New Year's Eve
"It's so unfair!" Frisk said.
"So mean!" Asriel whined.
They were sitting cross legged behind the couch, one of their favourite hiding corners in the house.
"I hope you're not still moping back there?" Toriel said, passing through the living room.
Frisk and Asriel looked at each other and stubbornly did not answer. Tonight was New Year's eve and Frisk and Asriel had really been looking forward to it. That was until Mettaton had come by after Christmas to invite everyone to a party…
.
"It's going to be exuberant!" he had said. "Champagne, fireworks, kissing at midnight, a disco ball dropping from the sky. The works!"
"Wowie," Papyrus replied excitedly. "That sounds like a wonderful party!"
Frisk and Asriel had been ecstatic, but to their horror Toriel had said it didn't sound like a party suitable for children.
"Besides," she said. "I'm sure you can do without a nosy mother like me cramping your style. Thank you for the invitation, Mettaton. I really appreciate it, but I think I'll stay home with the children."
"That goes for me too," Sans nodded. "Don't really have the spine for the partying lifestyle."
Mettaton looked disappointed.
"You are coming, aren't you, Papy?" he pleaded.
"Of course!" Papyrus exclaimed.
"Oh, good!" Mettaton beamed.
Frisk looked at them in horrified disbelief and Asriel looked like he was about to cry.
"I'm sorry, darlings," Mettaton said, kneeling down to look at them. "If it's any consolation I've already started planning both your eighteenth birthday parties."
As far as Asriel was concerned that was no consolation at all and it only made Frisk feel a teensy bit better. They both thought the grownups were being awful and cruel.
.
Now it was the day of the party and Toriel still insisted that they couldn't go. They had pleaded and cried and begged, but it was no good. So now they were sulking behind the couch.
Papyrus came downstairs in his party outfit. He was wearing his new red cape and broad rimmed fedora. Frisk looked over the top of the couch reproachfully.
"Oh, heh, hi Frisk," Papyrus said. "Asriel…"
He sat down next to the couch.
"I am really sorry you cannot go," he said. "But Toriel said it would be irresponsible to let you go and that would be very bad."
"But it's not fair!" Frisk complained.
"You're going, why can't we go with you?" Asriel muttered.
"Because I – though very great – am not a mother," Papyrus said. "But Toriel is and she knows about these kind of things."
Asriel sniffed and Frisk stared angrily at their feet.
"I am certain you will feel better when Asgore has arrived," Papyrus said, getting up. "He is very hard to be sad around."
He received no answer, so he got up and went upstairs to say goodbye to Gaster and Toriel. Asriel heaved a deep, dramatic sigh and Frisk did the same.
"Wah wah..." an even bigger, more dramatic sigh imitated them from the other side of the room.
They looked up. It was Sans, with his trombone.
*Not funny,* Frisk signed with a glare.
"I thought it was pretty good comedic timing," Sans grinned.
He put the trombone away.
"Now," he said. "Are you going to keep sulking, or are you coming to the basement with me to make some fireworks?"
Asriel's face changed a little.
"You can make fireworks?" he asked.
"I'm no chemist," Sans said. "But I know a thing or two."
Frisk bit their lip.
"Tori bought sparklers for tonight," he continued. "but I bet we can make something a little more exciting."
Asriel glanced at Frisk. They shook their head and crossed their arms. Asriel followed suit.
"Suit yourselves," Sans said with a shrug. "I'll be in the basement making things that explode if you need me."
He went downstairs and Asriel made an indignant noise."
"Like making fireworks makes up for being stuck here," he mumbled.
"Right," Frisk agreed.
There was a short silence. Everything was very quiet. Toriel was busy upstairs, Gaster was reading in his room... This was boring. Being angry was boring. Silently Frisk got up and Asriel followed. They went to the basement, trying to look as dignified as possible and went into the workshop. Sans was busy laying out some stuff to make probably illegal fireworks with.
"Just so you know, we're still mad," Frisk said when he grinned at their entrance.
"Yeah,"Asriel put in.
"Sure," Sans chuckled. "So what'll it be: lots of sparks or lots of noise?"
…
"Can somebody get that?" Toriel asked loudly from inside the kitchen when the bell rang.
She was busy making apple beignets and deep fried doughnuts, all dusted thickly with powdered sugar.
"I will," Gaster answered, tucking away his reading glasses in a pocket of his coat that seemed to disappear immediately afterwards.
He opened the door for a smiling Asgore, who was carrying two bottles of cider, and one bottle of sparkling apple juice.
"Hello!" Asgore said happily.
"Hello!" Toriel called from the kitchen. "I'll be out in a sec."
"Dad?" Asriel's voice came through the open basement door.
Asriel came galloping through the room to great his father.
"We made fireworks dad!" he said proudly.
He had completely forgotten to be mopey.
"Really?" Asgore said, putting the bottles aside to hug him. "In a safe way I hope?"
"Hi, Asgore," Sans grinned, coming up from the basement with Frisk.
They were both carrying a tray with assorted fireworks. All of them looked extremely suspicious.
"Just in time for a snack before the fireworks begin!" Toriel said cheerfully.
She emerged from the kitchen with a big platter heaped with beignets and doughnuts. All the parents in the neighbourhood had agreed to have "children's fireworks" at eight o'clock. By that time it would be properly dark and the children could safely play with their sparklers, while the louder and more dangerous fireworks were saved for midnight.
"Can we help setting off-" Frisk began with their mouth full of beignet and then switching to sign language to prevent them from choking: *…the fireworks?*
"Sure you can," Sans said.
"Can we!" Asriel cheered and Toriel gave Sans an alarmed look, but he continued:
"Of course, I need a slow burning wick to light the fireworks, that's safer than a lighter. You guys can guard the wick and keep it burning when we're not using it."
Toriel and Asgore looked relieved, but Asriel and Frisk didn't notice, they were too excited. Having wolfed down a beignet and a doughnut each they ran to the hallway to put on their coats. Sans put all the homemade fireworks in a bag and followed them, not bothering to put on a coat. Gaster did not feel the need for a winter coat either, but Toriel and Asgore did.
Outside some of the neighbours had started lighting sparklers. Some older kids were carrying roman candles and on the corner of the street someone had set off a fountain of sparks.
Mr. Denny and his daughter Shelly came over to say hi and some other people waved or wished them a happy new year.
"Fireworks! Fireworks!" Frisk cheered.
"Want to give me a hand, dad?" Sans asked.
Gaster took the bag of fireworks from him.
"Which one first?" he asked the children.
Sans took out a wick and Asgore lit it with his fire magic. Toriel was still shaking hands.
"Got one set up?" Sans asked.
"Yes!" Asriel said excitedly.
"Can I?" Frisk asked eagerly, reaching out for the wick.
"No, I'll light it," Sans said. "And stand back okay."
They all stood back and Toriel turned around just in time to see a shower of red sparks shoot into the sky.
Asriel cheered.
"It works!" Frisk yelled, jumping for joy.
Everywhere in the street fireworks were going off and Sans set off a couple more, letting either Frisk or Asriel hold the wick in between.
"Would you like a sparkler?" Toriel asked with a smile, after the fourth firework.
"Yes!" Asriel cried, running to her.
He took two sparklers and gave one to Frisk. Toriel glanced around quickly before lighting the tips with her fire magic. She was still cautious about using magic around humans, some people got very nervous if they saw it. But nobody was paying attention now, fire and sparks were lighting up the dark in every direction. Frisk held their sparkler high above their head, like a star. Asriel waved his through the air, making drawings in the dark.
Some of the neighbour kids that also had sparklers came running across the street and Asriel and Frisk went to greet them. Toriel watched them with a smile.
"This is such a nice neighbourhood," she said with a sigh.
"Remarkably so," Gaster nodded.
They set off fireworks until the cold of the evening started to get to them. That is, it got to Toriel and Asgore. The children were too excited to be cold, even though Frisk's nose was turning red, and Sans and Gaster didn't seem to be able to even feel the cold.
Nevertheless everyone willingly followed Toriel back into the house. She had kept the beignets and doughnuts warm in the oven and while everyone started on a second round of food, Asgore opened the cider and sparkling apple juice.
"That was so cool!" Frisk said, taking their glass.
Asgore poured some for Asriel too, while Gaster filled the other glasses with cider.
"Now hold it like this," Asgore showed Asriel. "And clink you glass against mine and say 'happy new year'."
They all clinked glasses.
"It's not new year yet, though," Frisk observed.
"Very true," Toriel smiled. "We can do it again at midnight."
"Yeah, then you can clink with all your mid-might," Sans grinned.
Toriel snorted.
"That was a very bad one," she said. "Even for you."
"Eh, I've been awake all day," Sans made excuse, lazily scratching Sir Pouncival behind his ears.
They ate and drank and talked about what the new year might bring. Frisk and Asriel looked at the clock all the time, waiting for midnight, but it was only a quarter to ten. Asriel was the first to yawn, but he hid it very well. When Frisk yawned a couple minutes later they didn't do such a good job of concealing it.
"It's getting pretty late," Asgore remarked. "Wouldn't you two rather take a nap?"
"No," Frisk shook their head decisively.
"I'm not tired!" Asriel insisted.
"You can just take a small nap," Toriel said. "And we'll wake you before midnight."
"No," Frisk repeated, with a determined look on their face.
"Can I have some more apple juice," Asriel asked, to demonstrate how awake he was.
Gaster smiled at Sans and said:
"I seem to remember a similar night when you and Papyrus were little."
"With me wanting to stay awake?" Sans smirked. "I don't believe you."
Asriel and Frisk really did their best to stay awake, but as the hands of the clock crept towards eleven o'clock Asriel decided it could do no harm to climb up onto his father's lap for a while. Frisk sat down next to Sans on the couch. He put an arm around them and they snuggled into the fluff of his hoodie.
A quarter past eleven both Asriel and Frisk were fast asleep. Toriel shook her head, smiling and Gaster laughed softly. They all talked until it was nearly midnight.
"I don't think he will wake up," Asgore said.
He gently lifted Asriel's sleeping snout and said gently:
"Wake up, Asriel, it's almost midnight."
Asriel didn't respond in the slightest. He was fast asleep.
"Hey kid," Sans said, nudging Frisk. "Time for the big fireworks."
Frisk's eyelashes fluttered for a second, but then they made a soft mumbling sound and sank even deeper into Sans' hoodie. Toriel tried one more time, but the children were asleep and asleep they would stay.
"They're going to be so mad when they wake up in the morning," Sans chuckled while he carried Frisk upstairs, followed by Asgore who was carrying Asriel.
"I did warn them to take a nap at ten," Asgore said.
They tucked the children into their beds and went downstairs. Glasses in hand, they waited, looking at the clock.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…"
Outside people were already setting off rockets and fire crackers.
"Five, four, three, two….Happy New Year!"
There was clinking of glasses, hugs and smiles all round.
"I believe there are more fireworks to be set off," Gaster said, rubbing his hands.
"Go on then," Toriel laughed. "I'll stay here, I'm not leaving the children."
"You go ahead, dad," Sans said, handing him the bag with fireworks.
"Shall we see which makes the brightest flame?" Gaster asked Asgore. "My son's creations or your magic."
Asgore laughed scornfully and followed Gaster outside, assuring him that he would win.
"Don't you want to go?" Toriel asked.
"Nah, let's go upstairs and watch the fireworks from the window," Sans said.
They went upstairs, peeking into the children's room as they passed it. Frisk was sprawled out on their bed like a starfish and Asriel was curled up with his goat and rabbit in his arms. The windows in Toriel and Sans' bedroom were large and gave a very good view of the sky. Fireworks exploded high up in the sky and rained down a cascade of sparks in all kinds of colours.
Toriel sat down on the bed and Sans sat down next to her. They watched the fireworks together.
"You think my dad and Asgore have set each other on fire yet?" Sans chuckled.
"Goodness, they won't, will they?" Toriel said, alarmed.
"I don't know," Sans said. "Dad always said he knew Asgore when they were young, they did a lot of stupid stuff together."
"Hm…" Toriel said. "I wonder why he never told me about that. I knew they were friends of course, but I didn't know they'd known each other for that long."
"Probably because of the stupid stuff," Sans said.
Toriel laughed.
"Who knows…" she sighed.
A shower of golden sparks lit up the sky and Toriel gasped softly. Sans smiled.
"Do you have any new year's resolutions?" Toriel asked.
"Nope," Sans said.
Toriel looked at him.
"Not one?" she asked.
"No," Sans grinned. "Life is pretty sweet at the moment, can't think of a thing I would change."
Toriel smiled.
"When you put it like that," she said quietly. "I guess I have nothing to make a resolution about either."
They sat in silence, watching the lit up sky in the dark.
"Hey, Tori," Sans said. "Can you come down here for a sec."
Toriel bent towards him and Sans rested his forehead against hers for a moment.
"Love you," he muttered.
"I love you too," she smiled.
A sudden noise startled them. There was a bang outside so loud that it shook the house, followed by a muffled cheer from some teenagers. Toriel raised her head. There was the unmistakable sound of confused, sleepy voices in the room down the hall.
"Welp," Sans said, sliding off the bed. "That's our quiet moment over."
Toriel laughed and quickly followed him out of the bedroom, ready to meet the combined confusion and indignation of a recently woken up Frisk and Asriel.
"Happy new year, Sans," she chuckled.
"The happiest," he winked.
It seemed a shame to leave the holiday season without writing about New Year's. I was going to end it here, but I couldn't resist so the next chapter will give you a little peek at Mettaton's awesome party!
Shout-out to Pearlshipper4evar who requested a New Year's Eve chapter with fireworks and a romantic moment between Sans and Toriel.
To see some bonus/background content and a list of the ideas/chapters I'm working on at the moment: check out "undertalehappyfamily" on tumblr!
Thank you for reading and your follows, fav's and reviews fill me with determination!
PantryMonster, well Sans gift was in a jewelery box, it could have been a ring… but it wasn't. Sorry for teasing! ;)
Danny, thank you for your twelve (!) lovely reviews. I will see what I can do to get Asriel into some mischief later on!
To the Guest that left a review saying "thank you" on Chapter 22: You're very welcome and thank you for taking the time to review!