Hey Everyone!
Interference in bold, puns and memories in italics, magic is underlined.
-text- indicates either texts, or mental "talking".
All Undertale stuff owned by Toby Fox, else me or a reference.
So, I'm studying abroad in a foreign country, have been for about a month already and will be for another month or so. I'm not done with this, I just don't have as much time as I have in the past, so fear not!
You glare at the familiar grinning skeleton running the ticketbooth. He makes a joke about pie. You are not amused.
Asgore
"Really, darling, I don't see why you put up with them. They have you running ragged, scarcely a pause for breath even; you're practically a saint, doing all that with not even a whimper of complaint. I know for a fact some of the things they have you doing just aren't worth your time. You really should insist on a break."
Mettaton stared at him from across the limo...well, it certainly felt like staring. He shifted uncomfortably under the intense scrutiny, "But-"
The robot sighed theatrically, "Asgore. You are a bundle of nerves and emotions. Every monster within a twenty mile radius can feel how overworked you are, no matter how bad of a sensate they are. We worry about you. The entirety of Monsterkind looks up to you and Toriel, and up until a few weeks ago some of us were seriously considering a petition to force her on sabbatical."
Asgore rumbled to attention, worry creasing his brow, "What was wrong with My- with Toriel?"
The robot hesitated for a moment, then his screen shifted, scrolling the message 'tut tut' in red letters, "Well, darling, it really was most concerning. She hardly ever sat down for a meal. Her mailbox was constantly overflowing, no matter how often she emptied it. She hadn't baked a pie in ages!"
Asgore felt the beginnings of panic grow in his chest, "She…"
The robot continued smoothly, gaze fixed on the King, "Of course, the dramatic events at the turn of the year rather put a damper on that plan. A new child to care for...that did seem to improve her spirits, but…"
The panic was fully blooming now, a vibrant cascade of blooms spraying their anxiety-inducing pollen across the landscape of Asgore's mind, "But?"
The robot turned slightly aside, giving Asgore the room to react fully, "It may be nothing…"
Beside the sweating monarch, the child in the cowboy hat scoffed, "Oh most attention seeking of rectangles, quit stalling and make your point."
The pixelated screen flashed red, then resumed its former worried cast. Asgore hardly noticed, "With so many recent additions to her household, I merely wished to point out that the Queen may, once again, be taking too much on herself. If you were to make more time in Newer Home in the near future, or even go so far as to take a leave of absence from your whirlwind schedule, you would be able to take some of that strain off of her."
Asgore's brow furrowed, "Do you really believe that this would help her?"
"Oh yes, darling," the robot's screen switched to his Dazzling Smile™, "If you want, I would be more than happy to have a chat with that manager of yours and arrange it."
Asgore's face broke into a grateful smile. Beside him, the two children shared an amused and protective look. Mettaton pretended not to see it.
"Thank you, Mettaton. I...thank you."
"Think nothing of it, darling. It's a pleasure."
Asriel
I wander up the staircase late that morning, arms stretching above my head. The crackle of joints echoes through the house. Something clangs in the kitchen. Footsteps run out to meet me.
"WHO IS INJURED? PRINCE AZZY? IS IT YOU? WHERE ARE THE CRACKS, ARE YOU IN NEED OF ASSISTANCE, SHOULD I-"
I duck under the worried skeletal arm and continue on my sleepy path to the kitchen, waving groggy reassurance at him over my shoulder, "'m fine, Uncle Pappy. Not hurt. S'a flesh-creature thing, don't worry about it. Food?"
His boots resume their motion, "AH, I SEE. OF COURSE. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WAS ONLY...YES. FINE. LUNCHEON SPAGHETTI IS STILL IN PROGRESS, AS THE BREAKFAST WAFFLES HER MAJESTY PREPARED HAVE BEEN CONSUMED BY THE LESS LAZY RESIDENTS OF THE HOUSE. I BELIEVE THERE IS FRUIT?"
I flash him a happy grin, my canines nearly level with his clavicle now. It's nice to be one of the tall ones.
"Thanks Uncle Pappy. Is there anything I can do to help?"
The skeleton pauses in the doorway to the kitchen, one gloved hand going to his chin, the other cupping his elbow in the classic thinkers pose. His apron strings flutter out behind in the same automatic wind as his cape. Seriously, how does he do that? I spent, what, eight RESETs trying to figure it out? I still think it's magic, even if it doesn't register on any devices.
"WELL, PRINCE ASRIEL...I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM MORE THAN UP TO THE TASK OF PREPARING LUNCHEON SPAGHETTI, BUT PERHAPS...I BELIEVE THE HUMAN, THE HEROIC HUMAN, UNDYNE, AND THE STRIPED-SHIRT HUMAN HAVE CONVINCED THE SNAIL-BRINGING HUMAN, THE PATIENT HUMAN, THE TINY HUMAN, AND THE NOTEBOOK HUMAN TO PLAY A GAME OF HIDE AND SEEK? I AM SURE THEY WOULD NOT OBJECT TO ANOTHER PLAYER."
I...think I got that. Frisk was, and always would be, 'the human' to Uncle Pappy. Silver had become 'the tiny human' by sheer repetition, and it was fairly obvious who Minori and Sean were. The patience human was probably Patience. That made Chara 'the striped-shirt human'...I wonder how Uncle Pappy manages to keep this all straight? Will he ever stop?
"Thanks Uncle Pappy," I turn to head out the door, then pause. He...listed Frisk and Chara together, didn't he? Like, cooperating? Like, agreeing? That...that seems...really, really unlikely, even with Undyne involved. And Mom...where is Mom, anyway? Is she supervising this? "So, um...do ya know where Mom is?"
"INDEED. SHE AND DOCTOR ALPHYS ARE TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT MY LAZY BROTHER SANS' ARM. DID YOU KNOW HE SLEPT IN UNTIL TEN O'CLOCK THIS MORNING? I AM BOTH DISAPPOINTED AND PROUD."
Oh look, here comes the guilt! I really was an idiot, wasn't I, letting Chara and Sans talk like that? I mean, I KNOW they have a history together, same as Frisk. I know what Chara did to him, did to all of them, did to...me. Why...why would they...why would they do that? They...Chara...they're not BAD. They can be a bit cruel sometimes, but that's...that's because no one ever showed them how to be nice! They never hurt me or Mom or Dad...not on purpose, anyway, and that was one time! Anyway...anyway they were just scared, that was all! And Dad was being REALLY loomy, and he kept trying to get her to talk to him, and...and...they're not bad!
I don't understand...why were they being so mean to me? Why...why were they hurting people? They...they killed MOM! They love Mom, even when they're being all prickly. Why...why…
"PRINCE AZZY, THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY IS, PERHAPS, NOT THE IDEAL PLACE FOR A NAP. AS I HAVE HAD MANY YEARS OF STUDY ON MY BROTHER'S SLEEPING HABITS, I CAN SAY WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY THAT THERE ARE MANY, MANY MORE COMFORTABLE PLACES IN WHICH TO SNOOZE. IF YOU ARE STILL FEELING SLUMBER-Y, PERHAPS YOU SHOULD-"
The distant sound of tires in gravel reached my ears, accompanied by the faintest anxious buzz of familiar, calm magic. Crud. Dad. This...they...the kids...Sans...I…
So much has happened, where do I even start the train of 'this is all gonna go horribly wrong I know it'?
"Papyrus, put the spaghetti on hold, we've got a crisis on our hands. Papa goat incoming, code blue."
Uncle Pappy sprung to attention, glove quivering at his temple, "UNDERSTOOD, YOUR AZZYNESS!" That...okay, that's cool. I can live with that, "UM...WHAT WAS CODE BLUE AGAIN?"
I grin, fangs bared in a mildly Flowey-like smile, "Special attack, remember? Stop that car at all costs!"
His eyes go all googly. How does he even DO that?
"RIGHT! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL NOT FAIL THIS MISSION!"
He sprinted into the kitchen. The sound of tinkling glass filled the air. I sighed. At least he didn't go out the front window this time. Those things are huge, and such a pain to replace. Mom's gonna kill me for this. Oh well, time to die later. Right now I have a sibling...and company to round up.
Asgore
"Papyrus, really, it is not a problem that you decided to improve the house security again. Really, it isn't. It is the fact that we cannot navigate your new puzzles to the house that I am concerned about. I had thought you had always put emergency deactivation switches on all of your puzzles...is this not so?"
The official Mascot of all Monsterkind shifted nervously from booted foot to booted foot. Sweat dripped down his skull. It was rather hot for a February morning, wasn't it? Asgore hoped the skeleton was not overworking himself in this weather...Papyrus was one of the most enthusiastic, earnest monsters he had ever known. His willingness to put his entire being, heart and SOUL, into whatever task the moment contained for him was...admirable.
Asgore found himself envying the skeleton's unburdened spirit. He missed the days when he had been that way himself, always excited for the newest packet of seeds to have fallen into the Underground, wondering what new flower he could breed for his Queen...now his days were filled with suits, small talk, and tightrope negotiation. To bear this burden was as much as he deserved...but that did not mean he could not remember the days without it in sad nostalgia.
"THAT IS INDEED TRUE, YOUR MAJESTY. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM WELL KNOWN FOR MY PUZZLE-CRAFTING ABILITIES. HOWEVER, IN THIS CASE," Papyrus paused to pull a handkerchief from his inventory and wipe his brow, "I AM AFRAID I HAD AN IDEA TOO ADVANCED EVEN FOR MYSELF! IT CAME TO ME THAT, IF THESE DEACTIVATION SWITCHES WERE SO UNGUARDED, A UNSPORTSMANLIKE PUZZLE-DOER MIGHT SIMPLY SEARCH AROUND FOR THIS SWITCH AND IGNORE THE MASTERPIECE ENTIRELY! THEREFORE THE SWITCHES THEMSELVES DESERVED GUARDING OF THEIR VERY OWN, AND WHAT BETTER WAY TO GUARD THEM THAN ANOTHER PUZZLE? ALAS, THIS PUZZLE HAS...MADE IT RATHER IMPOSSIBLE TO GET TO THE SWITCH ITSELF, AS...YES, AS THAT ANNOYING CANINE SET OFF THE SECONDARY LAYER OF PUZZLES BEFORE I HAD INSTALLED THE RESET SWITCH!"
"Oh that is too bad," Asgore's voice trailed into thoughtful silence, "Papyrus, I have a question."
"YES, YOUR MAJESTY?"
"How do you intend to return the access to my family's home to it's normal, navicable state?"
"AH...YES, THAT IS A GOOD QUESTION. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL OF COURSE ANSWER THIS QUESTION TO THE FULLEST OF MY ABILITIES...YOU WILL BE AMAZED AND ASTOUNDED AT MY QUESTION-ANSWERING ABILITIES...SO MUCH SO THAT YO WILL EXCLAIM THIS ASTONISHMENT TO THE STARS!"
The king gently interrupted him, "Papyrus."
"NYEH?" The skeleton's voice rose in pitch as the syllable extended.
"The answer?"
The skeleton blinked, then once more pulled his handkerchief from his pocket. Asgore wondered if the skeleton was coming down with a fever...he hoped this was not the case. The few times he had known either of the skeleton brothers to be sick, the other had quickly caught the bug, and Toriel inevitably spent the following week or weeks caring for the incapacitated siblings. If what Mettaton had been saying was true...and as much as the celebrity was known to exaggerate, this hardly seemed like the sort of thing he would have invented...then Toriel did not need yet another set of SOULs to care for, in addition to the young magelet and the reborn SOULs.
His son's familiar voice flowed up behind him, startling the poor goat. How deep had his thoughts run, that the sound of their river of worry and guilt had overborne the footsteps of his own child?
"Oh, Frisk was working on them again. Uncle Pappy was probably just nervous you'd get annoyed like Mom did if he told you sh-they'd been working on yet another project...that and the fact that we're here. Don't worry, Professor Sonrie set it up so this semester we're on internship leave. I help Mom with Silver, Frisk helps Mom with all the paperwork-y stuff, and we both get credit out of it. Pretty sweet, amarite?"
The burdened king turned from the worsening skeleton, whose pale efforts to distract the king had begun to be noticed. His eyes widened, and Asgore swept his son into a rib-creaking hug.
"Asriel, how I have missed you! You are taller every time I come home!"
The more slender goat wriggled in his grip, "Dad, stahp. You've been gone like ten days, seriously. I can't have grown in that much time, really."
Asgore's embrace only tightened, "Ten days is still too long for this silly old goat. In any case, with all that has happened, they might as well have been a century!"
Asriel stiffened, "Dad, what did you do this time? Please don't tell me you brought home another set of bulbs. Mom still hasn't figured out why those last one's made the lawn explode."
Asgore chuckled, letting his son wriggle out to arm's distance, "No, nothing like that...well, perhaps a little. I do bring guests, and I think they're presence might be a bit of a shock to Tori...el. They are in the car with Mettaton and his bandmates now."
His son stilled, a look of mild haunting entering his eyes. It vanished in an instant, although it left nervousness and melancholy in its wake. It was saddening to him to realise that he knew those emotions on his son so well; even more so was the fact that their presence did not surprise him in the least. In the many years since that horrible day, his son had gained a layer of tragedy to him that could not be held back for long. He hoped that one day, his son would find someone who could understand that burden enough to share the load...as he had told the magelet, no creature deserved to bear guilt nor trauma on their shoulders alone. To share the load was to lessen it, one drop at a time, perhaps, but the relief it brought was to that drop as a forest was to a single leaf.
"Right. Mettaton. Great. Um...these guests wouldn't happen to be…"
Asgore let a smile spread across his snout, "Two of the children who fell when we were below. I have heard all about what has been happening here, you need not worry. As confusing as it is, I am more than a little glad and relieved."
Asriel gave him a stare of disbelief that brought flashes of a face framed in yellow to his mind. He shook the scraps away.
"Really? I know you're a big pushover Dad, but...really? Th-"
The sound of the car door popping open dramatically cut the Prince off.
"Oh yes, darling. We've heard all the news. Been all over it ourselves, didn't you see? Your father's heartwarming meeting with little Fatima here has taken the entire world by storm," A brown-carpeted head poked its way out the window, "and my little saviour here had them simply BEGGING for an autograph!" The sound of the opposite door creaking open split the air, "I can't wait to meet the rest of the little dears. After all, if they're anything like-"
A hat appeared from around the curve of the car's front glass, "Maeiz-King, for why are you standing in the sun? It is...oh, the flower. Hello the flower."
Asriel's entire body twitched. His father wondered what event in his past had his son reacting so spectacularly to such monotonic words. Perhaps there was another of those horror films he had yet to see which was to blame?
"Um...howdy. I'm...I'm...um...I...ah, um...s-s-s-s-s-s."
The trail of esses stretched on, bumping into the child's stony face and piling up in a heap of shock and regret like shopping carts at the edge of the lot. Asgore and Papyrus shared a look of confusion and conference. To interfere or not to interfere?
"Justice, please. No being rude to him, he's not even a flower anymore. I'm sure he's nicer now...right?"
"...s-s-s-s-sorry," The sibilants resolved into an apology.
The child in the sun-bleached hat looked unimpressed, "For why?"
Asriel shrunk away from the stare, "For...everything, really. I...wasn't really a nice person. I didn't have a SOUL, but...but now I do, and...I'm just...so so sorry, I-"
"Then that is good," Asriel looked stunned, "To us your wrongs were not as great as they might have been, goat-flower, and if as the Lady said you are friends of the Angel, then you are deserving of mercy. You show remorse and acknowledge your fault. I may not be your friend because of this, but I will not tie your thumbs together for it, either. Be relieved."
"...o…kay? Um...sure. Alright. Um...house? That way? There's...pie, and fruit, and...spaghetti, probably."
Asriel turned towards the house as if in a daze, his eyes slightly hazy. Asgore reflected that he looked as though Undyne had punched him in the face...or Sans had told a particularly horrible joke. He wondered where the other skeleton was today. Usually, to see one brother was to bump into the other. Perhaps Sans was assisting Toriel in some capacity elsewhere? He would not put it past him. His Judge always seemed to have a knack for solving problems before anyone else realised they exist...sometimes in some spectacularly confusing ways. He hoped whatever errand the skeleton was currently occupied with, it would not prove too dramatic. He rather felt he was drama'd out.
3rd Person
"SMALL HUMAN OF THE ODD HAT, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU CHOSE TO PUNCH THE STRIPED-SHIRT HUMAN! WHILE I ADMIT THEY WERE BEHAVING...ODDLY, HIS MAJESTY DID NOT APPEAR TO BE IN ANY DANGER, EXCEPT FROM THE UNAVOIDABLE ATTACK OF TEARS. EVEN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE FOUND MYSELF SUCCUMBING TO THIS ATTACK. LOOK, YOU HAVE EVEN MADE THE STRIPED-SHIRTED HUMAN'S NOSE BLEED! I AM ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THE BLOOD-LIQUID IS SUPPOSED TO STAY ON THE INSIDE!"
The yellow SOUL shrugged their shoulders, explanation obvious in their eyes, "They made him cry. I am rather tired of the sight of his tears. Tears are all to the good, but overused they drain the spirit, and I am in fear that his is beginning to go slack."
The towering skeleton unfurled from beside the pale and bleeding Royal Sibling.
"THAT IS STILL NO REASON TO PUNCH SOMEONE!"
"Still...that was quite a punch. Where'd you even learn to punch like that? Can you teach me? Please? Pleeeaaase?"
"STRIPED-SHIRT HUMAN, I BELIEVE YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT!"
"Yeah, well, if SOMEONE would let me at the knives we wouldn't be having this problem, now, would we?"
"I DO NOT BELIEVE...UGH. REALLY, HUMAN? WE ARE CERTAINLY NOT IN NEED OF ANOTHER PUNSTER, SO PLEASE, REFRAIN FROM SUCH...ANNOYING BEHAVIOR!"