Last time

Flowey picks them up and plops them down at the bottom of the steps. "They'll have to come home some time and we'll be ready for them. Until they do I don't want you to move an inch." Flowey commands, leaving with Gaster.

"But, but....aww, dang it!" Chara curses, hitting the side of the cottage, causing a pile of snow to fall on their head

And now

At the Castle

Sans is playing with Toby and Blastr in the snow, laughing and having a good time. Red, Alph and Undyne are on the balcony above watching the scene unfold.

"What do I do, I've never felt like this about anyone." Red frets, his anxiety causing magic to drip down his head like sweat. "I want to do something for him, but what?" Red asks the other two.

"Well, there's the usual - - chocolates, flowers, making promises that you don't intend to keep..." Alph trails off, trying to think of other things.

"No Alph. It has to be something he likes. You know, something that would spark his inter - - wait a minute." Undyne says as she leans into Red's head and whispers her idea into the side of his skull, where an ear would be.

Hallway

Standing in the hallway leading to the library Red turns to Sans and addresses the much smaller monster. "There's something I would like to show you Sans." Red starts, beginning to open the doors, only to stop. "But cover your eyes first." Red requests politely as Sans looks at him in confusion at the odd request. "It's a surprise." Red explains and Sans makes an 'ah' sound, covering his eye sockets with a boney hand.

Red chuckles and grabs the unoccupied hand, leading Sans into the room. "Hey can I look yet?" Sans asks Red. "Not yet. Wait here. And don't uncover them yet." Red requests, going to draw back the curtains.

Sans flinches as the warmth from the light hits the bones of his skull. "Now can I open them?" He asks when he can no longer hear Red moving about. "Yes." Red replies.

Taking his hand from his eye sockets, Sans gasps as he takes in the gigantic library filled to the brim with books of all kinds. "I've never seen so many books before." Sans breaths, staring in wonder at the lines upon lines of books, eye lights bright.

"You - - you like it?" Red stammers, still fretting over Sans liking it. "How could I not like it? It's impastabal for me to not like this." Sans gushes, gesturing around them at all the books. "Then it is yours." Red starts before he realizes exactly what Sans had just said. "Was that a pun?" He asks, looking happy at the nod Sans provides.

"Thank you so much for the library" Sans gushes, blushing bright blue while Red blushes a bright red to match, oblivious to the onlookers at the door to the room.

"Oh my stars, would you look at that?" Toriel asks her companions at the door. "Ha ha! I knew it would work!" Undyne cheered as they continue to watch the two interact. "It sure is encouraging." Alph adds. "They sure are....good together." Frisk says, winking at the scene. "Come along my child. There are chores to be done in the kitchen." Toriel instructs, smiling at her child's usual antics; the others leaving with them.

The next morning

Breakfast

Sans is at one end of the table and Red is on the other end. Breakfast is served, and as Sans begins to eat, he looks over at Red. Red is gobbling up his food like a starving man. Frisk laughs, but Toriel shoots them a warning look, causing them to meekly shut up.

Toriel gives a meaningful look at the spoon beside the bowl and Frisk nudges it with their handle, winking. Red grabs it cautiously and tries to eat with the spoon, only partially succeeding in putting any of the food in his mouth, most of it ending back in the bowl. Sans laughs lightly and holds the bowl up as if to drink from it. The two decide to compromise. Red copies and the two make a sort of toast before drinking the soup from the bowl.

Later in the day

Castle grounds

Sans and Red are in the courtyard, where snow covers the ground. Toby is running around in the snow and the others are watching from afar. Putting some birdseed in his claws, Red lowers his hands and tries to get a few birds to eat out of them with Sans beside him. When the birds hop close, Red gets excited and thrusts his hands forward, accidentally scaring off the birds.

Sans looks at him and both kneel in the snow where Red's claws are flush with the snowy ground. Adding more to Red's claws, Sans spreads a trail towards the closest bird, who hops closer and on Red's claws now that they aren't moving.

'There's something sweet and almost kind
But he was mean and he was coarse and unrefined
And now he's dear and so unsure
I wonder why I didn't see it there before' he thinks as they continue to feed the birds.

Time almost slows as Sans glances at the larger skeletal being almost lovingly. 'He glanced this way, I thought I saw
And when we touched he didn't shudder at my claws
No it can't be, I'll just ignore
But then he's never looked at me that way before' Red cautiously notes as Sans ducks behind a tree, leaving Red with the birds.

'He is a bit alarming
Who'd have ever thought that this could be?
True that he's no Prince Charming
But there's something in him that I simply didn't see' Sans contemplates from behind the tree. Sans gathers snow with his blue gravity magic and hurls it at the unsuspecting Red. It hits him directly in the face and he looks up sputtering, the birds who were previously eating flying away.

With the other's

Sans grabs another snowball and hurls it at Red, laughing and porting around the grounds as he dodges Red's snowballs. Gathering a large amount of snow, Red begins to chase Sans around the grounds, trying to lob the snowball at him.

"Well, who would have thought?" Undyne declares from her spot on a windowsill where herself, Alph, Toriel and Frisk were sitting, watching the scene play out. "Well, bless me, goodness" Toriel agrees, nodding slightly.

"Well, who'd have known?" Alph adds in. "Well, who indeed, my children" Toriel supplies. "Who would have guessed those two would have chemistry all on their own!" Undyne shouts excitedly.

"We'll wait and see
A few days more
There may be something there that wasn't there before"

The three of them simultaneously finish at the same time, smiling at the scene of Sans sneaking up on Red and hitting him on the back of the skull with a rather large snowball then running off with Red chasing him throughout the grounds.

Later

Sitting room

Sans sits in front of a roaring fire and reads to Red, who is sitting to Sans' right. The other's plus Frisk are listening in and watching from the doorway. "There may be something there that wasn't there before." Toriel comments on the budding relationship between the two. "What's there mama?" Frisk asks 'innocently' thought their winking gaze at the two almost-lovers says otherwise. "Not until you're older my child" Toriel says, dedicatedly ignoring the leery look Frisk is giving Red and Sans.

Before dinner, preparations

With Red and Undyne

Inside Red's suite, he is in a tub washing up for the big dinner with Sans. Undyne is with him, helping him through the mental preparations. "Tonight it is!" She shouts excitedly, pumping one of her candlestick fists in the air. "I don't know if I can do this" Red mumbles timidly, looking down at the bathwater.

"You don't have time to chicken out now! You must be true to yourself and Sans! Show him your ferocious passion that burns within you! Music will be playing, candlelight provided by my awesome self and when the time is right, you confess your love for him!" Undyne encourages loudly to Red, who is blushing a dull red. "Yeah, you're right 'Dyne, I can do this....no, no I can't" Red starts, then deflates as his confidence ebbs and flows.

"You love this monster, yes?" Undyne asks, surprisingly softly. "More than anyone or anything I do!" Red declares, rising from the soapy water. "Then it's simple, tell him" Undyne chastises. "Yeah like you confessed to Alphys last year after years of pining after each other?" Red asks sarcastically, causing Undyne to somehow blush a slight blue-greenish tint. "T-that's irrelevant!" She declares as Red dries himself off and giving her incredulous looks.

There is a knock at the door as Alph steps in. "Ahem, your mate to be awaits." The small clock announces, signaling that Sans is dressed and ready for dinner.

As Red, Undyne and Alph approach the main staircase, Sans is descending from the West Wing side. His face alight with a very bright blue blush, Sans descends wearing a glittering blue ball gown. (Just a blue version of Belle's original dress). He reaches the landing and looks up at Red, who is standing at the top with his (red) dress clothes. Undyne nudges him from behind the curtain and he meets Red at the landing

Arm in arm, they descend the last bit of stairs and continue to the dining room. Sans stops momentarily to pet Toby, trying to ignore the tingling he's feeling and assuming is nervousness.

Toriel is sitting on her cart with Frisk and is singing as the couple eat dinner, which is a quiet affair, except for Sans' slight fidgeting.

"Tale as old as time

True as it can be

Barely even friends

Then somebody bends unexpectedly." She softly sings as dinner is consumed and dessert is brought out.

"Just a little change

Small to say the least

Both a little scared

Neither one prepared, Sans and the Beast." She goes on as the two finish dessert and move to the ballroom.

Once in the ballroom, Sans and Red dance in perfect synch, their souls lightly pulsing in synch, signifying a mate's bond that neither one recognize for what it is. They flow with the music, seemingly forgetting all else, acting as if they are the only two left in the room.

"Ever just the same

Ever a surprise

Ever as before, ever just as sure

As the sun will rise

Tale as old as time

Tune as old as song

Bittersweet and strange,

Finding you can change, learning you were wrong" Toriel continues.

Red continues dancing with Sans, glancing back at Undyne and Alph for approval. The two of whom give him thumbs up.

"Certain as the sun

Rising in the east

Tale as old as time,

Song as old as rhyme, Sans and the Beast.

Tale as old as time,

Song as old as rhyme, Sans and the Beast." Toriel concludes, tapering off at a low hum.

"Come on Frisk, time for bed. Good night, love" She murmurs at Frisk, who slides off the cart and hops out of the room, coming back for one last look at the almost-couple, who have stopped dancing and are catching their breath whilst on the balcony staring at the starry sky.

Weary, Sans leans on Red's shoulder. Smiling gently down on the smaller skeleton, Red quickly scoops Sans up and takes Sans to his room. Placing Sans in the bed, Red leaves the room for his own, glancing at the sleeping skeleton whom he has fallen for after so long of being lonely and without true companionship. "Goodnight my love" He mutters as he closes the door.

  Next chapter you don't have to read. it's gonna get a little 'heated' next time.