Here is my second contribution to @fransweek . I really wish I hadn't gotten sick and was able to write more days for this event, but alas. At least I'm finally (mostly) over my cold now! XD
This is actually a continuation of Day 1 - Stars, so it won't make as much sense if you haven't first read that one. Both of these fics are set in my bigger, ongoing fic, A Good Father, my AU where Asgore adopts and raises baby Frisk. Just as a fair warning, this particular fic is set towards the end of AGF, when Sans and Frisk are both adults and monsters have been freed, and it contains very minor spoilers for things that will eventually happen later on in the story, as well as one for something that did happen in one of the previous chapters. It shouldn't ruin anything, since, as mentioned, the spoilers are very minor.
Happy Valentine's Day/Singles' Awareness Day!
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When Frisk had asked him to go somewhere with her, late at night, Sans had agreed.
When she’d said that where they were going was a secret, Sans hadn’t questioned her.
When she’d told him to close his eye sockets and let her lead him there, Sans complied.
And when the noise of the bustling city was replaced by the gentle sounds of nature, and the soft crunch of grass underfoot, Sans continued on.
The warm hand in his was all he needed, to know that everything would be alright. Frisk could lead him into hell, and he would trust her to lead him right back out of it.
After everything they’d been through together, the life they’d lived together, the experiences they’d shared, his faith in her was unshakeable.
And so, Sans kept his eye sockets closed as he walked blindly onwards, with only Frisk’s hand to guide him and her voice to direct him.
His patience was eventually rewarded, when the two of them came to a stop.
“Okay, we’re here,” came Frisk’s voice, tinged with excited anticipation. “You can open your eyes now, Sans.”
He did. The sight that met his eyelights was one he would never forget.
The monster and human couple were alone in a wide, open field, with low grass and flower patches almost as far as the eye could see, with only the occasional tree to break up the landscape. A large blanket had been laid out on the ground, atop which sat a spread of several food dishes Sans recognised as coming from Grillby’s bar. A little further away, he spied his old telescope, set up and ready for viewing.
But what most caught his eyelights was the sky.
The vast expanse of space above them was unobstructed by any tall structures, artificial lights, or drifting clouds.
Innumerable twinkling stars dotted an unending, dark canvas. The moon hung high in the sky, luminous and enchanting.
Sans had seen the night sky many times since coming to the Surface, but this… This view surpassed all others. If he had any breath, this would have stolen it. His Soul longed to fly off into space and explore the cosmos.
Only the hand in his kept him anchored to the ground.
That hand gave his a squeeze, reminding his Soul why he would always choose to remain on Earth in spite of the sky’s splendour.
“I asked around at the office, and lots of folks told me about this neat spot outside of the city, where you can get a great view of the night sky,” Frisk shared with him, voice hushed, as if unwilling to disturb the peace and serenity of the empty countryside. “And the human weather channels predicted that tonight would have a clear sky, so I knew that this would be the perfect time to take you here.”
Sans couldn’t think of what to say to that. For one of the very rare times in his life, he was utterly speechless.
Nevertheless, he owed it to Frisk to at least say something.
“it… it sure is… perfect, frisk.” His voice was barely above a whisper, choked as it was by emotion. “i love it…” I love you.
Thankfully, his Frisk had always been able to understand him, even when no one else could.
Her face softened, smile so tender and affectionate it dazzled him more than any starry night sky.
She leaned in to give his nasal bone a quick nose nuzzle, before tugging him by his hand towards the picnic blanket. “C’mon, Sansy. Take a seat and have a burg’. I asked Grillby to prepare a takeaway dinner for us. I think he even added extra when I said it was for a special date! Golly, what a cool guy, haha!”
For once, Sans let Frisk take the reins in their conversation, content to just listen to the happy timber of her voice, and let her excited chatter seep into his Soul, warming him up from the inside out, despite the chilly February night air.
“Hey, Sans?”
The monster in question made a noise of acknowledgment as he munched on a couple of fries. He paused when he noticed the blush on his girlfriend’s cheeks out of the corner of his eye sockets.
“There’s actually another reason why I wanted us to go on this date, tonight of all nights.”
Sans raised a browbone. That admission, coupled with the signs of Frisk’s embarrassment, piqued the skeleton’s curiosity.
The human woman averted her eyes to gaze up at the stars. Sans couldn’t help marvelling at how the stars reflected so beautifully in Frisk’s clear eyes, as if she’d managed to capture the night sky in her gaze.
Sans could feel his Soul thump. The sudden surge of affection and admiration for the woman before him caused his eyelights to turn heart-shaped.
His girlfriend truly was the greatest wonder he’d ever known.
“So I found out,” Frisk continued, “that apparently humans have a holiday called Valentine’s Day, which is meant to celebrate love. Romantic love mostly, though all forms of love are celebrated too in some places.”
Well that was certainly interesting. Humans sure did like having a bunch of different holidays, for all kinds of things, as monsters had discovered. Admittedly, one centered around love did sound like something genuinely fun and worthwhile. It was also reassuring to learn that even humans found love to be important enough to celebrate.
“lemme guess,” Sans grinned at Frisk, feeling his own blush begin to rise on his cheekbones, “this ‘valentine’s day’ is today, amiright?”
Frisk nodded her head. She reached up to adjust her horned tiara, even though the action was unnecessary. Sans knew his girlfriend well enough to recognise this for the self-soothing act that it was, though why she felt the urge to calm herself, he couldn’t guess.
As if to answer his unspoken question, Frisk cleared her throat. “There’s also one tradition in particular which humans follow on Valentine’s Day.” She fiddled with her tiara again. “Apparently, it’s tradition for people to give the one they love chocolates on this day. So…” Frisk retrieved her cell phone to access her personal Dimensional Box, and took out a rectangular box wrapped in bone-patterned paper. She held the box out to Sans, finally making eye contact with him. “Here you go, bone man. Happy Valentine’s Day!”
Sans was very rarely caught off-guard, yet somehow Frisk always managed to accomplish it, and so effortlessly as well. Despite knowing her so well - better than anyone, he’d wager - Sans could never fully predict his human. She kept surprising him, time and again.
The monster accepted the gift with a bashful smile.
“aw heck, if i’da known about the whole gift-givin’ thing, i’d’ve gotten you a box of chocolates too, babe.”
Frisk was quick to wave off his words. “Nah, don’t worry about it! It’s a human holiday, so I wasn’t expecting you to know about it. Heck, I wouldn’t have known about it either, if all the humans I work with at the Embassy hadn’t been gossiping for the past few weeks about who was going to give chocolates or flowers to whom.”
Sans nodded his understanding. Still… He didn’t feel good about being the only one to receive a present on a day dedicated to celebrating love. He made a mental note to get a box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers for his kind and thoughtful girlfriend, the next chance he got.
With that resolve in mind, the skeleton monster set about tearing off the wrapping paper, and opened the box. Inside, he found a tray full of chocolates shaped like his face. They were clearly handmade and crafted with a lot of care and attention.
His eye sockets widened. “you made these yourself?”
Frisk ducked her head, her previous blush returning with a vengeance.
“Uh huh.” This time, her hands went to fiddle with the heart locket around her neck. “Apparently, in many places, people are supposed to make the chocolates themselves. I think it’s meant to show how much you care about the person you’re giving them to. And, well, since I care about you a whole lot, I made them all on my own.” A beat passed. “Well, actually, Pap created the molds. But I did everything else, promise!”
“huh.” Sans’s eyelights went round and fuzzy. “wow…”
That explained why Frisk was so nervous. She’d always worked so hard on improving her cooking. As easily the best chef in their little group, Frisk had taken it upon herself to make sure everyone was eating well, and healthily. Granted, her only real competition was Sans (who couldn’t make anything more complicated than a hot dog), since none of the others could prepare anything even approaching edible. However, Frisk took her position very seriously.
With no small amount of reverence, Sans plucked one of the smiley chocolates from the box and popped it into his mouth. Gentle sweetness met his magical tongue, tinged with Frisk’s loving Intent. His Soul felt like melting at the flavour.
“Well?” Frisk asked, half nervous, half impatient. “What do you think?”
Sans responded with a wink, before tossing another chocolate into his mouth. “they’re delicious. thanks, frisk.” His adoring smile echoed the hearts in his eye sockets. “i love ‘em.” I love you more.
Frisk practically sagged in relief. “I’m so glad! I worked really hard on them, you know. I just wanted so badly to make tonight extra special.”
Sans set aside the chocolates and reached for his girlfriend’s hands, entwining their fingers together.
“hey c’mon, babe. there’s no need to sweat about this valentine’s stuff so much.” He gave Frisk’s hands a squeeze, sending his magic through the touch in a reassuring gesture. “we don’t need no human holiday to celebrate what we have.”
Frisk smiled at him, her bright eyes making up for her lack of magic, as they conveyed in just a gaze all the love in her Soul.
“I know that, Sans.” She leaned forward to nuzzle her nose against his nasal bone, causing sparks to shoot through his Soul and tingle along his bones. “But tonight isn’t just about Valentine’s Day.” At Sans’s raised browbone, she giggled, and clarified, “Tonight is the night I finally get my wish granted.”
Sans blinked. “huh? what wish?”
His brows furrowed in confusion, as he searched his mind for an answer.
Frisk’s mouth stretched into a self-satisfied grin. “The wish I made when we were just children. When you took me to the Wishing Room. Do you remember that time?” Her smirk widened. “I told you our wishes would come true one day, and I was right!”
A hazy memory floated to the surface of Sans’s mind, before solidifying. He gasped.
“oh, that wish! i remember now!” The look of realisation was then replaced by one of confusion. “hey wait, didn’t that wish come true already? ya know, that time back then, when we first reached the surface?”
Frisk shook her head resolutely. “Nope, that time didn’t count. We saw the stars with our families.” She crossed her arms. “I wished to see the stars with you. Just you, like before.” The pleased grin returned to her face. “And now I am!”
Sans chuckled, shaking his skull at her fondly.
“welp. congrats, frisk.” He let his hand cradle his skull, as he propped his elbow atop his knee. “so then, are ya happy? is it everything you wished for?”
Frisk tapped a finger to her chin, an exaggerated look of contemplation settling on her face.
“Hmmm.” She soon dropped the act, to instead bestow on her boyfriend one of her most dazzling smiles ever. Sans was captivated. “Oh gee, of course I am! This is everything I wished for and more!”
She giggled, the sound light and airy, wrapping around Sans’s Soul more effectively than any magic, before her smile turned sly.
“Though I was right about another thing.”
She leaned in even closer. Sans was mesmerised by her star-filled eyes.
Her warm breath fanned across his bones. Sans shivered.
“Your eyelights really are even brighter and prettier than the stars.”
Sans froze as Frisk’s word registered.
Heat shot across his skull. He swiftly dragged his hood down over his face as low as it would go.
He groaned. It seemed like no matter how old he got, Frisk never had any trouble sending him right back to hood town.
He really was no match for her.
“quit yankin’ my leg, frisk!” He ignored her cry of, “I’m not!”, and willed his blush to die down. He desperately searched his cranium for a change of topic. “ahem. so anyway… now that your wish has come true, how’s about you make a new one? seein’ as we’ve got real stars to wish to now, instead of just sparkly rocks.”
Frisk allowed this shift in conversation, as the question seemed to genuinely intrigue her. A crease formed in her brows, as she gave the matter some real thought.
Finally, an answer came to her, as signaled by her returning smirk.
It was a look which boded more embarrassment for Sans, whose bones stiffened in response.
“I’ve got it!” she crowed. “I wish that I could see the stars again on our wedding day.”
Sans really should have suspected something of this nature, considering his and Frisk’s shared history. His human had had her Soul set on marrying him ever since she was just a little kid, apparently - much to her father’s dismay. And each time she brought it up, it never failed to set his bones aflame (almost literally, if Asgore weren’t so nice).
After all these years, and all they’d been through together… there really was only one possible response Sans could give.
“then i wish that i could see the stars again with you on our wedding day.”
The smile that bloomed across Frisk’s face was more radiant than all the stars in the sky.
With a squeal of joy, Frisk threw her arms around Sans and clung tightly to him.
“I love you, Sans,” she told him in both words and Intent, her human Soul clumsily trying its best to reach for his, showering him in aimless, but no less powerful, feelings of love and adoration.
Sans reciprocated her attempts with considerably more success, given his magical nature. His own monster Soul pulsed its fierce devotion in waves of pure magic, which wrapped around Frisk’s Soul, bathing it in a song of endless affection. “i love you too, frisk.”
The couple shared a kiss underneath a starry sky. The moon bathed them in its ethereal glow, as if offering its blessing.
Later on, the two lovers cuddled together on the blanket, heart-shaped eyelights gazing tenderly into star-filled eyes. They held each other close, their Souls thrumming in sync, only a hair’s breadth apart.
It was Sans who finally broke the pleasant silence that had fallen between them.
“hey babe?” he whispered softly against his lover’s lips. “i know we said we wished to see the stars on our wedding day, but… i sure hope that’s not all we’re gonna do that night.” Sans wiggled his browbones at Frisk. “‘cause i got some ideas on how to spend our wedding night.” His eye sockets lidded, eyelights burning within their depths. “heh heh heh. we’re gonna have a bone time.”
Immediately, colour spread across Frisk’s cheeks in her brightest blush ever. She squeaked and covered her face with her hands.
“Sans!” she yelled at him, her voice several octaves higher than usual. “C-Cut it out! I can’t believe you, y-you- ! You horndog! Gutterbones!”
As Sans stared in amazement at the flustered mess of a girlfriend in his arms, he couldn’t fight back his laughter.
Maybe he really was the perfect match for Frisk after all.
This silly idea came to my friend and I, and we imagined some scenes for it. And when it comes to silly ideas, well... I just can't seem to resist writing them out. I also can't seem to resist injecting fluff into everything I write. How did this get so long?? @a-snowpoff this is all your fault.
Is any of this funny? You tell me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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It all started with a ring.
Well, technically it all started when I met Papyrus, but the trouble really began with the ring.
See, Papyrus and I had been good friends for a while - to the point I was comfortable with letting him stay in the spare room at my place, when he moved out to give his brother and sister-in-law some space and privacy. We’d hung out together a few times, and had even gotten to know each other’s friends.
We’d also occasionally gift each other things we’d seen and thought the other would like. Just little things, like oven mitts, a new apron, plates with interesting flame patterns, cool action figures, bones of varying sizes… you know, just knick-knacks and such. Nothing too fancy.
And then one day Papyrus gave me a ring.
It was a sparkly piece of jewellery, very well-made and clearly quite pricey, and I was very reluctant to accept it. But Papyrus looked so excited, so hopeful, and even a little nervous (as he did with anything he gifted me to be honest)… I just didn’t have the heart to refuse. No one with a heart would’ve been able to deny him.
“DO YOU LIKE MY PRESENT??” he asked me, bones vibrating ever so slightly as he looked to be on the verge of bouncing on his feet.
I didn’t need to force the smile that spread so wide across my face that my cheeks started hurting.
“Yes.” I tried the ring on each of my fingers. It fit my ring finger perfectly. “I love it! Thank you Paps.”
The smile he gave me in return was more brilliant than any precious gem.
I had no idea what that ring would come to mean.
And neither did Papyrus, as it turned out.
—
“WHAT???”
Papyrus’s eye sockets widened in shock as he stared at Alphys, his friend, gifted scientist, and expert on humans (probably).
The shorter monster shuffled her feet nervously under his incredulous gaze, and reflexively scooted a little closer to her wife.
“O-oh, you d-didn’t know that humans give their partner a ring to p-propose? Uh, propose marriage that is.”
Papyrus shook his head.
“NO!! I HAD NO IDEA!! MY DATING GUIDEBOOK DIDN’T MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT MARRIAGE!!! IT ONLY SAID THAT GIVING YOUR PARTNER A RING WAS THE NEXT IMPORTANT STEP TO ADVANCE YOUR ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP!!”
He took out a badly chewed up book from… somewhere… and proceeded to riffle through what remained of its pages.
Sans eyed the book with a raised browbone. “uh, paps? it looks like something took a bite or ten outta your book.”
The younger skeleton monster glared at the book in remembered offence.
“IT’S THAT MISCREANT MUTT!!” He stomped his foot, scarf flailing through the air from the force of his agitation. “IT KEEPS CHEWING THROUGH MY THINGS!! NOT CONTENT TO STEAL MY SPECIAL ATTACKS, IT TRIED TO EAT MY DATING GUIDEBOOK!! AND MY HANGOUT GUIDEBOOK!! AND EVEN MY COOKBOOKS!! ALL FIFTY SEVEN OF THEM!!!”
Asgore frowned in concern. “Do you think it has a toothache from eating so many bones?”
Papyrus stomped his foot harder. “WELL I HAVE A SKULLACHE FROM IT VANDALISING MY BELONGINGS!!”
Toriel gave him a pacifying smile. “There, there. Books can be replaced; your health cannot. Do not lose your skull over this!”
The former queen giggled at her own joke and Sans’s grin widened. Papyrus looked to be on the verge of exploding, both figuratively and literally, with the way his bones rattled. Luckily, Undyne interjected before the situation could devolve further.
“Ngahhh!! Forget about nerd books and hungry dogs! What about the proposal?! Did your human say yes?!”
Papyrus paused and considered his friend’s question for a moment.
“HMMM…” He gasped. “SHE DID! SHE DEFINITELY SAID YES!”
Undyne leaned forward eagerly, eyes flitting between Papyrus and Alphys.
“So! Does that mean Papyrus and his human are married?!”
Everyone’s gaze focused on Alphys, awaiting her deduction. The current Royal Scientist shrunk under the weight of their expectation. She looked a little panicked, but with one glance at her wife’s toothy grin and shining eyes, she bolstered her courage and blurted out, “I-I guess so”.
Cheers and whoops rang out, as everyone congratulated Papyrus on his marriage. Only Sans looked hesitant. His murmured “maybe we should ask frisk about this” was lost amongst the jubilation.
—
From then on, Papyrus became even more… affectionate? Attentive? Dare I say, almost doting towards me. Not that he was cold before, quite the opposite. He was always a kind and caring friend; thoughtful, warm-hearted, enthusiastic and ever-supportive, truly the best pal a girl could ask for honestly.
But he was noticeably more intense in his efforts to be the best friend to me he could be.
And, in all honesty, it was getting me increasingly flustered.
Every day, Papyrus would wake me up in the morning with breakfast in bed, and we’d chat about our respective plans for the day as we ate. Afterwards, as I would get ready, Papyrus would pack the elaborate lunch he’d somehow found the time to prepare for me, and then send me off with a hug as big and warm as his heart (his metaphorical heart; I still had no idea whether or not skeleton monsters had literal hearts).
The way he’d rub his nasal bone against my nose as he held me close sent all sorts of butterflies fluttering around inside me. But I’d guessed it was simply a sign of affection between monsters. Papyrus was always very demonstrative with his feelings after all. He never left me in any doubt that I was important to him.
It was one of the many things I loved about him.
And there sure was a lot to love.
It was no surprise that my feelings for Papyrus had turned romantic fairly early on in our relationship.
He was so honest and upfront about himself, so earnest in his efforts and steadfast in his ambitions, and always wearing his heart on his sleeve (so to speak), that you knew very quickly what kind of man- er, monster he was. There was never any hint of artifice with him and he didn’t have a single malicious bone in his skeletal body.
I knew that I could trust him, completely, that I could always rely on him and that he would never let me down.
And he never did. He was my anchor in every storm that came my way.
More than that, he always strived to be his best self in a way that I couldn’t help but admire. He even encouraged me, time and again, to be my best self.
He made me want to do better, want to be better.
He made me believe I could.
“Which is exactly why you should be honest with him about how you feel about him!” Frisk argued, over tea and cakes one afternoon.
I bit my lip and looked away from her determined gaze. “But what if he doesn’t feel the same way about me?”
“But what if he does?” Frisk shot back.
I stared into my cup as if it held the answers I sought. Frisk sighed and reached over to place her hand atop mine, arresting my gaze when I looked up.
“Look, even if Papy doesn’t like you like that - which I doubt, I’m sure that guy is just as crazy about you as you are about him,” she insisted, voice full of conviction.
I blinked, wondering how she could be so confident, as if there wasn’t a doubt in her mind as to the truth of her words. It must’ve been because she was Papyrus’s second ever friend and his sister-in-law.
Frisk continued on, with the kind of determination that could move mountains, or break barriers. “But even if he isn’t, doesn’t he deserve your honesty?”
I wilted, forced to acknowledge her point. “You’re right. Paps is always honest with me, and I owe it to him to be honest with him in return.”
Frisk gave me a pleased smile. She turned the hand she was holding in hers and gave it an encouraging squeeze. I squeezed back, trying not to let my doubts overtake me, even as the fear of possible rejection was making my heart pound in my ears.
“I just-… Everything’s been going so well between us and I’m afraid of messing it all up! What if I ruin our friendship?!”
—
“I LOVE MY WONDERFUL WIFE! WE ARE SO HAPPY TOGETHER! NYEH HEH HEH!!” Papyrus’s cheerful voice boomed throughout the room.
Undyne guffawed and thumped him on the back with enough force to almost send him to his knees. “That’s great, Papyrus! I’m so happy to hear you’ve found your special someone, too! Now everyone’s happy! Man, we oughta celebrate or something.”
Alphys perked up and clapped her hands in delight. “Ooh! That’s a great idea! M-Maybe we can all go on a group holiday together? Like a c-couples’ retreat? It’s n-not like I had one in mind already or anything, eheheh…”
Papyrus’s face lit up, his eye sockets sparkling. “THAT SOUNDS SPECTACULAR!! AND FUN!” He pumped a fist into the air. “I CAN’T WAIT TO SHOW EVERYONE WHAT A GREAT COUPLE THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND HIS GREAT WIFE MAKE!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!”
Sans took one look at his brother’s ecstatic grin and his friends’ equally excited faces, and gulped down the rest of his ketchup.
“oh boy, this’ll be… interestin’.”
—
One of the first things I’d learned about Papyrus was that he loved to cook. He hadn’t always been very good at it according to his friends and family, but since coming to the surface, he’d made every effort to improve his skills. And his efforts had eventually paid off, as I could whole-heartedly attest to.
I’m not sure exactly when or how it started - it felt like a lifetime ago - but at some point I’d offered to cook dinner with him and it quickly became a daily routine for us.
It was as I was stirring the tomatoes into the sauce, that I finally mustered up enough courage to broach the topic of my less-than-platonic feelings for him.
I cleared my throat nervously. “Um, Papyrus? There’s, uh, something I wanted to… share with you. Or let you know. Or, ugh.” I rubbed my temple, annoyed at myself and my poor attempts to get the right words out. “I just wanted to tell you something.”
He looked up from the gently simmering pot of spaghetti and tilted his skull my way. His smile was bright and encouraging, and he seemed completely unphased by my fumbled words. “I’M ALL EARS.”
I glanced at the sides of his skull and the complete lack of any ears, and tried to bite back a grin. It was as successful as my attempt at a confession. However, it managed to lift my spirits and calm my nerves enough for my next words to come out more easily.
“Papyrus, I…” I took a deep breath, cleared all thoughts from my head and ploughed on. “I like you!”
Papyrus didn’t even hesitate as he gave me a beaming smile and told me, “I LIKE YOU TOO!”
I couldn’t help but return his smile, as I tried to clarify what I’d meant. “No, I mean romantically. I-, I’m in love with you Papyrus.”
Papyrus’s smile didn’t budge an inch, though his chest did puff out a bit. “WELL I WOULD SURE HOPE MY WIFE WOULD FEEL THAT WAY! ALSO! I AM GLAD TO HEAR THAT YOU DO! ALSO ALSO!! I AM IN LOVE WITH YOU TOO!! NYEH HEH!”
I stared at him. “...What?”
He stared back. “WHAT?”
—
Finding out that Papyrus not only loved me back but was, in fact, fully convinced that he and I were married (which, how? How did he get such an idea?) was not the only shocking news I found out that evening.
I also learned that all of his friends also believed that the two of us were married (how? How??).
And then Papyrus cheerfully informed me that his friends had planned a group holiday for all of us to go on. As couples. Married couples (how did it come to this!? What deity did I accidentally insult to curse me like this??).
The rest of the night passed by in a blur, as my mind reeled from the barrage of bombshells Papyrus had so enthusiastically dropped on me.
The only thought which managed to stick out amongst the jumbled mess of my mind, was that I needed to correct Papyrus. And his friends. Somehow.
—
My first chance came when Alphys caught me as I was heading out the next day.
After her usual polite, if stuttering greeting, she handed me an envelope.
“Here are yours and Papyrus’s tickets for the hotel we’ll be staying in. Don’t worry, I booked a nice room for you two to sh-share.”
I opened my mouth, not sure of what, exactly, I was going to say, but knowing that I needed to say something.
However Alphys kept talking, excitement hurrying her speech. “I’m really looking forward to getting to know you even better on the trip! I-I hope we can all be really good friends. A-Anyway, I need to go and hand out the rest of the tickets. See you on the day we head out!”
She then turned around and proceeded to power walk away, waving to me over her shoulder, as her final words rushed out, “Please don’t be late because this place has a no refunds policy okay bye!”
As I remained rooted to the spot, staring dumbly after her rapidly retreating figure, I realised that my mouth was still open. I closed it with a resounding *clack*.
Well that could’ve gone better.
—
Things continued along the same vein, going decidedly not better.
All Papyrus could talk about was the upcoming group holiday and how excited he was for it.
All I could think about was how in the hell I was supposed to break it to him and everyone else that he and I were not actually married.
“What do I do?!” I’m not ashamed to admit that I was practically whining to Frisk at this point, but who could blame me?
Frisk just shrugged at me. “Dunno,” she mumbled around the straw in her mouth, and took another slurp of her milkshake.
I buried my head in my hands.
Frisk seemed to take pity on me and threw her free arm around my shoulders.
“Hey, c’mon, it’s not that bad.”
I looked up from my hands to shoot her an incredulous look. She winked at me, lips turning up suggestively as she leaned in closer to me.
“You get to share a bed with Papyrus,” she purred, as if the thought hadn’t been stuck in my head since Alphys’s visit. I could feel my cheeks burn at the insinuation in her words and tone. “You love him. And you know that he loves you too. Enough to be happy at the belief that you’re married.” My face felt like it was on fire. “So what’s the problem? Isn’t this something you were hoping for?”
She wiggled her eyebrows at me, ever the flirt-master. I shoved my hand in her face and pushed her away, unable to look her in the eye. Frisk went along with the motion, laughing airily at me.
I didn’t need to say anything. My expression spoke loud and clear to her. She’d clearly picked up her husband’s ability to read people - it was one of the things that made her such an effective ambassador for monsters. That and her unwavering determination (also perhaps her terrifying talent at flirting everyone into submission).
I grumbled, wishing my blush would die down. “M-Maybe... But not now! I’m still getting used to the idea that Paps likes me back!”
“He loves you back, you mean,” Frisk interjected. My blush returned with a vengeance.
“Y-yeah, that.” I exhaled in frustrated embarrassment. “I just don’t know if I’m ready to-... to share a b-bed with him yet.”
Frisk raised an eyebrow at me, crossing her arms.
“This is Papyrus we’re talking about. Has he ever given you any reason to believe he wouldn’t respect your wishes? That he wouldn’t do everything in his power to make sure you’re comfortable?” She didn’t give me any time to reply, but she didn’t need to. The answer was obvious. “You’re the one who told me about how you trust him completely, and that he’d never once let you down. So stop worrying about this. Just have fun on this trip and enjoy yourself. You can think about how to clear up this marriage misunderstanding later.”
Her words made sense. I would be fine. Papyrus would make sure of it, as he always did. I might be a little flustered - or a lot flustered - but we would be together, and in love, and that would be enough. It would be more than enough.
I slowly started to relax, beginning to get excited about the prospect of a holiday with the one I loved and our group of friends.
And then Frisk leaned in close again to whisper into my ear, “Don’t forget to pack some sexy lingerie. You have a ‘husband’ to sweep off his feet now.”
There was no way I would be fine.
—
When the time finally came to leave for the trip our friends had planned, Papyrus was a ball of excitement, practically bouncing off the walls, whereas I was a ball of nerves, bouncing off the walls for very different reasons.
“CAREFUL BELOVED!” Papyrus reached out towards me just in time to stop me from crashing into the doorframe.
I looked up at him, trying to shake away the turbulent thoughts infesting my head.
“Sorry Paps. And thanks. I’m just a little, uh, distracted. Excited for the trip and all, haha…!”
I gave him my best attempt at a reassuring smile.
Papyrus looked unconvinced.
He frowned down at me, concern etched into his features. He gently grasped my hands in his own gloved ones, and gazed deeply into my eyes.
“MY LOVE, I KNOW THAT I HAVE NOT ALWAYS BEEN THE MOST… PERCEPTIVE MONSTER.” He frowned, some distant memory playing in his mind’s eye, before he refocused his gaze on me. “HOWEVER! I COULD NEVER FAIL TO NOTICE THAT YOU - MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE, THE GREATEST JOY IN MY LIFE, MY DEAREST WIFE - ARE NOT AS EXCITED ABOUT THIS SUPER FUN LOVEY-DOVEY COUPLES’ VACATION AS I’D HOPED YOU WOULD BE.”
Guilt started to bubble in the pit of my stomach at the way his expression fell at that.
But before I could try to reassure him, or offer him what would ultimately be empty words of assurance, he cut me off.
“IF SOMETHING IS BOTHERING YOU, THEN PLEASE TELL ME.” He gave my hands a squeeze. The gesture shot straight to my heart like Cupid’s arrow. “I PROMISE THAT I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM A GREAT LISTENER!! I AM ALSO VERY PATIENT! AND VERY WISE! AND VERY UNDERSTANDING! AS WELL AS VERY COOL!”
A fierce affection for this amazing monster filled me to my core. I wanted to kiss him at this moment.
“I know, Paps. You are all that and more. So much more.”
Papyrus’s proud expression was so familiar and so dear to me. I really wanted to kiss him.
“NYEH HEH HEH! THANK YOU BELOVED! I AM HAPPY YOU RECOGNISE THAT!” Then his face softened a little, a gentleness entering his voice. “AND I HOPE YOU ALSO RECOGNISE HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU. AND HOW MUCH I WANT YOU TO BE HAPPY, EVEN IF IT MEANS WE DON’T GO ON SUPER FUN LOVEY-DOVEY COUPLES’ VACATIONS WITH OUR FRIENDS.”
He leaned forward and pressed his forehead to mine. I could see tiny glimmers of light deep within his dark eye sockets.
“BEING WITH YOU IS MORE FUN THAN ANYTHING. EVEN MORE THAN COOKING! EVEN MORE THAN CREATING TRAPS AND PUZZLES! BUT IT IS ONLY FUN IF YOU ARE ALSO HAVING FUN.”
That was it. I couldn’t take it anymore.
Before Papyrus could say another word, I tilted my head to finally give him the kiss I’d been longing for.
Papyrus made a small sound of surprise, before leaning into the kiss, reciprocating my affection with all the passion and zeal I’d come to expect from him, and then some. It took my breath away.
As the both of us lost ourselves in our first (but definitely not last!) kiss, I resolved myself to push away all of my concerns. They were pointless and would only get in the way of an enjoyable holiday with the monster I loved and the friends we both cherished.
I just needed to keep up a positive mental attitude, just like Papyrus always maintained.
—
That positive mental attitude managed to see me through the whole of the first day, which, just as Papyrus had promised, was full of fun. I had such a great time that I forgot all of my previous worries.
Which then promptly came crashing back down on me when Papyrus and I entered our shared bedroom that night, and I beheld our one bed.
Papyrus, ever the gentleman (gentlemonster?), offered to let me use the adjoining bathroom first to get ready, which I gladly accepted.
Afterwards, as I sunk into the large and luxuriously comfy sheets of the king-sized bed, I could feel my pulse speed up.
When I heard the bathroom door open, I glanced over to see Papyrus step out, dressed in simple pyjamas with little pasta patterns.
I could feel my face heat up and my ears start to ring as the tall skeleton monster made his way towards the bed I was lying in.
He came to a stop right in front of me.
I held my breath, a mixture of anticipation and nerves flooding my system.
This was it.
Anything could happen.
—
“So? What happened?” Frisk leaned forward, eager and impatient for me to spill the beans on my first night with Papyrus.
“He tucked me into bed and read me a bedtime story.”
“Wait what?”
“You heard me.” I slumped in my seat and fought back a yawn. “He then spent the rest of the night doing prep work for his cooking. I don’t know if he slept at all, ‘cause when I woke up the next morning, he’d moved on to making models of me out of papier mâché. Incredibly detailed and life-like models. He said he wanted to ‘capture his wonderful wife’s incredible cuteness’. If it were anyone else I’d be creeped out, but with Paps I think it’s kinda sweet.”
Frisk visibly deflated. She sat back and crossed her arms, head tilting in consideration.
“That does sound like him. Very… Papyrus. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” She heaved a big sigh. “Looks like Sansy and I need to tell Papy to up his game.”
That sure woke me up.
“No thank you! I think Papyrus has plenty of game as is!”
“Well then it’s up to you to make the first move,” she said as she poked me on the forehead. “After all, Papy is the one who proposed. Even though it was Alphys who said that it meant you two were married.”
I shot up in my seat, eyes wide. “Wait you knew all about this!?”
Frisk gave a casual nod of her head. “Sans told me.”
I threw my hands in the air in frustration. “Why didn’t you say anything?! Tell them the truth?!”
Frisk merely shrugged her shoulders, uncaring in the face of my annoyance. “Not my place to interfere. They didn’t ask me, so I didn’t say anything.”
Which… fair, I guessed. It was technically my problem to fix. Besides, Frisk had always been very hands-off when it came to others’ affairs, only intervening before things got really serious.
I deflated, my brief ire draining out of me.
Frisk patted my head in what would’ve been sympathy, if not for the amused smirk making its way across her face.
“And besides,” her smirk widened, showing her teeth, “it was so funny seeing you all blushy and flustered!”
“Now I see why Sans married you! You’re both trolls!”
Frisk just laughed in my face.
—
Later that day, in an attempt to make it up to me, Frisk gathered the whole group together, so that I could make an announcement and finally clear up the misunderstanding. She’d even whispered to me that Sans had told Papyrus that humans weren’t legally married until they’d had a wedding, to ease that particular burden from my shoulders. And because Sans wanted to let his younger brother down gently. The rest, though, was up to me.
It was a daunting task, but I couldn’t let this situation go on any longer.
I nervously cleared my throat, trying desperately to steel my nerves in the face of so many expectant eyes. Frisk and Sans gave me thumbs up and smiled at me in encouragement. Papyrus stood by my side, and I took comfort from his steady presence.
“So uhhh… I’d like to clear up a little… misunderstanding.” I paused to take a fortifying breath. “See, Papyrus and I… we’re not… married.”
Silence.
Until-
“Wait what?!” Undyne slammed her hands down onto the table. “Don’t tell me you two got a divorce!”
What.
I could feel my jaw drop.
Alphys looked to be on the verge of tears as she wrung her hands. “B-But you two seemed so happy together!”
Papyrus stepped closer to me and threw an arm around my shoulders. “WE ARE HAPPY TOGETHER!!” He drew me close to his side and thumped a fist against his chest. “AND I PROMISE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WILL ALWAYS BE HAPPY TOGETHER!! NYEH!!”
Toriel clapped a hand to her chest and heaved a huge sigh. “Oh that’s such a relief! I’m so glad that you two are happily married.”
Asgore beamed at us. “Yes! And may your marriage be long and full of joy!”
I could only stare dumbfounded at everyone. How did things like this keep happening to me?
I looked towards Frisk and Sans. The couple exchanged glances, before shrugging and giving me thumbs up.
I turned to Papyrus, who seemed almost as confused as I was by this unexpected turn of events. But as always, he had clearly taken it in his stride and was now puffing up under everyone’s unanimous support and offering everyone his thanks.
I looked down at my feet for a moment, before sighing in defeat.
If you can’t beat them, join them.
“...Thanks guys.”
I guess I just had to accept the fact that I was married now.
I glanced towards Papyrus’s big, bright smile, happiness shining in his face. He noticed my gaze and turned his skull towards me, his smile getting impossibly bigger and brighter. I couldn’t help my own smile forming in response.
Maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing after all. At least I was married to someone I truly loved and who loved me in return. And honestly, who could ask for more?
As I leaned into my “husband”’s side, I felt my worries fade away.
Yeah, being married to Papyrus was definitely my happy ending.
—
“And that, kids, is how I married your father,” I ended my story and smiled at my children’s cheers. Even Papyrus cheered along with them.
My eldest then looked at me, head tilted in curiosity. “So… did you and Dad ever get married for real?”
I chuckled. “Yep. Eventually.” I shared a fond look with Papyrus at the memory of our wedding.
My youngest frowned, brows furrowed cutely in thought. I wanted to reach over and smooth away the adorable crease. “But did Dad ever actually propose to you?”
I paused. Now that I thought about it… He never did. I blinked in surprise.
Papyrus seemed to have come to the same realisation.
He leapt to his feat, before dramatically kneeling in front of me. He clasped my hands in both of his and gazed into my eyes with the most serious look I’d ever seen on his face.
“DARLING WIFE! LOVE OF MY LIFE! YOU ARE MORE PRECIOUS TO ME THAN ALL THE STARS IN THE SKY. MY SOUL SHINES ONLY FOR YOU. WILL YOU MARRY ME?”
I could feel warmth spread across my cheeks and blossom in my chest.
“Papyrus, we’re already married,” I reminded him, not bothering to fight back my smile at his loving words.
After having to miss out on Frans Week for the past two years because my dad was dying/dead, I wanted to finally try my hand at it again. Unfortunately, the day after finishing my second prompt, a horrible cold struck me down like one of Zeus's lightning bolts, and I've been sick ever since. I'm still sick! It sucks! At least I managed to write out the two most important days for me. But I'm gutted that I couldn't get more out in time.
The rest of the days will be written eventually, though they'll be too late for Frans Week. I plan to include them in my ongoing fic, A Good Father. It's my own AU where Asgore adopts and raises baby Frisk in the Underground. Both of the prompts I managed to write in time are set in this AU. In this one, Day 1- Stars, both Sans and Frisk are children (11 and 6 respectively).
Thanks to @fransweek for hosting this event. I look forward to it every year!
_____________________________________
Sans didn’t think he was as fun to be around as his little brother.
Papyrus was far more entertaining and far more attentive than Sans could ever be, in the eleven-year-old skeleton monster’s expert opinion. Whenever the young Gaster brothers and Dreemurr daughter had gotten together, it was always Papyrus who had taken charge and decided what they would do for the day - even if that was usually puzzle planning and battle strategising.
However, today Papyrus wasn’t with them. He had very important business to take care of. Namely, chasing after old man Gerson with Undyne, to observe his fighting style (and to make sure that Undyne didn’t beat up too many “bad guys”).
Sans still wasn’t all that keen on letting Undyne into their small group of friends. And he still didn’t trust the preteen fish monster - she was far too hot-tempered and violent for his liking.
But it wasn’t up to him to decide who his brother wanted to hang out with. Papyrus was eight years old now, and was getting more independent and confident by the day. He didn’t need his big brother anymore - a fact that filled Sans with both pride, and a sad sort of wistfulness that made him feel older than he actually was.
At least Frisk still preferred to stick to his side over anyone else’s (besides her father, of course, but parents didn’t count). Sans could freely admit that their friendship was something he’d come to deeply cherish over the years they’d known each other, especially as she got old enough to play with the skeleton brothers and have actual conversations with them.
Sans especially appreciated how good of a listener Frisk was. He felt like he could tell his little human friend anything, and she wouldn’t judge him. Granted, at six years old she didn’t always understand everything he was talking about, and she couldn’t offer him the most insightful advice, or give particularly useful input. But something about her made Sans want to open up to her and share his thoughts with her, in a way he didn’t even do with either his brother or his father.
Which was why on this day, when it was just the two of them, he decided to take his best friend to his favourite place in the entire Underground.
_____
Frisk looked around the cavernous room with wide eyes, awe shining on her face as brightly as the glittery rocks on the ceiling.
She let go of Sans’s hand and took several steps forward, before spinning in a slow circle, taking in the entire room with childish wonder.
Sans gazed at her with soft eye sockets and an even softer smile. Fondness curled in his Soul like a contented cat.
“this is the wishing room,” he informed his awestruck little buddy.
Frisk turned to him with a beaming smile, sparks of joy lighting up her eyes.
“Wowie! This is so cool!” she squealed, bouncing on her toes the way Papyrus did when he was particularly excited.
Sans grinned at her. “so you like this place, huh?”
Frisk nodded her head so vigorously, Sans was half-afraid it might fall off - Pap’s skull sometimes did, though he figured that might just be a skeleton thing.
“I love it!” Frisk gushed. “Daddy doesn’t like taking me to Waterfall, ‘cause he’s scared I might get sick ‘cause it’s so wet. But I think it’s so pretty! I wish I could see more of it.”
Sans really wanted to offer to take Frisk to explore more of Waterfall. But he didn’t want Mr. Dreemurr to get mad at him - or worse, his father (his father’s lectures were the worst!). Sans was also reluctant to potentially endanger his best friend’s health.
But still… he really wanted to see that smile on her face again.
“hey, tell ya what, kid,” he leaned in with a conspiratorial wink. “how’s about i take you to visit some of the drier places in waterfall? i know plenty of really cool spots like this room.”
Frisk’s smile got even bigger, if that were possible. “Really?! Really really?!”
Sans wink at her again, feeling smug satisfaction bubble up within him. “really. and, uh,” his grin dropped a little, as he gave his friend a nervous look. “let’s not tell anyone about this, ‘kay? don’t want our dads knowin’. they might ground us.” He couldn’t help the shiver going down his spine at the thought.
Frisk let out a dramatic gasp, and gave him a nod. “‘Kay! It’ll be our secret.”
“yup. our own little best buddies secret,” Sans agreed.
It felt weird to Sans to have Frisk purposely keep secrets, especially from her father.
But sharing something special, just between the two of them, gave him a ticklish feeling in his Soul.
It made him feel special.
Besides, they weren’t hurting anyone or anything like that. They were just having fun and going on super secret adventures together, as young children should do.
More than anything, Sans believed that making his friend happy was worth possibly getting in trouble for.
_____
The next time the two friends visited the Wishing Room together, Sans brought along his telescope.
After setting it up and looking through it to make sure it still worked fine, he showed Frisk how to use it.
“Wowie!” she gasped. “The rocks look even prettier now!”
Sans chuckled. “yup, i think so too.” He gave his telescope a fond pat. “my dad gave me this thing. said it used to be his.”
That made Frisk tear her gaze away from the glittering rocks, and turn to give Sans a surprised look. “Really? I didn’t know your daddy liked looking at pretty rocks too.”
Sans shrugged his shoulders. “dunno if he does, actually.” Frisk tilted her head to the side, a cute gesture that was all hers, so Sans clarified, “dad told me he used to look through this telescope to see the stars better. ya know, back when monsters lived on the surface.”
The curious look Frisk gave him encouraged Sans to keep talking.
“see, dad loves stars. real stars. he says they’re brighter an’ prettier than anything else in the whole sky.” His voice lowered as he looked off to the side, gaze distant and unfocused. “when i was really little, and dad wasn’t as busy with work, he used to tell me all about the night sky. he taught me the names of all the different stars and constellations he knew of - he even drew them for me! he also taught me ‘bout all the other planets, and other galaxies, and black holes and supernovas and stuff!”
Frisk was quiet, as she observed the excited, yet sad look of longing on her best friend’s face. She wished that she could send comforting magic to his Soul, the way her father could. The way monsters could, yet humans could not.
She understood all too well the painful desire for something wonderful that was forever out of your reach.
“That sounds neato,” she told him softly.
Sans’s smile widened, not quite reaching his eyelights. “yeah. it sure does, huh.”
Frisk was quiet again, giving him a kind, sympathetic look.
Sans didn’t like the sad pity in her eyes, or the sombre tone the conversation had taken. He shook himself. This was supposed to be a fun time with his best friend!
“hey, ya wanna know something cool?” When Frisk eagerly nodded her head at his question, Sans leaned closer to her, as if sharing some new secret. “a long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. they believed that if you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true.”
Frisk’s face lit up. “Oh golly, that is cool!”
Sans grinned at her reaction, happy to have successfully managed to dispel the previous gloomy atmosphere. “yeah, ain’t it?”
Then Sans let out a sigh, “‘course, we can’t do that no more. now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling…”
At that, Frisk’s face fell, her lower lip jutting out despondently.
Sans rushed to console her, internally kicking himself for making her sad again, right when he’d managed to cheer her up.
“but hey! that hasn’t stopped us from making wishes! everyone believes that if we keep wishin’ hard enough, surely all our wishes’ll come true.”
Frisk’s expression brightened. “Right! They will! Thousands of people wishing together can’t be wrong!”
Sans knew that was a naive thought. And yet, a small, childish part of him wanted to believe her, wanted to believe that wishes could come true.
Then, Frisk turned to Sans with an earnest look of curiosity on her face. “Hey Sans? You ever made a wish before?”
The young skeleton monster was taken aback by the question.
He blinked, then averted his gaze sheepishly. “well… maybe. when i was a baby bone.”
Frisk excitedly tugged on his arm. “Ooh! What was it?” When Sans hesitated, Frisk tugged harder. “C’mon! Tell me! Pleeeeease? Pretty pleeeeeease?”
Sans’s Soul squirmed at his best friend’s pleading whine. He felt helpless in the face of her expectation. It was so hard to deny her anything when she was so determined. In the end, all he could do was let out a resigned sigh. He really was no match for Frisk.
“fiiine. i’ll tell ya.” He tried very hard to keep the pout out of his voice and off his skull.
Frisk’s fingers wrapped tighter around his arm. It almost felt like they were wrapping around his Soul, which was a silly thought. Sans couldn’t bring himself to mind.
He lowered his voice to a whisper, despite the two of them being the only ones in the room, causing Frisk to lean in even closer to him. He could feel her breath brush against his bones. It was an odd, but not unpleasant sensation.
“i wished that i could see the real stars someday…”
Frisk was quiet as a look of contemplation came over her face.
Finally, after a few moments of deep consideration for a six-year-old, Frisk turned her gaze up to the ceiling - to the glimmering rocks serving as proxy stars. When she spoke, her voice was just as hushed as Sans’s had been.
“Then I wish that I could see the real stars with you someday.”
Sans felt his Soul give a jolt.
Faint heat spread across his cheekbones, as he failed to keep his smile off his face. He scratched at his cervical vertebrae in an embarrassed gesture.
“heh. that’s a great wish, frisk.”
The human giggled, and preened under her best friend’s praise.
Sans hadn’t realised just how reflective Frisk’s eyes were. They were so clear that the light of the sparkling stones on the ceiling shone brightly within their depths.
Frisk turned her star-filled eyes to him.
“One day, our wishes will come true,” she insisted, with such determination, that Sans almost believed that the human could bend reality to her very will to make them come true.
The young skeleton monster let hope fill his Soul, despite his better judgement.
“if you say so, buddy.” Sans smiled, looking every bit an eleven-year-old child. “then i’ll look forward to seein’ if the stars are just as bright and beautiful as dad says they are.”
Frisk gave him a considering look, before her lips curled into a cheeky grin.
“I bet your eyelights are even brighter and prettier than the stars.”
Sans made a choking noise. Heat filled his face and his Soul. “w-w-what?! c-cut it out! you’re embarrassin’ me…”
Frisk erupted into giggles, loud and joyous, looking entirely too pleased with herself. The sound filled the cavernous room, echoing off the walls. Sans could practically feel her laughter reverberating in his bones and resonating in his Soul.
He dragged his hood low over his skull, trying to hide his face in the darkness of his hoodie.
I won't bother with a lengthy AN here, because no one reads my work on Tumblr. I just keep reposting my fics here out of habit.
__________________________________
As soon as the school building came into view, Asgore shot through the doors and tore down the halls towards the headmaster’s office. WingDings had to run to keep up with him, despite his long legs.
When the pair reached their destination, Asgore burst through the doors without pausing to knock.
His eyes immediately started darting around the room, flitting over each of its occupants. He distantly took note of the owl monster practically falling asleep at his desk, the stressed-looking blue bird monster who appeared to be engaged in a heated argument with a clearly furious Papyrus, and a quietly seething Sans, who was glaring daggers at a young fish monster.
Asgore’s breath caught in his throat when his gaze finally landed on the only human in the room.
Frisk stood in between the two Gaster children, huddled close to Sans, as if seeking comfort from his presence. Her head was bowed low, and her back was hunched over; her posture making clear her desire to curl herself into a ball. Her hands were gripping something, cradling it protectively to her chest.
Without a second thought, Asgore rushed to his daughter’s side, arms and Soul already reaching out for her, his magic washing over her and Checking her for any injuries.
At this, Frisk’s head shot up, eyes immediately snapping towards her father.
Asgore almost stumbled upon catching sight of the miserable look on his child’s face, the wet tear streaks, and the red blotches marring her youthful visage. His Soul squeezed painfully.
He opened his mouth to question his daughter on her sorry state, but Frisk beat him to it.
“Daddyyyyyy!!” Her desperate cry was punctuated by a fresh round of tears, as the young child took her father’s arrival as her cue to express her upset to her fullest abilities.
Asgore wasted no time in sweeping his daughter up into his arms. He tried to pull her close, but Frisk pushed back against his chest and lifted her hands up to her father’s face, showing him the object she’d been holding.
“Daddy look!”
It was her little red headband. However, one of its horns had broken off, and was now limply hanging off the side, barely holding on by only a thread. Asgore’s heart sank at seeing his daughter’s most prized possession so badly damaged.
“Oh no! What happened?” he asked.
At his question, one of Frisk’s hands shot out, pointing towards the fish monster.
“She broke it!” Frisk cried out in an indignant whine. “The mean girl broke my horns!”
The ‘mean girl’ in question instantly bristled. She crossed her arms defensively and gave the other girl her most fearsome glare through her messy, red bangs, though the effect was marred by the sulky pout on her lips.
“I’m not mean! I’m Undyne, and I’m gonna be a hero!” she announced with all the confidence of a young child. “And heroes always beat up bad guys!”
Papyrus instantly leapt to his friend’s defence. “FRISK IS NOT A BAD GUY!! OR A BAD GIRL!! SHE’S NOT A BAD ANYTHING!!”
“and heroes,” Sans added, intense stare still fixed unerringly on the fish monster, “don’t make little kids cry.”
Undyne flinched at his words. Her fire seemed to extinguish, the ten-year-old skeleton monster’s words having clearly hit a sore spot for her. She averted her gaze, frowning down at the floor in lieu of having to look at anyone else.
“I didn’t mean to break her stupid headband,” she grumbled, the slightest trace of remorse leaking into her voice. “I was trying to break her! But her dumb loser friends got in my way. If it wasn’t for the nerd brothers, the human’s Soul would be mine, and we’d all be free!”
The resulting explosion of noise from the others in the room - particularly Papyrus - was lost to the ringing in Asgore’s ears.
Red filled his vision.
This monster had tried to hurt his daughter.
This monster had tried to kill his only living child.
His magic began heating up in response to his rising temper.
For one terrible moment, rage filled his Soul.
He needed to protect his child. He needed to get rid of this threat to his precious daughter. He needed to eliminate this abhorrent, intolerable danger, before it took away the most important thing in his life.
He’d already lost so much. He could not bear to lose anyone else. He would do anything to prevent that.
His Soul was already tainted by violence, his hands already stained by blood.
What more was a little Dust?
Thankfully, that terrible moment was ended by a swift and powerful whack to his head.
“Yowch!” Asgore clutched his aching head, hands massaging over the spot where he’d been struck. His watery eyes went to the culprit.
WingDings twirled a large bone in his hands, looking entirely unrepentant. He raised a browbone at his friend. “YOU WERE SPIRALLING, ASGORE.”
His senses now returning to him, Asgore realised where his previous train of thoughts had been leading him.
Immediately, he was flooded with guilt.
He couldn’t believe that he had considered, even for a moment, hurting- no, killing a child. While it was unfortunately true - much to his everlasting shame - that he’d killed innocent human children before, that was only for the sake of his people! As king, he’d felt like he had no choice. But this… this was inexcusable.
He really was a miserable creature.
He was utterly irredeemable.
He should just-
“Oowww!!”
Yet another blow to the head put an end to his internal self-condemnation.
WingDings gave the king a sharp look. “YOU WERE SPIRALLING AGAIN.” He lifted up his bone club threateningly. “STOP THAT.”
Asgore cowered away from his friend, hands held up in a gesture of surrender. “Alright, alright. I understand. I will stop,” he promised. “And, uh… Thank you, old friend.”
A weak, but no less grateful smile rose to his lips. He truly was thankful to have a friend he could trust, to pull him back from his darker moments. Even if said friend’s methods were a little… extreme. They were certainly effective, at least.
Wings eyed him suspiciously, weighing the truth of the goat monster’s words. Seeming to accept Asgore’s sincerity, he relaxed. He casually tossed his bone club over his shoulder, letting it dematerialise in his shadow.
“YOU ARE WELCOME, ASGORE.” He smirked. “I AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO KNOCK SOME SENSE INTO YOU.”
Asgore gave a nervous chuckle, before shaking off the lingering sting in his skull.
When WingDings stepped forward, the king wordlessly backed away to allow his friend to kneel down beside Frisk, as he took out a pack of wet wipes from his Inventory.
The scientist then set about cleaning up the little girl’s face, with all the speed and efficiency of a single parent to two messy children. Frisk patiently endured the action without fuss, and when Wings was done, he waved off Asgore’s thanks, and moved on to his own children, who bore his efforts with far less grace than their human friend did.
Asgore gave the skeleton family a fond look, before turning back to Frisk. Taking his daughter into his arms once more, the king asked her to explain what had happened.
The little human eagerly launched into an explanation of the events of that morning, accompanied by the other children all chiming in to give their input on the unfortunate series of events. Everyone had something to say, and they all kept interrupting each other, and frequently went off on tangents, often devolving into petty insults and childish name-calling. Keeping the conversation on topic was no easy task.
It was more than a little difficult to put together what everyone was saying, but Asgore thought that he’d gotten the gist of what had occurred.
From what he’d understood, it had all started during the morning break, when all the children had been let out onto the playground.
Frisk had been approached by the young fish monster - who was apparently in the same class as Sans, despite being a year older than him. The stranger had, suddenly and without provocation, launched into a fight with Frisk, out of what the older girl had claimed was a desire to take the human’s Soul to free monsterkind. And because “humans are the enemies of everyone’s hopes and dreams, so they should all die!” according to the child.
What happened next was difficult to ascertain from the children’s chaotic arguments, but it seemed that Frisk had managed to dodge the other kid’s attacks surprisingly well - especially for a five-year-old. Asgore couldn’t help the spark of fatherly pride that ignited in his Soul at hearing that. His daughter was truly talented.
But despite her impressive agility, Frisk’s poor headband had gotten caught in the onslaught and had been knocked to the ground, resulting in one of its horns breaking off.
That had then caused Frisk to break down in tears.
“It was an accident,” the fish monster mumbled, looking genuinely contrite, her previous bluster and combativeness gone from her demeanour. “I didn’t mean to make her cry.”
Asgore could tell that she was being honest. The child had clearly not expected such a reaction from what she had believed to be nothing more than a heartless, “evil” human.
“I was gonna say sorry,” the child, Undyne, admitted, somewhat reluctantly. “But then he showed up!” A glare and a pointed finger were then aimed at Papyrus. “And he started attacking me!”
The skeleton monster in question immediately fired back with his own glare. “OF COURSE!! YOU HURT MY FRIEND!! YOU MADE FRISK CRY!!” Papyrus stomped his foot. The force of his anger caused his bones to rattle. “I HAD TO PROTECT MY FRIEND!! ‘CAUSE THAT’S WHAT GOOD FRIENDS DO!! AND I!! AM A GREAT FRIEND!!”
“The greatest,” Frisk agreed, nodding her head, a small smile playing on her lips for the first time that afternoon.
Asgore wasn’t sure how much of the skeleton child’s following boasting he should believe, but it was clear that Papyrus had fought bravely, managing to hold his own against the older monster, and meeting her energy spears head-on with his own bone attacks.
“He was pretty tough,” the fish monster conceded, grudging admiration shining in her eyes. Or at least, the one eye Asgore could see through the mess of red hair falling across the child’s face. “Heh, I never thought baby bones could be that strong.”
Papyrus visibly and audibly preened at her words.
“But his brother is way stronger!” The other child continued, causing Papyrus to deflate dramatically.
All eyes turned to Sans, who tensed and shrunk back underneath all the attention. He mumbled something too low for anyone to hear. It fell to the other children to explain, in their own ways, his part in the situation.
Apparently, at some point during the altercation, Sans had jumped in, completely out of the blue and seemingly from out of nowhere, in defence of his brother and his best friend. The two skeleton brothers had fought side by side, showing truly impressive coordination in their attacks, if the children were to be believed.
The poor fish monster had been completely out of her depth against her two opponents, and had been on the defensive the entire time. That explained her scuffed and dishevelled appearance. By comparison, Sans didn’t look to have a single scratch on him. Undyne had clearly gotten out of that fight the worst of them all.
Asgore didn’t miss the fiercely proud look in his best friend’s eye sockets. Indeed, WingDings hadn’t looked this proud even when he’d unveiled his newly-constructed CORE, though he was trying his best to not be too obvious about it. It wouldn’t do to encourage violence in the children, after all.
Especially not in the face of the deputy headmistress’s displeased scowl.
“Fighting is not allowed on school premises!” she screeched, blue feathers ruffling so badly, it left her glasses crooked atop her beak. “Not only could you have injured the other children, but you also made an absolute mess of the school grounds!”
The bird monster waved a wing towards the windows. A quick peek outside revealed a landscape littered with magical bullets that had yet to fade away. Tiny, glowing blue spears were stuck on various surfaces, and a near forest of bones of varying sizes jutted out from the ground.
Asgore blinked, taken aback by the destruction before his eyes. He shuddered to think of his tiny daughter amidst all that carnage. It was a miracle that she hadn’t been hit by a stray attack.
WingDings frowned as he observed the scene outside.
“THAT CERTAINLY IS… A LOT OF BONES,” he noted, mouth flattening into a thin line, his displeasure evident on his face. “AND ALL FOR JUST ONE OPPONENT.”
His stern gaze fell on his oldest son.
Sans cringed at his father’s accusing look. “hey, that girl’s the toughest in our class,” Undyne’s smug look was duly ignored, “we had to give it our all to protect frisk. we couldn’t take no chances.”
WingDings appeared unconvinced by his son’s words. “I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF, SANS.” He folded his arms, his frown deepening. “YOUR RESPONSE WAS EXCESSIVE. YOU DID NOT NEED TO LAUNCH SO MANY ATTACKS.”
Sans lowered his skull, but before he could say anything in response to his father’s scolding, Papyrus spoke up.
“HEY!! MOST OF THOSE BONE ATTACKS ARE MINE!! NYEH HEH HEH!!”
Both his tone and demeanour were filled with pride, and devoid of any awareness of the present situation.
Sans shot his younger brother a look of panic, as their father shifted his stern gaze over to Papyrus.
“IS THAT SO?” The eldest Gaster’s voice was deceptively soft, incongruent with the hard look in his eye sockets.
Papyrus remained blissfully ignorant of the danger he was walking into.
“IT IS SO!” he bragged, hands on his hips and rib cage puffing out. “I LAUNCHED WAY MORE BONES THAN SANS DID!”
His older brother rushed to intervene, stepping in between Papyrus and WingDings, as if he could physically protect his younger brother from their father’s ire.
“nah, he’s exaggeratin’, dad!” he tried to insist.
But his efforts were immediately thwarted.
“I AM NOT!!” Papyrus glared at his older brother, who tried desperately to shush him. But the seven-year-old would not be silenced. “I FOUGHT THE MOST!! I ATTACKED THE HARDEST!! I PROTECTED THE BEST!!”
So determined was he to declare his greatness, that Papyrus completely failed to register the storm brewing in his father’s expression, nor the growing alarm in his brother’s.
Thankfully for the youngest Gaster, he was saved from whatever punishment his father was planning, by his human friend.
“He did protect the best!” Frisk beamed at her friend, whose face lit up in response. She looked between Dr. Gaster and her father. “Papy was so cool! He- He was like… like a.. a knight from my books! Yeah! Papy was just like those super cool knights who fight scary bad guys to protect the princess and save the kingdom!”
Papyrus’s eye sockets glittered, both literally and figuratively, as wonder filled his expression. “WOWIE!! ME!! A KNIGHT!! THAT’S SO COOL!!”
The young monster appeared genuinely enchanted by the idea, his gaze lost in images of knightly valour and fairy tale chivalry.
WingDings’s face softened. “WELL. IT IS TRUE THAT YOU ACTED ONLY TO PROTECT YOUR FRIEND.” He let out a sigh. The corners of his mouth lifted up in a fond smile. “I SUPPOSE I CANNOT FAULT YOU FOR YOUR ACTIONS.” His gaze sharpened. “THIS TIME.”
Sans exhaled in relief, his shoulders slumping. Crisis averted and scolding avoided. He offered Frisk a grateful smile. His friend blinked at him cluelessly, but returned his smile nonetheless.
Meanwhile, the deputy headmistress looked like she had some choice words to say to all that. However, she was distracted when she noticed that, at some point, the owl monster had apparently given up on staying awake. Her feathers ruffled as she tutted at her sleeping colleague.
Undyne gave Frisk a disgusted look. “You like books? What are you, a nerd?”
The human tilted her head to the side in curiosity. “What’s a… n-nerd?”
The fish monster curled her lip at the question. “A lame loser who likes reading books and doing boring nerd stuff.” She shot Sans a mocking sneer. “Sans is the biggest nerd I know!”
The skeleton in question returned her sneer with a glare.
“maybe if you actually did ‘boring nerd stuff’ for once, ya wouldn’t’ve had to repeat a grade.” He lowered his voice and flashed Undyne a condescending grin. “who’s the real loser, eh?”
The fish monster bristled in offence. She bared her sharp fangs at the other child in a vicious snarl.
But before she could do anything rash in front of four disapproving adults, she was interrupted by Frisk’s excited gasp.
“So being a nerd is a good thing?” Awe filled her expression, as she beamed up at her father. “Daddy, Daddy! Did you hear that? I’m a nerd! Like Sans! I won’t have to repeat a grade!”
Asgore wasn’t sure how to feel about that. The other child had clearly meant that as an insult. But, in Asgore’s opinion, nerds were undeniably cool, as WingDings had proved, time and time again.
In the end, the king decided to just be happy that his daughter was happy and smiling again. “That is indeed, uh… good!”
Frisk giggled, the sound drowning out Undyne’s disdainful scoff.
All of a sudden, the harsh clearing of a throat cut through the atmosphere.
“Excuse me! Can we please get back to the topic at hand!?” The deputy headmistress glared at everyone in the room, and gestured furiously at the outside devastation. “There is still the matter of the wilful destruction of school property and the reckless endangerment of your peers!”
The two fathers and four children all shrunk back as they remembered their present situation. No one was sure what to say in the face of the bird monster’s wrath.
The deputy headmistress glowered at them all, before turning her blazing eyes onto the owl monster sleeping at his desk.
“Headmaster!”
Her shout successfully awoke the headmaster, who shot up with a startled hoot.
“Y-Yes! I’m awake! I’m awake! I-” He cut himself off with a yawn. His feathers puffed out briefly, before settling down. He rubbed his face, his large, round eyes blinking dazedly around him. “Hm? Yes? What is it, Miss Berdette?”
The deputy headmistress scowled at him.
“We were discussing this morning’s incident.” At the owl’s blank stare, the blue bird monster huffed in exasperation. “The fight on the playground involving four children.”
The headmaster’s face lit up in recognition. “Ah yes! That. Yes, I remember now.”
He cleared his throat, and folded his wings atop his desk. His primary feathers linked together like entwining fingers. His huge eyes fell steadily on the children. There was a surprising weight to his gaze, for a monster who’d been fast asleep mere moments ago.
“I hope you children understand what a serious situation this is.” He waited for them to murmur their acknowledgement of his words, before continuing at the same measured pace. There was an almost hypnotic quality to his soft, mellow voice, and his large eyes were arresting. “Fighting is forbidden on school grounds. You all know this. Do you all understand why? Do you all realise how dangerous reckless fighting and throwing around uncontrolled bullets are? What if you’d gotten hurt? What if you’d hurt someone else?”
The gravity in the headmaster’s voice bore down on the children like a physical weight. They all bowed their heads in shame. Even Frisk, who hadn’t actually done anything, got caught up in the regretful mood, and wore a look of contrition on her face, for acts she hadn’t even done.
As one, the children all apologised to the headmaster, voices low, heads and spirits even lower.
The owl monster stared at them solemnly for a few moments, before nodding his head. “Very well. As long as you’re sorry.”
At that, the serious air immediately dissipated.
The deputy headmistress spluttered in outrage. “It is not ‘very well’! A mere ‘sorry’ will simply not suffice!”
The headmaster was unruffled by her protest. He smiled affably at his colleague. “Now, now, Berdie. Don’t get yourself worked up over every little issue. You’ll give yourself a migraine again.”
The blue feathers on the bird monster’s face took on a red hue, but she seemed to bite her tongue at whatever she wanted to say. She exhaled harshly, then squeezed her eyes shut, as she started massaging her temples.
The headmaster gave the children a kind smile. “Do you all promise to never get into another fight inside the school ever again?”
The kids all dutifully nodded their heads and voiced their collective compliance.
The owl monster clapped his wings in delight. “Wonderful! Then I guess we’re all done here. Off you go, then.” He gave the others a genial wave of his wing, his feathers fluttering with the motion. “Night, night!”
And then his head fell down onto his desk. Loud snores began escaping his beak.
The deputy headmistress sighed. Her gaze rested on the owl’s sleeping figure, a calm entering her expression that had been absent all afternoon. She shook her head gently, then turned back to the others.
“Well, you heard the headmaster. The matter has been settled.” She gestured to the door. “You may all leave now and go home. No point remaining here at this time.”
Asgore stepped forward, wringing his hands. “Um. I deeply apologise for the trouble the children have caused.” He bowed his head. “I will see to it that the playground is fully restored to its previous state.”
The bird monster chuckled and waved off the king’s offer. “No need, Mr. Dreemurr. The school has a repair team on hand for just such an occasion.” The corners of her beak turned up into a wry smile. “Roughhousing is to be expected between young monsters still getting used to their magic. This wouldn’t be the first time the playground has gotten destroyed by a fight that got out of hand.” A hint of humour leaked into her voice. “Believe me, excited, young puppies have done far more damage than any stray bones or spears could hope to do!”
Asgore still appeared hesitant about letting the matter go, but WingDings stepped in before his friend could push the issue.
“THANK YOU FOR YOUR KINDNESS AND UNDERSTANDING.” He grabbed hold of the king’s arm and began dragging him out of the room. He waved for the children to follow them. “WE WILL BE LEAVING THEN. GOOD DAY. AND GOOD LUCK.”
Without another word from anybody, the group exited the office. The door shut behind them with a resounding clack, cutting off the sound of the headmaster’s snores.
The group let out a collective sigh.
Undyne was the first to recover. She eyed the human with a conflicted look on her face, before her expression steeled itself with determination. She squared her shoulders and marched towards the human with resolute steps.
Instantly, the other monsters tensed.
Sans and Papyrus stepped in front of their friend, but the fish monster forcefully pushed past them without a word.
Frisk looked up as the older girl stopped in front of her.
Undyne was quietly impressed that the little human showed not even a hint of fear, despite their earlier fight, but she wasn’t about to admit that to the human’s face. No, instead the young fish monster had something else to say to the girl she’d attacked.
“Look, human,” she began gruffly, discomfort etched into her features, “I, uh… I didn’t mean to break your headband, or-... or make you cry. That-...” She let out a huff, and ran a hand through her messy hair, her frustration almost palpable. She then fixed Frisk with a dark glare, though it was clear her anger wasn’t truly aimed at the human. “Look, I’m sorry, okay?!”
She crossed her arms and glared even harder, silently daring the human to rub her apology in her face and humiliate her further. She tried to ignore the blush creeping up her cheeks. She’d never apologised to anyone before. Not willingly, at least.
Frisk quietly took in the older girl’s apology. She blinked. “Okay.”
Undyne looked away and kicked at the ground. “I don’t expect you to forgive me or anything. I don’t need-!”
“I forgive you,” Frisk stated plainly, no trace of hesitation in her voice.
Undyne spluttered. “W-What?” She stared incredulously at the human, not believing her ears.
“I said I forgive you,” Frisk repeated. Her gaze was steady, and her eyes were clear, and devoid of any falsehoods.
The fish monster blinked at the human, struggling to process the other girl’s words. After a few seconds, Undyne averted her gaze, scratching at the back of her head.
“Oh, uh, that’s… um…” Her voice was shaky and uncertain. “...Thanks…”
She went quiet.
Undyne hadn’t expected the human to forgive her so easily, not after what she’d done.
A slow smile rose to her lips.
This human kept managing to surprise her.
Maybe… just maybe… this kid wasn’t all that bad, after all…
“Hey, um. Undyne, right?” Frisk’s voice broke her out of her thoughts.
The fish monster looked back. She raised her eyebrow. “Yeah? What about it?”
Frisk gave her a bright, hopeful look. “Does this mean we can be friends now?”
Undyne gave a start. “What?! Us?! Friends?!” She let out a snort and then laughed mockingly in the other girl’s face. “Yeah, right! As if I would ever be friends with a human! Don’t be stupid, punk! Fuhuhuhu!!”
Frisk’s face fell into a disappointed pout.
The other monsters all bristled angrily, looking ready to fight her, but Papyrus beat them to it.
“YOU’RE JUST SCARED!” He pointed an accusing finger at Undyne. He tried to mimic the mocking look his older brother had given her earlier, when Sans had so easily managed to rile the girl up. “YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO LOST TO ME (AND MY BROTHER) WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH SOMEONE AS COOL AS FRISK! YOU’RE JUST NOT UP TO THE CH-CHALLENGE!!”
He stumbled a bit on the last word, clearly still a little unfamiliar with it. But Undyne took no notice, her whole attention consumed by the younger monster’s taunt.
“WHAT!?” She seethed, looking more furious than ever. “I’m NOT scared!! And I’m up to any challenge!! Ngaaahhh!!”
She turned her blazing gaze on Frisk. Stepping closer, the older girl leaned into the human’s space to poke a finger at her chest.
“He thinks I can’t be friends with you!?”
She threw her head back in a laugh. “Fuhuhu! What a joke! I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day!”
She turned her head to shoot a glare at Papyrus and yell at him, “I’ll show you!”, before turning back to Frisk.
“Listen up, human.” She smirked at Frisk, her single visible eye lighting up with excitement at the prospect of a challenge. “We’re not just going to be friends. We’re going to be… BESTIES.”
Her grin widened, eye narrowing, as devious thoughts ran through her head. “I’ll make you like me so much, you won’t be able to think of anyone else!! Fuhuhuhu! It’s the perfect revenge!!”
Frisk stared blankly as the other girl laughed to herself. She wasn’t sure what was going on with Undyne, but the one thing that was clear to her was that the fish monster did want to be her friend after all.
Frisk’s face brightened, a wide smile forming on her lips.
She’d made another friend! And on her very first day of kindergarten!
The human startled slightly when Undyne reached forward and grasped both of her shoulders.
“You better prepare yourself, punk,” the older girl told her, eye narrowed at Frisk with a determined look on her face. “‘Cause starting tomorrow, we’re going to become closer than you can ever imagine!! Fuhuhu!!”
And after having had, quite literally, the last laugh, Undyne slapped Frisk roughly on the back, before departing with a wave and a, “see ya, dorks!” thrown over her shoulder.
Everyone stared after the fish girl, their faces a mix of different emotions.
Asgore furrowed his brows. He wasn’t sure what to make of that child. She wasn’t a bad monster, certainly, just a little… hot-headed. And more than a little brash. But beyond that, something about her was achingly familiar to him, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on what.
He left out a sigh.
At least the young girl was no longer interested in attacking his daughter. Speaking of…
The monster king looked down as he felt a tug on his hand.
His daughter’s brilliant smile met his gaze.
“Daddy, did you see that?! I made a new friend! And on my first day of school, too!”
Asgore gave his child a strained smile. “Indeed, Frisk. Isn’t that swell? Good for you, my dear!”
Frisk giggled, before turning her beaming smile on Papyrus. “Thank you, Papy! You’re the one who made Undyne wanna be my friend! You’re the greatest!”
Papyrus preened at his friend’s words. A prominent blush stained his bones, as a grin almost split his face in two. “NYEH HEH HEH HEH!! YOU’RE WELCOME, FRISK!! YET ANOTHER WIN FOR THE GREAT AND CLEVER PAPYRUS!!”
WingDings gazed warmly down at his youngest son, affection shining in his eye sockets. “YOU ARE DEFINITELY VERY CUNNING, PAPYRUS.” The edge of his mouth twisted upwards. “AND MANIPULATIVE. HEH. I AM IMPRESSED.”
While Papyrus was busy soaking up everyone’s praise, Sans hoped that no one had noticed him quietly sneaking away.
He took a shortcut and ended up in front of a certain fish monster.
Undyne let out an embarrassingly loud yelp at the skeleton monster’s sudden appearance.
“Wh-what do you want, nerd?”
Her attempt to act tough went ignored by Sans, as he stepped in closer. There was a dangerous edge to his grin.
“i just wanna make sure we’re on the same page.” He tilted his skull down, angling it so that a shadow fell across his face, making his eyelights stand out all the more. “make sure ya know where i’m standin’.”
His eyelights twinkled ominously. Undyne gulped against her will, but resisted the urge to back away.
“see, i’m not like my little bro and my best friend.” The skeleton monster’s voice lowered. “i don’t trust you. not at all. i’d say ‘not as far as i can throw you’, but…” his grin sharpened, “we both know i can throw you very far, heh heh heh.”
Undyne tense, her spine straightening in response to the clear threat. She bared her fangs at the boy.
“Ya wanna go, punk!? Finish our fight, now that the grown-ups aren’t here to get in our way!? NGAAAHHHH!!”
Despite her bravado, the young girl knew that she was outmatched. She’d seen the guy move. There was no way she would be able to keep up with him, not given how exhausted and achy she still felt from their previous tussle.
Not that she’d let that stop her.
Magic started gathering in Undyne’s hand.
She’d give it her all, no matter who her opponent was. She would never give up or back down from a fight!
But Sans only smirked and let out a few chuckles.
“nah, i’m not here to fight. unlike you, i don’t go pickin’ fights with those weaker than me.”
Undyne snarled at the barbed insult and swiped her spear at Sans’s skull. She was itching to wipe that obnoxious grin off of his dumb face!
Sans easily dodged her jab.
“nah, what i’m here for is to make sure you understand one simple thing.”
Before Undyne could blink, Sans lifted his hand and sent out his magic.
Instantly, Undyne’s Soul turned blue and an unnatural gravity forced her to the ground before she could react.
She hissed at the impact, her earlier bruises stinging painfully.
She fought back against the offending magic enough to lift herself up on her elbows and raise her head to glare at her opponent.
A shiver ran down her spine as she stared directly into Sans’s eye sockets.
One of the skeleton’s sockets was empty, nothing but a dark, chilling void.
The other was alight with flashing yellow and light blue.
“If you try to hurt my brother or my friend…” Sans’s voice was different, an odd quality to his tone and words which made them sound… wrong somehow. “Then buddy… Well…”
The pressure surrounding Undyne’s Soul disappeared all of a sudden, as Sans’s eye sockets went completely dark.
“You’re gonna have a bad time.”
Then, without warning, the entire world seemed to blink, as if time and space had momentarily split apart.
Sans vanished without a trace.
Undyne scrambled to her feet, head swiveling around to see if the other monster was still around, ready to strike again. Her magical spear was held in front of her defensively.
Once she had assured herself that she was truly alone once more, Undyne let out a deep breath.
She brushed the dirt off her clothes, as she remarked to herself,
“Geez. That guy is such a weirdo.”
__________
When Sans arrived back with the group, he was relieved to find that his disappearance seemed to have gone unnoticed.
Until he caught his father’s eyelight.
WingDings stared quietly at his eldest son for a moment, before giving him a subtle nod of his head. Unmistakable approval glimmered in his eye sockets. There was a slight, proud edge to the shallow quirk at the corner of the older monster’s mouth.
Sans felt his Soul thrum with relief.
It appeared that he wasn’t about to get grounded after all.
He stealthily made his way to his father’s side, and was welcomed with a hand stroking his skull and familiar magic washing over his form. He couldn’t help closing his eyes to savour the pleasant sensation.
“what’d i miss?” he whispered.
Before his father could answer, Frisk’s voice rang out.
“Please, Daddy! Please, please, please!”
Papyrus added his own pleading. “PLEASE!! PLEASE LET ME BE A ROYAL KNIGHT, UNCLE FLUFFYBUN!! I PROMISE TO BE THE GREATEST KNIGHT EVER!! AND PROTECT THE PRINCESS SUPER DUPER FLUPER GOOD!!”
Sans bit back a snicker.
It seemed his little bro had gotten it into his skull to become a knight. He guessed that Papyrus had been more taken with the idea than Sans had initially expected, back in the headmaster’s office. And of course their human friend was in full support. It had been her who’d put the thought into Papyrus’s head to begin with, after all.
Poor Asgore looked overwhelmed by the children’s pleas. “But there is no such position of Royal Knight.”
Instead of being deterred, Papyrus looked even more adamant. “THEN I WILL BE THE VERY FIRST!! AS WELL AS THE GREATEST!! NYEH HEH HEH!!”
Frisk nodded her head excitedly. “Yeah! Papy can be the first Royal Knight! That’ll make him extra special!”
Papyrus looked completely starstruck by the idea. Sans could practically see the sparkles twinkling around his eye sockets.
Asgore stared helplessly down at the children, unsure what to do. In desperation, he glanced towards his dearest friend, silently beseeching him for assistance.
Wings gave him a considering look. His gaze moved to the children.
“HMMM.” He crossed his arms, and drummed his skeletal fingers against his humerus.
Sensing a new target, the children turned their pleading gazes on the eldest Gaster instead.
His fingers stilled.
“I SEE NO ISSUE WITH THEIR REQUEST, GOREY. I THINK PAPYRUS WILL MAKE A FINE KNIGHT.”
Asgore stared at him in disbelief.
Papyrus and Frisk cheered and rushed towards Wings.
Two pairs of arms encircled his legs. Two very different - but equally dear to his Soul - faces beamed up at him.
“YAY!! THANK YOU, DADDY!!”
“Yeah, thank you, Uncle Wingsy! I love you!”
“I LOVE YOU TOO, DADDY!!”
WingDings felt his Soul melt. He reached down to caress the children’s heads, taking extra care to not get any of Frisk’s hair tangled in between his phalanges.
“I LOVE YOU BOTH AS WELL.” He bent down to press a kiss to each of their foreheads. “YOU THREE,” his gaze flickered to Sans, before returning to the two kids in front of him, smiling up at him with such bright and earnest adoration, “ARE THE LIGHT INSIDE MY SOUL.”
Papyrus and Frisk hugged him harder, their tiny faces aglow with joy. Sans ducked his head, an embarrassed blush spreading across his skull. However, he couldn’t conceal his happy smile.
Asgore gazed at the four of them with tender eyes, his Soul feeling as fuzzy as he was. A contented sigh slipped past his lips.
When his daughter and her friend looked up at him with such naked hope on their faces, all the king could do was shrug his shoulders in defeat. He could never deny the children anything.
“Very well then, young ones.” He tried to inject some solemnity into his voice, to make it feel like a royal proclamation, for the kids’ benefit. “If it is truly your wish, then when Papyrus is older, he may become our very first Royal Knight, whose duty it is to safeguard and protect my daughter, Princess Frisk Dreemurr.”
Papyrus and Frisk both whooped in delight, fist bumping the air. They gave each other a high five, before running over to Asgore and launching themselves at him.
“THANK YOU, UNCLE FLUFFYBUN!!!”
“Thank you, Daddy!! You’re the best!!”
“AND THE FLUFFIEST!!”
The king chuckled, returning their hug with equal enthusiasm.
“You are welcome, young ones.” He held them close for a moment, before leaning away, to look them both in the eyes (sockets). “Just… Please… Promise me that you will not be reckless. Do not pick fights with anyone. And do your best to stay out of danger.”
Papyrus and Frisk were quick to agree.
“I PROMISE I WILL!! ERR, I WON’T!! ERRR-”
“Whatever you say, Daddy!”
“THAT’S RIGHT! WHAT SHE SAID! I MEAN, WHAT YOU SAID! I WILL DO AS YOU SAID, BECAUSE I’M SUCH A GOOD LISTENER!!”
Asgore gave them both a warm smile. He reached a hand to each of their heads to stroke them, sending them his most affectionate Intent through his magic.
“And Papyrus.” Said child stood straight at the king’s address. “If you ever change your mind-”
“I WON’T!” Papyrus interjected, a determined look on his face. “NEVER!! I WILL BECOME A KNIGHT!! I PROMISE!! WHEN I GROW UP, I’M GONNA BECOME THE. GREATEST. ROYAL. KNIGHT. EVER!!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!”
Asgore could see that the young monster had his mind set on achieving his dream, and would not be dissuaded any time soon. The old king let out a resigned sigh, fondness curling his lips upwards.
“Golly! I have no doubt that you will, Papyrus.”
Papyrus puffed out his rib cage, a proud grin stretching wide across his skull.
“NYEH HEH HEH! THAT’S RIGHT! I WILL BE A GREAT KNIGHT!” he declared, eye sockets sparkling as he imagined his future heroic deeds and noble exploits. “I’LL GO ON ADVENTURES! AND QUESTS! I’LL SOLVE PUZZLES! FIND TREASURES! FIGHT OFF BAD GUYS! AND SAVE THE PRINCESS (THAT’S FRISK)! AND THE KINGDOM! AND- AND- ERR…”
He paused, struggling to think of what other brave acts a great knight was expected to perform.
He looked to Frisk for help.
The human furrowed her brow in thought, trying to recall what her story books had to say about a knight’s duties.
“Well… in my books, after the brave knight saves the kingdom,” she pursed her lips, “he marries the princess.”
Asgore gave a jolt, feeling his fur stand on end.
Papyrus didn’t look too pleased, either, about what his friend had told him. “BUT- BUT… I DON’T THINK I WANNA MARRY YOU, FRISK! I DON’T LIKE YOU LIKE THAT.”
Frisk nodded her head in agreement. “I don’t like you like that either, Papy. And I’m not gonna marry you.” Her gaze then landed on Sans. Her face was set with determination. “When I grow up, I’m gonna marry Sans.”
Colour exploded across Sans’s skull in the fiercest blush Frisk had ever seen. He made a strange choking sound, before grabbing the edge of his hood and forcefully yanking it down his skull. He pulled on the strings until only a glimpse of his teeth remained. His bones were rattling.
Frisk stared at her best friend with wide eyes.
His reaction captivated her. She’d never seen him like that before, so… flustered. It was funny. And cute. And utterly delightful.
Frisk decided that she wanted to see him like that more often.
Her father’s reaction was far less entertaining, however.
Asgore fluttered around her in a panic, giving her desperate, pleading looks.
“Please, Frisk,” he begged his daughter. “You are far too young to think of such things! Please forget about thoughts of marriage, and just enjoy being a child!”
Frisk gave him a confused frown. “But it’s fun to imagine what I’m gonna do when I grow up. And Uncle Wingsy says it’s smart to ‘plan for the future’.”
Asgore shot his Royal Scientist a betrayed look.
WingDings coughed nervously into his hand. He avoided his king’s gaze.
Asgore returned his attention to his daughter, hoping that a different tactic might prove more fruitful.
“But why do you want to marry Sans?” He wrung his hands, unable to keep them still. “It cannot be just because he gave you a nice present!”
Frisk looked offended at the suggestion. “‘Course not! It’s ‘cause I want a happily ever after.”
Asgore blinked. “What?”
Frisk sighed dramatically, as if her father was being deliberately slow.
“A happily ever after. Like in the stories you read to me.” At her father’s blank look, Frisk explained, with all the patience a five-year-old could muster. “At the end of the story, the heroes get married and live happily ever after. I want that too! And Sans always knows how to make me happy. So, when we get married,” another choking sound came from the vicinity of Sans’s hood, which went ignored by all, “he’ll know how to get us a happily ever after!”
Well, then.
Asgore’s shoulders slumped.
He couldn’t fault his daughter for her logic, as simplistic and childish as it was. It did make a certain kind of sense, he supposed. To a young child, at least.
“Also!” Frisk continued, blissfully ignorant of the dark cloud hanging over her father’s head. “When I marry Sans, Papy will be my brother, and I really, really, really want Papy as my brother. I know he’ll be the coolest brother ever!”
The smile her words brought to Papyrus’s face was a stark contrast to Asgore’s dour mien.
“WOWIE!!” The young skeleton monster clasped the sides of his skull, as a blush rose to his cheekbones. “YOU’RE RIGHT, FRISK!! WE CAN BE BROTHER AND SISTER!! NYEH HEH HEH!! I KNOW YOU’LL BE THE COOLEST SISTER EVER!!”
Their exchange finally managed to get Sans to peek his (still blushing) face out from within the confines of his hoodie.
Coherent speech remained beyond his reach, however, as he could only grunt in agreement.
“And, and!” Frisk could barely contain her excitement, as thoughts of her perfect future danced across her mind’s eye. “Uncle Wingsy will be my second daddy!” WingDings gave a start, his eye sockets widening. “We’ll be one big family! The best family ever!!”
Asgore couldn’t help but smile at that, albeit weakly. “Golly. That sounds neato.”
Frisk giggled, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Asgore gave a deep sigh, resignation settling heavy on his Soul.
Oh well. At least his daughter was happy.
_____
The group decided to walk back to Asgore's Castle.
A lot had happened that day, and they’d all silently agreed that the walk back home would help them all process the events of the day.
The children had also begged their parents for a sleepover - none of them were eager to be separated from each other after their earlier fight with the fearsome Undyne. Both fathers had agreed without hesitation.
It hadn’t taken long for the day’s excitement - and her prior distress - to catch up to Frisk. When she’d started yawning, her father had offered to carry her, and she’d quickly fallen asleep in his arms.
Feeling rather exhausted himself after all that had happened, Asgore held Frisk close, letting her head rest on his shoulder, her peaceful face tucked into the crook of his neck. He had a large hand on her back, to make sure she wouldn’t slip. The king could feel his child’s Soul beneath his fingers, still as strong as ever.
The goat monster allowed his daughter’s warmth and the sound of her soft snores to wash over his tired Soul like a balm.
When he felt WingDings fall into step beside him, Asgore glanced over.
The skeleton monster was looking ahead of him, eyelights fixed on the forms of his two sons.
Papyrus was talking animatedly to Sans, slowly coaxing his older brother out of hood town.
Asgore fought back his instinctive frown at the sight of the monster who would one day steal his daughter away from him. He reminded himself that it wasn’t the child’s fault that Frisk’s hopes and dreams involved a future with Sans.
Asgore would just have to get used to the idea.
He grimaced.
That didn’t mean he had to like it, though.
The king’s ears perked up when his old friend finally chose to speak.
“I ADMIT THAT I MAY HAVE BEEN… WRONG,” Wings’s face twisted unpleasantly as he uttered that last word, “ABOUT FRISK EVENTUALLY CHANGING HER MIND ABOUT SANS, AND FORGETTING ALL ABOUT HER PLANS. I KNOW HER WELL ENOUGH TO RECOGNISE THAT THIS IS NOT SIMPLY A CHILDISH WHIM. THOUGH I SUPPOSE THAT THERE IS STILL A CHANCE THAT SHE MAY CHANGE HER MIND IN THE FUTURE.” He looked doubtful about that possibility, however.
Asgore wasn’t in the slightest bit happy about his friend’s admission.
His Soul instinctively reached out to his daughter’s, and wrapped it in his magic, his Intent both protective and possessive.
He would need to learn to let go in time.
But not today.
Not yet.
He would hold his little girl close for as long as he could.
“HOWEVER,” WingDings continued, “I WAS RIGHT THAT FRISK WOULD BE FINE.”
Asgore shot his friend an incredulous look.
WingDings smirked back at him.
“FRISK IS UNHARMED,” the old skeleton monster pointed out. “MY SONS DID A FINE JOB PROTECTING HER. GRANTED, HER HEADBAND DID GET DAMAGED. HOWEVER! THAT IS AN EASY FIX. I WILL HAVE IT REPAIRED BY TOMORROW MORNING. AND! BEST OF ALL! FRISK MADE A NEW… FRIEND.” A dark look flashed across his face, but it was gone before Asgore could be certain of what he’d seen. The scientist’s self-satisfied grin soon returned to his face. “ALL IN ALL... EVERYTHING TURNED OUT JUST FINE!”
Asgore gave Wings a long, hard stare, before he actually started to consider his friend’s words.
Frisk had managed to avoid being hurt when she’d been attacked. She’d evaded the other girl’s bullets for long enough for her friends to come to her aid. The Gaster children had then successfully kept his daughter safe during their entire fight, despite the damage wrought to their environment. And in the end, Frisk had even managed to befriend her attacker!
A smile slowly dawned across Asgore’s face.
His little girl had made a new friend on her very first day of school! That was marvellous! He was so proud of her.
Asgore felt his daughter shift slightly in his arms. A small hand reached out to grab hold of his beard, and tiny fingers tangled themselves in the long, golden strands. Frisk’s soft snores continued to echo in his ears.
Warmth curled in his Soul, a blissful contentment that made it glow, unseen in his chest.
Asgore hummed a quiet tune to himself.
WingDings was right.
Everything had turned out just fine.
______________________________________
TLDR from AO3: Undyne's in this fic now. Headmaster has name and lore, but they didn't matter to the story so were omitted. Deltarune and fangames won't be prominently referenced, because this is an Undertale fic. If no one motivates me to keep writing, then I'm going at my own pace and having fun with Fields of Mistria, until the urge to write ambushes me again.
First of all, Happy New Year!! I hope 2025 will bring many blessings and be a good year for all! ヾ(≧▽≦*)o
Well what do you know, once AGAIN the chapter kept getting longer and longer and LONGER! These characters kept dragging everything out and would not let me just move on! I really, REALLY wanted to cut the chapter short, but last time, I made a promise that the skelebros would be making their return in the next chapter, and I REFUSE to have my very first chapter of the new year start on a broken promise. So, this chapter took longer to come out than I would've liked, but in return you get one of the longest chapters I've ever written at over 7.8k words!
I hope the wait was worth it and that you enjoy this chapter!
____________________________________
One of the great joys of watching his daughter grow up, Asgore decided, was getting to see her developing her personality.
And what a personality it was!
His Frisk was proving herself to be an adventurous, energetic, and curious child. And above all, she was determined. Asgore was certain that there was nothing she could not do if she set her mind to it.
From the moment she became mobile, she explored her surroundings to the best of her abilities. First by crawling, then by toddling all around her home, tiny hands grabbing at anything and everything she could, examining every object she came across.
She crawled under every dark space, climbed onto every ledge, and opened every door and drawer.
And once she learned to talk, she began voicing her curiosity as well.
_____
“Daddy!” Frisk’s cry brought her father running to her side in an instant.
Asgore came to a halt when he saw his two-year-old daughter standing in front of his ex-wife’s old room. Frisk was on her tip-toes, arms stretched upwards and hands reaching up to grasp the door handle.
Frisk tugged on the handle with all her might, and huffed in frustration when the door refused to budge.
“Door no open!” she complained, her voice coming out in a loud, childish whine.
Asgore hesitated. His Soul clouded over with mixed feelings at the sight of that door, permanently closed for “renovations”.
“That’s right. That door is locked. It won’t open, no matter how hard you pull,” he tried to explain.
Frisk’s frown deepened. She gave the handle another rough yank, then let go when that once again proved fruitless. She bawled her tiny hands into fists and leveled a pout at her father.
“Why?”
Asgore let out a sigh, unsure how to explain the situation to his young child. He wasn’t sure he could adequately explain it to himself.
“That room used to belong to someone. Someone… important.” Asgore felt his Soul give a sharp pang as Toriel’s face flashed across his mind. He swallowed thickly and hurried on, before Frisk could ask about her. “But she left a very long time ago, so I locked the door to her room. I don’t want anyone going into it, in case that person ever decides to come back.” And in case he was ever tempted to wallow in a past he could never return to.
Frisk’s brow furrowed deeply as she considered her father’s words. Her gaze went to the door that wouldn’t open, then to her father who wouldn’t open it.
His eyes looked sad.
Frisk wanted to ask about it, about that mysterious someone who left, but she didn’t want to talk about things or people who made her father look sad. Besides, she didn’t know enough words yet.
Asgore let out the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding, when his daughter nodded her head and walked away from the locked door. He very much doubted that that was the end of the matter. But he was relieved that, for now at least, Frisk was content to let it go.
However, his curious child eventually found another way to bring up topics he didn’t want to talk about.
_____
“Daddy?”
Asgore looked up from where he was folding his daughter’s freshly-washed clothes on her bed. “Yes, Frisk?”
The three-year-old girl reached up and grabbed hold of a photo frame sitting on top of her dresser.
Asgore’s breath caught in his throat when the little human showed him the photograph she held.
“Who them?” his daughter asked him with innocently curious eyes.
The old king pushed the clothes to the side and sat down on the bed with a sigh. He beckoned his child over and patted the spot next to him.
Frisk quickly went to his side and climbed onto her bed. She sat down beside her father and eagerly handed him her latest discovery, looking up at him with patient expectancy.
Asgore took a moment to gaze at the photo of his lost family. His eyes trailed across the smiling faces of his ex-wife and deceased children, Soul aching at the sight of loved ones he’d never see again. Old memories beckoned to him.
He felt his daughter, warm and alive, scoot closer to him and press herself into his side. Her presence, both tiny yet impossibly massive, helped ground him and settle the quivering of his Soul. Asgore would forever be grateful to his daughter for always managing to bring him back to the present, whenever he got lost in the past.
He cleared his throat and angled the photo so that she could see it better.
“This is the family I had, long, long before you were born.”
Frisk’s eyes widened at this incredible revelation, her mouth dropping open in her surprise. She leaned in even closer, eyes raking across the photograph and taking in every detail of these people - her father’s old family - with renewed fascination.
Asgore tried to quell the shaking in his hands as he pointed to each person in turn. “This is Toriel, my former wife. We had an argument-” more like she yelled at him, while he cowered in the face of her rage and disgust, “-and she left here a very long time ago. No one has seen her since.”
Frisk’s eyes narrowed. Asgore could practically see the thoughts churning in her head. He hurried on.
“This is Asriel, our son and first child. He…” Asgore took in a shaky breath. He drew comfort from his daughter’s presence, her bright Soul acting as a beacon of hope. “He died a very long time ago. As did our second child, Chara.”
Frisk’s face fell, obviously disappointed at the news that she’d lost two siblings, long before having even had the chance to get to know them.
Asriel looked kind, and soft, like her father. And Chara kind of reminded her of herself. She wished that she could have met them. She was sure that they would have gotten along.
She reached a hand towards the image of her newly discovered - but long lost - siblings, tracing her finger across their features as if committing them to memory. She may never know them, but she would remember them.
Maybe in her dreams she could play with them, like she did in real life with her best friends, Papy and Sans.
Her eyes moved towards the image of the last person in the photo. Her father’s former wife.
She pointed at Toriel and asked her father, “is she my mummy?”.
Asgore wanted so badly to be able to say yes. But Toriel herself had denied that possibility when she left, all those years ago.
So instead, he shook his head. “No, Frisk, she isn’t. Your mummy was a human who came to the Underground from the Surface. She died when you were born. She loved you very much, though. More than anything in the world.”
He wanted to make sure that Frisk knew that. He owed at least that much to the woman who’d given him his daughter.
Frisk’s face fell again, taking this latest news even harder than the rest. She was so upset to learn that she’d also lost her mother before having ever known her, on top of two siblings. Her face scrunched up, fat tears welling in her eyes. It was so unfair!
Asgore felt his Soul constrict at the sadness radiating from his daughter’s own Soul. The trembling of her lower lip was mirrored by the trembling of his Soul.
He carefully put aside the photograph and gathered his child into his arms.
Frisk returned his hug with surprising force for one so small. She buried her head in his chest and let herself cry out her disappointment, expressing her discontented feelings in the only way she knew how.
Asgore gently rubbed his daughter’s back and pressed a kiss to her head. He desperately searched his mind for anything he could do to cheer her up.
Suddenly, an idea came to him.
“Golly, Frisk, I just thought of something!”
Frisk sniffed, a sound that shot through him like one of Wings’s bone attacks.
Her sobs subsided, and she looked up at him. Asgore’s Soul almost cracked at the wet tears in his daughter’s eyes. He gently wiped them away, not caring how they soaked into his fur or that the salt would later crust and clump it together unpleasantly.
“Since your mother was a human, her Soul was really strong! Just like yours is.”
Frisk blinked. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips, at hearing that she had something so cool in common with her mother. Asgore widened his own smile in encouragement.
“Well, when a Soul is that strong, it persists even after a human’s death.” Asgore read the question forming in his daughter’s eyes and answered it. “That means that it did not disappear - it stayed with us. In fact, I’ve kept your mummy’s Soul, safe and sound, all this time. If you want, I can show it to you.”
Frisk was definitely intrigued by her father’s offer. It wouldn’t be the same as actually meeting her mother for real, but it was better than nothing. Besides, she’d never seen a Soul before. This could be very, very interesting!
“Yes pease, Daddy!” Frisk nodded eagerly, her previous tantrum already nothing but a distant memory in her mind.
Asgore smiled in relief. He stood up and held out his arms. “Alrighty then. Shall we go now?”
Frisk immediately launched herself at her father, who hurried to catch her. She giggled. “Yes! Now!”
Asgore chuckled and held her close. “Let’s go, then!”
Frisk cheered. “Go! Go!”
___
The little human’s excitement had quieted by the time they arrived at where the human Souls were being stored.
It was a room she had never been to before, nestled deep, deep below her home, and surrounded by thick, metal walls. The room was empty, save for several machines (which reminded her of the ones she’d seen in Doctor Gaster’s lab), as well as six large, glass cylinders, each containing a single faintly glowing, heart-shaped object. She noticed that each heart was a different colour.
Something about those colourful hearts made her feel very uneasy.
And while being in a new place would normally fill her with intense curiosity and a determination to explore all that she could, this room felt too… wrong.
It felt too cold… too quiet… too dark.
Or maybe that was just her imagination.
She clung tightly to her father’s hand as he led her towards one of the hearts - the pretty green one.
“This is it, Frisk,” her father’s voice was hushed, a quiet reverence colouring his tone. “This is your mother’s Soul.”
Stood before the container holding her late mother’s Soul, Frisk felt nervousness creep into her, despite her best efforts to suppress it.
Asgore kneeled down beside his daughter. He placed a hand on her back and gently coaxed her forward.
“Go ahead, young one,” he encouraged her. “Go and say hello to your mummy’s Soul.”
Frisk hesitated for a moment longer, before she resolutely shook off her sudden shyness. She marched towards the green heart - Soul, that was her mother’s Soul! - with as much determination as she could muster.
At her approach, the green Soul seemed to come to life - or something like it, at least. It drifted closer to her, pressing itself as close to her as the glass separating them would permit.
Frisk was positive that the Soul was glowing just a little brighter.
It emboldened her to place her hand on the glass, right where her mother’s Soul was.
The glass was cold.
And yet, Frisk imagined that she could almost feel the warmth of her mother’s Soul.
At her touch, the Soul’s light got brighter.
Frisk felt warmer.
It made her smile. She liked her mother’s Soul.
“Howdy, Mummy!” she greeted the Soul, injecting as much enthusiasm into her voice as she could, for her mother’s sake.
Since her mother probably didn’t know a lot about her, on account of her being dead for so long, Frisk thought it best if she introduced herself, like her father had taught her to do when new monsters came to visit her. “I’m Fwisk! Nice to meetcha!”
Asgore smiled down at his daughter, pleased with her positive reaction to meeting her mother’s Soul.
“Very good, Frisk.” His daughter preened at the praise. “How’s about you tell your mummy all about yourself? So that she can get to know you better. I am sure that would make her happy.”
Frisk looked more than okay with this suggestion.
Turning towards her mother’s Soul, the little human launched into a long, barely coherent speech, all about herself (“I’m thwee! I live with my Daddy”), her likes (“I love Daddy, I love my fwiends, Sans an’ Papy, I love fowers…”), her dislikes (“I hate soda! Blergh!”), and anything that came to her mind, really (“last I stay with Sans an’ Papy, there a doggy an’ it, an’ it took Papy bone, an’ Papy so mad, so he-! An’ then his daddy- oh! He soooo funny! An’ Sans too! An’ Papy too! Hahaha!”).
Asgore was amazed at how talkative his little girl was being. Frisk was normally a rather quiet child, preferring to listen rather than to talk, only speaking up when she had something she wanted to say.
He’d never heard her talk so much before.
He found that he could listen to her all day long.
The old goat monster smiled softly as his daughter rambled to her mother’s Soul.
His child looked happy.
The Soul looked happy too. Well, he assumed it was happy, given how brightly it shone.
And… he was also happy. Happy enough that his Soul was shining too, deep in his chest.
Frisk paused to catch her breath after all that talking, and perhaps to gather her thoughts to share with her mother.
She stared at the floating heart, admiring the pretty, vibrant green colour. She wondered if her mother was as beautiful as her Soul. She also wondered if her own Soul was as beautiful as her mother’s. She hoped so. She wanted to feel close to her mother, even if they’d never properly meet.
Overcome by a sudden, childish urge, Frisk spread her arms wide and tried her best to hug the last remaining piece of her mother.
She wished that the glass wasn’t in the way.
She wished that she could hug her mother for real.
She wished that her mother was still alive.
But, above all…
“Thank you for staying with me, Mummy.”
She was happy that her mother didn’t completely disappear. That a part of her, no matter how small, no matter how out of her reach, had persisted.
_____
From then on, Asgore took Frisk to visit her mother’s Soul from time to time.
Each time Frisk decided that she had something important she wanted to share with her mother, she would ask her father to take her back to that dark room with the six hearts.
And each time, the green Soul would shine brighter, hovering as close to Frisk as possible.
Even the other Souls seemed to be glowing just that little bit brighter, floating just that tiny bit closer to Frisk.
Asgore wasn’t sure what to make of it.
He told Wings about the strange phenomenon, but if his Royal Scientist had any speculations on the matter, he didn’t share them with him.
The monster doctor did ask to study the Souls, though. A request that Asgore granted, after receiving a reassurance from Wings to not use the green Soul in any of his experiments, out of respect for Frisk’s mother.
Asgore didn’t know what his friend was looking for or what he hoped to find. But maybe, just maybe…
They might uncover some of the hidden mysteries of the human Soul. And knowing more about them could maybe, possibly, hopefully lead to Wings and his team of talented assistants discovering a way to break the Barrier without using seven human Souls.
It was a small hope.
And a fragile one.
But it was hope nevertheless.
And it was that small and fragile hope which guided Asgore for the next several months, for the next year, lifting his spirits high up, so high that he felt like he could almost touch the Surface once more.
“Daddy? When will my horns grow in?”
Until his daughter’s innocent question brought him crashing back down to below Earth once again.
_____
Doctor WingDings Gaster prided himself on his sharp intellect. He was celebrated throughout the entire Underground as a brilliant scientist without equal, an unparalleled genius. His accomplishments were many and well documented. He’d made advancements in the realm of science that few in the entire world could ever hope to match.
Admittedly, there were some areas that he was less knowledgeable about. Emotions and interpersonal relationships were more his late wife’s expertise. However, when it came to scientific research, he was the very best in his field.
It was why everyone depended on him to find a solution to their biggest problem - namely, how to escape from their terrible prison.
From the beginning, WingDings had put his Soul into looking for a way to free himself and his people. He’d dedicated many years of tireless research to this task.
But all he’d found was what they’d already suspected.
Only the Soul power of seven human Souls could break the Barrier.
Something that could not be recreated artificially, as he’d eventually been forced to accept.
And so, he’d then redirected his efforts into making their lives in the Underground more bearable.
This was what had led to his construction of the CORE, his greatest achievement thus far (although his children did rival this in his eye sockets).
With a reliable source of energy, monsters could finally begin to live comfortably.
Well, as comfortable as being forever imprisoned beneath a mountain could ever be.
And despite his best efforts and vast intellect, there were some things even he could not fix or improve.
Space was beginning to become a real concern, for one. With limited space and a steadily rising population, there was less and less room for everyone. Monsters were getting increasingly worried. Some had even started Falling Down.
The future was beginning to look bleak.
And WingDings was growing concerned.
The longer monsters remained trapped Underground, the more desperate they’d become to find a way out. And the more desperate monsters became, the more WingDings feared that they might be tempted to look to their one surefire ticket out of this situation -
Frisk.
The final human Soul they needed to be free.
And Asgore’s only living child.
WingDings refused.
He refused to allow them to sacrifice his dearest friend’s beloved daughter, his king’s greatest source of hope and happiness. The child that he’d helped bring into the world, who he had watched grow for the past four years, and who he had devoted so much time and effort into keeping alive. The child that he’d come to care for as if she were his own.
Such an option was utterly unacceptable.
Therefore, he had to come up with an alternative. And soon.
As luck or fate would have it, a possible lead had suddenly presented itself to him.
Gaster ran a bony finger down the glass cylinder housing the light blue Soul.
The Soul trembled almost imperceptibly, then seemed to back away from him ever so slightly.
He would’ve missed the action if he hadn’t been looking so closely.
Gaster smiled.
How very
Very
Interesting.
He typed some notes into his computer.
The nature of Souls had long remained a mystery.
Monsters had their own beliefs as to what comprised a monster Soul, whether true or not. But no one had ever done any extensive research on Souls before. There were a couple of reasons for this.
For one, it was considered unethical by most. Souls were the very culmination of one’s being, whether one was a monster or a human. To mess with a person’s very essence was seen as disrespectful, at best.
Not that such a thing would’ve stopped Gaster from doing what was necessary to protect those he loved.
Regardless, the greater obstacle was that it was quite simply impossible to properly study a monster Soul, given how deeply attuned a monster’s Soul was to their body. The two were intrinsically linked, inseparable. Which was why monster Souls did not persist after a monster’s death. Even Boss Monster Souls could only persist for a few, all too brief moments, before shattering and turning into Dust like the rest.
And as for human Souls, well…
It wasn’t as if a human would ever willingly give up its Soul - or even allow one to be taken - for monsters to study. Especially not since humans were unable to sense and call forth Souls, the way monsters could.
Human Souls were an even bigger mystery to humans than they were to monsters.
Which was why Gaster had never thought to include human Souls in his research. He’d never been able to experiment on them and study them before.
Until now.
If he could figure out how the human Soul worked, the way he had with the human body, then perhaps…
He might be able to deduce some way to replicate its power.
He might even find a way to harness its power for the benefit of Monsterkind.
Gaster looked over all of the notes he’d taken during his observation of the six human Souls.
They were truly a treasure trove of information - if one knew how to look.
And how to probe.
Gaster had become very good at prising information out of his subjects.
But one mystery yet remained, one important secret remaining tantalisingly out of his reach -
What made human Souls so powerful?
Gaster was unable to identify the source of their great power with the current tools at his disposal. But he was a genius, after all. He just needed to create a machine that could isolate and extract this mysterious component from the human Souls, so that he could properly examine it.
The Royal Scientist dragged a stack of papers towards himself and grabbed a pencil. With careful, precise strokes, he began to draw up potential blueprint designs for such a machine.
It was as he was sketching the machine’s inner mechanisms, that his personal cell phone began to ring, the one whose number was known to only a select, precious few.
His hand automatically went to answer it, a response born from four years of his closest friend frequently calling him at all times of the day (and occasionally the night).
“HELLO?”
As he’d expected, Asgore’s voice greeted him immediately.
“Wings! I need your help! Frisk- I told her- but she asked-!” WingDings was struck by a strong feeling of déjà vu. “I don’t know what to do, please come here right now, she won’t stop crying-!”
WingDings was already putting his papers and instruments away and packing up to leave.
“ASGORE, PLEASE CALM YOURSELF.” He didn’t know what the problem was this time, but he sincerely hoped that it did not involve another dying human. Not his human, at least. “TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND EXPLAIN TO ME CLEARLY: WHAT HAPPENED WITH FRISK? IS SHE ALL RIGHT? IS SHE SAFE AND UNHARMED?”
“Yes, she’s fine.” Even WingDings was taken aback by the sheer force of the wave of relief that swept over him upon hearing that. “Well, physically at least. She’s upset, though. Really, really upset!”
As was Asgore, clearly, from the way he sounded to be on the verge of tears.
“You see, she asked me when her horns were going to grow in. So, I decided that now is the perfect time to explain to her that she’s adopted and that she’s a human, not a monster.”
Oh. Oh.
Honestly, WingDings was a little surprised that Frisk hadn’t realised that a lot sooner. Then again, monsters all had radically different appearances and magic, and she was only a young child. WingDings had probably gotten too used to how perceptive Sans was.
“And then! She burst into tears and ran into her room!” Asgore wailed, most likely in tears himself at this point, if WingDings knew him at all. “She won’t come out and I can still hear her crying. Oh Wingsy, what do I do?”
WingDings felt his Soul constrict at the misery in his oldest friend’s voice. Asgore had always been a crybaby, with a Soul too gentle and kind for this harsh and cruel world. And Toriel was no longer here to soothe his pain and ease his worries.
Which meant that it was now up to WingDings.
And he would not let Asgore down, the way Toriel had.
“WELL FOR STARTERS, GO PUT THE KETTLE ON. I AM CERTAIN THAT A CUP OF TEA WILL DO US BOTH GOOD.” He could hear Asgore move to carry out his order. “I WILL BE OVER THERE VERY SOON, ASGORE. AND I WILL BRING MY SONS WITH ME. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO COMFORT FRISK FAR BETTER THAN US OLD MEN CAN. AFTER ALL, FRIENDS ARE AN INCOMPARABLE TREASURE.”
As WingDings well knew.
Asgore sniffed softly into his phone. He seemed to be calming down already, which relieved the old skeleton. “Thank you, Wingsy. I’m so happy you’re here. Gee, I don’t know what I’d ever do without you.”
WingDings smiled, feeling a tingle in his Soul. Warmth spread through his rib cage and across his cheekbones.
“YOU NEED NOT EVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT, GOREY.”
_____
Sans shuffled his feet, discomfort prickling along his spine, as he and his little brother stood in front of Frisk’s bedroom door. Unease itched in his bones at the situation he’d found himself in.
When his father had suddenly appeared and dragged him and Papyrus away from their homework, the brothers had only received a vague and rushed explanation. But they had understood the gist of it.
Frisk was sad.
And it was up to him and Papyrus to cheer her up.
His little bro was more than up for the task, obviously. And Sans…
Well, what were friends for?
Papyrus knocked on Frisk’s door with all the force and exuberance he put into everything he did in life. The youngest skeleton monster waited just long enough to receive a response, before throwing open the door and marching into their friend’s room like he owned the place (and with how much time he’d spent in that room, he practically did).
Sans followed his brother at a more sedate pace, making sure to close the door behind him as (his father’s) manners dictated.
By the time he joined his brother’s side, Papyrus had already engulfed their human friend in an all-encompassing hug, allowing Frisk to cry into the skeleton’s chest.
Papyrus was showing remarkable restraint in not reacting to the copious amounts of disgusting human fluids Frisk was unleashing upon him. He clearly had Sans beat in the friendship department. Sans was so proud of his little brother.
In between Frisk’s wails and sobs, Sans managed to catch a few words which helped shed some light on what had gotten his little buddy in such a sorry state.
“D-Daddy said I- *sniff* I’m ad-dopted!”
Oh. Oh.
He and Papyrus had been told about Frisk being Mr. Dreemurr’s adopted child from the beginning, but it seemed that Frisk had remained unaware of this fact this whole time.
Sans winced. Oof, that had clearly come as a shock to her. No wonder she was so distraught.
“A-And he s-said that I.. I… I-” Papyrus rubbed her back as Frisk choked on her words. She took in a few deep breaths and said in a long, anguished wail, “I’m a huuumaaaann!! Waaaaaaahh!!”
Sans blinked. She… She hadn’t realised that she was a human? Really? Had no one ever told her?
He searched his mind for any moment anyone had called Frisk a human, but came up short.
Huh. He lightly furrowed his brows in contemplation. It seemed that the topic had just never come up. Everyone had always called Frisk by her name, and no one had ever referred to her as a human - at least not in her presence. And it appeared that even the knowledge that her mother was a human hadn’t been enough to clue her in to the truth.
Papyrus looked just as nonplussed by this revelation as Sans was.
Frisk was struggling to get her next words out, as emotions overwhelmed her.
“I’m n-n-not a monsteeeeerr!! I c-can’t use m-magiiiic!!” She drew in a deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs, “I WON’T HAVE HOOOOOORNS!!”
That last part seemed to be what upset Frisk the most, given the Papyrus-worthy volume of her cry. It was clearly too terrible a truth for her to accept, as she devolved into incoherent bawling afterwards.
She remained inconsolable from that point on, despite the brothers’ best attempts to calm her down and console her.
Sans was at a complete loss as to what to do. His Soul felt like it was crying out in pain alongside Frisk.
He massaged a hand over his sternum, right above his Soul, vainly hoping to ease the sharp aching in his rib cage. His eyelights slowly dimmed, before blinking out altogether.
His best friend was crying. She was sad.
That was unacceptable.
He had to do something; he needed to fix this.
But how?
It wasn’t like he could change Frisk into a monster, or make her capable of using magic, or give her-
Wait.
A vague memory clawed its way up to the surface.
Several months ago, he and his brother were playing in the Garbage Dump in Waterfall, as they often did while their father was busy with work. They were rummaging through the trash, hoping to find anything interesting that had floated down from the Surface. And among all the discarded junk, Sans had found something.
He wasn’t sure why he’d taken an interest in it. It hadn’t seemed like anything special.
But for some reason, it had made him think of Frisk, his little human friend with the nice goat monster for a father.
So he’d kept it.
He’d taken it home with him. He’d cleaned it up (because his father would give him hell if he left dirty trash in his room). And he’d put it away… somewhere.
He just needed to find it and give it to Frisk.
His face set with as much determination as his young monster body could hold.
“guys, i gotta pop away for a sec. there’s a li’l somethin’ i think might cheer ya up, frisk.”
It didn’t seem like Frisk had heard him above the sound of her ongoing tears and lamentation.
That was okay, Sans told himself, even as his Soul quivered. He was going to make this better. Hopefully.
He would at least try.
Papyrus smiled up at him, and gave him a thumbs up and an “OKIE DOKIE!”, which was all the encouragement Sans needed.
He had to try.
“be right back.”
With one last glance at his brother and his best friend, Sans exited Frisk’s bedroom.
And entered his own.
He cast his eyelights over his room, mentally mapping out the entire place and all of his many dimensionally-improbable hidey holes, where he hid all the stuff he thought his father would lecture him for.
This… this could take a while.
Sans felt his shoulders drop. But he squared them up again and gave his cheekbones a quick slap.
He’d better get to it, then.
_____
After digging through what felt like his entire room - and making a mess that he was definitely not looking forward to having to clean up later - Sans held up his prize in victory.
He wasted no more time, as he rushed from his room and back to Frisk’s.
He was surprised (but really shouldn’t have been) to find that Papyrus had somehow finally managed to calm his little human down.
Heh, his little bro really was the coolest.
The two were still locked together in a hug, but Frisk was no longer trembling from the force of her sobs, and was instead resting peacefully in the young skeleton’s arms, her face pressed into his shoulder.
She sniffled from time to time, but was otherwise blessedly silent. Almost as shocking was how uncharacteristically quiet Papyrus was. The youngest Gaster was whispering something into Frisk’s ear, too low for Sans to pick up, and to which the girl responded with the occasional nod.
Sans smiled. His face softened as tension left his frame.
He allowed himself a few moments to enjoy the sweet scene, before pressing forwards.
Loathe as he was to interrupt this tender moment, he had an important gift to deliver.
Frisk looked up at his approach, which Sans took as a good sign.
Smiling proudly, if nervously, he offered his best friend the fruits of his labour.
“here, frisky. i got you a present. hope ya like it.”
Frisk’s eyelashes fluttered rapidly as she blinked away the tears lingering in her eyes. Her vision slowly cleared, allowing her take in what Sans was holding in his lightly-trembling hand.
It was a headband with little red horns on it.
Frisk stared. She didn’t say a word for a few tense seconds, eyes glued to the headband. Sans fought the instinctive urge to rattle his bones as the silence grew (he was NINE now, way too old for baby bones behaviour).
For one Soul-wrenching moment, he thought Frisk was about to burst into tears again.
But instead, her eyes widened in undeniable wonder, something bright and beautiful sparkling in her gaze.
“Golly. For me?” Her voice was a little hoarse from so much crying, but so full of hope that it made Sans’s Soul tingle. He smiled bashfully at her.
“yep. just for you.”
Frisk’s hands reached out for the headband, tiny fingers closing so delicately around it, as if afraid of breaking it.
Sans relinquished his gift readily to her, and watched in relieved satisfaction as Frisk quickly set about affixing the headband to the top of her head. Papyrus was all too eager to help her.
When they were done, Frisk stepped back, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. She tilted her head this way and that, getting used to the new weight on her head, and making sure that her new treasure was resting securely in place.
She beamed at them, her face shining with happiness. “I love it!”
The two brothers returned her smile; her joy was infectious. Sans could feel his eyelights go wide and fuzzy with glee.
“i’m glad, pal. real glad.”
And he was. More than anyone would ever know.
Frisk giggled and posed for her friends. “How do I look?”
Papyrus gave her a double thumbs up, eye sockets twinkling and mouth stretching wide in his biggest grin. “YOU LOOK GREAT!!”
Sans winked at her. “yup. you’re the g.o.a.t.”
Frisk stilled, her head tilting to the side.
“Goat? Like Daddy?” Then she gasped, her face lighting up. “Oh! Do I look like Daddy?!”
Not really. She still looked like a human, just with horns. And a horned human looked nothing like a fluffy goat monster.
But of course, Sans would never tell her that. He’d Dust himself first. Instead, he nodded his skull, his mouth curving into an easy grin.
“yup. you look just like his kid.”
The smile Frisk graced him with was truly radiant. It made warmth bloom in his Soul, flowing out throughout his entire body. His face felt the warmest. Sans barely resisted the urge to hide his skull in his hoodie (like a baby bone).
Papyrus suddenly had a look of realisation on his skull.
“OH! I GET IT! KID, LIKE A BABY GOAT! NYEH HEH HEH! WOWIE, THAT WAS CLEVER!!”
Sans grinned broadly at his brother.
“what, you’ve only just realised it, pap? heh, you’ve gotta be kid-ding me.”
Papyrus leveled a harsh frown at his older brother and stomped his foot.
“SANS! YOU’VE ALREADY USED THAT PUN! DON’T BE LAZY!!”
Sans chuckled. He shrugged his shoulders in a careless gesture.
“heheheh. sorry, i- oof!”
His words were cut off when a solid weight slammed into his chest. Two small arms wrapped tightly around him.
“Thank you Sans!” Frisk’s voice was muffled by his hoodie, but her gratitude came through loud and clear. “Thank you so much! This is the best. Gift. EVER!”
Sans’s grin softened into a genuine smile. He returned Frisk’s hug.
He could feel her heart beating against his rib cage. His Soul felt ticklish.
“heh. no problem, kid.”
_____
A cup of tea did in fact do WingDings and Asgore some good.
Not a lot, but enough for the old skeleton monster to settle his nerves, and for his fluffy best friend to calm down enough to be receptive to WingDings’s reassurances.
“I AM CERTAIN THAT SANS AND PAPYRUS HAVE THE MATTER WELL IN HAND.” He watched Asgore take a small sip of his tea, and was pleased to note that his friend’s hands were no longer shaking. “FRISK IS YOUNG AND EMOTIONAL, BUT NOT UNREASONABLE. IT IS NATURAL FOR HER TO THROW A TANTRUM AT HER AGE.” Stars knew Papyrus did so, and frequently. “SHE WILL CALM DOWN EVENTUALLY, ONCE THE SHOCK HAS WORN OFF.”
Asgore still looked unconvinced. WingDings sighed and drummed his fingers against the side of his mug. His phalanges made a satisfying clacking sound.
“MY SONS KNOW FRISK WELL. THEY HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD FRIENDS WITH HER HER ENTIRE LIFE. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO REACH HER THROUGH THE STORM OF HER TURBULENT EMOTIONS. THEY WILL BE ABLE TO SOOTHE HER PAIN AND BRING HER COMFORT.” The corners of his mouth curled into a confident smile. “I CAN FEEL IT IN MY BONES.”
Asgore let out a surprised snort of laughter, almost choking on his tea.
WingDings sipped on his tea to hide his self-satisfied smirk.
It had always been far too easy to elicit such a reaction from Asgore. When they were young, he and Toriel had often had pun battles, if only to see who could make Asgore laugh the hardest. WingDings was proud to say that he’d won most of them, with his superior wordplay.
Those were fun times…
The Royal Scientist immediately stamped down on the thought. He forcefully pushed away those old, dusty memories, and squashed the feelings they evoked in him. Those times were gone, and they would never return. Just like Toriel. There was only the present. And the future, he reminded himself. They would have a future.
Asgore’s laughter eventually slowed to a stop, and he wiped away the tears that had formed at the corners of his eyes. He inhaled deeply and let it out slowly. He faced his closest friend, offering him a grateful smile.
“Thank you, Wings,” he said softly. “I am sure you are right.”
WingDings raised a browbone at him. “I AM ALWAYS RIGHT. AS YOU SHOULD KNOW.”
Asgore chuckled at his friend’s haughty words and air. Fondness filled his Soul.
“Indeed you are, my friend,” he conceded. He let out a sigh. “I suppose I must put my faith in your boys to do what I could not. They have been better friends to Frisk, than I have been her father.”
WingDings slammed a hand down on the table, startling a bleat out of Asgore.
“NONSENSE!” he growled. His eyelights flashed dangerously. “YOU HAVE BEEN THE BEST FATHER TO FRISK!!” And he was certainly a better father than WingDings was, although the doctor refrained from saying so. He didn’t want Asgore leaping to his defense and starting a pointless argument. “YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THERE FOR HER! ALWAYS DONE YOUR BEST FOR HER! ALWAYS GIVEN YOUR ALL FOR HER! WITHOUT FAIL! WITHOUT HESITATION! WITHOUT COMPLAINT! NO ONE WOULD, NO ONE COULD ASK MORE OF YOU!!”
Asgore stared at him, speechless. His eyes began tearing up again, though for vastly different reasons than before.
“I-... I don’t know what to say, Wings,” he admitted, rather unnecessarily. He opened his mouth, to say what he didn’t know, but snapped it shut again when WingDings placed a hand on top of his.
“BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY… ASGORE.” WingDings’s gaze caught the king’s and held it captive. Asgore felt his Soul shiver. “FRISK LOVES YOU. THAT IS UNDENIABLE. AND YOU OF ALL MONSTERS SHOULD KNOW HOW ENDURING LOVE CAN BE.”
Asgore swallowed, trying to wet his suddenly dry mouth. He could only nod his agreement to that statement.
His mind briefly flew to thoughts of his ex-wife and lost children, before returning to the present - to the hand on his, hard yet comforting, and to the eyelights arresting his vision, bright lights shining in an inky abyss. To the friend who’d been by his side for longer than any other.
Oh yes, Asgore knew all too well just how enduring love could be.
Wings’s gaze softened. His voice turned equally soft, though no less sure and steady, brimming with unshakable confidence.
“FRISK WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU. THIS WILL NOT CHANGE THAT. NOTHING WILL CHANGE THAT. OF THIS, I AM UTTERLY CERTAIN. AND AS I HAVE TOLD YOU, I AM ALWAYS RIGHT.”
A smile rose onto Asgore’s face. His Soul felt mellow and fuzzy. It pulsed with a gentle warmth that chased away the cold of his previous fears.
He turned his hand over to clasp Wings’s.
“I know,” was all he could say. Asgore squeezed his oldest and dearest friend’s hand. The hand squeezed back. Their Souls beat in unison. “Thank you, Wingsy. For… everything.”
Wings gave him one of the warmest smiles Asgore had ever seen on his Royal Scientist’s face.
“ALWAYS, GOREY. ALWAYS.”
The two monsters shared a long and heartfelt look, conveying in their gazes what words alone could never express, their Souls speaking louder than any voice ever could.
Except maybe Frisk’s.
“DADDY!!”
Asgore immediately shot to his feet, spinning towards his daughter just in time to catch her as she barrelled into his legs.
“Daddy, Daddy, look!! I got HORNS!!” she yelled up at him, bouncing up and down on her feet in excitement.
Asgore was taken aback by his daughter’s complete change in demeanour. The little girl in front of him could not be any more different from the one he’d last seen crying her eyes out in her room.
It seemed Wings’s sons had succeeded in cheering Frisk up after all. His friend had been right. Like always, his mind whispered to him, sounding distinctly like Wings.
And then his child’s words finally registered in his brain.
“What? Horns?”
He knelt down beside his daughter and peered at the top of her head.
There were indeed a pair of little red horns peeking out from her brown hair.
Asgore blinked. He looked closer and noticed that the horns were attached to a headband.
He smiled at his daughter, his eyes crinkling at the edges.
“Golly! You do indeed have horns. And what a fine pair they are!”
Frisk beamed at him. Her small body was unable to contain her joy, as it spilled out of her in giddy giggles.
“Do you like them?” she asked her father, her bright eyes eagerly seeking his approval.
Asgore didn’t know how anyone could possibly look at those eyes and that smile, and say anything other than -
“Yes! I love your horns, Frisk. They suit you well.”
Frisk gasped. “They do?! Yay! I’m so happy!”
Asgore’s Soul felt full to bursting as his daughter cheered.
Suddenly, Frisk’s excitement dimmed a little. She looked unsure of herself for the first time since bursting into the room.
“Daddy?” The hesitation in his daughter’s voice was a stark contrast to her previous elation. “Do I look like you now? Do I look like your real kid?”
Asgore wanted to cry. To think that he’d ever doubted that this precious, perfect child loved him.
He placed his palms on Frisk’s cheeks, gently cradling her face in his hands.
It felt like he was cradling his Soul in his hands.
In many ways, he was.
“Frisk, you are my real child,” he spoke with unyielding confidence. “You always have been, and you always will be. Nothing will ever change that. Monster or not, magic or not, horns or not, you are my daughter. From the moment you were born, you became my entire world.” He looked deeply into her eyes, feeling his Soul swell with boundless and unwavering love for his child. “And what a wonderful world I see.”
Tears gathered in Frisk’s eyes, but before he could watch them spill over, his daughter launched herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, practically strangling him - not that he cared. Her tears soaked into his fur - again, not that he cared.
Asgore returned his daughter’s hug. One hand moved to rub her back in soothing motions, while the other one went to stroke her head, his fingers carefully carding through the short strands of her hair. Frisk clung onto him even tighter.
“I love you, Daddy,” she cried into his fur, her words reaching into his Soul to seize it and declare it hers. Asgore surrendered it happily.
“I love you too, Frisk. More than anything.”
_____
Later that evening, some time after Asgore had profusely thanked the Gaster family when seeing them off, it was Frisk’s bedtime.
Asgore tucked his daughter into her bed, making sure that she was nice and snug beneath the covers.
Her horned headband was safely placed atop her dresser. Frisk had been unhappy about having to remove it, but relented in the end, if only to keep her most prized possession safe from harm. Her father had promised to help her put it back on in the morning, and reassured her that she could wear it whenever she wanted, with the exception of bedtime and bathtime.
As Asgore sat down next to Frisk to read her a bedtime story, a question came to his mind.
“Hey Frisk? Where did you get your horns from?”
Frisk replied eagerly, “Sans gave them to me!”
She looked absolutely giddy as she thought back to that moment. It was sure to become one of her most cherished memories.
Asgore chuckled. “Well, that sure was awfully kind of him. I’ll be sure to give him my thanks, next time I see him.”
Frisk smiled and snuggled deeper under the covers. Just then, a look of deep contemplation came over her face.
“Daddy?”
“Hm?” he replied absentmindedly, his thoughts drifting back to the past day’s events.
Frisk gave her father a look full of determination.
“When I grow up, I’m gonna marry Sans.”
Asgore fell off of the bed and landed hard on the floor.
No matter what, his darling daughter always managed to bring him crashing back to the present.
______________________________________
Asgore and Gaster: slowest of slow burns. Frisk and Sans: wedding planned at age four. Father and daughter share many similarities, but romance is not one of them.
Fun fact, Gaster was not supposed to have a significant part in this chapter. He was only supposed to appear BRIEFLY when Asgore called him, and then when Frisk ran in to show off her new horns. But this attention hog just butted in and refused to leave. I can see where his son gets it from...
Speaking of Gaster's son, Sans's part was literally meant to be half as long as it ended up being! But his lazy ass kept dragging everything out. Typical. These skeletons are gonna drive me spare smh.
Anyway, lesson learned, never make promises. I don't know when the next chapter will come out, because I think I'm going to replay the game again to remind myself of... everything. And everyone. Gotta make sure these idiots are all in character (as much as can be, considering this is a pre-canon AU)
Papyrus had never been as determined to do a job well as he was now, left alone to babysit his tiny niece while her parents went out on a date for the first time since Elys had been born. He absolutely would not fail this most important of duties! Especially not when his brother and his sister-in-law were counting on him! He would show them how capable a babysitter he was and they would be so impressed with him that they would shower him in praise (and hopefully trust him to help them out more often). And he always loved spending time with his dear niece, she meant so much to him and he dearly hoped that she would grow to love him just as much as he did her.
At almost nine months old, Elys was still very tiny, but she was also very active and Papyrus was relieved that she didn't take too much after his lazybones of a brother. THOUGH MAYBE IT WOULDN'T BE TOO TERRIBLE FOR HER TO BE A JUST A LITTLE BIT LAZIER, Papyrus thought as he pulled the young monster-human hybrid out from underneath the sofa where she had just crawled, the infant letting out an excited squeal, and carried her into the kitchen to place her, safely, into her high chair. He then proceeded to try to entice her to eat the unappetising mush her parents had assured him was proper food for babybones. He was a little sceptical, but trusted Frisk, at least, to not joke about this and to be sufficiently knowledgeable about good food. Her standards for food were certainly higher than his brother's. And it seemed Elys's standards were even higher, as she scrunched up her face in disgust and resolutely turned away from the presented spoonful of "chicken and veg with sweetcorn mash" (though it definitely didn't look like any such thing to him). Papyrus looked on the brink of tears at her refusal and loudly pleaded with her.
"NYOO! PLEASE EAT, TINY ELYS! IT IS THE TIME SANS AND FRISK SAID YOU WOULD NEED TO BE FED AND IF YOU DON'T EAT THEN YOU WILL BE HUNGRY AND I CANNOT LET MY TINY NIECE GO HUNGRY! I WOULD BE A TERRIBLE UNCLE! AND YOU WOULD HATE ME AND MY BROTHER AND DEAR FRIEND WOULD BE SO DISAPPOINTED IN ME AND-"
Elys immediately stopped scowling and started laughing delightedly at her uncle's antics. Sensing this perfect opportunity, Papyrus swiftly shoved the spoon into the baby's mouth. He "Nyeh heh heh"d in victory. The rest of the meal proceeded much the same way.
After quickly cleaning up all the mess made, both in the kitchen and on the baby, Papyrus carried his niece back into the living room and gently placed her in her playpen, before sitting down beside her. Skeleton and infant soon lost themselves in their games, playing with all of Elys's toys, Papyrus happily chatting with his niece about the puzzle potential of each of the toys and Elys, in turn, encouraging him with various squeals and excited noises. Suddenly, a loud trousle of bones rang out and Papyrus quickly answered his phone.
"Hi Pap," Frisk's voice greeted from his phone. "I'm just calling to check up on you guys. How's everything been going? I hope Elys hasn't been giving you too much trouble, I know how much of a handful she can be."
"GREETINGS FRISK! YOU NEED NOT FRET OVER US. I, THE GREAT UNCLE PAPYRUS, AM MORE THAN CAPABLE OF LOOKING AFTER A SINGLE BABYBONES, SO PLEASE RELAX AND ENJOY YOUR EVENING WITH SANS," Papyrus reassured her, his voice full of confidence as he struck a cool pose that, had she been able to see it, would most definitely have left the human in no doubt as to his competence as a reliable temporary caretaker for her child. "I HOPE MY BROTHER IS TREATING YOU WELL."
"He's treating me just fine, Paps, thanks," Frisk giggled happily. Then Sans's voice cut in.
"that's 'cause being with you is such a treat, babe, you dessert only the best. and donut worry, the real treat is coming up later tonight, it's scone to be a real sweet night."
"SANS!!" Papyrus interjected angrily, while Frisk could be heard laughing in the background. "HOW DARE YOU MAKE SUCH TERRIBLE AND TASTELESS PUNS ON A DATE! CLEARLY I MUST LEND YOU MY DATING MANUAL AGAIN, SO THAT YOU CAN LEARN PROPER DATING MANNERS!"
"heh, sorry bro, i'm just not as cool as you. and thanks for lookin' after the kid for us, we really appreciate it"
"NO PROBLEM AT ALL BROTHER! I AM ALWAYS HAPPY TO HELP YOU, YOU KNOW THAT. YOU CAN RELY ON ME WHENEVER YOU WANT"
"i know paps. you really are the coolest."
"WELL OF COURSE I AM. ANYWAY, YOU TWO SHOULD GO BACK TO YOUR DATE. REST ASSURED I HAVE EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL WITH TINY ELYS, SO DO NOT WORRY AND COME BACK WHEN YOU CAN. WE TIRA-MISS-U BOTH," Papyrus said, very proud of his incredibly clever and obviously superior pun, while in the background, Frisk could be heard once more dissolving into laughter. With a loud "NYEH HEH HEH!", he hung up the phone, then turned back to his young charge. Only to find the place empty, with no baby in sight.
"NYEH?! ELYS, WHERE HAVE YOU GONE?!" he called out anxiously, franticly swivelling his skull all around as he tried to locate his missing niece. When his searched turned up empty, he dashed madly from room to room, desperately calling her name and looking into every nook and cranny that could possibly hide a baby (and even many that could not).
What... What would he do if he couldn't find her? How could he ever forgive himself if anything happened to her on his watch? How could he possibly face his brother? His sister-in-law? Maybe... maybe he should call Undyne? Or Sans and Frisk? But wait, if he did that, then the couple would have to cut their long awaited date short, and the two had been so looking forward to some quality time together! And, with the daily struggles of being new parents, on top of their jobs, they deserved a break. Sans, who used to be such a lazybones, constantly napping and slacking off, had really stepped up and risen to his responsibilities as a husband and father, losing sleep every night to comfort and care for his daughter; he looked more exhausted than Papyrus had ever seen him, even though he looked happier and more motivated than ever. And Frisk, who had done so much for him, his brother, his friends, heck, all of monsterkind, who, even during her maternity leave, kept in touch with the monster embassy and gave a helping hand there whenever they needed her, she deserved a night all to herself and her husband, free from stress and worries.
He wasn't going to ruin their special night. He wasn't going to let his family down. He was, after all, The Great Papyrus! He could handle this challenge all by himself and prove to everyone that he was dependable, reliable, trustworthy. And he'd start by finding his precious and irreplaceable niece. Resolve renewed, he continued his search with unmatched vigour and dedication, eyelights blazing with magic and red cape billowing heroically behind him.
As he passed by Sans and Frisk's bedroom, he couldn't help but notice a sock on the floor. He reflexively came to a halt and narrowed his sockets at the offending article. IS SANS STILL LEAVING HIS SOCKS ON THE FLOOR? EVEN NOW? UNBELIEVABLE! Papyrus internally grumbled to himself in disgust. Part of him urged him to ignore the sock and carry on his search, but years of dealing with his brother's slovenly habits compelled him to march toward the item and pick it up. Then he noticed even more socks on the floor! HAS MY BROTHER GOTTEN EVEN WORSE?! HOW DOES FRISK PUT UP WITH HIM? He entered fully into the bedroom and looked around. The bottom drawer of the chest of drawers was opened slightly, with socks spilling out all over the floor. He meticulously collected each and every wayward sock, checked that they were indeed all clean, then folded them up. As he bent down to return the clothes to what must be the couple's sock collection, he noticed a large lump inside the drawer. Curious, he poked the lump and it moved, socks shifting aside to reveal the sleepy, confused face of the very person Papyrus had been so desperately trying to find!
"ELYS! I HAVE FOUND YOU AT LAST! I AM SO HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOU ARE SAFE, I WAS WORRIED SICK ABOUT YOU! PLEASE NEVER DO ANYTHING LIKE THIS AGAIN! MY SOUL CANNOT HANDLE IT!"
Filled with overwhelming relief, sockets steadily leaking magical tears, he carefully lifted Elys into his arms and held her to his rib cage tenderly. The baby cooed happily at him, a large, happy smile on her soft, chubby face, before she hooked one hand around his cervical spine and dug another into the red fabric of his scarf, then yawned widely and pressed her face into his clavicle, falling right back to sleep, feeling safe and comfortable in her uncle's arms.
Papyrus held his tiny niece even closer, his soul pulsing with love. Pressing his forehead very gently to hers, he made a vow deep in his soul. No matter what, he promised that he would always be there for her when she needed him, that if she were ever lost, then he would find her again, just like today.
I... I did it... I can't believe I actually did it. This was so incredibly difficult to write, because as much as I adore the guy, I had the hardest time getting into Papy's head, I just don't think like he does and neither do any of my (many, many, many) OCs, so trying to keep him in character was a constant struggle. I probably failed quite a bit, but I had to try. I really love Papyrus and I don't see many stories of him being an uncle, so I just had to write this out. Our cool dude deserves it! We need more Uncle Papyrus centric fics!
Once again, I was hoping to have a bit more interaction between skelly and baby, and once again Sans and Frisk got in the way and hogged the screentime. Also, some might notice the similarities between how this drabble and my previous one end. All I can say is, they're brothers, what do you expect?
Elys belongs to Frans Queen @shayromi . I know she's still just a baby in this, but I hope I did her justice. ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
Shout out once again to my dear friend @wolfkice , who continues to be an inspiration to me and whose art I'm the biggest fan of. Thanks for your encouragement, I wouldn't have been able to get this out as quickly as I did without you. You're a star, buddy! (o゜▽゜)o☆
After "Stay" (both versions), I wasn't quite done expressing how much I adore my Horrorswapfell Papyrus, Rabbit, so here's one more attempt to show what a good boy he is. And this time, with help from my first Undertale love, classic Papyrus!
I confess, I'm not completely satisfied with this, but I don't want to stress myself out over what's meant to be a fun hobby, so I'm tossing this out there to be done with it and stop agonising over every little detail. Cute fluff should never stress anyone out!
@a-snowpoff I blame you for the puns. The terrible, terrible puns. Because they came from your ideas. You know the ones.
Pairing: Classic Papyrus x Reader x Horrorswapfell Papyrus (aka Rabbit)
Reader is left as ambiguous as possible
Words: 3,144
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As you push open the front door to the home you share with your two boyfriends, box of baked goods tucked safely under your arm, you’re immediately assailed by the smell of burnt pasta and a very loud and very annoyed voice, yelling in the distance. With a resigned sigh, you make your way to the kitchen, already anticipating the scene you know awaits you.
As expected, when you reach the source of the foul odour and angry yelling, you’re greeted by the, sadly familiar, sight of Papyrus using a fire extinguisher on a large, metal cooking pot on the stove, containing what you can only assume once used to be food of some kind, but is now burnt to a crisp and is steadily emitting thick, black smoke.
Papyrus himself is covered in soot from skull to phalanx, although bizarrely, the ‘kiss the cook’ apron you’d gotten him for his birthday is miraculously spotless. As the skeleton monster is putting out whatever fire he’d evidently started, his loud voice echoes throughout the room in an irritated, chastising tirade.
“-NO SELF-CONTROL! NO RESTRAINT! NO PATIENCE!” He then tosses his skull back to yell over his shoulder, “BUT I WON’T GIVE UP!! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL TEACH YOU PROPER CHEF-ING MANNERS!! FOR YOUR (AND MY SPAGHETTI’S) OWN GOOD!! NYEH HEH HEH!!”
You cast your eyes to the object of your boyfriend’s scolding to see your other lover, another version of Papyrus from an alternate universe, whom you’d nicknamed ‘Rabbit’, both for his affectionate, yet gluttonous nature, and for how fluffy his outfit is. Others might question how suitable a nickname it is for such a large and dangerous monster, but you think it’s at least better than the moniker ‘Rabid Beast’ that the other monsters of Rabbit’s original universe had given him.
The other skeleton monster is sitting at a counter a safe distance away from the disaster, completely slumped forward over the smooth surface of the countertop, skull resting on his crossed arms. His face is set in an almighty pout, purple eyelights glaring at nothing, as he sulks like a child who’s been told off for bad behaviour.
Already able to guess what had transpired while you were gone, you can’t help the exasperated sigh you exhale, even as your lips tug up into a fond smile.
Immediately, two eerily similar skulls shoot up in your direction. Rabbit is the first to react, as his entire being brightens at your presence, his face lighting up with excitement. In the blink of an eye, he’s in front of you, sweeping you off your feet and into the air in a powerful hug, purrs beginning to rumble in his rib cage.
You barely have time to process what's happened, before another pair of arms is thrown around the two of you, and Papyrus lifts both you and Rabbit into the air as well, with an exclamation of delight.
The laugh that escapes you is unrestrained and full of joy, even as you find it difficult to breath from within the confines of two strong pairs of arms. It feels good to receive such a warm and enthusiastic welcome from the two people you love most.
“Hi boys, I missed you.” You squirm in their hold as you try to give them both a kiss.
Rabbit’s purrs intensify and he nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck, squeezing you tighter.
Papyrus lets out a jubilant laugh, accepting your kiss with a wide smile and returning it just as eagerly, before placing you and Rabbit back on the ground, although his arms remain around you.
“WELCOME HOME, BELOVED! WE MISSED YOU TOO!” Then his face falls a little, eye sockets narrowing in frustration and shoulders slumping. “I APPOLOGISE FOR THE SHAMEFUL MESS YOU WITNESSED IN THE KITCHEN. BEING THE THOUGHTFUL AND GENEROUS SKELETON I AM, I WAS TRYING TO TEACH MY LESS COOL SELF HOW TO COOK MY SPECIAL SPAGHETTI SURPRISE.” Crossing his arms, he turns an admonishing glare on Rabbit, who’s too engrossed in your presence to notice. “BUT HE KEPT DEVOURING THE INGREDIENTS WHILE I WASN’T LOOKING! AND WHILE I WAS EXPLAINING TO HIM THE ERROR OF HIS WAYS, THE PASTA CAUGHT FIRE!”
Papyrus stamps his foot angrily, which finally manages to tear Rabbit’s attention away from you. The latter monster quirks an unimpressed browbone at his alternate self and sticks his tongue out at him defiantly. Papyrus lets out an offended “NYEH!”, bristling like an angry cat. You can see him gearing up for another lecture, so you rush to intervene.
With decisive steps, you finally move out of Rabbit’s embrace, ignoring his small whine of protest, and place yourself in between your two boyfriends.
“Boys, boys, you’re both pretty, don’t fight.” You offer them both a bright smile and reach into your pocket for a tissue, which you use to wipe away the last of the soot still lingering on Papyrus’s skull.
Both skeletons are instantly mollified. Rabbit lets out a huff and looks away, his hands drifting to your hips and tugging you closer to him. Papyrus leans down to allow you better access to his skull, all while gracing you with a truly dazzling smile.
“NYEH HEH HEH HEH! WELL NATURALLY, MY LOOKS ARE AS IMPRESSIVE AS THE REST OF ME! AND YOU’RE RIGHT, I SHOULDN’T LET MY MORE... UNFORTUNATE SELF GET UNDER MY SKIN.”
You bite your lip to stifle your laugh at that last comment. Your heart swells with affection for your boys. You’re truly blessed to have them both in your life like this; you don’t know what you’d do without them. Although, there are times where you can’t help but wonder what they would do without you. A quick glance to the pot still continuously emanating dark fumes gives you your answer. Right, you think with a wry smile, burn down our kitchen, that’s what.
Meanwhile, Rabbit has taken notice of the box you’re still carrying and starts sniffing at it, bright violet eyelights glittering with interest. Unable to suppress your smile, you raise the box in front of your boyfriends, noting with relief that it has come out relatively unscathed from the manhandling you’d been subjected to.
“Hey guys, look what I got you!”
Two sets of eye sockets zero in on the item you’re presenting, indicating that you have their full attention. Feeling anticipation bubble in your gut, you open the lid with an excited “ta-da!”.
Inside the box are three golden loaves of bread, each shaped like a puppy, with short, stubby legs, round, twisted bun ears, and a spiral cinnamon tail.
You hold your breath, as the two skeleton monsters take in the sight of your adorable bread puppies, keen interest shining in their faces and awed sounds escaping their throats (along with a gushing "WOWIE!" from Papyrus). Rabbit looks particularly enthralled, his eye sockets wide, eyelights dilated and twinkling like the most brilliant of diamonds. You even spy drool beginning to leak out of the corner of his mouth.
When you’re satisfied that your boys have gotten a good look at your dough dogs, you clear your throat to capture their attention once more. Once you’re sure they’re focused on you, you give them your widest smile.
“These little cuties are called Fi-dough!”
Instantly the mood shifts dramatically. Rabbit’s face lights up, and the look he gives you is so full of awe and adoration, you can feel your cheeks flush and your heart flutter in your chest. Papyrus, on the contrary, rears back, an appalled expression on his skull.
“NOOOO!! BELOVED!! HOW COULD YOU MAKE SUCH A TERRIBLE PUN?!?!?”
Papyrus sounds so disgusted, so betrayed, that you almost feel bad, if his reaction wasn’t so comically excessive. As it is, you can barely restrain yourself from bursting into laughter. Rabbit, however, doesn’t bother to hold back his own snickers. The sound spurs you on to tease Papyrus some more.
“Aw, c’mon Pap, don’t you like them? They’re all pure-bread puppies!”
Papyrus looks, if possible, even more aghast.
“HORRIBLE!! ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE!! I FEEL NOTHING BUT PURE DREAD AT THE HEADACHE YOU’RE GIVING ME!!”
You can’t help the little chuckle that escapes you. The playful smile that’s plastered across your face widens, as mischief sparks in your soul.
“What, you’re not a fan of pup pastry?”
By this point, Rabbit is doubled over with laughter, holding his middle as his entire form shakes. Your heart warms at how loud the sound is, much louder than you're used to hearing from him. He’s still nowhere near as loud as Papyrus, though.
"I’M NOT A FAN OF YOUR DEPLORABLE SENSE OF HUMOUR!”
“But you’re smiling,” you point out, with no small amount of smug satisfaction.
And indeed, Papyrus is smiling, despite the put-upon air he’s affecting.
"I AM AND I HATE IT,” he lies, very unconvincingly. Your own smile softens at this.
“No you don’t. Admit it, you love my jokes.” You lean in close to him and bump his hip lightly with yours.
Papyrus crosses his arms and makes a show of turning his nasal bone up at you, all while his broad grin betrays his true feelings.
“I WILL ADMIT TO NOTHING! I DON’T FIND YOUR JOKES TO BE THE YEAST BIT HUMERUS!!”
That manages to wrench a surprised giggle out of you. Papyrus’s puns always manage to catch you off guard, and you can only stare up at your boyfriend in admiration.
“Pap you’re so cool!”
Papyrus puffs up with pride, as a light blush decorates his cheekbones.
“NYEH HEH HEH! OF COURSE I AM! YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON THE GREAT PAPYRUS TO RISE TO THE OCCASION!!”
As you dissolve into helpless laughter alongside Rabbit, you find yourself agreeing with Papyrus. He never fails to impress you. Despite his boisterous complaining about the pun-inspired food you frequently bring home, you know deep down that it was all for show. Papyrus loves puns just as much as his older brother and Rabbit do. He just refuses to admit it when confronted with that fact; it’s the one thing he still can’t bring himself to be honest about. You suspect it has something to do with his brother frequently practising his stand-up routine on him.
Regardless, never was his appreciation for mixing clever wordplay into cooking more apparent, than the time he’d painstakingly recreated a scene from a Spaghetti Western you’d all watched, entirely out of actual spaghetti. While the taste might have left much to be desired, no one could deny that it was truly a work of art. Even Rabbit had hesitated to eat it. Papyrus had been so proud of his literal Spaghetti Western dish. He’d ridden the high from your exuberant praise for weeks.
A tug at the box of bread pups you carry brings you out of your musings. Rabbit gazes down at you, a plea for the delicious baked goods you hold written all across his face. However, before you can give in to the skeleton monster’s unspoken request, Papyrus intervenes to voice his objections.
“NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! YOU CAN’T EAT NOW! IT’S ALMOST DINNER TIME! YOU’LL RUIN YOUR APPETITE!”
The disbelieving snort Rabbit gives him, coupled with his dismissive eye roll, make it abundantly clear what he thinks of his alternate self’s words. Your own thoughts aren’t much different in that regard. You know all too well that Rabbit’s appetite is insatiable; his stomach (or what passes for one in a skeleton monster) is bottomless, and may as well be a black hole for all the food he can consume.
Nevertheless, you’re unwilling to argue with Papyrus on this matter, knowing how strongly he feels about your family mealtime, so you shoot Rabbit an apologetic glance.
Realising that the odds aren’t in his favour, Rabbit resorts to using his special attack – his pleading stance, which he directs straight at you.
His eye sockets go round and wide, as do his eyelights, which start wobbling, their bright glow illuminating his sad, prominent pout, further accented by his golden fang. His posture, normally slouched, straightens slightly, taking on a pathetic, beseeching air as his shoulders hunch inwards. He brings his hands up in front of him, and they come together, fingers interlaced, in a begging gesture.
His puppy dog look brings to mind his namesake – an adorable, innocent bunny rabbit.
A complete lie, your brain reminds you, there is NOTHING innocent about this guy.
But it’s too late, you feel your resolve crumble in the face of your boyfriend’s imploring facade. The manipulative monster knows exactly how to tug at your heartstrings to get his way. And so, you can only turn your own entreating look on Papyrus.
“C’mon, Paps... Just one won’t hurt! You know how much food Rabbit can eat and not feel full.” When Papyrus still appears unconvinced by your words, you change tack. “Besides, if it’s your cooking, he’ll gobble it all up, no matter how much he’s eaten beforehand. Rabbit loves your cooking!” Not technically a lie – Rabbit loves ALL food, period. He would devour any meal put in front of him with the same boundless enthusiasm, regardless of quality. Or edibility. Rabbit remains quiet, staring at the both of you with a hopeful expression. Papyrus looks to be on the verge of giving in, so you launch one final, well-placed attack. “And I’ll help you in the kitchen! If the both of us work together, then I know there’s no way anyone could resist our culinary combo!”
That does it.
Papyrus fairly explodes with excitement, his whole countenance lighting up and his bones beginning to rattle faintly, as he beams at you.
“YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY, DAPSOLUTELY RIGHT!! WE ARE THE ULTIMATE DREAM TEAM IN OUR CUISINE!! NO MERE PASTRY POOCH CAN MEASURE UP TO OUR COMBINED CULINARY TALENTS!!” He points a finger at Rabbit, almost shoving the digit in the other monster’s face. “EAT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT, MY NOT-AS-GREAT SELF! IF! YOU! DARE! BECAUSE YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO SAY NO TO THE FOOD OF LOVE OUR WONDERFUL DATEMATE AND I WILL COOK UP WITH THE FLAMES OF PASSION!!”
At the mention of flames, you subtly twist your head to see if the pot on the stove is still smoking. It isn’t, thankfully. You vow to yourself to keep a sharp eye out while you and your boyfriend cook, to make sure that your ‘passion’ is the only thing burning in the kitchen from now on.
Rabbit looks downright giddy at being granted permission to eat his snack. However, before he can take one of the buns, Papyrus shoos the both of you out of the kitchen, loudly proclaiming that he needs to clean the place up and make it fit for his and your “cooking date”. You and Rabbit leave Papyrus to his cleaning, and make your way to the living room, where you take a seat next to each other on the couch.
The moment you offer your box to Rabbit, he darts a hand inside and snatches up one of the canine bread loaves. But rather than immediately shoving it into his watering mouth, as one might reasonably expect of him, Rabbit instead takes his phone out and starts snapping pictures of his ‘Fidough’, from various angles.
You’re unsurprised by his actions. Your quieter boyfriend has a habit of taking photos of things he deems precious enough to preserve. This includes you and Papyrus, his own older brother, small flowers growing in inhospitable places, and all the joke foods you bring home. On days when you can tell that he’s being especially haunted by memories of his dark and dismal past in his starving Underground, you catch Rabbit gazing at all the photos he’s saved on his phone or framed around the house. It only encourages you to make more good memories for him to cherish.
Once Rabbit is satisfied with the pictures he’s taken, he puts his phone away and brings the bread dog to his nasal bone. He closes his eye sockets and inhales deeply, seeming to savour the fragrant aroma of freshly baked bread. And then, without warning, he opens his jaws and takes a huge bite, practically ripping the puppy’s head off.
You wince, giving the poor, decapitated pup a pitying glance. The sight is a little bit morbid, but you can’t look away from Rabbit’s blissful expression, as he chews on his snack, making cute, appreciative noises.
Noticing your stare, Rabbit pauses, and then proceeds to tear the dough dog’s tail off. He lifts it up to your lips, clearly intending to feed it to you, and you oblige him by opening your mouth. Rabbit slips the bread chunk in between your parted lips, and you close your mouth. As you chew, gentle sweetness floods your taste buds, the delicate cinnamon flavour making you release a faint moan of pleasure.
Rabbit’s fingers linger on your bottom lip, his thumb gently stroking the flesh. You almost let out another moan, when you feel his sharp claw graze your skin, the motion teetering on suggestive. At the almost predatory glint in your lover’s eyelights, you begin to wonder if Rabbit intends to take this any further.
But the call of tasty food is too enticing for him to resist. With one last heated look in your eyes, a promise of ‘tonight’ in his gaze, Rabbit returns to his baked treat, devouring little ‘Fidough’ with gusto.
Despite his enthusiasm, though, Rabbit still takes care not to get even a single crumb onto the tattered, purple scarf draped around his shoulders. His scarf used to belong to his older brother, before it was given to Rabbit both as a token of brotherly love and as a vow of protection, for the only family that version of Sans had left. The scarf is Rabbit’s greatest treasure, and he always takes great pains to keep it clean and safe. It never fails to warm your heart to know that, in spite of the harsh misery of Rabbit’s life in his Underground, his bond with his brother was his one bright light in that dark world.
As you gaze at Rabbit now, you feel warmth bloom in your chest at the sight of his peaceful, happy smile. You’d do anything to keep that smile on his face. You love your boyfriends, chaotic and demanding though they may be, and want nothing more than to give them the same joy they give you, each and every day.
It’s the work of a lifetime, you know, but one you’re more than willing to undertake. For starters, though, you’ll settle with going back to that bakery where you bought the ‘Fidoughs’, and purchasing the ‘ Croc-ssants’ you saw in the window. You can already picture your lovers’ reactions, and the thought brings an excited grin to your face.
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Fidough is based on the Pokémon of the same name from the Scarlet and Violet games, although the ones here are obviously not alive and are just bread buns. Very cute bread buns.
I'm so sorry for the awful puns. I have no excuse, I just suck at them :(
I have highjacked the Fransweek 2022 day 2 prompt to use for my own purposes ( ‵▽′)ψ. This is an early birthday gift for my dear friend @wolfkice. Hope you like it, buddy (❁´◡`❁)
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It was a crisp, clear Autumn day, the sun shone gently through dappled leaves, with only the barest breeze to disturb the stillness of the overgrowth; the perfect day for a walk in the woods. As such, Frisk and Sans had taken advantage of the pleasantly balmy weather, to have a day out in the nearby forest, accompanied by Toby, their little white dog friend, often described as “annoying” by a vexed Papyrus.
Coming across a patch of various mushroom species, growing in the shade of a large mahogany tree, the couple paused for a while to admire the different fungi.
“Aww, look at this one’s little hat,” Frisk gushed, crouching down to poke at the squishy cap of a small, blue-hued mushroom. “Meep! Hee hee~”
Sans remained standing, idly nudging a cluster of tiny, round mushrooms with his foot.
“yup. it sure looks like a pretty fun-guy, heh.”
Frisk giggled at the pun, to which Sans offered an appreciative wink. However, the light-hearted atmosphere was broken by a loud bark. Turning towards their canine companion, the couple found an anxious, fidgety Toby whimpering insistently at them, clearly desperate for them to follow him. Concerned, the two of them allowed the dog monster to lead them to a nearby tree, where he began nudging purposefully at the leaf litter covering the forest floor. Instantly, a pigeon leapt out from beneath the foliage, startled by the disturbance. At a glance, it was obvious what had caught Toby’s attention: one of the pigeon’s wings hung awkwardly at its side, obviously broken.
“Oh no! Poor little guy hurt its wing,” Frisk began to fret, bending down to observe the injured bird more closely, but nonetheless taking care to keep her distance, wary of frightening it further. “Sans, we have to help it.”
Knowing better than to deny his wife when she was determined to help a soul in need, Sans merely nodded his skull in acceptance, before shrugging off his hoodie.
“sure thing, sweetheart,” he held up his jacket, motioning to the pigeon. “if you distract it with some food, i can use this to capture it.”
“Ok, I’ve still got some leftover bread from our lunch,” she reached into her backpack, frowning worriedly. “Just be careful! We don’t want to hurt the poor creature any more than it already is.”
“yeah yeah, don’t worry, i got this,” he lightly rolled his eyelights, smiling indulgently at his wife’s fussing.
Ripping off small chunks from the baguette slices in her hands, Frisk gently tossed them towards the pigeon, hoping it would take the bait. Thankfully, it did, as it cautiously approached the offered food and began pecking hungrily at it. With the bird’s attention focused on the bread, Sans shortcutted behind it, swiftly, but very carefully, bundling it up in his hoodie, and holding it firmly to his ribcage to prevent too much struggling.
Task accomplished, the pair immediately made their way towards the nearest veterinary clinic, to get the injured pigeon checked over. After careful examination, including an x-ray, the vet had deemed the fracture to be simple and clean, informing the couple that it should heal in about two weeks and, after securely wrapping the broken wing up, had instructed them to keep the wing immobile, and the bird warm, comfortable and well-fed. After being given some tips on pigeon care, Sans and Frisk returned home with their new feathered friend.
The following two weeks passed by all too quickly. The pigeon didn’t take long to warm up to his human and monster saviours, and had proven to be surprisingly affectionate, even clingy, despite his wild nature. His immobilised wing didn’t seem to bother him overmuch, as he took to following the two of them around the house, pattering away behind them on the ground. He was a fairly speedy walker, despite his diminutive size, and both Frisk and Sans were charmed and amused by the little guy’s baby duckling-like behaviour. The pair often found him asleep beside them on their bed, when they awoke in the morning, and the bird enjoyed riding around on Frisk’s shoulder, or nesting in the soft hood of Sans’s jacket. They’d also taken to calling him “Baguette”, after the bread Frisk had fed him, that fateful day out in the forest.
All too soon, however, their time together came to an end. When Baguette’s wing had fully healed and no longer needed to be kept wrapped up, Sans and Frisk had reluctantly decided that he was ready to be released back into the wild. And so, with heavy hearts, the couple brought their tiny friend back to the spot where they’d first found him.
“It’s been wonderful having you with us, baby boy, but it’s time for you to go home. Farewell and good luck,” Frisk whispered sadly to him, stroking his soft plumage and leaning down to place a tender kiss on his little head. Baguette cooed at her, nudging her finger insistently with his head, demanding more pets.
Sans chuckled, before reaching over to gently take the bird in his bony hands, knowing how hard it would be for his wife to carry out their next, painful task.
“okay, buddy, time to go. enjoy your freedom, breadstick, and take care of yourself. we’re both really gonna miss ya.”
With those parting words, Sans lightly tossed the pigeon into the air, the little one using the momentum to spread his wings and take off, soaring through the trees. In no time, he had disappeared behind the leaves and the branches, the sound of flapping quickly fading away. Gazing after his vanished form, Sans and Frisk cuddled together, the skeleton monster slinging his arm around his sniffling wife, nuzzling his skull into the side of her head in comfort. But their quiet mourning was cut short, when a familiar bird re-emerged through the trees. Making a beeline straight for the stunned couple, he landed directly inside Sans’s hood, where he proceeded to snuggle down, resting from the exertion of flight.
“uh, what-... what’re you doing back here, buddy?” Sans blinked, craning his neck to attempt to peer at his impromptu passenger.
“Baguette... Don’t you want to go home?” Frisk gently nudged the bird, but it only let out discontented coos, annoyed at the disturbance.
“heh, maybe he is home, babe,” Sans smiled softly, taking his wife’s hand and entwining her fingers with his phalanges. Frisk squeezed his hand in return.
“You think he wants to stay with us?” she smiled hopefully at her husband.
“seems like it. i don’t blame him, who wouldn’t want to live with a punny guy like me, or a frisky gal like you?” he winked at Frisk, who graced him with a sweet smile and quick kiss on his cheekbone.
“Well, I can’t argue with that. Guess we’ve got ourselves a permanent roommate. Welcome officially to the family, Baguette. I promise we’ll take good care of you.”
“yup. glad to have ya, i’m sure we’ll ba-get along well, bud,” Sans concurred with an easy grin.
Baguette only cooed sleepily at his new pigeon “parents” and dozed off, content to slumber peacefully after an exciting day out.
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Like I said, I shamelessly used this prompt as an opportunity to write my early birthday present to my wonderful and incredibly talented friend @wolfkice. Happy birthday, buddy! (≧∇≦)ﾉ* Hope you like this little gift from me, and I hope you have a marvellous birthday! The mushrooms in the beginning are referencing your Fungus-Tale shroomies because, seriously, I can’t overstate how much I adore them 💖💖💖. Lots of love to Omelette and Sour as well! Baguette is so named because it fits the food theme of your babies and because, well... je suis moitié française :P
Thanks @fransweek for giving me this perfect opportunity, and for the rest of the event. I'm excited that I finally get to share the results of two months of work!
Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Day 5 / Day 6 / Day 7
