

"Give him a break son, let him breathe." Sky replied gently.

Immediately Papyrus released Sans. The older skeleton fell backwards onto the grass, greedily inhaling mouthfuls of air and exhaling with lingering sobs as they came to a halt.

"Sans, I…. I'm so, so sorry," Papyrus said softly as he crouched down next to him.

Sans could barely speak as he caught his breath, he placed a trembling hand onto Papyrus's knee, hoping that that would be enough to reassure him that he was okay.

"It's still not enough," Sky lamented, sounding defeated. "We hit it with a really strong tickling attack, but it STILL wasn't enough."

Sans and Papyrus glanced at each other again. This time, a look of total despair decorated their faces. It felt so hopeless, even driving themselves to the brink of insanity wasn't going to be enough to make it through. They were going to be stuck here forever. Sky turned back towards them, looking sympathetic.

"I don't suppose you fellas have any worse spots on ya?" he offered pathetically.

Then it dawned on the two of them. Out of all of their intense tickle spots, their secret ones had been the main source of most of their misery. The idea of willingly exposing them to be tickled was unbearable enough. They looked back up at the sun, it had finally reached the highest hilltops out in the distance and was steadily sinking. This was it, it was now or never.

"I do," Sans admitted, his voice cracking from the strain in his voice.

"Sans, no!!" Papyrus shouted boldly, Sans was surprised by the firmness in his brother's tone. "You've already been through enough, it should be me."

Sans attempted to protest, but was quickly stopped by the urge to cough. "N-No...!" He weakly spat out before the cough took his voice.

"Sans." Papyrus bent down further to meet his brother face-to-face. His expression was a serious one, something the Sans wasn't used to seeing on his usually optimistic brother. "It is MY TURN." He said it so firmly, so much weight in his words. Not one ounce of his usual exaggeration whenever he would normally try and get a point across.

"Brother, you have taken the brunt of so many of my shortcomings. Please. Just let me take this one. You don't have to protect me anymore, Sans, I can do it."

Sans just laid there speechless in the grass. He knew that he couldn't talk Papyrus out of this, and while he was worried beyond all measure for his brother's well-being, and sense of pride was welling up within him. His little brother had come so far in this strange and bizarre world they were trapped in, he just wished that he had to vocal strength to tell him how proud he was of him.

"I don't know…," Sky finally spoke up. "I'm starting to think that even if we went after your worst possible spot, there's a chance that it won't be enough. We don't really have time to explore anything different if that turns out to be the case."

"Well, we have to try," Papyrus said adamantly. "Even if it doesn't work, The Great Papyrus is prepared to go down fighting!"

In that moment, Sans began to feel that sense of pride he had for his brother expanding past his chest. Seeing Papyrus stand tall and brave amid the despair, ready to face anything and everything, suddenly gave the older skeleton the drive to stand back up on his feet. He was still shaky, he wobbled as gravity tempted him to fall back down. But he shook it off as he stood next to Papyrus.

"Then we'll … do it together."

He breathed out heavily. Papyrus turned to give Sans a look of concern, but Sans immediately returned with the same look of certainty he had given him earlier.

"I'm not gonna let you do this alone, bro."

With a firm expression of understanding between the two of them they turned back to Sky.

"How about it, Skyder?" Sans asked wearily. "Think you can find a way to get us both at the same time?"

"I think … I might know a way," Sky replied thoughtfully.

It took several minutes of planning, and a lot of work on the little spider's part, but at last he came up with a workable system. The brothers sat side by side on the grass with their hands and feet secured to the ground thanks to an extra sticky web binding provided by Sky.

He stood between them, having meticulously spun a soft and delicate string of web around and between the grooves of Sans's back. The motion drew out sharp gasps and strained squeals from the older skeleton, but thanks to the sticky binding, he wasn't able to move around and mess up the process. After the web was strung through Sans's sweet spot, Sky proceeded to wrap it around Papyrus's hips. As the delicate thread wound itself around the area where his hips and spine met, he, too, erupted with frantic giggles and squeaks.

By the time it was all put together, the sun was halfway past the hills, but they were ready. Sky's thread had successfully made a large loop that spun through both brother's sweet spots. Now all he had to do was pull to keep it spinning, leaving the motion of the soft thread to tickle the helpless skeletons.

"Ten minutes 'til sundown!" he called nervously. "You boys ready?"

Sans and Papyrus took one last nervous look at each other. This was going to be a rough ride, but as long as they did it together, they somehow knew that it was going to be alright. They nodded.

"Okay! Here goes!"

Sky tugged at the string with all of his might. The soft little whirlwind spun around and around, endlessly brushing and swishing through the brother's secret sweet spots. They were overwhelmed with screaming laughter instantaneously. It took no time before they began helplessly pulling against the webs. Shrieking and clawing into the ground as the howled and guffawed and shrieked and sobbed all at once. It was so unbelievably ticklish! It was all-consuming and endless.

Although the delicate thread had only been vibrating against one spot, it had almost felt like the tingling was spreading throughout their entire nervous systems. No matter how hard they thrashed, they could not wriggle away from it. Bright blue and orange tears began scattering in every direction as their heads violently shook. Sky had a hard time dodging the oversized droplets as he pulled on the web.

At last the ivory door began shaking harder than ever before. It vibrated the ground below them, although the brothers couldn't even tell from how frantically they were trying to kick up their legs.

"That's it!" Sky called. "This is gonna do it!!"

He used all of his legs to pull faster and faster. For a moment, both skeletons were spiraling into a fit of silent laughter. Their heads swam with desperation as they struggled to draw in a gasping breath. Noticing this immediately, Sky let up on the speed of the thread.

"Come on, fellas!" he urged. "Don't go quiet on me now, you're almost there! Breathe!!"

And by some kind of miracle, the skeletons gained just enough energy to inhale deep enough to let out one final scream.

WHOOSH!!

There was a burst of light followed by an abrupt gust of wind. Sky immediately released the thread and jumped down to the ground. Thinking fast, he raced over to the four sticky webs that held down the brother's hands and feet. One by one he pulled them off with lightning speed, finally freeing them from the earth.

"It's open!" he yelled frantically. "Come on, boys! Now's your chance!"

For a moment, Sans and Papyrus didn't move, they were too dazed and breathless to even realize what was happening.

"Come on, you guys!" Sky screamed at the top of his lungs. "It's almost sunset! You have to get outta here!"

Finally, Sans managed to blink through the confusion, though the blinding light from the door made it difficult to see. But once his vision adjusted, his Soul nearly leapt out of his trembling ribcage. The door was open! They did it! He quickly glanced over at the sun, it was almost gone! They had to make a break for it before it was too late!

"PAP!!" Sans screamed in spite of the pain in his throat.

Papyrus, too, was in the process of shaking himself out of the daze.

"S…. Sans?" He muttered weakly.

Sans knew there was no time left, thinking fast, he leapt to his feet and scooped up Papyrus in his arms. The younger skeleton let out a startled yelp at the sudden shift in gravity. Adrenaline raced through Sans’s bones, immediately masking the soreness that would have otherwise plagued his body. He took off running for the door. To his horror it was slowly beginning to close as the sun continued to descend.

"Run!!" Sky screamed. "Keep running!! Don't look back!!"

Just as they were a few feet from the exit, Sans made a leap for it. Almost in slow motion, he managed to throw Papyrus through the doorframe while in mid-air. Papyrus landed with a hard THUMP into the door, with Sans falling flat onto his front just outside of it.

Quickly, the brothers scrambled for each other. They clawed across the floor, reaching for each other's hands. At last, Papyrus leaned forward, barely catching himself before falling over. He grasped onto Sans's wrists with all of his might and yanked him through the door with every ounce of strength he had left. They landed on top of each other just as the door closed behind them, leaving behind the colorful world of LaughterLand with a loud BANG!

For several moments they both just laid there, taking it all in. The world around them was pure white and eerily silent. Nothing could be heard, save for their heavy breathing. At last, after what felt like an eternity, they both sat up to look around. The door was still there behind them, but that was the only physical thing they could see. All around them was nothing but white. White sky, white ground, white everything.

"This seems … familiar?" Papyrus finally spoke.

"Y-Yeah," Sans stammered. "I think … this might be where … we came in."

At last, he remembered, this was exactly where they had first entered LaughterLand. The place where they met the Ghost Children, the place where this nightmare began. Wearily, the skeletons helped each other up. They looked around, attempting to brush themselves off.

"Okay..." Papyrus breathed out. "Where do we go from here?"

Suddenly from out of nowhere, a deep, familiar sounding voice echoed off the walls of the white space.

"Oh, I'm afraid you aren't going anywhere."

The brothers practically leapt off of the ground in fear. Their Souls pounded against their bones and they trembled.

"Sans, look!"

Papyrus pointed a trembling finger just ahead of them. There was a figure in the distance, it was walking directly towards them. It was short, it appeared to be walking on four legs. It didn't take long before Sans began to notice other figures starting to appear from the distance and were rapidly making their way towards the nervous skeletons. They froze in terror, not knowing what to expect. Too scared to wonder out loud just who or what was surrounding them this time. As their images became clearer and clearer, the skeletons nearly dropped to the ground in shock.

Denial flooded their minds. It couldn't be! There's no way it could be possible! This can't be real! The Cheshire Cat stepped forward, his sharp-toothed grin now glistening brighter than ever.

"Good evening, gentlemen," he said in his low, posh tone.

Behind him followed the loud and lumbering footsteps of the Tickle Monster, it growled with delight upon seeing them. Dropwart appeared soon after, followed by her pet snakes. Two shadows appeared off to the side, and the brothers knew instantly that they belonged to the Ghost Children.

"Sorry, fellas," came a small voice from the door.

The brothers dared to turn away from their horde of adversaries to see Sky standing in front of the door with a cocky look in his many eyes.

"Nothing personal."

34 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

JUST A QUICK NOTE ABOUT THE MISSING ART!!

Yosh's computer has been giving her fits for a number of weeks now, and unfortunately since my laptop was busted back in July, we both rely solely on her drawing tablet. So pictures will be coming a little bit off-schedule. But we promise we'll do our best to make them happen, thank you for your patience!!

This chapter was INSANELY difficult for me. We all sat down to decipher the original Jabberwocky poem. Trying to figure out exactly what it was saying and how we could twist it to make it sound like it was meant for our Chortlewocky counterpart. (No you will NEVER convince me that Lewis Carroll wasn't high as a kite when he wrote all of this) it was tough, but thankfully we had an AMAZING fourth party come in to help us. tscharna wrote the majority of the Chortlewocky poem, she's seriously so gifted with words, I was blown away! Y'all better show her some love, seriously.

I definitely knew that I wanted the Chortlewocky to be different from the other baddies and monsters, just because of how feral and aggressive it is. It's not gonna take time to tease or map out your worst spots. All it knows is just attack and feed.

Fun fact! A lot of the original Jabberwocky poem is nonsense words, but we did end up getting the word "chortle" thanks to that piece of literature. I swear to God I had no idea that was true until after I named the Chortlewocky. Talk about a full-circle moment.

LaughterLand - Chapter 28: Hold On

(story by Mod Secret, art delayed by technical difficulties, poem collaboration with the help of @tscharna based off The Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll)

"Come on! Don't look up!" Sans breathlessly called, making sure Papyrus was right beside him as they ran.

"This way!"

Sky tugged on the right side of the older skeleton's shirt collar, ensuring that they were headed in the right direction out of the floral forest. All around them, they could hear the sweet voices of the giant flowers popping up, trying to beckon the brothers to come join them. The skeletons kept their gaze glued to the ground as they ran.

"How … much … farther?" Papyrus panted heavily. Such intense jogging after going through such a brutal tickle attack was starting to get the better of him.

"Not long now!" Even Sky's cheery demeanor was starting to grow worried. "In fact, I think…."

He trailed off, growing quiet as he peered ahead with squinting eyes. Within a moment, Sans felt his spindly legs fight as he responded with a frightened voice.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hold on! Wait!”

They suddenly flew out of the enormous garden. Sans forced his body to come to a screeching halt just as he noticed the ground disappearing before him. He drew in a petrified gasp as he saw his toes dangling over the edge of a monstrous chasm. Shockwaves of panic surged through his system as he practically stumbled over his feet to back away from the edge.

“OOF—!”

He gasped again as Papyrus accidentally slammed into him on his own way out of the floral forest. Thankfully, Sans — in a momentary fit of panic — launched his body backwards once he felt his brother colliding against him. They both toppled over onto the dirt, frazzled, but unharmed.

They both took a moment to catch their breath, fear practically causing their bones to pulsate as they stared with shock and awe at the size of the massive gorge. It was even bigger and steeper than the one they had come across after their encounter with the Tickle Monster. They peered over the edge and stared into a deep, dark abyss. It seemed to go on and on forever until sunlight no longer had any effect on the distance it traveled. From what they could see, the edges of the cliff were covered with jagged rocks, sharp thorns, and rotting moss. It was a jarring contrast to the bright and overly-colorful world they had known to be LaughterLand. This single terrifying chasm almost made them feel as though they were in a completely different world.

“Whew! You sure know how to save yourself, don’tcha?” Sky breathlessly observed as he crawled back onto the top of Sans’s shoulder. He had barely ducked out of the way just as Papyrus collided into them. After ensuring both brothers were alright, the little spider hopped down to the ground and peered across the gorge, pointing with one of his front legs.

“There!” he called. “The big white door!”

The skeletons shielded their eyes from the sunlight and turned their gazes to where the spider was pointing. Sure enough, on the other side of the ravine was an enormous ivory white door, reaching up to fifty feet tall and glistening in the setting sun. It was a long distance away, even longer than the Haunted House had been before. What was worse was that there was no rope bridge connecting the brothers to the other side.

“How are we supposed to get over there?” Papyrus questioned nervously, though there was a marvel in his tone from how impressive the distance was.

“Can we go around?” Sans looked to his right where he was hopeful to see a solid path around the gorge. But all that lay on the opposite sides of them were more giant flowers off in the distance.

“Afraid not, fellas,” Sky replied. “Besides running into those teasing flowers, it would probably take you all night to go around this whole thing. And trust me, LaughterLand is not the place you two wanna be when it gets dark.”

Papyrus couldn’t help but shiver. The thought of even more terrifying tickling creatures out to pursue them made him tremble with nervousness. He looked back at the faraway door, silently pleading for there to be an easier way to get to it and get back home.

“Okay….” Sans let out a heavy sigh. “How long until it disappears?”

Sky looked up at the sun. It was clear to see since no other clouds were decorating the sky, save for the occasional storm cloud rolling past.

“Until sunset,” he replied with an unnatural certainty in his voice. “That’s when the door will vanish and reappear somewhere different in LaughterLand. After that, it’ll be nearly impossible to find again.” He let out a puff of air as he gazed upwards once more. “Again, I had really hoped I could make this easier by lassoing a cloud for a ride. But … I suppose we’ll just have to try something else.”

Sans looked upwards in turn, he spotted the dark storm cloud and looked back down at the little green spider quizzically.

“So I’m guessing hitching a ride on the dark ones is gonna be a no?”

Papyrus put a heavy hand on his brother’s shoulder. Sans looked back to see the younger skeleton with an unusually dark expression on his face as he shook his head back and forth.

Sans looked back at Sky, noticing the little spider positioning himself onto a nearby boulder that was dangerously close to the edge. Sans took in a breath. He was fearful to ask, almost certain that he already knew the answer.

“So … how do we get across?”

His voice faltered as he noticed Sky aggressively tying up the boulder in his thick, sticky web. Almost as if he were wrapping up a giant bug for dinner. With the thick string still effortlessly spinning from his abdomen, Sky tied one end into another lasso. He reeled back with the sticky loop in hand, letting out a harsh grunt as he flung it across the chasm.

The brothers watched on in amazement as the lasso seemed to fly without any consideration for gravity, as if it were floating on some invisible breeze that was effortlessly carrying it across the treacherous gorge. It took no time at all before it reached its target, the branch of a tree that had been standing just off to the side of the ivory door. Sky gave the string a good, steady tug before securing the tail end of the web to the boulder, now thoroughly coated in the sticky substance.

He experimentally crawled along the long thread that was now secured across the enormous gap, testing its endurance as well as its sturdiness. As Sans watched the little arachnid making his careful trek along the web, a sinking feeling of dread was starting to gather in his bones. He desperately hoped that this didn’t mean what he thought it meant.

“Well, it’s no express elevator,” Sky commented as he started crawling back towards them. “But it’ll get you across, no problem.

“Y-You want us to … CLIMB across that thing?” Papyrus’s nervous stuttering caused Sans to look down into the abyss a second time. His head swam with a dizzying panic seeing just how high up they were.

“We’ll take it as slow as we can,” Sky reassured them. “But keep in mind, we’ve only got until sunset, so we can’t linger for too long.”

“There’s no way…,” Sans muttered, his voice was hushed with fear.

Going across a rickety bridge was one thing, but dangling over a massive ravine relying only on his upper arm strength to stop him from falling? It was just too crazy. Papyrus, in turn, could feel his own bones rattling with anxiety. His fear of heights didn’t even compare to Sans’s level of intimidation, but even he had to admit it felt like too daunting of a task.

“But … it’s so far across,” the younger skeleton fretted. “How would we even keep up that kind of strength?”

“Oh! Not to worry, boys!” Sky’s tone perked up as he demonstrated the strength of the web by crawling underneath it. “This is a special kind of sticky, right here. Even if your strength gives out, it’ll still keep you hanging onto the web.”

The skeletons looked at each other, then back to Sky nervously. They weren’t entirely sure if they should believe it or not. Especially given how small Sky was compared to them. How could he possibly know that the web would hold all three of them?

“Just give it a try!” Sky insisted. “We don’t have a whole lot of time left, anyways. So we’d better get moving soon!”

Papyrus exhaled shakily. He inched his toes towards the edge of the cliff, swallowing hard as he gripped onto the string with both hands. Sure enough, he could feel the sticky residue grabbing onto him tightly, even through the red gloves. It took a considerable amount of effort in order to pull off one hand, but eventually, Papyrus felt comfortable enough to step off the edge.

Sans’s Soul leapt into his throat as he watched his brother’s body leave the safety of the edge. He didn’t even realize how tightly he was holding his breath until he saw Papyrus dangling effortlessly above the ravine.

Papyrus exhaled again, this time his breath sounding like a mixture of mild relief as well as stunned disbelief. “Sans, it works!” he exclaimed. There was still an anxious energy to his tone, but he clearly had felt better about relying on the sky spider’s sticky web. He bravely pulled another hand off the web to move further down the thread. “I’m hardly even holding on, brother! It’s safe, I promise!”

Papyrus turned his head to give Sans a look of reassurance. Though, even from the space where he was dangling, he could still hear his brother's teeth chatter.

"Come on, Sans! You can do it!" Papyrus called out to him.

"Come on!" Sky joined in the reassurance. "You're almost home! You just gotta make it across!"

Sans took in a shaky breath, trying to let the image of home give him the boost of bravery he needed. He just had to make it across the chasm. Just hold on for dear life one last time. Thoughts of all he wanted to do as soon as he reached the Underground filled his mind as he took a trembling step forward. He could almost taste the freshly stocked ketchup at Grillby's, feel the coziness of his favorite napping place at his sentry station. But more than anything, all he craved was the simple pleasure of annoying his brother with his horrible jokes, and laughing for all the right reasons — both with him and at him.

Before he even realized it, he had grasped onto the web, feeling the sticky residue immediately start gluing itself to his hands. He hesitated as he stood inching over the edge of the cliff, staring down into the dark nothingness.

"That's it, brother. You're almost there," Papyrus quietly encouraged him. He was careful not to raise his voice for fear of startling Sans in this delicate state he was in.

Knowing he had no other option, Sans inhaled sharply and allowed his feet to slip off the edge of the cliff. He let out a panicked scream as he felt his feet succumb to gravity and gripped onto the sticky thread with all of his might.

After daring to peek open one socket, he realized just how firm the substance of the web was holding onto him. He hesitantly relaxed his fingers enough to let the tacky residue do most of the work in keeping him elevated. The sight of the darkness below still caused him a great deal of anxiety, but as he allowed his fingers to relax more and more, he was slowly gaining a sense of confidence.

“Well done, Sans!” Papyrus cheered, once he realized that Sans was going to be alright.

“Come on, fellas!” Sky called, turning to head towards the other end. “We don’t have too much time, let’s get you through that door and on your way outta here!”

Papyrus pulled an arm off the web to follow after the little spider. It took Sans a lot of effort, but he managed to pull his own hand off of the thread. He gasped as he instantly felt gravity take hold of it again, but immediately started following after his brother by placing his hand back and climbing along.

It took them a long time to reach the halfway point of the long string. Sky had to continuously stop to make sure they were still right behind him. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to mind. As he turned to wait for them he began humming a jaunty little melody to himself. The skeletons had to keep spending their energy pulling their hands off the sticky substance in order to keep moving forward. While Papyrus had gotten used to their perilous journey, Sans couldn’t keep his Soul from thumping every time he moved forward to catch up. He tried to distract himself by looking up at how close they were to the ivory door.

“Hey Skyder…,” Sans breathed out, “I’ve been … meaning to ask….” It was difficult for the older skeleton to get his words out as he kept swinging his body forward. “What did you … tell your Auntie … that made her … let us go?”

“Well…,” Sky replied with a nervous-sounding chuckle. “I actually convinced her that I had managed to catch an even bigger meal that would feed her and the kids.”

“Oof, how are you … gonna pull that off?” Sans panted.

“Oh I don’t know,” Sky shrugged casually, still keeping his cheerful demeanor. “I guess I’ll just have to tell her that it got away.”

“Well … while I don’t … condone the practice of … being untruthful….” Papyrus stopped to take in a breath; this was far more exhausting than he had anticipated. “We certainly … appreciate … you pulling us … out of there!”

“Yeah…,” Sans agreed. “Hopefully … she won’t … be too STRUNG UP … about it.”

“Sans!” Papyrus let out an exhausted groan. “Really? Now?”

“Heh heh … sorry,” Sans let out a subtle chuckle, silently agreeing to save the jokes for home.

As they continued to move a little ways past the halfway point, Papyrus took note of the upbeat tune that Sky continued to hum. The little spider had been going on with it for so long that he hardly even realized he was still doing it.

“That’s an … interesting song … you're humming…,” Papyrus commented through harsh breathing.

“Oh! Thank you.” Sky looked back, seemingly embarrassed to have been caught humming so loudly. “Afraid the tune itself is more upbeat than what it’s actually about,” he confessed. “It’s based off of the legend of the Chortlewocky.”

“The Chortle … who-what-now?” Sans huffed. Whatever Sky had just mentioned sounded as bad as everything else in this place.

Sky proceeded to recite the lyrics to the song. He described a legendary monster that lived in the dark shadows of LaughterLand. One that fed on the laughter of victims with far more ferocity than anything that the pair of them had ever encountered before.

“’Twas trilling, and the shimmy toads,

Did croak and giggle in the waves:

All whimsy were the borrowed gloves,

And on their whimful wraths outgrabbed.

Beware the Chortlewock, my friend,

With jaws do nibble and claws do scratch.

Beware the feathers like plumage birds,

Naught like the jocular Laughtersnatch.

He took the dreaded thought to heart,

To escape the laughter-hungry foe.

Take no rest past the Tickletum tree,

Where last the torment had been wrought.

And his indelible fate burst through the wood,

The Chortlewock, glee in its eyes aflame,

came chasing, pouncing quickly as it could,

making its prey whimper and babble the same!

One two! One two! No kitchy or koo.

The dulled claws went scritch-a-scratch!

It left him dazed and dumb, under its lack of thumb,

There would be no going back.

Hast thou been snatched by the Chortlewock?

Bid thee thresholds of saneness a swift farewell

Cachinnations resound 'cross saccharine seas and giddiful glens,

On this jovial sojourn to hell.

’Twas trilling, and the shimmy toads,

Did croak and giggle in the waves:

All whimsy were the borrowed gloves,

And on their whimful wraths outgrabbed.”

“Wowie…,” Papyrus sighed. “I … couldn’t follow most of that. But this … Chortlewocky … sounds like a … nightmare!”

“Oh, yes,” Sky agreed. “He’s nothing like the other critters of LaughterLand. You wouldn’t wanna meet him down a dark alley.”

“I don’t think … we wanna meet him down … ANY kind of alley,” Sans replied breathlessly.

“Well, don’t worry,” Sky reassured them. “There hasn’t been any Chortlewocky sightings for at least nine-and-a-quarter months! And you two will be outta here before you ever get your chance to see one.”

“Thank Asgore,” Sans muttered.

As the older skeleton got ready to remove another hand from the web, he noticed that Papyrus had not moved forward enough for him to continue on. The younger skeleton was stuck in place, tugging onto his left hand.

“Hey Pap, what’s the hold up?” Sans asked. He leaned his head to try and catch his brother’s expression.

“I’m … stuck!” Papyrus grunted, now fiercely tugging onto his hand. “I can’t … get loose!”

“Pap, be careful!”

Sans’s anxiety began to rise in his chest again as he watched Papyrus start tugging harder and harder. He became nervous that his brother would accidentally pull both hands away from the web.

“Papyrus!”

Sans harshly whispered trying to get his attention, but it was too late. By the time Sans had finished speaking, Papyrus let out a huge grunt, finally pulling his hand loose from the web. Unfortunately, he had managed to pull his hand out of his left glove in the process. He made a frantic grab for it, but it flew clear past his fingertips. He let out a sad sigh as he watched it tumble down to the darkness below.

“Ohh, my glove!” He let out a mournful whine.

“It’s okay, Pap.” Sans let out a sigh of relief, seeing that that was the only part of Papyrus falling into the abyss. “You’ve got another one.”

Papyrus grumbled to himself as he continued forward, not feeling very good about losing both his scarf as well as one of his gloves all in one day. Little did both skeletons know that on its way down into the darkness, the glove had brushed past an unseen nest located several miles under the ground. The creature who had been sleeping there for most of the year had awoken to the sight of the bright red accessory reflecting off of the sunlight.

A ferocious roar suddenly tore through the air causing the world around them to violently shake. Both skeletons let out a scream of terror, now using the entirety of their strength to grip onto the web.

"What the hell is that?!" Sans shouted above the primal screech.

They looked up to see Sky completely frozen in place. The little spider had to hunker down onto the thread, also gripping onto it with all of his might. Clearly shaken by the abrupt sound, but unmoving in his shock.

"Sky!!" Papyrus shrieked as the roar came to a halt. "What's going on?! What IS that?!"

"It can't be."

Sky's voice no longer had that same cheery tone as he spoke. It was cold and frightened, sending a sharp chill up both brothers’ spines. They had never heard such a sound coming from the otherwise chipper spider. Before either brother could question him further, Sky had spun another thread from his abdomen. After taking a moment to attach it to the thread pulling them across, he began descending down into the darkness, gliding down on his own string.

Both brothers dangled there in the tense silence just watching him disappear into the shadows. As the world rumbled around them with the sound of a second roar, it didn't take long before they saw Sky climbing back up the line with a terrified look in his many eyes. He didn't finish reaching the top before speaking to them in a panicked voice.

"Come on guys! We gotta move fast!!"

"Why?! What's happening now?!"

Papyrus matched his fearful tone without wasting a second in following after him along the web. Sans felt his Soul beginning to sink, he had a feeling that he already knew.

"Wait … please don't tell me it's a—"

"Chortlewocky," Sky finished with an adamant nod. "You fellas sure have a way of running into trouble around here!"

The trio froze as another roar ripped through the air causing the skeletons to jolt in terror.

"Nononononono!! This can't be happening!!" Papyrus quietly panicked, fearing what would happen if he raised his voice.

"It's worse, I'm afraid," Sky replied nervously, pausing to let the skeletons keep up with him.

"What?!" Sans shouted, though immediately pulled back on his volume to follow Papyrus. "How could it possibly be worse?!"

"Well, it turns out the Chortlewocky is actually a female," Sky answered.

For a moment, both skeletons dangled there with confused expressions. But as another screech vibrated the sticky web, they kept moving forward.

"I don't … understand!" Papyrus exclaimed breathlessly. "Why is … THAT … the worst part?"

"W-Well...." Sky paused as he stammered, looking unsure of just how to clarify himself. "Let's just say, there was a reason she was gone for nine months."

But before another word could be said, a new sound erupted through the sky. It sounded like a series of high-pitched screeches. Each one overlapping the other until it became clear that there was more than one creature making the horrific ruckus. As the screeching was replaced by the sounds of large flapping wings, the brothers looked down to see a horde of terrifying new creatures rising up from the darkness. They had disturbed an entire nest of small Chortlewockies!

They were far more horrifying than the poem had described. Their skin was leathery like a lizard and was a pale lavender color. They had webbed feet on their hind legs that were reminiscent of a strange bird with large talons. They had long scaly tails that were decorated with a blue fluffy feather on the end of each one. Despite their reptile-like appearance, their arms were covered with a thick layer of soft fur, and each hand held three absurdly long purple claws. As to be expected, the tip of each claw had been dulled to make for ideal tickling tools. Their enormous black wings were decked out with long slender feathers that made an intense 'WHOOSHING' sound as they flew.

They had long slender necks that carried their round and wrinkled heads in a bobbing motion. They had long feathers sticking out of their heads, looking like the antenna of giant moths. Their glowing pink eyes were enormous, almost taking up as much space as their giant smiles. They bared their teeth, showing off their soft rounded gnashers, obviously perfect for nibbling. It was disturbing how intensely they stared at the skeletons with their mouths open wide.

"Oh no!" cried Sky, quickly turning tail to run across the thread. "Quick! Let's get out of here!"

Forgetting that the brothers needed time to unstick their hands in order to move, the little spider took off running towards the other side. Sans and Papyrus tried to follow after him, but couldn't get their hands to cooperate fast enough. It didn't take long before they were surrounded by the horrifying creatures. There must have been around seven of them, all close to Sans's size, give or take a couple of inches. They growled and screeched as they circled the brothers, their wings whipping up warm air as they flapped.

“AAAGH!! No! Get away! Get away!” Papyrus shrieked as he began kicking.

Almost immediately, a Chortlewocky that was flying close enough to him grabbed one of his kicking feet with its long claws. Papyrus let out a sharp gasp, not expecting such quick reflexes. But his shock was soon replaced with hysterical laughter as the beast immediately lifted the tip of its feathered tail to tease at his captured toes.

“AGH!! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! OH NO!! NOHOHOHO STAHAHAHAP!!” the younger skeleton screamed while trying to pull his foot back. But as to be expected, the Chortlewockies were brutally strong, and no amount of tugging was going to help.

Papyrus’s reaction quickly elicited a series of excited reactions from the remaining Chortlewockies and they began swarming the brothers with even more vicious tickle attacks. Feathery tails whipped in every direction, brushing against spines and hips, long purple claws began digging into their ribs and underarms. Even their soft rounded teeth started nibbling away at their toes, knees, and the back of their skulls, followed by the fluttering of their soft antenna.

With their hands helplessly stuck to the web, all they could do was kick and squirm as they were consumed with screaming and laughter. It wasn’t like the other creatures of LaughterLand; the Chortlewockies didn’t waste their time methodically exploring which spot would draw out which reaction. They attacked every spot they could get their clutches on, brutally and without mercy.

“WAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!! N-NOHOHOHOHO!! NONONONOHOHO!! STAHAHAHAP!! NYAHAHAHA!!” Papyrus screeched. He still struggled to pull his foot away from the first Chortlewocky, but was now hopelessly squirming away as another one nibbled the toes of his other foot while brushing its tail along his spine.

“AAAAGGHAHAHAHAHA!! ST-STAHAHAHAP!! GET AHAHAHAHAFF!! GET OFF MEHEEHEEHEEHEE!! HAHAHAHA!!” Sans wasn’t faring much better himself.

Miraculously, the older skeleton managed to gather enough upper body strength to scrunch up enough to keep them out of his underarms. But as he wriggled against a Chortlewocky that had latched onto his back and was nibbling at his skull, he let out an undignified squeal as he felt its claws getting dangerously close as it scribbled up his ribs.

The seconds seemed to drag on like hours since the harsh tickling began. Besides being held down by their ankles and ribs, the brothers almost didn’t want to risk trying to make a break for it. The thought of them taking advantage of them losing any grip on their literal lifeline and dragging them down to the abyss consumed their anxiety-ridden heads.

Their ferocious attack never once slowed down. Their claws, teeth, and talons dug in so viciously it was borderline painful. But whatever abrasive treatment was applied to their defenseless bodies, the tickling sensation never faltered and completely overwhelmed their ability to feel anything besides the teasing torment.

Sans was rapidly losing energy as he flinched harder and harder whenever one of the creatures came close to his sensitive underarms. He desperately wished that he could just pull his arms down to protect himself. In his hysteria, he played with the idea of just releasing one arm to attempt to defend himself. As terrifying as it was, he knew that he wasn’t going to last much longer if they invaded under his arms.

Another frantic squeak caught in his throat as he felt the Chortlewocky’s teeth abruptly move to the front of his neck and began inching down his shoulder. The intense tingling overwhelmed him in an instant, he couldn’t take it anymore! Rationality fled, and he quickly unstuck his left hand to smack his fist against the beast’s face. The Chortlewocky let out a pained screech as the blow landed directly between its eyes. In its startled state, it released Sans and flew off to the side to recover.

Sans quickly wrapped his free hand around himself, still laughing as he felt the other Chortlewockies nibbling and scratching along his feet, knees, and spine. But at least his underarms were now protected. Even through the horrid sensations of being attacked in so many places at once, Sans couldn’t help but realize that his hand had slipped off of the sticky web so easily. He didn’t even have to pull very hard.

Unbeknownst to the skeletons, the sweat from their hands was starting to affect the stickiness of the web. Which meant the more they struggled, the more the sticky residue was becoming unbound to their hands. Sans didn’t even realize what was happening until he heard the screech of the Chortlewocky he had punched in the face. The beast had recovered from the blow and was charging through the air to rush him. Sans didn’t have time to react before the hideous creature pounced on him, ferociously scribbling at his ribs and trying to pull at his loose arm. Gravity swiftly took hold of the pair as the web slipped from Sans’s fingertips.

Sans released a horrified scream as he began to fall. The Chortlewockies around him screeched and backed away, startled by the sudden gravitational pull. Sans mindlessly flailed as he screamed. He desperately reached for Papyrus, somehow managing to grab onto his brother’s ankle just in the nick of time.

Papyrus shrieked as Sans’s weight abruptly pulled him down. He managed to keep one hand latched onto the web, but the force had yanked his right hand downwards. That’s when he realized that the sticky substance was beginning to lose its tackiness. He could feel his left hand starting to grow weak as the sticky web was loosening. He looked down to see Sans clutching onto his leg with both hands while using his feet to try and kick at the Chortlewockies.

“SAAAANS!!” he shrieked right before another Chortlewocky grabbed his underarms from behind. “S-S-SAHAHAHANS!! HELP!! I-I-I-HEEHEEHEEM SLIHIHIHIHIPPING!! NYAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!”

Sans tried his best to fend the horrible creatures away, but with him having already lost so much stamina, he felt his body slip as his brother’s ankle ended up over his head. His underarms were exposed again, and this time the Chortlewockies wasted no time digging their claws into them.

“WAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! NONONOHOHO STAHAHAP!! ST-STAHAHAHAAA…!”

He trailed off into silent laughter, but managed to inhale again letting out a startled shriek as he felt another Chortlewocky start grabbing onto his shirt with its teeth. The winged beast growled and snarled as it pulled and tugged at the rim of his top. Sans felt his ribs and spine exposed to the warm air as a sharp tearing noise echoed off of the walls of the ravine.

RRRRIIIIIP!!

The Chortlewocky had ripped the front of Sans’s shirt completely in half leaving the lower half of his upper body totally exposed. The beast wasted no time digging its teeth and fluffy antenna into his mid-section, leaving Sans utterly lost in squealing silent laughter.

Meanwhile, Sky had just barely made it to the other side. He let out an exhausted sigh, completely expecting the skeletons to be right behind him.

“Whew! We made it!” he huffed as he reached the grassy edge. “Don’t worry, they won’t follow us into the….”

He trailed off, realizing that they were not following after him. The sound of screaming laughter pulled his attention back to the web as he saw the helpless brothers struggling to hang on while fighting off the Chortlewockies.

“I-I-I-HEEHEEHEEHEE!! I CAHAHAHAN’T HANG AHAHAHAHAN!! NYAHAHAHAHA!!” Papyrus cachinnated loudly. “I’M SLIHIHIHIHIPPING!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!”

“Hold on, boys!” Sky called. “I’ll getcha outta there!”

He knew that his web-slinging abilities weren’t going to be enough to stop them like he had stopped the flowers. They were too fast to get a clear enough shot. There was no time to make a net for the brothers to land in — the other end of the gorge was too far — and he could tell that Papyrus was losing his grip. There was only one way. He just hoped that the younger skeleton could hold on just a little bit longer.

He quickly started examining the thread that he had successfully lassoed to the tree branch. Looking through the billions of tiny, nearly-invisible seams that constructed the sticky string, he found what he was looking for… the single link in the chain that was the stronghold thread ensuring that the web was going to stay stuck to the boulder on the other side. He knew that if the link was severed, then it would take little-to-no effort to pull that end of the web loose. It was risky, not to mention it was going to be a rough ride for his poor skeleton friends, but there was no other option.

Sky bit down and severed the tiny thread connecting the strength of the string to the boulder. Immediately, he could feel the stamina of the web start to give, as could the brothers. This was it, one last desperate plan.

“Hang on, fellas!” he called loudly, unsure if they could even hear him. “Whatever you do, don’t let go!!”

Sky gave the web a strong, hearty pull. Papyrus could feel the pulsing energy of Sky’s action travel across the web until it reached the boulder. The other end of the web snapped, and before anyone knew what to do, the brothers started falling downwards.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”

They screamed louder than ever, never minding the exhaustion in their voices. Miraculously, Papyrus kept his grip on the web, only sliding down an inch as they swung on it like a wayward feather-vine. The Chortlewockies screeched loudly and flew after them, so close that the brothers could still feel the wind of their flapping wings against the breeze that flew past them as they fell.

As they were pulled to the other side of the ravine, they watched with wide-eyed horror as the wall of the gorge was coming up fast. The Chortlewockies didn’t seem to notice — or care — that they were heading straight for the large flat surface as their eyes were locked on the brothers, still screeching and snapping at them as they flew.

Sans and Papyrus clenched their bodies and braced for impact, but they collided with the wall of the ravine with a loud and painful…

BANG!!

Sans managed to turn and put most of the weight of the blow onto his side. Papyrus, however, took the brunt of the ravine wall directly onto his front. The world seemed to finally go quiet as they groaned with pain, and essentially began ‘peeling’ their bodies off of the hard surface.

“Owww…,” Papyrus groaned. His voice was slightly muffled from his face planting directly into the dirt. “My … solar … plexus.…”

There was an incoming zooming noise as the horde of Chortlewockies came screeching after them. The brothers braced again when they suddenly heard the sound of the creatures' bodies splatting into the ravine wall one by one. They landed very close, but not a single feather, tooth, or claw touched them.

Pained and aggravated, the hideous beasts peeled themselves off the walls of the gorge and aggressively flew back down into the darkness to lick at their wounds.

For several moments, the brothers just dangled there, breathing heavily and silently recovering. Their Souls still pounded in their chests as the effects of adrenaline was still coursing through their bones. Finally, Sans let out a puff of air in a moment of total disbelief.

“B…. Bro!” he panted. “I think…. I think we just … survived the … most powerful t…. tickle monster … in the whole world!”

“Oh…,” Papyrus breathed out, still shaking the dirt from his face. “Ohh … f-frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” His voice sounded slightly disoriented as he spoke the nonsense words.

“Uh Pap…?” Sans blinked up at him with a look of concern. “You don’t have a concussion, do you?”

Papyrus shook his head again. He looked down at Sans, reassuring him with a glance. “No…. I think I’m okay.” He sighed deeply. “I guess it just … felt like the thing to say?” he questioned himself.

“Hey! You boys alright?” They looked up to see Sky staring down at them from the edge.

“That depends!” Sans called back. “Is the door still there?!”

“It sure is!” Sky replied. “But it won’t stay forever! Get up here so we can get you home!”

Both skeletons let out a heavy sigh of relief. It was a strain on both of them to have to climb up the sticky web, but it didn’t matter. They made it to the door, they were going home!

22 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

Aw poor Papyrus! He's been getting got so much lately!

This was probably the Chapter I was most looking forward to writing. There was just something so delicious about Papyrus being trapped in his own mind while his body and voice are begging for tickles. I knew immediately that I wanted giant flowers involved in this Wonderland-like story, it was just hard trying to figure out where to place them. Turns out it was a good plan to have Sky along for the rest of the journey, that way he could easily rescue them from this kind of thing.

Fun fact, all the different types of flowers here were the exact flowers that Alice met in the original story.

LaughterLand - Chapter 27: Blushing

(story by Mod Secret, art delayed due to technical difficulties)

"A door?" the younger skeleton questioned the little green spider riding on his shoulder.

"Yes!" Sky answered excitedly. "A door between worlds, I'm pretty sure it's the same kinda door that the both of you fellas fell through to wind up here."

"Yeah?" Sans asked breathlessly, having just barely caught up to the tail-end of the conversation. "And how are you so sure that it's gonna lead us back to the Underground?"

In the midst of Papyrus hopping over a log to follow the little spider's directions, Sky leapt from his shoulder and onto Sans's with perfect precision.

"Well, for one thing," he explained. "It's the only door in all of Laughterland that can perform such a feat, jumping between worlds I mean. But it's a bit tricky to find. Every couple of hours it changes its location to appear somewhere new in LaughterLand."

"So you think Sans and I came through this mystery door somehow?" Papyrus asked, turning his head to face the spider.

"It wouldn't be the first time the residents of Laughterland obtained their food by someone walking through that door," Sky explained.

"So if we came through that door…," Sans reasoned. "Then the next logical step would probably be going back that way."

"You got it!" Sky replied in his usual cheery tone.

"I don't know…," Sans sighed, moving past a bush. "If this mystery door can somehow bounce between worlds, who's to say it wouldn't take us somewhere even worse? We might not end up where we're meant to go at all."

"I suppose…," Papyrus replied, also thinking about it. "But … it's got to be better than this place."

"He's got a point," Sky added. "I mean, even if it doesn't immediately take you back home, where else could you possibly land where folks tickle the daylights out of you just to eat?"

Sans hated to admit it, but they both made a good case. If this odd mystery door really was their only way out and was at least a slim possibility of there being a way home, he knew they had no choice but to take it.

"Okay." He nodded after a thoughtful breath. "Where do we go from here?"

"A little ways yet," Sky replied. "But don't worry, I know we'll find it before it vanishes."

As the sky spider led them down the path, the brothers became more and more grateful to have him along with every threat they managed to avoid thanks to his guidance. With every step of the journey, he managed to steer them away from creeping feather-vines, sneaky insects, and all other manner of tickling predators hiding in the shadows.

"Hey, Sans?" Papyrus asked after brushing past a large bush.

"Yeah, bro?"

"If we don't find the Underground, what do you think will be behind the door?"

Sans sighed in response, in truth he didn't really want to think about it. A part of him was still concerned about there possibly being something worse than what they had already encountered, although his brain was almost unwilling to imagine what that could be. Still, he didn't want to concern Papyrus with his worries. He gave his brother a playful half-smile.

"Heh, maybe we'll find a completely different universe," he teased. "Complete with it's own Sans and Papyrus."

"Another Sans and Papyrus?" Papyrus stopped to give his brother a confused expression.

"Yeah!" Sans chuckled. "Who knows? Maybe we'll meet the dark, edgy versions of ourselves."

The wink Sans gave finally told Papyrus that he was just messing with him. The younger skeleton stifled a snicker.

"Oh come on, Sans. Who would even THINK of something that ridiculous?"

"Hold on a sec, fellas."

Sky suddenly stopped the brothers in their tracks. Spinning a line of web from his abdomen, he lassoed it onto a nearby tree branch and climbed up to get a better view of what lay ahead of them. The skeletons kept their eyes on him as he kept looking up between the sky and the distance in front of them. As he descended back down to Sans's shoulder, they could sense a kind of concern in his eyes.

"Everything okay?" Sans inquired.

"Well…," Sky answered hesitantly. "I was sort of hoping that we could hitch a ride on a cloud … that definitely would have made this next part a lot easier. But there's not a single one in the sky."

Papyrus instinctually raised his head towards the clear blue sky. It was as empty as Sky had described, however, right at that moment, Papyrus could see something coming into view. It looked like a dark fluffy cloud that was moving at a slow pace across the air. As it came further and further into view, there was no mistaking that it was a cloud, it was just much darker in color. Papyrus wondered why Sky didn't think to grab this one if he wanted a ride that badly. It was definitely close enough to grab, so Papyrus immediately grabbed onto a nearby trunk and started to bear-crawl up the tree towards the dark cloud.

"Is there a reason why we wouldn't be able to cross on foot?” Sans asked, not even realizing what his brother was up to.

"Well, it's a bit trickier than what I had in mind," Sky replied.

He motioned for Sans to push back the greenery. When he complied, he found an enormous garden that stretched out at least a few miles ahead of them. But in the true Wonderland style of this world, the flowers that encompassed this garden were enormous. The thick green stems that protruded out of the ground had to be around ten to fifteen feet tall. The flowers themselves had gigantic petals that flowed out like a thick lion's mane just swaying in the breeze.

"Whoa…." Sans stood dumbfounded at the sight of the gargantuan flowers. "I've heard of flower power, but this is a bit much."

"They might look pretty," Sky replied. "But there's something very important that you both have to know about these plants."

As Sky explained the situation, neither of them were aware that Papyrus had successfully managed to climb to the top of the tree. He held his arms out wide, ready to catch the dark cloud as it slowly approached him. It landed with a soft little 'puff' into his arms when suddenly….

ZZZZZAP!!

A surge of electricity jolted through the skeleton's body. It thankfully didn't hurt, but the sharp vibrations, for a moment, shocked Papyrus with a tickling sensation. Almost as if he had pressed his entire body up against an electric toothbrush. He didn't even realize that he was falling to the ground until he landed with a

"NYAAAHAHAHA...!!"

THUD!!

He warily sat himself up, roughly shaking the electric tingles from his bones.

"Wowie!" he sighed. "Learned that lesson the hard way, I suppose."

His sockets looked up to see that mischievous storm cloud floating away, puffs of electricity sparking in its fluffy folds as if to mock him. Unbeknownst to Papyrus, Sky had just finished explaining the plan to Sans.

"Hey, Pap, did you get all that?" the older skeleton harshly whispered.

"Oh, I got it alright," Papyrus grumbled as he got to his feet and began dusting himself off. "Even the storm clouds around here are an irritating bunch of…," he trailed off, suddenly realizing that Sans and Sky had disappeared.

"Sans?"

Papyrus rushed over to where his brother had been standing. He brushed back the greenery just in time to see Sans and Sky disappearing into the gigantic garden.

"Hey! Wait for The Great Papyrus!!"

Papyrus didn't have time to marvel at the towering flowers. He quickly followed after his brother, charging into the vast floral forest.

Papyrus pushed past the thick green stalks, breathlessly trying to catch up. He noticed that just up ahead, Sans and Sky were still engaged in a quiet conversation, which probably explained why they didn't immediately notice him struggling to catch them.

"Hey! Sans!" he called quietly. "Wait! I'm coming!"

He didn't know why he suddenly felt the urge to whisper, or why Sans kept moving on faster and faster. But he kept his sockets glued to the back of Sans's shirt as he continued to trail after him. His eyes were so fixated on the image of his brother getting smaller and smaller that he didn't notice the large cluster of thick roots sticking out of the ground. Until he suddenly tripped over them, flinging himself to the ground.

THUMP!

"Oww!" Papyrus groaned, quickly scrambling back to his feet and brushing himself off.

"Oh, I'm so very sorry, love," came a sweet sounding voice. "Did my unruly roots do that?"

"Oh, that's quite alright," Papyrus replied, still dusting off his battle body. "I just wasn't looking where…," he trailed off, finally realizing that he was conversing with an out-of-nowhere voice.

He jolted, looking around frantically for whoever or whatever was speaking to him. But there was nobody around save for the gigantic flowers. Papyrus quickly turned his attention back to Sans, but gasped in horror when he realized that his brother had completely gone from view.

"S-Sans?" he fretted. "Sans? Where are you?" He looked around frantically, hoping to catch even a glimpse of where his brother had gone. But he was nowhere to be found. "Sans!" Papyrus shrieked. "Sans! Come back! I'm lost!"

"Oh no, the poor dear is lost," came another out-of-nowhere voice. Papyrus jumped, immediately turning around to find where the new voice came from.

"Let us come help you, sweetheart," said the first voice.

"N-No! I don't need anyone's help!" Papyrus stammered, still desperately searching for what he was up against this time.

"Oh, nonsense, you poor thing," pitied a third voice. "Please allow us to come and help you. I promise you won't regret it."

Though Papyrus still couldn't see who was talking, he noticed the flowers around him starting to shift and sway, as if a big gust of wind was blowing them about. But there was no breeze. The giant flowers were moving entirely on their own, and Papyrus could tell that whoever the voices belonged to were moving closer towards him. He backed up against the stem of a flower and shut his eyes, whimpering with fear. The mystery figures seemed to swoop down from the sky, he could feel their presence as they landed directly in front of him.

"Excuse me, good sir," came one of their voices. "Did you say you were lost?"

Papyrus peeked one eye open, his other one followed immediately after. But even with both sockets wide open he couldn't believe what he was seeing. The flowers had been the ones who were talking to him.

They leaned down to meet him face-to-face, and Papyrus saw that they did indeed have faces. Feminine faces planted directly in the center of where all their petals met, each one matching the natural color of their foliage. There was a Rose, a Daisy, a Violet, and a Tiger-Lily. Looking up, Papyrus noticed that the stem he was pressed up against was a Larkspur, and sure enough, the giant purple plant had a face all their own and was looking down on him with an amused giggle.

"Y-You're … talking flowers?" Papyrus stammered, though he forced himself to snap out of the initial shock with an exasperated sigh. "Oh … what am I talking about? Of COURSE you're talking flowers."

The Daisy let out a high-pitched girlish giggle in response to Papyrus.

“Well, no wonder he’s lost!” she chortled. “He’s acting as if he’s never seen a talking flower before!”

“Why, my dear!” The Rose gave a dramatic gasp. “I don’t believe he has! He must not be from around here.”

There was a slyness in her tone of voice, Papyrus knew exactly what she meant by referring to him as an outsider. He knew they were immediately sizing him up to be their next tickle-treat and he began to tremble.

“Oh-Oh no!” he stammered nervously. “Oh please … t-tell me I’m not about to be t-t-tickled by a bunch of f-flowers!”

“Oh, no, my dear!” The Rose dramatically placed one of her leaves upon her heart — or at least where it would normally be located. “We wouldn’t even DREAM of doing something like that!”

Papyrus didn’t believe her, especially the way she was playing it up as if the very idea was absurd to her. He had long learned his lesson about blindly trusting anyone or anything in this world. But still, he desperately wished that he had Sans beside him to help back him up. He turned to try and move away from the Larkspur’s stem, but was abruptly stopped when the purple flower’s face came down to obnoxiously stare into his face.

“Unless of course … you WANT us to tickle you?” she teased, soaking in Papyrus’s horrified expression.

“N-NO!”

Papyrus’s voice came out much louder than he had intended, but the enormous plants terrified him to the point of shrieking. Looking at their soft and delicate petals and leaves, he shivered. As if he could already feel them going after his tickle spots. He took in a shaky breath, forcing his gaze away from the giant Larkspur and attempting to steady himself.

“N-No! Really! I-I think I’ve been tickled enough for a l-lifetime … or three as a m-matter of fact! Heh heh!” He couldn’t stop himself from stammering as they loomed over him with devious grins spread across their faces. “I-I think I would just as soon be on my way, if you’ll just … excuse me!”

As he turned to flee, he suddenly felt another large root coil over his ankle, and he tripped again onto the soft grass below.

“OOF!!” he grunted as his front once again hit the ground,

“Oh, what’s the rush, sweetheart?” the Tiger-Lily cooed. “Why don’t you stop and chat with us for a while?”

“Yes indeed!” the Violet chimed in. “Stop for a while to … smell the flowers.”

Upon uttering that last sentence, the Violet’s sweet tone suddenly became deep and somewhat deranged. It sent a sharp chill crawling up the younger skeleton’s spine. But before he could properly react, he noticed an abrupt shift in the air. All of a sudden there was an intense aroma surrounding the skeleton. He could tell just how sweet it was even before getting the chance to take in a real breath.

But the moment the sweet floral smell entered Papyrus’s nasal cavity, he was suddenly overcome with a strange feeling of euphoria. He couldn’t explain it, but he suddenly found that the more he breathed in, the more he could feel his fear and anxiety melting away. His bones felt light, practically whimsical. He felt a huge smile starting to form across his face, although he was unsure why. He knew that he was meant to be running away, he knew that he had to get away from these sentient flowers and try and find Sans. Yet his Soul and body felt perfectly comfortable and serene, like he had found a perfect place of peace after searching for so long, and he no longer had the urge to move.

Papyrus looked back up at the flowers, each one of them wore a gleeful grin across their faces. Especially once they saw Papyrus wearing the biggest, dopiest grin they had ever seen. A bright warm blush immediately started forming across his cheekbones as he stared up at them. Deep within his mind, Papyrus knew he was supposed to be running away. But no matter how many times his mind told him to get away from these mysterious flowers, logic would not take over this absurd euphoria he was feeling.

“Aww, just look at how sweet you are!” the Daisy cooed in a small voice. “I’ll bet you’re just the most ticklish thing ever, aren’t you?”

“Yes … I … am,” Papyrus muttered.

Even through the euphoria, Papyrus blinked rapidly in disbelief. Why had he just said that? It slipped out so easily. But why? Nothing was forcing him to confess what he had been trying so hard to avoid in confronting these flowers. What in this strange nightmare world would ever compel him to talk about how ticklish he was?

“Oh, you hear that?” the Rose teased. “He IS the most ticklish thing ever!”

“Yes…,” Papyrus confessed again. His voice was light and airy, he almost couldn’t feel his jawbone moving as he unwillingly spoke. “I am … so … ticklish.”

Mentally he was panicking. He couldn’t understand what was making him speak so freely like this. His truthful words were spilling out of him without any control, and though his body and Soul felt blissful in letting his horrible secret out, his mind was screaming at him to regain control and run. The Larkspur bent down again, invading Papyrus’s personal space with her face.

“And you WANT us to tickle you … don’t you?” She gave him a knowing smile.

“NO!!” Papyrus screamed, but it was only within his mind. “NO! NO! NO! I DON’T!” He couldn’t get the protests to come through the euphoria. His Soul thumped hard against his ribcage as the sickening feeling of his jaw moving on its own took over. “DON’T!!” his mind screamed. “DON’T SAY IT! DON’T SAY IT! PLEASE!!”

“Yes … please … tickle me.”

His voice held nothing back, although his mind was a spinning plethora of panicked screams and protests.

“Well, alright dear. If you insist!” Using her long stems and leaves, the Rose gracefully pulled Papyrus to the center where all five flowers could easily surround him.

Papyrus didn’t even struggle, his body was cooperative and easy to manage, although his mind was still screaming at him to put up a fight. His blush deepened as he felt the Daisy starting to poke her long delicate leaves against his side.

“Are you ticklish around here, cutie pie?” she flirted.

Papyrus burst out in a fit of frenzied giggles immediately. He couldn’t fight it off, no matter how badly he wanted to. The Daisy’s stem and leaves were coated with a layer of soft fuzz that further added to her ticklish touch.

“Eeek! Eheeheeheeheeheehee!! Y-Yes! Yehehehes! Nyahahaha! It tihihihickles! Hahaha!!”

His skull was beginning to ache from how hard his mental state was pushing to regain control of his words and actions. He wasn’t even trying to squirm away, his arms wouldn’t respond to the command to at least block her gentle pokes along his sides and ribs. He knew all too well that it wouldn’t take much for them to have him completely overwhelmed. But he couldn’t do a thing to physically or verbally fight back, and it was utterly maddening!

“Oooooh! I’ll bet he’s ticklish around here too!”

The Larkspur bent her large face down again, this time heading towards Papyrus’s back. Her head was so much taller than the rest of the flowers, and every inch of it was decorated with much smaller flowers. Each one equipped with its own plume of soft purple petals. In one long sweeping motion, the Larkspur glided her soft petaled head up Papyrus’s spine, making sure to brush along the delicate areas such as the back of his knees, the shoulder blades, and the back of his neck.

“Eeeeeeeeheeheeheeheeheeheeee!!” Papyrus let out a shrill squeal as he practically danced in place at the soft tingling sensation. “Thahahahat—ahahaha!! Thahahahat tickles toohoohoohoo!! Ahahahahaha!!” he hiccupped between breathy giggles.

“Oh, isn’t he just so adorable?! The Tiger-Lily practically shrieked with delight.

“Yes indeed,” agreed the Rose. “But I think, since he’ll be wanting to stay here for a while, we should do our best to make him comfortable.” She bent down so that her top leaf could pat at the ground, close to where her stem was protruding.

“STAY HERE?!” Papyrus’s mental panicking continued, although his body refused to voice it. “I CAN’T STAY HERE! COME ON! MOVE!! RUN AWAY!! DO SOMETHING!!” But again, his body unwillingly stood there, still taking in the spastic tickle attacks without a fight.

The ground beneath his feet started to rumble, like the beginning of a miniature earthquake that had been isolated to just below him. He let out a startled shriek as an abrupt shift in the dirt caused him to fall backwards. But instead of landing in the grass, something had sprouted out from the ground and had caught him. In a flash, the makeshift bed had raised Papyrus a short ways off the ground to place him closer to the flowers’ faces. Looking down, he realized that he was laying directly in the middle of a soft wide-brimmed mushroom. The Rose must have somehow summoned it from below the ground to make Papyrus lay flat on his back, making him easier to tickle.

“There,” mused the Rose. “Now isn’t that much nicer?”

Papyrus had to admit, the mushroom was soft, and his body began to relax and take in the cozy sensation. However, his mind realized quickly that now all of his spots were even more exposed, and he could do nothing to prevent the flowers from tickling him all over.

They didn’t even give him the chance to properly respond before diving in with their gentle attacks. Petals, leaves, and soft fuzzy stems brushed and poked along his ribs, spine, knees, feet and toes. He giggled hysterically and rocked his body from side to side. However, this was not done in self-defense. It felt more like his body was unintentionally rolling around to give the flowers more chances to tickle at other places of his body, rather than just laying in one spot and restricting them to one area. It was utterly maddening how his own body was betraying him like this.

“Nyaaaahahahaha!! Ohohoho—Hahaha! O-Ohoho my gahahahahash!! Heeheeheeheehee!! Ihihihit-Ihihihit tihihihickles!! It tihihihickles-heeheeheehee!! S-Sohoho muhuhuhuhuch!! Ahahahahahahaaa!”

He couldn’t control his words anymore, his mind was beginning to blank from the horrible sensations consuming it. He almost didn’t want to waste any energy in trying to control what he was saying. He tried hard to focus on regaining control over his body, his mind reeled with trying to find the will to roll off the mushroom and run away. The edge of the fungi was so agonizingly close, and nothing was physically holding him back, it was horrible!

“Oh, look at the precious ticklish darling!” cooed the Violet. “He’s so sensitive around here, aren’t you?”

“Y-Y-Y-Yehehehehehes!! Ahahahaha!!” Papyrus mentally cursed himself for confessing his sensitivity. He knew he couldn’t help it, but it was terrifying knowing that they could get him to say anything they wanted.

“I bet he’s really ticklish under those arms!” giggled the Daisy.

“DON’T SAY IT!” Papyrus’s mind harshly ordered him. “DON’T SAY IT!! DON’T YOU DARE!!”

“Y-Y-Yehehehehes!! I-I-heeheeheem sohohohoho … t-ticklish thehehehere!! Heeheeheeheehee!!”

It took all of his mental strength to hold it back, it felt like trying to keep a leash on a rabid animal. But he could only falter for a split-second before the confession practically launched out of his mouth.

“Oh, well, if you’re ‘soooo ticklish there’, then why don’t you lift up your arms and show us?” taunted the Tiger-Lily.

Papyrus felt a sharp jerk as his arms suddenly lifted up against his will, his hands easily coming to rest just above his head with his elbows slightly bent in a comfortable position. He managed to draw in a startled squeaky gasp at the sudden position change. But that was the only manner of protest he could muster before his body became limp and unresponsive to his mental pleas to fight back.

The flowers wasted no time ruffling their soft feathery leaves into his underarms, and gently poking their bare stems into the spaces of his ribcage just below his exposed hollows. Papyrus let out a shrill squeal followed by panicked laughter. Tears began forming in the corners of his sockets as his even more of his sensitive spots were exploited, and no amount of mental screaming could force his arms back down to protect himself.

“EEEEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!! NYAHAHAHAHA!! IHIHIHIHIT’S SOHOHOHOHO—AAAGH!! HAHAHA!! SOHOHOHO TIHIHIHIHICKLISH!! AHAHAHAHAAA!!” he confessed again, his voice sounding high-pitched and squeaky.

“Oh, it is!” cried the Larkspur. “You seem to really like it up here, don’t you?”

“Well, how about this?” the Rose teased as she raised her leaves up to brush against his feet and the in-between spaces of his toes. “Do you like it down here? Does that just tickle you terribly?”

Another anguished squeak tore from the younger skeleton as she dipped the tip of her leaf in between his toes. But to his dismay, his body suddenly splayed them out perfectly, allowing her easy access to tickle and tease them without any resistance. He gritted his teeth, trying his best to hold back in any way he could. But the moment they tempted him with their taunting questions, he felt his jaw unlocking all on its own to answer them.

“Y-Y-Y—EEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!! YEHEHEHEHES!! YEHEHEHEHES!! IHIHIHIT TIHIHIHICKLES!! AHAHAHAHA!! IT-IT TIHIHICKLES AND I LOHOHOHOHOVE IT!! AHAHAHAHA!!”

In the midst of the horrendous tickling sensations, Papyrus could feel the warm tingle of the big orange blush spreading even further across his face. It was utterly humiliating! He wished more than anything that he could at least hide his face in embarrassment. But he stayed there, laying completely helpless and vulnerable with all of his tickle spots out in the open. Powerless to defend himself, and playing along with the flower’s cruel game of teasing.

“Oh, you love it, huh?” teased the Larkspur as she bristled the top of her head against his warm cheekbones. “Did you hear that, girls? He LOVES to be tickled. Don’t you, you little cutie?”

Papyrus couldn’t even hope to hold on to his words as they came spilling out of his mouth. His blush grew deeper and brighter as he became riddled with anxiety. Embarrassed and utterly dreading what on earth he was going to say next without any control.

“YEHEHEHEHEHEHES!!” he cackled frantically. “YEHEHEHEHES!! I LOHOHOHOVE IHIHIHIT!! NYAHAHAHAHAHA!! OH—OHOHOHO PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE!! HAHAHA!! P-PLEHEHEASE!! PLEHEHEASE KEEP TIHIHIHICKLING MEHEEHEEHEE!!”

The utter shock of humiliation surged through his bones at the sound of his plea. Besides feeling flustered beyond all measure, he realized with horror that he had just begged the mischievous flowers for even more of this insane torture. He didn’t know how much longer he could handle any of this, he felt the stinging tears dripping down his raw cheeks again.

“Oh, we would LOVE to keep tickling you some more!” the Daisy chimed in. “You wanna tell us where you’re the MOST ticklish?”

The flowers all began chattering with excitement at the Daisy’s suggestion. Each one talking over the other one giddily.

“Oh, yes! Where’s your worst spot?”

“Is it here?”

“Or maybe down here!”

“You can tell us! We know you want to!”

“Where’s your FAVORITE tickle spot?”

“Where are you most sensitive?”

“The one spot you just can’t stand?”

“We’ll tickle you!”

“Come on, tell us”

“Tell us!”

“TELL US!”

Papyrus’s eyes widened. His bones trembled as he was filled with a sense of pure terror. The image of the horde of teasing flowers going after his sweet spot consumed his with utter dread.

“NOOOO!!” his mind wailed, his inner voice seeming to echo within his own skull.

He tried his best to clamp down his teeth, but his jaw would not respond. Instead he could feel it moving effortlessly on its own as it moved to answer the flowers between bursts of cachinnating.

“NONONONONONONOOOO!!” Papyrus could almost feel an ache in his throat as his inner voice screamed. “NOOO!! DON’T SAY IT!! DON’T SAY IT!! PLEASE!! PLEASE!!”

“HEEHEEHEEHEE!! M-MY-MY-EEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!! NYAHAHAHA!! MY—AHAHAHAHA!!”

“PLEASE!! PLEASE DON’T!!” Papyrus made one last desperate mental plea, but it was too late.

“MY-HEEHEEHEE HIHIHIHIHIPS!! AHAHAHAHA!! WH-WHEHEHERE—HAHAHA!! WHERE THE HIHIHIHIPS MEEHHEEHEEHEET THE SPIHIHIHIHIHIHINE!! AHAHAHAHA!!”

“Oh, really?” mused the Rose.

~~~

“So, they’re kind of like the opposite of what your Aunt Creepy was trying to do.”

Further down the path, Sans was continuing his quiet conversation with Sky. Trying to keep his gaze glued down to the ground, and not breathing in too deeply. He noticed many flowers along the way were turning to speak to him and trying to beckon him to come closer to gaze up at them. But he vehemently ignored them, knowing full-well what would happen thanks to Sky’s instruction.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” the little green spider replied. “I know my Auntie has a specific taste for pleas and begging, but these ladies like the taste of their victims begging for it. And that pollen of theirs will make you do it against your better judgment, so just keep your head down and keep talking to me,” he instructed.

“Man, am I glad you’re around,” Sans replied gratefully. “We should have brought him along BEFORE he sent us on a cloud-ride, right Pap?”

But there was no response. Sans had been certain that his brother was trailing right behind them, just keeping his breath as held as much as possible like Sky had instructed earlier. Sans paused, he glanced back, still careful not to look any wayward flowers in the eye.

“Papyrus?” he called gently.

But Papyrus was gone. A sinking feeling of dread started gathering in the older skeleton’s bones.

“Bro?” he called a bit louder.

There was still no response, Sans forced his gaze up towards the distance, still wary of sneaky flowers. That’s when he heard it. It was faint due to the distance between them. But it was loud enough to be completely unmistakable, Papyrus had let out a blood-curdling scream.

“NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!!”

“PAPYRUS!!”

Sans wasted no time. In an instant, he turned towards the direction of his brother’s helpless cry and took off running. The change in direction was so abrupt that Sky was immediately flung from Sans’s shoulder and sent tumbling to the ground. The fall didn’t hurt, but instead startled the little spider. As he watched Sans take off like a shot, he quickly hollered after him.

“Cover your eyes!” he hurriedly instructed. “Don’t breathe in the pollen!!”

~~~

The scream was the only thing Papyrus could physically release out of his body. As his sweet spot was delicately played with, the poor skeleton laid helplessly on the mushroom only letting out silent squeals and squeaky gasps for air. Not even having the strength to mentally beg for mercy anymore.

The Tiger-Lily and the Violet were gently kissing both sides of his hips, making girly smooching noises intermixed with their amused giggling. But what had made this especially torturous for Papyrus was the fact that both flowers had long wispy stamens protruding from their faces in place of where their noses were meant to be. They felt like long delicate kitten whiskers that bristled and glided effortlessly along Papyrus’s sensitive sweet spot. It was so horribly ticklish, his mind went completely blank as the sensation consumed him.

“Aww! He’s soooo ticklish!” teased the Daisy as she wriggled a fuzzy leaf under his chin. Papyrus could hardly even feel it, all of his focus was hopelessly stuck to the torture of his sweet spot.

“And he’s so tasty too!” teased the Tiger-Lily, taking a brief moment away from tickling Papyrus’s sweet spot to taunt him.

“Here’s an idea,” offered the Rose, she loomed over Papyrus’s tear stained face with a smug look in her eyes. “If you want us to keep tickling you forever and ever … just keep laughing.”

As the Violet and Tiger-Lily went back to kissing at his hips, Papyrus’s entire body contorted with violent spasms and silent laughter. The harsh puffs of air pounding out of him with painful jerks and sharp inhales. Even in the middle of all that hysteria, he couldn’t will his body to fight, much less try to get out any kind of verbal protest. He was doomed. He just knew they were going to keep him here as their main source of food, and there was nothing he could do to stop them.

“Papyrus!”

Sans burst through the thick stems, a look of horror petrified onto his face at the predicament his brother was in. The flowers finally stopped tickling Papyrus to stare at Sans. A new wave of delight crossing their faces at the sight of another victim.

“Well, well, well!” The Violet beamed. “A new friend come to join the party!”

“Won’t you join us for dinner, young man?” The Larkspur immediately leaned her face forward to invade his personal space.

Sans immediately ducked his head down, he made a bolt for the mushroom while trying to avoid eye contact with the dangerous flowers. He barely made it to the overgrown fungi before he suddenly felt his feet being pulled out from under him. The Violet had lifted her roots to coil around the older skeleton’s ankles and, before he could utter a scream of protest, he felt himself being dragged along the grass. The Violet and the Tiger-Lily wrapped their winding stems around Sans’s arms and lifted him off the ground, holding them out wide.

“Ah, I do believe he’s onto our little game, ladies.” The Rose slinked towards Sans and met him face-to-face. “Well, that’s no fun, nobody likes a spoil-sport.”

Sans shut his sockets tight and forced his skull to turn away from the Rose’s face. The Tiger-Lily used her extra leaves to force Sans’s skull to look directly at her, but the skeleton still kept his eyes shut tight.

“You really ought to relax, dear,” the Larkspur cooed gently. “Stop to smell the flowers, why don’t you?”

Sans knew instantly that they were beginning to release their sweet-smelling pollen. If he breathed it in, he knew that he would be powerless to stop them. Quickly he took a deep breath in, expanding his cheekbones to let his last puff of oxygen come to rest in his mouth.

“Oh, well, that’s no good!” complained the Daisy.

“Not to worry, dear,” the Rose replied calmly. “He certainly can’t hold his breath forever.”

She was right of course, and Sans knew it. He could already feel the anxiety in his Soul starting to eat away at his stamina to keep his breath held in. Quieting his thoughts, he focused on keeping his body still and steady. He knew that as long as he remained calm, he could hold out just a little bit longer.

Growing impatient, the Rose turned back to Papyrus, who was slowly catching his breath on the mushroom. Not thinking of anything besides how grateful he was for the tickling to have stopped. His breath hitched as he felt the Rose place the tip of her leaf on the tips of his toes again.

“So, tell me, sweet-face,” she said in a flirting tone. “Is your friend over there as ticklish as you?”

“Y…. Yes.”

Papyrus breathed out. He was too weak to even try to hold back anymore, the words slipped out easier than ever. Still, his Soul ached, having no choice but to betray his brother. Sans’s eyes shot open upon hearing Papyrus’s voice, he gazed at his brother, silently pleading for him not to speak anymore.

“He’s … ticklish … under the … arms….”

Without wasting a second, the Violet and the Tiger-Lily began kissing and wriggling their delicate stamens into Sans’s underarms. It took no time for the older skeleton to burst out laughing. Besides his body putting too much strain on itself by holding his breath, his underarms were far too ticklish for him to ignore.

“BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! NOHOHOHO ST-STAHAHAHAHAHAAAP!! AHAHAHA!!”

As Sans rapidly inhaled and exhaled he could immediately feel the effects of the pollen entering his system. In an instant, the pleasant euphoria had completely taken over his body, trapping him in an unusual state of peaceful bliss. The Rose let out a devious chuckle as she greedily inhaled Sans’s hysterical laughter.

“Now that’s more like it.” She grinned. “Welcome to the party, my dear. Care for a tickle or two?”

“Y-Y-Y-HEEHEEHEEHEE!! YEHEHEHES!! YES!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! PL-PLEHEHEHEHEASE!! PLEHEHEASE TIHIHIHICKLE MEHEEHEEHEE!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!”

Sans couldn’t believe how easily it slipped out. Now feeling the same utter humiliation as Papyrus, he began the long mental struggle of trying — and failing — to regain control of himself.

“With pleasure!” giggled the Daisy as she scribbled the tips of her leaves along his toes.

“Now….” The Rose moved closer to Sans’s face staring at him intensely. “Let’s get to know each other a bit, shall we? Is there a particular spot on YOU that tickles more than the others?”

As Sans unwillingly laughed and cackled, his mind reeled with the same panic that Papyrus had felt when tempted with that horrible question. He strained with every ounce of mental energy he had left in him, but it was no use. His voice and his words were moving on their own, he had no chance. He was doomed.

“MY-HEEHEEHEE! M-MY G-G-GROO—”

Before he could finish, the Rose let out a startled scream as something was suddenly flung directly into her face, both blinding and muffling her completely. She backed away from Sans, frantically pulling at her face to try and get it off. Looking closer once she had lifted her head back up, Sans could make out what it was … it was a little web!

Sky jumped into the fray, and with moves faster than lightning, he began flinging tiny spiderwebs at the flowers. Each one stuck directly to their faces covering their eyes and mouths. In an instant, the sweet-smelling pollen cleared from the air, and both skeletons snapped out of their euphoric haze. Finally regaining the use of their limbs, they vigorously rubbed the dizziness from their eyes and the tingling from their bodies.

“Papyrus!” Sans called for his brother. He had yanked himself away from the Violet and Tiger-Lily’s stems once they had been hit by the webs. He made a mad dash for the mushroom just as Papyrus crawled to the edge, preparing to jump down.

“Sans!” the younger skeleton cried happily. He leapt from the mushroom, momentarily forgetting how weak his knees were, and immediately fell into the dirt. Sans rushed to his brother’s side, quickly helping him to his shaking feet.

“Come on!” Sky called before jumping back onto Sans’s shoulder. “That’s not gonna hold them forever! Keep your eyes down and don’t breathe in too deep!”

Without another word, the skeletons obeyed the little spider’s command. Pushing past the large stems they bolted through the floral forest as fast as their legs could carry them. The sounds of the flowers’ muffled screaming left far behind them.

26 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

So I totally forgot to mention earlier, I based Sky's mannerisms and tone of voice off of Jiminy Cricket. Just that happy-go-lucky ever optimistic little bug, to almost an aggravating degree. But I think it's a nice counter balance to the ever-growing harshness of this weird world.

It was kind of a challenge coming up with the mini plot for this one. Having them just be hopelessly stuck there to be tickle tortured didn't make for very good writing. So I turned it into a mama spider's first lesson in getting the most out of a first meal.

But honestly though...is anybody else here a sucker for begging? Idk what it is but...I looooooooove it!

LaughterLand - Chapter 26: Web

(story by Mod Secret, art by Mod Secret)

As gravity swiftly pulled the brothers down to the ground they screamed louder than the scurrying animals around them. As they zoomed past the trees, they reached for each other, quite certain that this was going to be the end for them. But as they essentially tried to ‘swim’ for each other through the air, the force of the rushing wind turned them both over, ensuring that their backs would hit the ground first. Sans gritted his teeth, bracing for impact.

The surface that caught them was unexpectedly soft and elastic. The skeletons shrieked in terror as they fell into whatever strange net had caught them. Bouncing up and down from the sudden impact, but coming to rest after several moments in the strange catching-device just hanging between the jungle trees. For many minutes, the two of them just laid there, too dazed to make any sound aside from deep inhales and exhales.

Finally, they shifted their eyes to look at each other. An unexpected smile growing on both of their faces as sheer relief took them over. They had survived, they were back to their normal sizes, and most importantly to the exhausted skeletons, they were both unharmed and safe.

"Sans … what … just happened?" Papyrus breathed out so hard it almost sounded like he was laughing.

"I don't know!" Sans stifled a chuckle himself.

In truth, he couldn't have cared less to learn about just how they ended up here. His mind was too overcome with relief that he just wanted to take a few minutes to bask in it.

"I just…. I just can't believe … we actually survived that!" He finally released that breathy chuckle.

"Me neither!" Papyrus exclaimed. "We should thank whoever put this net here in the middle of the jungle!"

"Yeah." Sans nodded.

After taking a minute to breathe out one last feeling of relief, he looked around to fully assess their newest predicament. He noticed how this strange elastic net was suspended almost exactly in the middle of the large palm trees that surrounded them, giving him a clearer idea of just how high up they were.

"Come to think of it…," he wondered out loud. "Why IS this thing right in the middle of the—"

"Sans! I can't move!!"

Papyrus's sudden shriek caused the older skeleton to abruptly turn his head towards him. Immediately, he noticed that it was hard to move his skull to the side. Some kind of sticky substance was aggressively pulling at his head, trying to get it to remain in place. He looked to see Papyrus struggling to pull himself up. The younger skeleton's arms, legs, and back were stuck to the strange net, giving him little-to-no wiggle room.

Instinctively, Sans also tried to pull himself up, finding that he, too, couldn't move his limbs up from the sticky net. A sinking feeling of dread washed over the skeletons as they pulled harder and harder.

"Sans! What IS this thing?!" Papyrus shrieked in terror.

"I don't know!" Sans grunted, trying hard to focus his energy on one limb at a time. "Just keep pulling, Pap!!"

Sans's mind raced. As he pulled, he desperately looked around, trying to figure out what kind of nightmare they stumbled into this time. All he could see around them were the jungle trees, now looming over them and looking more threatening than ever with them in this vulnerable state. Anxiety flooded his mind the longer they were stuck there. His eyes darted in every direction, desperately wanting their next antagonist to show up just to get it all over with, while dreading their arrival with all of his Soul. He glanced over at Papyrus, who seemed to be following suit, sockets scanning the trees around them all the while, trembling with anticipation.

As the sound of an evil laugh suddenly echoed through the jungle, both brothers jolted in fear. The tone was deep, and yet both brothers could tell that it belonged to a female. Her laughter started off sounding far away, but as she came closer to where the pair of them were held captive, her laughter grew louder and louder. Papyrus winced at the sudden volume change, shutting his sockets tightly and practically vibrating the sticky net with his trembling. Sans, however, kept his eyes wide open. Fiercely gritting his teeth, he made the decision to face this new adversary with as much courage as he could fake.

"Show yourself!" he demanded boldly.

"Sans! What are you doing?!" Papyrus whispered in a shrill tone.

"Come out and get it over with already!"

A tone of anger colored Sans's voice, and he realized just how fed up he was with it all. He was so ridiculously tired of all the mind games these enemies would play on them. Everything from the teasing, to keeping them in a ridiculous amount of suspense, to pulling out new techniques for tickling that he couldn't even dream of. He was just so tired of being someone else's plaything. Anger fumed from his teeth as he strained to pull himself off of the strange, sticky net.

"Come … on!" he groaned loudly. "Come out already, you coward!"

"Sans, calm down!" Papyrus fretted. "You're just going to make them angry, Brother. You have to keep a cool head!"

"A cool head?" the low female voice finally spoke, her voice echoing through the trees coming from right above them. "The acceptance of your fate is one thing, but … a cool head?"

The brothers could hear the creaking of the branches directly above them as the shadowy figure began descending downwards. "Anything less than hysterical denial just spoils the flavor."

As she came into the light, the sound of a panicked scream caught in both brothers' throats. They found themselves face-to-face with a gigantic spider. The brothers were used to big spiders down in the Underground, Miss Muffet being a dear friend of theirs. However, whereas Muffet had a gentle sophisticated look to her, this spider was clearly wild and as feral-looking as could be.

She was gigantic as well — the size of a boss monster, maybe bigger. Her eyes were pitch black with dark red irises. Her body was a deep dark navy blue, with the exception of her abdomen being striped with clusters of teal, magenta, and deep purple colors. As to be expected, she was absolutely covered from head-to-all-eight-toes with soft feathery hair that just looked like it was made for tickling. The enormous fuzzy fangs in her head started moving up and down as she continued to stare at them, almost like she was licking her lips. The pastel green drool that began dripping from them pretty much confirming that theory.

"By all means…," she hissed as she came further into view. "Please do keep panicking, it truly whets my appetite."

Looking up at the horrifying spider, suddenly it all made sense to the both of them. They hadn't landed in a net at all … it was a giant spider web! It was all too much for Papyrus, he screamed and frantically squirmed and thrashed against his new sticky bindings

"Nooooohohohohoooo!! Please! Please no!! Lemmie out!! Get me out of this!! I don't want to be tickled anymore!!"

Sans watched helplessly as his brother was practically on the verge of tears. But as a satisfied sigh escaped from the spider, Sans glared up at her hatefully. The spider's gaze fixated on Papyrus, more and more disgusting drool dripping from her feathery fangs. Sans realized that Papyrus was doing exactly what she had wanted them to do. She was savoring the flavor of his desperate pleading like some kind of a sick appetizer to the main course of his laughter. She hovered over him, soaking it in as he squirmed.

"Hey! Get away from him!!" Sans demanded in a sudden burst of rage that diverted both of their attention.

The spider moved to hover over the older skeleton, seemingly trying to intimidate him the same way she had done to his brother. But Sans gritted his teeth and kept glaring, although he was internally fighting through his own fear and anxiety, he refused to give this newest creature the satisfaction she wanted.

“Oh what’s the matter?” The spider shifted into a mocking tone as she moved her legs closer towards him. “Want me to save all of this just for you, then?”

Sans clenched his fist, subconsciously trying to control the trembling in his bones. As badly as he didn’t want to be tickled by this disgusting beast, he would do anything to keep her away from Papyrus.

“Fine! Whatever!” he growled. “Go after me all you want, just leave him out of this!”

“Sans, don’t!” Papyrus yelled, still trying to pull his arms free.

He should have expected Sans to jump in to try and protect him again. But especially after what he had gone through back at Dropwart’s cottage, the younger skeleton wasn’t about to let him sacrifice himself on his behalf again.

“Brother, you’ve been through enough!” Papyrus implored. “Let her come after me! She can devour my laughter! It’s okay!”

The spider let out an amused chuckle as she daintily placed her legs onto the web and stood over them.

“Oh, such brave souls, offering themselves to me,” she mused, gazing at both of them hungrily. “But you don’t need to worry, there’s plenty to go around.”

She moved towards the edge of her web, a fair distance away from the brothers’ feet. She peered over the edge as if to search for something, before turning back to them, her four eyes smiling deviously. The skeletons’ bones rattled with dread, unsure of what to make of her reaction.

“You see…,” she said slyly. “It’s not my mouth you’re going to feed.”

She looked over the edge again, tilting her horned head to the side and signaling for someone to come join her up on the web. Sans and Papyrus gasped in horror as they witnessed four enormous baby spiders climb up the nearby tree trunks and step lightly onto the web beside her.

They were perfect images of her, except much smaller. But still compared to Muffet’s horde of spiderlings, they were gigantic in size. Their height and width almost reminded Papyrus of the annoying little white dog that would constantly sneak into their house back home. As much as he despised that irritating mutt, in that moment Papyrus would have given anything to see it digging through his pile of special attacks again. Especially after looking into the eyes of these frighteningly hungry spiderlings.

"Mama! Are these for us??"

They spoke in little childish voices. Sans knew he shouldn't have been surprised, but it was still jarring to hear such innocent-sounding voices coming out of such hideous creatures.

"Yes my darlings." The mother spider beamed proudly at her children. "They will make a perfect first meal for you."

The young spiderlings began to gleefully crawl towards the captive skeletons, eliciting another panicked scream from Papyrus.

"No! NOOOO!!" Tears starting to gather in the corner of his sockets, Papyrus frantically pleaded for mercy, quickly trying to dissuade them with everything he could think of. "Nononononono!! Please! You don't want us! We don't taste good! We've already been tickled past our limit! Since when do spiders eat skeletons anyway?! Plehehehease!!"

To the skeletons utter shock, the young spiders actually did stop in their eight-legged tracks. They stood right in front of where the brothers' feet were bound, a sudden look of disappointment showing in their dark eyes.

"What?! You've already been tickled?!" The tone of the one who was speaking was also colored with discouragement.

"Aww! No fair!" groaned another. "We wanted first dibs!"

Seeing a possible way out, Sans immediately ran with it.

"Yeah! I mean you wanna talk about how much we've been tickled? I mean ghosts, plants, cats, fish, you name it, we've been got by it!"

The more he rambled on about their past tickling experiences, the sadder the little arachnids looked. Sans knew he had to keep going, if these spiders were truly the picky-eaters they seemed to be, then this could be their chance to escape!

"Yep! I'd say we probably lost our flavor about … ten tickle attacks ago? Wouldn't you say, Pap?"

"Uh…. Y-Yeah!" Thankfully Papyrus caught on to Sans's plan quickly this time, he continued to play it up trying to sound like the weakest being on the planet. "Ohhh, I'm nothing but bones now!" he whimpered pathetically. "I can barely even feel my tickle spots anymore! I've been tickled away to practically nothing!"

Through this overly dramatic performance, even Papyrus had to admit he almost had a twinge of guilt for practically driving these baby spiders to tears. But in the same breath it meant that it was working! He knew it wouldn't take much more convincing before they would feel the need to release them.

"Oh, do forgive us, Children!" he continued the performance. "Oh how we very much wish that we could be your first meal…."

He peeked an eye open at Sans, the older skeleton was wearing a cringed smile as he motioned for Papyrus to cut out the dramatics.

"B-But I'm afraid my brother and I have nothing we can offer." His tone abruptly changed back to normal following his brother's silent instruction. "So if there's nothing we can do to help, would you kindly let us—NYAAGH!!"

The younger skeleton shrieked as the mother spider landed directly above their heads. She seemed to come out of nowhere, neither skeleton had even noticed when she took off from the web. She stood directly over them, her eyes giving them an evil glare for daring to try and outsmart her offspring.

"Oh, such nonsense!" she snapped, her angered tone directed perfectly at Sans and Papyrus before turning back to the spiderlings with her gentle motherly tone. "Here's one lesson you must always know, children."

She spread out her long fuzzy legs, showing off just how easily she could reach around both skeletons.

"When the world offers you a decent meal, you take it no matter what!"

Using two legs on each side, she scribbled and scratched along the brothers' ribs and under their arms. Papyrus let out a burst of panicked giggling immediately. Sans gritted his teeth and tried to hold back. But even he couldn't predict how soft and ticklish those fuzzy spider legs were.

"NYAAAAAAAGHAHAHAHA!! OH NOHOHOHOHO!! NOHOHOHO PLEHEHEHEASE!! HAHAHAHA!!" Papyrus pleaded and squirmed desperately against the sticky bindings.

Sans immediately opened his teeth to follow suit, but was harshly reminded of how much his new attacker craved their desperate pleading. He clenched his jaw tightly, only allowing strained laughter to escape from his teeth. Though he wasn't in a position to ask the same of Papyrus, he refused to let her hear him begging for mercy.

"As you can see, children…," the mother spider spoke loudly to be heard over the skeletons' uproarious laughter. "No matter who had 'first dibs' it's all the same. Nobody ever truly wears out their ticklishness in LaughterLand."

The hysterical skeletons peeked open their eyes, horrified to find the four little spiders now staring at them with newfound eagerness and hunger in their expressions. The mother spider at last lifted her legs away, giving both brothers a chance to breathe before looking at her children expectedly.

"Well my darlings?"

They didn't answer her, they didn't even need to. Both she and the skeletons could tell from the way the same pastel green drool was dripping from their fuzzy fangs, she had them fully convinced. Her deep voice let out a chuckle as the moved back to give the spiderlings some room.

"Two on each side now," she gently instructed. "No crowding, there's plenty to go around…."

As she continued on, the young spiders wasted no more time listening. Two pounced onto Papyrus while the other two leapt onto Sans. In an instant, they were once again drowning in hysterical laughter as thick fuzzy legs began skittering under their arms and across their ribs. Soft little squeezes were applied to their knees and toes, as well as their spines and even up towards their necks. It was another horrific ticklish nightmare for the poor, exhausted skeletons.

“OH NO!! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!! NYAHAHAHAHAHA!! NOHOHO!! PLEHEHEASE!! PLEHEHEASE GET AHAHAHAFF!! HAHA!! G-GEHET AHAHAFF MEHEEHEEHEE!! HAHAHA!!” Papyrus screeched.

The problem with being equipped with so many legs, is that so many different spots could be tickled at once. While one spiderling squeezed and tickled along his ribcage with its four front legs, its back legs were scribbling along his ribs and underarms. Tears immediately started spilling from the younger skeleton’s sockets as he begged and pleaded for mercy.

“STAHAHAHAHAP!!” His voice was on the cusp of sobbing. “STAHAHAHAHAP IHIHIHIT!! I-I-I CAHAHAN’T STAHAHAHAND IHIHIHIT!!”

“Ooooh! I really like this one!!” cheered one of the spiderlings as it played Papyrus’s ribs like a laughing instrument.

Meanwhile, Sans clamped his jaw down so tightly it started causing his teeth to ache. It was beyond exhausting keeping ahold of his own need to verbally vent. But he held back, only letting out growling groans and strained laughter.

“AHAHAHAHAAA!! GRR!! NNNGGGHHAHAHAHAHA!! AAGH! AHAHAHAAA!!”

The spiderlings that were attacking Sans seemed to notice right away just how much he was holding back, as they didn’t seem to express as much joy out of tickling him as their other siblings were getting after Papyrus. They wriggled their fuzzy legs harder and harder against his ribs, spine, and knees. They played with his feet and toes, and even traveled back up his body to dig into his neck and brush against his cheekbones. Sans laughed and squirmed and guffawed and thrashed with every ounce of strength he had left, but still he refused to let out a single pleading word. The spiderlings paused as they overheard Papyrus letting out a horrific scream of terror as his own attackers went for his toes.

“NOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHO!! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAP!! NYAHAHAHAA!!”

“Hey! Look what I can do!” called the young spider who was attacking his right foot. It had somehow managed to weave its own web in between all of Papyrus’s toes. With all of the appendages perfectly tied up in the sticky string, the spiderling pulled the toes upwards leaving them unmoving and completely exposed. “Now he can’t curl up his toes and protect them!” it cheered as it used its spare legs to wriggle under and between them.

“NO! NOHOHO PLEHEHEHEASE!! AHAHAHA!! OHOHOHO PLEHEHEHEHEASE NAHAHAT THAHAHAHAT!!” Papyrus shrieked as he felt the second spiderling crawling down towards his other foot.

“I wanna try too!” it cried as it proceeded to spin its own web between the toes of his left foot.

Before Papyrus knew it, both sets of toes were splayed out in the young spiders’ little webs. Pulled taut and unable to wiggle free, the spiders gleefully took advantage of every exposed inch of the poor skeletons’s helpless feet.

“NYAAAAHAHAHAHAHAA!! M-MEHEHERCY!! HAHAHAHA!! PL-PLEHEHEHEASE!! OH-OHOHOHO GAHAHAHAHA…!!” Papyrus trailed off in a fit of silent laughter frantically trembling in the web. He silently prayed that the bright orange tears falling from his face would somehow loosen the sticky string enough to at least release his head, but they fell like perfectly undisturbed rain down to the jungle floor.

"Hey, can we have some of yours?"

By this point, the spiders who were tickling Sans had stopped completely to ogle at Papyrus's misery. Sans took in big mouthfuls of air, his face trying to shake away the tears gathering in his sockets from all the strain. He was so beside himself with exhaustion that he didn't even hear the spiderlings talk about targeting his brother.

"No way!" cried the spider on Papyrus's right foot. "You've got your own!"

"But yours has more flavor!" the other spider argued. "It's not fair! Mama! Make them share!"

The mother spider gently nudged at the spiderlings tickling at Papyrus's toes, they begrudgingly released his feet and crawled back onto the web. Papyrus let out a pitiful sob intermixed with catching his breath, fearing that she was going to allow Sans's spiders to come after him next. But to his surprise, she blocked them from moving towards him.

"Give this one a chance to recover, darlings," she gently instructed. "If you overwhelm him too quickly, he'll pass out before you properly get your fill. Take your time dears, savor it."

The spiderlings nodded obediently, eyeing Papyrus and making him squirm uncomfortably. She turned to face Sans, who had finally managed to regulate his breathing. He stared into her multiple eyes, trying to have that same look of defiance. But even he had to admit that holding back his words like that took more out of him than he’d figured, and he could tell by the expression she was giving that she could read that in him clearly.

“Now children, this one is bursting with flavor, I can promise you that,” she mused, now looking the older skeleton up and down. “The only difference is, he’s going to make you work for it a little bit more.”

She began jabbing him in different spots all over his body. The front of his spine, the lower ribs, the ankles, anywhere she could properly read a reaction. Sans once again tried his best to hold back. Sweat trickled down the back of his neck as he tried to stifle his reactions, but he was unable to stop himself from jolting his body, and couldn’t silence the sharp breaths that she drew out of him whenever she jabbed at somewhere vulnerable. He could tell that every move he made was playing right into her multiple hands.

“It’s all about finding that right spot….” There was a smile in her tone as she poked around his toes. Her soft fuzzy legs eliciting a sudden jump from the skeleton. “Once you find it, it’ll be the tastiest treat you’ve ever had.”

Sans knew right then and there what lesson she was trying to impart on her children. She wanted them to make him beg, to find the spot that would get him pleading for mercy. His expression shifted to a hateful glare, he refused. He didn’t care what it would take, he absolutely refused to give in to what they wanted him to do. He wouldn’t give them the meal the wanted, or the satisfaction of hearing him plead for mercy. She turned back to the spiderlings.

“Have you tried using their techniques on his toes?” she suggested cruelly. “Pull them back and see what happens.”

The spiderlings wasted no time, they crawled back towards Sans’s feet and immediately began wrapping his toes up with their miniature spiderwebs. A shrill squeal escaped from the older skeleton as he felt the delicate tickling sensation of the web being woven in between his toes. He wanted to scream at them to stop, but held back, reminding himself that it wouldn’t do any good anyways. Another gasp escaped from him as he felt both sets of toes being pulled upwards, a light breeze wisped through the in between spaces of his toes as they were perfectly splayed out. He didn’t have time to even attempt to struggle before he felt their soft fuzzy legs start digging into his vulnerable toes.

“EEEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEHEE!!! AAGH!! AAAAGH!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! NNNNGGHHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!”

His laughter came out more panicked than ever. He kept trying to hold back, but his jaw had become too exhausted to keep his teeth clenched anymore. Letting out a series of growls and shrieks, all he could do was mentally force his words to stay muffled as he laughed uncontrollably.

“There, now isn’t that a bit better?” the mother spider cooed.

“A bit…,” answered one of them, clearly not convinced. “But still not as good as the other one.”

“Oh yes, that’s right.” The mother spider turned back towards her other children, who were still staring hungrily at Papyrus. “That’s enough of a break, young ones. You may continue. But remember … gently.”

Papyrus let out a horrified gasp as the spiderlings crawled back on top of him. One resumed tickling at his feet, while the other one jabbed at his ribs and underarms. They were, indeed, much more gentle in their attack, but it still sent Papyrus into another fit of hysterical laughter.

“NO! NOOOOOHOHOHOHOHO!! NYAHAHAHAHAHAAA!! OHOHOHO PLEHEHEHEHEASE STAHAHAHAP!! PLEHEHEHEHEASE!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! N-N-NO!! NOHOHO MOHOHOHORE!! HAHAHAHA!!”

Sans glanced back over at Papyrus, his vision became blurry from the new onslaught of tears gathering in his tired sockets. He wanted so badly to call out to him, to reassure him that everything was going to be okay. But even he knew that he couldn’t keep that promise, he had no idea how they were going to get out of this now. They were hopelessly stuck with five hungry and vicious ticklers, and as desperately as he tried to keep it together, he didn’t know how much longer he could hold out before they broke him.

The mother spider moved back towards the top of Sans’s head, having just remembered a particular reaction that she had previously overlooked.

“Well if one spot doesn’t do the trick…,” she continued with her sadistic lesson. “Perhaps try multiple spots at once.”

She lowered two fuzzy legs down towards Sans’s underarms, the older skeleton let out a panicked squeal in between gasps for air.

“Oh yes…,” she hissed. “I think this spot will do nicely.”

She began to gently poke and trace little circles around Sans’s defenseless underarms. Poor Sans let out a scream that defied the usual low tone of his voice. His entire body trembled and shook, leading the entire web to vibrate uncontrollably.

“WAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!! AHAHAHAHA!! N-N-NAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! AAAAGH!! PL-PL-AAAAGHAHAHAHA!! ST….AAAAAGH!!”

He only barely managed to stop himself after accidentally releasing the beginning of a plea, his mind was starting to go blank, it was getting too hard to focus. With every passing second of enduring the horrible ticklish sensations, Sans’s control was slipping further and further away. The mother spider let out another low chuckle.

“I think we’re getting warmer.” She beamed down at her prey.

“Hey! Watch this!”

Sans barely even registered that one of the spiders had spoken again, he didn’t even figure out what it had said until he felt its soft fuzzy fangs start nibbling on the ball of his right foot.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGHAHAHAHA…!!” Sans trailed off into silent squeaky laughter, tears endlessly falling down his bright blue cheeks.

It was the strangest sensation. As its thick fangs scraped against his sensitive feet, the soft hair suddenly became coarse due to the harsh friction of the spider’s nibbling. It was akin to having two long hairbrushes grazing across the sensitive spot, creating a horrendous tingling buzz. It was utterly unbearable!

The mother spider immediately took her legs out from Sans’s underarms the moment she heard him devolve into silent laughter. The alleviation of her underarm tickling left Sans with enough oxygen to start laughing and screaming with his full voice again, but remarkably, he still held onto enough sanity to resist the urge to beg.

“Hmm, that’s quite good dear,” she complimented the one who was nibbling his toes. “It’s always good to try out new techniques. Just remember what I said about pacing. We don’t want to overwhelm the prey too quickly, do we?”

Understanding immediately what she was instructing him to do, the spiderling lifted its fangs away from Sans’s feet, finally allowing the skeleton to breathe. Sans inhaled so quickly, he coughed and wheezed from the sudden shift in oxygen intake. His chest ached from having to catch his breath so many times in one miserable day, and he couldn’t help but lay limp and lifeless in the web not even having the strength to be on guard anymore.

The spiderlings that were tormenting Papyrus had also stopped to give him a break. Blinking the remaining tears from his sockets, Papyrus glanced at Sans. His poor brother looked so exhausted, so defeated. Sans opened his eyes to glance back at Papyrus, he wanted so badly to give his brother the look of reassurance and confidence that he so desperately needed to hang on through this mess. But Sans’s face was too tired to even try.

“Hmm…. I still don’t think we’ve quite found the right spot on him, have we?”

The mother spider began examining Sans again. Her many eyes scanning every inch of his body, deeply pondering what they could have possibly overlooked. Sans knew exactly what spot they were trying to find, his Soul filling with utter dread at the thought of them finding it.

Almost on cue, the spiderling that had been tickling at his left foot had found an opening in the web. It crawled underneath until it was hanging upside down crawling on the opposite side of where the brothers were laying. Sans began to tremble again, his Soul practically exploded out of his ribcage as he felt the young spiderling starting to crawl up his back. The creature meticulously began poking at every available spot, taking note of every tense jolt and squeak that it could pull from the older skeleton.

Then finally, it happened. One of its fuzzy legs just barely grazed along the grooves of his back, Sans never had a chance.

“AAAAAHAHAHAHAA!! NOHOHOHOHO!! NOOO!! STAHAHAHAHAHAAAAP!!”

His shrill cachinnating words burst out of him like an explosion, tears flew in every direction imaginable, and his mind went blank with insanity.

“Good work, my dear!” the mother spider praised proudly. “You found it! Now, you may feast!”

The spiderling lightly dug all of its eight fuzzy legs into Sans’s back. It knew it could have gone a lot harder with the scribbling, but besides heading its mother’s advice, it didn’t need to. Sans screamed and thrashed and pleaded with everything he had. He didn’t even think about it anymore, his mind was all consumed with the horrible sensation, leaving his body in uncontrollable laughing seizure.

“NOOOOO!! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!! STAHAHAHAHAP!! PLEHEHEHEASE!! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!! AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!”

“Leave him alone!!” Papyrus shrieked, finally seeing what they were doing to his brother. “Let him go!! Please!! He’s had enough!! STOP!!”

He gathered enough strength to start struggling again, but his words and actions were immediately cut off by the other two spiderlings moving in to attack again.

As both skeletons lay there hopelessly laughing at the hands of four tickling spiderlings, the mother spider hovered over them, proudly taking it all in. She inhaled deeply, sharing in her family’s captured meal.

“Yes.” She sighed deeply. “You two will do perfectly. Your screams and laughter will keep us fed for many generations to come. My children will grow into strong Tickle Spiders thanks to your nourishment, as will their children. Your laughter will echo through the trees of this jungle for years to come, and all will know—”

“Uhm … excuse me?”

A tiny voice from up above suddenly put an end to the onslaught of merciless tickling. The brothers didn’t even hear it, they wasted no time taking in as many mouthfuls of air as they could. Coughing and spluttering and practically sobbing as their breathing slowly regained normalcy.

It seemed to take forever before the blurriness faded from their vision and they could finally see past the remaining tears. Something very small and green was hovering just a few feet above them. The light coming down from the trees almost gave it the appearance of an angel. Once they came to realize who it was, it felt as though their prayers had been answered … it was Sky!

“Well, hello there, fellas!”

The little green spider tipped his blue top hat towards them in his signature greeting, his pleasant Southern-like voice was practically music to the drained skeletons’ ear canals.

“S…. Skyder?” Sans croaked, his face and voice were raw, almost painful to try and move again.

“Heh, almost!” The little spider chuckled. “But I’ll let that one slide given the state that you’re both in.”

The mother spider looked up at him, a confused expression showing in her four eyes.

“You know these two morsels?” she inquired.

“I sure do, Auntie! These guys are old friends of mine!” Sky replied in his usual chipper tone.

“Auntie?” Papyrus’s tone would have sounded more flabbergasted had he not been so worn out.

“Anywho, these nice gents here are trying to find their way home, you see,” Sky explained. His tone was almost obnoxiously cheery, as if he hadn’t just witnessed his two friends being tickled in the most traumatizing way possible. “And I came by thinking I just might be able to help them out!”

“W-Wait you…,” Papyrus trailed off breathlessly. “You … can…. You can get us … home?”

“I think so! I think I found a way back to this ‘Underground’ you were going on about!” Sky nodded, a big smile showing across his little face.

Sans and Papyrus practically started weeping again, for a moment they had thought they had fallen out of the web and crashed to the ground. A ray of hope had overwhelmed them in an instant. They had found a way home? It didn’t seem real. Was this nightmare truly about to end?

“No way!” the spiderling on Sans’s back suddenly shrieked. “We just got the hang of getting this food! It’s ours!”

“Yeah!” the other spiderlings agreed.

Unyielding fear and dread shot through the brothers yet again in remembering their current predicament. These horrible spiders had finally found out just what made them tick, there was no way they were going to give them up without a fight. The mother spider looked at her children, then back at Sky.

“I’m sorry, dear nephew, but I don’t think my little darlings are quite willing to part with their new favorite food.”

Sky thought for a moment. His many eyes looked back and forth between the skeletons and his Auntie. Finally he floated down on his delicate string of web to meet her face-to face. It was jarring to the brothers just how much tinier he was compared to her.

“Auntie, would you mind if I had a word with you, alone?” he gently implored.

The mother spider let out a disgruntled sigh, but proceeded to follow the little Sky Spider up to the top of a nearby tree, leaving the brothers alone with the four spiderlings.

They stayed up there talking privately between the two of them for what must have been at least five minutes. At one point, one of the spiderlings attempted to snack on Papyrus by tickling at his toes. But his sharp giggles drew a stern look from the mother spider, prompting her children to stop in their tracks and refrain from anymore surprise attacks.

Finally, she called all four of them up there to join her and Sky in the conversation. The family of spiders stayed in the top of the tree whispering too lightly for either brother to hear what they were talking about. Meanwhile, Sans and Papyrus used that time to regain their breath and sanity. Neither of them wanting to even mention what Sky had told them. They didn’t want to somehow jinx the possibility of them finally finding a way out of this horrible place. For now, they just wanted to hold out hope that he could somehow get them out of this mess.

It took a long time, but finally Sky descended back down to the web. It was hard to tell because of how small he was, but the brothers had thought they had seen a look of satisfaction on his face.

“Okay fellas, hold still now,” he said, beginning to work on the web surrounding Sans’s right arm. “I’m gonna cut you both loose. Might take a minute for you to get used to gravity again, but when you do—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on,” Sans interrupted. “They’re gonna let us go? Seriously?”

“Yeah!” Sky replied cheerfully. “I’m gonna take you guys to where I found the exit outta here! Just lemmie get you out of this….”

Both brothers were too stunned to speak, as the little spider worked on cutting them out of the sticky web, a hopeful smile spread across both of their faces. This was it, they were finally going to escape this nightmare and be free!

Once Sans felt the stickiness start to lift off of his limbs, he fell with a heavy crash to the grass below. Papyrus followed after him with a loud THUD! It took several minutes for both brothers to readjust to gravity and stand up on their own. But once they finally felt comfortable enough to walk, Sky landed on Papyrus’s shoulder, his many eyes beaming up at them.

“Okie dokie, you ready to go?” he asked.

“Yes!” Papyrus practically leapt up and down with joy, momentarily forgetting how uneasy his balance was and nearly tripping. “Let’s go home!” he cheered, following Sky’s front leg pointing him in the direction out of the jungle.

Before Sans followed behind them, he caught a glimpse at the mother spider and her spiderlings still watching them from the top of the tree. He expected them to be staring back at him with hatefulness for having gotten away from them. But to his surprise, that emotion wasn’t present in their expression.

The hunger was still there, but there was also a look of satisfaction. Almost one of acceptance, as if she and her family just hadn’t lost the biggest meal ticket of their lives. It was eerie and unnatural, it sent a chill crawling up the older skeleton’s spine.

“Sans, come on! Let’s get out of here!”

Papyrus’s voice snapped Sans back to reality, and he quickly turned to catch up with them. Though he couldn’t shake the feeling that something very bad was still about to happen with these spiders.

33 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

(art by Mod Yosh)

Check out corresponding LaughterLand chapter of Side-Effects here: [Link]

18 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

You DEFINITELY can't have an Alice in Wonderland type of story without some growing and shrinking! So I decided to have some fun with it.

I don't know what it is, but I love the idea of having a character grow and/or shrink and finding new and different ways to tickle them. It's an odd sort of fun for me. And yes, for a moment after they're bitten by the bat, I did imagine them both being higher than kites, kinda like that one scene from The Good Dinosaur.

This was an interesting one for sure, especially when it came to writing the delicious details of the Cheshire Cat! So what do YOU think is going to happen next?

LaughterLand - Chapter 25: Hidden in Plain Sight

(story by Mod Secret, art by Mod Kitty)

The branches creaked and snapped as Papyrus struggled to pull his arms loose from the wayward vines. He turned to give Sans a sheepish grin in response to his brother's dumbfounded expression.

"Heh … I suppose in hindsight, that wasn't the best idea."

"Papyrus!!"

Sans shouted, although he couldn't stop himself from holding back a chuckle. Whether it was the ridiculousness of the situation, or the endearing action of his brother's backwards way of making things better, his shoulders shook with muffled laughter. In turn, Papyrus also struggled to hold back a smile. Within moments, both skeletons looked at each other, amused laughter bubbling up and spilling freely from their grinning mouths. They would have doubled over had it not been for the massive trees surrounding them.

Their loud laughter shook the jungle below, causing the leaves to shake and various animals to skitter away. Once the hilarity had faded enough for them to speak, Sans wiped a tear from his socket and giggled at his brother's expression.

"Pap, that was so dumb!" He burst out laughing again, prompting Papyrus to follow suit.

"I know!" Papyrus chortled.

He moved his arm to grip onto his midsection, but was abruptly pulled and scratched by a series of vines and branches.

"Ow!"

He winced, all at once ending his laughing fit. Sans, in turned stopped laughing as a look of concern crossed his face.

"You okay, bro?" He asked, looking down to see the entanglement of vines covering his brother's arm.

"I think so?" Papyrus replied, giving his tangled arm a sharp tug. "It's hard to move around in all this, isn't it?"

Sans nodded, subtly shaking his heel out of a large bush. He looked around, noticing how the both of them now towered over the jungle. Their bodies came up over the treetops. With the taller ones stopping just below Sans's shoulders and just above Papyrus's hips. He let out a soft sigh that created a gust of wind blowing through the leaves. He glanced at Papyrus shrugging his shoulders.

"Any ideas?" he asked wearily. Papyrus shook his head, matching his brother's exhausted demeanor. "I don't suppose you have anything else to make into a tea, do you?" Sans did his best to move the trees aside, searching for their makeshift work station.

"Afraid not, Brother," Papyrus replied, pushing debris aside to show Sans the wrecked site. "Besides that ginger root being the last item we had, a big leaf knocked onto our fire pit, smothering the flames out."

"So … we're stuck," Sans replied glumly, followed by another deep sigh. "Okay, time to brainstorm. Maybe there's something up here we can use to…."

Sans trailed off at the sound of Papyrus drawing in a sharp gasp. He looked over to see the younger skeleton's face contorted in a clenching grin. His shoulders bounced, clearly trying to hold back a squealing giggle.

"Pap? What's wrong?"

"Kkkkhheeheeheeheehee!! M-My-heeheeheehee—! My fohohohohohoot!! Hahaha!!" Papyrus cackled, placing a hand over his mouth in an effort to muffle himself. "S-Sohohomething o-on my fohohohoot!! Heeheeheehee!!"

Sans moved a few branches out of the way to get a better look at Papyrus's feet. Sure enough, Sans noticed a tiny animal crawling along the top of Papyrus's left foot. Looking closer, Sans realized that it was one of the feather-eared rabbits. It was hopping around and twitching its long ears and whiskers against different parts of Papyrus's foot. Possibly looking for the source of where the delicious laughter was coming from. Papyrus let out a quiet squeal as it hopped closer to his toes, poking its delicate whiskers around the sensitive area.

"Hang on, Pap. I got it."

Sans gingerly lifted his own foot, hanging onto another tree for balance. He was careful not to knock anything over as he tried to gently shoo the bunny off of his brother's foot.

"Get out of here!" Sans harshly whispered, flicking his lifted foot towards the rabbit. "Go on! Shoo!"

The rabbit winced slightly at the sudden movement from Sans's oversized foot. But it stayed in place, continuing to poke its feathery ears around its designated spot. Quickly becoming fed up with the animal, Sans leaned in as close as the trees would let him. He inhaled sharply and blew a puff of air onto Papyrus's foot. Thankfully, the sudden rush of air was enough to startle the bunny into moving. But due to the smooth body surface of Papyrus's foot, the rabbit slipped in its haste to get away and ended up falling face first in between Papyrus's fourth and pinky toe. Papyrus gasped before unleashing a burst of frantic giggles that shook the trees around him as he squirmed.

"Nyaahahahahaha!! Oh nohohohoho!! No! No! No! Stahahahahahahap!! S-Sans!! Hehehehehelp!! Hahaha!! Gehehet—haha!! Get it ohohout!! Get it out!! Ahahahaha!!"

In its own sense of urgency, the bunny's feathery ears flopped every which way within the sensitive in-between space. Its soft and delicate little paws batted and scrambled wildly in place, tickling Papyrus even more.

"Hang on, Pap. I'll get it, just hold still."

Sans tried to reach down to the ground, but was continuously blocked and snagged by sharp branches and thick vines. He tried to reach over with his foot, but trying to dislodge the tiny rabbit from his brother's toes proved to be impossible, especially once Papyrus started frantically stomping around.

"Nyahahahaha!! Aheeheehee!! S-Sahahans!! It really tihihihickles!! Heeheehee!!" Papyrus squealed, unable to control his panicked squirming.

Unbeknownst to the brothers, their large bodies rustling around in the jungle trees was causing a panic amongst the creatures that lived there. Sans didn't notice until he suddenly felt a rush of skittering claws scurrying against his leg. He let out a shrill gasp, practically leaping into the air both from the startlement and from the sharp tickling sensation against his shins. His eyes darted down just in time to see a pair of fluffy-tailed squirrels leaping from his leg and running for cover into the nearby branches.

In his panic, Sans accidentally slammed his back into another tree. A sudden screech of birds and other smaller critters tore through the air as the trunk practically rumbled against him. Sans gasped again as he felt a light rush of air beneath his shirt. A mortified shriek burst out of him as he felt something rush up the back of his shirt faster than a bullet. From the sound of flapping feathers, he figured that he had startled a small flock of birds into flying up into his shirt.

Thankfully, they made a swift exit out of the top of his shirt collar, but the feeling of them suddenly gliding their feathers up his back tickled badly! Sans jolted in shock from the fleeting sensation, utterly terrified that his sweet spot was, once again, exposed against his will. But by some miracle, the birds had missed it by about half an inch, and were gone before Sans had time to draw a proper breath. Still, it was far too close for comfort for the older skeleton.

"Pap! Stop moving! Pap!!"

Sans tried to grip onto Papyrus in an effort to get him to stay still. But the younger skeleton didn't realize what he was doing until he felt a group of the multi-tailed foxes rush past his feet. He shrieked as their fluffy tails brushed against his heel as they ran away. Gritting his teeth, he gripped onto Sans's arms and forced himself to stay still. He still trembled with muffled laughter, but with his feet firmly anchored to the ground, the rabbit was finally able to wiggle itself loose from his toes. It bounded off into the jungle, finally allowing both brothers to breathe out a long sigh of relief.

"Boy … am I glad that's over," Papyrus breathed.

"I'm not so sure it is," Sans replied. He warily looked around, making sure neither of them were about to bump into any more bushels of wild animals. He let out a steady breath. "Okay, until we figure a way out of this, we just have to be as still as—HRNGH!!"

Sans's body jolted, his eyes darting down; something was vibrating against his kneecap. He quickly moved the branches to find three large birds perched on his right knee. They looked like three woodpeckers, in truth their fur was so fluffed up they looked more like three large puffballs with oversized beaks. Somehow they mistook Sans's kneecap for a tree and were vigorously pecking away at it. A shrill gasp snuck out of the older skeleton. The sudden sharp vibrations tickled like crazy, and without thinking, he lifted his knee to shake them off.

"Aaahahahaha!! N-No! Get ahahahaff!! Get off!! Ahahahahaha!!"

Sans kicked his leg so hard, he ended up losing his balance and stumbling into another tree. The brothers swerved and ducked trying to avoid the various creatures that were startled into scurrying away. Sans managed to shake off the woodpeckers, but just narrowly avoided getting jumped on by a large group of lizards practically flying out of the trees. Papyrus lifted one foot away to get out of the way of a family of mice, but couldn't avoid the feeling of a multi-armed monkey using his shin bones to swing out of sight. He gasped at the strange primate's touch, but was relieved when it quickly leapt from his legs to get back into the trees.

For a split-second, it seemed as though the dust had finally settled. But before either brother could speak, Papyrus began another series of shrill giggling. A peacock, with tail feathers that must have stretched up to ten feet long, was walking past his toes. It had stopped to shake out its tail, unknowingly tickling Papyrus's feet with its fluffed up plumes.

Not wanting Papyrus's panic to shake up the jungle again, Sans practically leapt towards his brother, clamping both of his hands around Papyrus's mouth trying to silence him. Papyrus followed suit, clamping his own hands over Sans's, ensuring that he was properly still and muffled. At last, after several agonizing seconds, the large peacock was satisfied and strutted away. The brothers released Papyrus's mouth and sighed shakily.

"I'm not sure how much more I can take of this," Papyrus whispered, fearful that even the volume of his voice would shake up the trees.

"I know, I know," Sans whispered in turn. "We just have to keep still until we can figure a way out of this."

A bird cawed loudly and burst out of the trees a few yards away from them, causing both skeletons to jolt in terror. The fright froze them for several moments, just watching it take off into the sky, making sure everything was totally safe before daring to breathe again.

"It's okay," Sans whispered. "We're gonna be okay. We just have to not panic."

"Aww! But I was so sure I heard them over here!"

The brothers froze again, their Souls pounded within their bones at the sound of an old familiar voice. They would have recognized that girly tone from anywhere — it was the Ghost Girl! The brothers looked at each other with sheer terror in their sockets. Their gazes instinctively darted down towards the ground when the voice of the Ghost Boy followed.

"Yeah, well I think you're hearing things!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

As the Ghost Children argued back and forth, Sans and Papyrus desperately started scanning the ground for them. Despite knowing full well that they were invisible, they frantically prayed that there would be some kind of sign that would point to their exact location. In their desperate search, it didn't take long before another being came into view, the bright red fur and large swishing tail was enough to fill their bones with lead — it was the Cheshire Cat!

The deep thumping footsteps that followed him let the brothers know that the Tickle Monster wasn't far behind him. Sure enough, it came lumbering in after the daintily-walking cat. It was strange to be so much bigger than the creature that had previously towered over them and intimidated them with its size. The brothers didn't dare move a metaphoric muscle, clenching their jaws tightly, too fearful to even take a breath.

They watched in horror as their previous adversaries came into view. They came to a stop just a few yards away from where the brother's large feet were planted. The skeletons couldn't stop themselves from trembling, thoughts overflowing with fear as they waited in desperate anticipation to be discovered by the devious bunch. But to the skeletons' utter shock, the group did not see them. Somehow, they were standing directly in plain view of their enlarged feet and, by a miracle, they were undetected. Papyrus looked at Sans, frightened and unsure of what to do. Sans just looked back at him, intensely shaking his head and putting a finger to his teeth. Signaling his brother to stay as calm and quiet as possible.

"Now now, children," the Cat tutted, silencing the Ghost Children’s arguing. "All this senseless bickering isn't going to find our precious playthings, now is it? And besides…." He took a step forward, lifting his nose into the air and inhaling deeply. "I can sense how near they really are."

A chill shot up both of the brothers' spines. Neither of them realized just how tightly they were holding their breath, but now fear completely overpowered their need for oxygen.

That cursed cat could sense them? What did that even mean? Did he know exactly where they were and was merely toying with them? Did he really not know just how close they really were? They both just stood there, feeling like helpless sitting ducks. Every passing moment felt like they were just about to be discovered, and the pressure was maddening. Sans could feel beads of sweat trickling down his neck. He was terrified that it would drop from his brow and give them away, but he was too scared to reach a hand up to wipe at his face. One wrong move and it would all be over.

He half contemplated trying to fight them off. Now he and Papyrus completely towered over them with their newfound height, it seemed like it wouldn't take much to overpower them. But they still couldn't see the Ghost Children. Even if they managed to restrain the Cat and the Tickle Monster, the invisible kids still had the advantage when it came to the element of surprise. Not to mention, there was no telling how long this curse on their size was going to last. Thoughts of them suddenly shrinking back down to normal during a potential battle was enough to tell Sans that it was too risky to try and fight. Their only hope was to remain still and silent for however long it took.

They watched anxiously as the Cat walked around, still sniffing at the air trying to pinpoint their locations.

"Oh yes…," he sighed, keeping up his sharp-toothed grin. "I know you're here somewhere."

As he watched the Cat methodically searching the area, a loud croaking sound suddenly caught Papyrus's attention. Glancing over to the side, the younger skeleton spied an abnormally large tree frog. It was hard to tell based on his current size, but Papyrus guessed that the strange amphibian was about the size of a small dog. It was bright blue and green with bulging yellow eyes bursting out of its shiny head. It opened its mouth to flick out its long tongue, Papyrus guessed that is was possibly after a flying insect that was far too tiny for him to see. Now completely distracted by the large animal, Papyrus tried to lean in closer to get a better look at it.

Spooked by the subtle movement, the frog croaked a second time and hopped directly onto Papyrus's hip bone. The younger skeleton jolted in surprise, but restrained the gasp that would have escaped from his throat. His eyes darted back over to the Cheshire Cat, who was still thankfully a fair distance away from them, still aimlessly searching. The cold slimy frog opened it mouth to stretch out its tongue, again missing the insect that it was aiming for.

Papyrus saw it out of the corner of his socket, he looked back down at the amphibian to make absolutely certain. The frog opened its mouth again and the younger skeleton's Soul turned cold. It was a soft, fanned out, feathery tongue. Almost completely identical to the tongues of Dropwart's horrible pet snakes. The frog flicked it out again, this time it was much closer to his bones. Papyrus started trembling, finally realizing just where this horrible frog was placed, it was striking its feathery weapon around just inches away from where his hips met his spine! If the cursed frog decided to strike, there would be no hope of Papyrus holding anything back. They were going to be discovered, it was all over!

Utterly panicking, he swiftly lifted a hand towards Sans, aggressively tapping on his shoulder to get his attention. Sans, startled by Papyrus's movement, turned to see his horrified expression. Papyrus couldn't move much, for fear of further shaking up the trees, his eyes darted back and forth between his brother and his hips, praying that Sans would get the message. Following his brother's gaze, Sans looked down to see the frog just as its feathery tongue snapped back into its mouth.

Finally understanding Papyrus's panic, Sans, too, looked back at him fearfully. The frog croaked again as the feathery tongue shot from its mouth just barely grazing against the side of Papyrus's ribs. The younger skeleton's jaw dropped, looking as though he were about to shriek. Sans immediately leaned in to re-cover his mouth, his eyes wild with blind panic. Papyrus, in turn, repeated the action of gripping onto Sans's hands and clamping his mouth shut.

"So strange…," they heard the Cat mutter. "I can sense their presence and yet … they're nowhere in view…."

"Maybe they became invisible ghosts too!" offered the Ghost Girl excitedly.

"Yeah right!" snapped the Ghost Boy. "If they were ghosts then WE would be able to see them, dummy!"

As the Ghost Children began another series of childish arguing, Sans could feel a strained squeak threatening to escape from Papyrus. He looked down to see the slimy frog gingerly crawling its way closer and closer towards Papyrus's sweet spot. The skeletons quivered in terror, they both held their breath in an effort to get their bones to stop rattling.

"It really doesn't matter anyways." The Cat's cool tone once again snapped the Ghost Children out of their fight. "The trap is already set." The Cat grinned deviously, the brothers could hear it in the way he spoke. "Soon enough, they will be the ones coming to us."

To the brothers' relief, the Cheshire Cat began to walk away, motioning for the Tickle Monster to follow along, grumbling and growling with every step. Sans and Papyrus watched them wander away, never even stopping to blink or take a solid breath. Even the voices of the Ghost Children seemed to fade away with distance.

"Oh boy! I can't wait to eat!" cheered the Ghost Girl. "The little one's got the best tasting chuckles!"

"I much prefer the taller one, shrieking laughter is much sweeter!"

They almost couldn't make out the Ghost Boy's reply as they drifted further and further away, before finally disappearing completely along with the others. Minutes passed without a sound, the brothers didn't dare make a move. Standing as frozen as two giant statues, still covering Papyrus's mouth. It took a long time before they finally felt safe enough to lower their arms and let out some much-needed air.

“That was too close,” Papyrus whispered, wiping the sweat from his neck. “What was he saying? About a trap?”

“I don’t know,” Sans whispered in turn. “But he seemed pretty certain that we were gonna walk right into it … whatever ‘it’ is.”

Thinking about the Cheshire Cat’s new sadistic plan planted a new seed of anxiety in both brothers’ heads. Whatever the dastardly feline was planning to do, they had to find a way to avoid it. It was distressing not knowing how exactly to avoid this kind of an oncoming threat. They were so caught up in trying to figure out their next move, they had completely forgotten about the frog.

The slimy amphibian spotted the insect that it had been chasing, it landed gently on Papyrus’s spine. It was so small and delicate that Papyrus didn’t even feel it starting to crawl downwards. The frog watched it intensely, focusing its aim as the nearly invisible bug crawled further and further down.

“They’re gone for now,” Sans whispered. He looked up and around the trees, trying to make absolutely sure they were alone. “We’re gonna make it out of this, bro. We just have to try and lay low for a little—”

The frog’s feathery tongue rocketed out of its mouth, sticking directly to Papyrus’s sweet spot.

“NYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHAHAHAHAHAAHAAA!!”

Papyrus screeched loudly, the mere sound of his voice causing the world around them to rumble and shake. The younger skeleton flailed in every direction, stumbling into every tree within sight. Animals of all shapes and sizes came flying out of the plant life soaring, skittering, screeching, and scrambling to escape from the massive earthquake that was Papyrus.

Panic shot through Sans like a wave of painful electricity. His eyes immediately shot down to the massive frog still attached to his brother’s hip by its tongue. Narrowly avoiding a blow from Papyrus’s flailing arms, Sans grabbed ahold of the slimy amphibian, harshly yanking it off of Papyrus, and flung it through the air.

The immediate attack on his sweet spot was gone, but it was too late. Now the entire jungle was alive and buzzing as creatures attacked them from every angle. Rabbits, deer, mice and foxes brushed against their toes and legs. All manner of squirrels, birds, lizards, and frogs leapt onto their flailing bodies, flapping feathers and tickly appendages under their clothes and tickling them like crazy.

“NYAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!! M-MEHEHERCY!! MERCY!! STAHAHAHAP!! PLEHEHEHEHEASE!! HAHAHAHA!! SAHAHAHAHAHANS!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! M-MAHAHAKE IT STAHAHAHAAAAP!!” Papyrus shrieked, dancing around as he felt a hundred fluffy tails and claws tickling at his toes.

“GAHAHAHAHAAA!! I-I-HEEHEEHEE!! I CAHAHAHAN’T!! I CAN’T!! AHAHAHAHAHAA!!” Sans was just as hysterical as his brother. Blindly fighting against squawking birds that flapped in and out of his shirt brushing against his ribs.

Besides all of the mass hysteria, Sans was filled with intense dread. More than certain that all of this noise was going to draw the Cheshire Cat and the others right to them. He tried to move his legs in an attempt to make a break for it, but found that his knees were quickly being tangled up in the loose-hanging vines, keeping him trapped there and totally at the mercy of the tickling jungle life.

Papyrus, in turn, was caught in the thick of the outstretched branches. In all his thrashing, the twisting appendages of the trees effortlessly wrapped around the spaces of his arms. He pulled hard against the trees, especially once he felt the tickling sensation of a dozen fluffy squirrels skittering up his ribcage. But it was no use, they were completely stuck. Driven to utter hysterics by the unyielding tickling animals, and unable to stop themselves from making the biggest racket in the world.

As Sans felt the old familiar vibrations of the puffball woodpeckers going after the back of his knees, he abruptly knocked his head against a tree trunk that was home to a large family of fruit bat-type animals. The shockwaves caused by Sans sent the bats flying through the air screeching in terror.

One of the smaller bats just barely avoided a swing from Sans’s arm. Aggravated by the attempted attack, the irritated bat approached the large skeleton and bit down as hard as it could on his left shoulder.

Sans couldn’t help but gasp, even through all of the intense tickling, he could still feel the pain of the bat’s sharp teeth trying to dig its way into his bones. It was so small compared to him, that he honestly mistook it for a mere bug bite. But his attention was soon drawn from it as he felt the feathers of a large bird getting stuck in between his ribs. He aimlessly batted away at his shirt whilst drowning in an outburst of snorts and squeals.

Papyrus doubled over, lost in silent cackling as a second multi-armed monkey started scrambling up the front of his spine. Enormous orange tears fell from his tightly shut sockets, falling with gigantic splashes to the ground causing even more chaos down below. One of his tears just narrowly missed the little fruit bat as it attempted to fly away. Becoming quite overwhelmed with the situation, the bat landed upon Papyrus’s leg and bit down just as hard on the younger skeleton.

Papyrus yelped in pain, but the sound was immediately drowned out with more laughter. The brothers continued to pull and thrash with all of their might when suddenly, after what felt like way too long, the tickling sensation faded away.

It was the strangest thing in the world. The chaos of the jungle was still going on around them, they could still very much tell that the plants and animals were still crawling all over them, and yet they couldn’t feel a thing. They almost couldn’t hear anything either, as a soft ringing sound started to fill their ear canals. They weren’t numb, but there was an odd fuzzy warmth that surrounded their bones. A strange euphoria clouded their minds as they were finally able to take in some much-needed deep breaths. Once their breathing had regulated, they looked at each other. Utterly confused as to what was happening, but still grateful for the torment to be over nonetheless.

The peace didn’t last. Within half a minute of the strange euphoria settling in, there was a feeling of tightness that completely overwhelmed them. Within a matter of seconds, every inch of their bones felt as though they were being shrink-wrapped. They trembled as their bodies continued to constrict, growing tighter and tighter until.…

POP!

Sans and Papyrus shrank back down to their normal sizes. They could tell by the way the animals and trees around them had regained their sense of normalcy. The only problem was, they were now several feet above the treetops, directly where their heads had been when they were giant. Within a second, they felt gravity take hold of them as they fell screaming to the jungle below.

28 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

Okay this is probably the most Alice in Wonderland Chapter I've written so far. It was...interesting to say the least coming up with all of these different "cures" they would find. I had to really stretch my imagination to see how far I could go with each one of them. There were so many, I honestly didn't think I was going to be able to use them all, but it turned out to be just the right amount of ingredients.

Also, Yosh's drawing of Sans...I CAN'T!!! 😂😂😂

*just wait til you see it!!!!*

LaughterLand - Chapter 24: Side-Effects

(story by Mod Secret, art on standby due to technical difficulties)

Before Sans had a moment to even react to Papyrus’s new plan, he found himself unwillingly bouncing along as the younger skeleton stuffed him back into his battle body and began gallivanting further into the jungle.

“Wh-Whoa! Pap! Hold on a second!” Sans’s voiced wobbled along with the rest of his body.

“Of course! Why didn’t I think of it in the first place?” Papyrus was off in his own head again, as the exciting plan unraveled in his mind. “A magical curse obviously requires a magical cure! And I’ve never been anywhere more magical in my life!”

“Magical and also dangerous,” Sans reminded him gently. “We probably shouldn’t mess with anything here unless we know for sure what it does.”

“Well, we already know the rainwater mixing with that red plant caused at least SOME movement,” Papyrus reasoned. “Who knows what else we could discover around here?”

“I don’t know, bro,” Sans replied hesitantly. “With everything that we’ve learned about this place, it doesn’t really seem like anything around here would be willing or able to help us.”

Papyrus stopped, suddenly pulling Sans from his battle body to give him a pitiful look.

“Oh, please Sans?” he implored. “I’ve just got to try and fix this. I know we can find some kind of cure if we just work hard enough!”

Sans instinctively tried to give Papyrus a look of doubt, it was too easy to forget that he still couldn’t control his facial features while still in doll form. But it wasn’t like he could have held it together by the look that Papyrus was giving him. It was the same puppy-dog expression that the younger skeleton always gave him whenever he wanted something from him, but this time there was a hint of remorse in his sockets. Sans could really tell that Papyrus still felt a twinge of guilt for his transformation, and he wanted to make things right by fixing him. The older skeleton let out a deep sigh.

“Ohh … I guess we can at least try a few things and see what happens,” he gave in.

Papyrus’s entire face lit up almost instantly. He gripped Sans tightly in his arms leaping up for joy.

“YES!” he cheered. “Thank you, brother! I promise, the Great Papyrus shall not let you down!”

Sans couldn’t help but giggle at his brother’s childlike reaction, despite being squished within his bony arms.

“Heh, I know you won’t, bro.” Sans’s voice was slightly muffled as he was pressed against his brother’s chest. Thankfully, he was pulled away before actually losing any air.

"Come along, Sans!" Papyrus quickly slipped the doll back into his battle body and trotted along further into the jungle. "We've got ingredients to gather!"

As Papyrus trotted through the oddly-colored landscape like an overly-excited racehorse, Sans's ragdoll body bounced along, uncontrollably banging against Papyrus's collarbone and shirt. While his brother's top didn't offer much friction, Sans couldn't help but let out a stifled grunt whenever he banged up against the hard bones.

"Whoooaoooaooaoaoa!!" His voice warbled up and down as he was needlessly tossed about. "Paaaaaap! Slow dooooown!!"

Papyrus actually did stop for a split-second. Sans felt his brother's chest suddenly contract as he let out a little gasp.

"Sans, look!" the younger skeleton exclaimed.

But Sans couldn't see what he was seeing, his head had face-planted directly into Papyrus's shirt collar.

"Papyrus!"

Sans tried to get his attention, but his voice was muffled by the fabric. He didn't stay that way for long. As Papyrus practically leapt forwards, the force slammed Sans back into Papyrus's collarbone and he unintentionally slid downwards into the battle body.

"Sans! It's perfect!"

Sans felt Papyrus shift as he picked up the thing he was excited about.

"Pap, I can't see any—Whoa!"

Another uncontrollable jolt told Sans that Papyrus had taken off running again. It was clear that the eager skeleton was, yet again, stuck in his own mindset and wasn't really paying attention to his brother's predicament. Though, Sans had to admit, even though he was still being shaken up, being stuck all the way inside the battle body left him less likely to bang around as violently as he had before. So he went along with it, not bothering to tell Papyrus that he couldn't see what was happening.

Papyrus jogged on for a solid ten minutes occasionally stopping to admire something new and scoop it up in his arms excitedly. All the while, Sans was getting more and more curious about what his brother was finding, while still being on the alert just in case he picked up something dangerous.

"Ooh! Look at this!" Papyrus finally stopped in his tracks.

Sans could tell that his arms were packed to the brim with his newfound treasures. His whole body fell against Papyrus's shirt as the younger skeleton leaned forward to put everything down.

"Sans! This will be a perfect place to … Sans?"

As Papyrus stood back up, he finally noticed that Sans had completely disappeared into his battle body. He reached in to pull him out, a perplexed expression crossed his face.

"Brother, were you down there the whole time?"

"Eh, only since the beginning," Sans replied dryly, though the fresh air felt better against his body.

"Well, look what I found!" Papyrus exclaimed turning his brother around. "This place will be perfect for our little setup!"

Sans looked to see that they were standing in front of a large pond, the same clear blue color as the flash flood that had swept through the forest. It was maybe a mile if measured all the way around, Sans could see everything on the other side clear as day. They were still very much in the heart of the jungle as the large treetops still hovered all around them. Sitting right beside the edge of the pond was an abnormally flat boulder where Papyrus had placed all of his findings like a makeshift table. Sans was able to get a good look at everything his brother had found in this strange place.

He recognized the red banana leaf that dyed the murky rainwater the same crimson shade as the leaf it was collected in. Sitting beside it was a huge daffodil flower, the color was correct enough but it's size had almost completely overpowered Papyrus's head. To make matters stranger, there was a deep golden liquid that was dripping from the center of the unusual flower. It has the consistency of syrup and sparkled endlessly in the newfound sunlight. A much smaller leaf was sitting on the other end of the red banana leaf. The leaf itself wasn't that strange, but what was collected inside of the smaller plant was a strange sparkling mud. It was an eggplant color with tiny pieces of what looked like chocolate chips sprinkled in it's folds. Sans deeply hoped that Papyrus wasn't expecting him to eat it. Despite it's bright color, the mud-like texture grossed the older skeleton out.

Another odd-looking plant Sans had noticed sitting near the edge of the boulder was a thick root-plant. The shape reminded Sans of a ginger root, however the colors were as strange as could be. It was an odd zig-zag type of pattern with deep purple, pink and even green hues all mixed together. There was a large bell plant just off to the side of the ginger root. It was nearly the same size as the daffodil, maybe just a half-inch smaller. It was a beige color, but was speckled with deep blue spots. Like the daffodil, it, too, was leaking a sparkling golden substance, only this time it had come in a powder-like form, Sans could see the sparkles blowing away as a light breeze swept in. Finally, sitting on the ground, leaning up against the rock was a coconut. Sans figured that Papyrus must not have been able to sit it on top of the boulder since It kept rolling off. It, too, was off its typical color-model. It was completely white, even down to the little hairs that covered it.

"Wow, you've been busy," Sans said once he was able to look everything over.

"Indeed!” Papyrus agreed.

He gently sat Sans down beneath a tree, leaning him against the trunk so he could still see everything that was happening. As the younger skeleton turned to pick up the coconut, Sans was partially concerned that one of those multi-armed monkeys would swoop in out of nowhere to take him away. At the sudden call of a bird, his eyes shot upwards. But his head wasn't leaning far enough back for him to get a good enough look at the tops of the trees. Keeping his guard up, he glanced over at Papyrus, who had proceeded to use the edge of the large boulder to crack open the white coconut.

"Ooh! Perfect!" he exclaimed.

Inside the coconut was a sloshing green liquid, it, too, sparkled in the sunlight. Sans was beginning to wonder if there was anything in this crazy land that wasn't covered in glitter. Papyrus emptied all the contents of the coconut into one half and left it sitting next to the boulder. He took the other half to the edge of the pond and started filling it up with the cool blue water. Sans noticed that the inside of the strange nut was colored brown, as it was meant to be on the outside. He silently scoffed, knowing that he should have guessed that the colors would be reversed in this weird Wonderland. Sans hadn't even noticed that Papyrus had also gathered a large pile of dry leaves and sticks, until his brother started aggressively rubbing two sticks together in an effort to make a fire.

"I, uh … don't think any of this stuff would make a very good s'more," he teased, watching Papyrus struggle.

After several minutes he sat back up on his knees to wipe a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"Ooh … I sure wish we had some fire magic right about now." He sighed.

"I wish we had any magic right about now," Sans muttered to himself.

Papyrus kept going, eventually after the third round of dry sticks, a small spark caught in the sunlight, igniting a tiny flame to flicker into the makeshift fire pit. Excitedly, Papyrus lightly blew on the flame, causing it to grow and expand.

"Nice work, bro!" Sans encouraged.

After the fire was secured and burning perfectly, Papyrus quickly took the coconut half with the water and placed it over the fire, it almost reminded Sans of a miniaturized version of Dropwart's bubbling cauldron.

"So … what are we planning on doing with that?" Sans asked curiously.

"I'm gonna make you some tea!" Papyrus replied cheerfully.

Sans gulped; he was afraid that one of these 'cures' was going to involve him ingesting something horrible. By the looks of everything gathered on the boulder, he could tell that this was going to be unpleasant.

"Okay." Papyrus stood up and walked over to where he had placed Sans. "Let's start with one that we are at least partially familiar with."

He picked Sans up and laid him on the ground on his back just a few inches from the boulder. Sans watched as Papyrus picked up the red banana leaf and held it directly over his body. He couldn't help but feel a little intimidated, although he trusted Papyrus with his life, it still wasn't a good feeling knowing that he still couldn't move to defend himself if he needed to. That, mixed with the anxiety of not knowing what any of these 'natural remedies' would do, made him all the more nervous.

"We know that a few drops of this mixture caused you to move at least a little bit," Papyrus continued. "So what will happen if we add the whole thing?"

Sans gulped hard as Papyrus began lowering the tip of the leaf down towards his head.

"P-Pap…," he nervously stuttered. "Hold on, just a sec! We don't know if—"

But it was too late. Papyrus gingerly drizzled the entirety of the murky red liquid all over the doll. He was careful to avoid Sans's eyes, but made sure that every last drop of the strange rainwater had covered him all the way up to his toes. Sans moaned uncomfortably as he felt the cold water immediately seep into his doll body. He hated the feeling of getting wet for absolutely no reason, and with no means to shake himself dry or to even to relive the coldness by wrapping his arms around himself made the whole experience beyond unpleasant.

"Well Sans?" Papyrus asked eagerly after tossing the empty leaf away. "What do you think? Can you move?"

Sans tried focusing his will to move through every possible inch of his body. Feeling nothing but more cold drips of water working into his seams, he wasn't sure if he was truly moving or not.

"I…. I dunno?" Sans replied, still trying to ignore the uncomfortable dampness. "Does it look like I'm moving?"

Moving his eyes to examine Sans, Papyrus noted small spastic movements of his smaller appendages like his fingers and toes. His knees shook a little bit, like they were trying to kick themselves upwards, but overall Sans still laid there without much of a change.

"Well … you're twitching a little bit," Papyrus replied, obviously disappointed with the result. "Darn it, I really hoped that would be enough to at least get you on your feet."

Before Sans could respond, he suddenly felt an old familiar tingling in the joints of his doll body. His knees, neck, and underarms were slowly starting to feel the tickling sensation starting to build. Even his elbows, wrists and ankles were starting to become sensitive to it. Giggles started pouring out of him as the sensation bubbled, reaching the point of being unignorable.

"Hrnnk!! Pffffffft—ahahahahaha! Aheeheeheehee! Oh-Oh nohohoho! Hahahaha! Nohohoho!! Not agahahahahain! Heeheeheehee!"

It was roughly the same ticklish sensation that the falling rain had taunted him and Papyrus with earlier. But with the water being trapped inside his doll body and unable to roll off or be wiped away, Sans was stuck with the sensation swirling around the inside of his sensitive seams.

"Aheeheeheeheehee!! P-Pahahahap!! Hahaha!! Pap hehehelp! It—It tihihihihickles!! Hahahaha!!"

"Oh no!" Papyrus gasped. He couldn't understand why the red rain, which had previously been shown to help Sans with movement, was now displaying the same effects as the regular tickling rain. Papyrus picked up the red leaf again, noticing tiny particles of the sparkling substance that was intermixed with the murky gray rain from earlier.

"Huh … maybe it just didn't marinate long enough inside the leaf?" He wondered out loud. Meanwhile, Sans's laughter was beginning to rise in pitch and grow desperate.

"Heeheeheeheehee!! Who—Who cahahahares?! Hahahaha!! J-Juhuhust make it stahahahahap!! Hahahahaha!!"

Papyrus quickly dropped the leaf and hurried back over to Sans's side.

"Okay! Okay! Um … where is it tickling?"

His tone was breathless and panicked. He wasn't sure how he was going to help Sans, so he tried to get a clearer idea as to where the attack was happening on his brother's doll body.

"Ahahahahaha!! My—My—heeheehee!! M-My underahahaharms!! Hahaha!! And—And my kneeheeheeheehees!! Ahahaha!!"

It was so hard for Sans to enunciate while he was being tickled, he didn't want to force himself to explain anymore, he just wanted the horrible sensation to stop.

"Ahahaha! Ihihihihit...It's getting my neheheheheck tohoohoohoo!! Ohohoho gahahad!! Ahahahaha!!"

Sans desperately wanted to scrunch his body up. He doubted it would do anything to stop the tickling rainwater, but he craved to have his ability to physically vent back.

"Okay … is there anywhere that it ISN'T tickling?" Papyrus asked nervously.

"PAPYRUHUHUHUHUS!!" Sans wailed, not wanting to think anymore about his predicament.

"Sans, just tell me, it might give me a clue," the younger skeleton implored.

"Ahahahahaha!! My—My-heeheeheehee!! M-My fahahahace?! Ahahahaha!!" Sans spluttered frantically.

He didn't know why he blurted out that particular body part. Although it was true, he knew he could have chosen a place on him that was more susceptible to tickling, like his feet.

"Face, huh?" Papyrus wondered out loud. "Okay … let's expand on that with a mud mask!"

He quickly reached for the leaf that held the eggplant-colored mud inside. Dipping two fingers in, he scooped up a generous amount before suddenly smearing it all over Sans's face.

"AAGHAHAHAHAHA!! P-Papyruhuhus!! Stahahahap it!!"

Besides the shock of the cool mud abruptly coating his face, he felt the disgusting gritty texture of the strange sapphire rocks starting to scrape against his cheeks. It was an unpleasant sensation mixed in with the tickles that had still not let up on his joints. Papyrus finished painting Sans face before quickly rubbing the remaining residue off onto the ground. He looked at Sans hopefully, suddenly noticing that his laughter was beginning to die down.

"Sans? Is it working?" He asked, his voice sparked with optimism.

"I-I-heeheehee.... I thihink so, heheheheh!" Sans too began to notice that his laughter was faltering, as were the tickling sensations.

At last, he breathed out steadily. He couldn't believe that a strangely-colored mud mask had been the solution to end that ticklish trial. He had gotten used to the coldness, as well as the gritty texture, but he couldn't help but notice his cheekbones starting to feel tight. He was grateful that the tingling had faded from the rest of his body, but he wasn't liking the odd sensation that the mud was giving his face.

"Hey! I think you just blinked!" Papyrus exclaimed, he was certain that he could see his brother's facial expression starting to change for the first time since he had been transformed.

"Really?" Sans eagerly willed his sockets to blink and tried to move the corners of his mouth again. Sure enough, his sockets managed to close and open again, and he could feel that he was back in control of his face.

Papyrus beamed upon seeing Sans being able to control his face again, he was confident that this mud mask was the cure they were looking for.

"Sans! You can move your face! I just knew we would…." He suddenly trailed off as he noticed something odd.

Sans face was moving, but upon a second look Papyrus realized that it was also beginning to swell. He blinked several times trying to understand what was happening. He had seen facial swelling on Undyne from when she had disturbed a nest of irritated Migosps. But facial swelling on a skeleton was impossible since they lacked the skin to do so. He didn't know if this was the further result of Sans being trapped in a doll body, but his face was starting to grow and expand until his head looked as though it were inflating like a balloon.

"Uh … P-Pap?" Sans stuttered as he felt the tightness in his face expanding. "Why does … my face … feel weird?"

He struggled to get the words out as his cheeks puffed up, squishing the corners of his mouth. Papyrus was at a complete loss for words. His jaw practically fell to the floor as he watched his brother's entire head grow bigger and bigger. He almost swore that he could hear the sound of air being pushed into Sans's skull.

As the mud effortlessly slid off of the older skeletons's bulging face, he suddenly realized that gravity no longer had an effect on him. Within moments, his inflated head was beginning to drift upwards, taking his still-lifeless body along with it.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!! Pap! Papyrus!! What's happening?! HELP!!"

Sans was thrown into an immediate panic as he felt his body starting to lift off the ground. With no means to grab onto anything or to stop his head from turning into a giant balloon, he let out a terrified yell for help.

"Oh no!! SANS!!"

Snapping out of his horrified trance, Papyrus leapt towards his brother. He quickly grabbed ahold of the doll's feet, immediately anchoring it back down to the ground. Papyrus managed to keep him secured there for only a moment before a strong pull against gravity began forcefully lifting them both towards the sky. Sans's skull was still inflating with the unseen helium, he could feel his nonexistent facial muscles stretching thin with every passing second as his head continued to expand. He let out a panicked yell before willing his face to remain still, suddenly afraid that he could potentially pop his own skull.

"Whoa!! Hey!! Get back down here!!"

Thinking quickly, Papyrus released one of Sans's legs to reach out to grab the flat boulder still containing his collection of ‘cures’. He strained as Sans's ballooned skull began pulling him harder and harder towards the sky. His fingers slipped dangerously close to the edge, he knew he wouldn't be able to hang on for much longer. Desperately, his sockets darted across the top of the stone, frantically scanning each and every item, hopeful that something useful would catch his eye. As the brotherly balloon pulled him just an inch away from the edge, the younger skeleton made a blind grab for what was the closest to him before being abruptly yanked away from the ground.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!" Papyrus wailed as he and Sans practically rocketed into the air.

It took no time for them to ascend above the colorful treetop as Sans's head continued to inflate. Papyrus looked down at his fist to realize that he had grabbed the large bell plant that had been leaking the strange golden powder from its center. Unsure of what else to do, Papyrus yanked his arm up, hoping to spread some of the bell plant's powder onto Sans's enlarged head. But a sudden gust of wind changed the trajectory of the dust's course, causing the glittering powder to completely splatter all over Sans's ribcage.

As the wind started to blow them away from the pond, Papyrus could hear a strange crackling sound. He looked up to see the dust on Sans's ribs starting to fizzle and burst like odd popping candy. Sans felt the corners of his mouth instinctively starting to turn up. Despite him being too fearful to move any part of his face, he couldn't help but let out a subtle snicker. The sensation of the sizzling powder gave off a sharp tickling sensation, and before he could convince himself to ignore it, he burst out laughing.

"AAGH!! AHAHAHAHA!! OH NOHOHOHO!! NAHAHAT AGAHAHAIN! AHAHAHAHA!! P-PAHAHAP! HAHAHA!! PAP HELP!! IHIHIHIT-HAHA!! IHIHIT'S TIHIHIHICKLING!! HAHAHA!!"

Papyrus had shut his eyes, too fearful to look down and see how far off the ground they had risen. But once he noticed that the air around them had become unnaturally still, he peeked open one socket, realizing that the two of them had completely stopped ascending into the sky. In fact, it was safe to say that Papyrus could sense Sans's body starting to gently descend back down towards the treetops. It was slow and steady; if Papyrus had kept his sockets shut he wouldn't have been able to tell. But sure enough, the jungle started to grow closer and closer the more gravity took hold.

The strange glittering powder continued to crackle along Sans's ribs, eliciting sharp squeaks and inhales from the laughing skeleton. More than anything, he wanted Papyrus to help brush off whatever cursed ‘cure’ he had placed on his vulnerable ribcage, but he was becoming too hysterical to enunciate. In an effort to get his brother's attention, Sans took in a sharp breath and held it, trying his best to block out the sensation of the popping dust.

Papyrus suddenly noticed that they had stopped floating down, and were now practically frozen in midair just barely above the trees. Subtly panicking, Papyrus kicked his legs in an effort to try and get them to continue the journey downwards, but nothing he tried would get them to budge. His mind raced, trying to both come up with a new solution, as well as try to figure out what had made them stop. A muffled squeal from Sans gave him the answer.

Sans's laughter was the key! The more the older skeleton laughed, the further down they dropped. Almost like he was letting the hot air out of the balloon that his skull had become. But now that he was purposefully holding back, they had completely stopped. Papyrus feared what would happen if they stayed like this; a strong enough breeze could completely blow them off course, sending them further into this maddening place. He had to get his brother to laugh again. He glanced up to Sans's doll body, to his horror, the effects of the crackling powder were beginning to fade. He realized he had no choice.

"Ohh … sorry, Brother," Papyrus muttered.

He reached his free hand up towards Sans's ribs and began to desperately scribble his fingers. Sans burst out laughing in an instant.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! P-PAPYRUHUHUHUHUS!! WHAT ARE YOU DOHOHOHOHOING?! STAHAHAHAHAP!!"

As much as it pained Papyrus to force his brother to laugh like this, he gasped with joy when he realized that they had resumed floating down towards the ground.

"AHAHAHA!! PAPYRUHUHUHUHUHUHUS!!" Sans wailed, the sensory overload from his inflated face and the torturing of his ribs leaving him completely oblivious to what was happening around them.

"Sorry, Sans!" Papyrus repeated louder over his brother's laughter. "I promise, this is for your own good!"

With Papyrus speeding the process along, it took less than a minute for the pair to finally reach the ground. Papyrus collapsed onto the grass, practically rolling around in it with relief. In the process of at last regaining gravity, the younger skeleton had released Sans, leaving his doll body to flop down just a few feet from the edge of the pond.

"Oh my goodness!" Papyrus breathed out. "I was so afraid we were going to float all the way back to that Haunted House or … Sans?"

Papyrus's relief quickly turned to worry when he saw Sans's doll body. The powder had, at last, ceased its effect on him, but the older skeleton was far too quiet considering what had just happened. Getting up to get a closer look, Papyrus's soul just about leapt clear out of his ribcage — the doll's body was missing a head!

"SAAAAAAAAAAANS!!"

Papyrus's terrified screech echoed through the jungle causing a ruckus of wild animals to scurry away in fear. In a blind panic, Papyrus began searching all over the ground for his brother's missing head. He checked over every rock and stray branch, even diving head-first into the cool blue water thinking that it possibly sank to the bottom of the pond. After resurfacing, Papyrus splashed around, sockets scanning the tiny waves he made in the water.

"Don't worry, Sans! Don't worry!" he fretted manically. "I'll find your head, I promise! It's gonna be around here somewhere!"

"Bro?"

A squeaky little voice immediately snapped Papyrus out of his blind panic.

"Papyrus? What the heck are you screaming about, bro?"

The sound came from the edge of the pond, Papyrus's face snapped towards the noise, half-expecting to find a floating doll head. Instead, the sound was coming directly from the doll's body. A tiny Sans was emerging from right out of its shirt. He was no longer a doll, but had instead shrunk to the size of an inch.

"What even happened, Pap? Didn't you hear me screaming at you?"

His voice was high-pitched and squeaky, but Papyrus didn't care one bit. A mixture of relief and elation poured into his bones as he scrambled back to shore, beyond grateful to see his brother alive and — for the most part — unharmed.

"Sans!! You're okay!!"

Sans blinked in utter confusion, at last noticing his brother's sudden change in height.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, a rush of fear hitting him as Papyrus charged towards him. "What happened to you?! Why are you so HUGE?!"

"Uh…." Papyrus's face sank. He wasn't sure how to tell Sans that it wasn't him that had changed shape.

The sudden shift in his brother's expression caused Sans to pause. At last he took a look at the world around him. The trees now looked like they could reach over the top of Mt. Ebbot. The pond now looked to be the size of an ocean the way it stretched out before him, now the other side looked like it was an entire world away. He could no longer see over the top of the flat boulder, as it now towered over him like an enormous building. But it wasn't until he turned to see the remains of his former doll body behind him that it finally sunk in … he had shrunk!

"WHOA!! WHAT THE—?! WHAT IN THE STARS?!"

Sans scrambled back so hard he fell backwards onto his tailbone. A series of stuttering exclamations spilling from his teeth as his eyes darted around his now enormous surroundings.

"What happened?!" he finally squeaked. "Look at me! I'm the size of an ant!"

"Well, I mean … it's not really THAT terrible…," Papyrus gently offered, a hand reaching to rub behind his skull. "I think you're more-so the size of a mouse actually."

"Papyrus!" Sans wailed, gripping onto his skull with both hands. "That isn't helping! You gotta get me back to normal!"

“Alright, alright! Hang on a second!”

Papyrus rushed back over to the boulder, quickly grabbing the abnormally large daffodil. Trying to contain the syrupy sparkling liquid that was still oozing out of its core, Papyrus carefully took it back to Sans, surprising the older skeleton by abruptly yanking away the decapitated doll body and setting the leaky daffodil down in front of him. The sight of the sparkling syrup immediately made Sans begin to cower. Still sitting on the ground, he quickly tried to squirm himself away from the gigantic plant.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! What are you gonna do with that?!” His voice came out sounding squeaky and terrified.

Not even fully registering his brother’s fearful tone, Papyrus carefully dipped a finger into the glittering liquid, scooping out a decent amount before holding it up to the now trembling Sans.

“Don’t worry Sans, I figured it out!” Papyrus assured him, holding up a hand to stop his brother from scooting back any further. “We went for your head last time and that didn’t work. So this time … we go the opposite direction!”

Without any more warning, Papyrus abruptly spread the golden syrup onto Sans’s kicking feet. The liquid was unusually warm and sticky, Sans winced with disgust as he felt the disgusting substance seep between his toes.

“Aaaagh! Ew! Papyrus!!” he squeaked. He wanted to rub his soles into the dirt, but didn’t want to risk anything else getting stuck to them.

“Okay, so it’s not tickling,” Papyrus analyzed out loud. “I think we might be on the right—”

Papyrus was cut off as Sans’s feet suddenly grew to their regular size again. This would have been exactly what the two of them had hoped for … had it not been for the rest of Sans’s body remaining miniscule. Sans let out a squeaky growl, he tried to give Papyrus a frustrated glare, but he couldn’t see over the top of his now overly-sized feet. Papyrus, immediately sensing Sans’s disapproval, looked away timidly.

“Um … well…,” he muttered. “I mean … it could be a lot worse….”

WHOOSH!!

In an instant, Sans’s ankles felt an intense itching sensation. The itching soon sprouted into an odd cluster of fluffy white feathers that sprung up from his ankle bones and surrounded his feet like a lion’s mane.

“Papyrus!!” Sans immediately blamed the cruel transformation on his brother’s ironic choice of words.

“W-Well…,” Papyrus stammered, the beginning of a bright orange blush starting to form on his cheeks. “That’s not … too bad?”

A sudden breeze blew through the feathery mane. Before either skeleton had a chance to form a reaction, the feathers moved on their own, curling in on themselves to flitter and swipe against Sans’s over-sized feet.

“EEEEHEEHEEHEEK!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! P-PAPYRUHUHUS!! SHUT UHUHUHUHP!! HAHAHAHA!!” Sans shrieked, frantically clawing at his ankles.

Papyrus yelped in surprise at the feathers suddenly moving on their own. Once he realized what they were doing to Sans, he quickly ran back to the boulder. Rapidly running out of ingredients, Papyrus grabbed the first thing he saw; the coconut half that contained the slushy green liquid.

He made a mad dash back over to Sans, but quickly lost his footing and tripped, accidentally spilling the entire green solution onto Sans. Sans shrieked in surprise from the sudden splash of cold liquid consuming his entire body, but thankfully this put an end to the tickling feathers just as quickly as it had started.

Papyrus spat out a mouthful of dirt that had accidentally gathered in his jaw. He quickly got up to dust himself off when he heard Sans’s panicked voice.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my—Papyrus? PAPYRUS!!”

“Sans, it’s okay. I didn’t get hurt,” Papyrus assured, still brushing dirt off of his front.

“PAP! HELP!!” Sans yelled, his voice suddenly returning to its normal pitch.

Papyrus gasped once he finally looked up. Sans’s head, arms and legs had grown back to their normal size, but his entire midsection had blown up like a balloon. It was akin to when his head had inflated, only this time it was much MUCH bigger. At first Papyrus feared that Sans was going to take off into the sky again, but this time the inflated part of Sans’s body flopped around on the ground, almost acting like a gigantic water balloon.

“Oh no!” Papyrus shrieked, rushing to Sans’s side. “Sans are you alright?!”

“Dude, I’m a giant beach ball! What do you think?!” Sans snapped back, careful to not flop around too much, as he had no control over where his uninflated body part would land.

“Okay, okay…,” Papyrus replied, now with a tone of panic. He quickly moved over to Sans’s side. Sans leaned his head as far as he could to try and see what his brother was planning next.

“Bro! What are you doing?” he asked nervously.

Papyrus readied himself, he was hopeful that this would be the same situation as when Sans’s face had become a giant balloon.

“It’s okay Sans, all you have to do is laugh, and then you’ll deflate,” he explained breathlessly.

“Wait what?!” Sans exclaimed, suddenly trying to flail his arms away uselessly.

Without waiting for a proper reaction, Papyrus immediately dug his scribbling fingers into the side of Sans’s bulbous body. But to his utter shock, the tickling sensation was redirected to the side of his own body.

“NYAAAAGHAHAHA!! WHAT—WHAHAT THE—?!”

Completely startled at this, Papyrus jumped back away from Sans, gripping at his sides defensively.

“What?! What happened?!” Sans asked nervously. Fearful of what could possibly be worse than this predicament he found himself in.

After rubbing the tingles out of his body, Papyrus curiously poked into Sans’s ribs, jumping back in startlement as the sharp tickling sensation once again redirected onto his own ribs.

“This is so strange!” he replied, sounding flabbergasted. “When I go to tickle you, the sensation gets passed on to me!”

Sans’s sockets widened at this information. A subtle smirk spread across his face as he was reminded of when Papyrus got after his ribs while he was still being affected by that popping dust.

“Oh really?” he replied, a cocky smirk decorating his tone.

Papyrus gulped, he knew exactly what that tone meant.

“Sans … no! Don’t you dare! Don’t you even—NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

Sans’s arms scribbled and dug into his own ribcage, it was the only part of his he could actually reach, but it was more than enough to get a reaction out of Papyrus. The younger skeleton clutched onto his unbearably ticklish ribs, doubling over with laughter and nearly collapsing to the ground.

“NYAHAHAHAHA!! S-SAHAHANS STAHAHAP IT!! AHAHAHA!! AGH! C-CUHUHUT IT OUT!! AHAHA!! I-I MEHEHEHEAN IT!! STAHAHAHAP!!”

“No way! This is too much fun!” Sans teased. He tried to reach up to tickle other places, but working around his enormous body was proving to be too much of a challenge, so instead he kept his fingers tickling around the ribs.

“SAHAHAHAHANS!! HEEHEEHEEHEE!!” Papyrus finally fell to his knees, totally weak from laughter.

He glanced up to notice the water in the other half of the coconut starting to boil over the fire. It was finally ready to be made into tea. He slapped his hand into the dirt in an effort to show Sans he was ‘tapping out’.

“PLEHEHEHEHEASE!” he begged. “NOHOHOHO MOHOHORE!! IHEEHEE’M SERIOUS!! AHAHAHA!!”

Sensing his brother’s sincerity, Sans lifted his fingers off of his ribcage.

“Alright, alright,” he conceded. “But seriously now … how are we gonna fix this?”

Panting lightly, Papyrus pulled himself up and wandered back over to the fire. Sans watched as his brother used another, much smaller boulder to crush the strange-looking ginger root into a paste. Papyrus gingerly poured the squished root into the boiling water, using a stick to stir the contents together. Using the two empty banana leaves like a pair of oven mitts, he grabbed ahold of the coconut, taking it off the fire and gently blowing on it to cool it down.

“Alright, I think it’s ready!” Papyrus eagerly announced once he sensed the concoction had cooled down.

Sans cringed as Papyrus brought over the muddy-looking brew. It smelled so much like wet dirt, the last thing he wanted was to taste the foul-looking tea.

“Ugh … do I have to?” he groaned.

“Come on Sans, do you want to be a water balloon forever?” Papyrus reasoned.

Sans gritted his teeth in response, but Papyrus continued to push the coconut half closer towards his mouth. Knowing he didn’t have any other option, Sans let out a ragged sigh before opening his mouth to receive the warm murky liquid.

Tears gathered in his sockets almost immediately. It was just as bad as he thought it was going to be. Bitter and earthy, with a dirty gritty texture that nearly caught in his throat. Thankfully, Papyrus only made him drink about half of the disgusting tea before pulling it away. Sans coughed and swallowed hard in an effort to hold back a gag.

“Well? Anything?” Papyrus asked nervously, unsure of what to expect next.

“You mean besides the urge to puke?” Sans answered sarcastically.

He could suddenly feel his body starting to tremble, a direct contrast to the warmth of the liquid that had just entered his body. Harder and harder, his bones shook and rattled, it felt as though he were trapped inside a violent earthquake, but the shaking was only coming from him.

“Whoa! Whoa! What’s happening?! What do I do?!” Papyrus panicked, nearly dropping the coconut containing the tea.

Sans shut his sockets tightly, praying for a brief end to this shaking nightmare. In what felt like lightning striking his body, Sans felt a thunderous rush of wind come crashing down on his head, along with sharp scratches and brisk brushing sensations all along his face and body.

Once it was all over, everything was deathly still. His body had stopped violently shaking, and somehow he had managed to get back onto his feet. But he was still too terrified to open his sockets, utterly fearful of what could have possibly happened next.

“D-Did it … work?” he stammered nervously.

“Um … not exactly!”

Papyrus’s voice was tiny, suddenly sounding far away. Sans became utterly confused … was his brother’s voice coming from … below him? He opened his sockets and looked down. He saw Papyrus, all of a sudden his brother was tiny! The younger skeleton gazed up at him while standing right next to his feet.

At first Sans was certain that Papyrus had somehow managed to shrink himself. But after realizing that he was standing amongst the top of the trees, he realized the awful truth…he had grown to be the size of a giant!

“Well…,” Papyrus shouted up at him. “At least you’re not a balloon anymore!”

Sans slapped his enormous hand over his eyes, completely exasperated with this entire experiment.

“Oh … this is the worst day of my life!” he groaned loudly, the vibration of his voice shaking the trees around him.

Papyrus gazed up sadly at his brother, feeling immense guilt for having put Sans through this awful ordeal. He only wanted to help him get out of the doll body, but he never figured that messing around with all of this unpredictable magic would bring his brother this much grief. He sighed deeply, knowing that there was only one way to make it up to him.

“Correction, Brother!” Papyrus called before finishing off the last of the disgusting murky tea.

Just as Sans had done before him, Papyrus trembled and shook, gritting his teeth as he felt the effects of the potion vibrating his entire system. In an instant, Sans jumped back in startlement, as his younger brother’s height practically exploded over the top of the trees. In a matter of moments, Papyrus stood next to him, now both of them towering over the colorful jungle below.

“It’s the worst day of OUR lives,” Papyrus concluded.

27 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

In spite of the witches, the cats, and the Tickle Monsters, Sans and Papyrus love playing with each other. They love using impromptu tickle fights as a means of bonding, and even coping with negativity. This was another well-needed break, both for the brothers and also a little bit for myself.

(Not so) Fun Fact, when I was writing this story I was with my mom when she was recovering in the hospital. I won't say for what to respect her privacy. But it was horrifically scary why she had to be there and it was a tough thing to go through. I'm happy to say that's she's better and much healthier now since that day. But writing this softer story while being cooped up in such a dreary place really helped me a lot. It was a nice little escape to just join the bros in LaughterLand, and not dwell on my mom being sick.

It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but this story means a lot to me. Tickling is my escape too.❤️

LaughterLand - Chapter 23: Playtime

(story by Mod Secret, art by Mod Yosh)

They ran and ran for what must have been miles. By this point, the burning cottage was so far out of sight, they couldn't even make out the glow of the flames. Dark clouds covered the jungle around them in shadows, though the vibrant colors were still very visible.

Being tucked in Papyrus's battle body, Sans could feel his brother's Soul thumping hard with every step the younger skeleton took. Papyrus very purposefully ignored the tired ache in his legs, as well as the burning in his chest from practically hyperventilating with heavy panting. He was more determined than ever to get his brother as far away from danger as physically possible. But despite not being able to turn his head, Sans could tell that they had to be well out of harm's way by now. The last thing he wanted was for Papyrus to overexert himself, especially when he had already been through so much.

"Pap?" Sans quietly spoke up.

Papyrus kept running, seeming to not have heard him.

"Papyrus?"

Sans spoke a little louder, but still, Papyrus kept running. The younger skeleton was completely stuck in his own mindset, his anxiety screaming at him to keep running, as if he was still within sight of the burning cottage. His sole purpose of protecting his older brother completely overpowering his need to rest and recover.

"Papyrus!!"

Sans finally shouted, snapping his brother out of his trance. Suddenly unaware of how his feet were positioned, Papyrus let out a startled cry as he tripped over himself and fell to the ground with a loud THUD!

Sans flew out of his battle body and skidded over the dirt, landing just a few feet away from him.

"Sans!"

Papyrus gasped, pulling himself up from the ground and scrambling to pick up his brother again. He carefully examined the doll in his hands, trying to be mindful of any possible tears he might have caused.

"Sans, are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to throw you," Papyrus fretted, looking over Sans intensely.

"Pap, it's okay, I'm fine," Sans reassured him.

It was so strange being picked up and handled like this. Even if it did make him uncomfortable, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

"Really!" Sans insisted as he was turned over a second time. "Compared to those freaks back there trying to tear me limb from limb, that was pretty much nothing."

A crestfallen look washed over Papyrus's face recalling everything that led up to this moment. He felt a sincere sense of guilt rising up within him remembering how helpless he was in trying to rescue Sans from Dropwart's merciless tickling, and again when he lured the Ghost Children to the impromptu tug-of-war. Sans noticed the sudden change in his brother's expression, if he could have raised an eyebrow, he would have.

"Hey, what's that look for?" he asked.

Papyrus couldn't help but sniffle as he stared down at the doll that used to be his brother. Another guilty thought crossed his mind, remembering that it was almost him that was turned into a doll first. If Sans hadn't stepped in to swallow the potion on his behalf, maybe his big brother wouldn't have gone through all of that trouble and pain.

"Oh, Sans, I … I'm so sorry, brother…." Tears began filling his sockets as he gently spoke. "It should have been me that was turned into this doll, not you. And maybe … maybe if you had been spared, you could have gotten us out of there faster, I just…." He faltered as two little tears trickled down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry…."

"Aww, Papyrus...."

Touched by his brother's apology, Sans wished more than anything that he could wrap his arms around him in a tight hug. Instead, he could only lay there, watching his brother's tears hit the ground as they fell.

“Hey,” Sans responded gently, waiting for Papyrus to look at him again. “You did just fine, Papyrus. You got us out of there, and that’s what counts the most.”

“B-But…,” Papyrus whimpered. “What if we can’t find our way home … or worse! What if you’re stuck like that forever? And…. And it’s all my fault.…”

“Hey, this is not your fault Papyrus,” Sans replied.

He wanted so badly to take his brother’s face in his hands and look at him with that same reassuring soft expression that always helped to calm him down. It was so infuriating not being able to move even a facial feature. But he didn’t want Papyrus to take the blame for this, not for a single second.

“This didn’t happen because of you,” Sans reiterated. “It’s this place, and the insane nutjobs who live here.” Papyrus hung his head shamefully, fearful tears still trickling down his cheekbones.

“Hey, Pap, look at me.”

Papyrus obeyed, although it was still hard for him to see Sans in this helpless doll form. Still, Sans hoped against hope that he could somehow still convey a message of comfort and understanding through the lifeless doll eyes.

“One way or another, you and I are gonna get out of here,” Sans said firmly. “It might take awhile, we might run into who-even-knows what … but we WILL find our way back home.”

“You … you promise?” Papyrus sniffled, wiping away the last of his bright orange tears.

“I promise, buddy,” Sans replied. He felt himself trying to shift into a grin as a funny thought crossed his mind. “Hey, it’s not all bad being a ragdoll, you know.”

Sans snickered as he noticed Papyrus’s eyes narrowing in confusion.

“I mean, now I actually have an excuse for laying around and being lazy.”

“Oh my gosh, Sans!” Papyrus rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help but suppress an amused snicker. “As if you didn’t have enough excuses already!”

Sans let out a loud chuckle, a sense of pride growing in his chest from finally getting his brother to cheer up.

“Yep, I can see it now….” His tone shifted to suddenly imitate Papyrus. “Sorry Undyne, Sans can’t come to sentry duty right now, he’s a doll.”

“Sans,” Papyrus’s tone shifted to a playful warning tone.

“No, I don’t mean his charming personality,” Sans continued to imitate his brother. “I mean he’s actually a doll, I sure hope dolls like spaghetti!”

“Shut up, you!” Papyrus teasingly scolded, though Sans couldn’t mistake the playful grin growing on the younger skeleton’s face.

“Come on, even with these eyes I know you’re smiling!” Sans teased after another hearty chuckle.

“I am nahahat!” Papyrus insisted, his burst of laughter betraying his words. He shook off the hilarity, attempting to compose himself. But the grin snuck up on him again as he stood there holding his brother. “Jeez, how are you still this annoying when you’re in this form?” he giggled.

“Aw come on bro,” Sans smirked, though his face wouldn’t show it. “I’m just … TOYING with you! Heheheheheheh!”

“Oh, that is SO IT! You come here!”

Papyrus gripped onto Sans with one hand and began skittering across his ribs with his other hand. Sans erupted with laughter, still temporarily forgetting that he was powerless to defend himself against the brotherly attack.

“AGH! Nohohohohohoho!! Ahahaha! Pahahap! Stahahahap!! Ahahahaha!! C-Come ahahahn!! I cahahan’t mohohohohove!! Aaahahahaha!!”

“Oh! Whoops!” Papyrus immediately pulled his hand away, an orange blush forming across his cheekbones. “S-Sorry about that, Sans. I guess I just … forgot?”

Sans lay there in his brother’s open palm taking in grateful breaths. The playful energy leaving his bones buzzing with excitement rather than the harsh exhaustion that the other tickle attackers had left him with. Sans stifled an amused snort, partially letting his brother know that there were no hard feelings.

“You…. You forgot that I was a motionless doll?” he teased.

Papyrus in turn held back a small giggle. He had to admit, even he found the concept to be rather hilarious. Getting after Sans for his ridiculous jokes just came so naturally to the younger skeleton, even going so far as to forget that Sans was in a totally helpless state of being. Though he was grateful to know that his brother wasn’t upset with him for essentially taking advantage of his weakened form.

“Well … it’s not my fault you were asking for it!” Papyrus retorted with a chuckle.

“Oh, if I could move my arms, I’d show you ‘asking for it’!” Sans shot back.

He once again tried to will his body to move, even letting out a couple of straining noises. But his doll body remained unresponsive and limp. Papyrus snickered again at Sans’s helpless noises.

“Well, for right now you can’t,” he replied. “So I’d tone down the jokes if I were you, brother.”

“Or what?” Sans challenged.

A knowing sense of anticipation engulfed his Soul as he just realized what he had set up for himself. Papyrus grinned mischievously down at the doll before positioning a single finger at the bottom of Sans’s right foot.

“You really wanna find out, brother?” Papyrus shot Sans a knowing smirk, threatening to wiggle his finger along his brother’s sole.

Sans let out a small whine as he felt Papyrus’s finger tap along his foot. He didn’t understand it himself, why he seemed to be asking for this kind of trouble with his teasing. Was playing with Papyrus really this therapeutic to him? He thought he hated being tickled. But … he did love to laugh, and he loved making Papyrus happy as an ultimate bonus. But wouldn’t being tickled like this send him into another blind panic? It was all rather conflicting.

“N-No,” Sans finally stammered. Agreeing that it was better to just leave well enough alone.

“So you’re done making stupid puns then?” Papyrus asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

“Toe-tally.”

Sans gasped, panic zapped through his system as if he had just shocked himself. It slipped out so easily, it barely even counted as a pun, he didn’t even mean to! But the look on Papyrus’s face was enough to tell him that it was far too late to backpedal.

“Oh no. Nononononononoo—AHAHAHAHAHA!! NOHOHOHOHO STAHAHAP!! STAHAHAP IT!! I’M SORRY—HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!!”

Papyrus scribbled along Sans’s foot, it was fascinating to him how just one finger could cover the entirety of Sans’s sole.

“Oh yeah, I bet you’re sorry, brother!” Papyrus teased. “You just HAD to keep pushing it, didn’t you? Now take this!”

Papyrus used two fingers to pinch along Sans’s defenseless toes, causing the older skeleton to shriek and panic.

“AAAAGHAHAHA!! NOHOHOHO NAHAHAT THEHEHERE!! PAP!! AHAHAHAHA!! C-C-COME AHAHAHAN, STAHAHAP!! AHAHAHAHA!! I-I-I SAHAHAHAID—I SAID AHEE WAHAHAS SORRY-HEEHEEHEEHEE!!”

As Sans lay there helplessly laughing, even he had to admit, there was something oddly soothing about letting it all go in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Sure, it tickled a lot, and the breaching of his toes was hovering just on the cusp of being overwhelming. But at the same time, Sans could feel the stress and fear melting away with every unbridled chuckle that was unleashed from him. Despite the panic that Papyrus had full control to tickle anywhere that he wanted, Sans was in a state of comfort knowing that, unlike every other creature they had encountered, he was never in danger of his brother going too far with him.

“Nyeheheh! Alright, alright, I’d say that’s punishment enough.” Papyrus finally released Sans’s foot, not wanting his brother to feel like he was being tortured in their odd little game. “Are you alright, Sans?”

Sans was in a strange state of euphoria feeling the tingles steadily leaving his foot. Instinctively, he wanted to reach down and rub them off by force. But seeing how that wasn’t an option, he just lay there, a few stray giggles spilling out of him as the sensation of his foot returned to normal.

“N-No … no fair…,” Sans breathed out in response. “G-Getting me … when … I’m like … this … heh.”

Papyrus giggled in response, he, too, was filled with a sense of fun. Despite knowing that he could easily overwhelm his brother and possibly cause the same amount of panic and distress that their previous adversaries had caused them, he couldn’t deny how much he enjoyed teasing him like this.

“You know what that little Ghost Girl called you back at the cottage?” he said, tucking Sans back into his battle body in an effort to keep walking.

“What’s that?” Sans sighed, his breath finally caught up with him.

“Nyeheh! She called you a Tickle-Me-Skelly!” Papyrus chuckled. “Maybe we should sell you as a prototype for such a toy!”

“Oh jeez!” Sans laughed. “That’s all I need, the whole Underground knowing about my tickle spots.”

“What? I think you would be a wonderful children’s toy, Sans!”

Papyrus reached two fingers up to poke along the opposite sides of Sans’s neck. Sans giggled, still forgetting that his new body wouldn’t allow him to squirm.

“Eeeeheeheeheehee!! Hehehey!” he chortled. He could feel a soft blush starting to form across his cheekbones, though he was unsure if it was showing or not. “Brohohoho! Cut it ohohohout! Hahaha!”

“Nyeheheheh! Sans, you’re so cute!” Papyrus laughed, pulling his hands away and trekking along.

“Wh-What? Cute?!” Sans abruptly stopped himself from laughing. “Come on, bro! I’m not cute!”

He was grateful for the moment that Papyrus wasn’t looking directly at him, just in case a blush was fully visible on his doll face. If there was anything that truly got under his nonexistent skin, it was whenever his brother would call him cute.

“Oh, Sans! You’re adorable!” Papyrus teased, knowing his brother’s disdain for such name-calling. “Even before you were turned into a doll you were adorable!”

“I am not!” Sans argued. “Don’t call me that Papyrus, or you’ll be sorry!”

He knew that he was in no position to make such threats, but he was so used to dishing out some much-needed vengeance every time his little brother dared to refer to him as cute or adorable.

“Oh, I’ll be sorry, huh?” Papyrus stopped and reached into his battle body to pull Sans out. “What are you gonna do about it … LITTLE brother?” he teased.

“Ohoho, you are SO in for it when I get back to my regular body!” Sans playfully vowed.

“Maybe,” Papyrus giggled. “But in the meantime, now that I’M the big brother, I think it’s time I taught you a lesson.” He hovered his empty hand over Sans’s body, wriggling his fingers in a threatening manner.

Sans gasped, all of his senses immediately on high alert. Again, he tried so hard to force his body to move, to defend himself, anything! But he laid there exposed and totally vulnerable.

“Bro…,” Sans weakly muttered, eyes fixated on Papyrus’s fingers. “Don’t…. Don’t you dare! I mean it!”

He was genuinely panicking, but at the same time excitement bubbled up inside, and he couldn’t contain the subtle laughter that was caught in his throat. He would never admit it, but he missed these play fights that he would share with Papyrus, and he wished that he could at least move enough to get him back.

“Then admit it, Sans!” Papyrus grinned impishly. “Admit that you’re cute, then maybe Big Brother Papyrus will go easy on you.”

“No way!” Sans immediately blurted out without a thought. “You know how much I hate that, it’s not gonna happen!”

Sans felt his Soul thumping somewhere deep within his doll body. He knew this meant a merciless tickle attack, but somehow, the thought of that didn’t irk him nearly as bad as what Papyrus had wanted him to admit. If it meant holding onto at least a small part of his dignity, he would take it.

“Alright! You asked for it!”

Papyrus wriggled his fingers along Sans’s ribcage, gently scraping along each bone eliciting sharp giggles from the older skeleton.

“Eeeeheeheeheeheehee!! Nohohohoho!! No, Papyruhuhuhus!! Dohohohohon’t!”

“Nyeh heh heh! Oh my gosh Sans, you’re just the cutest little Tickle-Me-Skelly!” Papyrus teased as he started skittering along Sans’s sides.

“Ahahahahaha!! Nohoho I’m nahahahahat!! Hahahahahaha!! Stahahahap—Stop cahahahalling me thahahahat!! Ahahahahahaha!!”

Sans could tell that Papyrus was being gentle with him on purpose. While he appreciated that his brother was doing his best to take care of him in this predicament, the light feathery tickles were worse than he had anticipated. It drove him absolutely crazy that he couldn’t so much as bang a fist on the ground. Nothing alleviated the effect his brother’s soft fingers had on his upper body.

“Aaaaagghahahaha!! PAPYRUS!! Ahahahaha!! Stahahahap!! Stahahahap it!! It-It reheheheheally really tihihihihickles!!”

“Nyeh heh heh heh! Better admit it, Sans!” Papyrus giggled mischievously. “It’s not gonna stop until you say how cute you are!”

“Nohohohohohoho!!” Sans guffawed harshly. “N-N-Nehehehehehever!!”

As embarrassing as it was to be giggling like an idiot from such gentle teasing, Sans refused to give in to his brother’s request. He knew deep down that his stubbornness was ultimately getting the better of him, and there was no telling how much more he could truly take.

“Oh, ‘never’, huh?” Papyrus teased, letting up on Sans’s torso and giving him a chance to breathe. “Well I doubt you’ll be able to say no to this!”

The younger skeleton lifted up Sans’s arms until they rested lifelessly over his head, completely exposing his underarms.

At first Sans breathed in, grateful for the break. But once he realized where his arms were positioned, a new wave of panic overtook him in an instant. He frantically gazed up at Papyrus, though his look of desperation was lost in the doll’s still face. Papyrus giggled playfully as he held up two wriggling fingers, both aimed directly at Sans’s helpless hollows.

“No…,” Sans practically whispered, his voice fraught with quiet terror. “Oh no. Nononononono! Papyrus, you wouldn’t dare!”

“Ohohoho, wouldn’t I?” Papyrus playfully taunted, threatening to jab his fingers into his underarms right then and there.

“Agh!! Ahahaha! No!” Sans shrieked with giggles as the anticipation got to him. Papyrus nearly burst with laughter himself at his brother’s hilarious reaction.

“You gonna admit it, Sans?” he teased.

“Plehehehehease!!” Sans couldn’t stop himself from giggling. Even if Papyrus hadn’t yet touched him, he could almost feel it happening subconsciously.

“Papyruhuhuhus, noooo!!” he whined, though his tone told Papyrus that underneath it all, he was giddy. “Please! Please! You knohohohohow how sensitive my underahahaharms are! Ahahaha!!”

“Oh, I’ll be gentle, brother.” Papyrus’s fingers inched closer, nearly causing Sans to squeal.

“Ahahaha! Nohoho! That’s what I’m afraid of! Plehehease!!”

He tried to hold back his urge to squeal, but his mind reeled with playful panic as he was already denied the reflex to squirm. It was almost too much to handle, and he loved it. Despite everything that they had gone through, he couldn’t deny how much he adored this teasing game his brother was playing with him. Though he would have preferred being able to fight back and attack Papyrus on equal terms, it was therapeutic being able to laugh and have fun with his best friend again. Especially after going through so much horror.

“Last chance, Sans. Admit how cute you are … or pay the price!” Papyrus made a show of wriggling his fingers a mere inch above Sans’s underarms, causing the older skeleton to finally unleash that pent-up squeal.

“EEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!! Noooo!! I wohohohon’t do it!!” Sans shrieked.

He held onto his dignity for an eighth of a second before Papyrus finally scraped his two slender fingers along his underarms.

“WAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!! PAP-PAPYRUHUHUHUHUHUS!! NAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

“Nyeh heh heh heh! This is what you get for being so cute, brother!” Papyrus laughed victoriously as he scribbled and swirled around Sans’s helpless tickle spot.

“AHAHAHAHAHA!! NOHOHOHO PLEHEHEHEASE!! HAHAHA!! I-I-I CAHAHAHAN’T!! I CAN’T!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! PL-PLEHEHEASE BROHOHO!! IT TIHIHICKLES SO BAHAHAHAD!!”

Despite his pleas, Sans secretly knew he was having a blast, especially once he heard Papyrus practically laughing alongside him.

“Nyeh heh heh! Tickle tickle tickle tiiiiiickle, Sans!” he teased, switching up between scribbling, swirling and poking around to keep Sans on his toes.

Sans squealed again, with a squeak that surprised even him. He felt mirthful tears starting to gather in his little doll eyes. But knowing that he could do nothing to wipe them away, he let them fall freely. Startled by this, Papyrus immediately pulled his fingers back.

“Oh no…!” he gasped. “Oh … oh, Sans, I’m so sorry!” His face immediately became crestfallen once more as he stared at the tears that fell from Sans’s face onto his hand.

Unaware of Papyrus’s emotional shift, Sans just laid there taking in giggling breaths as the tingles in his underarms steadily faded away. Once he was able to shake away the euphoric giddiness, he looked up to see Papyrus’s worried expression, finally realizing that Papyrus was afraid that he had overstepped his boundaries.

Although Sans had been tickled to the point of tears, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment that Papyrus had stopped the game. He felt even worse knowing that he caused his brother to think that he had gone too far in his fun. As much as Sans was realizing that he was probably a little overdue for a break, he wanted their one-sided tickle fight to end on a high note.

“H…. Hey…,” he steadily breathed out, causing Papyrus to look up in interest. “Y-You’ll … never … get me to … say it!” he teased breathily.

“What?” Papyrus’s face shifted to one of intrigue; was Sans really saying what he thought he was saying?

“I’ll…. I’ll never … admit it! No matter … what!”

Papyrus's eyes began to soften, a wide grin spread across his face as he was now fully aware of Sans's open invitation.

"Oh we'll see about that, brother! Nyeheheheh!!"

Sans let out an excited whimper before he felt all of Papyrus's soft fingertips dancing and scribbling across his entire upper body. Not just his underarms but also his ribs and spine, with Papyrus even taking little breaks to scribble across his neck.

"WAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!! AHAHAHA!! NOHOHOHO!! NOHOHOHOHO!! STAHAHAHAP!! STAHAHAP IHIHIHIT!! OHOHOHO MY GAHAHAHAHAD!! AHAHAHAHAHA!!"

The free-flowing tears returned to trickle down Sans's soft cheeks, this time the brothers happily ignored them. Papyrus wore an elated grin as he brushed his fingers along Sans's torso. Now knowing that he was doing what no other cursed tickle monster in this whole land could do … making his brother happy.

"Nyeh heh heh! Come on Sans, who's a cute little doll? Better tell me!" he teased, letting his fingers scribble their way under Sans's shirt to poke against his bare ribs.

"OH NOHOHO!!" Sans shrieked. "OH NO!! NONONONONONONOOOOO!! AAAHAHAHAHAHA!! PAPYRUHUHUHUS!!"

Sans's voice became shrill as he felt his brother's nimble fingers play with his now soft and fuzzy rib bones. He let out a silent breathy cackle followed by an abrupt snort once the tip of his index finger slipped between two bones.

"Oh yeah!" Papyrus laughed. "I nearly forgot about your little snorting spot!"

He purposefully dipped his fingers between multiple bones at once causing a symphony of squeaky giggles and snorts to erupt from the older skeleton.

"PLEHEHEHEHEA...!" He trailed off into another snorting fit. "PLEHEA...!! N-NOHOHO!! NO MOHOHOHORE...!! IT TIHIHI...!! IT TI—HAHAHAHAA!! T-TIHIHIHICKLES...! AHAHAHAHA!!"

Slightly fearful that Sans would lose his breath, Papyrus pulled his fingers out of his shirt and instead resumed soft, ginger tickling on his left side. Sans kept giggling, but the snorting and silent laughter had finally ceased.

"Well, brother?" Papyrus intrigued. "Care to say something?"

As much fun as Sans was having, even he knew that he was reaching his limit with this. He was thoroughly satisfied with how cheered up the both of them were, now it was time to end the game.

"Okahahahay!!" he giggled frantically. "I-I-I-heeheeheehee! I'm c-cuhuhuhuhute!! Hahaha!! I'm cute!! Haha!! I'm cuhuhuhuhuhute!! Th-There!! Thehehehere I said ihihit!! Hahahahaha!!"

He hated the fact that he had to say it, and hearing Papyrus's cheer of victory just felt like more salt in the wound.

"Yes!! The Great Papyrus wins again!!"

As Sans lay there greedily taking in breaths of air, the warm euphoria washed over him again. He never knew that being thoroughly tickled by someone he cared about could make him feel this peaceful afterwards. It was the most welcomed change of pace the older skeleton had felt since being here, he didn't really want it to end. Almost feeling the urge to provoke Papyrus further just to get to this moment again. But after another deep inhalation, he decided to give his poor body the break it needed.

"Yeah yeah … whatever…," he breathed out. "Just… Just don't think … I'm gonna … start calling you … my big brother now. You … got that? That's … my job."

Papyrus hummed a little giggle through his nasal cavity and nodded.

"It is," he replied softly, before giving the doll a gentle squeezing hug.

Sans took in the embrace silently, both brothers enjoying the stillness of each other's company. A sudden clap of thunder echoed across the sky, momentarily startling both brothers with a jump.

After a moment of eerie silence, the brothers could hear the pitter patter of light raindrops all around them. It didn't take long before the drizzling drops reached them, lightly sprinkling them with an odd-colored rain. The water was murky and dark, but it seemed to have fragments of fine glitter sprinkled into each individual drop. As if they were getting rained on by a child's leftover watercolor paint.

As the rain danced all around them, they couldn't help but feel the sudden urge to start giggling. The droplets left a light tingling sensation that flared against their bones.

"Heeheeheehee! H-Hehey, what gihives?" Sans giggled, feeling the tingling sensation sprinkling across his body. "Whahahat—Whahahat's t … tickling?"

The sensation was so light, it could only draw out little titters from the skeletons, but it was enough to get Papyrus squirming as the raindrops began trickling down the bare spots of his body.

"I-I-heeheeheehee I thihink it mihihihight be the rahahahain!" he snickered, getting a better look at the glittering navy blue that collected in his empty hand.

"Heheheheheh! Oh you … g-gohohohotta be kidding! Hahahahaha! We're—We're beheheing tickled by rahahahain now? Heheheheheheh!"

Sans so craved the ability to squirm and dance away from the falling raindrops. He was grateful that Papyrus had at least moved his body to face downwards so that no loose drops could get into his sockets. He couldn't imagine the senseless irritation if the tickling sensation had gotten into his eyes.

Papyrus quickly looked around for any means of shelter. Even for a jungle, there wasn't much to go on, they had found themselves in a very open area, where the now growing raindrops easily slid between the overgrown leaves placed high above them.

A few yards into the distance, Papyrus had noticed a large tree trunk, and growing all along it were large red banana leaves, almost twice as big as his head. Holding Sans closely, Papyrus dashed for the odd tree, ducking under one of the larger banana leaves and using it as a makeshift umbrella.

The brothers giggled as the remaining raindrops shook and trickled off of their bodies, but for the moment, they were perfectly sheltered, albeit a little cramped under the single leaf.

"Oh man … and I thought rain … got on my nerves before," Sans joked.

Papyrus let out a playful groan in response.

"Sans, really? Now?"

"Yeah really!" Sans chuckled. "Water you expecting me to do in this situation?"

"You'd better watch it, Sans," Papyrus warned.

Though the way Sans was positioned, he couldn't clearly see his brother's fingers wiggling in a threatening manner.

"Okay, okay," Sans replied with the tone of a big smile. "I'll save those jokes for a rainy day … oh, wait…."

"Oh, that is it!"

Papyrus gently scritched along his brother's ribs again, drawing out another series of semi-panicked laughter from the doll.

"Ahahahahahahaha! Ohoho no! No! Stahahahap it!!"

"You did this to yourself, brother! Nyeh heh heh heh!" Papyrus teased as he fluttered along Sans's sides once more.

Unbeknownst to the pair of laughing skeletons, a small amount of the glittering rainwater was collecting in the banana leaf that had been sheltering them. As it gathered into a small puddle, the texture of the leaf bled into the murky gray liquid, changing its chemistry. The sparkles had all but vanished, and the color changed to a bright red, same as the banana leaf itself.

It was dripping directly onto Sans's left shoulder, but the tingling effects were no longer felt by the older skeleton. In fact, if he wasn't so distracted by Papyrus's ongoing tickle attack, it would have felt like the splash of any ordinary raindrop.

But then something changed.

As Papyrus continued to tickle at Sans's ribs, Sans was still trying to wiggle free out of habit. In an instant, Sans suddenly reached his left arm up and batted at Papyrus's hand with a single small blow before coming back down to rest at his side. Papyrus stopped tickling immediately, staring at Sans's left hand as it rested lifelessly again. Did that just happen … or was he seeing things?

"Sans...?” he quietly muttered. "Did you just … move your arm?"

For a moment Sans just laid there catching his breath in his brother's palm. But upon hearing Papyrus's question, he tried again to move his arm. It wouldn't respond … except for his fingers, his middle and index fingers began to wiggle on command. Sans gasped at the discovery, trying to move other parts of his body experimentally. He could get nothing else to move, however, and even his two fingers were starting to grow lifeless again.

What was happening? Was the magic starting to wear off?

That's when another bright red drop hit his shoulder again. His left elbow lightly twitched in response. The brothers looked up to see the red rainwater collecting in the leaf above them. As the rain came to an end and the clouds parted revealing the sun, their minds, too, became clear and aware.

"Sans, that's it!" Papyrus gasped. "We will find a cure for you right here in this jungle!"

36 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

Okay, nobody panic! Sans us fine, I promise!

It's kind of amazing how fast you run out of ideas when you're coming up with Tickletober prompts that haven't already been used. Again, I wasn't too keen on using a Tug-of-War prompt because I just didn't know how to make it Tickle-Themed. But honestly after really sitting down and coming up with what could happen if everyone was involved, the story flowed more naturally than I thought it would.

I just had to put Papyrus's window-jumping shenanigans in there, come on! It was begging for it.

LaughterLand - Chapter 22: Tug-of-War

(story by Mod Secret, art by Mod Yosh)

For several agonizing moments Papyrus completely froze in terror, the nightmare of seeing all of their past adversaries standing together in one room leaving him practically paralyzed with fear.

“B…. Bro…?” Sans’s small voice spoke up.

Sans, still trapped in doll-form, lay sprawled on his front on the second wooden table and completely facing the other way, powerless to move himself.

“What’s going on? Who’s there?” Sans sounded so weak and tired, but at the same time his voice trembled as he felt the sudden shift in tension.

The Cheshire Cat hungrily eyed the Sans doll once he heard the older skeleton’s voice coming from that direction. Noting the familiar tone coming from the familiar-looking doll surrounded by various tickling instruments, it didn’t take long to put two-and-two together. The Cat let out a low chuckle before stepping further into the cottage to face the witch.

“My dear, Dropwart,” he mused. “I must say you’ve outdone yourself. I never would have even considered a transformation spell. You must be so proud.”

Dropwart growled angrily in response, immediately stepping between the Cat and Sans.

“You all just head on back to where you came from now!” she demanded gruffly. “These two are mine, you hear me? Mine!”

“Hey!” came the voice of the Ghost Girl. “We were the ones who found them first!”

“Looks like they got away from you little brats!” Dropwart snapped, not really sure where to turn her gaze.

“Patience, everyone,” the Cat purred calmly. “I’m sure we can work something out. After all…,” he turned to make eye contact with Papyrus, his apple-green eyes burning straight into his Soul as he spoke, “…there’s nowhere they can run where I can’t find them.”

Papyrus trembled in the coils of Dropwart’s pet snakes. Panic raced through his mind remembering every individual time he and his brother had spent with the Cat, the Monster, and the Ghost Children. The thought of all of them — plus Dropwart and her snakes — ganging up on them was too horrific of an idea to deal with.

He turned to Sans, he knew his poor brother wouldn’t survive this. In the state he was in of being completely unable to move or defend himself, Papyrus shivered even harder to think what would happen to him. If he lost the will to carry on, even for his sake, there was no doubt about it, he was as good as dust. Papyrus didn’t even know if his brother could dust in this form, but he refused to find out.

Swallowing as much terror as he could, Papyrus leapt up and flung himself hard onto the wooden floor. The snakes had been so distracted by the intruders that they had forgotten all about their captive. With the length of their bodies slamming down hard onto the ground, both serpents hissed loudly and recoiled in pain, leaving enough wiggle room for Papyrus to break free.

“I’ve got you, Sans!”

Papyrus leapt up from the floor, making a dive for the table. His arms stretched out as far as they could go, ready to grab his brother and make a run for it.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Dropwart screeched, flipping herself around.

She and Papyrus managed to grab ahold of Sans at the same time. Papyrus gripped onto his brother’s arms with both hands, while Dropwart grabbed onto his legs. In an instant, they both began an impromptu tug-of-war for the Sans doll. Papyrus was still weakened by the earlier tickle experiments Dropwart had put him through, he could feel both of his arms and legs trembling as he pulled. But he pushed through the exhaustion, knowing that his brother was just a simple struggle away from being safe in his arms.

“Let … him … go!” Papyrus growled as he strained to pull him away. For being such an old woman, Dropwart was impressively strong.

“Not a … chance!” Dropwart also struggled to pull back her soft creation. “He’s … mine!” she snapped through the strain.

“Ow! OWW!! Hey! Watch it!!” Sans’s voice came bursting out of the doll, obviously feeling the pain of the tugging on his limbs. “Don’t go busting a seam! I’m serious!!”

Dropwart pursed her lips together to create a sharp whistling noise, alerting her pet snakes to come slithering to her aid. The serpents acknowledged her command with a loud hiss and slunk towards the direction of the scuffle. Before Papyrus had a chance to protest, he felt the snakes’ thick coils wrapping around his legs and ankles, trying to pull him back.

The younger skeleton stood his ground, planting his feet firmly in place as he held tight to the little doll. He was almost certain that he could manage to pull his feet forward … until he felt the sensation of their feathery tongues invading under the back of his knees.

“NYAAGH! Ahahahahaha!! Nohohohoho!! Hahaha!! N-Nohohoho!! Stahahahap that!! Ahahahahaha!!”

His pleading was useless, and he knew it. The snakes’ hissing seemed to be ten times more aggressive than it had ever been, and it showed in the way their tongues mercilessly flicked and fluttered and tickled his knee-pits. Papyrus tried to kick his knees up in response, forgetting that the colorful reptiles were firmly holding his ankles down. Papyrus noticed that they weren’t even trying to pull him away from Dropwart anymore. Their only goal was to hold him in place and tickle him until he released his brother, a task that Papyrus wouldn’t make easy for them.

“Eeeheeheeheehee!! G-Gihihihve—ahahaha!! G-Give me bahahack my brohohohother!! Aaahahahaha!!” Papyrus demanded through frantic giggling.

Dropwart didn’t respond, but instead kept her grip on Sans’s legs tighter than ever as she continued to pull. Sans, meanwhile, was bearing through his own struggles as his limbs were pulled in such an aggressive manner. He was certain that if he were still in skeleton form, he would have disconnected his arms and legs from the rest of him, just to spare himself the strain. But doll form wouldn’t give him that option, so he remained pulled between the two of them groaning loudly in pain.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! OWW!!” he yelped suddenly. “Pap! That’s not supposed to stretch that far!!”

"S-S-Sa—Ahahahahahaha!!"

Papyrus attempted to apologize, but his words were too intermixed between forceful giggling and painful groans as he tried to keep his strength up.

"Tsk tsk tsk, such a display of behavior." The Cheshire Cat tutted from the other side of the room.

Papyrus looked to see him turn towards the direction of the Ghost Children’s shadows. It was terrifying how it seemed like he could clearly see them.

"Children," he said slyly. "Would you be so kind as to lend our new serpent friends a helping hand?"

Papyrus heard the Ghost Children let out a malicious giggling sound before the sudden sound of a WHOOSH as they rocketed towards him. Before he had any chance to respond, he felt their soft little fingers digging into his ribs and underarms.

"NYAAAGH!! Ahahahahaha!! Oh-Ohoho nohohoho!! Not—Ahahahaha!! Nahahat you twohohohohoo!! Ahahahaha!!"

Between the snakes attacking the underside of his knees, and the Ghost Children going after his upper torso, Papyrus could immediately feel his strength starting to buckle under the ticklish stress. Dropwart yanked hard on Sans's legs eliciting another painful yelp from the older skeleton. Papyrus lunged forward in his moment of weakness, but somehow managed to regain control of his grip and steadily pulled Sans back towards him.

"Nohohohohoho!!" Papyrus cried through his cackling. "Yohohohohou—You—Aaaaahahahaha!! Yohohou can't—Ahahahahaha!!"

He tried so hard to fight back with his words. But he found that he was too quickly losing his stamina by talking, so he clenched his teeth and turned his focus back to keeping his grip on Sans.

"You can't … hold on … forever!!" Dropwart growled in response, also tightening her grip on the doll.

In all the commotion, nobody had even noticed the Tickle Monster's heavy footsteps lumbering further into the cottage. Nobody, except the Cheshire Cat that is. He turned towards the fuzzy creature, grin never faltering but with a clear look of annoyance in his eyes.

"Well? Just what are YOU waiting for?" The red cat sneered at the Monster. "DO get in there and get that doll, would you."

Unlike with the children, the cat spoke quite bluntly towards the Tickle Monster, though it was unclear just how the creature felt about such treatment. The Monster slowly approached the scuffle, its gaze turning back and forth between Papyrus and Dropwart. It wasn't quite sure which side to get on. But seeing as Papyrus had the snakes pulling against him, the next logical step in the creature's mind was to pull against Dropwart.

The lumbering creature positioned itself directly behind the green witch, abruptly wrapping its long arms around her waist and yanking her away from Papyrus. In an instant, the doll flew from the younger skeleton's fingertips, sending both him and Dropwart flying in opposite directions. Dropwart's body slammed into the Tickle Monster, sending both of them flying into a shelf. The sound of glass vials breaking left and right echoed through the cottage. Papyrus meanwhile, had landed flat on his back, awkwardly staring up at the ceiling before fully registering what had just happened.

"Oh no!!" he cried once he realized he no longer had his brother. "No! No! No! NO!!"

He quickly moved to stand himself up, but realized with horror that he couldn't budge from the floor. Something was pinning down his arms in an outwards position and something else was sitting on top of his legs preventing them from going anywhere. Two mischievous giggles were enough to tell him that the Ghost Children were sitting on top of him.

"Ha!" Dropwart gloated once she got up from the wooden floor. "He's all mine! Nobody gets the drop on old Dropwart!"

But the moment she finished her sentence, the Tickle Monster immediately made a grab for Sans, abruptly yanking on his arm with its gigantic claw.

"Why you fuzzy little gremlin!" the witch growled as she continued her fight to regain Sans. "You give him back to me right now!!"

The monster only grunted in response before continuing to pull against Dropwart. It was so big, it could only wrap two claws around the doll's arm, but it was enough to make Dropwart really struggle to try and pull him back.

"Sans!"

Papyrus grunted and struggled to move out from under the Ghost Children's weight. He heard them giggle as they watched him writhe.

"Hang on Sans! I'm coming to—AAAAAAGH!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! OHOHO NOHOHOHO!! PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE!!"

All at once he felt them start to tickle him under the arms, along the ribs, and even squeezing his knees. Papyrus shrieked, immediately trying to squirm and push them away. Their strength once again surprised him by how well they managed to keep him pinned. The younger skeleton tried to lift his head up to at least get a glance at what was happening to his brother, before realizing that the Cheshire Cat was standing directly over him. The feline's vibrant green eyes and sinister smile made Papyrus erupt in a startled shriek intermixed with his laughter.

"Well done, Children," the cat mused. "Do keep him there while I fetch dinner, won't you?" The Cat slinked off to join in the scuffle for Sans, a gruesome chuckle under his breath.

"NO! NO! WA—EEEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!!! HAHAHAHA!! ST-STAHAHAP IT!! PLE—AHAHAHA!!!"

Papyrus banged his palms and heels against the ground as he felt the Ghost Children's little fingers swirling into his underarms and into his knee pits.

"Tickle tickle tickle tickle tickle!!" teased the voice of the Ghost Girl.

"He's so sensitive and ticklish!!" added the Ghost Boy.

"I'm gonna tickle him forever and ever!" The Ghost Girl returned to squeezing the tops of Papyrus's kneecaps drawing out panicked gasps and chortles from the frantic skeleton.

"NOOOOHOHOHOHO!!" Papyrus howled, still trying to squirm away from their delicate fingers. "PLEHEHEHEHEASE!! NO-NOHOHO MOHOHOHORE!! EEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!!"

"No more! No more!" the Ghost Boy repeated in a high-pitched mocking tone. "Hear that? He wants us to stop!"

"Aww! But I don't wanna stop!" the Ghost Girl pretended to whine. "Your giggles are extra tasty!! Yum! Yum!"

She merrily laughed away as she began dragging her little nails across the tops of his knees. Papyrus let out a silent squeal before resuming another onslaught of breathy cackling.

"STAAAAHAHAHAHA...!! OH-OHOHOHO PLEHEHEHEHEASE!! NYAHAHAHA!! L-LEMMIE GOHOHOHO!!"

"Let's have the doll, Dropwart." Papyrus heard the cat speak in an authoritative tone. "You've had your fun. Now kindly return what is mine."

It infuriated the younger skeleton how the Cat was speaking in such a manner about his brother, as if he had come to own him like a toy. Even in his hysterical state, he couldn't help but wonder why they all weren't fighting for ownership over him … especially not the Ghost Children. As he squirmed helplessly on the floor, Papyrus almost wished that they would leave him alone to go fight over Sans, at least then everyone would be distracted while he thought of a better plan.

That was it!

His mind immediately went back to the first interaction the pair of them had with the Cheshire Cat, how Sans had used the power of persuasion to try and steer the cursed cat away from his secret sweet spot. Although the plan ultimately failed, Papyrus knew it was his only chance at possibly getting the Ghost Children off of him and distracting them enough to make an escape.

"IS-IHIHIHIS HE—AHAHAHAHA!! IS HE—EEEHEEHEEHEE...!!"

It was so hard to think as he was being mercilessly tickled. His mind raced to find the correct words. He so desperately wished for his brother's ability to just make up fanciful lies on the spot. But in this moment, his brother needed him, so he inhaled as much oxygen as he could before trying again.

"IS-IS HEEHEEHEEHEE … J-JUHUHUST GOING TO T-TAHAHAHAKE SANS .... A-AHAHAHAHALL FOR HIHIHIMSELF?! AHAHAHAHAHA!!"

"Ha! Of course not!" the Ghost Girl replied arrogantly.

"We were the ones who found you first, so obviously we get first dibs!" added the Ghost Boy as he strummed Papyrus's ribs like a harp.

"W-W-WEHEHELL … HEEHEEHEE S-SAID THAT … SAHAHAHANS WAS HIS! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! J-JUHUHUST NOW IN FAHAHACT!! HEEHEEHEEHEE!!" Papyrus could feel himself on the verge of hyperventilating as he spoke through the unending cackles. "I-I-HEEHEEHEEHEE DOHON'T THINK … HE HAHAHAS IN-INT—AHAHAHA!! INTENTIONS TO SHAHAHAHARE!! HAHAHAHA!!"

"Wait … what?" the Ghost Boy answered, suddenly sounding confused.

To Papyrus's surprise, the tickling suddenly came to a halt. Obviously, his words had gotten through to them somehow, now he just had to keep them listening.

"Think about it!!" Papyrus practically choked out after a harsh gasp for air. He struggled to talk and catch his breath at the same time. "Why…. Why else … would … he just … leave you two over … here to … tickle me … wh-when … Sans is … clearly … th-the best … prize...?"

He coughed and gasped after finally spitting out his sentence, desperately hoping that he had made a decent enough point. For a moment, the Ghost Children were quiet, silently thinking. More than anything, Papyrus wished that he could see them, to read their faces and try to figure out which moves to make next. He was too afraid to start squirming again, fearing that they would see through his attempts to get them off of him. So he laid there, breathing heavily and silently praying that the odds were in his favor.

"You know what?" the Ghost Boy finally spoke. "I think he's right. We saw 'em first! How come he gets the best one?"

"Yeah!" the Ghost Girl cheered.

Papyrus felt a sudden lightness over his body as the Children levitated themselves off of him.

"Let's show that furball who really deserves that Tickle-Me-Skelly!"

Papyrus felt a sudden breeze sweep over him as the Ghost Children zoomed over to where the fight for Sans was continuing. At last, the younger skeleton took in a deep and well-needed breath in, and sat himself up wearily.

"What are you doing?!"

"Back off, he's mine!"

"No mine!"

"Get off of me!"

"Get away!"

"Let me see him!"

"I wanna play with him!"

"He belongs to me!"

The eruption of screams and protests from the crowd of adversaries pulled Papyrus's attention towards the scuffle. Sans was being pulled, literally limb from limb by everyone in the room. While Dropwart and the Tickle Monster each held onto an arm, the Ghost Children pulled on one foot, while Sans's other foot was in the jaws of the Cheshire Cat. The poor skeleton was groaning and whining in agony, feeling his body being uncomfortably stretched in every direction.

Papyrus gasped in horror, this wouldn't have been too terrible if Sans were in his normal form as he could simply detach his limbs. But there was no way he could reattach himself if his limbs were ripped off in doll form. Papyrus had to do something before that came to pass. He frantically looked around for anything that could possibly be useful. Besides the remaining tickle tools on the table, there was only broken glass around the floor from when Dropwart and the Monster crashed into the shelf. Clearly nobody was concerned about stepping on such precarious materials, not when a meal ticket like Sans was on the line. There were stray bottles here and there, but they had not yet been filled with any extracted laughter. Nothing that Papyrus could use against them. He watched helplessly as they all pulled at his brother, tearing out helpless gasps and painful yelps from the older skeleton.

Suddenly, the two snakes that had been wrapped around Dropwart's waist in an effort to help her pull, unraveled themselves from their master and instead began pushing and pulling against the Monster and the Cheshire Cat. The Lilac Snake even managing to wrap the Cat up completely in its coils. The Cheshire Cat however, still refused to release his smiling jaws. This gave Dropwart just the edge she needed to really start pulling Sans towards her. With only the Ghost Children really putting up a fight, she started confidently stepping backwards with Sans in tow.

"There … you see?"

She still struggled to keep her grip on him as she pulled, but her voice held the tone of haughty arrogance feeling as though she were finally winning.

"In the … Old Dropwart … Cottage … there's only … ONE … real queen!"

She continued stepping backwards, conviction growing with each step, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Sans would slip out of her opponents’ hands. Papyrus knew that it was now or never. He was still a good distance away from the group, so they hadn't yet noticed that he was free. But he also knew that he couldn't risk running over there, not only would he be too easily stopped, but there was too great a chance of him missing his brother completely. He had to come up with something, and fast!

At that moment, the harsh thumping on the wooden floor caused one of the empty vials to roll towards Papyrus. He looked down in time to see the tip of the glass-opening tapping at his ankle, reluctantly realizing that it was all he had. It may not have been much, but he was running out of time. If Dropwart successfully regained Sans, then it wouldn't take long for the others to notice him. Picking up the vial, he carefully measured Dropwart's footsteps. Despite still struggling against the others, the witch was still pulling herself backwards at a steady enough pace.

Holding his breath, Papyrus rolled the glass bottle across the floor like a bowling ball, clenching tightly in anticipation as he watched it travel across the floor. Just as Dropwart took another step backwards, the vial rolled directly under her foot. With a startled yelp she slipped backwards landing directly onto her old spine. The Sans doll abruptly flew from the clutches of the others and rocketed across the room. Papyrus dove for his brother, landing hard on the front of his ribs. The pain that seared through him was immediately forgotten once the doll landed safely in his hands.

"Papyrus!" Sans's voice was a strange mixture of joy and panicked screaming.

Papyrus didn't even waste time with a response. He scrambled to his feet, gently but firmly cradling Sans in his hands. Without looking back, he made a bolt for the front door, only to be greeted by a wave of intense heat as crackling flames had consumed the front entryway completely sealing them in.

"I … completely forgot I set that shelf on fire," Papyrus lamented meekly.

"That's alright, deary!" Dropwart's sudden cackle caused Papyrus to turn around with a sharp gasp. "You can pay me back for the cottage by giving me back my little poppet!"

Everyone was intensely staring the younger skeleton down with piercing eyes and devilish smiles. Although he couldn't see them, he knew the same could be said for the Ghost Children as he noticed their shadows hovering in place on the ground.

"There's nowhere left to run," the Cheshire Cat mused viciously. "Now you can either give us that doll … or we'll just have to take it from you."

Papyrus hesitantly took a step back towards the flames as he felt the others trying to creep closer.

"Although personally…," the Cat chuckled, showing off his sharpened claws. "I'd prefer if you chose the latter."

A shiver crept up Papyrus's spine, in spite of the blaring heat on his back. There just had to be a way out, he looked around again. There just had to be something … and there it was!

A bolted window. Clearly built with the idea of keeping prisoners trapped in the cottage. But the residents of LaughterLand were unaware of just how far Papyrus had gone in his previous shenanigans while training with Undyne.

"Give it up, deary!" Dropwart dared to creep closer while reaching out her green speckled claws. "There's no way you're getting out that door."

A wide grin spread across Papyrus's face, momentarily surprising everyone.

"I couldn't agree more!" he responded candidly.

Tucking Sans into his battle body, Papyrus leapt into a handstand before forwards flipping towards the window. The glass shattered instantly upon impact with his feet. Papyrus rolled into the grass, clutching Sans close to his chest. Though the fall left his head feeling dizzy, he gripped his brother tightly and ran with intense speed into the jungle, leaving the burning cottage of Old Witch Dropwart far behind them.

"Sorry!" he whispered cheekily under his breath.

26 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

Okay wow, so...re-reading this Chapter...this turned out a LOT more violent than I remember it being 😅

But one thing I definitely loved about this Chapter was how Papyrus got to be the hero for once. Sans always had his big brother instincts to always come running after Papyrus. So it was nice to switch it up and give him his moment to swoop in and save the day...even if it didn't go that smoothly.

Also when I finished this Chapter, I remember Kitty telling me, "I hope Dropwart has cottage insurance" 😆

Better get Allstate or something, cuz that's a dose of mayhem if I've ever seen it!

LaughterLand - Chapter 21: Transformation

(story by Mod Secret, art by Mod Kitty)

“Y-You want us to do … WHAT?!” Papyrus stammered nervously, as Dropwart approached with the spoonful of dangerous-looking potion.

“Well, come on now, dearies.” She grinned excitedly, though she was careful not to spill a single drop of the violet liquid. “Which one of you wants a taste? You know how hard I worked to prepare this little mixture. One of you needs to be my official taste-tester!”

"No way!" Papyrus retorted, already tugging at the bonds that held him to the wooden stake. "We helped you make that disgusting thing, you leave us out of the tasting part!"

Dropwart snickered under her breath as she approached Papyrus with the large wooden spoon. "Oh, I don't think I'm giving you much of a choice, my deary!" she said in a teasing tone.

She abruptly shoved the spoonful of violet liquid directly into Papyrus's face. The younger skeleton clamped his jaws down tightly, turning away from the sweet smelling potion.

"Come on now," Dropwart cooed teasingly. "Just a teensy weensy baby taste for little old me?"

She talked to him like a mother who was trying to spoon feed a baby. If Papyrus was able to speak, he would have shouted at her to treat him like the grown skeleton he was. But he didn't dare open his mouth, he didn't want to risk any possibility of her forcing that dangerous potion down his throat.

"Pretty please with sugar on top?"

Dropwart continued to patronize him as she danced the spoon around his face, trying to find an opening. Papyrus could only grunt in retaliation and forcibly turn his head away. She wasn't about to give up that easily. Before he could do much of anything else, Dropwart grabbed at his chin, squeezing it tightly in her clammy green hand. She forced him to face her, but still, Papyrus kept his mouth closed.

"Come on, Bonesy. Open wiiiide!"

Her tone was still cheery and playful, despite the forceful way she was holding his face still. Papyrus could feel an ache in his jaw, partially from the pain of her holding him so tight, but also from the pressure he had put on his mouth to remain closed at all costs.

His sockets suddenly shot right open in a comical bug-eyed expression. Something was tickling at his toes again. The hissing sounds coming from just below them was enough to confirm that Dropwart's pet snakes were playing with his feet using their soft feathery tongues. Papyrus groaned and squirmed, the tears were already starting to form in his sockets again. He let the image of the horrific potion be his motivation to keep his jaw shut, but he couldn't twist away from the tickling tongues, and he was starting to become desperate.

Sans, meanwhile, was trapped in a kind of brain fog. The harsh tickle attack on his secret sweet spot had left him so exhausted and out of it, it was hard to register what was even happening. Multiple times he tried to shake his skull back to sanity, just to be left feeling dizzy. Parts of his vision were still blurry and hard to make out. So all he could really concentrate on was his breathing. He took low and steady inhales and exhales, each one bringing a small dose of renewed strength and clarity. Although this was the farthest thing from being an ideal place to slow down and take a breath, for the moment he was no longer being tickled out of his mind, so he took the opportunity to regain at least some of his energy back.

It wasn't until his vision returned to normal that he could finally make out the sound of Papyrus struggling, along with Dropwart's teasing persuasion.

"Come on, deary, just one little swallow and I'll let you go. Don't you want to get down from there?"

Sans weakly looked up to see what was happening with his brother. His expression shifted to one of disbelief when he saw Dropwart trying to force the wooden spoon of potion into Papyrus's mouth. His gaze swiftly cast down to the snakes as he felt one just barely graze against his foot. His poor brother was fighting tooth and nail to not have to swallow that horrible liquid, but from the look of how he was barely holding it together, Sans knew he was rapidly losing strength. Sans knew he had to do something to get her attention away from Papyrus. He could only think of one thing. As much as it terrified him, as badly as he didn't want to go through with it, he would do whatever it took to save Papyrus.

"H-Hey...!"

His voice was soft and ragged from all the intense screaming that had been torn out of him. He reeled back, wincing in pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw that neither of them had noticed him, he must have been too quiet. He took a steady breath in, ready to try again.

"Hey!"

His voice was hoarse, he ended up coughing after speaking up louder, but at least he got their attention. Sans finished coughing and glared daggers at the old witch.

"I'll take it," he said coldly.

"Really?" Dropwart's golden eyes glimmered with excitement as she released Papyrus and pulled the spoon away from his face.

"Sans, no!" Papyrus yelled.

Even the snakes had ceased their attack on his feet to watch their master approach the older skeleton. She gingerly held the large wooden spoon up to Sans’s mouth, a devious grin spread across her face.

“But…. But ONLY if you keep your word,” Sans quickly blurted out, causing Dropwart to momentarily freeze. “You said you’d release whoever was brave enough to taste-test this garbage … right?”

Dropwart’s eyes narrowed, though her toothy grin still held onto its mischievous shape.

“Of course, deary,” she replied coolly. “Just one little taste, and you’ll be on your way!”

From the way she sounded, Sans wasn’t entirely sure if he believed her. But more than anything, he didn’t want Papyrus to be the monster Guinea Pig for whatever that potion was meant to do. Beyond that, even if he was released for a fraction of a second, it would be all the time he needed to attack. He swore to himself right then and there that he would fight through whatever exhaustion his body was facing and do whatever it took to bring this crazy old crone down.

“Fine,” Sans replied bluntly.

But before he could properly prepare himself, he felt Dropwart forcibly shoving the spoon into his mouth. He retaliated with a harsh grunt as the wood clanged against his teeth.

“That’s it, deary … drink every last drop.” Dropwart snickered as she tipped the spoon up to let the liquid travel down the older skeleton’s throat.

Sans obeyed, but nearly gagged immediately as the overwhelming taste engulfed his mouth. It was too sweet for words, the saccharine flavor was almost violent with how overtly saturated it was. Like it was pure liquid sugar, or syrup or sweetener, or a horrible combination of all three. It was enough to churn his nonexistent stomach, but still, he swallowed hard. Feeling every drop of the warm, runny liquid slither down his throat and into his system, it was a truly sickening sensation.

As she finally pulled the empty spoon away, Sans coughed and spat, fighting back the overwhelming urge to gag a second time. As he took in another deep inhalation, gravity abruptly pulled him down to the floor as the ropes around his wrists and ankles suddenly vanished. He fell to the floor with a loud THUD! His bones feeling heavier than stone.

As Sans shakily got to his knees, he saw Dropwart's curly-toed boots step in front of him. He weakly lifted his head to see her looming over him, her piercing golden eyes gleaming with delight.

"Well, deary? How do you like it? Good flavor? Nice consistency? Come on, be brutal."

This was his chance. Though he didn't anticipate just how sore his joints would be from being restrained for so long, he fought against the pain. He readied his knees underneath him, preparing to pounce. His hateful glare burned into the creature who dared to hurt him and his brother.

"Oh, I'll be brutal alright!" he growled deeply.

In a flash, he lunged for Dropwart, ready to tackle her to the ground and land a hearty blow on her protruding green nose. But just as quickly as he took off from the floor, he was aggressively pulled back down by the snakes' tails gripping onto his ankles. He felt the wind burst out of chest as he hit the ground twice. Despite the aching pain surging into his bones, he still gritted his teeth and clawed for Dropwart. Trying in vain to pull himself in her direction, but was held back by the hissing serpents.

"Well now!" Dropwart gave a haughty smile down at the older skeleton still desperately trying to attack her. "I believe I said that I would set you free … but if my precious pets want to play with you still, then who am I to stop them?"

As she unleashed her signature shrieking witch cackle, Sans let out a cry of distress as the snakes forcefully yanked him backwards, once again wrapping him up in their colorful coils.

"Noooo!!" he cried as he fought against them. They tauntingly hissed at him from opposite ends of his skull, threatening him with their feathery tongues. "You…. You evil … vile … wicked old—"

Sans stopped himself as he felt an old familiar tingling sensation deep down in his ribs. He couldn't see what was happening, as the snakes’ slithering bodies had him wrapped up good and tight in a bundle of coils. But he just knew that one of them must have wriggled a tail under his shirt to get after him again.

"Pffftt—Hahahahahaha!! Ahahaha!! Oh nohohohoho!! Noho!! Stahahahap!! Not agahahahain!! Ahahahaha!!"

Sans uselessly kicked and struggled against the snakes as he felt the tickling sensation slowly starting to engulf his ribcage. Dropwart let out an excited giggle upon seeing the laughing skeleton.

"Ohohoho! Goody! I just knew it would work!" She clapped her fingertips together like a giddy child, bouncing on her toes with elation.

"Oh no! Sans!!"

Papyrus pulled against the ropes still securing him to the stake, terrified for his brother's lack of stamina in this situation. He had already been through so much, Papyrus feared for his well-being and sanity as the tickling continued.

"Let him go!!" Papyrus demanded as he tugged. "You said you'd set him free! Tell your pets to stop tickling him, now!!"

Dropwart let out another amused cackle at Papyrus's useless command. She turned to give the younger skeleton a knowing grin.

"Afraid I can't help you there, Bonesy." She smirked. "My pets aren't the ones who are tickling him."

Both skeletons' eyes shot open with a combination of shock and confusion. That's when Sans realized with horror that the tickling sensation was starting to spread closer to his underarms and spine, and it certainly didn't feel like the flicking of a tail going after so much space at once.

With a simple wave of her hand, Dropwart commanded her snakes to release Sans from their clutches. Sure enough, as the skeleton fell back down to the ground with nothing physically touching him, the horrible tickling was still plaguing him.

"Wh-Wh-Whahahahahat?! Hahahahaha!! Wh-What the—AAGH!! Ahahahaha!!! Whahat's going ahahahahan?! Ahahahahaha!!

Sans writhed around on his back, unable to control his laughter as the tingling spread like wildfire up to his underarms and down to the underside of his ribcage. After a moment of frantically clawing at his shirt, Sans noticed a faint glow coming from just underneath as it started to ride up over his spine. Quickly gripping the rim of his shirt, he yanked it up to reveal the entirety of his ribcage was glowing.

He noticed the glow was steadily spreading across his body, it had already consumed his underarms and was now heading for his spine and hips. Everywhere that the glow had consumed was engulfed in the ticklish sensation. It was absolutely unbearable! Even the act of lifting his shirt up, in turn lifted his underarms. Although they were already being tickled Sans couldn't stop himself from curling in on himself after getting a good enough look at the state of his bones.

Papyrus just stood there with his mouth agape once he saw the state of his brother's ribcage. It didn't take long to put together that this mysterious glow was the cause of Sans's ticklish stress. Papyrus could hear Dropwart snickering with delight, immediately he gave her a dangerous glare.

"What did you do to him?!" he harshly scolded, eliciting another amused giggle from the witch.

Then it dawned on the both of them, the strange color of the spreading light. It had matched the phosphorescent violet color of the potion that Sans was forced to swallow. The potion was tickling poor Sans from the inside, and there was nothing he could do to stop it!

"AAAAGH!!! AHAHAHAHA!! PLEAEHEHEASE!! PLEASE NOHOHOHO—AHAHAHAHA!! I-HEEHEEHEE-I CAHAHAAN'T!! I CAHAHAN'T!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!! M-MAKE—AAAGGHAHA!! MAKE IT STAHAHAHAHAP!!"

Sans pleaded, hopelessly thrashing on the floor as he watched the violet glow rise up from his sleeves to tickle at his upper arms. His whole body tingled and trembled hopelessly as the tickling sensations got worse and worse with each passing second.

"Heeheehee! There is no stopping it I'm afraid, deary," Dropwart teased as she loomed over the hysterical skeleton. "You'll just have to let it run its course."

Sans looked up at her, tears desperately flooding from the corners of his aching sockets. Laughter pounding out of him as he spasmed on the floor like a fish out of water.

"PLEHEHEHEHEEHEEHEE...!" He trailed off as the glow overtook his forearm and consumed his hips and pelvis. "PLEHEHEHEHEA....PLEHEEHEEHEE...!!"

He didn't have enough air to choke out another plea for mercy. The pupils in his sockets were reduced to tiny pinpricks as frantic desperation washed over his face. He would have given anything to make the tickling stop, and if his expression wasn't making that sentiment clear enough, then he would have outright spat it out if he had the breath to do so. It was all-consuming. Not just his body, but his mind raced horribly with unyielding pleas for mercy.

"Make it stop!" were all his frantic thoughts could scream. "It's too much! Just make it stop!"

He moved his fingers to clench into his hand as a last-ditch effort to feel anything other than ticklishness. But to his horror, his fingers wouldn't move. His skull rolled over to his left side to see what was happening. Nothing was holding him down, and to his dismay he could feel every inch of his body, however hypersensitive it had become. But when he went to close his left hand, it wouldn't move. It laid there lifeless on the wooden floor.

In a panic, he tried his other hand but found the same terrifying result. He couldn't move his fingers, or his hands, he even came to realize that his toes had ceased wiggling. As he looked back up at Dropwart, his neck became stiff and still until he realized he could no longer move his head. His body was completely paralyzed and still being mercilessly tickled beyond his breaking limit. For a moment Sans just laid there, his already hysterical laughter now intermixed with screams of terror and helplessness. It was one thing to be tickled while being restrained and unable to free himself, but being tickled whilst being trapped inside his own body was a manner of hysteria that Sans had never before experienced.

Dropwart stood over him, beaming with delight. She had clearly noticed how he could no longer move and by the look on her face, this had come as no surprise to her.

"Oh, no need to fret, my deary...." She grinned mischievously down at him as he continued to scream. "It'll all be over soon."

Her voice was practically distant as Sans continued breathlessly cachinnating, he could have sworn he could hear it echoing as he felt his mind trying to black out. He was so lost in the madness, that he couldn't even register that his limbs were starting to shrink. Inch by inch his arms, legs, and even his torso were starting to get smaller and shorter.

"SANS!!" Papyrus shrieked when he realized what was happening.

This entire time, Papyrus had been pushing himself past the point of exhaustion to try and break out of the ropes. Using his brother as motivation, he wanted nothing more than to scoop Sans up in his arms and run away from this place as fast as his legs could carry him. While he didn't know what he could do to help him overcome the tickling potion in his system, at least they both would be out of harm's way. But nothing Papyrus tried was getting him out of the restraints, all he could do was just stand there and watch his brother suffer on the floor.

Papyrus rapidly blinked his sockets in utter disbelief as he noticed Sans starting to shrink. He couldn't believe it, surely this must be some kind of a trick, or an aftereffect of being tortured for so long by so many different feats of unfamiliar magic. But it was real. It was happening. Papyrus could tell by every individual reaction of delight coming from Dropwart. Sans was shrinking!

"SANS!!" Papyrus screamed at the top of his nonexistent lungs. "SANS!! WAKE UP!! PLEASE BROTHER, SNAP OUT OF IT!!"

To Sans's relief, he was starting to feel the effects of the potion starting to wear off. At first, it wasn't that noticeable as he was still caught in uncontrollable fits of laughter and screaming. But slowly over a span of minutes he could notice the intensity of the tickling potion starting to decrease. It wasn't slowing down nearly as quickly as Sans needed it to. Every sharp inhale served as a silent plea for the effects to go away faster before choking out another burst of desperate laughter.

But after way too long, the ticklishness finally became bearable, and Sans was able to take in deep, albeit shaky, breaths in between incessant giggling. The skeleton could still feel himself trembling even after the tickling came to a complete stop. He silently prayed that Dropwart would leave him alone long enough to recover at least a little bit, which thankfully she did.

As his breathing returned to a comfortable place, he looked up to see Dropwart's face practically glowing with giddy excitement. He glanced at Papyrus to see an opposite expression of complete horror on his brother's face. But what caused the older skeleton's anxiety to return was when he realized that he still couldn't move. His body was still paralyzed on the floor, and no amount of struggling was making a difference.

"P-Pap...?" Sans fearfully stammered, grateful to at least still be able to speak. "What's going on? Why can't I move?"

At first, Papyrus stood there, still too stunned to speak. But realizing that Dropwart was likely going to blurt out the answer, Papyrus knew it would be better to hear it from him.

"Sans…," he timidly replied. "Y-You're a … doll!"

“I’m a … WHAT?!”

Sans was certain that he didn’t hear Papyrus clearly, it had to be a mistake. It just had too! He attempted to turn his head to look at his arm, but all he could move were his pupils as they strained to look to his left. He could see his arm, but something was clearly off. It looked … softer? It almost looked like it was coated with a gentle layer of fuzz. He still couldn’t move it, and straining his eyes to look the other way yielded the same results. He couldn’t believe it … he was actually a doll!

“A DOLL!!” Dropwart cheered and skipped around the room like a cheerful schoolgirl. The force of her feet landing on the floor scaring the life out of Sans. “I can’t believe it, my very own poppet! No true witch should be without one, you know!”

She picked Sans up by his midsection to hold him with both hands, looking him straight in the eyes. It was the strangest, scariest sensation for Sans to be picked up off the ground with no control of his body to even so much as catch himself. Instinctively, he tried to struggle and fight against her. But his new ragdoll body lay limp, lifeless, and totally helpless to gravity. He could only stare into her face, unable to form an expression of fear, or even to tremble.

“You…. You change him back!” Papyrus yelled boldly. “You turn him back to normal right now!”

The Lilac Snake hissed dangerously at Papyrus as if to try and silence him. But this time, the younger skeleton’s fear was replaced with a defiant anger as he continued to glare at Dropwart demanding to change his brother back.

Dropwart ignored Papyrus’s angry cries as she examined Sans. She gently lifted his arms and admired the stitching across his face, as if he were an actual hand-made doll. Every little detail about her magical handiwork made her beam and giggle with elation. As she switched to just holding him with her left hand, her right hand held up one single finger.

“Now for the true test,” she mused as her finger moved down towards Sans’s midsection.

“W-Wait! Hold on!” Sans stuttered fearfully watching her giant finger move closer to him. “Wait! What are you gonna…?”

He trailed off as he felt the tip of her nail suddenly lifting his shirt up. Before he had a chance to protest further, she wriggled her finger underneath and proceeded to scratch along his new doll ribs.

“AAGH!! Ahahahahahahaha!! Oh-Oh nohohohohoho!! Ahahaha!! Stahahahap!! Stop!! It tihihihihihickles!!”

To his horror, his ticklishness still remained, even while in doll form. In an instant he was thrown right back into the helpless fit of laughter he had been in when he first felt his body become paralyzed. A deathly dread filled his very Soul, he now knew what she was planning to do to him.

“Oh, how utterly PERFECT!” Dropwart practically shrieked in delight. “We’ll brew up another batch for your friend over here, and then you two will be my endless source of ingredients!”

“WHAT?!” Sans screamed, all at once forgetting the ache that was still present in his throat. “NO!! NO YOU CAN’T!!”

Sans didn’t want to believe any of this was happening. This crazy witch turned him into a helpless plush doll and was going to make him and his brother her forever tickle slaves! There was nothing he could do to stop her, this form wasn’t even allowing him to blink! It was worse than being tied down or restrained. At least even in the tightest of bonds Sans could attempt to distract himself with useless struggling. But now, even that luxury was denied him and it was undeniably maddening. Once she repeated the process to drain him of enough laughter to make a new potion for Papyrus, he would suffer the same fate. Sans never felt so doomed in his life.

“LET HIM GO!!” Papyrus growled as he continued to struggle, practically trying to twist his fingers around to claw at the ropes. “Let go of my brother! Y-You horrible old witch!!” He wasn’t as good at coming up with insults as Sans, but Papyrus had finally had enough and was bold enough to at least try.

Again, Dropwart ignored Papyrus and excitedly started gathering empty glass vials from the wooden shelves. Sans let out a series of panicked yelps as he was yanked around in her hand. Realizing that she couldn’t hold him and all seven new glass containers all at once, she passed a good amount of the empty containers to the Magenta Snake.

“Ooh! Bring the paintbrush, deary!” Dropwart excitedly instructed.

The Magenta Snake grabbed the paintbrush and the twisted black wand off of the table with its tail before slithering towards the back of the room. Papyrus couldn’t believe that he hadn’t noticed it before, but what lay beyond the cauldron and the wooden table in the back of the room was a large red curtain. It covered the rest of the cottage, obstructing it from view. Papyrus watched as the Magenta Snake carried the vials and the wand through the curtain and disappeared behind it.

The snake returned moments later to retrieve the pile of pastel feathers on the floor, clearly with a goal of bringing everything Dropwart had used on the skeletons to the secluded back area of the cottage. As the Snake finished picking up the last of the feathers, it slinked away, returning to the curtain. This time Dropwart followed it, carrying about four empty vials in one hand, and holding onto Sans in the other.

“Hey! Wait! Where are you going?!” Papyrus called after them, not wanting to let Sans out of his sight. “You bring him back here!”

Before following the Magenta Snake behind the curtain, Dropwart turned to give Papyrus a snarky smile.

"Oh, don't worry, deary … this one will keep you company," she said referring to the Lilac Snake, who gave a grumpy-sounding hiss from the corner of the cottage. "And when I come back … you'll never be parted from your brother again."

She let out one final diabolical cackle before closing the curtain and disappearing into the back with Sans. It only took a moment before Papyrus could hear Sans's laughter replacing the silence of the cottage. It was slightly muffled due to the sudden distance between them and the sound coming through the curtain. But Papyrus could still make out Sans's pleas for mercy as well as Dropwart's patronizing tone.

"Oh no, my deary, much too hearty!" Papyrus couldn't tell if she was talking to Sans or the snake. "Remember, we must start off with a light tittering sound! Try flicking your tail around the back of his head!" That answered that question.

Papyrus knew he had to get out of this somehow. Whatever it took, he had to rescue Sans. He strained at his arms and legs, gritting his teeth and pulling against the ropes with everything he had left in him. He stopped abruptly when he heard the harsh hissing sound of the Lilac Snake. Clearly, being left out of the Tickle Party had placed it in a sour mood, and it wasn't about to take its eyes off of Papyrus.

Papyrus knew in an instant that he couldn't mess around as long as the cursed serpent was keeping an eye on him. He wouldn't put it past it to satisfy its own need for hunger by tickling him out of punishment for trying to escape. Papyrus couldn't take that risk. Besides being unbearably unpleasant, another tickle attack would leave him even weaker. Then he'd REALLY be in no condition to help his brother.

"NOO!! NO-AHAHAHAHAHA!! STOP!! STO—AHAHAHAHA!!"

Just as the thought of Sans crossed his mind, Papyrus could hear his brother's helpless wails of laughter and begging. No doubt the experience being even worse for him since he could no longer move. Dropwart must have already collected the softer doses of laughter if she was already making Sans laugh that hard. Papyrus had to think of something fast, he knew there wasn't much time left.

Trying to think like his brother, Papyrus's eyes darted around the room. Looking for something, anything that could possibly help him escape. The only thing that really caught his attention was a lit candle that had been resting just above him on the top of the wooden shelf. He kept thinking if he could just knock it down to his hand, he could use the flame to burn the ropes across his wrist. But there was nothing he could do to knock it over without alerting the Lilac Snake. If only he could use his magic, he would surely be able to defeat it with one of his special attacks.

"OH NO!! PLEASE!! NOHOHOHOHOHO!!"

Another burst of laughter echoed from behind the curtain. The sound of Sans's distressed begging completely interrupted Papyrus's thoughts and he shuddered just thinking what his poor brother was going through.

"Come on … come on! Where was it?" Came Dropwart's voice, obviously searching for something while still mercilessly tickling Sans.

Although Papyrus knew he didn't have much magic to give while being trapped in this world, he knew there had to be something. He managed to pull off one bone construct back when he and Sans were hanging upside down, maybe he could manage to pull it off again. Remembering how sturdy the head of the snake was, the younger skeleton decided it would be best to focus on pulling out a bone construct for the purpose of knocking the candle down. He didn't have much time left, and he didn't know if he had the energy to pull it off. But he had to try … for Sans.

He closed his eyes, trying to block out the world around him, which was already proving to be challenging as another anguished howl of laughter tore from Sans, causing him to flinch. As hard as it was, he knew for the moment that he had to completely block his brother out in order to find a spark.

While in the midst of concentrating, Dropwart peeked her head out from the curtain and beckoned for the Lilac Snake to come closer.

"My dear little pet," she cooed, patting it affectionately on the head. "Be a dear and show me where that snorting spot is again, will you?" The serpent hissed happily, following Dropwart back behind the curtain.

Now, thankfully, Papyrus had been left alone, but concentration was still proving to be difficult as Sans's screams of laughter were now intermixed with sharp snorting sounds. Papyrus shook off the noise and focused, surprised to have found one tiny spark almost immediately.

Much like all the others before it, it was small and pathetic. Papyrus knew that it was going to require a lot of mental energy in order to sustain it. But as another bout of sobbing laughter echoed through the curtain, Papyrus was more determined than ever to make it happen. He clenched his teeth, and shut his eyes tightly. He tried to bring the spark to life as fast as possible without letting it slip away. But in his haste, it was almost lost immediately, a clear sign to take his time and be careful. Papyrus tried his best to push the stress of time out of his mind. Tried hard not to think about Sans and the unending torment he was facing, and especially tried not to think about what would happen if he failed. He had no time or mental stamina to fret over anything but his magic.

Little by little he felt it starting to expand. His Soul grew warm with the new presence of magic steadily filling it up. His mind began to ache, the more he manifested the power to keep growing, but if he could just push a little bit more, that would be all he needed. Inhaling deeply, he pulled the last of his mental strength, until at last he felt the spark engulf his Soul. The feeling was warm and pleasant, he hated the idea of letting it go so soon. But his brother needed him, and that was all the motivation he needed.

He snapped his fingers, summoning a single bone construct to form before his eyes. Immediately, he felt the weakening shiver as the magic once again depleted from his Soul, but he ignored it, instead quietly instructing the bone to place itself at the top of the shelf. He could hear Sans starting a new round of screaming as Dropwart hit a particularly bad spot on him. Fearing that she was already going after his grooves, Papyrus worked quickly.

Carefully, he nudged the candlestick closer and closer to the end of the shelf. As it teetered over the edge, Papyrus reached up with his fingertips, ready to catch it. With the gentlest of pushes, the bone construct tipped the candlestick over, sending it tumbling down. It fell much faster than expected. Papyrus's Soul thumped anxiously in his chest as it fell towards his hand. Thankfully, he managed to catch it just in time. Letting out a brief sigh of relief, he got to work.

Sure enough, Dropwart had Sans placed onto his belly on a separate wooden table as she wriggled a feather up his shirt, mercilessly teasing at his sweet spot. The doll laid there in a puddle of his own tears. As surprised as he was that he was still able to cry in doll form, he was grateful to be resting on his chin so he wouldn't accidentally drown in them. Dropwart gleefully collected another vial of "Hysterical Laughter" and pulled the feather out, giving Sans a brief moment to catch his breath.

"So, deary, you ready for the grand finale?" Dropwart teased as she twirled the feather between her fingertips. "Just one more to go and we have our next batch"

"Nohohohoho...!!" Sans miserably sobbed in distress, adding more tears to the puddle. "Pleeheease!! Please no mohohore!! I can't take anymohohohore!!"

Dropwart chuckled in amusement before lifting the back of Sans's shirt once again. "You know, deary, you really should be using this time for breathing instead of crying—"

"HEY!!" Papyrus's sharp yell from the entrance of the curtain froze everyone in startlement. He stood there glaring angrily at the witch and her two snakes, the single bone construct gripped tightly in his fist. "Back away from my brother!!"

Papyrus threw the construct hard, aiming hopefully for Dropwart, but instead smacking the Magenta Snake on the nose. The serpent reeled back in pain, before abruptly lunging for the skeleton in anger. Papyrus fought hard, grabbing vials off the back shelves and shattering them against the snakes' heads. But before he had a chance to grab for either Sans or Dropwart, he was tripped by their long tails. This time they bound him up so tightly, he feared that his bones would crack. Dropwart angrily approached the younger skeleton, waving a long pointed fingernail in his face.

"Now is THAT any way to behave?" She seemed genuinely frustrated with him, but her tone and behavior still reflected that of a mother about to scold and punish a child. "How did you even get out of that?"

At first Papyrus refused to answer, but groaned with pain once he felt the snakes starting to squeeze the life out of him.

"Well?!" Dropwart practically roared in his face.

"The … candlestick...!" Papyrus strained. "By … the way … part … of your shelf … is now on fire!"

Dropwart quickly opened the curtain, sure enough, the wooden shelf that was standing next to the stakes in the ground were now steadily being engulfed by flames. She let out a high-pitched shriek of rage, stomping down hard on of the pieces of her shattered vials, destroying them even further. She angrily pointed a finger at Papyrus's face.

"You are going to CLEAN UP this mess, Mister!" she growled, all sense of childlike giddiness and fun completely gone away. "And then I'm gonna turn you into a doll, then you are going to replace every single form of laughter that I had on that shelf for the next year! Do you hear—"

There was a knock at the door. Everyone inside the cottage froze before slowly turning to stare at the front entrance. The knock happened again, this time louder than before. Nobody quite knew what to do, even if Dropwart was accustomed to visitors, it's not like this was the best time. After several moments of uncomfortable silence, there was a loud bang as the door exploded off of its hinges.

The once clean entryway to the cottage was replaced with a gaping hole in the wall. As Papyrus looked at the faces of the perpetrators, his Soul froze, his nonexistent stomach became ill with terror. It couldn't be, it just couldn't be! But … it was.

The Cheshire Cat slinked his big red body into the cottage. Followed by the lumbering Tickle Monster, who was clearly the one responsible for the door's destruction. As his eyes cast down to the floor, Papyrus could see the shadows of two eerily familiar floating children.

The Cat looked at Papyrus, looked at the Sans doll on the table, and then up to Dropwart with that old familiar devilish grin spread across his face.

"A thousand pardons for the intrusion, Madame," he said politely. "But I do believe you have something of ours."

37 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

Oh how excited I was when I got to do the Witch prompt!

Dropwart is probably my favorite antagonist out of all of our villains, she's just so fun to write for. The inspiration for Dropwart actually came from a lot of different witches. From the style of Witch Hazel, to the giddiness of Mad Madame Mim, to the bright colors of Mother Mae Eye from Teen Titans. Heck, even the trick with her hands popping off is reminiscent of the Hand Witch from Gravity Falls.

Fun fact, that story she told about the Hemlock Dropwort is actually true (and creepy as all get out). That plus there's actually a flower out there known as the Pink Witch, so that's where her colors came from.

It was so much fun getting to explore how she was going to extract seven different types of laughter from the bros. Now what do you think she's going to do with this new brew?

LaughterLand - Chapter 20: Witch

(story by Mod Secret, art by Mod Secret)

The old woman was plump and round. Her skin was a bright lime green with darker green freckles and liver spots dotting along her face and hands. She was slightly hunched over, like the top of her spine had been purposefully curved. Yet she moved with such an energy that didn't at all match her aged appearance. She wore a classic witch's attire with the pointed hat and dress, but the colors were the farthest thing from typical. Both her dress and hat were a warm pink color. The bottom half of her dress, as well as her pointed hat, were decked out in dark green stripes. The dark purple belt that was wrapped around her hat and her waist matched her curly elf shoes. Even her ears were elf-like as they curled up into a point.

She had the typical witch nose that was extra big and protruded far out from where her face began. But in place of the big wart that usually decorated the end of a witch's nose was a tiny little pale pink flower. Two more of the same kind of flower sat in the middle of the purple belts on her hat and waist. She had bright cherry-red hair that was kept as an unruly mess on top of her large head. Her nails were a shimmering dark lavender color, they were long and perfectly tipped, making them ideal for tickling. While it was clear that she couldn't have cared less about her hair or her toothy yellow smile, it was obvious that she valued her nails.

Her large and striking golden eyes sparkled with delight upon seeing the skeletons trapped within the coils of the Magenta and Lilac Snakes. She clapped her hands with utter delight before holding open the door to her cottage.

"Oh-ho-ho-ho!! Come in, come in, my precious pets! Please see to it that our new guests are nice and comfortable!" She giggled like a child that had just been given a new toy.

The brothers struggled uselessly as the snakes dragged them into the old cottage, they blinked as the warm glow of the lights stung their sockets. Once their vision had adjusted, they saw where the warm glow had been coming from.

Directly in the middle of the cottage floor was an enormous bubbling cauldron sitting in a makeshift fireplace, which looked to be a large hole in the ground. Flames wisped around the bottom of the giant pot, heating the strange violet liquid inside to a boil. The smell that engulfed the cottage was sweet, almost too sweet. Like someone had added gallons upon gallons of sugar to an already saccharine syrup.

On the right side of the cauldron was a large wooden table. A tall, slightly crooked black wand rested right next to a large pile of feathers. The feathers were bright pastel colors, large and exuberantly fluffy. Sans knew that they had to have come from the Squeal Owls, along with several other types of bird-like creatures from this place. But feathers weren’t the only terrible tools that this table was carrying. Off to the side there were hairbrushes, paintbrushes, toothbrushes, feather dusters, scratchers, and even a small vial looked to be carrying baby oil. Clearly she was well-versed in the subject of tickle torture. The brothers’ anxiety nearly hit the roof upon seeing her devious collection.

Laying against the wall on the other side of the room, were large wooden shelves that contained a multitude of glass bottles and vials. The liquid inside the little containers were a mixture of different colors and substances, some even glowing and sparkling with fire. Standing right next to the shelves were two large wooden stakes that were sticking straight out of the wooden floor. The snakes dragged the squirming brothers over to the stakes and roughly pinned them down against them.

Sans pushed and clawed at the Magenta Snake as he felt it shoving his spine against the thick wooden stake. He fought with all of his might, even threatening to bite down on its tail again if it dared to venture anywhere near his face. The Magenta Snake let out a sharp warning hiss that immediately got the attention of the witch.

“Tsk, tsk. Now this kind of behavior won’t do at all,” she tutted.

The witch grabbed the wand off of the wooden table. Light sparked out of the end as she gave it a swift flick towards the wooden stakes. A long strand of rope that had been hidden in the corner of the room came to life and started slithering towards the brothers. In a flash, the rope coiled around Sans's wrists, pulling itself into a tight knot.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Hey! Stop it! OW!!"

Sans panicked and struggled but it was too late. With a swift yank, the rope pulled Sans's wrists upwards, securing his hands over his head and tying him to the wooden stake.

"Can't have you giving my precious pets a hard time, can I?" The Witch beamed at her handiwork. With another flick of the twisted black wand, she summoned three more hidden ropes. One to tie Papyrus's wrists in the same position as Sans’s, and the other two to tie around their waists like makeshift seat belts securing them even tighter to the stakes. The skeletons squirmed and struggled against their new bonds, much to the witch's entertainment.

"Relax, Bone-Boys," she teased after an outburst of amused cackling. "Enjoy your stay at the Old Dropwart cottage."

"D-Dropwart?" Papyrus stammered nervously.

"That's me, deary!" She approached him with a burst of energy that startled him into shaking. "They call me Old Witch Dropwart, now doesn't THAT have a nice ring to it?" She cackled again, her high-pitched laughter echoing off the cottage walls.

"Um … it's … v-very um...." Papyrus stuttered and trembled, unsure of what to say and terrified of saying the wrong thing.

"Nasty," Sans finished for him with a blunt and bitter tone. "Nasty? Gross? Disgusting? Appalling? Do I have it about right?"

To his surprise, with every unfavorable word he used to describe what he thought of her name, her smile grew wider and prouder.

"Oh, why thank you, my deary!" She gave Sans a playful little curtsey with her striped skirt. "It's a family name you know, passed down from generations. Why … have you ever heard of the Hemlock Water Dropwort?"

She looked eagerly at the brothers, as if hopeful for an answer. Sans just stood there silently glaring at her while Papyrus timidly shook his head.

"Why! It's one of the most deadliest flowers in the whole world!" she eagerly explained. "Consuming such a plant has led to such countless gruesome deaths!"

She let out another shrieking cackle, one that caused the skeletons an even greater deal of anxiety. She just seemed so unnaturally cheerful talking about such a grim subject.

"But what was the most fascinating thing about these victims … was that they were all found with such adorable ear-to-ear smiles." She demonstrated with her own rotting toothy grin. "It was as if it had caused them all to DIE LAUGHING!!"

She doubled over in hysterics, recalling the terrifying tale. Sans and Papyrus observed her, utterly horrified, she was truly crazy. Was this what she had planned for them? Was she going to force them to die laughing, true to her namesake? The brothers pulled even harder against the magical ropes.

"Please...!" Papyrus strained. "Please no!! Y-Your snakes have already attempted to tickle us to death!! We can't take anymore!!"

"What?!"

Dropwart's demeanor suddenly changed to one of annoyance. She turned back to her serpents who seemed to have a look of guilt upon their faces.

"Oh you naughty little worms!" she scolded, bopping them both on the snout with her wand, causing them to recoil. "You know better than to snack on my fresh ingredients! You get your own food at dinnertime!"

The snakes looked at her with sorry eyes, reminiscent of a puppy getting yelled at for not listening to its owner. They both slinked away back into the corner of the room while Dropwart turned her attention back to the brothers.

"I am dreadfully sorry about them, my dears." She gave them both an insincere look of concern. "Sometimes they just can't resist…." She approached the brothers with a devious grin as she very purposefully eyed their exposed tickle spots. "You two must be particularly delectable sources of food!"

She made a show of greedily licking her lips before turning towards her shelf. She grabbed a handful of empty glass vials and placed them across the wooden table before turning towards her bubbling cauldron. She gave the bright violet liquid a steady stir causing the overly saturated sweet smell to engulf the air with renewed life.

"You stay away from us!"

Sans growled once she stopped stirring to give the cauldron a deep inhalation. She looked back at him, her toothy grin turned halfway up in amusement.

“Oh, not to worry, my deary!” she smirked. “I’m not about to spoil my new source of ingredients!”

“You keep calling us that,” Sans retorted bluntly. “What are you even talking about?”

“S-Sans…,” Papyrus stammered in a hushed tone. “Don’t make her mad! You know what it means, she’s going to devour our laughter just like everybody else!”

Sans wasn’t entirely convinced. If she was as tickle-crazy as their previous adversaries, she would have been on top of them by now. Why all this prep work? Why the cauldron? Why the empty vials? She was planning something else.

Sans squinted his eyes to get a closer look at the glass vials, he noticed that they were all labeled … now if he could just see what was scribbled on the parchment. The larger vial that was closest to the edge of the table was the only one Sans could read clearly. It read; ‘Hysterical’. The one next to it was a lot smaller, Sans lurched his neck forward to try and read it. It looked like it spelled out the word; ‘Tittering’.

As she went back to the table to fumble around with the order in which she wanted the vials placed, Sans could make out one that she had grabbed in her hand. It read; ‘Belly Laughter’. Finally it dawned on him, the prep work and the strangely labeled vials started to make sense. She wasn’t about to consume their laughter … she was about to collect it!

“There we go!” she said once she had organized the vials on the table to her liking. She grabbed the smaller one at the end of the line and approached the brothers eagerly. “Let’s start off with this one, shall we?”

Anxiety flooded Sans’s chest, he tried to read the label, but it was clutched deeply into her green speckled hand. Papyrus whimpered and tugged at the ropes as he panicked.

“Wh-What are you gonna do with us?!” he practically shrieked.

“Well isn’t it obvious my dear?” Dropwart replied in a playful manner. “Why I’m going to tickle you, of course! Now where did I put that wand?”

"Oh no! No! No! Please don't!! I'm begging you!!"

Papyrus shrieked as he strained against the ropes. Sans gritted his teeth scowling at the giggling witch as she reached for her wand.

"Don't you EVEN dare!" he spat angrily. "Don't touch him or I swear I'll—"

Sans was cut off by the craziness he saw unfolding in front of him. With another flick of the twisted black wand, the pile of pastel feathers stood up on the wooden table before proceeding to levitate into the air. They hovered together in a colorful cluster just above Dropwart's head as she grinned maliciously at the skeletons.

“Now here’s a fun little game I want to play with you boys.” She pointed the wand at the brothers, her toothy grin growing wider with mischief. The feathers, in turn, aimed themselves in the same direction causing Sans and Papyrus to tense up with anxiety.

“Just try and keep your laughter in!”

She let out another shrieking cackle as she directed the horde of levitating feathers to swarm after the skeletons. Sans shut his eyes tightly as he felt the bristles of the soft Squeal Owl feathers starting to brush against the back of his knees. He moved to kick his leg out, but the rope bound him too tightly to the stake. He stood there helplessly as two more feathers brushed against the sides of his skull, tickling at his ears, cheeks and jawbone.

He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, trying his best to hold back the laughter. The soft tickling on his gentler spots would have otherwise elicited a lot of giggling out of him, he began to wonder why she wasn’t immediately going for the dangerous spots. As grateful as he was that the soft tickling wasn’t completely unbearable right off the bat, it was still irritating. He tried his best to scrunch up his neck and toss his head around, but whichever way his skull moved, the feathers followed.

Sans peeked open one eye to notice that the same thing was happening to Papyrus. His ears, cheeks, and neck were all being targeted. He didn’t even have to look down to know that there was a group of feathers also aiming behind his knees. Much like him, Papyrus was also trying to hold it in and squirm away. It wasn’t until an extra fluffy feather moved to the front of his throat to start swishing around that Papyrus let out a strained giggle.

“Nyehee…! Heeheeheehee…!” He still tried so hard to hold back, Sans could feel his toes thumping against the wooden floor. It didn’t make too much of a difference. Many more feathers moved to brush against his neck and collarbone, Papyrus, in response, choked back a squeal.

“Agh…!! Nyahaha…!! N-Nohoho! Eeek!! Heeheeheehee!!”

The feathers on Sans’s side also began fluffing along his throat and collarbone. Sans felt the laughter starting to bubble up in his chest, but he swallowed hard, refusing to immediately be undone by such soft and gentle tickling. He barely released small spurts of breath as his bones jerked around from the buildup of pressure.

“Ohhh! Look at that!” Dropwart began bouncing on her toes excitedly. She held the vial close to Papyrus’s face, a look of anticipation in her eyes.

Sans kept his sockets locked on Papyrus, making sure she didn’t do anything more to him. That’s when he realized something had changed. A stream of what looked like red smoke was pouring out of Papyrus’s mouth as he continued to snicker. It was phosphorescent and moved like it was purposefully trying to escape from him. Suddenly, it turned to the direction of Dropwart’s bottle. The direction of the strange red smoke dove straight into the glass vial, filling it up in an instant.

“Excellent!” she exclaimed as she fastened the cork onto the vial’s opening, quickly trapping the red smoke inside. “I just knew you’d be the first to break!”

She gave Papyrus a playful wink before giving the wand another flick of her wrist. The feathers around them stopped tickling and fell lifeless to the floor. Both brothers immediately gasped for air, though it didn’t take them long to once again regulate their breathing. After everything they had been through, the soft feather tickles were basically nothing more than a gentle warm-up.

“Pap! Are you okay?” Sans asked worriedly. He didn’t know what that smoke meant, or how it would affect him. But to his relief, Papyrus seemed perfectly fine.

“I…. I think so,” Papyrus replied quietly.

He too was terrified to know just what they were dealing with. The brothers watched as Dropwart placed the now glowing red vial onto the table before grabbing another one.

“What did you do to him?” Sans demanded boldly.

“Oh, you mean this?”

Dropwart gave the older skeleton a cheeky smile before reaching for the red vial again to give them a better view of it. As she approached with the little glass bottle in hand, Sans could finally read the label, it said; ‘Tittering’.

“This kind of brew requires a total of seven different kinds of laughter,” Dropwart explained as she dangled the vial of Papyrus’s tittering laughter in front of them. “And you boys are gonna help me get every last drop!”

She hurriedly placed the red vial back onto the table before proceeding to remove the cork from the next vial in line. Both brothers stood there, terrified and utterly dumbfounded. In this world, laughter wasn’t just a main food source, it could be used as a physical ingredient like any other piece of food. The idea that she was milking their laughter out of them like a dairy farmer did to a cow was terrifying enough, but what wouldn’t stop ringing in the brothers’ skulls was the fact that she had said she needed ‘seven different kinds of laughter’. What did that even mean? It was seven different kinds of crazy that was unfolding right before them, and all they knew was that they didn’t want to be here for any of it.

“No! Please! Please don’t do this!!” Papyrus started panicking once he got a good look at the other vials on the table. “Please! W-We don’t taste good, it’s not worth it!! We’ll give you indigestion! Let us go!!”

While Papyrus struggled and pleaded, Sans could only glare. He knew it was of no use now. The way she was clutching the empty vial and looking at them, one way or another she was going to drain the laughter out of them, and there was nothing they could do to stop her.

“Oh, such nonsense dearies!” Dropwart chuckled. “Even your simple snickers are worth their weight in gold. You two have just what I’m looking for!”

She suddenly placed the empty vial on the shelf next to them. She held up both of her hands, the mischievous look on her face never faltering.

“But … if you need a little more energy … I bet I can give you a hand!”

With two distinct popping sounds, Dropwart’s hands completely disconnected from her wrists and jumped down to the floor crawling around like two giant lime green spiders.

Sans and Papyrus practically jolted out of their bonds in surprise. Being skeletons, they too could disconnect their hands and feet when necessary. But this was the very last thing they had expected from a being of flesh and blood. Her wrists didn’t appear hurt by this at all, they were just left as two green stumps at the end of her arms. Clearly, she had done this before.

The two disconnected hands immediately scurried towards Papyrus, quickly crawling up his legs and heading towards his upper body with intense speed. Papyrus shrieked and cringed with disgust at the sight, but as the perfectly-tipped nails made contact with his ribs, he found that he couldn’t stop himself from giggling.

“EEK!! Ahaha! No! Nyahahahaha!! N-Nohoho! Get them off meheeheehee!!”

The hands stopped just under opposite sides of his underarms. One hand began crawling across the entirety of his ribcage with lightning speed. The other one stayed put, scratching under his right underarm.

Papyrus giggled frantically and tugged at the restraints. The idea of being tickled by uncontrollable disembodied hands made him horribly uncomfortable, and to make matters worse, they were both highly skilled when it came to tickling.

“Nyahahahahaha!! Pl-Plehehease!! Hahahaha!! Please stahahahap!! Ahahahaha!!” he pleaded, squealing every time a nail would graze a sensitive spot on his ribs. “Plehehehehehease!! This—ahaha!! Th-This is ahahahahawful!! Nyahahahahaha!!”

Sans looked on in horror as the hands tickled mercilessly at Papyrus’s upper body. He pulled at his own restraints, a newfound resolve taking hold of him in wanting to rescue his brother. But no matter how hard he pulled, the ropes wouldn’t budge an inch. He looked back at Papyrus, expecting to find the same smoke trailing out of his mouth for Dropwart to collect. But to his surprise, nothing was happening. She didn’t even have a vial ready, her hands were too busy tickling Papyrus.

Sans sharply turned as he heard a subtle hissing sound. The Magenta Snake was looking at him, a look of greed dancing in the light of its piercing eyes. Sans felt himself starting to squirm as the snake began slithering towards him. He kept his sockets locked on the serpent, wishing with all of his might that he could kick at it, lunge at it, do anything that would scare it away, but it continued to creep towards him, feathery tongue flicking away teasingly.

“St-Stay back!” Sans timidly snapped. The snake continued moving forward, completely ignoring his warning. “I mean it! You stay away!”

At last, the Magenta Snake lay in front of him, only a few inches away. If Sans wasn’t bound to the wooden stake, he would have been able to reach out and touch it. Or more specifically, reach out and punch it in the nose. For what felt like an eternity, he and the brightly colored serpent just stared at each other, the reptile refused to blink or look away for even a second. That’s when Sans realized … it was quiet. Papyrus’s laughter had ceased, and the younger skeleton was now taking deep inhalations.

In the heat of the moment, Sans suddenly felt two very distinct hands start digging into his underarms, tickling away with reckless abandon.

“WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! NO—NAHAHAHAHA!!”

The older skeleton erupted with laughter as the disembodied hands scribbled mercilessly at his defenseless underarms. He wasn’t even aware that a bright blue smoke was trailing out of his mouth until he felt the hands lifting away from his sensitive tickle spot and start crawling down the sides of his body.

As the hands reconnected with Dropwart’s wrists, she giggled to herself as she reached for the vial to collect the second type of laughter from Sans.

“Ohoho! The old ‘distract ‘em, attack ‘em’! I just love that one!” she beamed proudly at the Magenta Snake as it nuzzled its broad snout into the side of her dress. “Nicely done, my pet!”

The blue smoke emitting from Sans’s mouth immediately funneled into the glass vial before Dropwart sealed it up with another cork. Sans read the label just before she was able to take the glass bottle back to the table. It read: ‘Outburst’. Sans growled bitterly at the old witch, he felt so played. If only he could tell which kind of laughter she was going for next, maybe he could find a way to predict what she was going to pull next to drag it out of them. But she was clearly experienced with this kind of thing, he knew she wasn’t going to simply let slip what her next move was.

“That’s two!” she cheered as she placed the glowing blue vial next to the red one. “Now, I think I’ll need something special for this one.”

The brothers watched in helpless anticipation as she pondered over the various tools laid across the wooden table. They held their breath, wincing with fear whenever her fingers would graze across a particularly deadly-looking instrument.

“Ah-ha! That’s the ticket!” She held up a large paintbrush, twirling it around in her fingers before staring intently back at Papyrus. “I think this will work nicely on you.”

To an extent, the skeletons were relieved that it hadn’t been something worse like the hairbrush or the toothbrush. But still, the bristles on the end of the paintbrush looked to be incredibly soft, and not knowing what she was planning still left them in a state of panic. Papyrus whimpered and squirmed as she approached him, still twirling the paintbrush between her fingers.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, deary,” she said in a soft tone, motioning for the Lilac Snake to come slithering next to her. “I’m afraid these old bones of mine are too tired to be bending over.”

POP!

Papyrus gasped, his eyes wide with a look of complete shock and horror. At first, Sans didn’t know what had happened. He just stood there watching Papyrus’s expression suddenly change, his Soul nearly froze not knowing what was going on. Then he noticed the tail of the Lilac Snake slithering away with something wrapped up in its coils. Sans, in turn, let out a shocked gasp when he realized what it had … it was Papyrus’s left foot.

With little effort or risk, both brothers are able to physically remove parts of their bodies. Once their chosen appendage is disconnected, however, they are unable to move them around until they are properly reconnected with the rest of them. They can still feel everything that happens, which meant that Papyrus’s foot was now totally helpless and in the clutches of a tickle-hungry witch.

“Oh no … no!” Papyrus whimpered as he watched the Lilac Snake drop his foot into Dropwart’s open palm. “No! You can’t!” He started uselessly pulling at the restraints again, panic engulfing his bones.

“Give him his foot back, right now!” Sans growled, also struggling hopelessly against the ropes.

“Oh, I’ll give it back … after I do this of course!” She gave the underside of Papyrus’s toes a quick swipe of the paintbrush. As expected, the bristles were incredibly soft, and unbearably ticklish.

“EEK!!” Papyrus shrieked.

“Pap! Hold your breath!” Sans instructed.

Papyrus did as he was told, inhaling a deep breath into his cheekbones. Both of them knew that it wasn’t going to last, and it most certainly wasn’t going to deter Dropwart from trying. But it was the only thing either of them could think of in the heat of the moment.

“Oh no you don’t!”

Dropwart eagerly swiped the paintbrush under Papyrus’s toes again. The younger skeleton’s eyes bugged out as a tiny whimper snuck out of him. She continued the motion of dragging the paintbrush back and forth under his toes, greedily eating up every single one of Papyrus’s muffled reactions.

“My, my, my!” she cruelly teased as she began wriggling the bristles between his toes. “You can’t move at all, can you?”

More than anything Papyrus wanted to curl and wiggle his toes. Even though it would do nothing to alleviate the horrid tickling sensations, the physical venting would at least help a little. But to his dismay, his toes remained still and practically lifeless. Helpless to every swipe and bristle the tickling paintbrush had to offer.

Papyrus threw his head back with his sockets shut tight. He lightly banged the back of his skull against the wooden stake as he trembled. The paintbrush wasn’t the worst tickle tool in the world, and his feet weren’t as ticklish as places like his spine or upper body. But more than anything, he just didn’t want to give Dropwart any more of the ‘ingredients’ that she needed.

“Just hang on, Pap,” Sans quietly encouraged him, though he knew the worst was yet to come.

“Well, if you’re gonna be stubborn, then I’ll just have to get you up here, then!” Dropwart pulled the paintbrush out, and proceeded to brush along the tops of Papyrus’s toes. “Tickle tickle tickle!” she teased.

“Nyaaaaaaah!! Ahahahahahahaha!! Ohohoh nooo!! Hahahaha!! Nonononononohoho!! Nahahat thehehere!! Heeheeheeheehee!!”

If Dropwart’s teasing coos weren’t enough, the tops of Papyrus’s toes were even worse than the underside. Although he wasn’t in a position where he could freely bend his toes anyway, he knew that even if he could, he wouldn’t have been able to use them to protect the tops of his toes.

“Ha! I knew that would getcha!” Dropwart cackled. “But that’s a little bit much for me, deary. I’m afraid I’m gonna need something a little bit lighter.”

To their surprise, Dropwart moved the paintbrush back down to the underside of Papyrus’s toes. She swirled and swiped the bristles under and between them, causing Papyrus’s laughter to soften as he released frantic spurts of giggles.

“Eeeeheeheeheehee!! Nohohohoho!! Quihihihihit it!! Nyahahaha!! It-It stihihihill tickles!! Heeheeheeheehee!!” Papyrus chuckled as his upper body squirmed.

It didn’t make any sense to either of them. Clearly the tops of Papyrus’s toes were more ticklish than the bottom side, so why switch it up after finally getting him to break? Sans figured it out once he started seeing the red smoke pouring from Papyrus’s mouth again. She wasn’t yet after the boisterous laughter like for the vial that read ‘Belly Laughter’. She was still warming them up for that by collecting softer chuckles. Sure enough, the vial that collected Papyrus’s red smoke read; ‘Giggling’.

Then Sans got to thinking. His own toes were a lot more ticklish than Papyrus’s, what would have happened had she gone after him instead? She wouldn’t have been able to get any of his giggling, that was for sure. She seemed to know the exact spot that would elicit the perfect giggle from his brother, but the question was how?

“Now let’s see…,” she pondered after placing the full vial of smoke next to the others. She turned to look back and forth between the two skeletons before settling her eyes on Sans. Grinning deviously, she grabbed the next empty bottle in one hand before handing Papyrus’s foot back to the Lilac Snake.

“Please see to it that this gets returned my dear,” she said slyly, never taking her gaze off of the older skeleton. “I do believe I need something from this one now.”

Sans couldn’t help but squirm, she hated the way she was staring at him. Such greedy hunger in those piercing golden eyes. Her toothy grin ensuring nothing but mischief and mayhem. He could just tell, she was going to have way too much fun with whatever she was planning to do with him.

“Whatever you’re thinking of doing, I’m not interested,” Sans retorted boldly, still glaring at the old woman with utter disdain.

“Oh, you don’t have to be, deary. All I need from you is your precious laughter!” She stopped in front of him, teasingly wiggling her fingers directly over his body.

Sans tensed up, the physical teasing affecting him more than he cared to admit. He half-expected her hands to pop off again, or for the levitating feathers to come back to life. But to his surprise, she lunged for him, tickling at his ribs with her hands still attached.

“AAGH!! Ahahahahaha!! Nohohohohoho!! Hahahahahaha!! Get ahahahahaff!! Hahaha!! Get off of meheeheeheehee!! Ahahahaha!!”

There was no hope of holding back for this one. Sans’s ribs were horribly sensitive, and Dropwart’s perfect nails were well-practiced and skilled in the tickling technique. It was a dangerous combination for the poor laughing skeleton.

“Aww, does that tickle, deary?” Dropwart teased as she skittered her nails along the different parts of Sans’s ribcage. “Well, what about here? Yeah? And here? Oh, that must tickle a LOT, huh?”

Dropwart’s verbal teasing was already causing Sans’s sockets to tear up, he was so caught up in the unbearable laughing fit that he didn’t even notice. He hated how sensitive his rib bones were, they never failed to throw him into a blind panic.

“Stahahahahahap ihihihihit!!” Sans screeched. “Dohohohohon’t—ahahahaha!! Don’t—Dohohohon’t tehehehehease!! Ahahahahahaha!!”

“Leave him alone!” Papyrus shouted, still trying his best to break free.

“Oh, don’t worry, deary, we’ll get to you later.” Dropwart smirked at the younger skeleton. “Now where is that spot, huh?”

Although it was clear that she was having a blast tickling at Sans’s ribs with her own two hands, it became clear that Dropwart was in search of something. Papyrus would notice how much time she would spend on one particular spot before turning to another spot giving it that same vigorous treatment. He wasn’t sure what it was she wanted out of Sans, but she wouldn’t stop teasing and tickling him until she would get it.

“Plehehehehehehease!!”

Sans laughter started trailing off into desperate-sounding wheezes. He didn’t know if that’s what she wanted out of him, but at this point he would have done anything to give her the next missing ingredient. Just to make the torture on his ribs stop.

“Plehehehehease!! Please stahahahahahap!! Ahahahahaha!! I-I cahahahan’t…!”

Dropwart finally let her hands up as Sans fell into silent laughter. Her giddy expression of enjoyment was replaced by one of confusion.

“I just don’t get it,” she replied, looking the older skeleton up and down. “I just know that was supposed to get you snorting.”

Sans inhaled sharply, suddenly it made sense. She was after his snorting spot. He felt the spaces in between his ribs starting to tingle just at the thought of it. He silently prayed that his subtle reaction hadn’t immediately tipped her off to where the spot was located. His mind buzzed with confusion. How could she possibly know that his snorting spot was located around the ribcage?

The sharp hissing sound of the Lilac Snake jostled Sans out of his racing thoughts. It eagerly slithered towards Sans without silencing its hissing dialogue. Sans glanced over at Dropwart, who had turned her head towards the serpent listening intently. A sinking feeling of dread began forming in Sans’s bones as he remembered what the serpent had done to him before dragging him to the cottage.

“Well, you don’t say!” Dropwart exclaimed, turning back towards Sans with a knowing smirk on her face. “Alright my pet. Proceed.”

Before Sans had a chance to protest, the Lilac Snake once again shoved its enormous head under Sans’s shirt.

“Oh no! No! No—AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!” Sans shrieked with renewed laughter as he felt the familiar feeling of the snake’s feathery tongue slipping between his ribs. “NAHAHAHAHAHA!! STAHAHAHAP!! N-NAHAHAT AGAHAHAHAHAIN!!”

Sans erupted with a fit of snorting laughter. Every sharp inhale was met with a louder and louder burst from his nasal cavity, and there was absolutely nothing he could do to control it

Dropwart eagerly collected the blue smoke that poured out of his mouth in little bursts. It was a slightly larger vial than the rest, so she cruelly took her time filling it up to the brim. She fastened the cork onto the glass container firmly before giving the Lilac Snake a steady pat on the back.

“Thank you, my pet. I believe that will do.”

The Lilac Snake gave Sans one last harsh little hiss against his ribs before slinking out of his shirt to return to its owner’s side. Sans shrieked in response before falling limp against the wooden stake. His body greedily swallowing huge gulps of air, as he tried to blink away fresh tears.

“H…. How…?” he breathed out, his question causing Dropwart to pause. “How … did you … know … about … my ribs…?”

“Well … why don’t you take in a deep breath and hold it?” Dropwart replied with a coy smile. Sans responded with an unamused scowl, obviously not in the mood for any more tricks. “Go on,” Dropwart insisted “Take a big breath and hold it until it feels as though you could burst.”

Sans was hesitant, almost certain that this was another one of her schemes to get more laughter out of him. But still … he wanted answers, and it wasn’t like there was anything they could do to stop her. So he inhaled sharply, holding the air within his cheekbones. At first nothing happened, he could feel the pressure starting to rise in his chest, so he clenched his fists together in an attempt to ignore it. He suddenly heard Papyrus take in a sharp inhalation of his own.

“Sans…,” his brother said, shakily. “You’re … glowing.”

Sans’s sockets flew open, he looked down at his body. Sure enough various areas of his body were glowing that same violet color as the sweet-smelling liquid in the cauldron. Some spots were showing up more intensely than others. His underarms, which was one of his most sensitive areas, was glowing brightly. Meanwhile, less ticklish spots like his hips were much more dull in terms of light.

Sans looked up to see Dropwart proudly patting her cauldron, and it all made sense. Ever since stepping into this cursed cottage, Sans and his brother had been inhaling the overly-saturated sweetness of that bubbling potion. Now with the aroma firmly planted into their system, Dropwart could see clearly which spots of their bodies were the most ticklish.

In a total panic, Sans looked down to where the grooves of his back were located. Sure enough, his most ticklish secret spot was the most illuminated part of his body.

“It’s my most favorite spell.” Dropwart beamed down at the bubbling potion. “I never do anything without it. Now … shall we continue?” She picked up another vial from the wooden table, along with her twisted black wand.

As she approached the struggling skeletons, Dropwart looked back and forth between the brothers and the vial. Her expression pondering and perplexed.

“Hmm…,” she hummed in thought. “This will require some belly laughter, but … it looks like we don’t have bellies to work with, my dearies.”

“See?” Papyrus immediately spoke up. “I told you we didn’t have what you needed! Now let us go!”

“Right!” Sans added. “No bellies, no belly laughter, nothing you can do about it!”

“Oh no?” Dropwart’s smile returned slyly. “I can see those spines of yours aren’t too ticklish on their own … so maybe we can just fix that.”

She swiftly grabbed a hefty burlap bag off of the top shelf. Holding it open, Sans could see a sparkling pink substance on the inside. Immediately it reminded him of the fairies’ Tickle Dust and he started to panic.

“What…. What is that? What is that?! What are you doing?!” He pulled and pulled at his restraints. Despite knowing full well that he wasn’t going anywhere, fear completely overtook him and all of his actions.

Dropwart dipped the twisted black wand into the bag of sparkling powder and steadily swirled it around. When she pulled it back out, the wand was coated in the pink glittering powder. There was no doubt in the skeleton’s minds, she had her own special supply of the dangerous dust, and she was going to use it at full force.

She aimed the now sparkling wand at the brother’s midsections and gave it a gentle flick. The pink glittering substance flew from the tip of the wand and landed with an audible ‘POOF’ onto both of their spines.

Laughter exploded out of the skeletons, they could physically feel their bodies shake and jolt with every powerful inhale and exhale that pounded out of them. It was the strangest sensation feeling how immensely ticklish their spines had become, and with nothing there to even be tickling them no less.

While Papyrus had always struggled with how sensitive his spine was, as it was closest to his sweet spot, the sensation was all too new to Sans. Now it was on the same playing field as his underarms, and he absolutely hated it.

As the skeletons flopped around hysterically laughing in their bonds, Dropwart immediately grabbed the larger vial to collect the red and blue smoke that was practically flooding out of the brothers’ mouths. They opened their jaws to let out tearful screams of protest, but all that came out of them was more helpless laughter and more phosphorescent smoke. Dropwart took her sweet time filling up the vial, clearly relishing every moment of watching the poor skeletons writhe in ticklish agony. A look of sickening satisfaction spread across her face each time she heard one of them let out a strained squeal or a breathy cackle.

She loved this, being the cause of their delicious misery, and ultimately being the one that could put an end to it whenever it suited her. Such power looked to be just as intoxicating as the laughter she was forcing out of her victims. The red and blue smoke swirled around in the glass vial, mixing into a bright purple color. It was almost identical to the violet bubbling potion in the cauldron, though not quite exact.

Dropwart secured the cork onto the nearly overflowing vial of laughter, but didn't yet stop her spell on the brothers. Instead, she leaned forward, taking a deep and satisfying breath. The red and blue smoke traveled effortlessly up the nostrils of her long, lime green nose, and left her with an expression of unadulterated bliss. At last, she gave the wand another gentle flick, causing the Tickle Dust and all of its aftereffects to disappear with a 'POOF’!

Sans and Papyrus panted so hard they both started coughing due to the rapid inhales hitting the back of their throats. They wheezed and spluttered, desperately trying to regain their normal breathing again. Exhausted and anxious, they looked up to see Dropwart placing the purple vial next to the others, wasting no time grabbing the next one in line. There were only two left, and neither of them wanted to know what it took to extract the last two forms of laughter.

“These last two are most definitely my favorite part of the job,” she mused, playing with the second-to-last bottle in her hand.

By the devilish look in her eyes, the brothers could just tell that this was going to be very bad. She stood between the two of them, carefully looking each one up and down. Sans felt so exposed and vulnerable, knowing full well that she could see every inch of their tickle spots on full display. Finally, she stepped in front of Papyrus, causing the younger skeleton to shake with anxiety.

“I’ve had such fun watching you giggle and wriggle around!” Dropwart cooed, teasing Papyrus by tenderly tracing a finger down his skull and neck.

Papyrus whined and tried squirming away from her touch. Fury flashed in Sans’s gaze, watching his brother be toyed with this way. He knew better than to waste his energy struggling, but he couldn’t seem to help himself whenever Papyrus was at risk.

With another twirl of the wand, the pastel feathers that were still resting on the floor around them came back to life. They purposefully hovered over Papyrus as the younger skeleton let out a quiet whimper of fear. He flashed a desperate look at Dropwart as the witch spoke with a teasing tone again.

“That spot right there, is it? Where the hips meet the spine?”

Papyrus’s jaw dropped in horror, immediately he began to panic and fight against the ropes with everything he had. Dropwart grinned evilly, her suspicions confirmed by his reaction.

“NOOOOOO!! PLEASE!! PLEASE DON’T!!” Papyrus pleaded, tears already falling down his cheeks. “I’LL DO ANYTHING!! JUST PLEASE NOT THAT!!”

Sans in turn pulled even harder against the ropes, growling and grunting with frustration.

“Don’t you dare!” he threatened. “Don’t lay a single finger on him!!”

Dropwart only chuckled in reply. “Oh, you don’t need to worry about that, deary … that’s what these are for!”

With another flick of the wand, the large group of feathers danced and swirled and twirled around Papyrus’s secret sweet spot. The younger skeleton was immediately lost in a spasming fit of laughter, screaming, crying and thrashing. Completely hysterical and unable to utter a single cohesive word.

“NYAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!! N-N-NAHAHAHAHA!!! AGH!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! STAHAHAHA…!! PL-PLE-AHAHAHAHAHA!!”

It didn’t take long for the red smoke to immediately start pouring out of his open mouth. Dropwart wasted no time funneling it into the large vial, Sans could see the label on the glass container read; ‘Hysterical’. The look of utter delight spread across Dropwart’s wicked expression, as she watched Papyrus struggle and suffer.

Sans pulled so hard, he could feel the rope burning into his bones. But he didn’t care, he had hoped with all of his might that witnessing Papyrus being tortured like this would be the motivation he finally needed to break out of the restraints. But even with his growing resentment towards their new kidnapper, it wasn’t enough to break free. Exhausted and hanging limp against the stake, he watched his brother hopelessly laugh and scream in unbearable ticklish agony.

“Let him GO!!” Sans growled over the sound of his brother’s hysteria.

“All in due time, deary.” Dropwart giggled, watching the vial fill up with Papyrus’s glowing laughter.

“Come … on!” Sans grunted, still struggling against the ropes. “Get off of him!! Don’t touch him, you ugly old crone!!”

In an instant, Dropwart’s face changed. The giddy smile across her face dropped to one of shock as she turned to give Sans a wide-eyed expression. At first, her change in demeanor startled the older skeleton, but he kept his gaze on her spiteful and steaming with hatred. He finally said something that got under her skin, he wasn’t about to take it back now.

As the vial filled to the brim, Dropwart kept her gaze on Sans as she placed the cork on top. Before giving her wand another wave and commanding the feathers to stop, her eyes narrowed to a disdainful expression towards Sans. She glared at him with an intensity that almost matched the one he had for her. As the feathers dropped to the ground again and the room was filled with the sound of Papyrus gasping and coughing for air, Dropwart faced Sans, her voice suddenly low and menacing.

“I think you will be the one to fill the last vial, then.”

Ordinarily, this would be the part where Dropwart would turn away to place the full vial on the table and retrieve another. But this time, as she gripped the glowing red container in her hands, she brought the feathers to life again with another flick of the wand.

In an instant, the pastel cluster of fluffy feathers dived under the back of Sans’s shirt, intruding in from the top of his collar. Just as he had feared, the intense group of feathers headed straight for the grooves of his back. They swished and twirled and brushed and dragged along his ultra-sensitive spot, tickling like mad.

“AAAAAAAGGHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! AHAHAHAHAHA!! NAHAHAHAHA!!! AAAGH!!”

Sans didn’t even try to beg for mercy this time, he knew that this was just her petty revenge for calling her ugly. Bucking and thrashing his body around did nothing to deter the feathers from attacking his vulnerable spot. Tears flew in every direction as he cackled and screeched in total anguish.

To make matters worse, Dropwart didn’t even move to grab ahold of the final vial. She just stood there, evilly watching Sans writhe in ticklish agony with a glaring smirk across her face.

“This is what you get for being rude to your hostess, deary!” she cruelly taunted.

It took a solid minute before Papyrus regained enough breath to properly hold his head up straight. His breathing was still ragged and strained but was steadily returning to normal, at least until he saw Sans. Although he couldn’t see the feathers as they were perfectly hidden down his shirt, the way Sans was struggling combined with the look on his face told him everything.

“What…. What are you … doing?!” Papyrus tried to scream, but his body was too weak from breathing so hard. “You…. You already got … the worst spot … out of me!! L-Let him … go!”

“Oh yes, deary, I got the hysterical laughter from you,” Dropwart replied in a patronizing tone. “But from him, I think I’m gonna need something just a bit more pungent.”

She finally turned back towards the table to replace the full vial with an empty one, leaving poor Sans a laughing, screaming, crying mess. Tears flung in every direction as he rapidly shook his head. Nothing alleviated the flaring tingles that left his body absolutely wracked with laughter.

“Oh Sans….” Papyrus felt so helpless, standing there watching him suffer. More than anything he wanted to break out of the bonds to rescue his brother. Exactly how Sans had always tried to do for him.

It seemed to take forever before Dropwart returned with the empty vial. The minutes went by like hours for poor Sans. His throat was positively worn down and on fire from the shrieking laughter that tore from him. Surprisingly, it hadn’t yet manifested into smoke for Dropwart to collect. A horrified thought raced through the skeleton’s already dizzy mind. What if she needed to do even more to tickle him in addition to getting after his worst spot? If she aimed for any other spots like his feet or underarms, there was no way he could take it! This was already pushing him past the brink of insanity.

He tried to let out a terrified scream, but to his horror, nothing came out but a barely audible squeak. Dropwart looked on eagerly as Sans dissolved into silent laughter. It was so strained and so quiet, they could hear the dripping sound of Sans’s tears hitting the wooden floor.

“There it is,” Dropwart eagerly whispered.

Eventually something finally did spill out of Sans’s mouth, the phosphorescent blue smoke. This time it seemed to glow brighter than any form of laughter that had come out of the brothers before. Sans could only take short little inhalations before practically choking to cough out the quiet chortling.

Thankfully, once the vial was filled to the top with the glowing blue smoke, Dropwart waved her wand to finally put an end to the tickling feathers. Sans inhaled so deeply his bones began to shake. The lingering tingles of the feathers dropping from the back of his shirt caused leftover laughter to come pouring freely from his mouth. His body wracked with quiet sobs and still-bubbling chuckles that threatened to torture him even further.

“Shh, it’s okay Sans,” Papyrus gently comforted. “It’s over, everything’s gonna be okay.”

He wished more than anything that he could reach out to physically comfort him. Poor Sans was so exhausted and weak. Even the act of crying was too strenuous for him to take. Before Dropwart turned back to the table to complete her collection, Papyrus got a good look at the label of the last vial. It read; ‘Silent Laughter’.

With all seven glass vials filled to the brim with the glowing laughter, Dropwart giddily reached for the wooden spoon still resting in the cauldron of bubbling potion. One by one she added each container of laughter, watching the potion hiss and bubble with each new change to its formula. The echoes of the skeleton’s laughter reverberated off the walls of the cottage with every ingredient that was added.

Papyrus watched on in horror, fearful for what she was planning to do with that deadly-looking brew. Sans’s head still hung limply in place, though he was too exhausted to look up, he could still hear the sounds of the contained laughter as Dropwart added them to the mixture. The overly sweet smell of the potion once again overtook the cottage, the aroma was so strong that it almost made Sans sick to his nonexistent stomach.

After what felt like forever, Sans finally had enough strength to lift his head, his breathing slow and steady. He blinked the tears and blurriness from his sockets to see Dropwart pulling out the large wooden spoon from the cauldron. She had scooped up a small amount of the still steaming potion in the spoon. She gently blew cool air over it that immediately extinguished the steam. She gave the violet liquid a satisfied sniff before turning back to the exhausted skeletons.

“It’s ready,” she said eagerly. “Now who wants a taste?”

22 notes · View notes

secrettklstories · 8 months ago

Text

This was a LOT of hard work, but it ended up being one of my favorite Chapters!

Writing the movements and positioning of snakes proved to be quite the challenge. I ended up using my dog's thick leash on two of my Barbie dolls to figure out what kind of poses I wanted them in and how to get them there.

(Reeeeeeeally glad no one walked in on me doing that, those are questions I did not want to answer)

I had a lot of fun with it, especially when it came to writing the bulk of Sans' ticklish torture. Poor Skelly!

Beyond that, this pic that Kitty did is one of my absolute favorites of hers! I feel like I can really feel what they're going through, I love it!!

LaughterLand - Chapter 19: Snakes

(story by Mod Secret, art by Mod Kitty)

The snakes were HUGE pythons, easily thicker than any feather-vine that had held the brothers captive before. They were longer too, getting a glimpse at the length of their tails, it looked as though they could stretch up to at least a mile, maybe more! The snake holding on Papyrus was a deep lilac color, while Sans's snake was a light magenta. They noticed right away that the scales that had covered their bodies had a gentle layer of fur on them. It was soft as rabbit fur, if they weren't so terrified of being bound by such slithery creatures — for the second time — they would have found it fairly comfortable. The serpents hissed at the skeletons, and Sans immediately noticed that even their tongues were fanned out to look like flickering pink feathers.

"Oh noho … nooo!"

Sans heard Papyrus's whimpering voice. His brother already looked like he was about to start crying again as the Lilac Snake loomed over him. Seeing his brother so weak and terrified, Sans wasted no time, immediately struggling against the Magenta Snake's body.

It wasn't like how it was with the tentacle beast. Sans had only two thick coils wrapped around his body this time. One just above his elbows, pinning his arms to his sides, and one right below it resting just a few inches above his wrists. Immediately, he started pulling and kicking. Trying to turn his hands upward to start clawing, or attempting to kick his knees high enough to make contact.

The Lilac Snake immediately started pulling Papyrus away, as if to try and protect its prey from whatever Sans was doing. Papyrus shrieked as he felt himself being yanked away from Sans, he instinctively reached out to grab him, but was halted by the snake's fuzzy coils.

"AAGH!! No! Sans, help!!" Papyrus screamed.

The younger skeleton started thrashing against his own snake as he suddenly felt the coils starting to shift. Much like Sans, the thick middle of the Lilac Snake had wrapped around Papyrus’s body twice. He felt them starting the loosen as the snake adjusted itself into a new position. Papyrus tried to take the opportunity to pull his arms free, but in a flash, the tip of the snake’s long tail curled upwards and weaved itself underneath Papyrus’s arms.

Fearing his underarms were about to be tickled, Papyrus shrieked and tried to squirm away. But to his surprise, the tip of the tail didn’t stop at his right underarm. Instead, it weaved its long tail under the arm, across the top of his back and weaved under his left arm. Papyrus was confused as to what was happening, until he was suddenly yanked onto his back with a loud thud! The end of the snake’s body had wrapped up both of his arms and was pinning him down onto his back. He instinctively tried to kick, but the rest of the snake’s heavy body laid across his legs, pinning them down as well.

“AAAGH!! No! No! Please, don’t!!” Papyrus shrieked as he struggled against his new positioning. “Sans!! Please!! Help!!”

Sans kept trying to thrash and pull against the Magenta Snake, seeing Papyrus further strengthened his motivation to break free. But unfortunately for him, the snake was stronger, and it, too, had its own fiendish plans for the older skeleton.

"Leave him alone!" Sans growled as he struggled. "I mean it!! Let him—AAGH!!"

The coils suddenly yanked Sans onto his bottom, he fell with a painful thud!

"Ow! What the—?!" Sans cried out.

He instinctively tried to move his arms, but the serpent's thick coils were still wrapped around him tightly. He tried to move his legs, but much like Papyrus, the Magenta Snake had laid its heavy body across his knees, preventing him from bending them. Sans noticed that the tip of the snake's tail was starting to wrap around his right ankle, holding it perfectly in place as it twisted itself around and around. The snake's head moved over to Sans's left side. It stared down at him, eagerly flicking its feathery tongue up and down. Sans glared daggers at the serpent. He pulled at his new restraints, the sickening feeling of being bound by another beast's coils driving him crazy with anxiety.

"Come … on!" he groaned as he struggled. "Let … me … go!!"

The snake let out a hungry hiss as it gingerly moved its enormous head closer to Sans's face.

"NYAHAHAHAHAHA!! N-NO!! NOHOHOHO!! NOT THAHAHAHAT!!"

Papyrus suddenly erupted with high-pitched squeals of laughter. Sans looked over to see the Lilac Snake flicking its feathery tongue along his brother's spine, while its tail was beginning to trail up the back of his knees. Papyrus didn't realize it until the awful tickling had begun, but he was laying on a mound of dirt that was slightly elevated off the ground. The way he was positioned left his spine slightly arched upwards, leaving it wide-open and totally exposed.

"EEEEK!! EHEEHEEHEEHEE!! NOHOHO!! DOHOHON'T!! I-I CAHAHAAN'T TAKE IHIHIT!!" Papyrus pleaded.

His legs shifted and squirmed uselessly under the weight of the snake's body. Tears were already starting to fall down his cheekbones, though he wasn't entirely sure if it was from laughter or from fear.

Before Sans could try squirming again, the Magenta Snake began wriggling the tip of its tail against Sans's right foot. Sliding it up and down his sole, and twisting under and between his toes.

"No!! Wai—AAGHahahahahaha!!" Sans tried pulling at his foot, momentarily forgetting that it had been restrained by the snake's extra coils. "Sto-ha-haahap!! Stop ihihihit!!" He laughed as he squeezed his sockets shut tightly. "G-Gehehehet awahahahay!! Hahahahaha!! AAGH!! Get awahahay from my fee—EEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE...!!"

He let out a loud squeal as he felt the Snake starting to nuzzle the tip of its broad snout into the side of his neck. It wouldn't have done much to tickle him otherwise, but the serpent's feathery tongue had come poking out to get after his neck, throat, and collarbone. Another massive blue blush had returned as the sensitive areas were mercilessly teased and played with. Even the snake's gentle hissing seemed to have the same effect as verbal tickling as it invaded into his ear canals.

"AHAHAHAHA!! AAH-AHAHAHA!! STAHAHAHAP!! STAHA...!!" Sans momentarily trailed off into silent laughter.

He had tried in vain to scrunch up his neck, only to realize that the serpent's large snout was blocking him from doing so.

"ST-STAHAHA...!! STAHAHAHAP!! STAHAP IHIHIHIHIT!!"

His voice became high-pitched and breathy. He wasn't used to the more delicate spots like the toes and the neck being tickled so vigorously. He couldn't stop himself from squirming as he was consumed by the unbearable giggles. Tears were already threatening to spill from his tightly shut sockets, although it felt like only a minute had gone by since the tickling had begun.

"Nyah...! Ahahaha!! Pleheehee...!! Pl-eleheeheease!! Please!! I cahahaan't breheeheeheeathe!!"

Papyrus's voice had also grown soft and breathy. But the force of the laughter was still pounding out of him, as his body wracked with silent laughter. Sans opened one socket to glance at Papyrus. His entire face was bright orange, the massive blush had spread across his entire face, even to his forehead. Tears fell so freely down his raw cheekbones, it was like his eyes were two separate water faucets.

Sans had remembered just how little Papyrus had recovered from that pure overdose of Tickle Dust, right before he was scooped up just to be tickled all over again. The poor skeleton was the picture of utter exhaustion, he didn't even have any energy left in him to squirm or struggle anymore. He just laid there as a barely audible laugh spasmed his body and drained even more stamina out of him.

For a moment, the ticklish sensations that had consumed Sans were forgotten. Seeing Papyrus suffering so much with only two spots on him being so delicately tickled triggered his big brother instincts. Desperate to rescue Papyrus, he clenched his teeth, in an effort to ignore the gentle tickling and pulled even harder against the snake. He still giggled frantically as he tugged at his arms, but the only thing he could focus on was saving Papyrus.

The snake let out what sounded like an amused hiss, almost as if it were laughing at his failing attempts to free himself. It suddenly moved its feathery tongue off of Sans’s neck to readjust to a different position. It was a mild relief to not be tickled there anymore, but the snake’s tail kept tickling at his toes and was even moving onto the ankle. Sans’s breath caught in his throat as he kept trying to hold back his laughter, trying to only focus on Papyrus.

Meanwhile, the younger skeleton’s laughter had all but vanished, leaving behind only desperate squeaking sounds and sharp inhales of breath. He was steadily breaking as he could feel the Lilac Snake poking and swirling around and in between each individual vertebrae, leaving no crevice un-tickled for long. His insides were on fire, he honestly couldn’t tell if he was laughing or sobbing anymore. All poor Papyrus knew was that he wanted nothing more than for the tickling to stop, he craved a real deep breath, just one moment of peace.

That was the last straw for Sans. A red hot anger burned in his chest seeing what these cursed creatures were doing to his brother, and it was time to put a stop to it.

Swallowing down another fit of laughter, he noticed the Magenta Snake moving its head to the other side of his skull. No doubt moving to tickle him on the right side of his neck and collarbone. As the snake moved in front of Sans’s face, he lunged forward and bit down onto its neck as hard as he could.

Contrary to popular belief, Sans can open his mouth. Usually for essential things like eating. The thing is, nobody ever sees him do it, so most just assume that his teeth are permanently stuck that way. A lesson that the Magenta Snake figured out the hard way.

The serpent arched its head back, letting out an aggravated hiss. Sans clamped his teeth down so hard, a part of him almost thought he would break his jawbone. Within a matter of seconds, he could feel the coils of the snake starting to loosen. He scrambled to pull himself out of the snake’s hold on him, not releasing his teeth until he had completely freed himself.

He released his jaw, spitting out pieces of magenta fur and bolting for Papyrus. His legs were weak and shaky, he could feel his knees wanting to give in and collapse. But he ignored it and kept running, keeping his gaze locked on his brother’s exhausted face.

The Lilac Snake had seen what had happened to its partner. It immediately stopped tickling Papyrus and raised its head up to intimidate Sans with an aggressive hiss. Papyrus’s head fell backwards as he gasped for breath, hardly even registering that the tickling had even stopped. He felt as though he were going to faint, but made a conscious decision to keep his breathing steady in an effort to prevent that from happening.

Sans glared at the Lilac Snake, ignoring its warning hiss. He leapt off of the ground, trying to dive for his brother. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do once he got a hold of him, but all his mind could conceive was just the idea of getting to him.

Sans was only an inch away from reaching his brother. He could practically feel him brush against his fingertips, when suddenly something strong wrapped around his ankles. It abruptly yanked the older skeleton away and he landed in a heap of thick magenta coils.

“No! NO!!” Sans screamed.

He scrambled to his feet to get back to Papyrus. But in an instant, the Magenta Snake had him wrapped around in its clutches again. Binding him and shoving his body around in a forceful dance. When the dust settled, Sans was wrapped up in a new position, one that filled his very Soul with a terrible growing dread.

The tail of the snake had wrapped around both of his ankles. Similar to what it had done with just his right ankle, only this time both of his feet were bound together, and that terrible tail tip was ready to strike again. His torso for the most part was left wide-open, Sans felt a growing sense of urgency as the scuffle had left his shirt riding up and exposing his spine. But what sent his anxiety over the edge was how his arms were positioned.

A single strong coil had wrapped itself under his left arm, holding it out awkwardly and leaving him unable to reach his chest. The coil then weaved itself directly under his chin, leaving him unable to bite it a second time. Then finally, the snake wrapped itself around Sans’ right elbow, pinning it to the side of his skull and leaving his underarm open and stuck.

“Oh no…! No! Nonononono! You can’t!”

Sans immediately started struggling and pulling, but the awkward position left him unable to pull very hard. He couldn’t even bend his knees with how tightly the snake had a hold of him now. The best he could do aside from clenching his fingers, was arching his spine up and down, looking like a fish out of water. His breathing hitched as the snake loomed over him with piercing hungry eyes. He had never felt so vulnerable, and there was nothing he could do to stop it from striking.

“N-No … please…!”

He made one last useless plea before the snake let out a fierce hissing sound and fluttered its tongue along Sans’s exposed underarm.

"AAAGH!! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!! OHOHO-OH-OH MY GAHAHAHAD!! AHAHAHA!! STAHAHAP IHIHIHIHIT!! G-GET-AHAHA!! GET OUTTA THEHEHEHERE!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

The ticklish sensations overwhelmed him in an instant. He frantically tried to reach his left hand over to protect himself, but all he could grasp was the thick coil that kept his hand just out of reach of his underarm. He pulled at his right arm, wanting nothing more than to pin it down to his side and put an end to this horrific tickling. But his arm dangled there uselessly up over his skull, leaving him wide-open to every little stroke and flicker the cursed tongue could provide.

"PLEHEEHEEHEEASE!!" Sans pleaded with a squeal that even surprised him with how squeaky it was. "PLEHEHEHEASE!! STAHAHAHAP!! STOP!! I-IHEEHEEM SORRY-HEEHEEHEE!!"

He doubted that apologizing for biting the serpent would do much to persuade it. But he was so desperate to make this insane tickle torture stop. Gentle tickles along the collarbone were one thing, but Sans could not handle the same gentle treatment on his underarms. It was utterly maddening how useless both of his arms were. He could bend his elbows and move them freely, but the one thing he needed them to do was painfully denied him and it drove him crazy.

To make matters worse, the Magenta Snake was constantly switching up its methods of tickling poor Sans's underarm. Switching back and forth between light little tongue flicks, to light little flutters and slow tracing and swirling. The unpredictability left Sans unable to get used to one method, leaving him a shrieking, spasming, laughing mess.

"AHAHAHAHA!! N-NOHOHO!! HAHAHA!! NOHOHO MOHOHOHORE!! AHAHAHA!! I-I CAHAHAAN'T TAKE—WAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! OHOHO NO!! NO!! NOT THEHEHEHERE!!"

Sans let out a shrill scream of terror as he felt the tip of the tail once again invading under his toes. He wiggled them frantically, but the mischievous tail swirled mercilessly along the balls of his feet. Effortlessly stroking up and down his defenseless soles, and even teasing along the tops of his toes, making him scream and cachinnate loudly.

The Lilac Snake was still allowing Papyrus to regain his breath. But as he was taking longer than expected to do so, the serpent couldn't help but notice Sans's helpless wails of laughter. Intrigued by the desperate sound, the snake slithered back towards its partner, careful to keep its tail locked onto Papyrus's arms.

"PLEEHEEASE!! PLEHEHEHEHEASE, MERCY!! AGAHAHAHAHA!!" Sans guffawed.

Tears poured out of his sockets and flowed down his electric blue cheeks. He still frantically tried to pull on the snake's binding, despite rapidly losing strength. His left hand desperately pounded and clawed at the snake's coil still wrapped around him. But pulling on its fur wasn't nearly as effective as the bite had been from earlier. Sans figured that the scratching and clawing just didn't bother it at all, either that or he was becoming a lot weaker than he had thought. Either way, he started panicking even further as the Lilac Snake appeared above him.

"AHAHAHAHA!! NOHOHO!! NOOO!! L-LEMMIE GOHOHOHO!! AHAHAHA!!"

At first the Lilac Snake just loomed over him, absorbing his frenzied laughter right alongside the Magenta Snake. But looking down, it noticed that Sans's shirt had been riding up this entire time. Having already had practice on Papyrus, it swooped down to have a taste of Sans's spine, eliciting a panicked squeal from the older skeleton.

"EEEEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!! NOHOHO PLEEHEEASE!! HAHA!! NAHAHAT THAHAHAHAT!! AHAHAHAHA!!"

The Lilac Snake proceeded to perform the same tickling maneuver around Sans's spine as it had previously done with Papyrus. It flicked and swished and scribbled all across and in between each vertebrae, with a light a delicate motion that further sent Sans into hysterics.

"PLEEHEEASE STAHAHAP!! PLEHEHEHEASE STAAAAAAP!!"

Sans screamed loudly, holding onto that last 'stop' as an agonized screech tore out of him. His back helplessly flopped up and down, providing zero relief as the snake just barely flicked its soft feather tongue towards the bottom of his ribcage. Sans let out a ragged gasp, finally feeling the contact on his ribs. Sheer terror surged through his bones at the thought of that delicate tongue on his bare ribs. A soft sob broke through the cascades of his laughter.

"NOHOHOHOHO!!" he wailed pathetically. "TOOHOOHOO...TOO MUHUHUHUCH!! AHAHAHA!! IHIHIT'S TOO MUHUHUHUCH!! I CAHAHAAN'T TAHAHAKE IT!! PLEHEHEHEHEASE!!"

There was nothing he could do to stop it. The Lilac Snake shoved its head under Sans's shirt and proceeded to flutter its tongue along his ribcage. The older skeleton opened his mouth to let out a devastating scream, but only silence filled the air as the shock of the horrific rib-tickling left the scream caught in his throat. Once Sans caught enough air to inhale, the real scream was finally set free, followed by raucous cackling that shook the skeleton to his very core.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHAHAHAHAAAA!!"

What made it even worse was Sans could feel the snake's tongue slipping between each and every rib bone as it fluttered and tickled along.

"OHOHO NO!! PLEHEHEHEHAHAHA...!"

After a moment of silent laughter, Sans let out a loud snort. Hearing this change of pace, the Lilac Snake focused solely on the in-between spaces of the ribcage. Sans was thrown into a hysterical fit of screaming, laughing, and snorting. Unable to control a single function of his body as he hopelessly twitched and spasmed in the tight coils.

Meanwhile, Papyrus had finally regained his breath, his chest rose and fell as it steadily gathered oxygen. Exhaustion practically pulsated through the younger skeleton as he laid there in the dirt. He was dizzy and even a little bit confused. Although the tickling had been solely focused on his spine and knees, his stamina had been way too strained by the Tickle Dust to have properly endured any further attacks.

He laid there with his sockets shut, the light stung them too much to open them. He was certain that he was still within the Lilac Snake’s clutches, so he was hopeful that an act of ‘playing dead’ was enough to keep it from coming after him again. Beyond that, he was just too tired to endure any more. So he resigned himself to staying there, recovering on the ground, at least until something moved him by force.

As his breathing finally mellowed out, he could slowly start to hear other things around him. The sounds of the river, the light breeze in the jungle trees, and … laughter? Screaming … snorting … cackling … Sans!

As the thought of his brother finally crossed his mind, Papyrus intensely opened his sockets. As expected, the harsh light of the sun stung into them. He immediately pulled his hands up to rub the ache out of them. Only when he started feeling his vision adjust to the world around him did he notice … he was free!

The Lilac Snake had uncoiled itself from his body, he looked over just in time to see the end of it slinking away towards Sans.

Papyrus blinked his eyes in disbelief upon seeing the state his brother was in. Sans was helplessly bound between the two large serpents as they mercilessly tickled away at his feet, ribs, and underarms. He looked to see the Lilac Snake pulling the end of its tail up to Sans’s knees. Sans let out another agonizing wail as the tip of the tail started squeezing at his kneecaps. He looked so desperate, barely able to squirm or breathe or utter a single plea for mercy.

Papyrus knew he had to do something to help him, especially now while both serpents were distracted. A part of him was hesitant, worried that he might do something to make the situation worse. But remembering how fearlessly Sans had tried to leap in and rescue him only strengthened Papyrus’s resolve.

There wasn’t much around him; bushes, small pebbles, and dirt. Nothing that could be used as a weapon. He shakily stumbled to his feet. An exhausted ache shot through his bones as he regained his balance, but he kept his focus on Sans. Letting the sound of his brother’s agonized laughter fill his motivation. Looking around, Papyrus noticed something sticking out of the water.

As if it were an answer to a prayer, a large stick washed up to the shoreline. Thinking fast, Papyrus yanked the stick out of the water. He hoisted it over his head and let out a fierce warrior cry as he ran towards the snakes with reckless abandon. The Magenta Snake lifted its head to see what was going on. Once it saw Papyrus, it let out a loud hiss to alert the Lilac Snake. The Lilac Snake pulled its head out from Sans’s shirt allowing the older skeleton to finally catch his breath.

Papyrus leapt towards the serpents, gripping onto his weapon. This was it, if he could just land a good blow on one of them, hopefully it would be enough to pull Sans out of there. With a victorious scream, Papyrus swung the stick down onto the head of the Lilac Snake.

WHACK!

The snake didn’t move, it didn’t even flinch. What Papyrus had failed to realize in his haste, was that the only sturdy part of his weapon was the very end that he was holding. The rest of the stick was little more than a long twig that snapped immediately upon contact with the hefty snake.

Papyrus looked at the snake, then back at the stick, then back at the snake with a sheepish grin. An embarrassed blush spread across his cheekbones as he awkwardly tossed the rest of the stick off to the side.

“Um … so … best two out of three?” he giggled nervously.

The snakes wrapped the brothers around in their coils again. It was the same way they had done it upon their first encounter with them. Two thick coils around each brother’s upper torso pinning their arms down. While Sans was beyond grateful that no more tickling had been applied to his underarms, that didn’t stop the serpents’ dastardly tails from wriggling around their feet.

“Nyaaaahahahaha!! S-Sahahans!! I-I’m sorry-heeheeheehee!!” Papyrus wailed as he tried to kick his feet away.

“Ahahahahaha!! It-It’s not your fahahahault!! Hahahaha!!” Sans reassured him as he fought off a tail of his own.

As the snakes continued tickling their victims, they proceeded to drag the skeletons into the jungle. Although they were beyond sick and tired of being tickled by these reptiles, the brothers were mildly impressed that they could simply drag them along while attacking them at the same time.

The snakes dragged them into the thick of the jungle for what felt like forever. The jungle trees loomed over them in a terrifying way, causing the brothers immense anxiety. Thankfully, the snake’s tickling tails were beginning to slow down to a stop, allowing the brothers to finally breathe after way too much time had passed.

Although grateful for a break, suspicion rose in Sans’s chest. He wondered just why the snake’s tickle attack finally came to a stop. Were they getting tired? They seemed to have enough energy to still be dragging them through the heart of the jungle. Using their tails to keep their victims laughing seemed a lot simpler than using their entire bodies to bring them this far. So why?

After regulating his breathing again, Sans wearily turned his head to see where they were going. He feared that they were leading them to an entire horde of snakes, ready to tickle them even worse than before. But instead of a cave full of snakes, what stood only a mile ahead of them was a large cottage.

A strange, warm glow was emitting from the windows of this strange house in the middle of the jungle. A feeling of unease was settling deep within Sans’s bones. Where were they being taken? What fresh horrors could possibly be lurking within that cottage? But more importantly … how were they going to get out of this one?

As the snakes approached the cottage door, the large wooden door abruptly flew open, startling everybody. A figure appeared in the doorway; she was silhouetted by the beaming light coming from inside the house. Though her features were unclear to the skeletons, Sans could make out an unmistakable shape on the top of her head … a witch’s hat.

“Oh, my sweet babies!” she cried. “You brought me fresh ingredients! How very sweet of you!”

She unleashed a shrill cackle that echoed through the trees of the dark jungle.

46 notes · View notes