I wanna thank the most recent reviewer, 'Guest' for their encouragement to pursue the growing bond between Sans and Frisk. I want it to be family-esque because Frisk is definitely too young for any type of romantic relationship and I don't want to give the impression that it would be.
I love writing this and I'm so happy that people are liking this. I feel myself somehow getting sucked further into Undertale and into Frisk's personality. I love it!
P.S. This chapter will be focusing more on the events about what happened right after the monsters left the Underground.
Toriel and Asgore had finally finished the paperwork a couple of hours after Frisk's departure from the settlement with the help of Alphys. The caprine woman was eager to get the two out of her home so she could make preparations to drop off the paperwork the next day. She shooed the two monsters (albeit, politely) out the door and noticed how quiet her home was without her child in it. Even though Frisk didn't speak much, there was always the soft padding of bare feet on the wood or the soft scratching of a pencil on paper while they sat quietly in the livingroom with her. She'd almost forgotten what it felt like to be a mother again. She shook her head, she had better things to do than feel sorry for herself. She was still technically queen of the monsters after all!
She refused to let Asgore name the settlement due to his previous un-imaginative ideas and so, for the time being, they just called it 'The Settlement' until a permanent and more suitable name could be picked.
As soon as the barrier was broken, a whole spectrum of possibilities opened up, any digital, radio or otherwise kind interference with the surface almost completely vanished. The humans had done a good job in ensure that they were effectively cut off from almost all forms of communication with the surface.
There were still other things that needed to be done like the continued construction of her schoolhouse, more homes to be built, channels still needed to be carefully dug out to allow the water from Waterfall to make a river for the Riverperson for easy access to go from the Underground to the Surface for the monsters who chose to still dwell there, for their friends and families. It had been two months since they settled down and there was still so much yet to do. Many of the Core workers were putting their skills to work as they helped build homes and small stores.
Asgore wanted to leave as much as the forest intact to preserve it, to lessen their mark on the land. Toriel had agreed with that, and helped to oversee what clearing they did do in the area. They needed the wood and other materials for the structures and Miss Muffet was happy to put her spiders to work to help fasten everything. Temporary tents were set up and trip after trip had been made from monsters' old homes to the new ones and for the first couple of weeks, lines upon lines of monsters were almost constantly streamed in and out of where the barrier had been, through the King's home and flower garden. Asgore was more than happy to open his home up to his people but even he had his limits when it came to patience.
The nearby forests now contained many homes varying from simple buildings to burrows in all sorts of sizes and shapes. The creatures from Hotland were told that it would be a good idea to stay put until they could think of something, to avoid the fiery people unintentionally burning down the forest. A majority seemed to agree but others were a little more than eager to be on the surface and it took all of Asgore's diplomatic experience to convince them that settlement just wasn't prepared for their arrival.
Muffet and her spiders preferred a nearby cave and adjoining copse of trees to settle in until she could get her bakery up and running. Grillby had moved his daughter, Fuku, along the better part of his restaurant and home to the surface, monsters had to eat, after all. Fuku still made the rather long trek down to the highschool in Hotland along with her peers until Toriel and her colleagues properly set up the school on the surface.
Undyne decided to stay with Alphys in her well established laboratory in Hotland. The dino-scientist made sure to set up numerous cameras up on the surface to keep watch on everything and honestly, she was much more comfortable with her current setup than packing up and moving everything topside, why fix it if it wasn't broken? Of course though, to make it easier on the monarch, she did set up a house with an oversized, almost warehouse-like building attached to it to serve as her 'lab away from lab'.
The skeleton brothers didn't waste much time with getting everything they owned to the surface as well. Maybe it was because of their direct connection to Frisk as their friends or maybe it was what they had been waiting for for so long much like all the other monsters. The two decided to take the easiest route when it came to building their home; to make it nearly identical. Surprisingly, Sans had helped a great deal and was conscious for most of the work, something Papyrus was certainly happy and proud about but something that worried Frisk a great deal. The child had always known the stout skeleton to be lazy and easygoing and while he seemed happy with all of this, there was definitely something off about his behavior and they couldn't put their finger on it. They hoped that he was alright and told themself that it was just because he was happy to be on the surface that he was acting this way.
Toriel now busied herself in her home again, nervously tidying up and cleaning out of constant habit. She ate her supper by herself for the first time in a long time and she was getting ready for bed when she got a call on her cell phone. She looked at the caller ID and was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was Frisk who was calling her. She picked it up on the second ring and was greeted by the soft and shy voice of her child. After asking how they were, she was told that they were doing okay and they willingly chatted a little bit about the human woman who helped them get settled in. She was relieved that someone was showing them kindness, particularly in this critical moment of their life and, after bidding them goodnight and reassuring them that they would be back home soon, she climbed into her own bed and drifted off to sleep.
Over at the skeleton household, Sans sat on the couch with Papyrus watching some mindless human show about cooking. The program really didn't interest Sans at all, he just wanted to spend time with his brother. He watched Papyrus out of the corner of his eyesocket as he scribbled down notes eagerly, every now and then piping up with his own ideas about the recipes. Sans would usually just shrug or offer some half-hearted opinion (which the taller of the two didn't seem to mind). By the time the show was almost over, Papyrus was dozing off. Sans nudged him in the arm with an elbow, "Hey bro, c'mon, you're fallin' asleep. We should probably get to bed if we want to visit Frisk at a reasonable time tomorrow."
Papyrus jumped with a startled 'nyeh?' when he was nudged and he looked at his brother, "Yes, of course! We must be presentable to the humans and be a good example for monsters!" He proclaimed and rose from his seat before slowly turning to look at his older brother, a mischievous glint in his eye.
Sans noticed and sweat formed nervously on his skull, "What-Oof!" Was all he could get out as he was unceremoniously scooped up by Papyrus under his arms and was hefted over the younger brother's shoulder. Sans didn't protest as he was carted upstairs, Papyrus cackling a hearty 'nyeh-hehehehe!' as he almost kicked down the door to Sans' room and dumped him as gently as possible onto the mattress.
Sans sat there and blinked, trying to process what had just happened as Papyrus bounded back out, closing the door behind him and heading down the hall to his own room yelling over his shoulder, "Don't take forever getting ready, brother! That story isn't going to read itself!"
Sans shook his head and suddenly gave a bark of laughter before muttering to himself, "Well, alright then." He set about getting ready for bed, shrugging off his jacket and digging out a pair of (somewhat) clean pajama pants and t-shirt to change into from a nearby pile of clothes.
Sans parked himself at his brother's bedside to read his favorite story by heart but had the book in his hands more for show than anything. Like clockwork, the lanky skeleton was asleep and snoring softly just before the last words of the story had been read. Sans smiled and shook his head amusedly as he quietly closed the book and put it back in it's place on the bookshelf.
He headed to his own room and stopped in front of his 'bed' consisting of the mattress with a tightly rolled up pile of sheets. He stared down at it and wondered what horrible nightmare awaited him when he eventually managed to drift off to sleep. It certainly didn't help that he also had to contend with an almost constant existential dread hanging over him. Even though there hadn't been a reset since they arrived to the surface, Sans always had a feeling that Frisk had been behind it, whether they meant to or not. Sure, he'd grown to love the kid but he hated being at their mercy, never knowing what would cause them to trigger a reset. Nearly everyday, he had to tell himself not to get his hopes up, not to get too attached to this timeline because he never knew when or if it was going to be abruptly pulled out from under him and he'd find himself back in Snowdin before any of this 'happy ending' stuff was even a thought.
He knew he should be exhausted and in a sense, he was, emotionally at least- but there was always something that kept sleep from coming peacefully. He rattled his bones and shook his head to try and clear his thoughts, determined to try and get some sleep in order to 'be presentable' tomorrow. He flopped down on the mattress and stared up at the ceiling, praying to whatever God was out there to grant him a dreamless sleep.
Sans was woken suddenly from his sleep not from a nightmare or memory of a timeline gone horribly awry, but by his brother knocking loudly (banging was more like it) on his door, "Sans! Wake up! We've got to make it to Frisk on time! We must be perfectly punctual!"
Sans was tempted to grumble something about wanting more sleep, but thought better of it, the kid needed their support and by God he was going to give it to them, not just because they broke the barrier, but because the kid was like a child or even younger sibling he never thought he would have.
The two skeletons had made their way through the small town at the base of the mountain and tried their best to ignore the strange looks they received from the humans. Apparently, the Mayor held a formal announcement informing his people of the town what was happening and not to worry and asked them (surprisingly) to treat them with respect and dignity. Of course it didn't stop the people from their suspicious whispers or pointing at them.
Now finally having made it to the orphanage, Frisk led the skelebrothers by the hand into the visiting room after Mimi and Kai. The child surveyed the room and spotted an empty table. They gave the little girl a shy wave as she gave them a small smile and a little wave in return from her place on the worn loveseat with the young man.
Sans took his spot at the table and Papyrus seemed a bit too energetic as he eagerly took in the sights of this new room. The older of the two brothers was careful to keep an eyesocket on Pap but turned to look at Frisk, who seemed genuinely glad about something as they brought over a box of puzzles. Sans chuckled, "Well you're in a good mood, kid. What's the occasion?"
Frisk was about to answer shyly but they were interrupted, "Why, the great and powerful Papyrus is here! What else could put them in such a good mood?" Papyrus proclaimed as he slapped a hand to his chest proudly, his bones clacking together loudly.
Frisk giggled, "I'm so h-happy you guys are here." The two skeletons straightened in their seats when they spoke, eager to hear what the child had to say. Sans had the feeling they weren't done, "I-I would have been okay if no one came but I'm glad you did."
Papyrus' eyesockets looked like they were watering and threatening to spill over with tears as he looked down at them, "And leave my bestest, most coolest friend by themselves here? Never!" He said and threw his arms around the child. They allowed themself to be pulled onto his bony lap, they didn't seem to mind, like they were used to it.
They leaned against the skeleton's ribcage and ignored the stares and whispers from the other children and their visitor as Frisk told Papyrus about the jigsaw puzzle and he was immediately enamored with the Tyrannosaurus Rex shape.
Frisk sat with the two and seemed at peace in their presence, as if they had lived among monsters all their short life. They didn't say a whole lot but happily helped Papyrus solve the simple jigsaw puzzle.
The taller skeleton seemed to be quickly losing interest, "Aren't there any harder puzzles, Frisk?" Papyrus complained to the child.
Frisk shook their head, "Sorry... These are pretty old and I don't think kids are that smart." They said as they gathered up the now completed puzzle and returned it to the box before looking over the other games.
Sans gave an amused snort and shook his head as he watched the two. He gave them a pointed nod, "Hey bro, when do I get a turn with 'em, huh?" He asked, his tone entirely serious about the question.
Papyrus looked up from the wooden shapes on the table, "Oh! Yes of course, even though I, the Great Papyrus am their bestest, coolest friend, I suppose I could share them. Would that be alright, Frisk?"
Frisk blushed, as if they weren't expecting this much attention from the two before they nodded and were carefully handed off to Sans. They fidgeted and got comfortable in his lap, finding just the niche to settle in, almost perfectly Frisk shaped. Sans waited as they got comfortable before putting his arms around them to give a squeeze, "So I hear that you'll be here for a bit, how're you feelin' 'bout bein' back here?"
Frisk shrugged as they busied themself with the puzzle they pulled over on the table, "...I dunno, it's about the same, I guess. The kids haven't bothered me yet." They said softly.
Sans watched Papyrus out of the corner of his eyesocket as the taller brother inspected a bookshelf containing puzzles, books and games, "Yeah? That's good, right? Maybe they know they'll have a bad time if they bug you, huh?"
The child in his lap gave a little giggle and tried to ignore the shiver down their spine, as if they'd heard him say that before. Frisk gave a little shrug, "Maybe... Mimi is pretty nice though, and so is Ms. Lily." They said as they snuggled closer.
He chuckled and let them examine his bony hand as they ran their fingers over the metacarpals, "Well, I gotta keep my ion you 'cause you to seem to have a positive affect on people."
Frisk didn't understand the reference but knew by his tone that it was obviously a pun and they couldn't help giggling a bit.
Papyrus huffed, annoyed, "Brother, must you?" He scolded as he returned to the table with his hands on his hips.
Sans snickered at his brother's predictable reaction, "Sorry bro but ion-estly can't bring myself to be negative." He said as he winked at Frisk in his lap as they looked at him.
Papyrus stifled his shriek to a groan and shook his head as he sat back down and fidgeted.
I kind of wanted some pointless fluff and explanations in this chapter, I'm trying to spread out the focus to get the 'opinions' of the other characters. I would like to add a lot more things like this in the future.
I tried to keep the characters' personalities as close to the game version as possible. I think I have the most trouble with Papyrus, I don't want to make him childish or naïve so it's a bit hard for me to nail down what his thought process might be. It also throws me off when other writers use all caps for his dialogue, so I don't in this one. I'm also not a fan of the lack of capitalization in Sans' dialogue so the same applies for him.
Sans' personality however, seems to come easy to me and he's my favorite to do!
Last but not least, I want to add a certain scientist (yeah, you know who!) to this fic eventually but I'm not sure how to yet. I'll give you hint, it's not Alphys. Lemme know if you have ideas! (in a PM, preferably please)