Heat Exhaustion
Hot.
It was way, way too hot in Hotland.
It wasn't until Frisk exited the lab that they felt the heat slam into them, knocking the breath out of them. Before then, when they had first run into Hotlands, they were pumped up on adrenaline and too busy running for their life to notice much of their surroundings. Now, though…
Now, they felt like their lungs were burning with each breath they took in.
It didn't take long for them to become covered in sweat. The humidity in the air was too high, thanks to Waterfall's proximity, which added to the oppressive heat that enveloped the place.
Frisk made it past the first puzzle with ease, but they were dreading the rest of the journey through Hotland. The heat from the machines that were moving the conveyor belts and lasers was adding to the area's temperature, and, by the time they reached the shooting puzzles, the underarms of their shirt were soaked through. They couldn't focus on most of what Mettaton was saying during the cooking program, and were thankful that Alphys was there to get them out of whatever it was Mettaton had wanted to use the chainsaw for.
The jetpack had been terrible. The hot wind slamming their face was almost pleasant, but the heat from the jetpack was the worst. They barely managed to get the ingredient before they ran out of time, and they royally fumbled the landing, which left them feeling dizzy.
By the time they reached the first elevator, their clothes were almost completely soaked in sweat, and they were parched. Swallowing their throat hurt from how dry it had become, and their right leg had started to cramp.
As soon as they stepped into the elevator, they jumped back out. The humidity seemed to have all but formed a broiling cloud inside the elevator, and it felt like a suffocating death trap. They called Alphys to see if there was another way to their destination, but Alphys said that there wasn't. Frisk thanked her weakly and hung up the phone, barely choking down a sob as they entered the elevator.
They stumbled out of the elevator as soon as its doors opened, practically relishing in the superheated climate that awaited them. Anything was better that humid deathtrap that called itself an elevator.
They took all of two steps before a sharp pain manifested in their stomach. They doubled over as their arms flew to their stomach, trying to breathe through the pain. It took a few moments for it to become manageable enough for them to stand somewhat straight. They forced their legs to move forward with every ounce of determination they could muster. They could see a sentry station in the distance, and there was a spark of hope that Sans would be there.
Because if Sans was there, then he would make everything better. Just like back in Snowdin.
Crossing the distance to the sentry station was exhausting and agonizing. By the time they were close enough to see Sans clearly, there were black spots swimming in their vision.
"Hey buddy," Sans greeted as they slowly approached the station. They nodded at him, their breathing labored and vision mostly black.
"Sans," Frisk called out in a pained whisper, hand reaching for the counter to steady themselves.
Help.
They never managed to ask for help, or put their hand on the counter.
-/-/-
Water.
When Frisk came to, they opened their eyes to the glittering ceiling in Waterfall. They took a deep breath and tried to sit up, but bony hands forced them to stay down.
"Hey, hey," they recognized Sans' voice, "you're okay. Stay put."
"Water," they croaked. Sans handed them a cup and helped them to sit up enough to drink it.
"More?" Their throat was scratchy and they felt so, so tired.
"Nah," Sans replied, laying them back down, "drink too fast and you'll get sick."
"Oh," they mumbled, already feeling sleepy. They felt Sans wipe something cool on their head before they went under completely.
When they awoke a second time, they instantly recognized the couch they were asleep on and realized that they were back in Snowdin. They sat up slowly and found that their clothes had been changed and found a cup of cold water awaiting them nearby. They downed the water quickly, and then spotted a hot dog and fries next to where the cup was, and they instantly reached for them.
Papyrus walked into the house while they were halfway through the hot dog, and he practically glowed in delight.
"HUMAN! YOU'RE OKAY!" He greeted. Then he stuck his head outside, "UNDYNE! THE HUMAN IS OKAY! THEY'RE AWAKE NOW!"
There is fast paced crunching in the snow outside, and Undyne burst through the door, with Papyrus barely moving out of the way to avoid her.
"HEY! You're okay!" Undyne rushed to their side, sitting down and wrapping an arm around them, forcibly pulling them into her embrace. "When Sans brought you back, you looked terrible. What happened?"
"Hotland's too hot," Frisk answered as they finished off the fries. Undyne slammed their back powerfully.
"Yep, sounds about right. You should've grabbed more water from that cooler."
"Nah, Hotland's too big," Sans was suddenly there with another cup of water, "they'd need more than one cup of water."
"So, let them grab the whole cooler!" Undyne shouted excitedly.
"THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD PLAN."
"The cooler's too heavy…" mumbled Frisk, taking the second cup from Sans and downing it.
"Ahhh," scoffed Undyne, "Fine. We'll get you water bottles."
"And lighter clothes," added Sans.
"AND A FAN." Sans and Undyne gave him a look. "WHAT?"
"That's actually a good idea," Undyne said, "Someone can carry all of their stuff!"
"NO. I MEANT THE OTHER FAN. TO KEEP THEM COOL," Papyrus corrected, "MAYBE ONE DAY THEY'LL BE AS GREAT AS ME AND HAVE SOMEONE TO CARRY THEIR THINGS FOR THEM."
"I want bisicles too," said Frisk.
"GOOD IDEA. AND MAYBE SOME SPAGHETTI?"
"Lots of spaghetti," they replied. Sans smiled approvingly at them.
"I'LL GO MAKE SOME," Papyrus said happily and left for the kitchen. Undyne quickly followed him to help out.
"Guess I have to figure out your clothes," Sans placed another cup of water in front of Frisk. "You get some more sleep, and drink up. Not gonna be able to get anywhere if you're still sick."
Frisk nodded and lay back down on the couch. Sans snatched the covers away before they could reach for them, and then tucked them in properly. Once he was satisfied with his handiwork, he nodded and walked to the door.
"Sans?" Frisk's voice sounded tired and small.
"Yeah, pal?"
"Thanks."
"Sure. I get lots of practice with Papyrus."
"I meant for before. Thank you, Sans." Sans' shoulders sagged a little as he sighed deeply.
"You're welcome, kiddo," he replied, "take better care of yourself next time, 'cause someone out there really cares about you."
He didn't give Frisk a chance to reply before he walked out of the house. His words left them wondering, however, how Toriel was doing, and if she missed them, because they missed her a lot. As they dozed off, they felt that somehow, all of this would turn out to be okay, especially with Papyrus, Undyne, Sans, and Alphys looking out for them.
And that filled them with determination.