Tori put the flower seeds back in her pocket, then sat down in the snow against a tree. She sighed a little, watching the snowflakes fall from the sky. Her mind started to drift a little bit, focusing on the beauty of the surroundings instead of her job. Each snowflake was like a monster — all similar, but all still so different. They were all so unique, and so pretty.

She completely zoned out, and forgot how long she was there. Five minutes? Ten? Thirty? Tori didn't know and didn't care. Snowdin was such a pretty place, almost as pretty as the Echo Flower Field in Waterfall. That place was the peak of the Underground's beauty — darkness all around, with glowing grass and Echo Flowers as your sources of light. Even the water seemed to emit an almost ethereal glow.

Tori closed her eyes, and she couldn't even remember if she had fallen asleep or not. No time seemed to pass, like she was frozen in time. She heard the rustling of the trees in the soft, chilly wind, and the wind made a quiet, calm whooshing sound. Tori only remembered where she was when she heard a voice next to her say "Earth to Toriel, you there?" She made a sleepy "Hm?" before opening her eyes and looking over to her left. Papyrus sat there in a hoodie, which startled her.

"Papyrus?!" she squeaked, feeling her face heat up. He chuckled a bit and nodded. "What? Did I surprise you, Toriel? You think I'm cooped up in a castle all day, just because I'm the king? Heh, truth is, I really like walking around the Underground whenever I get the chance, especially Snowdin. It's very pretty here." Tori nodded in agreement. "Snowdin is beautiful. Hey, uh, don't tell my brother I was slacking off again, okay?"

Papyrus smiled. "I won't. This'll be our secret." Tori smiled back at him. "Thanks for the flower seeds, by the way! I'll make sure the flowers grow into the prettiest goddamn ones in Snowdin!" The skeleton smiled cheerfully at her, and she felt her heart speed up. Why was he making her blush so much...? "Anything for a friend! And I bet you will," her king told her. Tori smirked a bit and put a snowball on his head. "Hey, hey! Cold! Haha!" He shook it off, ending up with snow in his face. "Ha ha, Tori, you got me," he said, trying to sound sarcastic but still laughing. He smirked at her. Tori cocked her head.

"Hey, what's with the face...?" she asked. She was surprised when Papyrus put a snowball in her hoodie, the flipped the hood up. "COLD!!!" she cried, trying to shake the snow out. The skeleton laughed, making her blush again. His laugh was so adorable... Snap out of it, Tori, he's just a friend, she told herself. He's a king! You'd have no chance with him even if you tried. Her thoughts must have shown through her eyes, because Papyrus looked at her, concerned, and put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, a tinge of sadness in his voice. He was clearly worried. Tori decided to test her theory, and tackle-hugged Papyrus into the snow. He looked quite surprised, and was silent for a few seconds, but started laughing and hugged her back. "Heh, you're a cuddler, alright!" he said, putting his head to hers. He noticed she was crying a bit, and hugged her tightly. "Come on, Tori, it's okay. I'm here for you. I always will be." I'm here for you, I always will be. Those words echoed in Toriel's head, making her feel better. She hugged him tighter, still not saying a word and still crying.

Papyrus sat up, Tori now sitting in his lap, and hugged her close. He rested his head on hers, and Tori felt like she was about to have a heart attack. "Um, Papyrus?" she chuckled. "Your fur is really soft," he said with a small laugh. Tori hugged him, then picked up a small lump of snow from the ground, put it in his hood and flipped it up. "Revenge! Haha!" she laughed.

Papyrus shook his head like a dog, trying to get the snow out of his hood. "Cold! Cold cold cold! Really cold!" he laughed. Tori flashed her king a mischievous smile and stood up, then ran away into the trees. "Catch me if you can!" she called. She laughed when she heard the King's footsteps behind her, and kept running, but he was slowly gaining on her. Damn, he was fast! But she wouldn't give up that easily!

She made a sharp right, laughing as she heard the snow crunching behind her, signalling that Papyrus had managed that turn as well. Unfortunately, she wasn't looking where she was going, and tripped over a tree root. "Woah!" she cried before hitting the ground, quickly curling up in a ball as pain shot up her leg. Her ankle hurt really badly — she had probably twisted it.

"Ow, ow ow ow..." she muttered to herself. She heard the snowy footsteps above her, and looked up to see Papyrus kneeling beside her, looking very concerned. She blushed a bit. "Oh my goodness.. Toriel, are you okay?! That looked like a hard fall!" he said, panic in his eyes. Trying to calm him down, she nodded with a weak smile.

"I'm good, Papyrus... ow, ow, no I'm not..." What surprised her was when Papyrus picked her up, carrying her bridal-style. She looked up at him, meeting his soft gaze. She felt like a princess from a fairytale meeting her Prince Charming, and blushed again. "It'll be alright, don't worry. I'll call your brother, okay? He can bring you home." Tori nodded, hoping she wouldn't get hell from Asgore for playing in the snow when she was supposed to be working.

She smiled a bit and laughed. "You're the one who's worrying, Papyrus." He looked to the side. "I'm being cautious," he mumbled, looking a bit embarrassed. Tori smiled and rested her head on his chest, passing Papyrus her phone so he could call her brother to tell him what happened, since he didn't have Asgore's number. The King quickly found his contact and called him — the phone rang twice before the goat monster picked up.

"Hello? What can the Amazing Asgore do for you?" he said in his typical, cheerful voice. "Hello, Asgore," Papyrus said calmly. "Your sister sprained her ankle, and I was hoping you could bring her home." Asgore sounded shocked to hear his King on the other line. "Of course, Your Majesty! I'll be right there. Tell Tori I said hi!"

Tori laughed. "No need for that, bro. You talk so loud I can hear you myself." Meanwhile, at his station, Asgore smiled. "It'll be okay, Tori! Your amazing brother shall come fetch you and bring you home so you can get better! See you soon, sister! Nyohoho!" With a "click", he hung up, and Papyrus carried Tori back to her station, where they waited together until Asgore showed up.

"Oh, Asgore! You're here!" Papyrus called, standing up and picking up Tori again so she didn't have to stagger over by herself. Asgore looked concerned. "You okay, sis?" he said. Tori chuckled a bit through her pain. "I'm alright, bro, don't worry," she said. Papyrus passed her over to Asgore and patted her shoulder. "Get well soon, my friend," he said.

A light came on in his eyes, and he took a notepad and pencil out of his pocket, scribbling something down and passing it to Tori. "By the way, Toriel, here's my phone number in case you want to call. I'll answer as quick as I can!" he said cheerfully. Tori took the small paper carefully, blushed, smiled, and held it close. "Thanks, Papyrus," she said, the image of his smile permanently burned in her mind. "By the way... call me Tori."