Font Brothers

An icy breeze blew gently against Frisk's skin. The pure white of the snowy path nearly blinded them at first. They almost tripped while pushing open incredibly heavy purple doors due to their feet sinking into the slushy ground. When their eyes had finally adjusted to the bright light, Frisk wondered if they had just gone blind. The only thing that kept this thought from being true were the thin black trees that ascended to unknown heights, all evenly spaced out, but densely packed. It fogged on the horizon, obscuring whatever lies ahead.

"Holy shit!" Player cried, rushing past Frisk, hugging herself. She pulled them towards her, the large doors closing instantly. Her arms wrapped around the slightly shorter child, shivering. "It's f-f-fucking cold!"

The sudden cussing surprised Frisk, who now had the luxury of warm breath on their face. "Maybe there'll be a town and we'll be warmer there," they gestured to the path. After all, what was the use of standing around in the cold?

Awkwardly, the two walked through the snow, footsteps crunching in a way that made Player smile. It was eerily quiet as if the temperature wasn't enough to give them a chill. The lack of sound was getting to Player especially. She tightened her hold on Frisk, eyes wandering in a paranoid fashion.

Then, she stumbled, losing her balance for a good five seconds. A lone branch had caused her separation from Frisk's body. It was too thick and heavy for either to break by stepping on it. Chuckling both nervously and in relief, they continued on.

That was when the branch suddenly snapped behind them. The children jumped, choosing to look back as they sped up. It was indeed broken - broken like the last shred of security they had left. Something had to have stepped on that branch. Something big.

A little longer into the walk led to more of Player's paranoia. "Do you hear that?" She would ask occasionally. Both would stop to listen. "There it is! Another set of footsteps!" She looked as though she would start crying. "S-someone's following us..."

"Hey, that's not funny. Don't joke about that kind of stuff!"

"I'm not joking! Why would I joke about something like that?"

Not wanting to dwell on that argument, the pair picked up the pace, eyes wide. A bridge was coming into view from within the fog. They stopped to wonder about the odd decor around it. Was it a shrine? A gate? Whatever it was, it clearly did not have a craftsman's hands behind it.

"D-do you hear that...?" Player asked for the nth time.

Before Frisk could either comfort or chastise her, they heard it too. Clear as day, something crunched through the snow behind them. Neither one could move, they were too scared to. They felt trapped, held in place by some unseen hand.

The footsteps stopped, someone was directly behind Frisk. This made their heart sink with dread until: "Human...don't you know how to greet a new pal? Turn around and shake my hand."

Frisk turned slowly, eyes squeezed shut. They reached out to grab a hand they could not see. When they did, a long floppy wheeze of air was let out. They opened their eyes to see a skeleton in a blue hoodie smiling at them. Somewhat reassured by that goofy smile, Frisk allowed themself to laugh.

The skeleton also started laughing. "The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It's always funny." He seemed pleased until he caught glimpse of Player, who grimaced at the whole scene. "Okay, maybe it's not for everyone. Anyways, you're humans, right? That's hilarious," he chuckled. "I'm Sans, Sans the skeleton."

Player approached sheepishly, trying her best to smile, but came off as queasy. She put out her hand in an offer of a proper handshake, though she had never initiated one before. "C-call me Player..." her breath lightly swirled in the air.

"Alright, Player, nice to meet'cha." It was a mittened hand that she had the pleasure of holding. Yes, holding. Sans shook her delicate hand, which was consumed by his large mitten, for her. Yet, she still did not let go. Then, he noticed why. Her little fingers were carefully pulling off the mitten. He watched as this tiny girl turned his skeletal hand this way and that. It was...amusing.

Playing with each phalange, a sparkle found its way in her eyes. Slowly, but surely, a giddy smile blossomed on her face. "That's so cool! A real skeleton, oh my gosh! I don't even care if it's freezing, this is awesome!" Player squealed, clasping her hand around the bones lovingly.

Laughing, Sans held onto her hand. Doing so, he received another giddy squeal from her. "I'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now, but y'know...I don't really care about capturing anybody." He said this while still watching Player fiddle with his hand. At least she was having a good time. "Now, my brother, Papyrus...He's a human-hunting fanatic," he addressed Frisk that time, since they were still listening. Sans shook off Player's hand, gesturing for his mitten back while he spoke. "Hey, actually, I think that's him over there. I have an idea - go through this gate thingy."

Frisk raised a brow. So, it was a gate, not an odd decoration. Glancing between Sans and the gate, they felt unsure. This could be a trap and Sans could have lied about not wanting to catch humans. Why would he have stalked them if he was just going to mess with them? On second thought, maybe Frisk should not think about it.

Perhaps sensing Frisk's indecisiveness, the skeleton motioned to get a move on. "Yeah, go right through. My bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone." He nudged the children along over the bridge to a clearing. Footsteps were coming from ahead. "Quick, behind that conveniently-" he stopped short, remembering there were two humans. "Hide!"

The duo scrambled a bit for a hiding spot. Frisk went behind a lamp that just so happened to be big enough, while Player dove behind a sentry station. She peeked over as a tall skeleton in a sort of hero get-up stomped towards Sans.

"'sup, bro?" Sans waved.

"You know what "sup," brother!" Papyrus replied accusingly. "It's been eight days and you still haven't recalibrated. Your. Puzzles! You just hang around outside your station! What are you even doing?"

"Staring at this lamp. It's really cool," the smaller answered casually. "Do you wanna look?"

Even more frustrated that his brother tried to avert his attention, Papyrus stamped his foot. "No! I don't have time for that! What if a human comes through here? I want to be ready!"

The children held their breath, sinking into their spots.

"I will be the one - I must be the one! I will capture a human!" Papyrus grinned confidently as he began to set into a reverie. "Then, I, the Great Papyrus will get all the things I utterly deserve! Respect, recognition...I will finally be able to join the Royal Guard. People will ask to. Be my. 'Friend'? I will bathe in a shower of kisses every morning."

It was around there when Player snorted in an attempt to keep from laughing.

Sans hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe this lamp will help you."

This broke his brother's dreaming. "Sans! You are not helping, you lazy bones!" Papyrus was right back to stamping. "All you do is sit and boondoggle! You get lazier and lazier every day!"

"Hey, take it easy. I've gotten a ton of work done today. A skele-ton," the accused winked.

"Sans!" The other says as a warning.

With a chuckle, the warned swayed playfully. "Come on...you're smiling."

Trying not to laugh, Papyrus grit his teeth. "I am and I hate it." He sighed, eying the short skeleton with slight annoyance. "Why does someone as great as me have to do so much just to get some recognition?"

"That's how it works..." Player muttered.

"Wow, sounds like you're really working yourself..." oh, here it comes. "-down to the bone!"

Frisk snorted, nearly losing themself. They had to cover their mouth to keep the laughter inside.

Completely sick of these puns, Papyrus threw his arms into the air with audible disgust. "I will attend to my puzzles...As for your work? Put a little more..." oh, him too? "-'backbone' into it!" He laughed with a pleased expression, though his laugh of "Nyeheheheh!" was enough to make the children tremble in welling giggle fits. At least he was gone.

"Okay, you can come out now," Sans called after a few moments.

Poking their head out from behind the lamp, Frisk confirmed that it was safe. Smiling brightly, they went to help Player onto her feet. At some point she had fallen over...probably from the ridiculousness.

"You oughta get going. He might come back, and if he does, you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes," Sans was still grinning.

Player stared at him, only looking slightly up to lock eyes. She just stared at him with big eyes.

Getting a little embarrassed, he took a step back. "What's the holdup? Look, there's nothin' to be afraid of. It's just a dark cavern full of skeletons and horrible monsters," he shrugged. Even still, she did not budge. "Well?" Sans kept smiling, waiting for her to get bored.

What he did not expect was for her to grab his cheekbones. "You're so cute! How do you exist?" She giggled, getting pulled away by Frisk. What a weird kid.

As they walked, huddled together, Sans called out: "Actually, hey...hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor?" They stopped to listen. Ah, good. "I was thinking...my brother's been kind of down lately. He's never seen a human before, and seeing you might just make his day." Oh, they look worried. "Don't worry, he's not dangerous, even if he tries to be."

Frisk nodded. "Sure! We'll probably run into him anyway."

"Thanks a million. I'll be up ahead," and he went the opposite direction.

Player could have sworn the skeleton just disappeared into thin air, but maybe it was just the fog. Then she wondered if she humiliated herself. Well, too late now.

They came across a box with a note from a box lover on how it functions. Inside was a pair of red leather gloves, but the color had worn away into a pink hue. Even if they were used for fighting, Frisk decided to use them as winter gloves. Or one at least, giving the other to Player. That way, when they held hands, the other hand would be protected.

Continuing meant coming across the brothers. Now that they stood side by side, Frisk could see that Sans came up to his brother's shoulders. They looked at Player to gauge where she would stand. If she was just two inches shorter than the comedian, then would she meet Papyrus's sternum? Wait, why did Frisk care?

"So, as I was saying about Undyne-" Papyrus suddenly looked in their direction. Surprised, he looked back at Sans, then at the humans, then back at Sans until both were twirling in place. Both brothers spun to where they had their backs to the children. "Sans, oh my god! Are those...humans?"

Glancing back at them before fully turning around, the smaller looked past the duo parallel from them. "Uh...actually, I think that's a rock." Yes, that deflated his brother's excitement for bit. "Hey, but what's that in front of the rock?"

Focusing on the humans completely now, Papyrus smiled. "Oh my god!" He turned to whisper to Sans. "Are they humans?"

"Yes."

Papyrus seemed about ready to twirl again. "Sans, I finally did it!" He clapped, jumping a bit. "Undyne will...I'm gonna...I'll be so popular! Popular, popular!" Realizing his own unprofessional behavior, Papyrus cleared his...throat. "Humans, you shall not pass this area! I, the Great Papyrus, will stop you!"

"You kinda already did, buddy." Player chuckled. "I mean...You're blocking the road."

"Yes, so I can capture you, bring you to the capital, then...I'm not sure. In any case, continue only if you dare! Nyeh heh heh!" With that, the wannabe Royal Guardsman ran off.

"Well, that went well," Sans sighed. "Don't sweat it, I'll keep an eyesocket out for ya." Then, he too sauntered off.

Player gave a "Heh" as she led Frisk after the skeletons. Somewhere in the back of her mind told her she had seen them before, but could not remember where. Her memory never was all that great. She would forget her own birthday if she hadn't placed an alarm for it.

They passed by a cardboard sentry station, running into Snowdrake. Though his puns were a little frosty, he was a pretty cool bird thing. As for his attacks, while chilling in number, dodging was a breeze. It ended rather nicely.

Even farther down the road was another sentry station, but it looked more like a dog themed hutch. There was a sign reading: "Absolutely no moving!" Frisk raised a brow. Why would anyone write that on a sign? This is the only road! It all made sense when a black and white dog peeked out from within the hutch. "Did something move? Was it my imagination?" He muttered to himself, dog treat sticking out from his muzzle. "If something was moving, for example, a human, I'll make sure it never moves again." Was that a warning?

Player stood as still as she could once the bright world turned dark. She shivered, still feeling the wintry chill. Frisk's soul offered some warmth, but not much. Both eyed Doggo cautiously as he swung glowing daggers of light blue this way and that. His daggers phased right through their still bodies and the crimson heart without damage being done. Doggo could not find anything.

Feeling bad for blind(?) dog, Frisk gave him a good pet on the head.

This only made Doggo panic. "What? I've been pet!" Barking, he swung his daggers frantically. Still, they only phased through the duo as they kept their positions. Not finding anything, the world burst back into its eternal winter. "S-s-s-something pet me...Something that isn't moving!" Doggo whimpered. "I'm gonna need some dog treats for this!" He muttered to himself, sliding back down into his station.

Remaining silent, the pair quickly ran until they slipped on ice. Player hit her head on her fall, groaning in an attempt to stay awake, but just gave up.

...

She awoke with a start. "Don't touch me!" She screamed, smacking away someone's hand. Wincing at the impact, she looked up to see Sans rubbing his hand. "Oh, I'm sorry..." Player knew he was still smiling like it was plastered to his face, but she thought she had seen a hint of pain. How could that be? They weren't fighting - the world was still snowy - and she didn't hit hard. Was it her imagination? She hugged the little skeleton. "Sorry!"

"Hey, kid, what's up with you?" He chuckled. "Did I scare ya?"

For some odd reason, Player tried to pick up Sans as she stood. It was a no go. She fell over onto the snow. Just her. Laughing, she sat up and rubbed her head.

"What the hell? Ah, I should've known you were up to something. Alright, explain yourself."

"I dunno. I just thought I could lift your sorrows. I thought...Er...that is to say, I...I don't know. Spur of the moment!" Player fumbled with the right words to justify herself. Nothing else could come up. Sans was staring at her, analyzing her, she could feel it.

His grin got wider. "Did you try to make a joke?"

She was about to state her confusion when Frisk came into view. They looked confused. "Sans...weren't you just with Papyrus in the other clearing...? Now you're back here! And...you're actually looking after Player...like I asked? How...how did...?" Frisk trailed off, unable to sort out anything.

Now Player was even more confused. "What...?" The pounding headache made it hard to focus on anything other than the pain of a pulsating brain. "Can we just go?" She stood up, wobbly at first.

Frisk held onto her to support her fawn-like steps. "Later, Sans!" They said with an apologetic smile. With some distance between the ice lake and the children, Frisk explained the invisible maze to Player. Even though she probably tuned them out, they went on about the confusion of where she went. "Papyrus was worried Doggo caught you before he did," they chuckled.

"Hey, you wanna eat some nice cream?" With that hopeful question, a frozen treat shaped like a blonde bearded goat waved into Player's sight. "The nice cream man said this is the king. You should've seen all the nice creams! They look just like the monsters, but cute!" Frisk gushed, eyes twinkling at the memory.

Their friend took the popsicle, examining it before getting disgusted at the thought of licking a monster's face. She shook her head to clear it, popping the little crown into her mouth. There was a message tied to the stick: "Love yourself! I love you!" How cute.

Her foot kicked something. A large snowball rolled away. She kicked it again, again, and again. At some point, Frisk took over, kicking the snowball into a hole. A purple flag raised itself out of the ground along with two gold coins. The two played this game for a good while.

"Okay, I think that's enough," Player said through the piece of nice cream she was currently biting into. Once she turned around, she spotted Sans standing idly. Her heart jumped. "Hey..." she managed.

Seeing her nice cream, he lit up, but not too much. "I've been thinking about selling treats too. Want some fried snow? It's just five gold."

"Isn't that just wa-"

"Ooh, yes please!" Frisk cheered.

Sans got a smug smirk then. "Did I say five gold? I meant fifty."

Frisk still insisted, nodding. "Yes, I've got enough for that!"

"No thank you, Sansy. We'll...oh shit...the fuck did I just...?" Player nearly crumbled at the realization of what she said. "Sansy...Sans. Sans, my man. Sansy Sans Samson, fuck!" She broke into hysterical laughter.

"Hey, don't wear out the name and keep it down, would ya?" He shushed.

"Sorry..." she nibbled on the popsicle stick, twiddling her fingers. Her pale cheeks gradually became rosy. Player tried hiding this with her hair, it was like a brown bouncy curtain. Of course, this could only work for her right side.

Before an awkward silence could fully settle in, Frisk pulled the girl away from it. "Bye, Sans!" They called, though they knew they would see him again. Their little footprints in the snow were followed by even more. Poor Player cannot stop embarrassing herself, could she?

The children made it to an area as tall as the pine trees. It seems the brothers were already waiting. How does Sans keep beating them to locations? How is it that he can appear like he has been there the whole time? Frisk's mind buzzed with questions.

"Humans!" Papyrus...greeted? "I hope you're ready for..." he paused to look around. "Sans, where's the puzzle?"

"It's right there, on the ground. Trust me, there's no way they can get past this one."

A word search lay on the cleared pavement. Frisk picked it up to try it, but Player found all the words in just a few seconds. So, they put it back where they found it. Then, all they had to do was step over it.

"Sans, that didn't do anything!" Captain Papyrus Obvious complained.

"Whoops. I knew I should have used today's crossword instead," little Blue sighed.

"What?" Dumbfounded, Papyrus leaned in to be his brother's level. "Crossword?" He jumped back, straight as an uncooked noodle. "I can't believe you said that," he added to the disapproval with a shake of the head. "In my opinion, junior jumble is easily the hardest."

Now it was time for Sans to be surprised. "What? Really, dude? That easy-peasy word scramble?" He scoffed. "That's for baby bones."

However, big Orange slumped, almost insulted. "Unbelievable." A little after saying that, he lit up. "Humans! Solve this dispute!"

"Crossword puzzles are harder. It's just...ya either know it or ya don't," Player offered her answer.

Beside her, Frisk nodded in agreement. It reminded them of the butterscotch over cinnamon choice. Player had picked cinnamon and Frisk merely agreed. In all honesty, Frisk just felt that whatever this girl chose would be right. Even if she was actually wrong.

"You're all weird!" Papyrus, though upset, was still upbeat. "Crosswords are so easy - it's the same solution every time. I just fill all the boxes in with the letter 'Z' because every time I look at a crossword, all I can do is snore!" He laughed his way to somewhere.

Sans sighed in fascination. "Papyrus...finds difficulty in interesting places. Yesterday, he got stumped trying to 'solve' the horoscope."

"Oh...?" Frisk flashed a polite smile.

Walking by led to a save point and some spaghetti. Player immediately rushed to the plate, trying desperately to jab the fork into the pasta. She knew from the letter that it was intended to be a trap, but nothing could stop her love of food. Frisk giggled at her feeble attempts to stab the frozen spaghetti. They tried to help her move the plate to the microwave, but it was stuck to the table. Maybe the mouse would one day figure it out. For now, Player would have to settle with half of a spider donut.