Shopping Trip
Frisk jumped out of the school bus and ran to the front door. Papyrus opened it before they had even reached it and came outside to greet them.
"Papyrus!" Frisk yelled and they waved a piece of coloured paper at him.
"Hello, Frisk," Papyrus said cheerfully. "What have you got there?"
"My report card," they said triumphantly. "And I did really well!"
"I thought that was tomorrow!" Papyrus exclaimed, horrified. "I don't have anything planned."
Frisk didn't care.
"Ms. Hannigan gave them to us a day early," they said. "Look."
They put the card in Papyrus' hand and he looked at it.
"Wow, Frisk," Papyrus said warmly. "Good job!"
He ruffled Frisk's hair and Frisk glowed with pride.
"Asriel did real good too," they said happily.
Asriel was staying with Asgore at the moment.
"How wonderful," Papyrus said. "I wish Toriel and Sans were here, we should do something to celebrate."
"Can we go out for ice cream?" Frisk asked eagerly.
"Oh that is a good idea!" Papyrus said, but then he added, doubtfully: "Only Toriel took the car…"
They were still standing in front of the open door and at that moment a sports car pulled up. Frisk and Papyrus looked at it in surprise, they didn't know anybody that drove a pink car…
"Hello there!" Mettaton exclaimed, getting out of the car.
They should have known, really.
"Hello, Mettaton," Papyrus said. "What brings you here?"
"Oh, I was in the neighbourhood," Mettaton said, coming to pat Frisk on the head. "And I thought I'd show off my new car."
"It's really pretty," Frisk grinned.
"We were just trying to decide how to celebrate Frisk's amazing report card," Papyrus said.
"Oooh, let me see!" Mettaton exclaimed, holding out a gloved hand.
He looked at the grades and the little comments from Ms. Hannigan.
"Well," he said smugly. "Of course we all knew you were as sharp as a diamond razor, but it's nice to have written proof, isn't it?"
Frisk grinned.
"This calls for celebration!" Mettaton declared.
"That is what I said," Papyrus agreed.
"Of course you did," Mettaton smiled. "So what do you say to us all going out shopping for some fabulous new outfits to celebrate in."
"Wonderful idea!" Papyrus said happily.
"Can we have ice cream too?" Frisk inquired.
"Of course, darling," Mettaton said.
"Then let's go," Frisk said resolutely.
Mettaton drove them to the nearest shopping street that he deemed worthy of their presence. Perhaps some of the shopkeepers were a little intimidated when a very tall skeleton and a very tall robot came barging in followed by a child that was far too calm under these circumstances, but they were all very friendly. Mettaton looked, smelled and sounded like someone who adored spending money and people like that are treated well in shops, no matter who they are.
"You know I really think hats might be your thing," Mettaton said, looking at Papyrus trying one some old fashioned styles.
Papyrus posed in front of the mirror.
"Try one with a broader rim," Mettaton encouraged.
Obediently Papyrus put on a 1930's fedora.
"Nyeh, nyeh, nyeh," he chuckled at his reflection.
"Look at that!" Mettaton gushed. "Very film noir. Don't you think so Frisk?"
There was no answer.
"Frisk?" Mettaton repeated and Papyrus turned around.
Frisk had been right beside them just a second ago.
"Frisk?" Papyrus called out, putting the hat down. "Frisk?!"
They looked around frantically and searched between the racks of clothes.
"Frisk," Mettaton said worriedly. "I am all for a little drama, but I'd advise you to do your sudden theatrical reveal now."
"Frisk where are you?" Papyrus called out, his voice squeaking for a moment
No answer. Not a sign of Frisk.
Mettaton and Papyrus gave each other a terrified look. They lost Frisk. What where they going to do. Where were they going to go? Who should they ask for help? What if they-
"Excuse me?"
They turned round with a nervous jump.
A middle aged woman was smiling at them compassionately.
"Did you lose sight of your child?" she asked. "You have that panicking parent look."
"Yes!" Papyrus cried. "Well not our…I mean Frisk is-"
"Goodness me, there's no need to explain yourself," the woman said warmly. "I'm sure they can't have wondered far."
She smiled at the distressed robot and skeleton.
"We can go to the information desk and ask them to call out your child's name over the intercom."
Papyrus nodded gratefully, but Mettaton gasped and said:
"How utterly stupid of me! I can do that myself!"
He pressed a button and under the astonished eye of the helpful woman his shoulder pads moved aside to reveal to speakers.
"Frisk!" Mettaton shouted.
"FRISK!" it blasted through the whole store.
There were some cries of fright in distant corners of the shop and behind them there was a sudden, loud "smack!".
Papyrus, Mettaton and the woman turned around to see Frisk lie stretched out, face down on the floor. They were wearing a yellow dinosaur onesie, but with the sleeves turned inside out and their arms stuck in the onesie's torso.
"Frisk!" Papyrus exclaimed full of relief and he stooped to help them up.
"Look," Frisk grinned, they weren't really hurt. "I look just like Manny!"
"Nyeh, nyeh, so you do," Papyrus said.
"I fell like him too," Frisk chuckled awkwardly, having been put back onto their feet.
"Frisk don't disappear like that!" Mettaton said. "We thought this shopping trip was turning into a tragedy!"
"Don't scold them," Papyrus said hastily. "I'm so glad they're back!"
"Sorry," Frisk said apologetically.
"You gave your parents quite a fright," the friendly woman said with a smile.
"Actually…" Mettaton began, but Frisk quickly popped their arms out of the onesie, grabbed Papyrus' hand in one hand and Mettaton's in the other and said:
"I won't do it again, thanks for helping them!"
They grinned widely at the woman, who smiled back.
"Yes, thank you," Papyrus said sincerely. "That was so nice of you! Would you like to come for ice cream with us?"
The woman laughed.
"Thank you," she said. "But I should be getting back to my own shopping. Nice to meet all of you."
"And you!" Papyrus nodded.
"Thank you, darling," Mettaton smiled.
"Bye!" Frisk said cheerfully, still holding both their hands.
"Have fun on your family shopping trip," the woman waved.
Papyrus and Mettaton looked at each other and quickly looked away.
"Can I have the onesie?" Frisk asked, making the most of their confused state.
.
Frisk was still wearing the onesie when they were having ice cream at the nearby ice cream salon.
"Isn't it funny," Papyrus said. "That that lady thought we were Frisk's parents?"
"Well," Mettaton said, having shaken off the confusion from earlier. "We do make a very stylish couple."
Papyrus coloured a little, but he said:
"Of course we do! How could we not?"
Frisk looked at them expectantly, but they both just smiled and finished their ice cream. Frisk rolled their eyes with a repressed sigh and took another bite of their own.
"This has been loads of fun," Mettaton observed. "But we haven't actually bought a lot."
"I bought this hat," Papyrus said, taking it from its paper wrapping. "And a new scarf. And Frisk has their onesie."
*Fabulous,* Frisk signed, mouth full of chocolate ice cream.
"I wonder if any of these stores wear capes," Mettaton mused out loud. "I could totally pull off a cape…"
Papyrus eyes widened.
"Capes?" he said. "Sans and Toriel said that people don't wear capes on the surface."
Mettaton gave him a lofty expression.
"Well of course they don't," he said. "That is exactly the reason why people like us should wear them."
"Then let's go buy some!" Papyrus exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
"Now you're talking," Mettaton grinned.
The costume shop they found nearby was remarkably well stocked in the cape department. Papyrus bought a beautiful dark red one, much fancier than his old one. When they first entered the shop Mettaton fell in love with a glittery golden cape, but in the end he decided on a silver one. Silver looked better with hot pink.
"And what'll it be for you, kid?" the store owner asked.
He was a very relaxed individual, his face hadn't changed once during Papyrus and Mettaton's extravagant modelling session.
"I want these," Frisk grinned, putting a matching set of gloves and socks on the counter.
They were black, with skeleton hands and feet woven into the fabric.
"Good choice," the shopkeeper smiled, glancing at Papyrus.
Perhaps it was a good thing Mettaton's car didn't have an open top, it spared the neighbourhood the sight of a skeleton, a robot and a kid dressed as a dinosaur singing along to. Papyrus thought it was a great shame though.
"Our capes would have billowed so beautifully," he mourned.
"Mom's home!" Frisk called out, seeing the car in the driveway.
"Will you come in, Mettaton?" Papyrus asked.
"Sorry darlings," Mettaton said. "I've got to get home, I think my publicist has been waiting for me for an hour at least. Say hi to Toriel and Sans for me."
"Alright," Papyrus said, getting out of the car. "This was fun! We must do it again."
"I'll hold you to that," Mettaton winked.
"Bye Mettaton, thank you!" Frisk said.
Mettaton waved and drove off, while Papyrus and Frisk went cheerfully into the house to show off their new accessories to a very surprised but very enthusiastic Toriel.
Shout-out to TheWorldsInMyHead who suggested I write about Mettaton taking Frisk on a shopping trip to celebrate a good report card!
