The quaint town of Snowdin looked deserted. The usual hustle and bustle was gone, leaving only the fresh, undisturbed snow and the cold wind as its citizens. If a newcomer was to come along, they'd think it was a ghost town if it weren't for the glow of a warm fire in every home.

The reason for this strange absence was a storm. Earlier that day, the MTT Weather Station had predicted that a massive blizzard would arrive in the evening, and that all monsters should take shelter before 7:00 pm. So, the ever obedient homebodies of Snowdin were glad to hide away as the snowfall continuously quickened and thickened and piled against their doors.

But despite the warning, Sans was outside.

The skeleton slowly walked down the main street of the town, away from his house. The snow crunched underneath his slippers, and the gathered on his old shoulders. The tranquility of the quiet town soothed Sans's nerves.

He was worried. His little brother, Papyrus, had been acting strange ever since he got home from his training session with Undyne. His feet dragged across the wooden floor, his usually straight posture curled into a slump. When Sans had tried to cheer him up by making a stupid pun about the weather, Papyrus had no reaction. He just trudged into the kitchen to make dinner.

"What's the point of training if a human never shows up?" the tall skeleton had said as Sans hesitantly sidestepped into the kitchen, which was beginning to fill with the smell of rotten eggs.

"cmon bro, you gotta stay hopeful. what if a human shows up tomorrow and you're not determined enough to fight them?" Sans encouraged, trying not to cough from the fumes emanating off of Papyrus's "spaghetti."

"I'm not strong enough to capture a human anyway."

Sans hadn't known what to say. For a few moments he just stood there, trying to come up with a home or a smart comment, anything that would possibly make his brother smile. All he could manage was "that looks pastatively spaghettacular."

Papyrus stayed focused on his cooking. "You don't have to lie about it. Just go ahead and go to Grillby's, I know you'll just make an excuse to leave anyway."

And that's how Sans ended up walking down the deserted street, breath puffing out in clouds of white. For once, he didn't know how to cheer his brother up. And that scared him.

His mind was racing as he slowly walked, wondering what had happened to make Papyrus feel so hopeless. Sans knew that his bro had been feeling down recently, but it had never altered Papyrus's personality like that. It was like he was a completely different monster. Maybe something happened with Undyne? She was pretty harsh, and the clumsy skeleton wasn't known for his prowess in battle.

Nah. Undyne wouldn't break someone's spirit like that. Sans shook his head, completely stumped. A gust of wind rattled his bones, and he zipped his jacket up. He technically couldn't feel the cold, but the low temperature made him feel stiff and uncomfortable. At times he cursed Undyne for setting them up in this frozen wasteland.

The soft light of Grillby's spilled onto the sparkling snow ahead, and a small feeling of relief washed over the short skeleton. That relief was quickly replaced with guilt as he remembered what Papyrus had said. He couldn't let his brother be right and give up like that. So, a bit begrudgingly, Sans bypassed the bright pub.

The reason he often fled to Grillby's was not just because his brother's cooking was terrible. In the small restaurant (which was always a delightfully warm contrast to the frigid weather outside) Sans felt like he really…belonged. Everyone knew him and he knew them, and they could drink and eat and talk without a care in the world. Sans could take his mind off of the worry for Papyrus that plagued him endlessly.

He had been meaning to take his little brother to Grillby's but had never gotten the chance. Papyrus was so swarmed with patrolling and training and cooking that he didn't care about meeting the monsters in this town, no matter how nice or friendly they were.

Everyone always asked about Papyrus. About why he never socialized, why he was so obsessed with humans, why he loved pasta so much. To every question Sans had the same answer: "i don't know. that's just how he is, and i'm proud to be his big brother."

Eventually the short skeleton reached the town limits, passing the "Welcome to Snowdin" sign and heading off into the patrolling area. Surprisingly, Papyrus hadn't reset his puzzles, so it didn't take Sans very long to reach the forest. He vaguely registered that the snow was starting to fall much faster than before, and flipped his hood up. A small voice in his head reminded him of the oncoming storm, but he kept walking.

The large door at the end of the forest was always locked. Many times, Sans had tried to open it and see what was on the other side, but it was a lost cause. He just had to settle with sitting against it. He did so slowly, letting out a sigh and watching as snow fell in front of him, already starting to cover the footprints he just made.

"cold outside tonight," he said softly, hoping that someone was there on the other side of the door.

"Yes. I can feel the cold air through the cracks," a gentle voice said a few moments later.

"wanna come out and walk in the snow?" Sans knew he was pulling at straws. There was snow way the old lady would open the door. He'd already asked several times before.

A light chuckle came through the door. "I am afraid that is not possible. I am sorry."

Sans huffed out another sigh. "yeah. figured as much." There was a moment of silence before, "knock knock."

"…Who is there?"

She was hesitant. Sans frowned. "tank."

"Tank…who?"

"you're welcome!" the skeleton grinned proudly at his joke, but it faded as the lady behind the door laughed, half-hearted and quiet. She didn't sound like she normally did. Something was off. Concerned, Sans decided to take action. "hey, uh… what's up? you seem kinda… down tonight."

There was a long pause. Sans almost thought she had left, but right as he was about to speak, she answered in a sad, shaking voice.

"If… If a human ever comes through his door… could you please, please promise me something?" She paused a beat, letting out a wavering breath. "Watch over them and protect them… will you not?"

Sans was taken aback. She hasn't ever asked him to… do anything before. Well, except for asking him to come back and talk with her, but… Not anything like this.

Now, usually Sans didn't make promises. He wasn't the type to commit to anything, (he was surprised Undyne hadn't fired him for slacking off) and the thought of having to sent shudders crawling down his spine. But this lady… she was something special. She loved his jokes. She was pretty much always there when he needed to just escape for a while. She had unknowingly done so much for him, and he hadn't ever thanked her for it.

It was about time that he did something for her instead.

After a great pause, Sans breathed out. "alright lady." He swallowed thickly. "i promise."

"Oh, thank you so much! I knew I could trust you!" The lady sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "I would hug you if I could, young man. Thank you."

The sweet words made a glowing blush spread across Sans's cheekbones, and he hoped that the light didn't seep through the cracks in the door. He still felt very unsure and wary about making such a big commitment, but… What did he really have to lose? It's not like a human would be coming down here anytime soon. He couldn't help but agree with Papyrus. What was the point of making promises if a human never showed up?

A harsh gust of wind threw Sans forward, causing his skull to bump straight into the door. He slammed against it painfully, letting out a not-so-quiet grunt.

"Are you okay?"

Sans got up from the ground slowly, shaking the snow off of his body. "yeah. the wind is just really strong tonight." In the short amount of time that he'd been talking with the lady behind the door, the storm had started without him noticing. He could barely see the path back to Snowdin through the fast-falling snow. "maybe i should head home. storm's starting to pick up."

The lady spoke with a certain heaviness in her voice now, laced with concern. "I suppose that would be for the best. Have a safe journey home. Do not stray off the path."