Three years later

"Oh……….. Hey……….. Uh……….." Napstablook greeted Frisk from their post on the ground in a pile of deep red leaves. Their eyes widened slightly. They weren't usually "happy" per say, but Frisk thought maybe the ghost enjoyed just having someone to do nothing with, so they might've been some semblance of glad to see him.

"Howdy," Frisk said. He all but fell on the ground somewhat dejectedly to join his friend. "Blooky, can I tell you a secret?"

"Ummmm………. Uh……….. I……… Think so?"

"Promise not to tell?"

"...Yeah."

Frisk took a deep breath, staring at the purple ceiling. He didn't like complaining. He didn't really deserve anything he had, so he didn't really have a right to gripe about what he didn't have. However, he'd been feeling for some time now that he had to get this off his chest. And since Napstablook rarely said anything, let alone to Goat Mom… They seemed like the perfect option.

"So you know how I'm a human?" Frisk started. Ah, he hated talking. "I… I didn't originally want to stay down here. But Goat Mom… I never had a mom like Toriel. I mean sure I had a mom. Everybody has a mom at some point." Wait, did ghosts have moms…? Frisk regretted mentioning it. "But my other mom was, like…" He signed several words in an attempt to pick a good one and settled on the fact that he wasn't going to find a good one. "Not a real mom. Goat Mom cares. Other mom didn't. And then there's you and the guy on the other side of the door. I'm loved down here. I'm not loved on the surface. So… So I stayed. But lately I've been feeling kinda… Suffocated." He was proud of himself for that one. Good word. "There's… Not much going on here. It's small. I don't know how Goat Mom does it. It's like, I feel like I've run out of stuff to do. I'm…" This word was there, right on the type of his tongue, but he hesitated to say it. "Bored." There. He said it. He complained. He got it off his chest.

Napstablook was silent. "I….. Get that way……. A lot actually……" they said after a moment.

"Really?" Frisk had been under the impression (heh. Under. Door guy would've laughed) that the rest of the Underground was fairly expansive, and he knew Napstablook could access the rest of it, being able to go through walls and stuff.

"But I get more……… People bored…….." Napstablook paused thoughtfully. Frisk knew that silence. Looking for a word.

"You mean lonely?"

"Yeah…….. I used to live with my cousin sort of, but……….. He left a while ago……….. And I don't like people very much but………… It's nice every once in a while to see someone."

"Aw, Blooky," Frisk said sympathetically. "You always have me and Goat Mom, okay?"

"Thank you………. Frisk…….." Napstablook said, their voice notably warmer than usual. "If there's anything I can do…………"

"You already did it for me." Frisk stood and smiled. "Thanks for listening, Blooky." The little ghost's cheeks glowed slightly gray as he smiled back.

How could he leave a place where he could smile and get smiles back in return?

Frisk woke up feeling suffocated.

He hadn't had any nightmares but it didn't keep him from wanting to scream. Why? Why couldn't he be happy?

He lay still for a moment, certain he would cry. The tears didn't come. When he was positive he wasn't going to randomly burst out sobbing, he slid out of bed and crossed over to the door, managing to put a spring in his step by thinking of what kind of breakfast Goat Mom would make.

"Howdy!" Frisk said as he stepped into the living room. Toriel was sitting in her rocking chair as usual, skimming a large hardcover book.

"Good morning, my child," she said brightly, closing her book. "I was just about to make breakfast. How about cinnamon waffles?"

"Sounds AMAZING," Frisk exclaimed. See? Down here there were cinnamon waffles. Nobody would make those for him on the surface.

Toriel got out of her chair and moved towards the kitchen, then… Paused. Suspiciously. Frisk felt himself sweat subconsciously. He wasn't quite sure what he'd done, but he didn't want to upset Goat Mom. Whatever he did, he was already very sorry.

"Are you…" Toriel began. "Okay, my child? You have seemed… Tired, lately."

Frisk felt his sins crawling on his back as he lied to Goat Mom. "Of course! I'm fine, just been up reading a little later than I should be."

Toriel made a clicking noise with her tongue. "Do not wear yourself out, Frisk. I love you too much to see you so tired." She smiled warmly and continued into the kitchen. Frisk followed, still feeling guilty. There were twelve year old boys that fibbed to their mothers about much worse than being upset, he assured himself. It didn't help.

As Toriel began shuffling through the cupboards for waffle ingredients, she kept up a steady stream of conversation. "Are you coming with me to chat with our friend on the other side of the door after you eat?"

"Mhm," Frisk hummed, leaning against the wall. That would be a good distraction. Sometimes the three of them--Frisk mostly listening--would talk for hours. Definitely would keep him occupied.

The waffles were amazing. Frisk and Goat Mom didn't talk much as they ate, but thankfully, the silence was not an uncomfortable one. Toriel had already moved on, and Frisk would prefer to as well, but… well, it was a problem that originated in his own head; it was a bit hard to just move on.

Afterwards the two of them descended the stairs and trekked down the long hall leading to the door, the one and only exit to the Ruins. Once or twice Frisk had caught himself simply staring at it and wondering if it would really be all that bad if he just sort of… Left. No way on earth would he really do that, though. Leaving was one thing, but without saying goodbye? Never.

Toriel knocked twice, punctuating each action with the word. "Knock knock."

"Who's there?" Toriel's face became even brighter when the voice responded.

"A broken pencil."

"A broken pencil who?" The guy was chuckling lightly already, either in knowing the punchline or anticipation. He sounded kind of… Subdued though.

"Never mind, it's pointless!"

And the two of them just howled with laughter. But Frisk, ever observant, noticed something. The guy stopped laughing before Toriel did, faster than usual. Probably not an important fact. Hopefully the guy wasn't upset or anything.

He was.

"Heh, that was hilarious. But uh… Lady, is the kid here? Because… We got a problem."