A/N Holy crap. I keep getting blown away by how much support this story gets. Thank you again for all the faves, follows and reviews. It makes this all worth it. Though I do keep wondering where you all keep coming from. As in, how do you find my story?
Well, enough rambling. I left you all on a cliffhanger. Now for the resolution to that.
"…What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth…" "…heheh, the old whoopee cushion in the hand trick, it's always funny…""…YOU SHALL NOT PASS THIS AREA…" "…First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far…" "…I've, um… been 'observing' your journey through my console…" "…I so badly want to say, 'would you like a cup of tea?'…"
Those voices. There's so many. Some are different, some are the same. Who do they belong to? And… who am I?
They felt like they should know who they were, but for some reason, that wouldn't come to them. Scenes played out before their eyes. Places, people, they looked familiar, like they should know who each of them were. There was more. Feelings, sensations. Were these… memories? But whose memories? Their own?
"…My expectations… My loneliness… My fear… For you, my child… I will put them aside…"
Some of them sounded… sad. There were many emotions.
Happiness. "…WOW! I HAVE FRIENDS! AND WHO KNEW THAT ALL I NEEDED TO MAKE THEM…"
Anger. "…NGAHHH! DIE ALREADY, YOU LITTLE BRAT..."
Nervousness. "…Actually, wait, I have an idea… Let's be friends on UnderNet…"
Stoic. "…In a few moments, you will meet the king…"
Regret. "Human… It was nice to meet you. Goodbye…"
Sadistic glee. "…In this world… It's KILL or BE killed…"
Long forgotten memories. Feelings neglected, now awoken.
"…no matter what, be brave…" "…what was done to you was wrong. Seek justice…" "…if you show someone kindness, they will show it in return…" "…be patient, and you will find what you're looking for…" "…just remember, be honest and steadfast. Retain your integrity…" "…through all you have been through, you must persevere…" "…be true to who you are…" "…my son, Uriel…" "…I'm with you in the dark…"
Frisk's thoughts were fuzzy and muddled. They were confused. They were seeing their entire life play out before them. Trying to figure out what had happened was pointless as their memories were one giant jumble and every single one felt like it had just happened.
Eventually they began to settle down and Frisk was able to distinguish which were the most recent. Returning to the Underground. Toriel taking them in. Reuniting with their Monster friends. Getting Toriel and Asgore reunited and at least talking. The lab explosion. Being critically injured. Then… what?
The most recent memory was blurred, as if it was a dream. They examined that memory closer.
Alphys' proposed solution. Going through with it. The poison. The next thing was blurred, but they could recall the sensation of going numb. After that, nothing. Did they die? Did Alphys' plan work?
Their senses finally booted up and feeling was the first thing to return. They were covered in something. A blanket most likely. They opened their eyes. At first, everything was blurry, but then it sharpened. Their sight became clear. Clearer than ever!
Frisk blinked to make sure. Their eyes were wide open and everything was so clear and sharp. First positive to being a…
They snapped their eyes closed. While they were excited, a part of them also dreaded what they'd see once they looked at themself. They were no longer human, but Monster and as much as that excited them, part of them was scared and didn't want to face the facts.
But… they had long since learned that they had to face reality no matter how bitter it was. Without opening their eyes, they raised their left hand and hovered it before them. When they opened their eyes what would they see? Flesh? Fur? Part of them dreaded the answer.
Before they lost their nerve, they snapped their eyes open and were greeted to the sight of a white fur-covered paw. They clenched their hand and the paw responded. They wiggled their fingers and the digits did just that. They turned it over and now they were seeing the back of the paw. They looked up their arm and saw more white fur. They followed the arm up to their shoulder.
They looked down and saw a blanket draped over them, blocking what was below their chest, which was covered with a thin hospital gown. They traced their right arm (which was similar in appearance to their left) over their body, feeling the soft fur underneath their fingers. They placed two fingers on their wrist, feeling the pulse. They placed one hand on their chest, feeling the rhythmic beating of their heart, confirming they were alive.
They pulled the blanket off and saw their legs. They sat up and dangled their legs over the side of the bed, swinging them a little to make sure they worked. They'd never take walking for granted again. They flexed their toes and the digits on the end of their feet moved accordingly. They realized that their legs were shaped differently than a human's so walking might be awkward at first.
They looked around and eventually spotted a mirror. They brought it up to their face, getting a good look at themself. The first thing they noticed were the floppy ears, which they inspected with their hands. Next was their pronounced snout. They ran a hand over it, feeling the features of it. They opened their mouth and saw the sharp teeth, as well as the fangs. They also noticed the mop of brown hair on top of their head, running their fingers through it. They also inspected their eyes. Normally, they were brown. But now… now they were red.
They set the mirror down. There was no denying it. They were now a Monster. Specifically, a Boss Monster. They weren't sure how they felt about that. They didn't think they'd miss being human. In fact, nothing about their new body felt wrong. It all felt perfectly natural, like this was how they were always meant to be.
Frisk finally looked around the room. They were in the same ER room they remembered. It had less devices than normal, probably because their new body wasn't hurt. New body…
Frisk tried to find their old human body, but it wasn't visible. Nor was anyone else for that matter. How long had they been out for? Their memories were still a jumble, details mixed up. There was no way to know or tell how long they had been out for.
The only door opened and in stepped Alphys. She had a clipboard in one hand and was jotting something down with the other. She walked into the room, not looking up yet, still writing. As she neared the bed she glanced up over her glasses, then stopped and rose her whole head. She looked right at Frisk, with wide eyes. "Frisk?" she whispered. "Is that… you?"
"It's me, Alphys," they reassured.
"You're awake!" she exclaimed. "You're awake! We were starting to get worried."
"How long was I out for?" Frisk asked the Royal Scientist.
"Almost a whole day," she answered. "Toriel was getting concerned that this wouldn't work. Oh! I need to let her and Asgore and everyone else know that you're up." She pulled out her cellphone and sent a mass text to all of Frisk's friends before returning to her patient. "Now, I need to make sure that's still you in there," she told them. "What's the last thing you remember?"
"Most of my memories are jumbled," Frisk answered, holding their head. "It's hard to separate them. But… the last thing I remember that isn't a jumble is agreeing to your plan to put my Soul into the body we made." Frisk thought on the memory a little harder making sure details from past memories weren't mixing in. "We were going through with it; you had a needle full of a green liquid that held some kind of poison. Your hands were shaking so Undyne decided to do it instead. After that… everything goes hazy."
Alphys was writing that down. "Okay. You said your memories were jumbled. Do you think you've forgotten some of them?"
"More like the opposite," Frisk revealed. "It's like I'm hyper-aware of my entire past and everything has mixed together, like someone threw all my memories in a blender. It's fading though. I think, if I wait long enough, my memories will return to normal."
"Well, good to hear that."
A few minutes later, Toriel entered. "Frisk?" she asked tentatively.
"Hi, mom," they said with a smile.
She ran to them and embraced them. "Oh, Frisk," she cried. "You are alive." She pulled away, cupping their face. "I was getting so worried. How do you feel?"
"Alive," Frisk answered. "I feel alive."
"Um, if you'll excuse me, Toriel," Alphys spoke up. "I need to give Frisk a full work-up to make sure they're alright and that their body isn't, y'know, rejecting the Soul or anything."
"Oh, of course," Toriel realized, allowing Alphys to start examining Frisk. But she never let go of them, always keeping one hand on them.
Alphys was trying her best to be mindful of Frisk's boundaries while examining them but she had to examine almost every part of them. She lifted one of their floppy ears to look into their ear canal. Examined their arms and legs. Had a stethoscope to Frisk's chest to listen to their heart and lungs. Had them open their mouth to look inside, closely examining their teeth and tongue and back of their throat. Held a light to their eyes to check them out.
"You've never had your eyes all the way open before," Alphys commented.
"My eyesight was bad as a human. These eyes are much better, though," they admitted.
"Well, I'm glad they're open. They 'look' lovely," Toriel said with a slight snicker. Frisk chuckled after they understood.
"This is amazing," Alphys said as she continued analyzing Frisk. "You definitely resemble a Boss Monster. And while you are technically a hybrid of human and Monster, you don't have any visible human traits. I guess most of the human half would be internal, though. Perhaps you are half magic, half physical? While we do have organs, we don't have any blood, but maybe you do?" She was now examining their backside, which, Frisk noted, was visible as the gown was open in the back. "Does your body feel any different? Heavier, perhaps? We have no way of measuring the difference between mass, so do you feel any difference in weight? Perhaps you feel the blood pumping through you? If you have any, I'll have to test that. What about sensation in your extremities? Do the tips of your fingers feel different now, or is there no difference? What about your feet? They are radically different, as are your legs. Come to think of it, we might have to teach you how to walk given your legs are structurally different. What about…"
Alphys yanked on something and Frisk felt a flash of pain in something they had never felt before. Some primal part of them kicked in and they attacked by complete reflex. Though, it wasn't with a physical attack, but rather, a magic attack. Alphys was shocked by a red bolt that came from seemingly nowhere. Frisk turned around, Toriel jumped back, and Alphys stood frozen, blackened from the shock.
"You have magic attacks," the sooty scientist said. "Yay…" She coughed out a small black cloud before collapsing.
"Sorry, sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry…" Frisk said over and over. They looked at their rear and sure enough, there was a little tail.
Toriel laid a reassuring paw on Frisk's shoulder. "Alphys, are you okay?" she asked the scientist.
"I'm good," Alphys said with a wavy voice. "I'm just gonna lay down here for a minute."
Toriel face Frisk. "Well, I guess I will have to teach you how to use Monster magic now."
Frisk nodded. They were quite eager to learn, having just unintentionally used it.
After Alphys recovered, she resumed her examination. After a while, Asgore, Undyne, Sans, and Papyrus entered. They all expressed their joy at seeing their friend awake.
"Howdy, Frisk. Glad you're back up," Asgore greeted.
"Yeah, glad you woke up!" Undyne agreed.
"yeah, you made papyrus cry like a baby," Sans spoke.
"WHAT? I DON'T CRY! I NEVER CRY!" Papyrus defended. "I JUST CAUGHT SOMETHING IN MY EYE."
"what did you catch?" Sans asked cheekily.
"TEARS!"
Frisk couldn't help but giggle at that. The others might have chastised them but that little laugh was sweet to hear, as it helped confirm that Frisk was alright. Asgore walked closer, raising a hand to touch them but then remembered what happened every time he did that before.
Frisk saw the hesitation in Asgore's eyes, so they grabbed his hand before it could fully pull back and laid it on their shoulder, giving a warm smile. Asgore smiled back. Frisk turned to look at Toriel, expecting her to be overjoyed, but instead, she was glaring at Asgore, as if she was expecting him to hurt them.
"So, doctor," Asgore spoke, looking at Alphys. "How is Frisk? Are they still… themself?"
"As far as I can tell," Alphys began, "they are perfectly healthy. And they say they still remember everything, though I doubt they are completely unaltered by this. They did… die… after all." She looked pointedly at Frisk. "How do you… feel about that?"
Frisk spent a moment contemplating. "I'm not sure. It didn't feel like dying, which I remember you said was the point. Mostly, that part's still kinda fuzzy."
Toriel faced Alphys, still keeping one paw on Frisk. "Are you sure that they are fine physically?"
"To be honest, no," Alphys admitted. "After all, Frisk is something entirely new, a blend of Monster and human anatomy that was conceived in a strange way. I can't be sure that they're perfectly fine because I don't know for certain what 'fine' is for them. All I can do is guess how they should be."
"But your guess indicates that they're fine?" Asgore asked.
"Yes," Alphys confirmed. "Though, I wouldn't mind a daily check-up of sorts to see how they're feeling."
"I don't think coming here every day for a while is feasible," Frisk said.
"Then how about this?" She pulled out her cellphone. "I'll send a text every day with several questions. Just reply with your answers and be truthful and I'll use that. Though I'd also like to do a weekly physical to keep an eye on you."
"I guess," Frisk agreed.
"so kid, how ya feelin' right now?" Sans asked. "this new body don't feel too weird, does it?"
"To be honest, right now, I'm kinda hungry," Frisk said, which got a chuckle from everyone. "And I'm being serious. I haven't eaten for… what? Two days now? And I don't think this body ate anything at all."
"You must be starving, then," Toriel said. "Tell you what. When we get home I will bake you the biggest pie I can and you can eat until you have filled your stomach."
Frisk nodded excitedly, which they regretted immediately, as it caused the room to spin. Alphys took that as initiative and examined them, but Frisk pushed her hands away. "No, no. I'm just dizzy from the hunger."
"If you say so," Alphys conceded.
"Well then, as soon as Alphys is done, you'd better get home and eat," Asgore suggested.
"Almost done," Alphys revealed. "Just a couple last things I want to check then they will be free to leave."
Frisk was happy to hear that. They wanted to go home and sleep in their bed and stuff their face with Toriel's pie. Asgore's large hand trailed down their arm, gently taking their hand and it was then Frisk realized they were only wearing the gown.
"Um… my clothes? Frisk asked.
"Oh, I forgot! They're still on your old body," Alphys admitted. "Um… what do you want done with it, by the way?"
Frisk thought on it, but really, they didn't care what happened to their old body and said as much.
"Oh, well then, might I keep it?" Alphys asked. "I've never gotten the chance to really look at a human body before, and even though it's dead, it might be good if we ever run into a problem with your new body."
Frisk thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, sure. But… can I have my clothes back first?"
"I'll take care of that," Asgore said, walking away a moment later.
A while later, Alphys finished her examination and determined that Frisk was well enough to leave. Holding Toriel's hand, they supported themself on their new legs. They knew walking would be hard at first, so they took the first couple steps slowly, balancing on their digitigrade feet. On their third step, they stumbled, but Toriel was there to catch them, helping them back upright. They continued practicing walking, their friends encouraging them.
Asgore returned, Frisk's shirt and pants held in one hand, their boots in the other. He would have announced his return, but his greeting died in his throat upon observing Frisk re-learning how to walk. What had him awed wasn't watching Frisk trying to learn how to walk. In fact, he wasn't even seeing Frisk at all. When he looked, he didn't see the former human trying to walk on their toes. Instead, he saw his son, Asriel, taking his first steps as a kid, his mother helping him, much like how Toriel was there for Frisk now.
As Frisk practiced, they saw Asgore holding their clothes. Only now did they realize how bad they were. They walked over to take the articles from Asgore, inspecting them with their hands. They were bloodied, covered in dirt and torn in several places. "I… didn't realize how bad they looked."
Toriel took the shirt, inspecting it. "I think I can fix them," she reassured. "Do not worry. I can repair them in no time."
"Well, you're all set," Alphys confirmed. "I'll start the check-up text tomorrow."
"Great," Frisk said with a smile. "Thanks for everything, Alphys."
"Come, my child." Toriel took them by the hand. "Let us go home."
"see ya around, kid," Sans said with a wave.
"COME VISIT WHEN YOU CAN!" Papyrus added.
"You'd better show your face tomorrow, or I'm gonna hunt you down," Undyne playfully threatened.
As Toriel lead them out, Frisk waved to all their friends, then faced Asgore. "See you in a couple days!" they said cheerfully, to which Asgore smiled. Frisk turned to face Toriel, but she still wasn't smiling at Asgore. Frisk didn't understand. She was perfectly fine with him the other day. Now she was back to giving him the cold shoulder? That didn't sit right with Frisk.
While their memories were still a jumble, they did clearly see the two of them hug when Frisk was hurt. For a moment, they saw happy parents, not a divorced couple. The love was still there, but Toriel seemed determined to deny it except when she was on the verge of losing everything. That, Frisk decided, was unacceptable. Forget waiting. The next step was going to happen soon, preferably before they went to live with Asgore.
After returning home, Frisk stuffed themself with Toriel's cooking, the hole in their belly that they didn't even know was there filled up. Toriel got to work repairing their clothes though Frisk took the boots and looked them over. Apart from being slightly sooty, they were fine. The problem though, was that they didn't fit Frisk's new feet. They tried, but it was just too awkward and it hurt as well. So, they decided to put them with the box of children's shoes in their bedroom.
Toriel tucked them into bed when night came. Their memories were still jumbled, fading to normalcy, but still at the forefront of their mind making it hard to sleep. So, they picked a soothing one and focused on it. This one was a tune, one which they used to sing themself to sleep with. They didn't know where it came from or who originally sang it to them but they used to hum it to fall asleep and that's what they did now. Halfway though, their eyes drifted shut and they fell to sleep.
The next day they ate breakfast, Toriel still working on their clothes. So, they picked some spare ones from the wardrobe before leaving their room.
"Good morning, my child, did you sleep… well?" Toriel's words stopped when she saw them enter the room in a green shirt with yellow stripes and black jeans. For a moment, she didn't see Frisk, but Asriel.
"Very good, thanks for asking," Frisk answered. "How much longer till you're done with those?" They pointed to the articles Toriel was still working on.
"A-at least a day," Toriel eventually answered. "I do have to modify them as well as repair to account for your new… features."
"Okay," Frisk said before getting breakfast, once more filling their stomach. They spent most of the day learning about their new body and practicing their magic to see how it was different. There wasn't much difference as they could still summon their sword and shield but now it was easier than before. As they got used to their body, they got a text from Alphys. Her questions were pretty basic. They basically amounted to seeing if Frisk was feeling any adverse effects from their body. They answered every question honestly, being sure to be thorough.
After finishing the questions and sending their answer as a text they decided to talk to Sans. They called his cellphone, having gotten the lazy skeleton's number a few days ago. They patiently waited for him to answer, and eventually he picked up.
"who is it?" Sans' voice can through.
"It's me," Frisk said by way of answer. "I need to talk to you."
"alright. i'm listening," Sans responded.
"When I was… hurt, I thought Toriel was fine with Asgore around."
"yeah, she was. in fact, asgore was even able to hug her and comfort her when she thought she was gonna lose ya," Sans said.
"Well, now that we're back home, she's gone right back to treating him like before," Frisk revealed. "And that doesn't sit right with me. It's not fair to Asgore at all."
"well, from what you told me, she's none too happy with him after declaring that every human that falls down here dies."
"But he's changed that policy and anyone who spends two seconds with him can see he didn't want to do it. Mom just doesn't want to see past that and remain mad at dad because she thinks she's better than him."
"um… did you just call asgore… dad?" Sans asked after a pause.
Frisk was stunned, then reran their words in their head. Sure enough, that's what happened. It had just come out. "I… guess I did."
"going back to the subject at hand, where are you going with this?"
"It's where I've been going since I came back down here," Frisk answered. "I've been planning to try and get them back together. It would be really good for everyone if the queen returned."
"i'm not sure you wanna do that, kiddo. this isn't something you should be meddling in," Sans recommended.
"I disagree," Frisk said. "I... can't explain it, but… I need to do this."
Sans audibly sighed before speaking. "alright, kiddo. whatcha gonna do?"
"I've got a plan. It will take a while but the next step should fix whatever's wrong with Toriel, and I'll need your help with it."
"what is it?"
A couple days later, it was time for Frisk to go live with Asgore. Toriel was nervous about this but Frisk reassured her that they will visit her and they will come back in a week as well. She helped them pack up the few things they had, which was just their spare clothes and a couple toys. She had finished repairing their clothes and so they were now wearing them, which fit comfortably.
"Alright, do you have everything?" Toriel asked as they put on their backpack.
"I think so," Frisk answered. "It's not like I have much."
"Okay," Toriel breathed. Frisk could tell she was struggling with this. Luckily, they had anticipated it.
"Hey, if you want, we could spend my last night here at a diner," Frisk suggested. "I've already got a place picked out."
"I am… not sure," Toriel said hesitantly.
"You can't stay cooped up in the Ruins forever, mom," Frisk said. "You should get out more."
Toriel thought it over before sighing. "I suppose," she agreed.
"Great," Frisk cheered. "Come on. If we hurry, we can get there before the evening rush."
Frisk led her to New Home, guiding her to a specific restaurant. Toriel noticed that it seemed to be on the fancy side. "Um… are you sure about this?" Toriel asked before going in. "It looks… expensive."
"Don't worry, that's been taken care of," Frisk answered. They entered through the doors, and it seemed to be fairly busy, though not quite bustling with activity.
A waitress, who was a manicured hand on a humanoid body, came up to greet them. "Welcome. Do you have a reservation?"
"Yes," Frisk answered, tapping the podium to get her attention. "Dreemurr, party of three?"
The waitress flipped through a book, looking it over. "Yes, here you are. Table nine, in the back, as requested."
Frisk started walking in the direction of the table, Toriel following. "Reservation?" she asked. "When did you have time to make that?"
"Last night," Frisk responded coolly. They navigated their way through the restaurant and eventually spotted their table.
While Toriel was still thinking on the expenses of this place, she almost didn't notice that someone was already seated at the table until Frisk waved at them. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Asgore seated there.
"Frisk, you made…" Asgore trailed off when he saw Toriel behind them. "Toriel, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"She seemed kinda lonely so I asked her to come," Frisk explained. They sat down on one of the chairs, taking their pack off and laying it next to their chair.
"Did you plan this?" Toriel bluntly asked.
"No," Frisk said innocently. "How could I?"
Toriel sighed. Part of her wanted to leave, but Frisk had evidently put a lot of thought into this, so she wasn't going to crush them by leaving. Instead, she sat down across from Asgore.
"It's nice to see you again," Asgore greeted. "I didn't expect you to be here."
"Nor did I," Toriel admitted.
"Well, let's get to ordering," Frisk said. "They have some good stuff here. I looked them up on my cell and…" Frisk trailed off. "Oh, whoops. I think I left my cell back in the Ruins. I'm gonna run back and get it." Frisk got up and left, leaving the couple by themselves.
Once Frisk got outside and made sure that neither Asgore nor Toriel were following, they reached into their pocket and pulled out their cellphone. They dialed Sans' number. After a moment, the skeleton picked up.
"nice exit, kid," Sans said. "i think papyrus would approve."
"Thanks," Frisk said. "Let me know what happens, okay?"
"you can count on me," Sans assured.
"And don't fall asleep," Frisk added.
After Frisk hung up, Sans relaxed into the booth that was across from table nine, his back to it.
Toriel sighed after Frisk left.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Asgore spoke nervously.
"The feeling is not mutual," Toriel said.
"You know, it's kinda cute that Frisk went to all this trouble," Asgore said. "Well, I suppose we've got some time before they return. What are you going to order?"
Toriel looked over the menu, settling on a salad.
"You know why Frisk is doing this, right?" Asgore asked.
"Of course. It is not hard to figure it out," Toriel answered.
Asgore rested his arms on the table. "Well, no point in putting it off, so… let's talk."
"Fine," she agreed.
Asgore struggled to find a way to start the conversation. "Well, first thing I want to know is, why you left?"
Toriel really didn't want to have this conversation with her ex-husband, but Frisk had tricked them into having it. "I needed to get away."
"From me?" Asgore asked.
"And everyone else. I couldn't stay after what you had allowed to happen. You condoned the murder of innocents whose only crime was falling into the Underground."
Asgore looked down, his eyes shadowed. "I did that in a moment of weakness, Toriel. I had to give everyone hope and it was the best way to do it."
"You gave them false hope."
"False hope was still hope. It was either that or let the entire Underground fall into despair. I had to think of my people, Toriel. I regret what I said and I have since amended it. So why are you still treating me like that man?"
Toriel looked away. "I just… cannot see you as the man you used to be after what you did. You wanted to hurt people. You hurt Frisk once. How do I know you will not do so again?"
"I never wanted to in the first place," Asgore insisted. "And besides, I owe them. They saved my life after I had tried to kill them and when one more strike from them would have ended me. They chose to spare me, then protect me. Now they have returned and want to be family. I would never hurt them."
"And yet they flinch when you so much as lay a hand on them," Toriel accused. "They are scared you will hurt them after what you did."
Asgore looked down guiltily. "I know. But I will never hurt them again," he stated. "We both have a child again, Toriel, and I'm fairly certain that they did this on purpose, to get us at least talking to each other again. They want us to be a family again and I would like that very much. Can you at least give me a chance?"
Toriel sighed. A part of her wanted to, but she just couldn't trust Asgore, not after how Frisk reacts whenever he touches them. They were obviously traumatized and she didn't want them to suffer any more at Asgore's hands if his mere touch made them react like that. Especially since he would have to mind Frisk's…
Her thoughts snagged on that. She had almost forgotten that Frisk had several scars on their body. Well, old body. She was certain that their new one didn't have any. But then her thoughts turned on where the scars might have come from. Some of those wounds had looked fairly recent, others, on the other hand, had seemed years old. Where had they come from?
"Toriel?" Asgore tried to get her attention when she didn't respond. "Something on your mind?"
"Asgore, have you noticed that Frisk - well, human Frisk - is not…" she spun her hand as she tried to find the right word. "…immaculate?"
Asgore thought over what she said before speaking. "If you are referring to the years old scars that cover their body, I have. I saw them when I took the clothes off."
"Do you have any idea where they came from?" she asked.
"Not really. But… judging from the shape and placement of several of them I'd say they were hit, several times," he admitted.
"By what?" Toriel asked.
"Not by us," Asgore realized. "While a few injuries looked like they could have been from magic, those were all the recent ones. The much older ones, the ones that were years old could only have come from humans."
Toriel didn't want to think about where those might have come from but she was starting to make the connections. The way they flinched whenever Asgore touched them but didn't when they pulled Asgore's hand to do it, it spelt abuse, by a parent no less.
It wasn't unheard of amongst humans, at least when she and Asgore lived on the surface, though a part of her had hoped that after a thousand years they would have grown beyond that. But… it made sense, she supposed. What else would drive them down here twice?
"They are not scared of you," she realized. "They are scared of who they associate you with."
Asgore sighed. "I don't want them to think of me like that. Do you think there's anything I could do to assure them?"
"I think they know you will not hurt them, Asgore, but that is just in their mind. In their soul…" She didn't finish the sentence. There was no need. "It will just take time. A long time. While the physical wounds heal fast…"
"The mental ones take the longest," Asgore finished. "All I can do – all we can do – is show them love, day in and day out, and it will eventually heal the scars on their soul." He looked at Toriel. "And it would probably speed it up if you would trust me to not hurt them."
Toriel rolled her eyes as Asgore changed the topic right back to this. "I…"
"I promise, Tori, I would never hurt Frisk. Not after learning this. And not after seeing…" Asgore paused to steady himself. "Surely you have seen it. They look like Asriel, don't they? And before, they kinda looked like Chara."
Toriel nodded. "Yes. I have seen them both in Frisk. It is almost scary, in a way." She thought it over before making her decision. "For their sake, and for Frisk's, I will give you a chance, Asgore. A real chance."
Asgore smiled. "Thank you. So… can we at least be friends?"
At first, Toriel wanted to say no, but seeing that hopeful look in his eyes, especially after realizing how much Frisk probably cared for him, she could see a glimpse of the man she once loved in there. "Friends. We can be that, at least."
"Thank you."
Sans had overheard it all and realized that the important part of the conversation was done. He sent a text to Frisk, telling them to come on back.
Frisk got the text and entered the restaurant, going back to the table. "Found it," they said, holding the phone up. "So, what are we getting?" they asked.
"I am going to treat myself to a salad," Toriel answered. "It seems they have cheeseburgers, if you want one."
"I'll have that," Frisk said with a smile.
Asgore wondered for a moment if he should reach over and lay a hand on Frisk, before deciding against it. He didn't want to ruin the mood. He wondered if Frisk was aware of the concession that he and Toriel had come to. Judging by that smile, they probably were. "Frisk, I have cleaned up my home in preparation of your arrival. A room is all prepared so you can just go to bed when you feel like it."
"Sounds good!" Frisk said excitedly.
"Make sure they are in bed by eight," Toriel said. "They need their rest."
"I will make sure of it," Asgore assured.
"Hey, um, Asgore?" Frisk asked. This was something they had been debating on since Sans had brought it up and now might be a good time. "Would it be alright if I called you 'dad'?"
Asgore and Toriel shared a knowing glance. "If you wish so," Asgore decided. "You may. I would be honored. Also, I would like to ask something," Asgore requested.
"What is it?" Frisk asked.
"While I do like your name, I do not feel it is befitting of a prince of Monsters," Asgore said. "You may keep it as your second name, but perhaps it would be best to change it."
Frisk looked surprised to hear that. "Change it?"
"If that makes you uncomfortable, I understand," Asgore said.
"No, not that, but… what did you have in mind?" Frisk asked.
"Well, since you'll be living with us, I thought I might give you a new one," Asgore explained.
"I don't mind being given a new name," Frisk said. "Though, one small request. Let someone else choose the name. No offence, but you're really bad at names. If I let you do it, I'll be named Torgore or something."
"Come on. I'm not that bad," Asgore said in mock offence.
"Yes, you are," Toriel said. That produced a laugh from everyone present.
"Alright. I will consult others for a suitable name," Asgore decided.
"Thanks, dad," Frisk said happily.
Asgore felt a happiness in his chest at being called that, and impulsively reached over to lay a hand on Frisk's shoulder, hesitating at the last second. Frisk grabbed his massive hand and closed the gap for him. When the large Boss Monster didn't feel Frisk flinch, he smiled. He had a child again, and it seemed like Toriel may come around eventually.
Toriel still felt a little apprehensive about this but seeing Frisk smile made her smile. They were a happy kid, if evidently traumatized by something in their past. Someday she would learn whatever it was, but for now, she would just let Frisk be happy.
Frisk was excited that their little plan worked. They were going to let Asgore and Toriel reconnect at their own pace, but they had at least given it a kick-start. They were eager to start this new chapter in their life. To one day have a family that genuinely cared about them. It would be an adventure to make said family but Frisk would see it through.
Meanwhile, outside a certain flower was watching the scene playing out before him. This wasn't at all what he had planned. He was thinking that he'd break the human by forcing them to reload the same day over and over again, watching as their friends died repeatedly. Instead, they now had a new body and they had succeeded in tricking Asgore and Toriel to be on friendly terms once more. Flowey could see that his old parents were enjoying this nice dinner and were comfortable to be in each other's presence again. The part of him that was Asriel said that he should be happy for them, all three of them. Instead, he just felt jealous that they were being replaced and that the human was enjoying their new life.
"It's not fair," he hissed. "It's not fair!" He wanted to cry, but no tears came. He knew he should be happy for them, but only emptiness was within. "IT'S NOT FAIR!" No one heard him scream and he burrowed into the ground. If only he could take his frustrations out on something, but there really wasn't anything he could do that safely on. Flowey was torn between trying to feel happy for them and anger at the same kid for a list of reasons. If only he had a Soul, it would help. But he didn't, so he only felt anger and resentment. He wanted to take his anger out on the human, force them to die over and over again and laugh at their pain.
But he did that, or tried to, twice, and they wound up stronger instead of being broken by it. What could Flowey do to them? Nothing. There was nothing he could do. Flowey was alone, and just when he thought something fun might come along, all it did was make more frustration. So, he fled. Away from New Home. Away from his old family. Away from the kid that had taken the power of Reset away from him. He just had to get away. It didn't matter where, as long as it was away…
End of Chapter 6