An extremely tired Sans made his way through Snowdin, carrying a very small Papyrus in his arms. The weather was nearly below freezing, but Sans's tattered jacket and winter gloves were the only things keeping him and his baby brother warm.
It was better than nothing at least.
Papyrus couldn't sleep, and his beady, black eyes were looking up at Sans innocently. The older skeleton chuckled when the sound of his brother’s growling stomach broke the silence.
"don't worry, paps. i'll find ya somethin' to eat."
Papyrus smiled and let out a tiny giggle as he gripped Sans's small hand. God, Sans really loved his brother.
The town of Snowdin was quiet this time of night, so there weren’t a lot of places open. The only place that really had its lights on, however, was a small bar about ten feet away.
The building looked smaller than the others, but the thought of being warm excited Sans, so he didn’t think much of it and just pushed the entrance door open.
They weren’t going to be able to afford food, but maybe the bartender would let them warm up before sending them back out.
Sitting down in a nearby booth, Sans smiled at the cozy atmosphere that surrounded him and looked down at his giggling brother.
“it’s okay, paps. we’ll rest up here, and continue our journey afterwards.”
Papyrus laughed wildly and threw his arms around in excitement. He wasn’t cold anymore, and the happy look on his face was everything to Sans.
Papyrus must’ve been loud, because the door to the kitchen opened and a young looking bartender stepped out.
“Hello, is someone there?” They asked, voice calm and masculine.
Sans looked up at him.
There were bright orange and yellow flames that made up his entire body, and they rested on the back of his neck, kinda like they were put up in a low ponytail; his glasses hid his eyes thanks to the overhead light’s glare; and his apparel was somewhat dapper—professional even.
The only thing that really set Sans off was the height difference between him and this guy. He could stomp the skeleton easily if he wanted to.
Papyrus, on the other hand, was really terrified because of the big flames, so he started crying.
Sans’s heart nearly skipped a beat when the guy turned around.
He looked down at Papyrus, then back up at Sans, who clutched the younger skeleton closer to himself.
“please.....”
At the tone of Sans’s voice, the bartender gasped and his eyes were wide, “You’re just a kid....”
“w-we were just looking f-for a place to warm up. i-is it okay if we sit h-here for a little bit?”
Sans looked scared, and his brother was whining quietly into his chest.
The older man relaxed and gave the younger skeleton a soft, reassuring smile, ”O-Of course, bud. You can stay here as long as you need.”
Sans smiled too, “thank you so much, mister...?”
“Oh, it’s Grillby.”
“thank you, grillby.”
The fire element nodded and turned back into the kitchen, “I’ll be right back. Wait there.”
Sans looked down at his brother, who seemed to calm down at some point, “it’s okay, buddy. i don’t think grillby’s gonna hurt us. not like HE did.”
The sound of a baby crying interrupted the skeleton’s thoughts and his gaze turned towards the kitchen, where it seemed to be coming from.
Grillby emerged with a tray of food in one hand and a crying child in the other. Sans’s eyes widened.
“I, uh...figured you guys were hungry, and I had some food left over-“
“you h-have a kid....”
Grillby chuckled awkwardly as he placed the tray onto the table, “Oh...yeah. Heh, sorry, she just needs me to rock her to sleep.”
“is she y-your daughter?”
The fire element smiled at that, “Yes. I’m her father. Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“i mean, i know we just met, but i wouldn’t have guessed that you had a kid.”
“Yeah...she was just born two weeks ago. Her mother...” Grillby sighed, “She didn’t make it. So I’m raising her the best I can.”
“you seem to be doing just fine. well, to me, i mean.”
Grillby frowned and shook his head, “I have no idea what I’m doing...I uh, sorta panicked when I saw you two. I really don’t know how to take care of children. I haven’t been around them much.
Sans hesitated for a second before he looked over at the little green flamed baby, who was now sleeping against Grillby’s chest. Like Papyrus always did to Sans.
“i can help you. i mean, if you want me to.”
Grillby’s head snapped towards the skeleton in shock, “What? B-But you—“
“have been taking care of my brother since the day he was born. trust me, i know how babies work.”
“I...I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“well, that’s why i’m offering: so you don’t have to ask.”
“I...I’ll think about it. You just...eat your food, buddy. Before it gets cold.”
Grillby turned around and began making his way back to the kitchen.
“the name’s sans, and uh...thank you for the food.”
The bartender smiled, “No problem, Sans.”
