A.N.
I'm just posting these as they come to me. So these chapters won't be in chronological order. I'll always try to give some context so it's not too confusing though.
For this first chapter, it is important to note that Frisk did not come from a happy home. This won't really get referenced in the chapter, but it has caused Frisk to not be very eager to leave the Underground, even if it is inhabited by giants. So they've been staying with the skelebros for a while.
Why they are with the skeletons instead of Toriel will be covered in another chapter. I will let you know that she has met them Sans and Papyrus before this chapter takes place though.
Frisk sat on the smooth tabletop, looking up and listening to the giant skeleton sitting across from them. The young human was forever grateful that most of the monsters didn't mind her lack of vocal communication, and Sans one of the ones that handled it best. The skeleton could go on and on and Frisk could just sit back and listen, just as they were doing now.
Sans had taken them to a place other than Grillby's for once. This place was classy and uncrowded, and it wasn't even in Snowdin. Frisk wasn't sure how far out of Snowdin it was, because Sans had used one of his infamous short cuts to get them there. Traveling that way usually made Frisk a bit nauseous, which was why they hadn't ordered food right away and just started talking.
Well, Sans started talking anyway.
It had been a very pleasant conversation from the beginning, and had transitioned into sugary sweet when Sans started talking about how he first 'met' Toriel. Frisk knew from experience how adorable their adoptive mother and duncle could be, but this was taking it to a whole new level.
Suddenly, their large friend fell silent. He stared down at them; his smile was still in place but the light of his eyes had dimmed a bit. Frisk sat up straighter, sensing the change in atmosphere.
"one day, though, i noticed she wasn't laughing very much." Frisk leaned forward, concern for their new mother evident in their body language.
"so I asked her what was up. then she told me something strange." His eyes suddenly brightened, and his gaze became intense. Frisk felt a tightness start to grow between their shoulder blades. "if a human every comes through this door, could you please, please promise me something? watch over them, and protect them, will you not?"
The words were exactly what Frisk had come to expect from Toriel, and they made the tiny human relax a little. The tightness in their shoulders remained though.
"now, i hate making promises. and this woman, i didn't even know her name. but...someone who sincerely likes bad jokes has an integrity you can't say 'no' to. do you get what I'm saying? that promise i made, you know what would have happened if she hadn't said anything?"
Frisk shook their head slowly. Sans' skull turned away for a moment.
"...buddy."
When he turned back, the light had completely vanished from his eyes, and his voice held a sinister tone.
"...You'd be dead where you stand."
Frisk felt a cold sense of dread crawl up over their body. No...no Sans wouldn't have...accept he just admitted he would have. When Frisk met him they had lived purely on Toriel's good graces and Sans sense of honor. Was that all Sans had ever felt toward them? A sense of duty? That couldn't be...all the good times and memories they'd had together... Was all of that really just for Toriel's sake? Frisk...they didn't know how to respond to this. They felt their breath shortening, and their muscles began to tremble. Why had Sans told them this?
…what did the giant skeleton intend to do now?
Meanwhile, Sans had come back to himself after his last statement. His first instinct was to make a joke of the whole thing, but one look at the kid's pale face and trembling body told him that was not a good idea. He chuckled nervously.
"hey, lighten up small fry, that was ages ago. Besides haven't I done a great job protecting you?" He looked at the kid, but they just continued to stare at him. His anxiety and guilt began to increase, had the kid ever looked that fearful with anyone before? Maybe they could do with a change in subject.
"heh, things got a little heavy huh? how about we go visit undyne and papyrus, they should be training right around now." Sans reached forward, planning to put the kid in their usual spot in his hood. But his movement seemed to have broken the spell of stillness.
Frisk gasped and scrambled backward, trying to avoid the huge hand.
"whoa, whoa! take it easy kid, calm down!"
Frisk didn't listen, the sudden bout of panic causing their flight instincts to rear up. The problem was that, up on the table top, there was no where to run. The table was much too high for the little human to safely jump from, and the other tables were pretty well spaced...
Guessing Frisk's line of thought, Sans began to panic a little himself.
"come on kid, don't do anything crazy. i know things got a little weird just now, but i'm not going to hurt ya." Sans tried reaching for his tiny friend again, slower this time, trying not to scare them anymore. Unfortunately, this gave Frisk more time to act.
Frisk bolted away from Sans hand. They couldn't go far on the table, and truly they didn't have any plans for the long run, they only felt the driving need to get away.
Frisk saw the edge of the table approaching, and turned before they got too close. Unfortunately, the human didn't account for how well polished and slippery the tabletop's surface would be. Instead of turning, they began to slide. A different, much more visceral, kind of panic took hold of them then. Frisk flailed their arms, trying desperately to change course, but they only fell down and kept sliding. Frisk let out a small shriek as they flew feet first off of the table.
There was a moment of gut wrenching free fall. Frisk squeezed their eyes closed, only to open them again when they felt themselves come to a painless stop. Vibrant blue greeted their eyes.
Realizing they had been caught, Frisk let out a shuttering sigh of relief. A few moments later, Frisk felt bony fingers close around them. Dread seeped back into them, as they remembered why they had been running in the first place.
"dang it kid, you almost gave me a heart attack. don't scare these old bones like that!" Sans laughed, the tired relief clear in his voice as he looked down at the human. "you sure can be a handful, you know that kiddo?"
Frisk whined.
"kid?"
The soft sobs reached his ears, and he felt guilt twist his gut. A glance up showed that several of the other patrons were shooting the pair concerned looks.
"...let's talk this over someplace less crowded." Sans muttered. Without waiting for a response he took a shortcut.
Frisk felt nausea sweep through them before cold air stung their skin. They glanced around, seeing a snow covered trail and barren trees. They were on the path leading into Snowdin.
A part of Frisk was happy to be closer to home. Another part worried that they had been taken to an area without witnesses. This fear was somewhat assuaged when Frisk felt themselves being lowered and set onto a rock. The same one they'd been standing on when they first met Papyrus.
Sans sat himself down a couple feet away. It made it so Frisk was just out of his reach; he hoped that the distance would help Frisk calm down a bit.
After a minute of nothing happening, the intensity of the Frisk's fear began to dissipate and reason reentered their mind. They took in Sans appearance: slumped shoulders, downcast eyes, fidgeting hands, the distance. Their tears evaporated along with their fear, leaving uncertainty in their wake.
"Um, Sans?" The skeleton looked up when the little human called to them.
"hey kid, feelin' any better?"
Frisk nodded.
"good, that's good. sorry i got you so worked up back there."
Frisk shook their head. "It's okay."
"nah, i really don't think it is. you really think i'd hurt ya?"
"No, not really." Frisk said after some thought.
"really? then why the freak out?" Sans asked, giving them a critical eye. Frisk fidgeted with the hem of their shirt.
"Well...when you explained about Toriel...and what you would have done..." Frisk gripped the cloth more tightly and looked down. "Do you...do you only stay with me because you promised Mom?"
Sans spine straightened in surprise. The sudden movement made Frisk look up.
"aw man, that's not what i meant kid! that deal with tori, it's ancient history. i'll keep the promise of course, but that's not the only reason I stick with ya. i only brought it up to finally get it off my chest."
"Really?" Frisk asked hopefully.
"course not, small fry. you're one of the best listeners i know, and you're cute as a button. not to mention pap adores you. i can see why he does, it's hard not to. you add so much color to our lives, to my life. we don't get a lot of that around here, since we're always covered in snow." Sans said the last part with a wink, and Frisk giggled.
"You even laugh at my puns. What's not to love?"
Frisk blushed darkly, but looked at Sans with a beaming smile. They didn't say anything, they didn't need to. A moment later, Frisk let out a big yawn that made Sans chuckle. The little human always got tired after an emotional outburst, positive or negative.
"ready to go back home kid?"
Frisk nodded. Sans scooted forward, and shifted to his knees. He placed his hand palm up next to Frisk, and was highly relieved when Frisk didn't hesitate to leave the rock for his hand.
"No shortcut this time okay?"
"sure thing small fry. You wanna ride in my hood again?"
"No, this is okay." Frisk said, curling up in his palm. Sans felt his bones turn to mush. He still managed to start forward though.
"alright, let's head home then."
A.N.
I first saw the idea for this AU on tumblr. kuberish tagged/tiny!frisk-AU, and rocko-newjeans tagged/tiny!frisk-au have the stuff I am most familiar with. I'd recommend checking them out.
The tumblr of minisculemiscreant also has a few chapters of a tiny frisk story, starting from the beginning of the game, called Tiny Soul. It can be found under their fanfiction tag.