AN: Yay, another scrapbook chapter! I love this, especially the end, so I hope you do as well. It was fun to write and I love using flashbacks as I've said before. On another note, I'm gonna be really busy for the next week so I'm not sure I'll be able to post this next Saturday. I just thought I'd give you a heads up so that if I don't you won't be wondering where the update is. Don't worry, though, even if I don't update this next week I will continue the week after as normal so there won't be too long in between. Thanks for your understanding and I hope you enjoy this. If you do, don't forget to leave a review and tell me how I did :)
Disclaimer: Toby Fox still owns Undertale and always will. I, however, do not.
Photos lined the counter, waiting patiently for their turn to be placed in the scrapbook Sans had open on the table. It was a Friday morning and Frisk was in school, giving him ample time to add more memories to the album he'd started when she was a baby. Looking back at all the times they'd spent together with their friends and family made a fond smile spread on his face. He couldn't believe it had already been almost eight years since that fateful day. Sometimes he still felt like it was only yesterday that a tiny, baby skeleton had descended into his arms enveloped in a sphere of blinding light. He was so thankful that his little girl was in his life, Sans didn't know what would have happened to him if she would have died that day. Pushing such morbid thoughts away the comedic skeleton scanned the gathered pictures, allowing only the most perfect to be added to the collection. Finally finding one that met his criteria the stocky monster carefully picked it up and placed a tiny bit of glue on each of the back corners before arranging it in the book and adding a caption.
He smiled down at the beaming faces of Frisk, Monster Kid, and Papyrus... each of them completely covered in flour.
Sans watched Frisk bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet. It was the first time having a play-date at their house rather than in the Ruins with Toriel and he could tell his daughter was happy that she would be able to show MK all her stuff. A knock sounded from the door and he moved to open it, revealing his little girl's best friend. Frisk was at Monster Kid's side in an instant, arms wrapped around the older boy in a tight hug as he laid his head on her shoulder in return. It was such an adorable sight and the skeledad couldn't be happier at how close the two had grown since their first meeting, they were nearly inseparable.
"Daddy, can we go play in my room." The six-year-old asked and he nodded in agreement.
"Of course you can, just make sure to play nice and share your toys." He reminded, patting the former human on the head.
"We will!" She exclaimed, rushing off without a moments pause.
Her friend followed behind, nearly tripping over his own feet before managing to correct himself. Sans chuckled as he headed into the kitchen. If there was one thing he'd come to learn about children it was that they were always hungry. So, gathering the ingredients needed to make them a healthy snack, he set to work. After taking his daughter and her playmate their food the comedian returned downstairs and decided to work on some paperwork he had to finish for his job. It was rather boring, he'd much rather do the hands-on stuff, but he made the best of it and by the time he'd finished his brother had returned home from wherever he'd been for the better half of the day.
"Hey, bro, what's up?" He asked, gathering his papers into a neat pile as Pap joined him in the kitchen.
"Nothing much, I was just... at Undyne's house... uh... watching anime with her and Alphys." He said, though Sans noticed the slight hesitation and narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
Before he was able to say anything, however, a giggle sounded moments before a bag of flour appeared above their heads. Sans managed to teleport at the last second, evading the sneak attack, but Papyrus wasn't as lucky. The bag burst over his head, covering him head to toe in the white substance and causing his eye lights to nearly pop out of his sockets in surprise.
"Frisk! You and Monster Kid have till the count of three to get out here." Sans called casting his eyes around in search of the two children. "One... two..."
Just as he was about to say 'three' the little troublemakers peeked out from around the door, faces downcast as they trudged over to the hoodie-clad skeleton.
He stared them down, watching as they shuffled their feet before sending a quick wink towards Pap when they weren't looking.
"I'm very disappointed with you both." He declared solemnly, the kids never meeting his gaze so they didn't notice the mischievous grin spreading across his face. "If you want to pull off a prank like that you need to remember not to giggle and alert your intended target."
Embarrassed blushes appearing on their faces, the duo's heads whipped up just in time to be drenched in flour. They blinked, confusion shining in their eyes as they turned to Sans and found that his eye lights were completely normal, no blue glow signifying that he'd just used magic. Tilting their heads up Frisk and Monster Kid were met with the cheerfully smiling face of Papyrus, an empty bag of flour resting in his arms, and burst out laughing at the fact that their prank had been turned around on them.
After the picture had been taken, Sans had made sure to have the children clean the kitchen as their punishment. After all, it was their fault it was a mess in the first place.
The next picture he decided to put in the book was of Frisk and Mettaton. Both were wearing aprons and the robotic entertainer was helping the little girl frost the cupcakes they'd previously prepared.
"Are you ready to get baking, darling?" Mettaton asked as he scooped the skeletal child into his arms.
"MmmHmm." She hummed in agreement as Sans stood nearby.
"She's been looking forward to this for quite a while." He added, watching as his friend snuggled the little girl to his chest. "All she's been talking about lately is getting to spend time with 'uncle Metta'.
The actor blushed at the girl's nickname and her father laughed quietly. He knew that Papyrus and the other male were dating and so far Mettaton hadn't done anything to earn his wrath. Sure he'd given him the traditional warning of, 'If you hurt my brother I'll make sure you have A BAD TIME', but other than that there have been no mishaps. Like it or not, the two seem to be a great couple and he could tell that the robotic monster made his elder brother happy. That's really all he needed to know. Besides, Frisk was already secretly planning their wedding. He'll never forget the time he walked into her room only to find her acting it out with her dolls. It had been a sight to behold.
"Well then..." The former ghost trailed off before gathering his wits once more. "I've decided that we'll make cupcakes. They are positively delicious and I'm certain you'll have fun frosting them. Your daddy can even join in if he'd like."
"Nah, I'll just watch." He said, then thought better of it and added. "Though I wouldn't mind taste testing, especially if there are ketchup flavored ones."
"Yay, ketchup! Can we please, Mettaton?" Frisk pleaded, giving the older monster puppy dog eyes.
Metta nearly gagged at the thought but managed to hold it at bay as he shook his head.
"Unfortunately I'm all out of ketchup at the moment." He fibbed, sending Sans a death glare as the skeleton chuckled at the metallic monster's discomfort.
The little girl nodded in understanding and the robotic star let out a sigh of relief before instructing Frisk on which ingredients they would be needing for the sugary treats. Sans watched carefully, making sure his child was in no danger of being hurt. He was thankful that his friend refused to let her handle the mixer or put the trays in the oven. It made him feel a lot better. Soon the first batch was ready to be frosted and Mettaton let Frisk decide what color the frosting should be. The six and a half year old chose purple and blue and Sans' grin widened.
'I should have known.' He thought to himself. 'Those have always been Frisk's favorite colors, even before she was reborn.'
He looked on as his little girl spread frosting over the miniature cakes, giggling cutely as she snuck a taste of the topping when Mettaton wasn't looking. By the time they'd finished Frisk was in desperate need of a bath and running off a sugar high, even so, Sans wouldn't change a thing about that day.
Finishing up on the description of that picture he moved back over to the counter, eyes searching for a specific photo that he wanted to add.
He found it at the far end near the door and felt his eyes soften at the scene depicted in the image. Asgore had come over and ended up having a tea party with Frisk. In fact, this was the first time his daughter had been around the king without Tori being nearby. Since the two had been remarried they usually visited together.
A knock sounded at the door and Sans rose to his feet.
'Who could that be?' He thought as he walked over to answer it. 'We aren't expecting anyone today.'
He was startled to find the king standing there in the snow, cloak pulled tightly around his large frame to keep out the chilly air. The stocky monster stepped aside to let the older male pass, confusion obviously showing on his face as Asgore took one look and offered an explanation.
"I thought I'd stop in for a visit." He said, deep voice kind as he glanced around. "Toriel was too busy to come but I wanted to spend some time with Frisk if that would be alright with you, Sans?"
"Welp, you're in luck. The kid's upstairs in her room and she seemed kinda bored." He declared, accepting the explanation while pointing a thumb upstairs. "Go ahead and head up if you want, I'll make you some tea."
The larger monster looked startled for a few moments before smiling. He was surprised that the other had accepted so easily, it was no secret that Sans was still rather wary when it came to Asgore being around his daughter. Maybe the smaller male was finally realizing that what he'd said all those years ago was true... that he would never harm the child, even if she had once been human. Asgore truly hoped that was the case.
"There is no need to trouble yourself." He expressed kindly, smiling at the younger monster. "I'll be fine."
"It's no trouble at all," Sans responded, winking cheekily at his former boss. "I was just about to grab Frisk some juice, it won't take too much longer to make some tea as well."
"If you'd like, I can wait for you here and we could head up together?" Asgore offered, not wanting the skeleton to worry needlessly.
Biting back his shock, Sans shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'll be up in a few minutes anyway."
With that he headed into the kitchen, leaving the goat monster to make his way upstairs. He was nervous about leaving Asgore alone with Frisk but knew that if the king had wanted to harm his child he would have tried to do so years ago. A few minutes later he had finished preparing the drinks and followed after the other male. Upon reaching his daughter's room he heard quiet chuckles from inside and pushed the door open, revealing Frisk and Asgore sitting at his child's play table having a pretend tea party. The furry monster was far too large for the tiny chair he was precariously perched upon and the former human had placed a felt top hat between his horns. The sight was so humorous that Sans nearly dropped the tray he was carrying as uncontrollable laughter burst from his throat.
"Would you care to join us for some tea?" Asgore asked, one eyebrow quirked shamelessly as he managed to turn the girl's attention on her father. "Frisk, here, is an excellent hostess."
"Come on, daddy." The child appealed, pulling on his hoodie to get him to follow her before she pushed him into a chair beside the king. "It'll be fun."
"Alright, alright, baby-bones." He agreed, placing the drinks onto the table so they wouldn't spill before giving Asgore an impish look that clearly stated he'd be getting him back for this. "I'll play too."
"Yay, this will be so much fun!" The nearly seven-year-old cheered, as she took her seat across from them. "After we finish our tea I can give you makeovers!"
"WHAT?" Both males exclaimed as they glanced nervously at each other, all the while Frisk giggled unapologetically.
Neither he nor Asgore had had the heart to refuse so both of them ended up looking particularly feminine. The king was decked out with bows in his fur and pink ribbons woven around his horns while Frisk had used finger paint to pretend to put makeup on her father. Needless to say, the photograph he'd just secured in the book was a sight to behold.
Taking another look at the gathered pictures the comedian fondly took hold of one of his father and daughter sitting at the kitchen table, a homemade volcano erupting in front of them.
It was Gaster's day off and Sans knew that Frisk had been looking forward to this day for a long time now. Her grandfather had promised to show her an extra special science experiment that she could help him with and the child was nearly vibrating with excitement as they made their way into the kitchen where the elder being was patiently waiting. The table was littered with supplies and Sans couldn't help but laugh as his baby-bones' eyes grew nearly twice as large as she took it all in.
"What is all this stuff?" She asked, wonder filling her sockets as she turned to face the eldest skeleton.
Gaster just smiled as he lifted her into his arms, holding her close as he began explaining what he had planned.
"I figured since you are so curious it might be a good idea to introduce you to science." He declared, casting a warm look at his son who was stood a few feet away. "You remind me of Sans when he was younger, though I can also see a bit of Papyrus what with your enthusiasm and all. If we don't find an output for all that inquisitive energy then we'll be up to our eye sockets in mischief, I guarantee it."
The comedian nodded, remembering how he had created his own experiments when he was younger, most of the time resulting in a large mess that Papyrus ended up helping him clean. There had been many humorous mishaps back then but also a few that could have been deadly and he didn't want to risk anything when it came to Frisk. Her life was too precious for him to take any chances with.
"But what are we making?" The seven-year-old demanded, impatiently.
Her grandpa laughed good-heartedly as he placed her on a nearby stool and took the seat next to her.
"We're going to be putting together a homemade volcano using baking soda, vinegar, and red food coloring." The Royal Scientist explained.
"That sounds really cool, what do we do first?" The former human exclaimed, already reaching out to grab the supplies situated on the table. "What's it gonna do, will it really explode?"
"You'll just have to wait and see, Frisky," Sans said, amusement clear in his voice as he grabbed a bunch of paper towels and handed them to his father who nodded in understanding. "First, though, we're gonna lay these down so that we don't make too much of a mess. Pap wouldn't like it if he came home to a dirty kitchen."
Everything progressed as planned and soon the volcano was ready. All that was left was to add the red colored vinegar and watch what happens. Gaster handed the beaker to his grandchild, reminding her to be careful, before watching as she carefully poured the liquid into the container of baking soda. Instantly the solution began bubbling up and Frisk let out a squeal of delight as it overflowed, spilling pink froth all over the paper towel covered table.
"Wow..." The little girl said, awestruck, as she continued to watch until the reaction ended before turning enthusiastic eyes on the taller being. "Can we do it again, Pompa?"
"I suppose we can, as long as you agree to help clean up once we are finished." The older monster fondly agreed.
Since that day, Gaster has taken it upon himself to do a craft with Frisk every time he has a day off from work. It's been a big hit with both and gives them plenty of bonding time. Sometimes Sans even joins in when he's feeling particularly motivated.
The next picture he chooses causes a weary sigh to escape the ketchup-loving monster. It is one of his daughter and Flowey and he has to admit that the weed has done nothing suspicious since he first started hanging out with Frisk, quite the opposite in fact, he seems to genuinely cherish their friendship.
Sans was taking Frisk to Waterfall on a picnic. The day was beautiful and he'd been planning this outing for quite a while so when a little, yellow flower popped out of the earth and began following them he didn't even try to hide his annoyance. Deciding that maybe if he ignored the smaller male it would make him leave, Sans just continued on his way, leading his little girl to the secret area where a bench resided that would be the perfect place for their lunch. All the while he listened as the flower rambled on to Frisk about what he'd been doing and it nearly made him grit his teeth. It seemed that Flowey was determined to stay and when his baby-bones turned to him with pleading eyes, asking if her friend could join them, he was unable to tell her 'no'.
"Thank you, daddy." She exclaimed as they settled the blanket onto the ground near the bench and set about unpacking. "I can't wait for Flowey to try some of the cookies I helped you bake."
"I'm sure they'll taste amazing, Frisk." The plant creature said, looking longingly over at where Sans had just set them out. "I haven't had cookies in ages."
"Why not?" The child asked, confusion shining in her eyes.
"Well, um, I just haven't." Her friend replied and the little girl sent him a sad look.
"Don't you have a mommy or daddy who makes cookies for you?" She questioned, discretely glancing back at her own father who was listening with great interest.
"No..." Flowey trailed off before adding under his breath, barely loud enough for Sans to pick up. "Not anymore."
In all the timelines he'd experienced, the scientist had never seen the flower monster act like this. It was almost as if he was a completely different person and the comedian wasn't sure what to think of it. Deciding the best thing he could do would be to keep a close eye on the smaller being he called the two over for food. Frisk dove right in, enjoying the sandwiches he'd lovingly prepared while the other looked as if he wasn't sure he was allowed to have anything. With a tired sigh, Sans scooted a plate towards his onetime enemy, watching as the flower's eyes widened in confusion before sending what could only be interpreted as a 'timid' smile towards the two skeletons.
"Can we go play after we're done eating?" His daughter asked, glancing between him and her smaller friend as she stuffed a cookie in her mouth.
"That's fine." He nodded in agreement before adding. "Just make sure you stay where I can see you."
A few minutes later the two had finished their meals and Sans watched as they rushed off, keeping a wary eye on the yellow monster.
"Hey, Frisk?" The flower called out as the girl chased him. "Bet you can't catch me!"
The seven-and-a-half-year-old gave chase, trying in vain to tag the other being before he ducked into the ground and reappeared a few feet away laughing at the look she sent him.
"Giving up so soon?" He taunted and Sans felt his jaw clench before realizing he hadn't heard any malice in the quip.
"No! I'm just getting started." He watched as his little girl raced all over the area, missing the other monster each time.
Finally fed up, Frisk summoned her magic, her eyes glowing as she teleported right next to her friend and tapped one of his petals before running off in the opposite direction as he stared after her, mouth gaping open in shock. A few moments later he pulled himself together enough to chase after the elusive skeleton child.
It had been such a strange sight to see, Flowey acting that way, and the hoodie-clad skeleton couldn't help but feel that he may be changing for the better. Yet even so, he can't bring himself to fully trust the soulless creature after everything he'd done in the past. It would take more than a game of tag for the weed to prove himself.
The final photograph that Sans was placing in the book was one of his very favorites. It was of him and Frisk, taken just a few weeks ago on father's day. They were both smiling happily at the camera as Sans wrapped his arms around the little girl in a loving embrace.
The skeledad hummed as he made his way upstairs. Today was extra special and he wanted to spend the entirety of it with his little girl. Of course, he'd done things with her for father's day before but Frisk had been too young then to really do much with other than get nice cream or hang out at home watching movies and playing board games. Now, however, she was older and he had many activities planned for the two of them to enjoy together throughout the day. So, knocking on the door, he waited for her okay before opening it and stepping inside.
"Heya, Frisky," He called, trying to hide the excitement coursing through his soul. "I was wondering if you wanted to head over to Grillby's and grab some breakfast? We can even share one of those chocolate shakes you like so much. After that I thought we could go listen to the statue in Waterfall, I know you like dancing to its song."
The pun lover watched as his child turned to face him, a bored expression on her round face.
"I'm not really hungry." She said, turning her back on him. "Maybe some other time."
He felt his soul clench slightly at the rejection but settled on trying again later and left the room. A few hours passed and he returned, waiting until Frisk's okay to open the door once more.
"What's up, kiddo?" The comedian asked as he stepped inside, noticing that she'd grabbed a snack from the fridge at some point. "You ready for some fun? I thought we could head over to Hotland and catch Mettaton's latest show. It's about two best friends who find out they're actually long-lost siblings."
"Sorry, dad, but I can't." The former human apologized as he felt his shoulders slump in defeat. "I'm really busy right now."
He left without another word. Today wasn't turning out anything like he'd thought it would but he still had one last plan. Hopefully, his baby-bones would be finished with whatever she was doing soon so that he could spend some time with her before the day ended. Sans waited, sockets drifting to the clock while keeping an eye on his child's door. It never opened. Finally deciding to try once more the stocky monster made his way back upstairs, once again waiting for Frisk to allow him entry.
"Welp, I know you've been busy but I thought maybe you could take a break for a while and I could teach you how to ice skate at the frozen lake," Sans spoke up, hope lacing his voice.
"Isn't that pond too small for something like that?" The nearly eight-year-old questioned, glancing up from her desk with interest.
"If you're thinking about the one on the way to the Ruins, then yeah, it is." He admitted before a broad smile filled his face. "But there's a secret lake deep in the woods that only a few people know of. Your uncle and I discovered it soon after we first moved to Snowdin. It's the perfect place to just relax and think though it's also awesome for ice skating. So, what do ya say? Wanna go?"
The hoodie-clad skeleton couldn't help but rejoice as his daughter closed her eyes, seeming to think about his offer. He was certain that she would say yes and then he could spend the rest of this special day with his precious child. His hopes were dashed when she slowly shook her head, turning back to the project she'd been so engrossed in.
"Not right now, I really need to get this finished," Frisk stated, never looking back as she continued coloring. She completely missed the hurt that settled on her father's face as he backed away.
Sluggishly making his way back down to the kitchen Sans sat at the table, face resting in his hands as a few tears slipped from his sockets. Who would have thought that this would end up being the worst day ever? Not him, that's for sure. He'd been so eager this morning, everything had been planned out and he'd known that they would have a great time together. Then his daughter had decided that she was too busy to spend time with him and it had all gone downhill. He just couldn't understand what had happened! Did he do something to upset Frisk? Was she going through one of those stages he'd read about in his parenting books? It just didn't make sense.
Drying his eyes, Sans decided to turn in for the night. Sure it was early, but seeing as Frisk didn't seem to be leaving her room anytime soon he was sure that it would be fine. When he reached his bedroom the skeledad flopped down on the bed, laying with his face buried in the pillow as he thought back on everything that had happened that day. He didn't know how long he lay there, sleep avoiding him as his mind spun in circles, but suddenly a knock sounded from the other side of the door. He glanced up, calling for whoever it was to enter and was surprised when Frisk stuck her little head inside.
"Daddy?" She asked, stepping inside with her hands held behind her back. "I've got something I wanted to show you."
Intrigued by what his daughter could be hiding he patted the mattress, silently telling her to have a seat. She moved over to the bed climbing up beside him, all the while keeping something hidden from his view.
"I worked really hard and made this for you." The little girl declared, pulling out an obviously handmade knitted hat and handing it to him along with a card she'd colored, eyes shyly downcast as she glanced up at him from time to time.
Sans couldn't believe what he was seeing. This is what Frisk had been working on all day? A present and father's day card for him? The thought made his soul swell with delight as he studied the gift. It was light blue with a fuzzy pom-pom on top. The work was a little rough but he could tell she'd tried exceedingly hard. He felt a huge smile form as he carefully pulled the hat onto his skull, noting how soft and warm it was.
"Grandma taught me how to make the hat but I didn't finish on time. It was supposed to be done this morning but I messed up and had to redo some of it. I'm sorry I didn't get to spend much time with you." The child admitted as she snuggled into his side.
"Don't be upset, Frisky." Sans soothed, pulling the child onto his lap. "I understand. How about we hang out tomorrow instead? I'm sure Grandpa Gaster won't mind me taking an extra day off of work."
"Really?" Frisk asked, hopefully. "I really did want to see the secret lake. Are you sure it's okay?"
"Yea, no problem." He replied happily before turning his attention to the homemade card his daughter had drawn.
Taking in the colorful paper held in his hand Sans felt the smile widen even further. There was a detailed picture of himself holding Frisk's hand as they walked through the snowy forest and on the side, written in the child's messy scrawl, were the words... 'Daddy, I love you more than all the snowflakes in Snowdin. Happy father's day!'
Tears of happiness filled his eyes as he wrapped his baby-bones in a tight embrace, completely unaware of his older brother lurking outside the door with a camera raised to capture the moment. He really should have known better than to doubt his little girl. She was the world to him and, even if they someday drifted apart, he would never let himself regret the time they'd spent together.
"I love you so much, Frisky." He said, voice slightly choked with emotion.
"I love you too, daddy." The former human replied as she reached up to kiss his cheekbone.
Securing the final picture into the album Sans gathered the unused photos together and placed them in a box for safe keeping. They may not have made it into the book but that didn't mean they should be mistreated, they were each special in their own way. Picking up the scrapbook, Sans carefully set it back on its shelf where it would wait patiently until the next time he worked on it. Smiling to himself the short skeleton couldn't help but think that maybe Frisk would be sitting beside him when that time comes.
AN: Aww, this chapter is so cute! I hope you like it as much as I do. Please review ;)