AN: Hey everyone! Welcome to chapter two of the first UndynexFrisk fanfic, the pairing that no one asked for! I don't have as much to say this time around. Thank you to everyone who read the first chapter. Let's get right into it!

Fish Out of Water – Chapter #2

At first, Frisk thought he was just imagining things. It had been over a year since the last time they had spoken to each other, but now Undyne was calling him in the middle of the night? He figured he must have been dreaming and this was just his mind's way of processing the guilt he felt earlier.

But after rubbing his eyes a few times and adjusting to the light from the phone, he realized he hadn't been mistaken. After getting over his brief shock, he answered the phone.

"Hey Undyne, what's up?" he said, trying to hide his concern.

"Frisk! Good, you're awake," Undyne was only half-expecting him to answer. She hadn't considered what she actually wanted to tell him or how she wanted to frame it. What was she even supposed to say? That she missed him? That she was having nightmares and needed someone to talk to? Those kinds of problems were beneath the dignity of the royal guard. Still, she had called him, she had to say something, "I have a challenge for you!"

"A challenge?" he wasn't sure he understood, "What are you talking about?"

"It's simple, human. I haven't seen you in a year and if I know you as well as I think I do, you've probably spent the whole time hugging flowers and kissing puppies. I need to make sure you haven't been completely wussified in my absence," she told him.

Undyne felt a pang of guilt. She didn't enjoy lying to her friend, but her pride wouldn't allow her to expose herself any further. She hadn't felt this vulnerable in a long time, not since she and Alphys first split up.

Frisk was still a bit confused by the suggestion, but he was relieved to see that Undyne hadn't changed. With so much time having passed he didn't really know what to expect, but after everything that had happened that night, being chastised by his old friend made him feel a thousand times better.

"Alright," he said. It really didn't make a difference what they were doing, Frisk just wanted to see her again, "What did you have in mind?"

"Sorry Frisk, but the less you know, the less likely you'll be to chicken-out," truth be told, Undyne wasn't really sure what they would be doing herself. "Meet me at my place this Saturday. We'll discuss your trial then."

"Okay, should I bring..." Undyne hung up before Frisk could finish.

-o-o-o-

Undyne fell back into her bed. She finally felt like she could get some sleep. It still didn't really make sense to her, though. Why was she only feeling this way now?

Things weren't like this when she still had Alphys. Maybe that was the reason? Undyne wasn't sure.

All she knew was that some part of her just couldn't let go of the person she used to be. Of course, she couldn't tell Frisk that. But somehow, she would find a way to make sense of it all. At the very least, she figured seeing Frisk again would make the whole process a little easier.

Either way, Undyne was tired, both physically and mentally. She slipped under the covers once more and closed her eyes, finally managing to fall asleep.

-o-o-o-

Saturday came sooner than Frisk had anticipated. He wasn't really sure why he was so nervous, it was just Undyne. Sure she could be a bit... abrasive, but that was what he liked about her. He reasoned that it was just his nerves and that everything would be fine once they were face to face again.

After their late night chat, Undyne had called Frisk again the following day. She told him to bring a set of gym clothes with him, refusing to elaborate any further.

Once again, Frisk wanted to know what they would actually be doing, but he decided it would be best to just go with the flow for now. He threw a change of clothes into his bag then made his way outside to the bus stop. Despite all the secrecy, Frisk was excited to see his old friend again.

The bus ride to Undyne's apartment was relatively uneventful. Frisk saw a few of his monster friends, which wasn't uncommon since most of them had moved to the city adjacent to Mt. Ebott after the barrier had fallen.

It didn't take long for him to reach Undyne's building. He had almost forgotten how close they were, the whole bus ride only took fifteen minutes with stops. He was greeted by another one of his friends when he entered the complex, though they didn't recognize Frisk at first.

"Who's there! I recognize that smell, but you don't live here!" said Doggo.

"Hey buddy! I didn't know you were working here," Frisk replied.

"Frisk? Frisk!" the dog began barking with excitement. "Did you bring a stick?!"

"Sorry, pal. I would've if I knew you were here. I'll bring one next time, I promise," the canine couldn't hide his disappointment, but nodded in acceptance. "Anyways, can you tell me which room Undyne is in?"

"Undyne? Sure, one second." Doggo pulled out a book written in braille and flipped to the back, "She's on the top floor, room #936."

"Thanks, man. See you around!"

"Bring treats next time!"

Frisk made his way to the stairs, figuring it would make a decent warm-up for whatever Undyne had in store for him.

-o-o-o-

Frisk was running late. Undyne wondered if maybe he'd forgotten where she lived, though she figured he would have called if he needed directions.

It wasn't as though she was worried, Frisk wasn't the kind of guy to stand her up. Still, she had been anxious ever since the night they spoke. A part of her was worried that he might have changed since the last time they saw each other. Before she could think any further on the matter, a knock came from her apartment door.

"Hey Undyne, you in there?"

Frisk had finally arrived. Undyne smiled as she made her way to the living room.

"Frisk! Get in here, we're running late!"

Opening the unlocked door, Frisk entered Undyne's home.

"Sorry, the bus was a little slow." He stepped inside, but Undyne was nowhere to be seen. "Hey Undyne, where'd you..."

Before he could finish, Undyne jumped Frisk from behind, placing the young man in a headlock. She drove her fist into his skull, initiating her secret, underground, spiral noogie technique.

"Ow! Uncle, uncle!"

"You're not getting off that easy, Frisk! Not unless you can remember the secret phrase!"

It may have been a year since they last saw each other, but Frisk instantly knew what she was talking about.

"I'm sorry I lied to you about anime!" he shouted.

Undyne released the boy, who immediately went to work fixing his hair.

"Apology accepted," she smiled.

"Are you sure about? Because I'm pretty sure you did this exact same thing a year ago," said Frisk.

"Ahh... I'm flattered you remembered," she replied, taunting him.

"Look, I get it. I know I should have been up front with you, but how was I supposed to tell you it wasn't real? It just seemed cruel," he said.

"Oh relax, Frisk. I don't care about that anymore. I just wanted to test your reflexes. Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed," she told him. "We'll have to address that during your trial."

Frisk smiled, he was happy to see Undyne in such good spirits. Even with all the time that had passed, things really hadn't changed.

"Very well, Sensei," Frisk stood tall, puffing out his chest. "I will gladly accept any challenge you place before me!"

Undyne didn't even try to contain her laughter.

"Alright short stuff," she grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder. "We'll see if you feel the same way in a couple of hours."

"So what are we doing anyways?" Frisk asked.

"We're gonna test your mettle, Frisk. I wanna make sure you haven't lost your warrior's spirit."

"When did I ever have a warrior's spirit?"

Undyne sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Look, Frisk. There's more to being a warrior than just violence. When you throw yourself at an impossible task without hesitation, that's your warrior's spirit."

"Okay, I kind of get that," Frisk tried to hide his apprehension, "but I haven't done anything like that since we left the Underground."

"Exactly! Which is why you're here. I'm gonna make sure you haven't lost your edge."

Frisk thought the exercise was a bit silly. His life had been pretty normal since leaving the Underground, it wasn't as though he had much need for a warrior's spirit. Still, Undyne was clearly excited and he was curious to see what she had in store for him.

"Alright, Undyne. I'm gonna show you what I'm made of!" Frisk did his best to match her enthusiasm.

Undyne smiled and motioned for Frisk to follow her. The two made their way to the bus stop outside her apartment.

-o-o-o-

It didn't take long for the pair to strike up a conversation on the bus. Undyne still wouldn't let Frisk know where they were going, but he figured there were only so many places the bus could take them.

Aside from that, there was one topic that Frisk was still curious about.

"Hey, Undyne?" he asked.

"What's up?" she replied.

"I was just wondering, what made you want to do this?"

Undyne had a feeling he would ask sooner or later. She had an excuse ready this time, but she wanted to avoid any more lies if she could.

"I just thought it would be a good idea to check up on you. Like I said, it's been a while since I've seen you in action," she hoped that would be good enough for now.

"I get that. It's just..." Frisk considered his words carefully, "I was wondering if there was any reason in particular."

Undyne frowned.

"Look Frisk, as much as I hate to admit it, you beat me in our first duel. So if you become a wimp, it'll mean I was beaten by a wimp."

"Okay..." Frisk didn't seem convinced.

"Don't give me that. It's been too long, Frisk. I had to check up on you sooner or later."

"No, I get it and I appreciate it," Frisk didn't want to press the matter any further. Whatever her reasons were, Undyne clearly didn't feel like sharing them. "I was just curious."

Undyne shifted in her seat. The discomfort she felt from lying combined with her overall apprehension towards the situation made it difficult for her to hide her unease.

She knew sooner or later the truth would come out and she wasn't sure how to broach the subject. On one hand, it felt cowardly to not just tell him what was going on. On the other hand, what was she supposed to say? That she couldn't sleep at night? That this was all just a clever excuse to see him again?

The last thing she wanted was to look weak, especially to Frisk.

-o-o-o-

Frisk noticed that Undyne had gone quiet. He watched as her features twisted and turned. At first she seemed on edge, her shoulders tense and her eyes glued to the window adjacent to their seat. But after a minute, her gaze drifted downward. She rested her arms on her lap, tapping her fingers against the top of her thigh.

Frisk wasn't a fool. He could tell that Undyne had something she wanted to talk about. But whatever it was, it made her feel vulnerable. Frisk wanted nothing more than to help her, but he would need to convince her that she could still trust him, a difficult proposition considering how much time had passed.

Still, Frisk wasn't about to give up.

He knew that getting her to open up would be a process. First, he would need to show her that things hadn't changed. They were still friends after all, a few measly months apart wouldn't change that. It didn't take long for him to come up with an idea.

"You know, I saw Papyrus the other day," he said. "I gotta say, I don't think it's fair that I have to deal with him all by myself these days."

Undyne snapped back to reality at the mention of her former protégé. Frisk thought he noticed the beginings of a smile when she looked up, but Undyne was quick to hide her enthusiasm.

"Oh please, are you telling me you can't handle one hyper-active skeleton?" she replied.

"Oh I can, I just wasn't aware you couldn't," he smiled.

Undyne's eyes went wide.

"What did you just say?"

"I'm just saying, it seems like a member of the royal guard should do their fair share."

"Fair share?! I was cleaning pasta off the walls for years before you showed up in the Underground! The sheer amount of kitchen-carnage I saw would drive you mad! When I close my eyes, I can still see the valleys of broken plate glass, the oceans of spilled tomato sauce!"

"Well, then I guess you wouldn't be scared of a little challenge?" he asked.

Undyne could hardly contain herself.

"Oh bring it on, human!"

"Very well. I'm having Sans and Papyrus over this week. We'll see who the real pasta-champion is then! That is, if you think you have the stomach for it."

Frisk knew that she wanted to see her old apprentice, but she had hardly spoken to him since her breakup with Alphys. This was the perfect excuse to get everyone in one room and reconnect.

"You're so on, Frisk," she said, "but you better prepare yourself, because when I'm through with you, the only thing you'll be eating are your words!"

"Can't I just eat the spaghetti instead? We're gonna have plenty of it."

"Don't joke around! This is serious," she said, but her own grin betrayed how she truly felt about the situation.

"Are you kidding me? I am taking this so seriously. You can't even begin to comprehend how serious I am. Look, this is my serious face," Frisk scrunched his forehead, pushing out his upper lip and contorting his cheek muscles to form the most exaggerated frown possible.

"Stop doing that," she told him, stifling a laugh.

"Don't worry, if the awe-inspiring intimidation factor of my serious face is too much for you to handle, you can always look away," he said.

"Are you mocking me?! This is what a real serious face looks like!" Undyne recoiled her lips, revealing two full rows of razor sharp teeth. The brow above her one good eye pointed down at a sharp angle.

The two were locked in a fierce battle of wills, neither daring to look away. In a bold move, Undyne pressed the advantage, thrusting forward so that her face was mere inches away from his. But Frisk was undeterred, his stalwart defense held strong.

Undyne could feel her composure wavering. Frisk had always been good at keeping a straight face, but this was another thing entirely. He might as well have been staring at a blank wall for all it showed. His lips hadn't so much as twitched. He was relentless.

Undyne knew she was finished.

"Hahahahaha!" the relief she felt came as quick as the bitter taste of defeat.

"Victory is mine!" he declared.

"Very well, Frisk. I underestimated you this one time," Undyne smiled, falling back into her seat. "It won't happen again."

The two of them sat there for the next minute or so, chuckling to themselves like a pair of idiots. A few of their fellow passengers looked on with confusion, but Frisk and Undyne hardly noticed them.

This was all that Frisk had wanted. It didn't matter what was going on in her life, even if she wouldn't tell him what it was, he would still find a way to cheer her up.

"Hey Frisk," she started.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Thanks."

Frisk wondered for a moment what she was thanking him for. Was it for accepting her challenge? Was it for inviting her to their spaghetti tournament? Or had she realized Frisk's secret motive? In the end, he decided it didn't really matter.

"Any time, Undyne."

They spent the next few minutes reminiscing on the good ol' days. Undyne had almost forgotten how much had happened since the two of them last spoke. However, it wasn't long before the bus had at last reached their stop. Of course, only Undyne realized they had arrived.

"Alright, Frisk. I hope you're ready!"

-o-o-o-

AN: A little cliff hanger for next time! Thanks to everyone for reading and leaving feedback! I can't tell you how much it means to know that there are people out there who are enjoying what I've done.

I'd also like to apologize for how long it took to finish this chapter. I'm still debating which direction I want to take this story in the long term and there were some parts that had to be re-written.

At any rate, please feel free to leave a review if you feel inclined and let me know what you think of the story so far. Also, if you notice any small grammatical/spelling errors, don't be afraid to mention them. I'd like to get those fixed if I missed them.

Until next time, have a nice day!