Level 3

In leaving the ruins, Sans and Papyrus stepped out into a world of grey and white.

The first thing Papyrus did was place his hands on his arms and cross his legs, already shivering from the cold. His breath materialized in front of his face only to disappear a few inches above his head. "Sn-Snow? Wh-why is there snow down here?"

Papyrus eagerly looked to Sans for an answer, but his brother shrugged his shoulders with a questionable look. What baffled Sans more was the two rows of pine trees on either side of a snowy trail; extending high into the black sky where a ceiling was nonexistent from his eyesight.

Papyrus blew some hot air into his hands, teeth chattering. "W-well, let's keep go-going!"

He took a few steps, if one could call them steps. Really Papyrus was dragging his feet through the snow, bent over in a futile attempt to stay warm.

Sans walked past his brother, stopping him with an extended hand. "Here, bro. I got this."

Sans then set down his backpack, opening the main compartment and digging around. Papyrus scoffed at Sans attempt. "Re-Really, Sans… wh-what could you have th-that would help…?"

Sans eyed his brother with a knowing smile as his hand brought with it a sea of red. Papyrus' eyes grew wide to see Sans' red winter jacket as he stood up. He slung the backpack back over his shoulders, extending the jacket to Papyrus. "I don't know, maybe a winter jacket."

Papyrus snatched the jacket from Sans' hands, staring at it before looking up at Sans questionably. "Wh-Why did you pack this?"

Sans shrugged. "I just like to be prepared. Now put it on before you catch a cold."

Papyrus gave Sans another suspicious look but didn't fight his brother. Unzipping the red jacket, Papyrus soon felt relief wash over him as the jacket well covered his chest and arms. "Thanks, Sans."

"Heh, no problem." Sans was only able to take a few steps before he heard Papyrus speak up.

"You're not going to wear anything?"

"Nope, I didn't pack two." As if to count it out Sans lifted up two fingers. "But that's ok, I'm big-boned. And all fat kids are just naturally warm, right?"

Papyrus didn't smile to Sans' remark, who kept his smile as if asking Papyrus to laugh. "Who told you that?"

"No one." Sans motioned with his head, which got Papyrus moving again. "Don't worry so much about me. I'll be fine."

Papyrus looked as though he wanted to say something back, but decided to keep it to himself. The two trudged through the thick layer of snow in the ground which seemed to stretch forever, but both were thankful there wasn't any wind or snow falling to make things worse.

"Someone should really put a path here." Papyrus commented, lifting his feet high above the snow whenever he walked.

"That's not a bad idea." Sans remarked. "But who would build it?"

"Some local monsters?" Papyrus gave his brother a quick glance as they continued walking, with Papyrus slowly gaining a lead on Sans. "In fact I might have to if there isn't one soon."

"Heh, sorry, bro. I forgot to pack my shovel." Sans gave Papyrus and wink with his smile, which irritated Papyrus.

Papyrus opened his mouth to speak but upon looking ahead, his expression changed. "Sans, look! A bridge!"

Sans then watched his brother run towards it, but the way he ran with his feet up made it look like he was hopping over hurdles. Sans shook his head before running after him. "Don't leave me behind, bro."

And so the two brothers continued their journey through the snowy world they were immersed in. Papyrus almost cried tears when after crossing the bridge there was a clear path, but the fell he took on the slippery, icy path turned those happy tears into ones of pain. Sans couldn't help but chuckle and leave his brother to crawl after him.

The farther they went in the snowy world, the more monsters the two encountered. Sans tried once more to make small-talk with the monsters but it was hard when Papyrus had taken to his stick again and swung it through the air like some hero. It seemed to boost some of Papyrus' confidence when doing so, even if he was still shaking whenever he delivered his monologue on how 'the Great Papyrus' would trounce them.

They walked through barren fields where it felt something was missing. From time to time the two would stop to take a rest. Sans would excitedly sketch in his journal and write down his discoveries while Papyrus would take a sip of their water or munch on a few snacks Sans packed.

By the time they crossed the long, rickety bright and reached the outskirts of a town, both brothers were starting to form bags under their eyes from how tired they were becoming and how badly the cold was nipping at their skin. Even Sans had resorted to using his hands to warm up his arms, and even when Papyrus offered his jacket back Sans wouldn't take it.

"Sans," Papyrus started, his feet dragging behind him with every step. "I'm starting to wonder if we're ever going to get out of here."

Sans glanced to his brother in concern, noticing the hope that was starting to disappear in his eyes. "We haven't gotten close to any sort of hole outside, and this world just keeps going on and on."

He lowered his head, as if to admit defeat.

Sans quickly moved closer to his brother, giving him a silly smile. "Oh come on, Papyrus. Don't give up. We'll find a way out soon, I promise."

But Papyrus didn't acknowledge his brother, just continually staring at the ground. Sans' eyebrows lurched up in fear, quickly scanning the sights before them for anything that might help. They had just passed a sign that welcomed them into the town of Snowdin, which was as barren as the snowy world they traversed.

His eyes soon caught the sign of a restaurant, proclaiming 'Grillbys', and with it his determination flared. He gently grabbed his brother's hand, quickening their pace to the small establishment. "You're just cold, bro. Come on, let's go inside and warm up."

Papyrus didn't resist the pull; eyes looking to the place Sans was leading them to. He shook his head. "Sans, what are you doing? There's going to be monsters inside."

"So what?" Sans asked, his voice growing irritated. "If they try anything I'll protect us. Now come on, you need to get warmed up."

Papyrus kept trying to resist but the way his voice dragged and what little effort he put into his excuses alerted Sans more to the situation. He knew his brother was slipping. Opening the door, Sans pushed Papyrus inside before closing the door gently behind him.

Already Sans could feel the temperature of the place warming him up, allowing his hands to rest back at his side. Papyrus however kept his glum outlook, but he silently moved behind Sans when noticing the occupants of what appeared to be a small bar.

The tables were filled with all sorts of different monsters, wearing oddities of clothing or over-sized hats and scarves for the cold winter outside. To the right were a few booths, also filled with monsters and to the left was a small wooden stage, where a few band members looked glumly at their instruments. A lone trombone and a mic were left on stage.

At the far end of the establishment was what appeared to be a woman manning the bar. She wore a white button up shirt, a small black vest and black, thick-framed glasses. She was handing one customer a plate of hot food, but the only thing off about her was the fact that she was made entirely of fire, except for her clothes. A small, little flame could also be seen behind the bar with the same thick glasses, staring at them.

In fact, everyone was staring at them.

Sans was used to a million eyes being upon him, but that didn't mean it never made him nervous. He smiled for his brother though and shrugged the stares off. "Come on, let's find a seat."

He led his brother farther into the bar, finding an empty booth to sit at. Upon sitting down though the occupants to the right of them got up and left, the door slamming behind them.

Sans winced to the loud sound as he set his backpack to the side of him, but his primary focus for the moment was Papyrus. He looked like a lost puppy, idly moving his finger across the table in an unspecific way.

"Come on, bro." Sans pleaded, noticing how still the bar was.

His eyes narrowed to the occupants. "What, you haven't seen two human-like monsters sit down to get a bite?"

"What makes you not human?" A random, accusing voice rose up from the occupants. The ball was back in Sans' court.

For a moment, he didn't know how to respond. Suddenly his eyes caught his hand, showing it to the occupants. "Because we have five fingers. Everyone knows that humans only have four, so we can't be human."

He hoped his lie would work. He didn't know what would happen if they didn't, and Sans knew for sure he wasn't going to let them lay a hand on Papyrus. However what surprised him was the soft whispers that floated through the bar after he talked.

"Do humans really have four fingers?"

"Those cartoons were right! They do have four fingers!"

"I thought for sure they had five. ...or was it four? Man, now I'm confused!"

The hostility that lingered in the bar dispersed, and once more the bar was filled with noise. No one paid attention to Sans or Papyrus for a second longer, which allowed Sans to breathe a sigh of relief.

He looked back to Papyrus, who seemed to have watched the whole scene go down. He eyed Sans, who merely shrugged and gave a wink and a smile. "What?"

"Should I even ask what time it is?" Sans' smile fell when Papyrus spoke. His hands dropped behind the table.

In a desperate attempt Sans gave a half-smile. "What, you don't think I can get us home in time? Really, Papyrus."

But Papyrus only outstretched his hand, and reluctantly Sans pulled out the pocket watch. He set it in his hands, looking away. "Just… don't be too upset, ok?"

When Papyrus opened the clock his eyebrows shot up his face and his mouth threatened to hit the ground. He looked to Sans, ready to start shouting and making a fuss. But when he noticed how his brother wasn't looking at him, as if expecting him to do all those things, Papyrus willed himself to relax.

"Well, this really isn't anyone's fault." Sans blinked, head turning back to his brother. He had a half-hearted smile on his face, handing the pocket watch back.

Sans reluctantly took it. "So we might have missed our own party, big deal. We can just throw a bigger, better party when we get home, and I'm sure we can explain this to mom somehow."

Papyrus gave Sans a bigger smile when his face was still blank. That was, until Sans started to chuckle, burying his face into his shirt. "God Papyrus, you're so strong."

"Nyeh, well…" Papyrus reached across the table, placing a hand on Sans' shoulder. "That's part of what makes me an awesome brother I guess."

Sans lifted his face back up, weakly smiling to his brother. They shared the same smile, and immediately both felt warm inside.

"Can I get you two something?" Both boys turned their heads to the front of the booth, where the fire-lady waited for them. She had a melting pencil in one hand and a smoking pad of paper in the other, really giving the boys something to be warm about. Her voice was smoky, like when you tried to blow out a candle.

Papyrus looked back to Sans, who had regained his usual smile. "Get anything you want, bro. It's on me."

"Really?" Papyrus' smile grew, eagerly looking to the bar-attendant. "Do you have spaghetti?"

"We do." The fire-lady wrote down the order. Her attention then went to Sans.

He shrugged. "I'll have the same."

"Your food should be ready soon." The fire-lady took a step back and then walked back over to the bar, leaving black scorch marks on the ground from where she stood.

Papyrus got comfortable in the booth seat he was sitting in, closing his eyes for a moment. He cracked one open to look to Sans. "You know, Sans, this trip hasn't been too bad. Sure, we almost died twice and everyone seems to have a grudge against humans, but I'm enjoying the time with you."

"Aw jeez, Papyrus." Sans felt a small blush come to his face. He scratched at his red cheeks. "I like hanging out with you too."

"Well? What's the pager say?"

"No dice guys, they're not coming."

Sans' attention went to the corner of the bar, where he had picked up the end of a conversation. It seemed to have come from the band members who were still in a slump, only now they looked even worse.

Sans turned back to Papyrus for a second, already leaving his seat. "I'll be right back, bro."

Papyrus didn't seem to mind, closing his eyes again and placing his hands behind his head. "Alright, but if you're not back fast enough your spaghetti is mine!"

"Sounds fair." Moving his way by tables and occupants, Sans briskly walked over to the band. It consisted of a mouse with huge ears on an old-timey piano, a white dog with heart-shades on his face while holding a saxophone and a tiny, amphro-morphic elephant on the chello.

"I overheard you guys from where I sat. Is there a problem?" Sans asked, which got the attention of the band.

With a sad sigh the mouse spoke up. "There sure is one. Our lead singer and trombone player had a gig at the hotel in Hotland before this, but King Asgore made an appearance and now they ditched us to go and play an encore for him."

"King Asgore?" Sans asked. The thought of a monarchy in this world never occurred to Sans, but with the intake of information his mind buzzed to be fed more.

The dog nodded his head, his voice a lot higher than Sans would have thought. "The King loves to go and support small gigs like us when he's not helping others. His majesty is one wicked fellow."

"Wicked or not," The elephant spoke up, who shook his hips whenever he talked. "We're down two players, so we can't perform tonight! It just wouldn't be the same without everyone playing."

Sans eyed the lone trombone on stage, then the mic. It looked as though the monsters in the bar had come to hear them play, but that wasn't happening anytime soon.

Sans took a deep breath, giving the band a smile. "Why don't I play then?"

"You know how to sing?" The mouse asked.

Sans shook his head with a chuckle. "If singing broke glass, then yes. Nah, I like to think of myself an expert on the trombone, though."

"Wicked." The dog coolly responded, grabbing for the trombone. He handed it to Sans, who held it delicately in his hands.

The elephant was the only one who seemed reluctant. "That's nice of you to offer, but without a lead singer this band isn't playing anything. If you know anyone who would want to sing, that would really help us."

"I think I know someone." Sans turned his head back over to where Papyrus sat and where he saw his brother happily slurping down his pasta.

He made his way back over to the booth as Papyrus waved him over. "Sans, the food arrived! And it's scorching hot, but your tongue gets numb to it after a few bites!"

He slurped up a few more noodles but stopped when Sans didn't sit back down. "Well? You going to sit?"

His fork then pointed to the instrument in Sans' hands. "And where did you get the trombone?"

Papyrus eyed the backpack suspiciously, which made Sans chuckle. "Nah bro, those guys over there lent it to me. I'm going to play a few songs with them."

"Oh." Papyrus absentmindedly picked up some more pasta with his fork. "Well have fun then."

"See, we can't start until we find a singer." Sans remarked, watching the spaghetti with tomato sauce disappear into Papyrus' mouth.

"So?" Papyrus asked, grabbing for his napkin to the side. "Why are you telling me-"

He paused when a thought came to his head, and it was only more confirmed when Sans grinned. "Sans, no! I'm not singing!"

"Aw come on, bro." Sans gestured with his head over to the band. "They would really appreciate it. And you have such a great voice."

"That's not what dad says…" Papyrus set down his fork, looking away from Sans with a frown.

For a moment, a flash of anger showed itself on Sans face. He grabbed Papyrus' wrist, and when he looked back to Sans his anger was buried with a smile and a wink. "I wouldn't lie to you, right? And I know good talent, so you should smile when I say your voice is great."

"I don't think so, Sans." Papyrus glumly looked at his pasta. "True, I'm vastly great at many things. But singing… singing isn't one of them."

"Nah, bro. I know you got this." Sans lightly pulled on Papyrus' arm, then harder before dragging his brother away from the booth.

Papyrus struggled to get out of Sans' grip, fighting him as they walked across the bar. "Sans, I said no! Nngh, let go of me! C-Can't I at least finish my spaghetti?"

The band members watched Sans drag Papyrus over to where they sat, where he promptly pushed his brother forward. "Monsters, meet my brother, Papyrus. He said he would sing for us."

The band members looked to one another wearily. The elephant was the one to say what was one their minds. "You uh… sure about that?"

Sans winked. "Totally. Isn't that right, Papyrus?"

He glanced at his brother, whose face reflected the awkwardness of the situation and his steadily growing fear. Sans noticed his hand twitch near his pocket that held his stick, but he was thankful he didn't quickly grab it and swing it around. Instead he heard his brother take a large gulp and step forward. "Er… yes."

He coughed into his hand, straightening his back. "Yes, I can sing."

"Wicked." The dog gave Sans a content smile, before motioning with his thumb to the stage. "Papyrus, get up on stage. Sans, you're down here with us."

"Really? On stage?" Papyrus looked to the wooden slate a foot off the ground. He tugged on the winter jacket he wore, as if it was getting to hot. "Where uh… everyone can see me?"

"Yeah, that one." The dog didn't seem to pick up on the nervousness, instead only testing his saxophone to make sure it would play right.

The mouse started doing the same, playing a few warm-ups which got the bar's attention.

Sans motioned for his brother to get on stage, which he did so reluctantly. His baby steps slowly got him over to the mic, where he promptly froze and clung to the mic stand as if it were his lifeline.

"Erm, is it hot in here?" Papyrus quietly asked, pulling on his jacket again.

"Just take the jacket off." Sans replied, once more giving his brother a knowing smile. "You'll feel better."

Papyrus eyed his brother, but did as he was told. He let the jacket drop to the ground, producing a small smile. "Hey, it's not so hot anymore."

"See?" Sans' attention was soon drawn to the other players, or more specifically a music sheet they were trying to hand him.

"Here's the song we're playing." The elephant gave Sans a few sheets of music, which he thumbed through. "Have you heard it?"

Sans quickly skimmed over the sheet before looking at the title. "Wow, a 70's song. You guys are old-school."

"Well, we can only play what floats down the river into our world." The mouse piped up, turning his head to Sans. "We were lucky to find a soaked cardboard box with a bunch of sheet music in it. Some of it was unsalvageable, but that piece luckily wasn't ruined."

"This is a good one." Sans smiled, then turned to his brother. He waved the sheet music gently through the air to get his attention. "Hey, Papyrus. We're doing a jazz-version of 'Crocodile Rock'."

"That song?" Papyrus cocked an eyebrow. "That's old!"

"But a goodie." Sans added, handing out the papers for Papyrus to take. "Here are the lyrics."

Papyrus walked over and took the papers, flipping through them. His eyes went back over to Sans, who was warming up with the rest of the band. "Sans?"

"Yeah, bro?" Sans stopped playing for a second, noticing the nervousness smeared on his face. Papyrus didn't have to speak his concerns for Sans to understand.

He gave him a light nod. "You'll do great. Just be yourself and blow them away."

"Easy for you to say down there." Papyrus grumbled, but he went back over to the mic anyways. He tapped on the mic lightly, hearing the thud of his finger resonate around the bar.

The fire-lady, who was cleaning some glass with a burning cloth nodded her head to the band, to which the mouse responded back. She then reached behind her, lowering a switch which in turn dimmed the lights in the bar. Now only a single light fell upon Papyrus.

Papyrus felt a nervous sweat start to pool on his body, the only sound now being the band finishing up their practice. When they were done the elephant smiled to Sans and Papyrus. "Alright everyone, we ready?"

Sans nodded his head, while Papyrus did so hesitantly. The elephant nodded back. "Oh, and thanks again for helping us in our time of need."

With a few nods of the head, the band got in position before starting the song. The air of the bar filled with the sound of piano keys being tapped, strings plucked, buttons pressed in and the arm of a trombone being pulled in and out.

The light conversation that had taken over the place blew away to hear the music, and Papyrus knew it would be his time to sing soon. His body locked up, eyes staring into the distance as if he was about to get hit by a semi.

He looked to Sans as if there was an escape, some type of Mercy on Sans face to let him flee. But Sans shook his head and then nodded for him to start. Hands shaking, Papyrus looked to the music sheet and opened his mouth.

I-I remember when ro-rock was young…

M-Me and Suzy had so much f-fun…

The singing was so stale and flustered that the occupants of the bar looked to each other in question. Even the band members gave a glace of weariness, but continued to play for if they stopped then there would be no starting over.

Sans could hear the fear in his brother's voice, shaking his head before standing up from where he sat.

H-Holding hands and-

Papyrus stopped singing when he noticed Sans groove his way on stage, then proceeded to bop next to Papyrus while still playing.

Papyrus hunched over and whispered to Sans in an accusatory way. "Sans, what are you doing?"

"Just keep going, don't mind me." Sans quickly whispered when taking a breath, then went back to playing.

Papyrus would have continued the argument further if not for the fact that the band was stalling now for Papyrus to continue. He cleared his throat, trying to ignore his eccentric brother.

Holding hands and skimming stones,

Had an old gold Chevy with a place of my own

As Papyrus sung again he noticed his fear was starting to disappear, in fact the audience looked more into the song now. He looked down to Sans, who urged him to continue with his eyes and smile through his mouth piece.

Papyrus smiled back, then gripped the mic stand harder, but not in fear.

But the biggest kick I ever got,

Was doing a thing called the Crocodile Rock.

While the other kids were Rocking 'Round the Clock,

We were hopping and bopping to the Crocodile Rock.

The chello started to make its appearance in the song, as the occupants were starting to get jiggy in their seats. Some even dared to stand up and bounce in their stance, and soon the sound of chairs being pushed back occupied the air for a few seconds.

Papyrus felt his smile blow up into a grin, and Sans couldn't help but grin as well. He then danced around Papyrus as he continued.

Well Croc Rocking, is something shocking when you're feet just can't keep still.

I never knew me a better time and I guess I never will.

Getting into the song himself Papyrus took the mic off of the stand, his movements getting crazier.

Oh mama mama, those Friday nights!

But Suzy wore her dresses tight

And Crocodile Rocking was out of sight!

The crowd blew up into a chorus of 'La's' and funky dance moves when Papyrus pointed to them. The tall brother couldn't help but laugh in between his singing, while Sans had to hold his back since he was playing.

The band members all gave each other one big, cheesy grin as their playing felt and sounded more fun. Even the fires at the back of the bar swayed with the song, with the little flame sitting on the counter with his feet swinging idly and clapping along with the song.

This went on for the rest of the song, where Papyrus bellowed out his chords with as much fun and enthusiasm as he could muster. While his singing wasn't the greatest thing, it was his determination to keep going and keep the song alive that really made the monsters move and grove. Sans couldn't have been more proud of his brother.

Just as the song came to an end, with the crowd cheering for an encore, the door to the bar slammed open. Papyrus dropped the mic upon seeing what came through, while Sans' smile vanished completely, the trombone falling with his arms. "Oh damn."

Black armor made its way inside the bar and with it came three figures. Two were suited up from head to toe, with one having a long, armored tail and the other one had a bigger tail covered in armor and pointy ears sticking out of the helmet. The third one, whose helmet rested in its gauntlet, had a bright green, parrot head and a crazy, yellow Mohawk. A long, black bow was strapped to his back, but as far as Papyrus and Sans could see there was no quiver holding any arrows. He was the most intimidating, since unlike the other two his build was far superior.

His head twitched as it scanned the room. "Settle down, Monsters! We've gotten reports that two humans have surfaced in the Underground, and I, Sagiv, head of the Royal Guard, will make sure that the two are to be captured and taken to the King so that their souls may be harvested!"

"Taken to whom?" Papyrus squeaked, his body locking again in an awkward position with his legs crossed and his arms behind his back.

Sans was in the same boat as Papyrus. "Harvest our what?" His heart suddenly felt very tight again, much like when he was in the presence of Flowey.

Suddenly the crowd looked to Papyrus and Sans once more, only now it was out of curiosity and confusion. It wasn't long before the knights noticed them under the only light in the bar. "There they are!"

"Sans!" Papyrus screeched, dashing behind his brother while Sans started to back up when the knights pushed through the crowds.

Suddenly three more figures leapt onto the stage, blocking the knights from the two humans as well as their eyesight. It was the other band members, who held their instruments in their hands, save for the mouse.

"Sagiv, we're your biggest fans!" The mouse proclaimed, with all three of them standing in a horizontal line.

"Yeah, allow us to play something wicked for you." The dog chimed in, already bringing the saxophone to his lips and bellowing out a chord.

The two knights that were making their way through the crowd stopped to hear the saxophone solo, with the dog playing with all his might and skill.

The elephant started to join in, quickly glancing behind him at Papyrus and Sans who were frozen like statues. He motioned with his head to the other side of the room, eyes desperate.

They were letting them escape.

Sans nodded his head back and mouthed 'Thank you' before pushing Papyrus to move once more. They escaped into the darkness of the bar and out of the light, where Sans whispered for Papyrus to stay put. Getting down on his knees, Sans then moved his way back over to the other side of the bar and to where his backpack laid.

"Hey, this is pretty jazzy." One knight remarked as the elephant started to play and the mouse having hopped back onto his piano chair to join.

"Yeah, reminds me of those early mornings when I was a young monkey-monster." The other one regarded, both snapping their fingers to the music.

Sagiv shook his head before letting out a loud squawk, "Knights!"

Immediately they stopped dancing, their heads slightly hung in shame. "Go get the humans!"

"Right away, Sir." Both said, moving over to the light source again. Sans by this time was close to the booth where he had sat, grabbing the nearest shoulder of his backpack.

Slowly he slid it off the chair and over to him, but Sagiv turned his head in his direction. He didn't know if he had been too loud or if Sagiv was that good, for the head of the Royal Guard threw his arms up into the air and screeched. "Human!"

Desperately Sans slung his backpack around his shoulders and ran to the back of the bar. Sagiv gave chase but it didn't last long before the occupants of the bar threw themselves in front of him.

"I love you, Sagiv!"

"Let's dance, everyone!"

"Sagiv, tell me how you got to be the leader of the Royal guard!"

"G-Get off me!" Sagiv tried lightly pushing monsters off of him, but to no avail as the swarm moved around him.

The two knights, now up on center stage dove after the fleeing Sans, but the dog pushed one of them back into the other, making both of them topple. "Hey knights, slow down. You haven't heard the best part yet."

"Sans!" Papyrus madly whispered, motioning him over to where he stood. With no time to waste Sans grabbed Papyrus' hand and pulled him along, where both noticed the fire lady open the bar table for them and another door.

They both slipped inside into what was to be assumed the kitchen and out into the blistering cold again, which happened to be the back of the bar.

"Get as far away as you can. We'll stall them." The fire-lady said to Papyrus and Sans, who kept the door mostly closed behind them.

"Why are you helping us?" Papyrus asked, back to freezing and shaking in his shoes.

"I love jazz." The fire-lady breathed, then gave Papyrus what both of them believed to be a wink. "Keep warm, humans."

She then shut the door behind them, leaving both of them to stare at one another.

"Did a being of fire just wink at me?" Papyrus asked, not knowing whether to blush or be confused.

"See, bro, what did I tell you? You've already gained a fan." Sans allowed himself one joke before dashing off with Papyrus in pursuit again.

The two ran as best as they could through the deep snow behind the bar, and with Papyrus leaving his red jacket behind there was nothing to stop the freezing air from biting at their skin.

"Over there!" Papyrus pointed a finger forward, to which both of them noticed a small, old shack just down the town. It looked abandoned and desolate, practically the perfect place to hide out in.

Papyrus gained speed in hopes of reaching it faster, but a hefty pull from Sans almost made him fall into the snow. "No!"

"No?" Papyrus asked when he stopped, irritation showing on his face. "We need to hide, Sans!"

"They'll look for us there." Sans looked over his shoulder and beyond Grillby's, noticing what appeared to be a hotel nearby. "Come on."

Together Papyrus and Sans ran back behind Grillbys and over to the hotel, where they let themselves in at a quick pace. Just before doing so Sans smudged the trail behind him, hoping that they wouldn't see the trail of footsteps coming over to the building.

A young, rabbit man attended the counter of the hotel, surprised when Sans ran up to him with his hand open. "Not human. Humans only have 4 fingers we have five. Can we get a room?"

"Uh, sure?" The rabbit looked to the two of them and how both had an air of suspicion around them. "That'll be 160 G."

"Sure, sure." Sans rasped his fingers on the table, as if the knights would burst in any second. "Can we pay in the morning?"

The rabbit man shrugged. "I don't see why not." He then handed them their key. "Enjoy your stay."

Sans snatched the key out of the rabbit man's hands. "Thanks."

The two then fast-walked, as dashing would have made the monster more suspicious, up the stairs and to the only other room that didn't have several snores coming from the door. They unlocked the door and allowed themselves inside, with Papyrus slamming the door behind them and locking it.

His breathing was irrational. "Did you hear that parrot back there?"

He pushed himself off the door, looking around the room and speaking quietly as if the knights were listening in. "They're going to take our souls for their King! They're going to murder us!"

Sans didn't reply, merely keeping one of his hands over his heart. He sat on the side of the bed next to the curtain-less window, watching the snow outside.

Papyrus on the other hand went about pacing the room, hands on his head. "I knew this was a terrible idea, I knew we shouldn't have come here! If I hadn't let you talk me into going with you to this mountain neither of us would be in this situation, and we wouldn't be hunted down like some wild animal!"

"My bad." Sans muttered, but it wasn't with his usual smile. He was in the middle of processing everything that had just happened, and Papyrus' small rant was being left behind.

"Are you even listening to me?" Sans looked up to Papyrus, who was angry beyond belief at the moment.

Sans nodded his head. "I am, Papyrus. Honest."

He then looked away. "…I'm sorry."

Papyrus blew some air out of his nose, then released a deep sigh as if his brain had given up. He plopped himself down next to Sans, face in his hands. "What are we going to do, Sans? The Royal Guard will be looking for us."

Sans let his hand drop from his chest, instead using it to place it on Papyrus' shoulder. "Hey bro, it'll be ok. We're sticking with our original plan still. We're going to find our way out before the Royal Guard can catch us."

"What if they do?" Papyrus meekly asked. He shook his head. "Tiny monsters I can handle, but a stick to those guys?"

"Hey, don't worry about it." Sans tried to smile for Papyrus, hoping he would look at him. "Leave that to me. Now get some sleep, bro. I know you're tired."

"I doubt I'll get any." Papyrus took his head out of his hands, letting out a defeated sigh. His eyes darted back to the bed. "Besides, the bed is too tiny for both of us."

Sans shrugged. "No sweat. I'll just sleep on the floor. Problem solved."

"Are you sure about that?" Papyrus asked, watching his brother get up off the bed and sit on the floor.

Sans nodded his head, getting comfy on the rug that rested beside the bed. "I'm sure. Now go to bed, bro, and don't worry about any of this. I got it covered."

Papyrus gave his brother a confused look, as if to ask why Sans was acting the way he was. He merely shrugged back and motioned for his brother to lay down, which he did reluctantly. Sans on the other hand used his backpack as make-shift pillow underneath him, staring at the dark ceiling above him.

For a few moments, neither of them spoke. Then, Papyrus uttered a sound. "Sans?"

"Yeah, bro?"

"… Goodnight." It sounded like Papyrus wanted to say something else, but decided against it.

Sans however just closed his eyes. "Goodnight Papyrus."

He waited until Papyrus' turning settled down, and didn't open his eyes until he heard Papyrus start up with his snoring.

It was at this moment that Sans allowed himself to sit back up and take a deep breath of air, his hand finding itself back on his chest. Eyes moved over to Papyrus' body that slept soundly, before back at the door in front of them. He knew he wasn't going to sleep well tonight.

What surprised Sans the most was the hot tears he felt fall onto his hand. He moved his hand off his chest, which was shaking before up to his cheeks that felt hot to the touch.

Letting out a small sob, Sans curled up in himself and allowed the tears to continue, shaking his head every so often. He didn't know when he fell asleep, but when he did he knew it was with sobs in between his breaths.

Hi everyone!

I just want to give a big thank you to all of you who have been actively reading the story, faving it and following it! I've never had a story get this big before on Fanfiction so it really warms my heart to see that you guys all like it so much! Even if I don't get around to saying thank you individually, I appreciate the support!

Also I don't plan on making it a thing where I reference actual events or songs, I just needed something to fill in the spot. So if you don't like the song, ok, but trust me this won't become a thing in the story.

Crocodile Rock is owned by Elton John.