This takes place shortly after a True Pacifist run. Other details of the state of the world and where monsters are in their quest for acceptance are referred to but are unimportant to the plot. A few OCs from The Munificent Seven are mentioned but do not appear.

"Hello, Undyne? This is Toriel. Yes, everything is alright. I was wondering if you were available to look after Frisk tomorrow afternoon. There is a conference I would like to go to, but… Oh? Oh… I see. No, it's perfectly alright, I know I am asking at the last minute. Don't be silly, I am asking as a friend not as the Queen. The Kingdom was disbanded weeks ago, you know that. You two are lovely together, I would not wish to impose on you. There are lots of other people I can ask, please enjoy your date. It was lovely talking with you. Farewell." Toriel disconnected the call, putting one hand to her hip and sighing.

Frisk listened from their place on the couch, putting their cartoons at a low enough volume for them to keep tabs on Toriel's quest for a babysitter. She had been in a wonderful mood when she first heard about the conference. It was a meeting of teachers from across the country to discuss the state of education and how to meet the needs of students. Even though it would still be several months before she could open Dreamer Academy by the most optimistic timeline it would still be an invaluable resource for tips, tricks, and maybe a little headhunting. But the truth was, she was out of options. Silas was working with a client, Susan was driving Toriel there, the skeleton brothers were both indisposed, and it sounded like Alphys and Undyne were also a no-go. Things were beginning to look as though Toriel would have to miss out on it.

Chara, their ghost form hovering above the armrest at Frisk's side, tapped against the reverse-heart locket on their chest. They licked their lips and took a deep breath before saying, "You notice there is one person she has not yet called… perhaps that person is free?" Frisk gripped the cushion. Yes, there was one person remaining. One person Toriel had not yet asked. But would she even consider him? Did they even want to bring it up? Chara put their hands together in supplication, aware they were asking a big favor but perhaps not truly realizing how big a favor it was. "Please, Frisk? We didn't spend a lot of time with him before the barrier broke, and then he was busy with getting monsters accepted, and we haven't seen him at all since he and Toriel got separate houses."

Chara had been stuck following them around since they first fell into the Underground, and while it was a relief that they did not seem to be going anywhere Frisk felt bad for them. At school Chara was bored much of the time; they picked up knowledge so much faster than Frisk did but refused to give their partner any of the answers. They always looked vaguely uncomfortable whenever Frisk dealt with his classmates though Frisk had to admit the ghost had gotten them out of a few scrapes. They rarely made their preferences for foods or activities known, insisting that this was Frisk's life and a freeloader did not deserve a vote. Chara asked for so little, it was hard to turn them down if they went so far as to beg. "Toriel?" Frisk asked, peeking over the back of the couch. "What about Asgore?"

Toriel stiffened at the mention of his name. "Absolutely not. He was willing to attack and kill you for your soul. I cannot entrust your care to anyone who would do that."

"But he didn't hurt me!" This time. "And… and it was only 'cause he thought he had to. He wouldn't hurt me now, I know it!" Even Frisk didn't believe that, not fully. Toriel did not look like she was buying it either, her brow furrowed and her frown intensified. "I know it means a lot to you to go, and you'll see he's diff'rent."

Toriel closed her eyes and took a breath. Finally she pulled out her phone one last time and dialed a number. Whoever was on the other end picked up after the second ring. "Asgore. I wish to speak with you… yes, it has been a while, but I do not wish to trade pleasantries with you. I assume you are busy tomorrow already and can't cancel your Saturday plans for… no? But surely you do not have an entire day free to watch Frisk… you do? Oh, well. Yes, there is something I wish to do tomorrow. I will be gone all day. Stop! You listen to me, Asgore, even though I am leaving them in your care I have several ground rules. First, they must spend at least one hour on their homework, they will need your help to guide them. I'll send you a copy of their Individual Education Plan, contact me immediately if you have any questions. There will be no R-rated movies or M-rated video games, none! I will be calling once every ninety minutes to check up, and so help me if I come back to find a single scratch on them-"

—

"- and no Temmies, they're allergic and I don't want them sneezing all night. That should be everything. We should be back by eight o'clock, I will let you know immediately if there's any change in plans."

Asgore nodded blankly, looking a little overwhelmed. "I… think I have everything down. I'll be sure to contact you first if there's any problems."

Toriel stared at him for a moment as if daring him to make a break for it before kneeling down to Frisk's level, expression softening. "I know you'll behave yourself and not give Asgore any trouble but I have to ask anyway. You'll be good won't you?" Frisk nodded. Toriel seemed unwilling to let it go at that but a beeping horn from the car in the driveway told her she needed to wrap things up. "One more hug before I go… there we are! I'll see you tonight, Frisk." Then she trotted back down the walkway and into Susan's waiting car. She waved goodbye from the window and Frisk returned it, keeping a smile on their face until she was out of sight. Only then did they allow it to fall.

"Well! Just the two of us, then." Asgore rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It would be kind of dull to start off your visit with homework right off the bat… I know! I can show you my garden! It will be winter soon but human technology is amazing. For the next few months I'll be using a 'deep winter' greenhouse so I can grow things year-round. There's not much to see yet, but did you want to take a look?"

Chara whirled around in front of Frisk to give them a plaintive look. Frisk replied without much enthusiasm, "Sure." Chara clapped once and floated ahead, fingers waggling in excitement. Asgore offered his hand to Frisk but they did not take it. His smile took a small hit but he gamely showed Frisk the way.

The garden was noticeably warmer than the rest of the house, so much so that Frisk considered taking off their shirt. They had no idea how Asgore was okay with his thick coat of fur, but perhaps he was simply used to the heat. Rows of pots, planters, and troughs were filled with dark, rich soil and little else; here and there a few green shoots had sprouted but nothing had bloomed yet. Despite this Chara floated from one spot to the next in wide-eyed glee, marveling at each exhibit. Asgore explained, "I only planted them a few days ago so there's still a lot of growing to do. Those two rows at the end have vegetables like carrots and potatoes, the two nearer ones are for rare or special flowers, while these ones are for arrangements. Trying to get each flower to grow in a particular way to form a particular pattern is a careful skill, one I've been meaning to try now that we have ample and reliable sunlight. Like this, here! They're just starting to grow now, but pretty soon this will be a lovely grouping of roses, lilies, and chrysanthemums."

"Kissanthms," Frisk said with a frown. "Chris-and-the-thums."

"It's good to see you trying so hard," he said with a kindly smile. "But it's a difficult word for any child to say, it isn't odd to struggle with it. You know, for a very long time I only grew one type of plant… the golden flower. But here on the surface I'm looking forward to a more robust selection."

"More variety is better," Chara agreed.

Asgore saw that Frisk was not impressed and shuffled their weight from one foot to another. "A long time ago I offered you some tea but… well, some things happened and we never got a chance to share it. How about we correct that now? It might be just the thing to perk ourselves up. Come along, I'll get the water ready." He led the way back to the kitchen, Frisk shuffling behind him. So… he noticed. He could tell Frisk was lacking in energy today. They had been listless at breakfast too, barely touching their food. Even though it was nearly noon they were not hungry; their stomach kept tying itself in knots. It was stupid. In their head they knew Asgore was not going to kill them for no reason. Their heart told them Chara loved him so he should be a person worthy of trust. But something in Frisk's gut would not forget so easily.

The kitchen was spotless, and completely free of clutter save for two large bowls with the tops covered in cling wrap. Asgore lit a fire under the kettle with his magic, then left it to boil while he got a canister of dried golden flower leaves. "You can go ahead and sit down, it will take a moment to get it all ready. The chairs were sized for Asgore so Frisk had to climb into one, and even then they were dwarfed by the backrest. Asgore finished steeping the tea by the time Frisk had gotten as comfortable as they were going to, and he set a teacup on a saucer in front of them. They took a careful sip; it was even better than Undyne's, though they could not really enjoy it. Something about the atmosphere was too choking to relax in it.

Asgore sat in his own chair and sipped his tea. "Is it to your liking? I can get you sugar if you like, or if it's too hot I can…" Asgore's smile weakened, dipped, and finally faded entirely as he allowed the offer to trail off. He stared into his cup and swished the tea around. "I… suppose there is no getting around the, er, elephant in the room. I should have asked at the very beginning." He looked up with a mask of sadness. "How many times?" He could not have possibly meant…? Frisk froze and gripped their teacup in a white-knuckle grip, which Asgore took as permission to continue. "There's no reason to be surprised. I am well aware that all the humans who fell into the Underground had a… power. My former Royal Scientist could never explain it in a way that made sense, but it was something like time travel. As hard as it was to believe his evidence was incontrovertible. I find it hard to believe you would be able to get everyone to show up on your very first try. So… how many times did you die at my hand?"

Frisk looked away. "Don't memember." They swallowed a lump in their throat but it did not go down. "I lost count."

Asgore nodded sadly. "Something tells me you succeeded in talking me down eventually. Though it must not have worked out." Frisk minutely shook their head and Asgore sighed. "I believe I owe you an explanation. I had tried to offer the other humans a home the only way I could; I could lock them away, safe from other monsters and where monsters would be safe from them. It was a prison, yes, but one as comfortable as I could make it and with visitors allowed under strict supervision. But it didn't work. I tried, oh how I tried to back out of my terrible promise. Four times I tried to protect the humans that came to me, and four times I failed. Any chance of a human living peacefully underground disappeared for good after the sixth human killed so many of us. If my people would not allow a human to live in the Kingdom when I had few souls, they would never relent when the last soul was so close. Perhaps it would take weeks or months, but I knew one day I would wake up to find you murdered in cold blood."

Frisk fumbled with their teacup, making connections in their mind. "That's why you wouldn't listen. I tried to get you to stop fighting, but you wouldn't. It's 'cause…"

"… Allowing you to stay was the same as killing you myself." Asgore's gaze was fixated on a spot on the table between the two of them. "I was convinced you would have been murdered and there was nothing I could do to protect you. I don't know how your power works, but it was clear there was some weakness or limit to it; otherwise none of the children would have died. You at least deserved the chance to fight for your soul rather than have it stolen from you in the dead of night. So I… put the future of humans and monsters in your hands. I hardened my heart. I resolved to attack you without mercy or remorse. I would kill you over and over, as many times as it took. I decided I would either make you angry and desperate enough to strike me down, take my soul, and escape the hellish prison under the mountain… or fill you with so much despair that you would not return and grant us our freedom." He looked up at Frisk, his eyes watering over. "After all your trials and all you had done for my people, I gave you the choice of 'kill or be killed' with no alternative. Of all my poor decisions I regret that one the most."

Frisk gulped down the last of their tea, struggling to integrate what they had just learned. Asgore had tried to make Frisk hate him and he very nearly succeeded. But only nearly. When they raised their head again they were smiling, small and broken but there. "I… don't get it, not really. But I think I unnerstand you a little better. And I forgive you."

"That is very kind of you to say." He drained the rest of his tea in one draught. "It is fine if you don't fully understand now. I felt that… some things needed to be cleared up. Oh, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your power. Sans and Alphys already know, of course, but I don't see any reason it needs to become common knowledge." Frisk's stomach chose that moment to rumble; they shrunk into themselves, a little from the embarrassment and a little from how hungry they suddenly felt. Asgore stroked his beard. "Hungry, hm? Well, they should be about ready I think." Asgore smiled as he stood up and looked approvingly at the contents of the bowls on the counter. "When I heard you would be coming by, I thought to have snacks ready for you… but then I thought it might be more fun to cook lunch ourselves. I am not a chef by any means but the humans taught me a recipe even I can make." He opened up the cupboard fridge and began putting ingredients on the counter: a jar of tomato sauce, shredded cheese, containers of chopped-up veggies, peppers, mushrooms, even chunks of pineapple. He smiled knowingly at Frisk, inviting them to guess as he tilted the bowl to show a glob of freshly-risen dough.

Frisk straightened, their mouth a wide-open grin. "Pizza!"

"Yes," Asgore confirmed. "Pizza."

The knock on the door came as an honest surprise to both of them; had it really gotten that late? Asgore opened the front door to find Toriel with her fur up and expecting the worst. 的 apologize for being a little late, we ran into traffic. Is Frisk ready to go?

"Almost," Asgore said, looking over his shoulder. Frisk was struggling to get their coat on while humming a tune to themself. "Their homework got done, there's no need to worry about that. It took a little longer than we thought it might, but once we got into the rhythm it went well. Then we had some fun in the backyard, playing catch." He tactfully chose not to mention Frisk had the most fun when they were the ball, insisting on being tossed "Higher, higher!" with no regard for their personal safety. He never would have tossed them so high if he did not have gravity magic as a failsafe, but better not to mention it at all. "Oh yes, and here are the leftovers from lunch." He handed over a container which appeared to hold a fist-sized blob of melted cheese.

Toriel's jaw dropped. "What on earth-?"

"Frisk was a bit enthusiastic about their pizza," Asgore explained sheepishly. "They layered the toppings and cheese like a lasagna; it came out like a pile and they had to eat it with a knife and fork. They seemed fine with it."

He shrunk from Toriel's fearsome gaze. She said none of the things she clearly wanted to, simply shook her head and accepted the container. "I will return it to you after washing it. Are you ready to go, Frisk?"

"Yup!" They stamped twice to slip their shoe on without having to untie and retie the laces, then held their arms open for a hug. "Thanks for everything, Asgore. I had a lot of fun!" Asgore bent down to hug them, and once he had them in a tight grip he stood up and spun with a laugh. Frisk squealed and giggled until Asgore set them down again. Even Toriel could not keep a smile entirely off her face.

Asgore waved his goodbye. "It was good having you, Frisk. Feel free to come back anytime. If your mother allows you."

Toriel raised an eyebrow. "… We'll see," was all she said.

As Frisk skipped to the waiting car, a ghostly child came up alongside them. "Thank you," Chara said. "For giving him a chance."

"I'd really love to see something with Frisk bonding with Asgore after the True Pacifist ending with them maybe being more than a little nervous around him until he shows them he's not so bad, maybe set during either your A Chocolate Morning universe or The Municifent Seven?"

I don't ordinarily take requests, but Dragonsrule18 gifted me a cute fic and I felt a little obligated to return the favor. Then I read what the request was and I developed an ulterior motive for writing this. I've mentioned this to several people already but I consider the Asgore fight to be, by far, the weakest chapter in How to Save a Soul. Asgore doesn't get a good explanation of his goals or motives like the other characters do; unfortunately, explaining what he is trying to do during the fight would undermine his own goals, so I was never able to edit the chapter to my liking. So, sorry Dragonsrule18, I hope it doesn't damage your feelings about the gift if I used it for other things too!