A/N: Prompt: -Valentine's Day
Note: 78% of Toriel's wrath is taken out on Undyne. It's a good thing Toriel loves Frisk's friends.
It had started out innocently enough. You were in class with your classmates and it was Study Hall time. You were gathered with your friends focusing on your science homework –you needed to focus more on science if your life was going to make the decision to be sci-fi- when across from you Tamara sighed a bit. You looked to her in confusion but she ignored you and called out instead to your teacher.
"Mrs. Toriel?" Toriel looked up from her own grading and focused in on Tamara.
"Yes?" Toriel asked. She was wearing her reading glasses today after a long night. You liked it when your mom used her glasses. It made her look cuter even if she looked a bit more her age (which was…old. As far as you knew. She called herself an old lady anyway though you thought she was pretty spritely).
"Are we going to do anything for Valentine's Day?" Tamara leaned onto her desk clearly unwilling to do any actual studying. She had a magazine opened on her textbook. Taking a peek at it you noticed tutorials on how to make a pretty Valentine's Day gift. Well now you knew where the idea came from.
Toriel opened her mouth but she was cut off by Papyrus (who was volunteering his help today) asking, "WHAT IS THIS VALENTINE'S DAY?"
"Seriously?" Tyler –a human- asked from where he was trying and failing to hide the fact he was playing Legend of Zelda (You weren't sure which one) on his game system.
"Hey! We don't make fun of you for not knowing monster holidays!" Eddie protested.
"Calm down, children." Toriel soothed and turned back to Tamara before it could get too rowdy. "Will you please explain what this 'Valentine's Day' is?"
"It's a romantic holiday." Tamara explained with a grin. She loved being the center of attention and seemed proud that she was the one telling all these monsters about human customs. Well at least it saved you from explaining. "Where couples give each other gifts like flowers and chocolate."
"And a lot of stuff in the shape of hearts." Another human added.
"But it can also be a day where you just show your loved ones how much you love them!" Tamara finished with a bit of a huff. "But it's mostly for couples."
"I see!" Toriel tapped her finger to her chin. "When is Valentine's Day?"
"Tomorrow!" A couple of the children called out.
The monsters groaned. "How are we supposed to get stuff done the day before?!" Lansot cried in despair.
"Arts and crafts." You suggested.
"THAT SOUNDS GREAT!" Papyrus shouted jumping up. "I CAN GO GET PLENTY OF GLITTER AND OTHER STUFF USED FOR CRAFTING ARTS!"
"We need red and pink paper!" Tamara called and Papyrus ran out before anyone could stop him. The classroom was in a tizzy. Everyone was talking about Valentine's Day now. Some people were annoyed with the thought of it because it was a couples' holiday and they weren't dating anyone. Others though were excited to spend time with their boyfriends and/or girlfriends.
You didn't have feelings towards the holiday one way or the other. It was alright, you supposed, because your mother would give you the leftover pieces of chocolate from her gifts that she didn't particularly care for and you did like chocolate. But other than that it was just another day to you. Admittedly seeing all of the hearts at stores and such tended to get obnoxious to look at, though.
Lansot nudged you with their head. "Yo Frisk! Should we exchange gifts?"
"Why?" Chass teased. "Because you two went on one little kid date?"
"It wasn't a kid date!" Lansot argued. "It was a real date!"
"Did you kiss?" Tamara asked eagerly.
"Uh…no…" Lansot said.
"Then it was a kid date!" Chass declared. Lansot looked to you for help seeming disappointed and a little bitter. You felt the need to defend them and their feelings. You certainly believed it was a real date without a kiss! You didn't need to kiss people for it to be a real date! You told everyone as such. Lansot perked up at your defense of them.
"Hey yeah! And Frisk would know! They went on a date with Papyrus and Undyne!"
"No way!" Eddie said. "You dated Undyne? Before she was with Dr. Alphys?" You hid your face in your hands unable to believe how much your flirting had come back to haunt you.
"And they're dating Sans!" Lansot continued. You shoved them slightly in an effort to shut them up. Realizing they were embarrassing you they gave you an apologetic grin.
"So Frisk already has a boyfriend!"
"Dude, Temmie already told everyone that." Andrea –who was eavesdropping- said. You turned to her and she pointed at the wall where one of the Temmies was still stuck from a tragic Temmie accident. The Temmie was still waiting for someone to release it. Toriel had already tried to tell the Temmie that it could leave literally at any time because the hole in the wall was big enough for them to walk out of (plus Temmie seemed to defy all known laws of everything so Temmie could probably just phase through the wall or something) but Temmie still was stuck. Temmie became the class pet and was given Tem Flakes every day. No humans were allowed near Temmie.
Tamara huffed. "How were we supposed to know? We can't talk to Temmie!"
"Does this mean you're going on a date with Sans tomorrow?"
You heard a loud gasp behind all of you and the sound of paper flying everywhere as it hit the ground and you saw the recently-returned Papyrus gaping at you in excitement. His eyes were sparkling and you could tell he was no doubt planning something. Oh no. Did Sans never actually tell Papyrus that you two weren't really dating? It wasn't that big of a deal if people did think you were dating but you had never considered holidays like Valentine's Day. And brothers that shipped you with Sans. And friends that also shipped you with Sans. And friends that wrote fanfiction (that you were too embarrassed to read) about you and Sans.
And that's how it all really started. Tamara's question caused the next two days to spiral out of control for you. But first you had something to deal with before Valentine's Day and that was a very-panicked Bestie.
"No, my child. Here, look." Toriel pointed at your textbook to the sentence you needed to read. "You are thinking of electromagnetic force. What you-" But whatever she had been about to say (that you no doubt needed to hear) had been cut off by the very house shaking. Baffled both of you looked at each other to jump as a fist banged loudly on the door. Toriel hesitantly got up and had only managed one step to the door when the wood splintered and broke and a very manic Undyne charged in.
"Undyne!" Toriel cried, horrified.
"NO TIME! I'M TAKING YOUR KID!" Undyne shouted and ran over to yank you out of your seat. She threw you over her shoulder. You couldn't even muster up the surprise. You managed to wave at Toriel before Undyne ran back out of the house and jumped into Papyrus's car, throwing you in the backseat. "BUCKLE UP!" She screamed at you and you hurried to comply.
"HI FRISK!" Papyrus greeted ecstatically and once the three of you were buckled he pulled away from the curb. Toriel was not going to be happy. "UNDYNE, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST BROKE INTO HER MAJESTY'S HOUSE!"
"There are more important things to worry about than a door that won't open!" Undyne growled. The door had only been locked. Now you would need a new door. "LIKE THE FACT THAT I HAVE NOTHING FOR VALENTINE'S DAY FOR ALPHYS!" She literally screamed into the open air clearly frustrated.
"GOT IT ALL OUT?" Papyrus asked.
"Yeah. Bit better."
"GOOD! HUMAN! WE ARE GOING VALENTINE'S DAY SHOPPING IN THE NEXT TOWN OVER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DATING EXTRODINARE, SHALL FIND THE BEST KIND OF PRESENTS FOR YOUR DATES!"
"But-" You tried to say. You weren't going on a date with Sans tomorrow though.
Undyne spoke over you. "I can't believe you never told us about this holiday, punk! Were you expecting us to just KNOW? Did you wanna hog all the dating action for yourself? Huh?"
"No." You said.
"Oh." She hackles relaxed and she slumped back in her seat while crossing her arms. "...Alphys has been kind of distracted lately." She explained. "Mettaton said he's gonna visit soon. Him and his cousin. Which is fine but that guy….is pretty weird. And I don't really like him that much."
"WHAT? BUT METTATON IS GREAT!"
"Just because YOU find him sexy, Papyrus…!" Undyne teased.
"I CAN ADMIRE GOOD-LOOKING ROBOTS!" Papyrus said completely unashamed.
"If that's the kind of guy you wanna admire. I'm not interested"
"THAT'S BECAUSE ALPHYS FILLS YOUR HEART."
Undyne flushed and looked out the window. She didn't deny Papyrus's observation. You smiled. "ANYWAY!" She recovered from her lapse of toughness. "Alphys is all hung up on his visit. So I'm, uh. Well, you know. Gonna do what people do on dates."
"PRESS THE 'C' BUTTON!" Papyrus helpfully supplied. "AND WEAR CLOTHES."
Undyne looked like she was gonna say something different and then decided against it. "Yeah, Papyrus. Exactly that!"
You really didn't want to consider what she had been about to say. Gross.
Anyway.
"SO WE'RE GONNA GET PRESENTS!" Papyrus finished and soon enough the car pulled up to a super store. The three of you entered and Papyrus cheerfully greeted the cashiers. They looked honestly happy to see Papyrus and waved back. You were glad he was making so many friends. Undyne manhandled you two over to the section of the store clearly devoted towards Valentine's Day stuff. "WOW! THERE REALLY ARE A LOT OF RED THINGS HERE! AND HEARTS!" He said as he admired the teddy bear holding a giant stuffed heart.
"Holy crap this is all really cute!" Undyne gaped at a particularly fluffy bunny but when she caught you looking she changed her tone, "I mean…I'm tough! And this is all cheesy crap!"
"CHEESE WOULD GO WELL WITH WINE ACTUALLY!" Papyrus said. "I SAW IT ON THE COOKING CHANNEL!"
"Hey yeah! Wine sounds good! And Alphys liked it when we went drinking! Stay here!" Undyne ran off. You picked up the abused rabbit and brushed it off before placing it back on the shelf with its siblings. It seemed happier now.
"FRISK." Papyrus called you. His voice was lowered some. You tilted your head at him and he seemed vaguely nervous. "ABOUT YOUR DATE WITH SANS….I HOPE THAT YOU DON'T MIND?" You blinked at him. "SANS HAS…NOT BEEN HAPPY. BUT HE'S HAPPY WHEN HE'S WITH YOU! SO, UH, GO OUT WITH HIM. AND SHOW HIM A GOOD TIME?"
You looked down and away. It wasn't your fault that you weren't up to date on Sans's emotional state. He had been avoiding you this past week ever since the incident in his lab and Gaster. You had originally just thought that he was just trying to repair the worst of the damage but maybe he really wasn't. The last you had seen of him he had dropped off his jacket at Toriel's house and disappeared. You had honestly been terribly worried about him. You had voiced your worries to Papyrus in the past but he had assured you that Sans was still coming home and resting. They ever talked occasionally about nightmares the two of them would have now that Papyrus actually knew that some of his dreams were real.
It left you feeling lonely.
Papyrus noticed your change in mood. "IF YOU DON'T WANT TO YOU DON'T HAVE TO!" He said, sweating some. You could tell he really did want you to take his brother out. You didn't mind going out anywhere with Sans (even if now it was under very clear romantic connotation) but you weren't so sure Sans wanted to go. You didn't think you would flinch around him anymore.
"Nowhere to go." You explained.
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT THAT! I GOT YOU RESERVATIONS!" Papyrus immediately jumped back onto the date idea now that you had agreed. You frowned. Where in town would you need reservations? Mettaton's fancy hotel hadn't been rebuilt on the surface. It was instead preparing for humans to use it eventually when the New Home was opened up to tourists. Technically you two could go to eat in the restaurant there but it was expensive and neither Papyrus nor Sans had adequate jobs to pay for that ridiculously-overpriced place.
However when you questioned him he refused to tell you where you were apparently going to have a date at. Reluctantly you gave up and Undyne rejoined you two. You had to inform them of the best kinds of Valentine's Day gifts even though you honestly didn't know. You tried to tell them both that you just were supposed to buy something that they know their lover would like but that just caused Undyne to flip out more at all of the possibilities. Personally you didn't think Alphys would care about all of these stuffed animals. Wouldn't it just be better to get a holiday-themed Hatsune Miku figure?
"I don't have time to buy that! Valentine's Day is TOMORROW, you punk!" Undyne scolded you. Oh right. So you stood on the shopping cart and let Undyne push you around as you pointed out necessities. Like candles for romantic atmosphere. And an apron that looked sexy. Maybe an outfit (but that just caused Undyne to blush. It had been worth it). You would've suggested cooking but perhaps it would just be better if she took Alphys out to eat.
"Argh! Why is this crap so difficult?!" Undyne complained as she looked back and forth between two similar-looking boxes of chocolate. She had spent the last five minutes on it. Papyrus had abandoned you two for mysterious reasons you didn't doubt were related to Sans. "Frisk, how the hell do you even narrow this down?"
You looked in the basket at the single cream pie slowly defrosting in it. You were going to give it to Sans for pranking purposes. Hopefully it would cheer him up and it wouldn't be used against you.
You laid your head on the cart and stared at her. "Alphys will like anything you give her." You told her.
Undyne sighed and lowered the chocolate. "…It's our first Valentine's Day. I wanted it to be special."
You thought for a moment. "Maybe…don't have it on Valentine's?"
She looked at you and frowned. "What do you mean?"
You shrugged. "Valentine's Day is a…big dating night. Lots of crowds. Alphys doesn't like crowds."
Undyne's eyes widened. "Hey YEAH! You've got a good point! I could take her out on a different night! Give me plenty of time to get all the good stuff!"
"Before Mettaton." You added nodding.
Undyne grabbed you and noogied you. You cringed at the feeling of her knuckles grinding into your head. "Jeez, you're so smart Frisk! No doubt because of your mom….oh. Oh crap." She released you and you rubbed your stinging head. "Toriel's gonna kill me."
"Probably." You agreed.
"…." Undyne was sweating nervously. "Hey! Let's go get you a cute outfit for your date!" She suggested, deftly dodging the thought of Toriel's rage. She knew it firsthand from the sledding incident (that you were finally ungrounded from).
"Dress?" You asked a little excited at the prospect.
"Yeah! Something that'll make that guy shut up the moment he sees you! You'll see!" Undyne suddenly started pushing the cart running down the aisle. You held on for dear life.
You could barely believe this was happening. It was Valentine's Day and after school and Papyrus's plan was being put into action. You call it a "plan" because you know for a fact that just setting you up with Sans wasn't his only mission for the evening. Besides the dinner you were certain he was going to do something else. But that wasn't what you were worrying about at the moment.
"It's not too….much?" You asked your parents as you finally exposed to them your evening wear. It was a light pink dress with a tight bodice with tiny beads adding a pattern to it and a loose skirt that flowed like water down to your knees. You admitted you had found it adorable in the store but now you were wondering if it was too much for just a fake date. You wore a pair of tall boots to help block out some of the cold but you still had to wear a trench coat over your clothing. Your hair had a bow pinned into it. You were vaguely reminded of the tutu you had found and worn in the Underground (that you still kept under your bed).
Toriel was covering her mouth with her hands but Asgore was beaming. "You look beautiful!" He exclaimed. You flushed with pleasure.
"My child, you are stunning as always." Toriel pulled you to her and flattened your hair. "But it is rather cold. Do you want to wear this?"
"Present." You said, shifting shyly.
Asgore took a picture of you with your camera. You gaped at him and he chuckled. "For the scrapbook." He said as he placed the camera aside. "Still, I am not sure about this Valentine's Day for you, young one." You found his mixed feelings about you dating Sans to be rather silly. Honestly if they both just understood that you two weren't really dating there wouldn't be so much stress. But you and Sans were so close that others couldn't really consider not interpreting it in a romantic way. It was hard to put a label on yours and Sans's relationship so you decided to let them do whatever.
"If it was not Sans, I would be a lot worse." Toriel agreed but she still looked grumpy. It was probably because of the door still. "I am surprised you did not want to go with Lansot."
You and Lansot, during class today, had exchanged gifts. They had looked a little shy while doing so and you were once again left to wonder if perhaps their feelings for you were real. However it was more like Lansot to actually just blurt out whatever they were feeling so you would cross that bridge when and if you came to it. You two had shared the chocolate at lunch and had gotten stomachaches but it had been fun.
"knock knock." You three turned to the bedroom door. It was closed. Toriel looked gleeful as she hopped up and grabbed the handle but waited.
"Who is there?" She asked.
"arthur." You really shouldn't be surprised that Sans would arrive with a knock knock joke.
"Arthur who?"
"arthur any chocolates for me?" You and Toriel both giggled as she opened up the door and you closed your trench coat to prepare for the cold outside. To your utter surprise Sans was actually dressed up in a suit complete with a (loose) tie and everything. But over his tuxedo he was wearing that acid green jacket he wore whenever he didn't have his usual jacket which clashed terribly. He seemed at ease and after he greeted both Toriel and Asgore his eyes landed on you. You could see the wariness in his eyes and felt a small part of your happiness drop out. You would need to show him that you were fine
"Sans." Asgore said, standing up to his full height to tower over Sans. "You are aware Frisk will need to be brought back here tonight?" He asked it lightly but there was a slightly menacing undertone.
Sans seemed completely unaffected. "that's cool."
Asgore immediately dropped the Bad Dad act and he smiled. "Good!" He turned to you. "Have fun today, Frisk!"
"Be careful in the snow, my child. Do not get too cold." Toriel said giving you a kiss on your forehead. You nodded to both of them and turned to Sans where he was waiting for you. You grabbed the plastic bad with Sans's present in it and then the four of you walked to the door together. You shuddered in the cold. You wished that you had Sans's jacket but it didn't match your outfit at all. You tucked your free hand into your pocket and hunched down after waving goodbye to your parents and joining Sans on your walk to…wherever you were going.
"…don't worry, kid." He told you after a few moments of snow-crunching silence. "it isn't that far of a walk."
"Where?" You asked.
"papyrus has something planned, apparently. got us a, uh, 'limo' and everything." You frowned at him wondering what he meant by that.
You stared longingly at the thick jacket he was wearing and he caught your eye. You looked away. The walk really wasn't too long, you were sure. You could deal with the cold a little longer even if you wished that you had worn gloves. A hand suddenly appeared in your vision and you looked up to see Sans holding his hand of to you. You looked at him in surprise.
"you looked like you needed a hand." He said. You didn't know what holding his hand would do but you grabbed it. Abruptly the hand came completely off. You gawked at the hand and looked back and forth between it and Sans. He looked amused and the hand in yours wiggled its fingers. That was crazy. You thrust the hand back at him.
"Mean." You said.
"what? you're not gonna give me a 'hand' for that quality prank?" He grinned. You shook your hand demanding he take his own hand back.
"No." You told him glaring but the glare was ruined because as the shock wore off you were actually rather amused. You knew that the brothers could dislocate their bones but you had never seen it in action. It would be more disturbing if he wasn't making puns. You were relieved that he was even joking with you.
"it has a nice ring to it, though." You had thought at first that he was making another joke (and complimenting himself at the same time) but then you realized that you were holding something other than his hand. You placed his hand in your other one and then stared at the tiny ring in your hand. It had a thin silver band on it that clearly wasn't going to fit any finger other than your pinkie. At the top of it was a little ruby in the shape of a heart. It was….really pretty.
You looked at him. Where had he gotten the money for this? He seemed uncomfortable and a bit bashful. "….it's thanks." He said vaguely. "for a lot."
You stared at the ring again and silently handed back his hand. He took it and reattached it to his wrist while watching you. You just couldn't believe that he had given you anything like this. He was admittedly being a little awkward tonight and you could still feel the tension between the two but he was making an effort. And you would as well. You hoped that by the end of tonight things would at least be better for you two. You wanted to support him again.
You slipped the ring onto your right pinky finger. It fit perfectly. You didn't even want to ask how he knew your ring size. In response you handed him the plastic bag you were carrying. He looked inside and gave a bit of a chuckle. "a pie?"
"pranks." You stated.
"sounds like a great present." He told you truthfully before motioning with his skull. "let's keep moving or pap'll flip. you must be cold in that thin thing." You nodded and grabbed his hand again before shoving both of your hands into his pocket. He didn't have any body heat but already your chilled hands was warming as it also warmed the lining of the pocket. Sans gave you a side-eyed look but didn't say anything as you two continued walking to your next destination.
