A Frisk that was worth it

Confined screams muffled by taut closed lips whispered through the small clinic. Rushed breathes, white knuckles, blood dripping from her hand. The woman pushed against herself to bring a new life into the world. This new life was a risk but a risk worth taking. Dark blonde hair was brown from the sweat dripping from her face as she grimaced and finally gave birth to her child. A child her lover left her before his end.

Fatigue fogged her mind as she distantly hears the wails of her child as she briefly went through the afterbirth. Skin pale and clammy, she panted for breath. Opening a bleary eye, she looked around in a pain filled daze. Her Child was being cleaned and wrapped in a soft purple blanket.

The woman smiled as her child quieted down in her arms. Exhausted and stressed, she smiled widely anyways. Truthfully, she cannot hide or run away from her past or cover it up with pathological lies for long, but she will give this child – her child a world where they can be safe.

A coo broke the woman out of her DETERMINATION. She looked more closely to her child's eyes as they slowly opened into slits, but it was just enough to see the dark chocolate eyes they inherited from their father. Golden blue eyes welled with tears and emotion. Smile turning softer, the woman offered her pinky to the child's clenching fist.

"Hello there, I'm your Mommy, and I promise to be the best I can be for you, Frisk."

Xxxxxxxx

Two year old Frisk wailed in their high chair. It was lunch time and Frisk had yet to take a nap. Kia groaned into her fork. She was eating some leftover spaghetti she made the other day while Frisk had leftover wheat pb&j with some gold fishes, a bit of her reheated pasta on the side was untouched. It was the weekend, her time off from her job. She just wishes Frisk would cooperate with her so she can relax and enjoy her break.

Placing down her fork, Kia hand spider crawled the edge of her child's tray to get the fussy one's attention. Once the child did see her hand, they squealed, making Kia smile tensely at the high pitch.

"NNNOOOO! MINE!"

Then they processed to gather their sandwich rinds, remains of gold fishes, and untouched pasta to one side then off the tray to the floor, thus starting another bout of frustrated wails. Shoulders slumped in defeat, Kia went through the motions of cleaning up her child and refreshing their water bottle to ready them for a nap they won't take.

After twenty minutes of calming down Frisk to sleep, Kia decided to take a nap herself. Waking a few hours later, she stretched to wake her tired muscles. Lumbering over to her little one's room, she opened the door to see tremendous mess of toys and clothes with a used diaper in the middle of it all and her child frozen, head tucked under the destroyed blinds of the window. Kia guessed that Frisk was peeking into the outside world to stare at the street outside.

Standing there staring, Kia gave a start when Frisk squealed.

"MOMMY!"

Running right up to the baby gate in front the child's room, Frisk jittered excitedly all the while shouting,

"NAKED BOODY! NAKED BOODY! NAKE BOODY!"

Wanting to cry at the mess she needed to clean up now and the pee spot she was sure to be somewhere, Kia laughed her belly laugh instead and grinned. Her little sunshine, monkey butt.

Xxxxxxxx

Exhausted, Kia trumped quietly downstairs. She had just read a story to a sleepy four year old Frisk. Extremely tired, but unable to sleep just yet, she headed to her wooden opponent. She practiced her Chinese Kenpo for a few hours until she heard a suspicious click. Wrapping her fingers around one of her wooden counterpart's arms, she whirled around with a short staff to disarm and club the intruder into unconsciousness. It took a glance at the familiar emblem in the person's sleeve to recognize the situation. Instantly, Kia dashed towards her child's room.

Seeing the door ajar, Kia smacked open the door to see two goons nearing her child. With quick steps and determination, she had taken out the two trash bags. Almost immediately after, she was clubbed on the head and restrained by a large opponent. Vision bleary, Kia struggled in the brute's hold until she noticed another person nearing her sleep-like-a-log child. Before the figure could utter anything, Kia gave out a wordless scream loud and high pitched enough to wake her child and the neighbors.

"Wha- Mommy, what's going on?!"

Seeing her child awake, Kia shouted for them to run before being muffed by a meaty hand which she immediately bit down on. Series of thumps and thuds sounded in the room before Kia could process anything. She was pinned to the ground with her hair in the grip of the one holding her down, very heavy male by what she could feel on her back. She was forced to watch as the other guy now sporting a bloody lip started to choke her struggling child fiercely, obviously pissed off.

Bright Red consumed her vision. Then she woke. Frisk desperately clinging to her waist. Below her, the man who choked her child was a bloody mess. Her knuckles were split. Her left eye was gummed shut with blood. The guy had it far worse. His face was an unrecognizable pulpy mess, his arms swollen and tattered sleeves.

Kia turned to look at her child to see a darkening bruise forming on their neck. Frisk had since let go of your waist when you moved with them off the intruder. Immediately noticing the darkening bruise around their neck, Kia moved to check them but froze at their frightened look. Tears flooded her eyes.

Frisk was terrified of her.

Xxxxxxxx

A move soon after the incident and a year after listening to the doctor tell her that her child's voice box was damaged, their voice had since healed, but they can only talk softly. Any louder and it would hurt them to speak. Frisk mostly spoke with their hands now-a-days in sign language.

They had settled at the feet of a mountain range. The town was small but homely. The people were nice and closely knit community. Frisk started to improve after another two years there. They started to make friends. They even spoke to her more. They started to tell her how they were at school. They started to ask for her help on homework. They even asked to learn how to defend themselves should the need arrive, again. Kia knows that they still have that fear and mistrust in her, but it was progress to forgiveness. Even if she didn't really deserve it, she would be content with whatever decision Frisk made.

Xxxxxxxx

Three peaceful years have gone by so quickly. Frisk is now around eight years old. Things of late have been quiet for some reason. Kia was trying to not to be so paranoid.

Did she really scare off those demons three years ago? Were they just waiting for her to slip up? Were they really safe? Is Frisk really safe here?

Kia absently sliced up an orange. Frisk will be home soon from school. They keep going on and on about what they hope to do for summer break in a few days. Kia smiled before wincing. The door slammed shut with such force that Kia knew Frisk didn't have a good day. Frisk was usually so calm and happy.

Small chimes tingled the house as Frisk rushed. Frisk dumps their backpack next to the counter Kia was at with her cutting board. They trumped over to the table roughly sit down. A dull thud resounds through the kitchen as their head connects with the wooden table. A small moan follows.

Kia mulled over what she could do to make them at least smile. She glances at the orange slices and smlies.

"Knock, knock?"

Frisk rings the little bell on their wrist to get Kia's attention.

"What," they signed. Kia pauses for a moment, awkward. She was never really good at puns, but she started the pun.

"You're, uh, supposed to say 'who's there,' but, uh, orange."

"Orange who," they asked with their hands. A small sigh could be heard.

Kia managed a weak smile as she presented the tasty snack to her child.

"Orange you glad to see me?"

Frisk tucked some of their chestnut brown hair behind their ear. Their almond shaped eyes were almost able to hide their chocolate eyes. They gave a weak smile in return before they started to eat. Kia chuckled weakly. A hand came up to rub the back of her neck.

"Yeah, that was terrible. Although, really, Frisk is something wrong? You are moodier than you should be before summer break."

They munched softly on their fruit before sighing. They raised their hands to sign, but paused at the chime the bell at their wrist made. Kia started to worry when they paused but stayed determined to be patient and listen.

"Well, some of my friends wanted to hike up Mt. Ebott,"Frisk signed. Kia stiffened. They both heard of the rumors and legends surrounding that mountain. Kia focused more on what they were telling her.

"But… when I reminded them of the caution of being on the mountain, they ignored me. Then Ms. Smith from next door heard them, and they got in trouble with their parents. She lectured all of us about what happened to her brother that went up the mountain years ago," Frisk continued signing.

Kia nodded. She had also heard the story. Ms. Smith's brother as an upcoming Jr. Boxer. He had wanted to show his courage by climbing the mountain, root to peak and back, but he never came back. Kia laid a hand on Frisk's other shoulder to symbolize a side hug across the table to show her support.

Kia noticed that Frisk started to fidget and become nervous. Kia knew that stance.

"Sweetheart," Kia began but noticed their wince, making her wilt a bit in sadness, "You want to ask me something?"

They pursed their lips and gave another sigh.

"Can we … climb Mt. Ebott together?"

Frisked looked up at Kia's devastated expression, and started to rush their hands to explain why, in a panic. Frisk knows that their mother has had an unsavory past, but they also know that she was trying to give them a good life. They still felt a little betrayed, angry, and sad at their mom for holding back her story from them, and having found out a small piece in the most undesirable way imaginable to an four year old.

"Wait! Wait! It's just, I want to talk about what happened but in a more secluded spot! I don't want to disappear or for you to do so either. I want some time to sort this out without-"

Frisk's hands became illegible after that as they started to flail at their mom's tears falling down her sad face. Frisk has only ever seen her cry once four years ago. They watched their mom wipe at her tears and try to calm down to stretch their usual fake smile into a small warm one.

Kia took a deep breath. This was it, she guessed, an opportunity to spill the beans and whatever. With some determination, she calmed down enough to grab Frisk's hands to still them without shaking herself. Giving a smile, Kia nodded.

"Alright, MonkeyButt, let's go on a hike."