Double Trouble Determination - Chapter One
(Summary: Frisk has been missing for days. With them being the only surviving member of your family, you go looking for them. You search Mt Ebott and end up falling into the Underground. You quickly come to terms with the fact that monsters really do exist, but what you canât wrap your mind around is how Frisk gained some sort of spectacular ability to control linear time. And that somehow, youâre able to use it as well?
How will this work, two humans in the underground with the same ability to SAVE and RESET, and the same DETERMINATION to overpower the other?
(Reader is gendered and refers to Frisk as her "brother", but is otherwise referred to by they/them pronouns)
(Soulmates AU))
{This work is also on AO3}
__________
Chapter One: A Heart Falls
Your body ached as you came to, eyes adjusting as dust settled around you.
The only source of light was above you. Glancing up with squinted eyes you vaguely wonder how you managed to survive such a high fall with nothing more than a couple bruises. Shakily you get to your feet, feeling a bit weak as you adjust to your new settings. Flowers stood proudly beneath you, the soft soil beneath your feet indicating that they had been watered quite recently. You stepped out of the flower patch, kicking up soft dust from the path that stretched out in front of you. With no way to climb up, and a small part of you curious about the path, you start off.
The walls around you quickly start to develop into a corridor, and your hand trails along the packed dirt absently. The corridor ended with a doorway, with an emblem carved over the threshold. Hesitantly, you step through it. Somewhere, a light source illuminated a single patch of grass among the dirt, almost as if waiting to present something to you.
To your surprise, a golden flower popped up from the patch of soil.
OnlyâŠ
This âflowerâ clearly had a face- and was currently eyeing you with a hint of amusement. âWell, this sure is a surprise.â It said with a small chuckle. âYou must be so confused.â
âI uhâŠI guess I am.â You admit with a slight tilt of your head. To be frank, this was by far the weirdest thing to have happened to you, and you werenât too sure how to approach this being in conversation. Instead of asking the obvious questions, you stuck with asking about the reason you were here in the first place. âI-Iâm looking for my little brother, Frisk.â
With that, the flowerâs eyes seem to twinkle with recognition. He let out a harsh laugh. âFrisk! Frisk is YOUR brother?â
Hope flutters in your chest. âThey are! Have you seen them?â
The flower snorts dismissively, his expression melting into a malicious grin that contorted the shape of his face. âDoes it matter? You wonât live long enough to see them again.â
âWhat do you meanâŠ?â The settings around you flickered dark and you found yourself staring at an inverted color version of the flower, who seemed unaffected by the sudden change of scene. A teal light blinded you for a moment as you felt a tug at your chest. A small bluish heart floated in front of you now.
âSee? Not even a hint of DETERMINATION.â The flower sneered. âYou wonât last as long as the others, nevermind your dear Frisk.â White pellets circled you and you reached for the light in front of you, hoping it would somehow protect you. Cowering under the threat before you, you felt your throat tighten as tears threatened to spill from your eyes. An awful laugh echoed off the empty walls of the cavern, sure to haunt your dreams for years to come.
âActually, you know what? Thatâs too boring.â
The settings returned to normal, but you stayed in your kneeling position in shock as you stared at the flower with wide, tearful eyes. The flower winked cheekily. âAs much as Iâd love to be the one to take your SOUL, Iâm pretty sure itâd be much more fun to see you suffer. Especially after you see what your precious little Frisk has done.â With another mocking laugh, the flower dove back into the dirt, leaving you shaking uncontrollably on the ground.
You felt your stomach twist horribly as you realize that the myths you heard as a child were true.
Mt Ebott was indeed the home to all monsterkind.
* * *
The area was strangely quiet, you notice as you walk through the Ruins. The name on the sign was accurate, as everything around you was crumbled and neglected, with piles of dust everywhere you turned. It felt like you had been walking for hours, forcing your way through odd puzzles and mazes, until you found a decent house tucked away from the rest of the Ruins. You politely knocked on the front door, waiting awhile before inviting yourself in. The door had been unlocked, and creaked quietly as you stepped in, with no sign of anyone else in the home. It was rather spacious, and warm, too. A nice fireplace blazed quietly in the living space, and a fresh pie sat on the countertop in the kitchen, only one slice cut from it. With no one around, and your stomach growling hungrily at the sight of food, you forgot your manners and cut yourself a slice. The grumble in your stomach grew as you caught a whiff of the pie. It smelled of butterscotch and cinnamon-- an odd combination in your opinion, but one you were more than willing to try.
The baked dish was soft and warm, as if it had just come out of the oven not too long ago. The ache in your body was relieved the moment you swallowed the first bite, and you couldâve sworn you felt the bruises on you melting away. A fuzzy sensation nuzzled itself into the center of your chest and stayed there long after the pie had been finished. You felt as if you had eaten a whole meal, and sleepiness started to weigh you down. You made yourself comfortable in the huge recliner in front of the fireplace, former worries and stress having been forgotten for the time being. With a sigh you settle deeper into the chair.
Just a quick nap, you resolve, and youâll be back on your feet in no timeâŠ
âŠThe fire was still burning when you woke later.
You yawned and stretched, basking in the wonderful homey feeling this place gave you. You felt safe and secure.
Frisk would have loved this placeâŠ
The thought made you stiffen with cold realization. You jumped to your feet, horrified at how easily the home had secured you, how it made you forget everything, including your poor little brother. You couldnât stand to imagine the horrors he might have had to face down here, while you sat here kicked back and lazing about in dreamland without a care in the world. You rubbed your face angrily, kicking yourself mentally before letting out a sigh. Youâll beat yourself up later after Frisk is home safe.
You carried on exploring the rest of the house, now sure that there was no one here for the time being. You hoped to find a map or some sort of clue that could lead you closer to your brother. Unfortunately, all that you discovered was a journal full of silly puns and jokes, small libraries with facts of snails, and a dusty childâs room that looked untouched. Having searched through the main floor of the home, you made your way downstairs. The stairs revealed a long hallway that seemed to go on for a while. With no other choice but to push forward, you did, after a while coming across a huge metal door. As heavy as it looked, it seemed like it had been pushed open just enough to let someone small through. Maybe even Frisk, you thought to yourself. That small flutter of hope from earlier resurfaced inside of you, coupled with a small bit of fear.
Frisk had already been here, it seemed, and you were right behind him. At least you had hoped so.
A brisk breeze drifted from the opening, and you shivered, rubbing your arms in anticipation to leave the warm house. Steeling yourself, you stepped over yet another larger pile of dust and pushed the door open wider to accommodate yourself.
It was like stepping into an entirely different world. Snow fell softly from a dark sky, but light reflected off from somewhere, creating a decent amount of luminance for you to feel comfortable travelling ahead. It was colder than the house, but you could manage for now. A small part of you wished you had enough foresight to bring a thicker jacket. It was warm this time of year, but you still scolded yourself for not knowing better than to prepare for the worst.
You supposed you still hadnât learned that lesson by now.
You followed the path up towards a short bridge, with a fence across it just barely big enough for you to squeeze through. As you crossed, a chill ran up your spine, making you shiver violently.
You were being watched.
You spun on your heel and faced the open air, paranoia coursing through you. Things had been silent since your interaction with the flower, but that didnât mean the entire place was completely devoid of monsters. There had to be some reason why there was no one here, and there had to be a place where they were all currently gathered, you were sure of it.
Snow frosted the piles of dust scattered along the path. Your chest tightened for some reason as you glanced at each pile, wondering why there were so many of them. Each varied in size, but you found it harder and harder to ignore them with each pile you stepped over. It made you very uncomfortable, though you didnât understand why.
A very long bridge and several completed puzzles later, you found yourself in a place called âSnowdin Townâ, if the sign was anything to go by. It looked like it couldâve been a lively and cheerful place, but once again, it was silent and empty, which made the uneasiness in your gut grow. Frozen hands rubbed at your arms through your sleeves and you shivered violently. Goosebumps pebbled your skin, and you couldnât help but to glance around you suspiciously. Knocking at each door you came across proved to be futile. The air was silent save for the sound of your own pulse in your ears, driving you slowly but surely to madness.
Something was most definitely wrong here.
It wasnât until you moved past the town that the cold really began to seep into you. All the warmth from the pie was long gone now, and exhaustion rested heavily on your shoulders. Each step was unusually draining, feeling like your legs weighed a ton as they started to drag underneath you.
There was a bigger pile of dust in front of you, perhaps bigger than any that you had seen so far. Unlike the others, however, this one had some sort of clothing on it. Stepping closer to investigate, you noticed what looked to be thick body armor, boots, gloves, and a scarf. It was so out of place it was unnerving, and you didnât dare to disturb the pile in fear of why it had been laid out on top of the pile of dust, as if someone had tried to dress it unsuccessfully like they would a snowman.
Your chest began to feel tight at this point, paranoia and fear and exhaustion starting to cloud your mind. You tried to push through it, tried to steady your breath and trudge on, but dark spots began to dance across your vision and your body started to weigh itself down. You sank to your hands and knees, fingers numb to the cold snow as you gripped and clawed at it in vain attempt to get back on your feet. It was no use. Using the remainder of the strength you had, you rolled yourself onto your side, staring at the annoying red clothing against the pure white of the snow, hoping that you werenât going to die of out here.
âŠAnd hoping Frisk would be okayâŠ
* * *
Sans had felt the presence of a new SOUL in the underground when it first fell. He had watched her emerge from the Ruins, unscathed but put off for some reason. Even with the fear and uncertainty radiating off her SOUL, she pushed forward. He couldnât see any LV on you, which was the only thing keeping him at a curious distance now, watching her from afar and shortcutting each time she came close to spotting him. The further she progressed the more uneasy she became, like she sensed something was wrong.
It wasnât until she got to Snowdin that she had started to slow down, most likely from the cold, he reasoned. The jacket she wore was too thin for this weather. Her cheeks started to flush, and your body continued to shiver in efforts to regain body heat. He was closer to her than he had been before, but she failed to notice as she discovered the pile of dust that laid in the middle of the path before her. He glued his sight on her, hand clutching his jacket as his SOUL ached knowingly. He watched as she hesitated over the pile before trying to move on. At this point, however, the exposure had started to take serious effect on her body as she collapsed almost at his feet. The struggle to get back to her feet had led her to sink down into the snow, exhaustion and resignation washing over her SOUL as she seemed to accept her fate. She had laid unmoving for several minutes before he approached her.
Now that he was closer, he could see the resemblance between her and the kid. That discovery alone made him want to leave her there. And he had planned to, turning away from her and preparing another shortcut. Just as he was about to leave, however, he felt something tug at his SOUL urgently, keeping him in place for a moment.
Sans glanced over his shoulder, eye sockets widening as he saw her SOUL hovering above her body, thrumming and swaying desperately in the cold. The tug at his own SOUL grew a tiny bit stronger with hope as he acknowledged itâs pleading call for help. Its hue was a mix of Integrity and Kindness, which created a color like that of Patience, but darker. Not a bit of DETERMINATION could be found in there, unlike the kidâs SOUL. He had seen that color enough times to have the violent blur burned into the back of his eyelids. Looking at her SOUL in comparison made him relax, letting a small breath escape his teeth as he once more approached the body.
Hesitantly he let his blue magic surround the SOUL, gently pulling her limp body from the snow with a slight lift of his hand.
The whole situation was unusual, and he knew it. A human SOUL never left its vessel unless confronted by a monster. He had no intention of confronting her, and there was quite literally nobody else around to do so either. And how it had managed to call him for help so strongly was beyond him. None of the other humans had this sort of control over their SOUL, not even Frisk. Yet, while still unconscious, her SOUL instinctively called out to his, pleading and persuading him to help her.
This human was certainly something of an anomaly.
The thought was put to rest for the moment as he concentrated on getting the human to a warmer spot. Reluctantly, he settled for his own home. The shortcut was brief, and her SOUL squirmed uncomfortably at the sensation. Her body was laid out across the couch cushions, and he pulled a thick blanket over her before stepping back to give her space. Her SOUL was gone now, establishing itself back into its rightful place.
He rubbed at his forehead silently, mulling over the fact that this girl, who was clearly related to Frisk, was now curled up comfortably on his couch.
âŠHe could still faintly remember the timelines Frisk brought them up to the surface, only to get bored and drag the lot of them back into this hellhole, with only him being aware of it. It nearly drove him mad to think about, but at the same time, filled him with a complete sense of hopelessness. Frisk had too much power, too much DETERMINATION to be stopped by him or anyone else, and Sans was fully aware of that fact. How many timelines had Frisk killed his brother now? How many times had they offed Sans now? That they killed everyone and everything in their path, only to bring it back just to do it all over again?
What kind of sick human was this kid that she was related to? Was she even aware of the true monster the young child had become?
Regardless, how she was even related to Frisk in the first place was a mystery to him. Her SOUL was much too kind, he could tell, to harm even the smallest creature. Her LV was nonexistent, and there was no part of her that seemed threatening in the least.
Of course, he had been wrong before about Frisk.
He shook his head, glancing over her again. Her face was relaxed now, as if she hadnât almost frozen to death outside mere moments before. Although he didnât understand why, a small part of him was glad she was alive now, though he wouldnât admit it to himself.
For now, Sans needed to go check on Friskâs progress through the Underground, resolving to come back when she was awake. Perhaps sheâd be the one to set things straight around here.
He hoped you would be.
