Pre-Chapter Notes: Welcome back everyone! Or, if you've only just found this story, welcome… for the first time! This chapter slows things down a little compared to the last one, but we hope you enjoy it anyway.
So with that said, let's get to it!
Chapter 12: Good Food
Lily's head snapped toward Frisk, a little surprised, while Papyrus cocked his skull in confusion of the offer.
"BUT HAVE WE NOT ALREADY MET?" He questioned.
"I mean really meet her." Frisk clarified. "Like… talk to her and stuff. Directly."
The spectral girl's already pale face turned white as the snow around them. Papyrus on the other hand, lit up with his most radiant grin yet.
"A SECOND FIRST MEETING WITH A NEW FRIEND? THAT SOUNDS LIKE A WONDROUS IDEA!" The tall skeleton practically squealed with anticipation.
"That is a terrible idea!" Lily shouted at about the same time as Papyrus, resulting in a stifled laugh from Frisk
"DID SOMETHING FUNNY HAPPEN?" Papyrus asked, following Frisk's gaze to Lily who shrank into a bubble of self-consciousness. "I DO NOT SEE IT."
"Come on Lily! Why? What's wrong with it?" The red child questioned his friend, grabbing her hand when it looked like she was about to bolt.
"I… We only just... We didn't even know!" She stumbled over her words, rosy cheeks taking a somewhat darker shade. "Why… Ugh. We just found out we could even do that! How do we even know it'll work? Besides I… I don't want to scare you again..." Her voice shrank to barely a whisper as she stared at their connected hands, feeling far too embarrassed to look at anything else.
"You didn't scare me. I was just surprised is all… It'll be okay." Frisk coaxed gently. He chose not to bring up the fact that even if she had, Sans had long beat her to it. "Just talk to Papyrus like you do me!" He smiled patiently, tugging her sleeve a little to bring her back to his side.
Lily felt torn. On one hand, she really did want to meet Papyrus for real, but on the other it was somewhat nerve wracking. It would be the first time she'd really talked to someone without having Frisk as a proxy - given the circumstances, Sans didn't really count. What if she said something stupid, or insulted Papyrus somehow?
"...What if he doesn't like me?" She asked quietly.
"Of course he will." Frisk encouraged her. "You're one of the best people I know. Just act like you normally do, and you'll be fine."
"OH, ARE YOU SHY?" Papyrus asked, guessing correctly at the context. "I UNDERSTAND YOUR INTIMIDATION, BUT HAVE NO FEAR! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS VERY EASY TO TALK TO."
Lily managed to return Frisk's smile before chuckling a little at Papyrus' innocent narcissism. Shaking her head, she accepted defeat and returned to Frisk's side. "Alright…" She said.
Closing her eyes, Lily placed her other hand over the boy's still exposed SOUL. Papyrus looked on in wonder as the two children concentrated on opening the link between them. Lily's body once again dispersed into hundreds of glittering lights, each of which were drawn into the SOUL like iron flakes to a magnet. The process complete, Frisk's eyes opened ever-so-slightly to reveal a soft red glow emanating from the right slit.
"WOWIE! YOU CAN DO THE SAME THING AS MY BROTHER AND I! SEE?!" Papyrus jumped in excitement and demonstrated. His right eye socket blazed to life: a human-like iris replacing the pinprick light from before, glowing a dull orange.
Frisk took a fearful step back. The memory of Sans' own blazing eye and frightening interrogation flashed briefly through his mind. In the same instant, he felt his right eye narrow slightly as Lily's protective instincts kicked in. Both only lasted for a moment before the two managed to get their collective emotions under control, hoping against everything that Papyrus hadn't noticed.
"IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT, FRISK AND LILY?" Papyrus asked. It was clear that he had.
The latter managed to keep herself from outwardly cringing at the question while the former quickly thought up an excuse. "Y-yeah. I just wasn't expecting your eye to do that. It's, um… Cool!"
Paying closer attention now, Frisk noticed some distinct differences between Papyrus' eye and that of his brother's. Sans' eye had been bright and vibrant, rippling like a flame as it cycled between three different colors. Papyrus' on the other hand was more like an ember, far less chaotic than Sans' but also less 'intense'. What's more, its orange glow was more or less consistent throughout, though if the boy looked hard enough he could just make out the vaguest hints of green and blue within.
"YES IT IS! I AM GLAD YOU THINK SO, FRISK!" Papyrus' expression turned questioning when he said the boy's name. "BUT, HMM… I CAN ONLY HEAR YOU. WHERE IS LILY?"
Frisk moved aside to give her space. Or at least as much as he could within the shared body.
Lily took a deep breath through Frisk's mouth in preparation. "G-greetings Papyrus...It's… uh nice to meet you. Again. I guess." She winced internally at her own nervousness, praying to any gods that existed that she didn't look like a colossal idiot. Frisk gave her a mental thumbs up, which did little to ease her nerves.
"HELLO LILY! YOU SOUND VERY CLOSE TO FRISK! BUT YOU ALSO SOUND DIFFERENT! I… GUESS THAT MAKES SENSE WITH YOU TWO SHARING A MOUTH…" Papyrus' eyes shifted for a moment before his grin returned. "ANYWAY! I AM GLAD TO TALK TO ANOTHER COOL PERSON, NYEH HEH HEH!"
Frisk felt his cheeks heat up a little due to Lily's embarrassment. "See Lily? Nothing to worry about."
'Okay… that went better than I thought.' Lily mused to herself. She wasn't sure if the giggle she heard was because he heard her or because of the situation in general.
"AGREED, FRIEND LILY. NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT AT ALL." Papyrus repeated, slapping a fist against his breastplate. "NOW, LET US HEAD HOME SO THAT I CAN PREPARE OUR SPECIAL FEAST OF NEW-FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI!"
Frisk and Lily grinned as one, which was mirrored a third time by the shared face they wore as they followed the energetic skeleton towards his home. The fog began to dissipate as they neared its edge, allowing the twinkling lights of Snowdin to shine through like welcoming beacons. They'd just crested into the town proper when Frisk stumbled slightly, hit by a sudden wave of exhaustion. He stopped for a moment, managing to steady himself before falling face first into the snow.
Lily shook her head inwardly, having felt it a little herself due to her rather close proximity to the boy. Steadying her mind, she looked toward Papyrus a few feet ahead, who didn't seem to notice through his own unending exuberance.
"Are you alright?" She asked Frisk. "That came from nowhere. Do you need to me get Papyrus to help?"
"No… I'm okay." He replied, a bit of weariness in his voice. "I'm just a little tired after everything today… I think I just need to sit down for a bit when we get to the house."
Lily sighed. "Alright. Just don't push yourselftoo hard okay?" Frisk nodded and the two broke into a slight jog to catch up to the lanky bone man. "So Papyrus? You really don't mind us sleeping at your place?"
"OF COURSE NOT!" Papyrus exclaimed without hesitation. "FRIENDS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME AT THE HOME OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"
"What about…" Frisk however, did hesitate if only for a moment. "Sans?"
"MY BROTHER MAY BE LAZY, BUT HE IS ALSO A GOOD PERSON." The skeleton assured. "I AM QUITE SURE HE WILL HAVE NO OBJECTIONS TO YOUR STAYING WITH US."
Frisk frowned but made no reply. Somehow he doubted that last part but he didn't want to say anything for Papyrus sake. He didn't know about the encounter Frisk and Lily had with his brother not long before their own meeting, and the boy intended to keep it that way. As for the first part… Frisk wasn't quite sure what to think of Sans. Though, from the acrid stench that permeated his nostrils he had a feeling Lily's opinion of the shorter skeleton was a bit less favorable than that of his more statuesque sibling.
"HERE WE ARE! MY HOUSE!" Papyrus announced when they'd arrived. "LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE I HAD TO CARRY YOU INSIDE SO THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME YOU'VE STEPPED IN ON YOUR OWN!"
He sounded more excited about that fact than anyone really should, but somehow his boundless enthusiasm made both children feel quite a bit better. Frisk laughed as Papyrus quickly dashed inside, leaving the door creaking loosely on its hinges in, what he could only assume, was the skeleton's unique way of welcome. Lily smiled within the boy's mind, her own feelings giving off a far more pleasant aroma than before. She smoothed out the wrinkles in Frisk's coat and spoke.
"Shall we?" She asked Frisk.
"Hold on. There's something I want to do first."
"What's that?" Lily asked, as the boy stepped back from the entrance.
"Could you… tell me what the house looks like?"
Lily smiled at the request, having a good idea what her friend had in mind. She did so, doing her best to capture every detail for him. As he listened, Frisk tried to picture the large, cozy home the two skeleton's shared in his mind. Colorful lights spiraling up the columns and tracing the roof and balcony. The festive wreath decorating the door. The frosted windows and sills covered in a light dusting of white flakes. The latticed foundation that held it all above the cold snow. The thought of it all invoked a sensation he hadn't felt since he and Lily had stood before Papyrus' crudely built cardboard stall and the dreams and aspirations it embodied.
He was filled with determination.
He took hold of that feeling and harnessed it. Lily, sensing his intent wrapped herself around his SOUL and gave what aid she could. Sure enough, another golden star formed, glittering radiantly just to the right of the doorway. It seemed a little brighter than some of the others, though that may have just been a trick of the lighting. The children made for the door, brushing the surface of the star as they went and saved this point in time.
The warmth of the SAVE point was soon replaced by the warmth of a comfortable home as they stepped inside, closing the door behind them to lock out the chill. Papyrus had stopped near the table to regard the out-of-place rock sitting upon it. He had a shaker in hand and was dutifully raining a few flakes of its grayish contents onto the thing.
"UGH, BROTHER… YOU REALLY MUST LEARN TO FEED YOUR PETS…" He said, more to himself before turning to them. "AHEM! WELCOME AGAIN TO MY AMAZING HOME, HUMANS!"
"It's even better the second time! Especially now that you don't have to capture us anymore." Lily chimed, and then frowned, realizing what she'd said. "Err… sorry. I know how much you want to join the Royal Guard and all."
"NOT TO WORRY!" Papyrus declared, undeterred. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS WOULD NEVER ALLOW SUCH A SMALL THING TO STAND IN THE WAY OF HIS DREAM! EVENTUALLY, UNDYNE WILL SEE THAT I AM WORTHY AND THEN SHE WILL ALLOW ME INTO HER RANKS! BUT FOR NOW, I MUST ATTEND TO MY TWO COOL FRIENDS! WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO FIRST?"
Frisk seemed at a loss so Lily spoke up. "Um, could we sit down for a while? Just for a few minutes… I think we're both kinda tired after today."
"Thanks…" Frisk said internally. Without other things to distract him from it, he'd begun to feel his fatigue weighing on him again.
"THAT IS A FINE IDEA!" Papyrus exclaimed. "I, TOO, SIT VERY OFTEN. AND FORTUNATELY, THOUGH OUR COUCH IS GREAT FOR SLEEPING YOU'LL FIND IT IS ALSO VERY GOOD AT BEING SAT ON!"
He power-walked over to the couch and let himself down as if to demonstrate, patting the cushion next to him invitingly. Frisk smiled and Lily led their shared body to the slightly lumpy but still comfortable sofa. Frisk was short, so it took a bit of effort to climb up but they managed to settle in without having to resort to asking Papyrus for help. He grinned before fishing a battered-looking remote control out from beneath the seat cushions and hit the power button.
"What's that?" Frisk asked as a series of sound effects and catchy music blared from the screen on the other side of the room.
"ONE OF MY FAVORITE SHOWS IS STARTING SOON." Papyrus said. "COOKING WITH A KILLER ROBOT, FEATURING METTATON HIMSELF!"
Sure enough a tinny voice sounded from the television as Mettaton's show began.
"OH YEEEEESS! Welcome beauties and gentlebeauties to another exciting episode of Cooking With A Killer Robot! Ready your appetites because today we will be making one of my personal favorite dishes: steak sculpted into the shape of my own dashingly handsome face!"
"OH, THIS WILL BE A GOOD ONE!" Papyrus said excitedly, focusing his eye sockets on the screen in anticipation.
Papyrus and Lily watched while Frisk listened as the robot went over the complex (and questionable) process of making the aforementioned meal. Frisk frowned a little at the robot's choice to carve the 'steak' – really an unholy combination of mushroom paste, edible glue, and artificial flavorings – with a chainsaw. It was at least entertaining if not completely faithful to the culinary arts, and Papyrus seemed happy so that was that.
"WELL!" Papyrus announced as the program came to a close (and because it was Mettaton, it came complete with a huge explosion at the end.). "I SUPPOSE AFTER ALL OF THAT YOU MUST BE HUNGRY. I SHALL HEAD TO THE KITCHEN AND BEGIN MAKING SOME DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI!"
Feeling a little better after the break, Frisk scooted off the couch and looked to the tall Royal Guard hopeful. "Could… I help?"
Lily and Papyrus' reactions to this comment couldn't have been more different. Papyrus skull lit up with the most radiant of smiles and the air around him almost seemed to sparkle with joy and excitement. Meanwhile, the glowing eye that comprised Lily's presence seemed to turn in toward its owner and look at the boy like he'd suddenly grown a second head. In the end, it was the latter that found her voice first… or more specifically, Frisk's.
"Hold on… you can cook?!" Came the incredulous question.
"Yeah…?" Frisk said, lifting his left brow.
"But how? You're-" She stopped herself before disrespectfully calling him out on his blindness.
"Oh, yeah." The boy rubbed the back of his head. "I guess I've done it so long that I forgot how weird that seems to other people. I can't remember a time I haven't had to take care of myself… Cooking just kind of comes with the territory."
The implications of that weren't lost on Lily, but Frisk didn't seem too bothered by it and she didn't want to change that by broaching the question.
Instead she asked: "How did you learn? I think it'd be pretty hard if you can't see the ingredients, right?"
Frisk laughed. "Not really. Sight really doesn't really have as much to do with cooking as you'd think. Touch, smell, and obviously taste are more important. You don't need to look at your food to eat it, after all."
"Hmm." Lily mused on that for a moment. "That… makes sense, actually."
"Well… most of the time anyway. I've never been much of a baker, no matter how much I practice." The boy reluctantly admitted. "I always seem to get the timing wrong."
"I guess that would be a problem, huh?" Lily replied with renewed respect for Toriel and her pie-making ability. "It's still cool that you can make other stuff though… but, I guess it's up to Papyrus."
She turned their shared body toward him. Neither child could hide the hopefulness in their expression.
The red-orange skeleton, who had been happily trying to imagine how amazing it would be to have someone else to cook with, perked up at the sound of his name. "GREAT IDEA! WITH US WORKING TOGETHER OUR NEW FRIENDSHIP PASTA WILL BE EVEN MORE SPECIAL!"
With that, Papyrus made his way swiftly to the kitchen area. Lily followed, using Frisk's legs to carry both children into the new room. They hadn't seen the kitchen yet. Indeed, most of what they had seen of the Skeleton brothers' house consisted of the den, and an all-too-brief visit to the water closet earlier in the day.
So, they weren't quite sure what to expect when they stepped inside.
The first thing that caught Lily's eye was the sink. It was placed high up on the very top of a closet-like deck, taller than even Papyrus. She wondered, with how fond the bone man was with pasta, how he managed to even use it to retrieve water. Then she remembered the culinary death trap out in the forest and figured it would probably be better not to ask. The rest, fortunately was fairly standard. Brown and orange tiled flooring, a basic stove top, a counter and cupboard, refrigerator and freezer. What's more, it seemed fairly clean compared to the varying levels of messiness characteristic of the rest of the house.
"So, what kind of spaghetti are we making?" Frisk asked.
"THERE'S DIFFERENT KINDS?!" Papyrus exclaimed, noticeably shocked by the revelation.
"Well yeah, a few." Frisk said. "There's bolognese, alle vongole, spaghetti with meatballs… I don't know how to make all of them, but I have a few recipes…"
"WOWIE! I NEVER KNEW THERE WERE SO MANY! HUMANS MUST BE QUITE PASSIONATE ABOUT PASTA." Papyrus said. "I AM EAGER TO SEE HOW HUMAN SPAGHETTI WORKS. WHAT DO WE NEED FIRST?"
"Well… the most important ingredient in making spaghetti sauce of course." The boy laughed. "Tomatoes!"
"AH, I HAVE SOME OF THOSE IN THE 'FRIDGE!" Papyrus said.
"On it!" Lily chirped, getting into it as well. She steered Frisk's body toward the large cooler and opened it up. "Pff, what's this?" She chuckled at the sight. Half the fridge's shelves were filled with various containers labeled 'spaghetti', while the other half was empty save for a nearly empty chip bag.
"AH, MY COLLECTION OF PASTA DELIGHTS!" Papyrus announced with his characteristic flare. "AND… THAT. SANS NORMALLY EATS OUT, SO HIS HALF IS MOSTLY EMPTY. I'VE TRIED TO TELL HIM HE SHOULD EAT SOMETHING OTHER THAN GRILLBY'S… SO, HE BOUGHT THOSE…" Papyrus sighed.
"So, what you're saying is that you have all that…" She chuckled evilly and drew out the bag. "…and a bag of chips."
Papyrus brought his metacarpals to his skull. It gave a comical klunk. "NOT ANOTHER ONE…"
A small sigh drifted from a large round skull as Sans paused in front of the brothers' house, the air in front of him fogging just briefly as a wordless reminder of the cold. His mind had been busy with everything from curiosity to regret since his encounter with Frisk and Lily hours before. Maybe he had been a little hard on the kid. That look of terror on his face... It didn't sit well within his bones.
He truly had forgotten everything. And Sans had done a pretty good job at making a rather unpleasant (second) first impression on the poor boy. What's more, he was still no closer to discovering the truth behind what occurred in the previous timeline. Their research had progressed quite a ways after reaching the surface, that much was true. And the blue skeleton had the distinct feeling that they'd found something… but what? Whatever it was, something had happened to necessitate another reset – one total enough that even the one who did it had no recollection of anything. The truth had to lie in those messages.
'i really need to find a way to translate his code... if i could do that i'm sure it would reveal a lot. problem is, i have no idea where to start. if he could remember something, it might at least give us a starting point. but then there's his friend, lily. he seems to trust her more than anything so it might be hard to get to him with her being so protective. not that i can blame her. i was an ass… at the same time, i still don't know anything about her.'
Sans considered for a moment about some of the reports he'd read. The kid didn't really like talking about his power, or what went on in his head. In a way, he was even more reserved than Sans himself in that regard. Even still, he wasn't a vault and occasionally he'd let some things slip. Sans' 'previous self' never found out the full truth about that, or if he did, he never recorded it. Still, the blue skeleton thought for a moment on the possible connection between these entries, and Lily's presence now. Was it possible she was active in the last timeline, at least in some form?
He placed a hand over his left eye. If she was, she was certainly a lot more subtle then.
Shaking off the snow that had begun to settle on his head, he finally opened the door. A small part of him was still afraid that Paps wouldn't be waiting for him after all. Yet the sound of his brother's energetic voice calmed him immediately upon entering. His skull shifted to one of his typical grins as he closed the door behind him. Glancing at the kitchen he noticed Papyrus talking to Frisk who seemed to have found his bag of chips. The voice speaking to his brother sounded much like the kid's but something was off. Raising a brow ridge, he cautiously moved closer to investigate.
Frisk's right eye was glowing again.
Sans tempered his instincts with logic and managed to ground himself before doing something stupid. Taking in the fact that Papyrus showed no concern must mean he'd known about it for a while now. He seemed happy and there was not a scratch on either him or the kid. Good. Papyrus finished and Sans was about to walk into the kitchen when Frisk's voice spoke once more. Except… it wasn't him doing the talking.
"So, what you're saying is that you have all that…" Lily chuckled in the familiar voice, the eye growing brighter in merriment. "…and a bag of chips."
The short skeleton blinked a couple times before snorting despite himself. The sound caused Frisk's head to whip around to look at him even as Papyrus gave a skullpalm to rival one of Sans' own bad puns. He noticed the eye grow a darker, angry shade of red like smoldering coals. That must be Lily. The other eye closed shut and the body twitched slightly as if the other presence was trying to retreat. So that one must be Frisk. That was also good… it meant the kid could still control his own body even in that state.
Well that's something. It looked like his 'bad cop' act had done a little more than he originally thought. Whatever Lily did back there, it seemed like they could do it at will now… which meant the kid didn't have to play medium for her anymore. There was a lot he wanted to talk to them about, but it looked like neither one of them were really in the mood for discussion.
He gave a meaningful glance toward Papyrus who still had his skull in his hand, before shrugging and mouthing a silent 'not here'. The red eye that Lily controlled softened to a more mellow shade, and the body nodded in understanding. Frisk, for his own part seemed to settle down a little as well.
"heya paps. whatcha doing?" Sans asked innocently of his brother while striding casually into the kitchen.
"OH, HELLO BROTHER!" Papyrus exclaimed loudly, a large grin on his face. "LILY, FRISK AND I ARE MAKING FRIENDSHIP SPAGHETTI! FRISK WAS TELLING ME ABOUT ALL THESE DIFFERENT KINDS ON THE SURFACE! DID YOU KNOW THERE WERE SO MANY, SANS?"
"can't say i did, bro. pretty cool though. i'm sure anything you guys make will... pasta test." He grinned as Papyrus' eye began to twitch. He didn't fail to notice the quick snicker that came from the humans' direction either. "c'mon bro. that was good, you're smiling.'
"HEH...THAT WAS ONE OF YOUR BETTER ONES, I SUPPOSE." The tall skeleton admitted before adding hopefully, "WILL YOU BE JOINING US, BROTHER?"
"sure pap. Just wake me when it's ready. i'm gonna go take a nap." Sans quickly excused himself from the room, waving at the two and a half chefs before heading upstairs and leaving them to their work.
"I DO WISH HE WOULDN'T SLEEP SO MUCH… BUT NEVER MIND THAT! WE HAVE PASTA TO MAKE! NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus grabbed the pot and wrestled it into the sink to fill with water. It was a daunting task even for someone of his stature… Frisk and Lily would likely need a step-ladder or three just to reach the tap.
"Oh yeah!" Lily suddenly remembered what she'd originally meant to do and turned once more to the fridge, replacing the chips and retrieving a couple tomatoes. "Should three be enough Frisk?"
"Should be. Next we'll need some meat. Ground beef is usually what's used on the Surface, but I don't know if the Underground has that. I'm sure we can find a good enough substitute though." Frisk instructed. "And… do you see any garlic or basil around? Maybe even some onions and mushrooms? Oh! And maybe a pinch of red pepper if we have it. That'll really make the sauce stand out." Frisk grinned, getting excited as Papyrus about cooking. "I can't wait to show Papyrus how we do it on the surface… this is going to be so good!"
Both Lily and Papyrus looked around for the requested items; the only thing they didn't manage to find was the basil. Frisk was right about the lack of ground beef, but they DID manage to find something that looked and smelled quite similar. It wasn't the first time monster cuisine had echoed that of the surface… he'd need to remember to ask how they managed to do that.
Once everything was situated they begin the preparations.
"THE WATER IS NOT BOILING AS FAST AS I WOULD LIKE." Groaned the taller skeleton. He'd been watching the pot for a good few minutes for any sign of bubbling.
Lily perked up. "Oh! I know! Add some salt to the water! It will make it boil faster!" She grinned, happy to be able to contribute.
"EXCELLENT IDEA LILY! WHERE DID YOU LEARN THAT?"
"Oh. That's easy! I used to help my mom cook… all the… time…" Her voice wavered, drawing out the words as her mind began to process what she'd just said. Frisk's face molded into a mirror of her own thoughtfulness. When she spoke again it was barely a whisper. "I… used to help my mom cook... how… how did I know that…?"
Frisk turned his attention to his friend. "Lily? Are you alright? Is it another memory?"
She shook their shared head, gently biting Frisk's lip. "No. It isn't like that. It just sort of… came out. It wasn't a vision, like before where I remembered myself in the garden. It's strange. Somehow, I just sort of… know."
"WHAT IS HAPPENING, HUMANS? IS IT SOMETHING I CAN HELP WITH?"
"No… I'm okay Papyrus." She went on to explain her lack of memories from before she met Frisk, and how they've slowly been returning since they began.
"AH. THEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL DO ALL I CAN TO HELP YOU FIND ALL YOUR PRECIOUS MEMORIES AGAIN! NYEH HEH!"
He posed gallantly, and both Frisk and Lily smiled before replying together. "You're the best Papyrus!"
With that the three turned their attention fully to the task at hand. They minced the meat, diced and seared the veggies, and pureed the tomatoes before mixing them all together and setting them to cook. By the time they'd finished, the water had begun to boil just as Lily had predicted. Frisk opened the box of noodles and added them to the scalding liquid before instructing Papyrus on the proper way to stir them so they wouldn't stick to the pot. He would have liked to have made the pasta by hand, but the skeleton brothers' kitchen seemed to be lacking the proper flour so they had to make do.
A savory aroma permeated the cozy home as the meal began to slowly simmer on the stove top. Papyrus, inspired by the wondrous utility of sodium, had to be gently talked down from adding what must have been at least five times the lethal dose. Fortunately for their stomachs, and the sanctity of chefs everywhere, Frisk and Lily managed to keep the tall skeleton from his ill-fated experimentations.
After about a half an hour of waiting, Frisk took a small spoonful of the sauce to taste. He gave a soft hum of approval. The meat was fully cooked, the tomatoes savory with just enough tang and spice from the garlic, pepper and onions.
"It's so good!" Lily exclaimed through the boy's mouth. Frisk grinned proudly.
"Have a taste Papyrus." He offered.
The tall skeleton jogged up and took a spoonful of his own. The red sauce passed through his teeth and vanished from the cutlery. Lily thought to question exactly how he managed to eat without a jaw to hold the food, but stopped when Papyrus' skull lit up with a little surprise and a lot of joy.
"WOWIE, THAT IS DELICIOUS!" He exclaimed. "I NEVER KNEW SPAGHETTI TASTED THIS GOOD. I SHOULD HAVE TRIED IT LONG AGO!"
Frisk lifted the brow above his non-glowing eye. "Wait… you've never had it? But I thought you make it all the time."
"THAT IS BECAUSE I AM ALWAYS SO BUSY MAKING IT!" Papyrus declared. "EVERYONE LOVES MY SPAGHETTI SO MUCH THAT I HAVE NEVER HAD TIME TO TRY IT FOR MYSELF."
"Maybe that's for the best…" Lily said internally, causing Frisk to giggle.
"We'll get some plates ready, okay?" The boy said, giving the sauce one final stirring for good measure.
"VERY WELL! I SHALL GO AND WAKE MY BROTHER! NO GRILLBY'S FOR HIM TONIGHT! NYEH HEH HEH!" With his iconic laugh, the red skeleton darted from the room and was half way up the stairs in less than a second.
Frisk laughed and Lily shook their head before the two set about preparing the servings. They opened the storage compartment beneath the sink to search for some plates and Lily had to choke back a laugh at the sight of the hundreds of bones piled within. A few were riddled with small marks or had pieces broken off as if they'd been gnawed recently by a dog. Nevertheless they managed to find a few clean dishes and cutlery among the calcium supply and fished them out for use.
Spooning a generous helping of noodles and sauce onto each plate the children gathered two of them and headed to the living area just as Papyrus was ushering a very drowsy looking Sans down the stares. The short skeleton blinked a couple of times at the sight of them, Frisk with one eye still glowing crimson. Lily managed to keep her emotions in check for the most part, but Frisk still caught the acrid scent of her silent anger despite the pleasant aroma of the spaghetti.
"huh. actually smells pretty good." Sans observed.
"It's… just a simple Bolognese." Frisk said, a little more quietly than normal. "It isn't anything too fancy."
"IT IS VERY GOOD, SANS. YOU MUST TRY SOME." Papyrus said. "MY FIRST TIME EATING SPAGHETTI. I AM SO EXCITED!"
Papyrus practically planted his brother down on the sofa before taking a seat next to him. Frisk dutifully handed them their plates, Sans' a little more reluctantly than his brother's. Sans stared at the plate for a moment before setting it on the arm-rest and rummaging around in his pocket before pulling out a small bottle of viscous red liquid. Frisk caught the distinctive smell of ketchup as he popped the cap. His expression fell.
"You aren't…" Frisk's voice spoke in Lily's tone.
"REALLY, SANS?" Papyrus chided at the same time.
"what?" The hoodied skeleton grinned. "seems to me like a perfect time to hit the sauce."
Papyrus cringed and Lily looked on in sheer bewilderment as Sans promptly raised the bottle to his skull and downed the whole thing in one go. He gave an exaggerated sigh and wiped his non-lips on the sleeve of his hoodie before taking the plate again. Lily sighed in relief before turning her voice inward to speak to Frisk alone.
'It's okay, Frisk. He just… drank it.' She said the last part slowly, realizing how ridiculous it sounded.
'He did?' Frisk asked, relaxing.
"whatcha just standing there for, kiddos?" Sans asked. "you're eatin' too, right?"
"Oh! Y-yeah…" Frisk said.
He retrieved his and Lily's plate before making his way back to the sofa. Papyrus patted the empty space between himself and Sans encouragingly. They carefully managed to settle themselves between the two brothers without spilling any of their meal. Frisk did his best not to look nervous while sitting so close the shorter brother. He didn't want to worry Papyrus, who so far seemed unaware of the tension between Sans and the children.
Lily forced herself to watch as the blue skeleton took a forkful of their spaghetti and gave it a try. For a second, she thought she saw a hint of surprise cross the skeleton's normally unreadable expression.
"hey. this is good." He took another bite and the ever-present grin returned to his skull, though this time it seemed a little more genuine. "you made this, frisk?"
"Not just me." Frisk said modestly. "Papyrus and Lily did most of the work. I just gave the recipe and helped where I needed to."
"Oh, don't say that Frisk…" Lily sighed. "You were the one who showed us how to do everything. I don't think it would have come out half as good if not for that."
"INDEED, HUMAN!" Papyrus agreed. "IT WAS OUR COMBINED GREATNESS THAT MADE THIS PASTA SO SPECIAL. BE PROUD OF YOURSELF!"
"heh. gotta agree with 'em there, buddy." Sans said. He actually sounded honest. "you did good. guess humans really know their food, eh?"
"Well they know how to eat anyway." Frisk said, feeling a little more comfortable from the encouragement. That evoked a laugh from both Lily and Sans.
The meal was a rather pleasant experience with each of them eating their food at different paces. Papyrus shoveled his down with the same haste that he showed everything else and then went for seconds. Sans ate slow and leisurely in stark contrast to his brother, ignoring the bits of sauce that dripped onto his shirt, hoodie, and shorts.
As for Frisk and Lily, two consciousnesses enjoying the same meal using the same body was certainly an interesting thing to behold. The shorter skeleton quickly learned how to tell who was in control simply by their mannerisms. Frisk was a rather plain eater, taking small bites and being prone to slurp some of the larger noodles; one thing that served to remind the skeleton that he was still a child despite everything. Lily on the other hand seemed to have a much more refined style in contrast to her fiery personality, wrapping the noodles onto the fork and taking care to make as little mess as possible.
The glow of the television filled the home with light and sound from the quirky detective show that was currently airing. Mettaton played all of the parts, but that was alright. The robot seemed quite skilled at playing multiple roles, even if his rectangular form made it woefully obvious.
"so." Sans said, waving his fork casually. It was an awkward situation but he had to ask. "you and the ghost-kid can share a body?"
"Yeah?" Frisk questioned.
"What's your point?" Lily asked, somewhat suspiciously.
"s'just a lot easier to talk this way is all." Sans said casually. "why didn't you do it before? seemed like frisk here had to talk for you for a while there."
Lily smiled though it did little to conceal the flickering glow of aggravation within Frisk's right eye. "Oh you know. Before this morning we never had a need to try and find out if we could."
"Lily… Not in front of Papyrus." Frisk warned internally, casting a surreptitious glance toward the taller brother who was already half way through his second plate of pasta.
"Aw… but… I wanted to rattle him a little…" The girl pouted.
"Yeah, but we don't want to drag Papyrus into it, right?"
"I know…" Lily sighed. "I'll be careful, okay?"
"i see. guess that makes sense…" Sans replied. 'so. i had a hand in that huh? guess it works in the long run...' He sighed before setting his plate on the armrest, pleasantly satisfied by the surprisingly wholesome meal. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd eaten at home.
"I GET IT! IT MUST HAVE BEEN BECAUSE YOU WANTED SO BADLY TO JOIN IN THE JOY OF PUZZLE MAKING! I AM SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT! WE SHALL CREATE MANY MORE GREAT PUZZLES TOGETHER!" Papyrus grinned, his excitement causing the kids to laugh.
"Of course Papyrus! It'll be much more fun with all of us!" Frisk told the taller skeleton happily as they finish the last of the spaghetti.
"by the way… how'd you two meet anyways? you said you only came here not long ago?' Sans attempted a different approach, hoping to glean some more information.
Before Lily could tell him where to shove the question Papyrus spoke up.
"I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW AS WELL! YOU TWO GET ALONG SO WELL WITH EACH OTHER! LIKE YOU'VE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR A VERY LONG TIME!"
Lily went silent at that so Frisk responded instead. "We met after I fell down here. She was there when the flowers saved me." Frisk's head tilted to the side in thought. "I couldn't remember the last time I'd ever seen anything, but there she was. I thought I had died for a while, actually. I couldn't think of any other way to explain it. But well, I'm not dead and she's still here so… I'm glad."
The boy's cheeks reddened a little as Lily remembered that day. It hadn't been so long ago, but somehow it felt like an age. They'd both been so confused… Frisk had even asked if she was an angel. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but now the funny memory brought a small smile to her heart and Frisk's lips.
The smell of the golden flowers: of lemon and honey, flowed through his nose.
"WHAT A FUN AND UNIQUE FIRST MEETING!" Papyrus exclaimed. "LILY SEEMS TO BE A GREAT FRIEND FOR YOU! AND YOU HER! THERE IS NONE GREATER THAN THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BUT BOTH OF YOU ARE VERY CLOSE SECONDS INDEED!"
"you are the best friend someone can get paps." Sans chuckled.
"After that we stayed together. It's been a lot of fun!" Frisk ended off with a smile.
They'd left out the part about the maniacal talking flower who tried to kill them afterwards. Lily frowned inwardly a little at the thought. Flowey… she'd seen him earlier, though he'd disappeared soon after. She hadn't yet been able to tell Frisk about that. The nihilistic little sprout had been pretty quick to confront them in the Ruins, and she worried that he might eventually decide to do the same here.
Thinking about him always seemed to make her feel sad, though she didn't know why. When it came to Sans and his out-of-nowhere interrogation, she'd become angry and protective. But with Flowey it was a different matter. In her heart, she knew he was dangerous… unpredictable. Unlike Sans who seemed to have an underlying reason for his actions, Flowey was unhinged – doing things only because they interested him. And yet, despite that… she couldn't bring herself to hate him even if he had done everything to deserve it.
"What's wrong, Lily?" Frisk asked. He must have sensed her feelings.
She shook their head and put them away for now. "Nothing… just thinking about some things."
Papyrus stood to collect the dishes and returned to the kitchen to place them in the sink and put away the leftovers. Once everything was done the tall skeleton suggested playing some card games on the floor in front of the TV. Frisk was unsure but he ultimately agreed when Lily offered to share his 'turn'. Sans, despite wanting to get to work on what he'd learned about the two kids, couldn't say no to his brother. Several games of Go Fish later had Papyrus with the biggest grin on his face as he laid his final 2 cards, a pair of 3's, on his ever growing pile.
"NYEH HEH HEH! I WIN AGAIN! THE FISH ARE MINE!" Papyrus exclaimed and took up the rest of the cards to reassemble the deck. "WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY AGAIN? THIS IS VERY FUN WITH THREE PEOPLE! ERR, FOUR PEOPLE? HMM…"
Frisk shook his head softly and let out a yawn. "M… maybe tomorrow. I'm getting a little tired. Lily too."
"It has been a long day... I'm surprised Frisk hasn't fallen asleep already..." Lily chuckled as she pushed the last of the cards towards the lankier skeleton brother.
"I was having fun..." Frisk replied indigently as another yawn forced its way from his mouth, drawing out the tail end of the sentence.
"IT IS ALRIGHT, FRIENDS. YOU MAY REST ON THE COUCH AGAIN! YOU ARE FREE TO USE IT WHENEVER YOU WOULD LIKE!"
"Thanks Papyrus. That's great of you. I think we will head to sleep. C'mon Frisk. Let's go..."
"'Kay." The boy said, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
Authors' Notes: Here's a bit of a change of pace after the gauntlet that was Chapter 11. After all that, it's probably past time to give these characters a bit of a break, isn't it?
Our Frisky might be on Master Chef one of these days, eh? His nose probably goes a long way in making up for his lack of sight. Kid's like a bloodhound.
Sans is trying. It's pretty awkward right now but… he's trying.
Lily's memories are slowly starting to resurface. She still has a long way to go though…
Also, that chips joke is so dated… but it was too good to pass up.
Again, we hope this served as a nice bit of cool down from the chaos of the last chapter. We'll be getting into more important stuff in the next one, so look forward to that.
If you like this story, please take a moment to let us know in a comment/review. We love hearing what our readers think!