A/N: So this chapter is a bit short. I promise the next one will be longer. I'm changing the formatting up slightly (expect a lot of flashbacks the next chapter) so I wanted to end it before that moment. Things will be much more interesting from here.
When morning dawned all of you ate a hardy breakfast together. Undyne and Papyrus –in an impromptu cooking lesson- decided to cook. For the safety of all of you, anybody not cooking went back out into the living room. Everyone was more reserved this morning after an exhausting evening. Neither Toriel, Asgore, or Sans brought up last night. Sans watched you sometimes but you were too caught up in your own thoughts.
Undyne and Alphys had their jobs to get back to and although they loved their friends they rushed you guys out. You all made sure to help clean up first (your ice cream cake melted in the Hot Fridge because of someone forgetting it was, in fact, a Hot Fridge) but then you were ready to leave. Toriel brought a spare jacket for you to wear and you put it on. Your gifts were put into the trunk of Papyrus's car and Asgore climbed in the back. There was a bit of a discussion over how Toriel would be getting home (she insisted the bus was fine because that's how she got there) but everyone refused. Papyrus insisted she ride with him.
You ended up riding with Sans.
The helmet he gave you was a motorcycle helmet. It made your head feel bulky and heavy. You climbed onto the back of his moped and wrapped your arms around his waist. He felt like he had meat and fat and skin even though he only had bones. You still wondered how he did that. Sans didn't say anything to you as he drove. You didn't mind because you didn't have anything to say to him either. You laid your head against his back and stared down at the seat between your legs as you ignored the cold ripping through your snow jacket. There were moments when the cold would suddenly disappear and randomly reappear. You knew you were passing through some of Sans's shortcuts then.
The moped came to a stop and you looked up to see you had arrived at Toriel's. You found yourself staring at the door. You slowly slid off of the moped and took off your helmet to leave it on the seat. Sans followed you as you approached the house and walked inside. You mechanically took off your boots and outer layers to hang on the coat rack. The house felt empty without Toriel in it.
"….frisk." Sans called. You paused but didn't look at him. "you going back to your parents'?"
You stiffened. You had been avoiding thinking about it. Even now you didn't want to think about it. But you knew you had to eventually. You couldn't keep pretending your parents didn't exist. Now that Toriel and Asgore were aware that they were alive, they would probably tell you to leave. You couldn't bear it if they kicked you out. It was better to choose to leave. It wouldn't hurt as much.
This situation was familiar.
Your silence spoke loud enough for your best friend. He approached you and stood next to you staring at absolutely nothing. His hands were tucked casually into his pockets. You looked down. "well. i'll be the first to say goodbye then."
You wouldn't tear up. You wouldn't.
"…." You glanced up at him to see his eyes closed. You looked away before he opened them. "so. good bye, kid." He turned to go. You began to tremble. Your nose was clogging with the effort not to cry. This is how it would end? Just a goodbye? Your eyes watered and you took a deep breath. You squeezed your eyes shut against the effort to cry. His footfalls stopped. "…frisk. you do know that you can always come back….right?"
Your eyes opened. Could you really come back?
"well….in the end it's your decision. make sure to come visit." You could hear a grin in his voice. "we're your friends, after all."
The door clicked shut.
You were tearing apart relationships left and right.
You walked over to the couch and sat down. Your eyes stared at Toriel's chair in front of the fire place. It wasn't lit right now. You missed the warm flames. You curled up and waited. Toriel and Asgore would be here soon. You would need to say goodbye to everyone. Toriel would have to remove you from her school. You would need to pack. You should probably do that now.
You didn't move.
Half an hour passed before you heard a car pull up outside of the house. You could hear Papyrus chatting loudly. There was the sound of the trunk opening. And then the front door. You hid down into the large couch cushions, not ready to face the future yet. You heard the boot falls as Asgore and Papyrus carried in your presents. Your name was called. You didn't respond.
"…Maybe we beat them here?" Toriel's soft voice suggested from the foyer.
"AW. I WANTED FRISK TO JOIN ME IN A VIGOROUS SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Papyrus bemoaned. Toriel and Asgore shushed him gently.
"Perhaps later, Papyrus." Asgore said. "We need to talk with Frisk."
"ABOUT WHAT?" You swallowed. He sounded honestly confused.
"About their family."
"OH. THAT. WE GET TO MEET FRISK'S PARENTS! THEY MUST BE GREAT PEOPLE TOO! LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES, OKAY?" Papyrus said cheerfully.
You could practically feel the look Asgore and Toriel no doubt shared. "We will see you later, Papyrus." Asgore said.
"I WILL HAVE MY PHONE ON ME!" Papyrus said and then you heard the door shut as he left.
A thick silence filled the house. You were afraid to move. "…Frisk, my child?" Toriel called softly. Reluctantly, your muscles stiff from sitting in the same position for so long, you uncurled and stood up. You padded to the foyer to meet the surprised eyes of your family. You fidgeted and couldn't keep looking them in the eyes.
Toriel sighed, sounding old and tired. "Come, my Frisk. Why don't we all take your presents into your room?" She motioned to your stuff with a small smile. You nodded and picked up some of your presents. Asgore took your bicycle and wheeled it to a different part of the house while you and Toriel took your toys to your room. You placed them down at the foot of your bed and turned to find Toriel sitting on your bed. She patted the space next to her.
You didn't want to talk.
You approached the bed and sat carefully next to her. You could hear Asgore's footsteps in the hall. Toriel wrapped you in a hug and you clung to her. "Oh my child, why are you so sad? Whatever is the matter?"
You couldn't hold it back anymore. A sob escaped you and you buried your face in her dress. "I'm sorry." You whispered in a mantra. The spot on the bed next to you dipped sharply and your bed creaked as Asgore joined you two. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you!" You cried.
"Shhh. Hush, child." Toriel soothed although her voice was beginning to thicken as well. Her paw ran up and down your back. A kiss was placed on your head. "If you wish to return to your parents, we will not stop you."
"Little one, do not cry. We will miss you dearly…" Asgore's forehead found the crown of your head and rested there, "but you will always be welcome back here. Ebott, this house, my house...they are all your home and shall wait for you if you ever wish to return."
You sobbed harder, grateful even as your heart ripped. You felt tears in your hair. You couldn't stop apologizing. You were ripping their family apart all over again. They had already lost two children and now they were losing a third. This felt worse than when you had killed them. This betrayal was worse. Why were they saying you could come back? You couldn't come back. You would just hurt them.
But they wanted you to. You could feel it in the way they both held you. Pressed against both of their chests you could feel the love from both of them. You would no longer live there, but this would always be your home. You could call. You could visit. You were certain that if you only asked, they would let you stay.
You didn't have to go.
But what about your mom? What about your step-dad? Surely they must want you too? Maybe things were different now. You had been gone for so long. You were sad when you had left. Perception can change over time (you knew that far too well now). You must have been imagining that they didn't want you.
You had to go.
You had all agreed that it would be better to wait a day before leaving. You only knew where you had last lived so your hope resided on finding your parents there. If they weren't, Toriel and Asgore assured you that you could stay with them as long as you wanted while you searched for your parents. Being as famous as you are, there wouldn't be any difficulty about it.
You spent the day staying in with Asgore and Toriel and you packed some of your clothes and toys. You didn't need to take all of it because you were determined to return there. You would have to convince your parents to let you stay over sometimes. After all, these were your friends and…and you needed Sans's jacket. And you needed to have a snowball fight with Papyrus. And you needed to train with Undyne. And you needed to cosplay your new outfit with Alphys. And you needed to come back in the spring to help take care of your garden. And you needed to help Asgore plan the trimming of Papyrus's head into the large bush in front of the school. There was too much for you to do so you needed to come back to visit!
The next day you went to visit many of your friends in Ebott. Your school friends were upset that you were leaving them and begged you to come back to play. Lansot gave you their cape with a promise to return it sometime soon. It was another reason to come visit, they said. Papyrus had been ecstatic that you would be seeing your parents again but demanded that you return as soon as possible so that you wouldn't miss him too much. Also to call him and text him. And to follow him on his "Tumblr".
"IT'LL BE LIKE THE UNDERGROUND ALL OVER AGAIN WHEN YOU WERE GOING TO THE CASTLE!" He said. "YOU CAN CALL ME UP AND TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE AND I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING SILLY ABOUT IT!"
He had wanted to go with you originally to meet your human parents but Asgore and Toriel talked him down saying it would be better to do it one-on-one. Parent to parent. He had been disappointed but understood. You were going to miss seeing him daily.
You looked everywhere for Sans, including his lab and his bedroom and New Grillbz, but you never found him.
Together the three of you looked at train and bus routes to find the quickest way to your parents' house. You made sure to make a detour to visit Undyne and Alphys. Alphys had teared up knowing she wouldn't get to see you much. She offered to have you bring a video camera with you so that she could keep an eye on you but you refused with a small smile. You would be following her blog and could text her any time, after all.
Undyne had been worse.
"Hey PUNK! You can't just skip your training!" She scowled. You shrugged at her helplessly. You could always try to keep up the training at home- "That's not GOOD ENOUGH! I'M SUPPOSED TO TRAIN YOU!" She teared up some. "What about our spa day?! Your piano lessons! Your COOKING LESSONS? HUH?!"
You threw yourself into her arms and hugged her tightly. Her hug felt more like she was trying to squeeze the life out of you (and you momentarily panicked thinking she would throw you in the trash or snow wrestle you like Papyrus had told you about before but she did neither) and kissed your temple. "You have to come see us! Especially Papyrus! And me! And Alphys! Hell, just come see all of us! Soon, you hear me?"
You nodded enthusiastically. You were choking up some. She looked like she was having trouble keeping her tears at bay. Alphys was blowing her nose loudly nearby. "It'll suck not having you right down the road anymore, kid! But we'll be right here –or in Ebott! – if you ever want to come stay for a while! So make sure you keep in touch!"
The sun was high in the sky when the bus the three of you were riding on began getting close to your old house. You lived in a city at least two hours away from Mt. Ebott. The skyscrapers towered over the hillsides that could be seen in the distance. You could barely see Mt. Ebott. You felt so small. Your house was part of an apartment complex off of a major highway. There were plenty of restaurants and facilities nearby. It was fairly high-end, you knew. There had been kids in your old class that had envied you.
The code you had to the front security door still worked so you didn't have to buzz in. The security guard had gaped at you as you passed. You had expected to see a "Missing Child" poster on the guard's corkboard (you had seen them before) but you didn't see one there now. Maybe they had given up on finding you.
The three of you had to take the stairs up to the eighth floor because the elevator wouldn't be able to fit or support all of you. You counted the doors dreading the approach of your door. You didn't want to leave. Asgore and Toriel had been trying to maintain a pleasant if not stilted conversation the whole time but you barely wanted part of it. This city didn't hold fantastic memories for you. It all felt cold.
Finally you pulled your group to a stop. You stared at the number on the door to your apartment and put down your suitcase. You couldn't bring yourself to knock.
Asgore placed an encouraging hand on your back. "Go on, my child." He said gently. "I am sure your parents have missed you dearly."
"We are right here with you." Toriel added. Their eyes looked so sad. They won't be with you much longer.
You raised your hand and knocked.
A/N: I'm already starting on the next chapter. If I finish what I wanted to tonight, I promise to post it tonight. If I don't, then expect it in the afternoon (because I'll be home from work then) so expect it! I already know where I'm going from here.