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Scene 29: Happiness Blossoms

or

"Here We Are"

Toriel was seated on an old wooden chair. She felt it creaking under her weight, but for once, she simply didn't care. If it broke, Alphys would build her another, no doubt in a different style, and better than ever. "Doctor, what would you say to a platter of hot, buttered snails with chives and mushrooms?"

Alphys was sitting in Toriel's big chair—she'd ended up there after their celebratory romp, and Toriel saw no reason to make her move. The scientist clapped her nimble little hands and perked up. "Ooh, that sounds scrumptious!"

Toriel stood, and the chair groaned but did not give way. "I will make enough for all of us, then, in case Sans decides to get up. If he asks what we are celebrating, we will remind him of his final words. But we will be out of snails for a while. We will have to go hunting tomorrow!"

"I—I could go along and help. I'd, uh… like to know how it's done."

"Of course, doctor! And perhaps while we are hunting, you will find a dwelling you like and decide to make it your own!"

"Y-yeah! It'll be fun! Hey… Toriel?"

Toriel peeked out from the kitchen, leaning on one foot. "Yes, Alphys?"

"Wh-why do you think Sans forgave me? Just… out of the blue like that?"

It was a good question. "I can only imagine it was something to do with the phone call! Perhaps talking with the human child gave him a sense of perspective, and he realized that in comparison with the child, your own guilt is paltry."

Alphys leapt down from the easy chair and smiled. "Yeah! That must be it. I didn't know how much it was bothering me."

Toriel went to the fridge and took out her last tray of snails. "It is certainly good to have Sans's forgiveness. But I am more delighted to have received the call in the first place. I am not certain why… but it was such a surprise! After so many days, I did not think the child would be calling us back."

"I wonder if the monster who somehow appeared in their dreams really is the Suzy I knew from the Core," Alphys speculated. "I wish… I wish I could go back and ask her."

"Well, we still have our disguises!" Toriel pointed out. "Perhaps such a journey is not impossible. Or you could simply write an anonymous letter and have the spiders deliver it."

"Yeah, that's true! I think I'll do that. Did you.. have any other thoughts about what the child said?"

The story of how her son's ghost, or whatever he was now, had become a terrifying plant monster seethed in Toriel's mind. She pushed the painful thought aside, choosing instead to reflect on the child's name. "Frisk. That is an old word for a dance, or gambol. I wonder why a child of ten would choose it for themselves."

"M-maybe they like to dance through life? But then again…"

"Perhaps it was this ability to dance through obstacles and encounters that allowed them to escape our realm, when all the others failed," Toriel mused. "Still. They have stained their soul, and are coming to understand what that means. I am afraid that Frisk may not be doing much gamboling from here out."

This sobering thought silenced both of them. Still. The child had climbed the mountain again just to apologize. They acknowledged their wrong, and it grieved them. It seemed likely to Toriel that they would be able to move on, in time.

She resumed cooking the snails. "We have a great deal to sift through, I fear. But I, for one, am glad of it. Oh! And do not think I have forgotten that you and Sans are keeping a secret from me!"

Somehow, this fact that had bothered Toriel tremendously only half an hour ago now felt almost like a game. She was living with good people, her dear friends. Any secret would reveal itself eventually, and until it did, if they felt it better to keep her from knowing whatever it was, she would trust them. They valued her happiness, after all.

It was amazing how much tension had been released, just by hearing from the narrow-eyed child! It was silly to think of Frisk as 'her' child, she knew. But the fact remained—of the endless stream of human children to pass through her home and care, one had finally made it back to the surface, and had talked to her from there. The chain of destruction was broken!

"I… I can tell you what we were talking about if you really want," said Alphys from the doorway. "It's just… I'm afraid it might make you worried, and it's… it's so much nicer to see you happy."

"Is it a matter of urgency, Alphys?"

"I… no, I don't think so."

"Then we shall let it wait! I, too, prefer myself happy." Toriel turned around, showing off her freshly stained apron and putting one foot out to the side. "Tell me, Alphys. Do you find me appealing to look at?"

Alphys breathed in for so long it appeared she had forgotten the second step—breathing out. She held her hands crossed over her chest and couldn't say a word.

Toriel chuckled and stooped down. "Oh, really! I was barely posing. Do you really find a homely old thing like me attractive? It is such a funny idea, yet I see that it is true!"

"Um!" Alphys pulled herself back from the doorway and peered intermittently between her feet, the doorframe, the ceiling, and occasionally Toriel herself. "Wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what makes you s-s-say that, T-Toriel?"

Toriel tried to keep her smile beneficent, rather than amused. "To begin with, there is the fact that even you do not normally stutter this much. Have I made you nervous, Dr. Alphys?"

The reptile's lower jaw quivered, unable to form sounds at first. "Um… yes?" she peeped.

"Oh, Alphys. I am sorry. But it was very clear to me, when we spoke earlier, that you were not truly enamored with my judge. You were only saying so to humor me. It was not his availability that concerned you, was it? It was mine! Am I correct?"

Alphys hid her face in her hands and squealed in embarrassment. Her tail curled up so far that it rolled itself up her back in a ring. On a whim, and driven by happiness, Toriel took a liberty she would not normally take: she took hold of that wound-up appendage and gently unwound it. Alphys looked back in dismay and watched her.

"There. That is better." She sat then, crossing her legs loosely. "Alphys?"

The scientist faced her nervously. "Y-y-y-yes?"

"It is all right! We will face this together. We are friends, you and I. And if it so happens that you find me attractive… well!" She tilted her head and let her ears flip. "While I may not be able to reciprocate, I will certainly not hold it against you!"

Redness pervaded the reptile's face. "Um… um… heheh! Yes, it's true. I… I have a little bit of a… of a… of a tremendous crush on you!"

Toriel felt herself blushing as well. She wondered whether it was visible. "That is very flattering, Alphys! Almost as flattering as it is mysterious! If it had not been for your question, and Sans's intuition when I discussed it with him, I would never have guessed! For it simply seems so strange to me. I am not used to thinking of myself as… desirable." Except, perhaps, to Asgore, but there was a special bond between those who have grown old together… or in their case, who have failed to do so.

"B—But you are desirable, Tori! It's… it's a miracle you're still single after all these years! You're beautiful, and you're s-so kind, and so… and so generous, and so… so wise, and you're a great cook, and your voice is so perfect, and you're so tall and woolly and peaceful and funny and you have so much integrity it turns me on just to think about it, and I just want to turn on a tap and stick it in you and let the integrity run out over my body and just wallow in a tub filled with your integrity!"

Oh goodness. Oh goodness gracious. She had not been expecting a reaction like this. "Dear one… I do not know what to say. You are making me feel young again!"

"G-g-good! You deserve to feel young!" Alphys fiddled with the end of her tail now, apparently unsure what to say, or perhaps on the verge of words she was afraid to speak.

Toriel did not know what to say either. She wished she could tell Alphys what she clearly wanted to hear—that Toriel found Alphys equally attractive. But that would be no white lie. It would be a weighty one, capable of great harm, and she could not tell it. But neither could she crush her dear companion's hopes—not now, not when Sans had just forgiven her. She did not know the gentle way to handle this; to do as a mother so often must and dispense disappointment without bitterness. For Alphys was no child, and it was not Toriel's place to lecture her on the disappointments of life… And oh! The snails were still cooking!

Toriel got up with a little gasp and tended to the dish—it was fine, aside from a few chives sticking to the bottom of the pan. "Well, doctor. You have succeeded in distracting me, but not for long enough to spoil our meal!"

"B-but!" objected Alphys. "You distracted me!"

Toriel looked back as she handled the spatula. "Oh! Yes. I suppose it is my own fault, then." She extinguished the flames and turned back to Alphys. "I wish… I wish that I could say I am attracted to you as well, Alphys…" she began apologetically.

The poor creature hunched over in what appeared to be shame. "I-it's all right. I know you don't feel that way about me, Tori. That's why I didn't want to say anything! You deserve someone a lot better than me."

This would not do. Her lips pressing together, Toriel stooped down and picked Alphys up, managing to be reasonably graceful about it. Alphys went wide-eyed and cried out in surprise, but did not struggle. Toriel held her firmly against her chest.

"I will not let you disparage yourself in my household, Alphys. You are a treasure. An absolute treasure. And while… while it is true that I am not titillated by your appearance, I do find you adorable, and beyond that, fascinating. You are an amazing addition to my life! I would be lucky to deserve someone like you."

Alphys looked up longingly, her cheeks red once more. "But—but you do have me! And weren't you disparaging yourself a minute ago?"

Well. She had a point! Toriel laughed, and was amused to feel the plump monster in her arms bounce with her laughter. "Still. Mark my words, doctor. I am not saying that you are too good for me. It merely seems that we would be a peculiar match, that is all."

It seemed that Alphys was overwhelmed by having Toriel hold her. She was afraid to put her hands on Toriel's robe. "Um, yes, but… but isn't variety the spice of life? And I'm not saying you should like me… but if you did… well, you were with Asgore for an aw-awfully long time, and, well… I'm about as different from Asgore as you can get!"

Toriel smiled hugely. She could not deny the truth of that. "You are perhaps a smidgen small for me."

Alphys smiled with embarrassment, her nose prominent. "I b-barely come up to your belly."

"And we are both women. Surely that has not escaped you."

The lizard exuded only excitement. "What's wrong with women? I think—I think we're great!"

"But am I not too old for you?" Toriel pled, embracing the absurdity of the situation even as she embraced Alphys herself.

"Well, you only seem maybe f-f-forty-five. And I think age is really attractive, anyway. Every year you've lived… means that many more things you've learned!"

"And learning excites you, does it, doctor?"

The yellow tail thwapped against Toriel's hip. "O-o-of course! If learning didn't excite me… well, what would?"

This was refreshing indeed. "In that case, my sweet one, you are indeed rather different from Asgore."

"But… but not all in a bad way, right?"

Toriel gently shook her head. "Not at all in a bad way. You and he are simply different… just as you and I are different."

Alphys looked up with hope. "Do you think… do you think maybe you could learn to love me?"

On some level, it was simply not possible. "Oh, Alphys. It is not that there is anything wrong with you! I am simply not available!"

"B-but.. you're not seeing anyone, are you?"

"I am not. But my husband still dwells in my heart, dear one. And my heart will never be without him."

Alphys cuddled her head against Toriel's chest. "I don't want to make him move out. I just want to move in!" she murmured.

"Oh doctor! You are so…" Silly? Foolish? "Childlike at times."

"It's interesting to h-hear you say that. I was never really good at being a child. Maybe it took me a-all this time to get the hang of it! M-maybe in another twenty or thirty years, I'll figure out how to be a grown-up!"

Toriel laughed. "Would you like me to put you down, doctor?"

The yellow arms hugged her boldly now, snail juice on her apron notwithstanding. "Oh, you don't have to do that! I kind of like it here."

Toriel chuckled and walked into the living room, bearing her companion on her belly. "In that case, would you like to sit in the easy chair with me?"

She looked up shyly. "Yes! Yes I would!"

So Toriel sat. And as she sat, she held the much smaller monster on her lap, against her breasts, and peered at her. She was trying to imagine the idea of loving this person—not in the sense of the love borne for a dear friend, but of the deep love reserved for a spouse or a constant companion. It was not an easy thing to imagine, but it was not incredibly difficult, either. The cute bucktoothed smile—the receding headspikes—the small, earnest arms—Toriel could conceive of coming to love these things. Whether it was wise to do so, she doubted, but she knew that if she wished to love Doctor Alphys… it was an option open to her. It was not as impossible an idea as it had seemed at first. Relationships, after all, were cultivated, not discovered.

"I… I'm afraid to say anything, in case you decide to put me down," murmured Alphys.

Toriel let her hand drift slowly down her companion's back. "I am pleased to remain here for now. But may I at least remove the apron? You will stain your delightful little face!"

Alphys lifted her head. "Oh! Yes, please! Do… do you really think my face is delightful?"

Toriel clucked her tongue against her teeth. "Shhhhh. Let us simply sit." She let herself relax, and felt Alphys relaxing against her, and remembered sitting like this with Emma, the sweetest of her children, long ago. With Alphys on her lap like this, it was easy for Toriel to imagine that she again had a child. But then, Alphys was no child, was she? She was a would-be lover. How very strange a thought! A potential lover with a child's shape and temperament!

But then again, Alphys could do things that Toriel knew no child was capable of. She envisioned this lump of scales on her lap putting together a turbine to seize the wind and bring electricity to her home. She pondered the notion that the chubby thing resting upon her belly might someday build a machine to detect souls hiding in the aether, and thus lead monsterkind to freedom. The key to her people's future might well be seated right here in this round little frame that Toriel was currently supporting. And she was making her happy. Toriel was making the Royal Scientist happy. She could not describe how ebullient that idea made her. She felt like a mother again, albeit less so… yet also more so. For on this moment on this special day, Toriel felt like a lover again. And there was little, if anything, as satisfying as dispensing unconditional love.


As the barroom drama that had turned out to be a dream faded from cogence, or at least from relevance, Sans found himself staring at the familiar ceiling of the child's bedroom. Yep, he was still here. Yep, he'd been asleep, and that affair from the golden age of Grillby's had just been a bunch of scrambled memories, served to him a la carte. And—a pang he'd felt a couple dozen times now—yep, Papyrus was really gone. That was real life, and it would stay that way, no matter how many more times he fell asleep.

Sans spent a minute coming to terms with this as far as he knew how, which wasn't much. Then he spent another minute or two grappling with what they'd learned about dust and determination. 'Essence'—that was what they called whatever it was that formed the personality of a monster—it apparently persisted in the dust you crumbled into when you died. And if they put it on something… it got imbued with your essence. For real. No stories, no wishful thinking, no kidding.

Where was Papyrus now, he wondered? What was left of him, without his soul? Did he still hear or feel things, wherever he was? Did he know what Sans was going through? Was there… maybe, just possibly, some chance he could come back someday?

Maybe for someone other than Sans. Maybe Undyne would someday get to train Papyrus again, if she realized how special she was. But Sans would never get to hear that voice again.

Yet there were other things worth living for, weren't there? Like the happiness of other people, for example. The riverman had reminded him of that. And that meant helping Tori and, yes, Alphys along in their projects, however he could.

He lay there a long moment before asking himself: So what comes next? Oh right—Alphys needed a home of her own. She needed someplace to start rebuilding from. And that would have the happy side effect of getting her out of Toriel's wool, so that Sans could get back to figuring out how to cheer her up. He'd have to go and spy on Undyne some more, of course. Maybe deliver some messages back and forth if Toriel wanted to stay in touch with the empress. But chances were, what Tori needed most was just a listening ear and time to process everything that'd gone wrong. Sans could give her that. He just hoped it was enough.

Well, enough moping. It wasn't even morning, was it? This was just an afternoon nap. So, with a heavy sigh, he rolled out of bed and slumped against the side of it. He stood up, joints cracking, and rolled his back to stretch it. Then he peered at the children's things around the room. Strange place to be sleeping these days.

Still, he had to admit he liked the way the background music changed when he turned the lamp on and off. Not that anyone else could hear background music—Toriel might not even know.

Pulling on his hoodie, Sans wandered out into the hall. He heard voices, but they weren't coming from the foyer or living room, like he might expect. Then where were—oh. They were coming from Toriel's bedroom. What were the girls doing in there?

He ambled over to the door and put his face up to it. Time was, he'd just put his ear against a door if he wanted to hear through it. But it was better to put your face on late-regenerating half cycles and stick it through the door, if you knew how. That way you could see and hear what was going on, and you'd only be noticed if somebody was trying.

They were both in there. Toriel was on her bed, feet just touching the floor. Alphys was sitting on the carpet, watching her. And Tori's focus was on all Alphys—she was beaming, even.

"You are very good," she said at last.

It seemed to make Alphys panic. "B-but Toriel… but Toriel, y-YOU are very good!"

Tori lifted a hand to her mouth in shock. "Oh, Alphys, you are very good!"

"Um… no," the lizard decided. "You are very good."

"No, my child," said Toriel, "you are very good."

"But—but!" said Alphys, curving her tail and pointing her finger. "You are very good!"

Sans pulled away from the door and stared at it for a while. "heh," he said aloud.

Then he wandered into the kitchen and found a half-cooked pan of snails and mushrooms on the range. Looked like Tori'd had to leave in a hurry, yet there they were, playing some kind of game. Didn't take a genius to put things together. Sans picked up a slightly soggy snail and put it down, letting it turn to energy in his ribcage. Then, with a sigh, he turned on the heat to finish cooking the meal.

Ten minutes later, the grub was done. Sans carried the pan out just in time to hear Toriel's door open. He hustled to get some plates and re-entered the living room at an amble. The ladies were just coming in.

"Oh! Sans! You have finished my cooking!" exclaimed Toriel.

"yep. looked like you got distracted by something, so i figured i'd pitch in."

Toriel held her hands together, embarrassed. "Thank you very much, Sans. It smells heavenly. I hope you found your nap satisfying?"

He started dishing snails and passing out loaded plates. "oh, it was pretty decent. not in the top hundred, so far as naps go. but it got the job done."

Alphys was grinning, unable to contain herself. "Well, I'm glad if you're feeling better. I—I'm feeling a lot better! I can't believe just a couple hours ago, we were s-sitting here yelling at each other."

"life's funny that way, huh?" Sans took his seat. "bone appetit."

"Bone appetit yourself," said Toriel, grinning. She took an indulgently big bite and savored the snails in her mouth.

Alphys's tail tip was up, swaying just a little behind the back of her chair. The top button of her labcoat was undone. Her scales seemed a brighter shade of yellow than usual. Toriel's wool seemed to be gleaming, and she held her knuckles in her fingers while she was chewing, like she needed a place for her energy to go.

Welp. Sometimes everything reads like Wing Dings, but other times, you see the writing on the wall.

"so i've been thinking," said Sans. "there's three bedrooms here, right? and there's three of us. so maybe alph here doesn't really need her own place. she could just stay here with us."

The two of them exchanged a surprised glance, then looked at Sans. "B-but… are you sure that would be all right?" Alphys asked.

Sans shrugged, taking a bite. "seems kinda silly to make you move out when it's pretty much just the three of us out here. and i was thinking… that kid's bedroom doesn't really suit me. maybe i should take the room at the end of the hall and make it my own. then you could have the kid's room, al. i figure you'd probably like it better."

Alphys scratched her cheek! "Oh! Um, well, m-maybe I would!"

"i don't mind starting from scratch. i prefer it, really. in fact, maybe i should be the one moving out. there's a lot of old, moldy buildings out there in the ruins of the city. probably there's at least one that'd speak to me."

Toriel knitted her brows. "This is all so sudden, Sans!"

He shrugged. "sometimes you just get a wake-up call. anyway, i just want you to be happy, tori. if you're happy, then i am too."

Alphys dropped her fingers on the table and looked nervously at Toriel. The boss monster flicked her ears meaningfully.

"W-well, Sans," said Alphys, "I want you to be happy too. And I think it's really nice the way we're all together right now. I n-never dreamed things would be this nice, um, just a couple weeks ago. I thought everything… everything was lost! B-but it wasn't. It really wasn't. I just lost a few things, but I f-found a few new things, too… and—and it just goes to show you!"

"yeah," said Sans. "it just goes to show you."

"So… so why don't we all keep living here, in this cozy house, for a while and s-s-see how it goes! I mean… maybe we'll get sick of each other, but it hasn't happened yet, right?"

"nah," Sans agreed. "tell the truth, i'm just starting to get fond of you."

"Well then," said Toriel, placing her hands meaningfully on the table. "Here we are."

"Here we are," agreed Alphys.

"just a little happy family," said Sans. He lifted his water glass. "wish we had some root beer so we could drink a proper toast."

Toriel smirked. "I think I can help you there, Sans. One thing the Underground possesses in abundance… is roots!"

Alphys laughed. "And I just pulled mine up!"

"i'm hoping i can set some down," put in Sans.

"We have all been a bit uprooted," said Toriel. "But tomorrow we will collect snails and sassafras root, and we will build up our larder. I am hopeful that we will also build up our love for each other." She raised her water glass. "To our happy family."

"To a happy family!" toasted Alphys, raising her own glass.

They clinked glasses and drank. It was just water, but it was some of the sweetest water Sans could remember ever having.

Who knew it would be so easy to make Toriel happy? All it took was somebody who wasn't him.


HERE HAVE ANOTHER BONUS SONG

With apologies to Griffinilla:

watch?v=XWJUDYCU54Q

Woolly Love

ALPHYS:
Ooo, the hottest thing in the Ruins!
You're what I've been dreaming of, got a case of woolly love!
When we play, we never care who wins!
You're as peaceful as a dove, got a case of woolly love!
Does she know that I adore her?
Would she think I'm too young for her?
Because I'm still in my twenties
And she's in her late four thousands—!

(awkward pause)

Maybe she'll teach me her baking…
I'll teach her video gaming!
It's really kind of the same thing…
And later on,
When I couldn't take any more, she'd
tuck me in and tell me a story—
Oh my god, I'm crushing on Tori!
Oh did I say that out—
No, did I say that out loud?

Ooo, you're like a bed to my pillow!
You're what I've been dreaming of, got a case of woolly love!
Ooo, you're like a giant marshmallow
Bursting with integrity! You've got so much more than me.

(dance break)

Does she know that I adore her?
Would she think I'm too young for her?
Because I'm still in my twenties
And she's in her late four thousands!
Maybe she'll teach me her baking…
I'll teach her video gaming!
It's kinda sorta the same thing…

And later on,
When I couldn't take any more, she'd
tuck me in and tell me a story—
Oh my god, I'm crushing on Tori!

TORIEL:
Alphys, you make me so—
Alphys, you make me so proud!
Yooou used to think you were a sinner!
But it was only SIN-amon!

ALPHYS:
That was such an awful pun.
Toriel, how long have you been standing there?!

TORIEL:
I was crouched behind the chair.

ALPHYS:
Okay, that just isn't fair.

TORIEL:
Yooou are like dessert after dinner!

ALPHYS:
I'm like putty in your hands!

TORIEL:
What do you think of that, Sans?

SANS:
well, i guess that means that you should shape her.

TORIEL:
…Let us gather for a hug!

ALPHYS:
Got a case of woolly love!


A/N: What—did you expect me -not- to ship my titular characters? ;-)

You won't learn the truth about Frisk's name in this story, so I'll just tell you. As an eight-year-old in school, Frisk started to learn about gender roles as they apply to how children relate to each other. They saw boys being violent to each other because they were boys, and this drew them more toward the company of girls, until they proved to be just as bad under the surface through means of social exclusion. In frustration, Frisk decided to give up gender entirely. Their birth name was clearly gendered, so they had to pick a new one. 'Frisk' wasn't their choice because it was a kind of dance, though… nor is it short for 'frisky' (though it -will- be if I ever write a pacifist Frisk story, and I wrote an explanation for that, too). Rather, it's a combination of 'fresh' and 'brisk', which is how they like the outdoors. If people wouldn't be good, Frisk decided the great outdoors might be better, which is how they wound up willing to walk all the way up a mountain path at the age of ten.

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