Every once in a while, the universe is thrown into chaos by something or the other. Usually it's the one something that sets this reality into motion every time. Change is a part of the cycle, and this particular change shouldn't be that jarring.
Fallen from above, a little child lays on a spot of ground illuminated by daylight. They're still unconcious, but green blades of grass and pointed leaves float and dance about them with no care. They cast playful, tiny shadows before landing into nests of their siblings.
"It sounds like it came from over here..." sounds a child's voice in the cave, followed by hasted footsteps.
The young boss monster stops upon the sight of the child on the ground, worry widening their already large eyes.
"Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you..." the monster continues, taking a concerned glance up.
Asriel kneels by the other child and gently turns them onto their back, cradling their head in the crook of one arm. The child's features twitch, and their eyes crack open.
"Are you okay?" the goat monster squeaks. For a while, the other child only stares at him. Then, something seems to align in their mind and their eyes blow wide in shock.
They gasp and scramble a bit back, away from Asriel's grasp, then stare at him. Asriel stares back, just as bewildered.
"S-sorry!" he says quickly, voice a little higher than intended. Then he gets up, steps closer, and hesitantly extends his hand down. "Here, get up..."
The child with brown hair and a blue shirt simply keeps staring for an extended moment. That makes Asriel a little nervous, and he almost pulls his hand back before a wave of determination helps him through the hesitation. No, this person needs his help.
After another ten heartbeats, suddenly, the child's expression scrunches up. It's no longer confused, it's...
A sob breaks through the air as the child's hands shoot up to their face, hiding the tears and the embarrasment painted all over. Asriel flinches, shocked by the sudden change in temperament.
"Hey! Are you..." But he pauses. No, no they are not okay. Even a child can tell that.
For a moment, Asriel uselessly wrings his hands together. Then, he kneels down next to the other child and wraps his fluffy arms around them.
Unexpectedly, they fall into his embrace and hug him back tightly. The sobbing still doesn't stop, but Asriel doesn't mind. He's just happy they're accepting his comfort.
"What's your name?" he asks after a while, when their sobs have diminished into quiet little sniffles. It takes some time for them to respond.
"Frisk," they inform in a small voice. Asriel smiles a little at that, glad to hear them speak.
"Frisk, huh?" he hums, gently patting at their back. "That's a nice name."
A comfortable silence takes place as Frisk calms their breathing. At this point, they're melting into the goat monster's radiating warmth.
"My name is Asriel."
In that moment, the human feels something inside them that they've never felt before. A strange warmth, but at the same time, a strange call. A longing for someone or something. The feeling is so strong it makes them pull away from Asriel's hug, though they sniff one more time as they do, then wipe the last of the tears from their eyes.
When they gaze at the goat-like creature's face, they recognize what that longing is for. Something deep inside them is speaking to them in a soft melody, telling them to dance with Asriel. They can't help but blink as confusion makes its way back onto the canvas that is their face.
Because of that urge, they slowly spin their head as if in search of something specific. Then they see the pair of ballet shoes lying about, just in their reach. Sighing out of unexpected relief, they reach out and grasp them into their waiting hands.
"Ah! Would you like to dance?" Asriel suddenly beams and climbs back onto their feet. Frisk hesitates a moment as they view his smile, but a moment later, give him a happy nod.
Seeming even brighter in mood than a moment ago, the monster extends his hand to Frisk for the second time. And this time, the human takes it, shakily climbing to their feet. As soon as they do, they take a step closer to one of the long support beams inside the cave and lean their back to it.
Frisk slips out of their simple black boots and slides on the ballet shoes instead. They tie the strings over the blue pant legs, making sure the extra fabric won't be hindering their movements. All the while Asriel waits patiently, though undeniably a bit giddy with excitement.
Once the binds on Frisk's shoes are secure, they tiptoe forward from the pillar enough to have an arm's lenght in between. They meet eyes with Asriel, who sets into a starting pose, one foot gliding before the other. He leads with his right.
"Ready?" he then asks, gleeful in his tone. Frisk smiles and nods again.
As they both ease and relax into their poses, on cue, a soft note of music is quickly followed by others, and they start to fill the air. Something resonating deep within the human awakens, growing louder by each delicate note. As the sound of their soul climbs high up, it starts to mingle with another, a melody that almost sounds like it's made to mold together with theirs.
Both children look at each other in surprise. And then they share another smile, and they both feel it. They feel a resonance in the respective cores of their being. When Frisk looks down at their chest and sees a bright red heart glowing at the center, it feels so right they don't even question it.
On the next beat, both of them start their dance.
Frisk bounces into a graceful ballet hop and twirl, arms extended to their sides. Asriel responds by stepping in the opposite direction, the leap long and measured as he leans back in a slight waltz tip.
Their music keeps playing in harmony, and with a small exhale from both, they take their next steps with more confidence. Asriel's hands find a place on his chest and behind his back as he sways farther to the side, his core keeping him in form. Frisk tiptoes closer to the center, where a beam of light from above meets the grass below their feet. For the moment, they both simply focus on their own movements.
And then in the next moment, both twirl toward the center and meet face-to-face. They suck in startled breaths and have to stop into their poses. It doesn't take long for them to break into giggles at each other's serious expressions.
Asriel takes a step back along the beat, then bows deep and extends one of his hands toward Frisk. They smile softly and fall into a partial plie, bowing back as they accept the hand, laying their own on top of it, gentle.
The monster lifts his gaze to beam at Frisk again, and they simply can't stop smiling.
Frisk is pulled closer to the monster again, and their hands are raised to catch each other before they collide. One of Frisk's feet is slightly raised off the ground behind them, while Asriel is slowly dragging one of his own beside the other as he rearranges their hands.
When they're holding each other like waltz partners, Asriel takes the lead on the next beat in their intermingled songs. He pulls Frisk along with him across the room, and the latter keeps their ballet form even as Asriel's song starts to dominate the air. They melt into the music like they'd just melted into his arms before, and it luls their eyes shut.
The waltz continues for a while, and they keep gliding from one end of the room to another until they reach the center again. That's when Frisk starts to weigh into their steps again and stops Asriel with a light pull. He only raises his brows and allows one of Frisk's hands free when they tug it away, then extend their body to the opposite direction from their dance partner. Asriel holds their weight well and allows Frisk all the room they need.
Frisk straightens and twirls back up-close to the other child, then giggles as they pull their other hand free and hop past him. They do a smooth turn and extend into a pose, then look at Asriel over their shoulder. Their melody is tipped into Frisk's soul song, but soon becomes a mix of both once more.
Asriel takes the opportunity and does a few twirls himself, a bit reminiscent of ballet, to return the favor for having led the dance before. When he comes back from the twirls, though, he settles back into a waltz pose.
Another beat, and the dancers circle each other with their own unique styles, remaining at the edges of light as they do. When they've done about a half circle of slow and careful steps, small specks of heat start to form in the air. That heat is followed by tiny flickers of light, and that light starts to draw Frisk's gaze toward each individual spot.
Asriel shows a reassuring expression when their eyes meet again. They finish the circle with their light-stepped movements and the spots of light erupt into small but bright flames. The human's eyes widen as they watch them burn, circling them like tiny waxless candles and illuminating a piece of their surroundings wherever they go.
It doesn't take long for Frisk to put together that the flames are a result of this dance – specifically, Asriel's dance. The warmth they can feel from the flames is exactly the same comforting feeling they're getting from their encounter. And that... Doesn't feel strange at all, either. It still feels like nothing but right.
Their heart pounding from the beautiful show around them, Frisk hops into the center of sunlight again and starts to twirl. They do it over and over again, face raising slowly toward the hidden sky along with their arms. When they're finally done, they shut their eyes and allow themselves to fall backwards, unafraid.
Asriel catches them, though shows a bit of a nervous expression as they do. Frisk doesn't even open their eyes, simply smiles, content and safe. The monster feels encouraged by this and pulls Frisk up from the dip, then grasps their hand before they can dance out of reach again.
He pulls them back into a waltz hold, which they fall into like a puzzle piece now that they know how, and the dance carries on along with the echo of their souls. The flames seem to grow brighter with each step, with each new tip and twirl, with each hop and plie.
When it feels like the song is finally coming to an end, they both feel like they've been dancing for hours. On the final notes, they've parted once again, both out of their little spotlight. They meet eyes as a few flames travel past their faces and it's like a thought is exchanged in that moment.
Both take quick, gliding steps toward the middle as the song builds to its climax, and when they meet, Asriel grasps Frisk by their hips and raises them up toward the ceiling. He uses the momentum of their meeting to make a slow spin as Frisk poses with their arms elegantly extended and their middle holding taut like a proper ballet dancer's. In that moment, they feel like they're flying.
The song ends when Asriel lowers the other child to the ground, and they both halt into their poses. After a soundless beat, they each take a step back and bow, respectful of their styles.
A few breaths are taken as silence settles over and the flames in the air flicker, then dissipate. Once they feel like the dance is truly over, and Frisk's soul no longer shows through their torso, they stand up straight.
Upon meeting each other's exhausted faces, they burst into giggles all over again.
It takes at least a half a minute for them to calm down enough to speak.
"I didn't know I could dance that well..." Frisk admits bashfully. Asriel nods back, his smile wide.
"I guess humans are just naturals at it," he comments playfully, wanting to praise the other more. That seems to serve its purpose, as Frisk is now beaming much like Asriel before.
He draws one more deep breath, then continues:
"Come on, I'll take you to my house!" he promises happily and waves for Frisk to follow. When the human nods, he takes initiative and excitedly runs ahead.
Frisk is still breathing heavily as they start to follow, but a moment later bring themselves into a halt. They turn back toward the cave, eyes roaming over the grass, the pillars, the walls... Eventually, their gaze lands onto the hole far above. They blink in surprise at how very high it actually is.
They shake their head mutely, then look down at the grass, where they see their boots laid neatly to the side. They take a step forward, intending to collect them, when–
"Come on! My parents will be so happy to meet you," Asriel's voice calls out to them, and they stop. They look between the opening, where they know the other child has disappeared, and their boots. Eventually, they lower their gaze to their feet, still enveloped by their ballet shoes.
They smile upon the realization that, no, they won't ever need another kind of shoe ever again.
And with that thought in mind, the black boots are abandoned in the room nourished by a sliver of daylight.
[A/N] Started that Dancetale fic I was talking about. Sit tight, the ride is about to begin! And leave a review for me?