Asriel opened his eyes as he felt the bed shift. Groggily sitting up, he looked for what had awoken him. He rubbed his eyes, letting them adjust to the darkness. Nothing looked out of place, it was still the same room Frisk had when Asriel entered. Wait, where's Frisk? The other monster wasn't lying in the same bed as him. As a matter of a fact, he wasn't in the room. Where'd he go? He could barely walk earlier. Wait, maybe he's better now! Asriel hopped off the bed and walked towards the door, finding it slightly ajar. He walked out into the hall, stifling a yawn.
The 2 stairs at the ends of each side of the hallway led to the front and back of the house, respectively. Frisk probably went to either the bathroom or the kitchen. The kitchen was located in the front of the house, so he made his way down the front stairs. As he made it to the bottom of the floor, he managed to look out of the windows. The sun was barely coming over one of the mountains, creating a purple and pinkish mural across the sky. Asriel was awestruck by the beauty. This was his first sunrise! That's amazing! Focusing back on track, he headed towards the kitchen.
Curiosity overtook him as he entered, seeing Frisk standing in front of the counter. Was he making breakfast? Oh, he's standing! He's all better! Asriel was about to greet him a good morning, but he stopped when he saw what Frisk was holding.
A knife.
Asriel didn't know whether to approach him or stay back. He was just...staring at the wall. Asriel's heart skipped a beat as he saw Frisk raise the knife over his head and swing downward in a vertical motion. He backed up, suddenly more fearful. He heard the sounds of whispering and footsteps coming down the stairs.
"Are you ever going to go for a run with me?" He heard Undyne say.
"i don't have any running shoes." Sans whispered back.
"We can buy you shoes, you know! I know some really good ones, with great soles in them to make your feet more comfortable."
"sorry Undyne i can't, Alphys would kill me. if i did that i'd become your sole-mate." He whispered back. There was an audible groan from Undyne as they made it to the floor. Asriel would have laughed if what was happening wasn't so urgent. They noticed Asriel and made their greetings.
"morning, kid." Sans gave a lazy wave
"Heya punk." Undyne greeted with a toothy grin.
"Uh, Hi." He waved back, nervous. He didn't really know them that well, so it seemed awkward to ask them for help. He didn't even notice that he was playing with his hands until he looked down at it. "U-Uh, I don't know what- uh- um. I think- er, the kitchen..." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "Frisk is in the kitchen, but I think something's wrong." He motioned for them to follow him into the kitchen and they followed close behind. Sure enough, Frisk was still staring at the wall. He quickly did another vertical motion with the knife.
"k-kid, you okay there?" Sans asked, eyes wide and concern filling his voice. Frisk didn't acknowledge his name being called. He stepped forward. Undyne followed behind, eventually standing side by side to Sans. Asriel stood behind, peering in between them.
"Frisk, you shouldn't play around with that. It's dangerous." Undyne asserted, but he kept staring at the wall. She stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. Frisk raised the knife and slashed again at the air. Before he could raise it again, a blue aura surrounded the knife, and pulled it out of Frisk's grasp before placing it on the counter, away from him. Sans ran to stand in front of him.
"kid, you there?" He asked. The furred monster gave no expression or acknowledgment to his friend. Sans shook them lightly. Frisk's hands did another vertical motion, but Sans caught his hand. "i think he's asleep." Sans informed. Undyne gave Frisk a shake, trying to wake him up. "wait, undyne-" A look of fear overtook the blank expression on Frisk's face as he screamed and began thrashing his arms about. Sans quickly grabbed his other arm, and undyne held him from behind.
"Whoa-hey- Frisk you need to wake up!" Undyne commanded. "Frisk, It's a dream calm down, you're okay." Asriel was behind undyne, not sure what to do. Deciding it was probably best not to get in their way, he backed up to the entrance. The two tried to talk him out of it, until eventually Frisk opened his eyes, in terror. He managed to back up from Sans, but Undyne still held him from behind. He looked around, not sure where he was. He was breathing fast and heavy.
Sans ran in front of him again. "frisk, listen to me. you need to slow your breathing. you're going to pass out if you don't. slow, deep breaths." He coaxed.
"I-I-I can't. I can't, I c-can't. I-" Tears streamed down his face as he breathed in and out.
"yes you can. look at me, deep breaths. breathe in." Sans simulated inhaling and held it there for a few seconds. "and breathe out." He did this a few more times, and slowly, Frisk began to calm down and follow the skeletons breathing. Undyne slowly loosened her grip from Frisk now that he calmed down. Immediately, he embraced Sans.
"I'm so sorry, for everything. I-I don't know what or why- and now- I didn't mean to- I shouldn't have-" Sans hushed him as he sobbed.
"you don't need to apologize for anything. you're safe, that's what matters." Sans said. Undyne and Asriel came up to give him a hug, which caused him to sob harder and explain how he was sorry to Undyne for anything he's done wrong and to Asriel for not saving him sooner. They reassured him that he hadn't done anything wrong and they still loved him. Footsteps filled the kitchen with noise as the other monsters came down to hear what the screaming was about. Undyne went out the kitchen to inform them what had happened. An audible gasp came from Toriel.
Frisk had managed to calm down, wiping his tears away with his pajama sleeve. "I can't e-even go a day without something happening to m-me. I'm such a crybaby." He gave a weak smile to Asriel, who smiled back. Sans gave a sigh of relief, thankful that Frisk was okay...And still the same.
After the incident, Alphys demanded that she run a few tests on Frisk and Asriel for their safety. The queen agreed, but asked her children if they were okay with it. Once they agreed, both monster children were in Alphy's lab, located in the shed that was behind the house, past the frozen pool. Surprisingly, it was very warm. Alphys pulled a sheet off of something, uncovering a large cylindrical pod, along with monitors and various other pieces of equipment on the sides. "W-who would like to be tested first?" Alphys asked. Frisk and Asriel looked at each other and shrugged. "Well in that case, I believe Frisk should go first, after what happened today. Are you okay with that?" She asked.
Frisk rubbed his neck nervously, embarrassed at what happened earlier in the morning. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He stepped forward. She instructed what he needed to do, and where to position himself. He listened and did as he was told.
"Alright, now this machine is going to take some statistics from you and some mental image s-scans. It's a painless procedure, and we're just doing it to see if there's anything wrong. You seem fine, excluding this morning, but that may just be regular n-night terrors. After that, I will ask you a few questions and we should be done. S-sound good?" She asked, giving a smile. Frisk nodded. "I'm going to start it now. It should be done in a minute or two." She stated as she began pressing buttons on the panel before her. The machine whirred to life as a light began to cover Frisk's body from head to toe, and back again. After the light was done covering his body, it hovered over his head. Frisk closed his eyes, annoyed by the light in his eyes.
A minute later, the light went away, and Frisk opened his eyes. Alphys instructed Frisk that he was able to leave the machine, and he stood next to Asriel. "How was it?" He asked, slightly frightened by the contraption.
Frisk patted his back. "The light's annoying, but other than that, it's harmless." He reassured. Asriel gave a hesitant nod before Alphys instructed him to step forward. He did and Frisk watched on as the light enveloped his body and went from top to bottom. Soon, it began to focus on the head of Asriel. Just like Frisk, he closed his eyes, the lights bothering his eyes. Once finished, Asriel stepped out and stood next to Frisk.
"The results to the test's will be done in a f-few hours. Now, I'm going to ask you both questions, but I'm going to a-a-ask you separately. Doctor-patient confidentiality and such. Alright, since Frisk went first, I'll ask him first. Asriel, would you m-mind stepping out?" She asked politely. Asriel nodded and left the shed, closing the door behind him. Alphys looked a Frisk, holding a clipboard that Frisk didn't see up until now. "Alright so, to s-start off, how're you feeling today?"
"I'm feeling ok, the same as usual. I can barely even remember what I was so scared about in the dream."
"Most people don't remember anything about night terrors as it is, so don't worry. Are you feeling any pain?" Alphys asked. Frisk shook his head. "Ok, that's good. Does your f-family have a h-history of this?" She asked.
Frisk shook his head. "If she did, my mom didn't tell me."
"And your d-dad?" Frisk just looked down. "S-sorry. Ok, next question. How have you been sleeping lately? Anything that f-forgoes normal sleeping behavior?"
"Y-yeah, sorta. U-uh, um." A blush formed on Frisk's face as he became flustered. "Actually, uh… I've been uh…" He cleared his throat. "Wetting….the bed…a lot." He scratched his head as he looked away, trying to use his arm as a means of blocking his face.
Alphys didn't laugh or smirk, which Frisk was grateful for. You idiot, she's a professional doctor! of course she wouldn't do anything like that. "That is indeed not n-normal for someone your age… How long has this been going on for?" She asked.
"A while now, I think a couple months. It doesn't happen every day, like yesterday. It does happen, uh, a couple times a week though."
"So t-this has p-persisted before y-you came to the underground? Interesting…" She trailed off.
"Yes. I don't, uh, know what caused it. It was just sudden." Frisk replied. He wasn't lying either. There wasn't anything that could have caused it, especially nothing recent. He looked at Alphys as she began to write something down on her clipboard. Sounds of paper being written on were the only things that filled the shed. She took a breath as she looked up.
"Alright, I think that's enough questions for now. Thank you, I'll let you know when the results come back in. Can you let Asriel know to come in?"
Frisk nodded and stepped outside. "Asriel, Alphy's wants to talk with you know. I'll wait outside." Asriel nodded and went inside, closing the door with a silent thud. Frisk moved to the side and leaned on the wooden shed. He wasn't trying to listen to their conversation, but he didn't want to leave too far without Asriel. Snow crunched as he moved over slightly, feeling the cold below his feet. No more shoes...But it's not that cold, so I guess it's alright.
A twig snapped and he looked to his left. Once nothing came out from the noise, he looked back forward. He barely noticed Sans to his right. "hey kid, we need to talk."
Frisk ran his paw through his hair and back to the fur on his neck. He didn't really like it when Sans started a conversation with 'We need to talk.' "Alright, what about exactly?" Sans just stared at him. Frisk sighed. "Right, right, what happened. I can't really remember too much of it, but what I can remember…It was disturbing." He shuddered at the very slight memory he had.
"what could it have been that shook you up so bad? if it scared you the extent that it did, it must've been serious."
Frisk paused for a second, trying to decide if he should tell Sans what had transpired in his dream. I...Feel that if I told him, he'd just be more concerned. But if I don't...Maybe I shouldn't. He felt he should tell Sans. He was his friend after all. But he was scared. For some reason, the thought of telling Sans terrified him.
Deciding against his judgement (and thinking that talking to someone about his night terrors would help him), he began to speak. "It...Sans, please don't tell anyone, okay?" Not waiting for an answer, he started to talk again. "I saw people...D-Die. It started with a few froggits, and some Whimsun. Then, I saw M-Mom-" Frisk choked back a sob. He decided to skip over the rest of the details. "After that, I slowly came to realize...It...was me. I was killing them. I couldn't stop though, I just slashed away at them. Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton...And you. But I couldn't stop. I wasn't in control of my body. I just couldn't stop, no matter what. It...It hurt to watch. I don't- I can't- What- Why-"
Sans laid a hand on Frisk's shoulder. "calm down kid, it's ok. Just take a deep breath. it was just a dream." He reassured, but he didn't sound too reassuring. That's when Frisk looked at Sans's pupils, or the lack of. His eyes sockets were blank, replaced with a black void. It's like staring into an abyss.
"Sans? Are you okay?" Frisk asked. At once, Sans's demeanor changed back to his regular self, pupils back in his sockets.
"kiddo, you had the worst nightmare you've ever had in your life and you're asking me if i'm okay?" Sans gave a small chuckle. "that's real ice of you." Frisk giggled, being caught off guard by the sudden pun. "i better get back inside. it's getting pretty cold out here. listen kid, i know i might not be the best person to talk to about how you're feeling, but i want you to know i'f you need anyone to talk to, i'm here for you." Frisk was a little taken aback. It was rather weird how he suddenly told Frisk he was there for him. He knew that Sans was there for him always, but to hear him say it… That was different...But I'm glad to hear that Sans said that.
"Um, alright. I'll talk to you if anything comes up. Thank you." Frisk replied. Sans nodded and walked around the shed to the other side where Frisk couldn't see him anymore. He knew he was gone, taking a shortcut back to the house. How does he do that? His thoughts were interuppted as Asriel came out of the shed. "Everything okay?" Frisk asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine. I'm sure she asked us the same questions."
"Are you feeling okay? I heard you gave me a big part of your soul to bring me back. I just want to make sure you're okay."
Asriel nodded. "Don't worry about me, I'm feeling fine. Alphys said there could be side effects, but I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary. You're one to talk though. You gave me your soul to bring me back, even though Flowey attempted to stop you. You didn't listen, and you nearly left us."
"That's because I don't care what happens to me, as long as you and everyone else are okay." He whispered. Asriel barely caught what he said, but decided to drop it. "Should we wait for Alphys?"
Asriel shook his head. "She said she had to finish a few more things and wait for the data to finish. Let's head inside, it's cold." Frisk nodded and they began to make their way back to their house. Asriel asked a question. "Do you want to go sledding?" Frisk responded by saying he had never sledded before. "Oh, it's a lot of fun! We used to do it in Snowdin all the time. You just get a sled, or something that can act as a sled, and you ride down hills. Would you like to try it?"
"That...Sounds kinda fun actually! Oh, but I don't think we have a sled. Maybe Mom will let us pick one up when we go out today. We're going to see my real mom today. Mom wanted to talk to her." Speaking of the devil, as soon as they got in Toriel appeared from down the stairs.
"Frisk, my child, how are you feeling?" Frisk gave a small nod, signaling that he was okay. "That's good to hear. Are you sure you still want to go? We can go another day if you don't feel well enough."
Frisk shook his head. "No, it's okay. I'm okay with it. Asriel and I wanted to know if we could get a sled on the way back, so we could play outside with it!" Frisk replied excitedly.
Toriel pondered the thought. "Well, I suppose we could stop by a store and pick one up. You don't mind sharing, do you?" Both monster children shook their head, happy to share with their sibling. "Alright then, my children, are you ready to leave?" She asked. The brothers nodded and they followed Toriel, holding her both her hands. She gave a small giggle as she led them to the front yard, and into the car.
Toriel knew how to drive, but she preferred to walk, so Papyrus and Alphys were the ones usually to drive. Since Alphys was busy, the younger skeleton brother was the driver for today. He was already waiting in the car. "HELLO HUMAN, ARE YOU FEELING BETTER?"
"Yeah, I feel a lot better. Thank you for asking." Frisk thanked Papyrus. The car pulled out of the driveway and they began the drive to Frisk's old house. Frisk gave directions from the backseat, telling Papyrus where to go.
"ARE YOU FEELING BETTER AS WELL, ASRIEL?"
"Y-yeah, I am. How are you feeling today?" Asriel asked timidly. He was still getting to know all of Frisk's friends, so he wasn't completely comfortable around them. He was afraid he would mess up or say something stupid. Papyrus was the one who tried his hardest to be friends with Asriel as soon as they met. They were all friendly, but something about Papyrus made you unable to get mad at him. Maybe it was how he acted, or how he was super friendly with everyone. It made Asriel feel a bit more comfortable around him.
Papyrus pulled over to the right to avoid the ambulance coming from behind. The rest of the traffic followed suit, and soon the ambulance drove past them, and took a right. Frisk was amazed at how well Papyrus adapted to the human's laws, and especially the driving laws. Papyrus started up the conversation again.
"I FEEL GREAT TODAY. THANK YOU FOR ASKING." Papyrus asked Toriel how she was feeling, and she replied she was feeling fine. "THAT IS GOOD TO HEAR, IM GLAD TO HEAR EVERYONE'S DOING WELL." Frisk told Papyrus to take a right, and he did. The rest of the trip was filled with conversation from everyone, each talking about what their plans, and how excited they were for Christmas. Asriel said he needed to go shopping and Toriel assured him they would go tomorrow. It was great to see Asriel slowly come out of his shell as he began to talk to Papyrus little by little. Frisk guessed that they would be friends very soon.
He was glad that so many of his friends were coming along. Truth be told, he was scared of his mother. With so many friends coming with him, he felt his determination rise. He didn't have to be alone when they were with him.
A small gasp escaped Toriel as they pulled up to what Frisk insisted was his house. It was rather old and rundown, and completely on the other side of town. She was surprised there was even a second story. Frisk lived here? Oh, my child. Papyrus parked the car and they followed Frisk as he led them to the door. Toriel noticed off on the side that there was a sign that read 'For Sale.' How could it be for sale? Doesn't Frisk and his mother live here? Were they living in a house where they didn't pay for rent? The monster's thoughts were interrupted as Frisk revealed a small key under a rock. He attempted to put the key into the lock, but it didn't fit. "That's weird, usually it works. Oh well, wait here, I can open it."
Toriel was wary about letting Frisk out of her sights, but he ran off, leaving small footprints in the snow. A few minutes later, the door opened. "HUMAN, WHAT MYSTERIOUS MAGIC DID YOU USE TO GET IN THE HOUSE?" Papyrus asked, excited for the answer.
"Nothing much. There was a broken window in the kitchen that was never fixed, so I just hopped in from there. Come inside, I'll show you around. Maybe my mom's upstairs!" He opened the door and they came inside. A chorus of gasps escaped Frisk friends as they entered the house. No furniture could be found whatsoever, and it looked barren and stripped. The house had no warmth in it either, only doing very little to mask the cold from outside. Luckily for her family, they were all heavily furred, so the cold had no real effect on them. Papyrus had no skin, so he was protected from the cold as well.
Frisk called for his mom, asking if she was home. But nobody came. He shrugged it off and began showing them around the house. "This is the living room. We usually hung out in here, and this is where my mom and her friends would hang out a lot. That's the kitchen, where the window was broken. That was a result of one of my mom's parties." He informed as they went up the stairs. "There's nothing in the garage except some old boxes, so nothing to show you there. Here is my room." He opened the first door on the right and revealed his room, a small room with one window in the corner. Wooden floorboards and white walls were the only thing inside the room. It was smaller than the room that he currently stayed in; About half the size. Toriel wondered if the former humans house was always empty.
He led them to his mother's room, and once again, there was nothing in there. A slight look of worry came across Frisk's face. "T-the mattress and blankets are gone! Where did she- Oh, I remember now."
'Remember what, Frisk?" Asriel asked.
"She said she was leaving the town because of the monsters inhabiting the town. She told me that if I didn't come back in time, she would leave without me. But I think she just went out looking for me. Maybe we should go look around for her."
"I don't know Frisk… Everything's gone. I'm sorry my child…She's gone." Toriel said sadly as she put a paw on his shoulder.
"No, no, no, she's gotta be looking for me! She didn't even say goodbye; she wouldn't do that. I'm not giving up hope! I'll see her again. I'd love for you two to meet. I think after some time, you two could become friends!" Frisk said, a smile forming on his face. It hurt Toriel to see Frisk in so much denial. However, she didn't push it. It would dawn on him sooner or later, and when it did, she would be there to comfort him. "Oh well, what can you do? Let's go get that sled!" Frisk said. Reluctantly, they nodded, worried for their friend. Asriel gave Frisk a hug, and Frisk returned it. Frisk returned the key to where it originally was, in case his mother came back; Or rather, WHEN she came back.
Toriel was worried for Frisk when they left, but nonetheless she got them the sled, hoping it would take Frisk's mind off the things that were happening. It seemed to work, because as soon as they parked at the house, Frisk and Asriel ran off to the hills that were next to the house, carrying the sled above their head. "Be back before dinner!" Toriel called after them. They hastily replied 'Yes mom' as they ran off. They were running up to the other monster children playing nearby, showing them their new toy. She smiled, happy to see that her two children were getting along very well. "Thank you for driving us, Papyrus."
"IT WAS NO PROBLEM, QUEEN TORIEL. I'M JUST HAPPY TO HELP." Papyrus replied as he locked the door and entered the house. Toriel followed. Once inside, she saw Alphys and Asgore talking.
"And you are positive on this?" He asked, a serious tone in his voice.
"Y-Yes. The test is very accurate."
"What has the data shown?" Toriel asked as she came in and stood next to Asgore. Asgore looked down as he cleared his throat.
"I'm not sure if you want to hear- "
"If something's wrong with my children, then as their mother, I should know!" She rose her voice at Asgore. Then, she calmed down. "Sorry. Yes, I do wish to know if there is anything wrong."
Asgore seemed to accept her apology, but before he could speak, Alphys interrupted.
"A-Asriel seems fine so far. There haven't been any side effects b-besides some weird dreams, and a small case of anxiety. Frisk, though…I c-couldn't find anything out of the ordinary on h-his night terrors. C-children have them at this age sometimes, so it s-seems p-p-pretty normal. I wanted to give him sleeping pills for it, but I will leave the decision up to you."
"Besides that though, there is something out. F-from what I gathered, Frisk seems to have some form of d-d-depression." Toriel gasped. "All the symptoms are there, and the soul data backs it up." Before Toriel could get a word in, Alphys continued. "It seems he had this b-before he came to the underground. That's not the worst part, however." She paused, trying to word this as carefully as possible.
"I…b-believe that F-Frisk was…S-sexually a-abused as well."
