“Stop wasting your food” came the familiar screech.

“Hm?” they turned around, trying to find him on the snow “You’re back!”

“Yes, I’m back” they quickly put the boot down and allowed him to get comfortable “And I saw you giving that away! You can’t do that, do you know how hard is to get food around here?”

“I already ate today” They were carrying the boot since he left, they hoped it still had a lingering warmth on it, ice shouldn’t be pleasant on roots.

“Then keep it for tomorrow” They wanted to ask about Mom, to know how she was doing now that they were gone.

“He was hungry now, it didn’t cost me anything” But if his only concern was them feeding the homeless, they could conclude that Mom was mostly alright.

“It costs you tomorrow’s food” And if Mom wasn’t alright, did they even wanted to know? They wouldn’t come back to the Ruins, not without breaking the barrier first.

“Tomorrow I’ll have breakfast with Sans again” And it would be a long journey until they broke the barrier.

His spooked expression caught their attention “You what?”

“Or is it lunch?” why was he surprised? They had talked with the brothers a few times now, and Sans had shown no intention to kill them, was it so weird they went to Grillby’s? “Is it lunch if I haven’t eaten breakfast yet?”

“What do you mean you had breakfast with Sans? Didn’t I told you not to do anything stupid?” Or he could just be Flowey, and be finding something to complain no matter what.

“It wasn’t stupid, it was free food”

“There is no thing as free food! You gave him something in return”

“He paid” Not actually, but he did put it on his tab.

“Yes, but I know you, you talked to him! What did you say?”

“We… traded jokes”

“And?” And they started a passionate rant that they didn’t remember all the details.

“He told me a bit about monsters” they don’t think they let it slip anything too bad or that could be used against them “And I told him a bit about humans”

“You should never tell him those things!” Flowey snatched their finger from their cheek, as if he could emphasize his words with the sudden action.

“He already knows I want to befriend everyone” They got their finger out of his vines with ease “he don’t believe me anyway”

“You didn’t tell him about the barrier, did you?” He was quiet, like he was afraid someone was listening.

“Nope, I’m not that stupid” There wasn’t, the homeless guy was long gone, there was no one even close to them.

“Yes you are” now he was just being petty “but anyway–/”

“Anyway” they interrupted whatever rude insult he was going to make by walking faster “he told me I’m smart, so me being stupid is just your opinion”

“…” eyed them warily, if they didn’t know any better they would think he was looking for signs of lying “He was being sarcastic”

They wanted to roll their eyes at him “Nope” was that so hard to believe? “he actually said I was smart”

“That doesn’t sound right”

They were about to retort when a blurry something entered their field of vision, they only had time to turn a bit to the side, taking Flowey out of the way before the impact.

They were thrown on the ground, just like the blurry someone.

“Hey!” a yellow and black shirt, instead of blurry was now covered in snow “Watch where you’re going” A single yellow stripe on a black shirt, with a little yellow monster inside “You wanna die today?” He still yelled from the snow.

“Not really” they remembered him, even if he seemed to be older that when they first met “I’ll prefer to die some other day, but thank you for asking” they got up, patting themselves and Flowey.

“Are you messing with me?” He was still on the ground, they got closer to help him.

“Why do you have to be like this?” their brother grumbled almost inaudible.

“No, I’m just new here, you can call me Weird Puppy” They extended their hand to help their friend.

“You are messing with me!” He somehow managed to get up and away from them in a single movement.

“Yes” Flowey said in a tired voice “Offer your hand to the kid with no arms, very clever”

“What – no!” Oh, god, why did they extended their hand to him? “I’m so sorry! I just wanted to help you get up” How could they remember being friends with him and forget this ‘detail’?

“I don’t need your help!” He shouted, still agitated “I don’t need anyone’s help” and with this he ran away.

“He looked distressed” they couldn’t help but think out loud.

“They just got thrown in the ground by a stranger”

“Oh…” he was still a kid, right “yeah, that would make anyone distressed, but why did they run away without even saying their name?”

“Monster Kid”

“No, I know their name, I just wanted to make a conversation so we could be friends” He and the little bunny were the only kids they saw in Snowdin.

“With someone you just pushed to the ground and as far as they know, wanted them dead, but was too coward to call them to an encounter”

That wasn’t what happened.

Why would he think they would kill him? They were also wearing stripes…

“You talk like making friends is impossible here”

“It is when you start by tackling someone to the ground” … he had a point… but they were not ready to admit defeat just yet.

“Tell this to the Froggits or the Vegetoid on the Ruins I made friends with” in this world tackling someone was a completely valid way to make friends.

“Vegetoid never attacked you” yes he did “she introduced you as her child” oh… no, that was just the second time, the first time they had died.

“Then to the Dogi or Greater, or Lesser, they all attacked me”

“They are not your friends, they just tolerated you because you wear stripes” that was not true! He saw how they clicked with Lesser dog.

“Now you just want to hurt my feelings” Stripes or not, that had been a nice game of fetch, and nothing he could say would convince them otherwise.

“I’m your only friend, you should listen to me” Oh, so that was the point he was so desperately trying to make?

“Ok, ok, I’m listening” if he wanted them to stroke his ego “Please drop your fabled knowledge, my dearest and only friend in this whole world” they would oblige.

“I hate you” and annoy him in the meantime.

“What a terrible burden to keep an idiot such as myself alive for so long!” said putting a hand to their forehead in their best acting voice.

“I really want to kill you right now” the irritated way his vines twitched was so funny!

“On the dreadful day of your death I’m sure you’ll go straight to Heaven” They put the boot on the ground before he decided to smack them “Because you atoned for all your sins here on Earth, by putting up with a vile and annoying being” but made sure to walk in circles around him while monologing.

“You’re not even making sense” but still keeping enough distance his vines wouldn’t reach them, in case he tried.

“Oh, sweet relief the day you are finally free from the claws of stupidity” a snowball straight to their face stopped them mid rant, they looked at him confused.

“Stupidity, I’m listening” he was smiling, holding a snowball, when did he had the time to make one? Two actually, they had just lowered him there, there was no time!

“Oh no, you didn’t” cleaning snow from their mouth, confusion morphed into determination.

“Keep going, I’m listening” still staring at their eyes, he slowly made another snowball, as if he hadn’t proved he was able to produce one in less than two seconds..

“And” the attack was expected, they dodged one snowball and another “So you can” But a vine moved the snow near their foot, distracting them enough to be hit by other two balls.

“I can what?” asked him sweetly “~I can’t hear you over all that snow~”

That was all the taunting they needed “Oh, it’s on!”

“Snowdin is nice” they said while laying on the snow, they were in the middle of the city, being goofy and all, and no one had tried interfere on their snow fight.

“Don’t get used to it” Flowey was looking away, keeping guard while they caught their breath “If you are really doing this, it will only get harder from here”

“I’m sure we can figure a way out” They enjoyed the fresh snow on the ground, while looking at the small flakes falling lazily on the ‘sky’.

It was just a cave ceiling, but with the diffuse illumination of the reflecting stones, it was clearly day outside.

The light in Snowdin was just like a, slightly dark, day in a cloudy weather.

“You don’t understand” His tone of voice was concerning.

They turned to him with their full attention.

“There are places, really bad places, places you are always being watched and can’t escape” he looked at them, the playful mood from before long gone “You can’t go there, you have to listen to me when I tell you where to go, so you can avoid getting stuck” he avoided their eyes, looking at the ground instead “I’m not strong, if you don’t listen to me, then there is nothing I can do”

“Ok, I’ll listen to you” They wanted him to stop worrying so much “What do you want to do now?” He wasn’t strong enough, but they knew they would be when they needed to.

“Stay in Snowdin a bit more” Easy done, but why would he want that?

“Are you sure?” They would prefer to keep going, but a bit of peace before the storm was welcomed.

“You want to make friends, right? You’ll need practice” And they knew that if Snowdin was calm, Waterfalls would be one hell of a storm “And more important, do you see that house over there?” he pointed to the brothers house “Never go past there”

The path to fight Papyrus.

And the barrier ahead.

“Ok, we will stay here for a while” they blew the snowflakes from their face “Does that makes you happy?”

“I don’t get happy” sure he didn’t.

“Does that makes you less annoyed?” They started to move, to make a snow angel and decorate the city, everyone passing the main road would be able to see it.

They could hear his eyes rolling in the tone of his voice “Sure, why not”

“I love you, brother” they said truthfully.

“Whatever” They chose to hear this as ‘Me too’, it was not like he was going to admit it anytime soon.

And maybe, just maybe, they were expecting too much.

He couldn’t feel love as a flower, or so he told them. But since they got here, he had been nothing but kind to them, in his own way.

And he proved he cared several times, so maybe ‘not feeling love’ was just the way he chose to interpret it? A way to cope, to exaggerate the fact so he could accept and move on?

They had done something similar after all, back on the – Cold, cold, cold!

Achoo!

“Get out of the snow, stupid, do you want to catch a cold?” the whole body sneeze forced them to sit down.

“Is just a sneeze, Flowey” they patted the excess of snow out of their neck.

“And next thing you know you are bed ridden and can’t breathe” now he was the one being dramatic “Get up, now”

“But it’s so comfy!” they laid down again, nor ready to abandon their snow angel “it isn’t even that cold” magic snow was the perfect temperature to lay onto.

“I’m telling Mom”

…

Low blow.

“Ok, ok… I’m going…”

“You’re not moving”

With a unhappy moan they got up “There” said opening their arms to make a point “Happy?”

“Less annoyed” he smiled as they picked the boot “Now go there, the heat of the bar should keep you warm enough”

It should, standing near the Grillby’s should warm up both of them, and hey, he was the one to suggest they stayed in the city a little longer, right?

If they happened to find more people to introduce themselves to, it was an added bonus!

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