5 weeks ago…

There was the familiar sound of creaking wood below Sans’ feet as he appeared on the front porch of his and Papyrus’ house. He adjusted the annoying collar of his armor, it having gotten a bit dislocated during this last training session, then reached for the door handle to let himself in. What a long day. He hated recruit training days, they were always such a pain - but at least it was over now and he had simpler duties to look forward to for the remainder of the week.

He turned the handle and stepped inside, welcomed by the smell of Papyrus’ usual spaghetti dinner.

“Sup, bro. Sorry I’m late. A certain…bunny…decided to try walking me home…again.”

Sans’ manner of speaking made it sound like this was not an uncommon occurrence, and since he could teleport, this was an entirely unnecessary endeavor. He sighed.

“It’s fine, brother. I only just finished dinner.”

Papyrus spoke as he set two plates down on the table. His tone, however, sounded…off. Sans picked up on that and immediately looked up.

“Pap?”

Sans raised an eyebrow, looking at Papyrus incredulously. As if his own brother could just…get away with that.

“Youuu…got somethin’ on your mind?”

Papyrus looked up at Sans suddenly, looking like he had almost been caught red-handed, but quickly tried to hide it by shaking his head and forcing a smile.

“Huh-? No-No no, not at all, brother. Please. Eat your supper.”

Papyrus quickly sat down in front of his plate and began eating, not making direct eye contact with Sans.

Alright. This was a load of bullshit. Sans plopped down in his chair and slowly began to eat, not taking his eyes off Papyrus. He spoke with his mouth full.”
“You know you’re a terrible liar.”

Papyrus’ brow furrowed slightly, but he tried to laugh it off as a joke.

“I have…no idea what you mean.”
He quickly slurped up the last of his dinner, then stood up, grabbing his plate.

“You needn’t worry. Really. It’s just been a long day. Just…finish your supper so you can go for your walk.”

As Papyrus mentioned Sans’ “walk”, he turned and spoke quieter. His head lowered slightly to look at his plate as he walked towards the kitchen sink to begin washing it. Sans could see him frowning slightly as he did, and Papyrus didn’t say anything else.

“My…walk. Uh huh. What? No insults? No chewing me out? What’s with you?”

Sans let out a soft chuckle. This was very strange for his brother…he never mentioned his walks so casually like this before. So…encouragingly. It was weird.

Papyrus turned, offering a tired smile to Sans.

“I’m just…tired, brother. Like I said, it has been a long day. I think I just need some rest, then I’ll tell you about it tomorrow. I promise.”

Sans grumbled. He didn’t like that. It was just so unlike Papyrus, but he didn’t argue. He stood up, only having eaten about half his meal.

“...Alright…”

He turned towards the door, glancing back at Papyrus once more. He wondered if he should even go to the Ruins today…he was worried about his brother. Maybe he should stay and make sure he was alright…but as he hesitated, Papyrus spoke.

“Really, Sans. I’m fine. Please. Go on.”

Papyrus was picking up Sans plate. He reached out his other hand to pat him on the shoulder to try and reassure him, then turned to walk back to the kitchen again without another word.

Sans sighed, feeling uneasy. But Papyrus seemed to want to be alone right now or something - which he could more than relate to when he was feeling upset. So he just nodded, and teleported away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sans reappeared, farther from the Ruins door than he typically did. Much farther, actually. He usually teleported directly in front of it, but this time…he actually did want to take a short walk. He wanted to think. He had a lot on his mind as of late, and Papyrus’ behavior today only made his concerns grow that much more.

He had been debating for a while now…if he should stop coming to the Ruins door all together. End his friendship with Frisk. Ever since he joined the Royal Guard, it’s only gotten worse. He had hoped it would make protecting her secret easier - and to some extent it has, but it’s also made it so much more difficult. He became a Commander, and now his responsibilities have grown exponentially. He’s always needed, often followed, asked a lot of questions…and Papyrus…the way he acted today made him wonder if his brother was growing suspicious of his “walks.” No…Sans was pretty sure something was up. He knew he had to bite the bullet now…before it was too late. Before he led someone right to Frisk. He didn’t want to…but he had to.

By the time he had come to this conclusion, he had arrived at the Ruins door. He looked up at it, his heart sinking in his chest. He knew what he had to do now…but…

Sans sighed, looking down at the snow. He couldn’t…just…not yet. He just didn’t have the heart to tell her yet. “One more day”, he thought. Just one more. One more day to just…enjoy each other’s friendship. Be happy. He looked back up at the door again, a weak smile on his face. One more day wasn’t asking for much, right? He would…tell her tomorrow…and just enjoy today.

Sans simply stared at the door a bit longer - taking it in and trying to fully appreciate what he decided would be the last good day he would spend here. Then finally, he took in a breath…and whistled their secret whistle.