It's been almost two weeks since Sans promised to help you get better, and since you had told the brothers your name. During those two weeks, you had been introduced to everyone in Snowdin. You and Monster Kid got along great, though you still didn't understand how he could use a cellphone. It was actually kind of nice, having someone that tripped with you the days you weren't reacting well to the magic. Sans had tried to get to you stay inside and rest, but you had been going stir crazy. The first time, Sans had been talking to Grillby and you were just starting to get a bad dizzy spell. You had tripped over your own legs while walking up with Monster Kid, and he fell right along with you...It had taken about three falls for you to realize he was doing it on purpose. Turned out he knew how embarrassing it could be, but he had gotten used to it when he was a lot younger.
Your magic tolerance had even improved! Although, you still fell asleep whenever you had taken too much magic. Sans said you'd get sick if you absorbed anymore magic after that, so you had both agreed that he wouldn't try anymore whenever you fell asleep. So far, things were going according to plan. Soon enough Papyrus would be able to start getting you used to his magic.
Speak of Papyrus...
He still called you "Tiny Human" or "Human" instead of Frisk, but you didn't really mind. "Frisk" was apparently reserved for when he was "Possessed Papyrus," otherwise known as when he was actually being serious. He wasn't the only one though, Sans was just the same. He preferred to call you kid, kiddo, or baby bones unless he was being completely serious. You loved his stupid puns, you loved that they let you call their home yours...You loved that you weren't traveling alone anymore.
Today you were walking through a placed called Waterfall, holding Sans and Papyrus's hands as you went. You were scared out of your wits, but having the pair with you took some of the edge off of things for you.
"Where are we going?" you ask as you came to a waterfall. Everyone was right when they said the king was horrible at names...
"To meet Undyne," Sans replies quietly, letting go of your hand as Papyrus picks you up.
"Who's Undy-" you start, pausing when you realize Papyrus is leaving behind Sans to carry you across the water, "Pap-pap, what about Sans?"
"What about me?" Sans grins, laughing as you scream and cling to Papyrus's head like a frightened cat.
"DO NOT WORRY, HUMAN! SANS IS VERY QUICK!" Papyrus grins, "BUT NOT AS QUICK AS THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"
...You didn't have the heart to tell him you were pretty sure he was the slower brother.
It's about three hours later when the three of you come a metal walkway with stone pillars lining another pathway across the water to your left. Sans now kept his right arm around your shoulders, holding you close as Papyrus continues to walk ahead of the two of you. You can tell they're on edge, but you were still curious about something.
"So, you think that flower is still chanting; A tutor who tooted the flute, tried to tutor two tooters to toot, is it tougher to toot, or to tutor two tooters toot?" you grin, snickering as you were no longer near the flower and had FINALLY said it right.
"Pffft," Sans tried not to laugh, squeezing your shoulder as he grinned, "If it isn't we'll be sure to fix that." You nod as you can hear Papyrus still trying not to laugh.
Then the happy atmosphere disappears...And you're staring wide eyed at a spear mere inches from your face.
"Undyne!" Papyrus calls as Sans picks you up, teleporting over to his brother. So that's how he got around so quickly...You wrap your arms around his neck so you can watch behind him as he tightens his grip on you.
"I thought...y...you said...Sh...She wouldn't attack," you stutter quietly as you watch the water.
"I said I was hoping she wouldn't," Sans clarified as he laid his hand over your head, part of you realizing he was trying to cover as much of you as possible.
"I...I don't want to fight," you whisper, trying not to bury your face into Sans' hoodie.
"I know, baby bones," he soothes, "I know."
You scream as another spear almost hits you, Sans moving you both out of the way just in time.
"Undyne!" Sans calls this time, a familiar pulsing on your head telling you he's using his magic now.
"WHAT?!" a woman's voice calls this time, and you hide your face in Sans' hoodie now.
"Frisk!" another voice calls.
"M...Monster Kid? What...What are you doing here?" you stammer, moving just enough to see your friend standing next to a figure completely covered in armor.
"What do you think you're doing, Undyne?!" Sans snaps, gently turning your head away from the pair.
"It's not me!" the woman growls, her voice faltering as you think she saw you flinch, "Someone made off with two of my spears while I keeping the kid from falling!"
"S...Sans," you start, shaking his shoulder as you refuse to tear your eyes away from the hole in the metal dock, "There's a spear m...missing. Put me...Put me down."
You know he has no desire to let you go, but he does so reluctantly. He doesn't expect it when you run past Undyne and Monster kid, a spear shooting for you. It causes a gash in your side as you stagger slightly, but the look Sans is giving you know he understands what you're doing now. Monster Kid was too close, even with Undyne next to him, and the attacks here unpredictable. That's when the new elements to the fight begin. Missiles launch in your direction, but you can tell they'll only hit you if you move. What...What is the point to this?
Oh...
"Oh shit!" you scream, diving between two of the bombs and onto another section of the walk, "They're in the water!"
...
"Do ghost even need to breathe?" you suddenly mumble, looking back when you hear loud metal crashes.
Undyne's armor lays on the dock, Monster Kid now protectively in Papyrus's arms, but you don't see Undyne anywhere.
"Frisk!" Sans calls, and you barely suck in a breath of air before you crash through into the water. Then the spears are back, coming at you from above this time. You barely manage to twist to avoid a direct hit to your chest, but one of the spears tears through your right arm and drags you down deeper into the water.
"Futile! Futile! Futile!" a voice shrieks from somewhere below you, and the air leaves your lungs as the other spear hits in your back. It doesn't pierce you clean through though, and you glance back to see an armor-less Undyne holding tightly to the spear.
She looks pissed...
She grabs your uninjured arm and rapidly swims for the surface just as your vision is starting to tinge black. You don't even notice her throw her spear back into the water as you cry out weakly when you hit against a metallic surface.
"S...Sans," you gasp between lungfuls of air, feeling a familiar pair of bony arms gently sit you up.
"Easy, baby bones," Sans soothes, turning your gaze back towards him when you try to look towards an orange and blue burst of light, "I gotcha, just breathe." You gasp as he presses his hands against your side and and back wounds, the gentle yet uncomfortable tingle telling you he was trying to mend your wounds.
"F...Frisk?" Monster Kid stutters, trembling in Papyrus's arms and he kneels next to you and Sans.
"I'm okay," you grin tiredly, "But why were you out here?"
"You...You said you wanted to meet Undyne," he sniffed, and you couldn't help grinning at him.
"How about you just come with us next time, stalker?" you tease, watching as he grins. Guess Undyne was the one he spent all his time rambling about. You had never once managed to remember his hero's name until now.
"Okay, baby bones, you're going to have to sleep it off again," Sans interrupts gently, his hand moving over to the wound on your arm. Ah...You're at your magic limit.
"Sleep sounds good," you yawn, nuzzling Sans' hoodie weakly, "Long as you and Pap-pap are here."
"Always, baby bones," Sans smiles, quickly healing the wound on your arm as you fall asleep.
"Sans," Undyne sighed as she watched the smaller skeleton look down at the child for what seemed to be the hundredth time, "You said we had to talk."
"After we're inside," Sans sighed as he continued to walk, Papyrus walking between him and Undyne. They had dropped Monster Kid off back at the entrance to Waterfall where his parents had been waiting for him thanks to a call from Undyne, and they were now all slowly walking back to Undyne's house. Frisk had only woken up once in the past few hours, and had scared the hell out of everyone when they did. Undyne had been walking Monster Kid across the strong current of the area's first waterfall when Frisk had woken up screaming bloody murder. It was only thanks to Sans and Papyrus being right there to smother the kid in a hug and whisper calming words to them that they had calmed down.
The rushing water had made them think they were still in the last battle...
"So, what's the kid's name?" Undyne sighed, deciding she should at least try to hold a conversation with the pair.
"Invent something," Sans snorted, he wasn't about to tell her when the kid had taken so long just to tell them.
"Okay then," Undyne sighed, this was awkward, "What can you tell me about them?"
"If YoU HuRt ThEm YoU'rE GoNnA HaVe A bAd TiMe," both brothers said calmly, and Undyne felt a chill run down her spine.
Just what had happened to this kid to make Papyrus be willing to say that?
She'd heard it from Sans enough times to know it meant he was protective about whoever they had been talking about, it was the threat he had given her when Papyrus had first started cooking lessons. Papyrus? He'd never once uttered that phrase until now.
You whined quietly when you finally started coming to again, barely registering Sans' hoodie wrapped around you as you looked up at him. He was giving you that worried look again.
"And I thought Papyrus had the long face," you chuckled tiredly, smiling as Sans ruffles your hair with a chuckle.
"Morning, baby bones," he smiled, pulling both of you up into a sitting position so you could look around. You're still too tired to move on your own, but you do your best to keep yourself upright when you feel Sans lifting his hoodie to look at the bandages you could feel wrapped tightly around you. The wounds might have been healed to the point they wouldn't bleed, but there was still a chance of them opening again.
You spotted Papyrus out the corner of your eye, looking over and chuckling quietly as you saw him asleep against the door, his box of attacks sitting next to him. Undyne was wrapped up in a blanket sitting below the only window you saw, looking as if she had woken up when she heard you and Sans.
"Morning," you mutter quietly, nuzzling back into Sans in an attempt to hide.
"I'm not gonna hurt ya, small fry," Undyne sighed, watching as Sans wrapped his arms around you protectively, "There's no honor in fighting a kid."
For some reason, she seemed bothered when you let your relief show.
You still hated fighting.
"Mettaton! No!" Papyrus suddenly yelled, causing you to jump and instantly cling to Sans as he lurched forward and one of his bones flew forward, impaling the wall on the other side of the house.
"And that's why I don't let you bunk with Pap," Sans chuckled, petting your head as you slowly calmed down.
"Another Mettaton nightmare, Pap-Pap?" you wondered, watching the taller skeleton slowly get his barrings.
"O...OH, YES, TINY HUMAN, BUT DO NOT WORRY! THERE IS NO DREAM THAT THE GREAT PAPYRUS CANNOT CONQUER!" "Beat," Sans replies automatically when you look up at him, both of you deciding to ignore Undyne's questioning stare.
"Hungry?" Sans chuckles as your stomach growls.
"Y...Yeah," you yawn, though you know the answer is obvious. He stands up, handing you over to a Papyrus you hadn't even realized had walked over as Sans walks over and starts raiding Undyne's kitchen. "S...Sans that's-" you begin to stutter, only to be cut off my Undyne herself.
"It's fine," she sighs as she walks over to you slowly, "He comes over with Papyrus for cooking lessons sometimes...Though this explains where he's been the last couple weeks."
"Oh...Sorry," you mumble, suddenly realizing that Papyrus had missed all of his cooking classes since Sans had started helping you build your tolerance to his magic. He had insisted he be there to protect both of you.
"Don't worry about it," she snorts, gently petting your head. This had to be hard for her...You could tell she was fighting every instinct in her body not to pick a fight and actually be gentle, but you could also tell she was trying to avoid a question.
"What?" you asked quietly, grasping Papyrus's scarf as you felt like you were walking on egg shells, "You look like you have a question."
"It's not important," she brushes off quickly, but for a brief moment you know she almost took the opportunity. She wasn't as impossible to understand as Sans, but she was still a puzzle to you.
She was built for fighting...yet she wasn't trying to...
Come to think of it, you haven't actually looked at her once since you met her. She was just a little shorter than Papyrus with blue scales covering every inch of her, her long red hair stuck out like a sore thumb against her blue skin, she had gills just like an actual fish, her ears looked like fins, and she had...really...sharp...looking...teeth. Her black tank top let you see that she was built...Not insanely built like the body builders you had seen sometimes, but built enough that you knew a hit from her was going to HURT.
"Something wrong, small fry?" she wondered, and you jumped, looking down and realizing you had been given your food.
"N...No, sorry," you stuttered, quickly starting to eat.
"Stop apologizing," she sighed, "You haven't done anything wrong!"
In hindsight, given the way the brothers treated you, you shouldn't have been surprised by her comment. Yet, as soon as the worlds left her mouth, you started choking on your food.
Papyrus patted your back as Sans looked ready to give you the Heimlich while you just held a hand in the air, gasping as your breathing finally came back under control.
"K..Kid, are you okay? I...I didn't mean to upset you," Undyne stuttered slightly, though you could tell from Sans' face he was trying HARD not to laugh. He knew the real reason you'd been caught so off guard, he just apparently found Undyne's awkwardness hilarious.
"You didn't upset me," you smile, feeling your fleeting energy steadily leaving you as Sans gently takes your food before you spill it, "I just...never...heard...any...one...say...that...before."
Hello, sleep? This is Frisk. If you stop interrupting my conversations, that'd be great...
"Can't you do anything right!?" your mother scolds as she slaps you, your head whipping to the side with the force.
"Mom, please! I'm sorry!" you plead, not even raising your hands to defend yourself. It just made everything worse if you resisted...She'd get dad.
"Just clean this shit up and go do your fucking chores," she growled, grabbing you by your hair and throwing you into the pile of broken glass.
"What the hell is going on in here?"...Oh no...Dad was awake.
You scream as you jolt awake, clutching your chest as you're instantly crushed in a hug between Sans and Papyrus. The blue and orange glow in the room tells you their magic surfaced in shock, again, and you can see Undyne off to the side, looking ready to grab one of her spears.
"Don't touch it, Undyne," Sans says as calmly as he can, though you know he's holding back the tone he really wants to use, "Leave it and come here."
She nods, using her foot to push away her spear as she stands, holding her hands in the least threatening manner she can manage as she walks over.
You know what Sans is doing. He did the exact same thing the first time you had a nightmare with Papyrus in the room. It had been while you still stayed in Sans' room all day. You had been asleep with Sans, and Papyrus had just come in to drop food off when you had woken up screaming...You thought Papyrus was a threat...Sometimes it was hard for you to separate the nightmares from reality.
Once Undyne is close enough, he moves his hand until you're watching him, taking her hand and slowly moving it towards you until he sees you flinch. He stops, and you sigh quietly looking away so the side you dreamt was smacked is facing Undyne. You flinch again as you feel her scaled fingers touch your cheek, yet they're warm compared to the brothers' cold bones.. She doesn't move until you turn to face her slightly, and you mildly wonder if she understands what is going on now.
She gently cups your cheek, smiling as you look towards her more, and her hand moves to the top of your head as she smooths back your hair.
"I'm not gonna hurt you, small fry," she smiles, "I told you that, didn't I?"
"Undyne," Sans wonders quietly, rubbing soothing circles on your back, "You've dealt with something like this before?"
"Sort of," she replies bluntly, petting your head as you slowly calm down, "Alphys had nightmares for awhile when we were kids, she'd wake up thinking I was the monster from her nightmares most of the time...But it usually helped her to talk about them."
"N..No," your eyes widen, "I c...can't. N...Not yet."
"Shhh," Undyne hums, moving her hand so she can tilt your chin up to make you look at her, "Not now. On your own time, when you're ready."
"Th...Thanks," you sigh, finally calming down as you glance towards the sole clock in the room.
"DO NOT WORRY TINY HUMAN!" Papyrus suddenly yelled, "WE WERE ALREADY AWAKE!"
"You were?" you blinked, tilting your head a bit.
"Yeah, Alphys is having another anime marathon and is blowing up her UnderNet again. We were surprised you slept through three different cellphones going off," Undyne chuckles, rolling her eyes slightly.
"Under...Net?" you muttered, scratching your head slightly.
Que Undyne's shocked stagger into a wall, and Sans and Papyrus's twin face-palms.
"WE MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN TO INTRODUCE THE TINY HUMAN TO THE GLORY OF THE MODERN PHONE!" Papyrus yelled, looking honestly embarrassed they had forgotten...Speaking of phones...
"Sans! The cell mom gave me!" you panicked as you turned towards him, groaning quietly as your side suddenly complained at your quick movement.
"Whoa, easy Baby Bones. I got it," Sans soothed, pulling your flip phone from his hoodie's left pocket and handing it back to you, "Remember? You gave it to me for safe keeping. Now come on, lemme see."
"Thanks," you smile, removing Sans' hoodie as you let him start to unravel your bandages. You had completely forgotten you were still wrapped up in his hoodie until he had reached into the pocket...
Guess you were still a little out of it.
You gasp quietly as Sans presses his left hand against the wound on your back.
"Cold?" he wonders as you feel his magic once again slowly start to mend your wound.
"Cold hands, warm heart," you chuckle quietly, grinning a bit as you see his face turn bright blue with a blush through a reflection on Undyne's spear. Apparently, she had no problem helping embarrass Sans, and it kind of made you wonder how many times he had embarrassed her before...She hadn't touched the spear until he had started blushing.
"I'm going to focus everything on this one today, okay?" Sans wonders as you nod slightly, he must be worried about the one on your back, "It was really close to your spine, I don't want to leave it be and find out I missed something important."
"Can I walk around after this?" you wonder, using Undyne's spear to see Sans' face again. At this point you're pretty sure she's literally holding it where she is for you to use it as a mirror.
"Sure, kid, but no pushing yourself this time," he sighs, smiling fondly as you feel his magic finally start to fade from your back.
Wow, he must really be worried.
It's Undyne who helps you up this time, Sans getting up and taking your hand as he helps you balance yourself, just like the last time. You always felt so off balance the first day you tried to actively move after an injury.
"It's fatigue," Undyne explains quietly, "You're body's tired from trying to heal itself so much."
"I THOUGHT THAT ONLY OCCURRED IN MONSTERS THAT USED TOO MUCH OF THEIR MAGIC?" Papyrus chimed in from the kitchen, you still had no idea what he was doing. "Possessed Papyrus" was cooking.
"It can happen in humans too, according to Asgore," Undyne sighed, "When the soul itself is damaged."
Okay, now you wanted to get in a fight with her just to prove your soul wasn't damaged.
"It doesn't have to...be physical damage."
"Undyne," Sans suddenly warns
...One of these days you were going to figure out how he could read you so easily
You merely sigh, jumping when Papyrus suddenly takes your hand and places something warm in it.
"Garlic bread?" Undyne chuckles, turning towards Papyrus with a demented grin, "You promised me the first piece you didn't burn!" Sans doesn't even give you a chance to tear your piece in two to share with Undyne, instead picking you up and moving to sit back down on the bed with you. He does, however, break a piece of the bread off and shove it into your mouth.
...It was a good thing the other two weren't paying attention.
The way Sans started snickering, you're pretty sure you were making a weird face. It didn't taste bad, but it was the first time you had ever had "garlic." Sans got up for only a moment to retrieve his own slice -much to Undyne's annoyance- before joining you on the bed again and pulling out his cellphone. He brought up his UnderNet page before he handed you the phone, letting you navigate through it with your free hand as you ate. Of course, he was next to you watching and making sure you didn't find the...Well...Sans called them "X Posts." When you had asked, a little louder than intended, what an X Post was...Let's just say all three of their faces lite up like a Christmas Tree.
…Turns out Papyrus did blush orange...and Undyne blushed purple...
[Three Hours Later]
You sighed as you looked up at Undyne's determined glare, a spear just big enough for you in your hands. Sans and Papyrus had left to go back to Snowdin for supplies, leaving you with Undyne after an entire hour of making sure you were okay with it. In all truth...you weren't. Undyne was still an unknown factor, and you could tell she wasn't being herself with you. She acted too patient...too gentle with you compared to how she acted with Papyrus when they thought you weren't paying attention. The real her was loud, brash, and violent...but you haven't been able to tell if it's truly violent...or violent without the intention of actually hurting someone.
For now, her mask was up, and she was trying to get you to agree to a spar.
"Why? I don't WANT to fight," you sigh again, looking down at the spear. Undyne had broken and smoothed the end of one of her older, blunter spears so that it was easier for you to use.
"I'm not asking you to fight," Undyne grinned, "I just want to show you some simple blocks. With and without weapons."
Once again, all you can do is sigh as she begins to move through the motions, staying in each position until you're at least sort of mimicking her, explaining as she goes.
Basically, the two of you spend an hour cycling through basic spear blocks until Undyne has you try to do them on your own. She corrects your stance with every move, and you're starting to get annoyed with her patience.
"I don't get it!" you finally snap, "Why are you being so nice!? I've seen how you act with Papyrus! Why do you...Why do act so...so...FAKE with me?!" She blinks owlishly at you for a moment, before slamming both of her hands against the cave wall on either side of your head.
Shit...You had gotten so annoyed you forgot you were against a wall.
"Because you're scared shitless watching us, you punk," she growls, and you're silently wishing you actually knew where in Waterfall you were. "See?" she suddenly sighs, letting her head drop so you can't see her face, "You're still scared I'm going to hurt you, and I know you've heard Monster Kid's stories. He can be a little idiot at times. I don't hurt kids, it's worse than attacking an opponent who's back is turned. The humans before you? The ones from Monster Kid's stories? Their hands were gray with dust, they killed so many the only punishment that awaited them was death."
Okay, fear or no, you were not letting Undyne fall into that pit of guilt you practically lived in.
So...you hugged her...
When she grinned and wrapped her arms around you, hoisting you into the air, you realized it was the first time you had initiated contact with her. All the times before now, she had been the one to offer her hand before you would touch her...This time...This time she had made no such offer. Her arms had been to "trap" you...not to give you the choice between touching her or struggling yourself.
"You little punk," she grinned, kicking the long discarded spears up and grabbing them as she carried you back inside.
"S-" you started, only to have a scaly blue finger pressed to your lips.
"You apologize and we're having human soul for dinner," she grinned, laughing her ass off as you pulled your own version of Papyrus's 'just realized that was joke' face.
Sans sighed quietly as his portal vanished, he and Papyrus safely within Undyne's home. Everything had taken longer than expected, and he wasn't convinced Frisk was actually okay with being left alone with Undyne. That's when he saw something that, had it not been for the late hour, would have made him laugh until he passed out. Undyne and Frisk were sound asleep in her bed, completely covered in Undyne's manga collection except for their the upper half of their bodies.
"About time, punks," Undyne hissed quietly, one yellow eye watching them in the dark.
"Have you and the tiny human become friends?" Papyrus wondered, eyes wide with excitement at the thought.
"What's it look like, dumbass?" she growled, looking down and petting Frisk's head when they started to whine in their sleep, "They passed out about an hour ago." She grinned as she held up one of the brightly colored books with the world "Karneval" written on the cover. "Turns out the kid likes one of Alphys's favorites, even if they did need help with some of the words," Undyne chuckled a bit, glancing at the bag that Sans was still holding onto,"What's that?"
"Clothes," he replied bluntly, "Took awhile to find something in the kid's size."
"Bullshit," Undyne laughed quietly, trying not to wake the kid snuggled against her, "You made those, didn't you? You and Papyrus."
She grinned triumphantly as she received an embarrassed glare from Sans. He never liked to admit it, but he could sow an outfit from scratch if he had to. Raising Papyrus had made him learn, what with the younger always tearing something before they were able to afford to simply buy new, and Papyrus was steadily getting the hang of it himself. It was one of the few things Sans let his younger brother know he was better at. That's when she caught a glimpse of blue and orange. "A tracker spell?" she wondered, eyeing the spell sown into the fabric. Most monsters wouldn't be able to tell it was there, unless they had past experience with the spells.
"Pap's idea," Sans chuckled as his brother made an indignant sound, "You know why."
Undyne sighed as she nodded, petting the kid's head again as she watched them attentively. Letting this kid out of your sight was like sending a lamb to the slaughter. Sure, the kid had avoided lifting a finger against anyone, but they hadn't come out of the encounters unharmed. No matter how strong the kid was, there was only so much their body could take before it gave out, even with their determination. She had no idea what this kid was hoping to accomplish, but she'd be damned if they did it without her. This kid was a handful in more ways than one.
You yawn as you slowly wake up, nuzzling something soft before you realize it's Sans' hoodie. You blush slightly as you hear him chuckle, dragging you with him as he sits up.
"Warm," you mutter, refusing to let go of your pillow as you debate whether or not to go back to sleep.
"If you don't let go you won't get your presents," Undyne teases from behind you, Sans pulling you onto his lap.
"Pap-pap," you whine, still tiredly clinging to Sans. Almost instantly, Papyrus is standing next to the bed and you and Sans are buried under a pile of clothes.
You hear Sans huff as the pile glows blue and floats above both of you, shaking his head with a chuckle as he sees you staring in shock.
"Pick something, baby bones, they're all yours." You stare at him for a long moment, shrieking in shock when a shirt is pulled over your head. It takes you a moment to get your arms free, sending Undyne a weak glare as you grab a black pair of slacks and go into the bathroom to change. You're hit in the face with another article of clothing the instant you come back out.
"IT IS QUITE COLD OUT TINY HUMAN!" Papyrus chimes happily from his place at the table.
You hold the article out in front of you for a moment, smiling as you get your first actual look at it. It's a hoodie, black like the one that had been torn by the dummy, but it has obvious differences. On each arm is a trail of bones, and on the back is a large dragon-like skull surrounded by two different colors. Left is blue while the right is orange, the two colors mixing and surrounding the skull like a blue and orange flame.
"OH MY STARS UNDYNE BROKE THE HUMAN!" Papyrus screams, the look of horror on his face telling you just what you were thinking.
You're grinning just like Undyne.
You laugh as you hug the hoodie for a moment, putting it on and giving everyone a hug.
"Not done yet," Undyne chuckles. She walks over to you, securing a leather sash-like-thing that went from your left shoulder to just under your right arm.
Then your vision turned orange, "Pap-pap!"
"NO PEEKING TINY HUMAN!" You could practically hear the grin in Papyrus's voice. Then something big was placed in your hands, and your 'blindfold' was taken away. You had to blink a few times when you realized what it was.
A shield.
Undyne had given you a shield...
It was just big enough that it could protect you, but still small and light enough that it wouldn't weigh you down or hinder your movements. It was round and the same shade of black as Undyne's armor, but the sharp edge on it had been filed down until it was no sharper than that of a butter knife.
"Th...Thank you," you said softly, still shocked that Undyne hadn't handed you a weapon like you had been expecting. She really did just want you to learn to block...
"Don't thank me, punk," she snorted with a roll of her eyes, taking the shield and strapping it to your back, "You need it." You would have laughed if it wasn't so true...
"So, you had somewhere you were trying to get to?" Sans finally spoke up, smiling as you snuggled into your hoodie. You frowned for a moment, tilting your head as you focused on that familiar, nagging pull. It was pulling in two directions now...
"There's...Something I have to do here?" you muttered, this had been so much easier when it was just one direction. Now you had to figure out exactly where the new pull was going.
"Whoa! Kid! Wait up!" Sans called, and you blinked, looking back.
When had you left the house?
"Tunnel vision much, small fry?"
[Two Hours Later...]
Ugh, this was impossible. You've been staring at this wall for the past hour trying to figure out how exactly to get to the other side of it.
"TINY HUMAN, WHAT IS SO FASCINATING ABOUT THIS WALL?" Papyrus finally asked, he'd been staring at it the entire time like his spaghetti was trapped inside it and he was trying to get it out. Undyne had disappeared somewhere, saying she was going to see if Alphys could help. You STILL had no idea who Alphys was, but you were too focused on solving the problem that was a wall.
"I have no idea," you sigh, glancing over to see Sans happily pranking people into looking through his painted telescope, "But something's telling me I have to get on the other side."
Slowly, you start pressing against the wall, pressing against it every step or so as you go. You growl in annoyance as you see the room with the crystallized cheese ahead of you. About another two minutes and you and Papyrus will be there. Then, for a brief moment, you see numbers flash across your vision and you scream as you fall, landing on the ground with a "ooph."
"Sans? Papyrus?" You call out, looking around as you see no one in sight. No one to be found, but there's a door in front of you now.
WHAT just happened?
You look around once more as you stand, something telling you that you'll be right back in square one if you move away from the door. Welp, you haven't gotten this far ignoring that annoying ever present pull. You pull the shield from your back, holding it in front of you as you open the door and walk through. Everything is gray...Like it was the place the world forgot...but...There's a little bit of color...A lone figure standing in the room. He's watching you as though you couldn't see him, standing to his full height as you draw near him. This guy was taller than Papyrus...
"Who are you?" you wonder quietly, watching as shock crosses his face and he instantly starts to fade. "WAIT!" you scream, grabbing onto the pitch black robe he wore, "Please, who are you? I feel like you're important somehow."
He stops fading the instant you touch him, looking down at you with an expression you know all too well. Loneliness and pain, the only faces you wore until you fell into the Underground. You tilt your head from side to side for a moment, trying to find a way to get them to talk, it finally dawning on you that you were looking at a skeleton with a twice cracked skull. Well, whether this equaled Sans or Papyrus, any reaction was welcome at this point.
"Why are graveyards so noisy?" You question, silently praying for some kind of positive reaction as the figure tilts his head, "Because of all the coffin!"
Then you finally hear it...a laugh.
It's two toned and distorted, like whatever had brought you had a tight grip on this stranger. "As you wish, young one," he sighs defeatedly, as if he knows something you don't, "My name is W. D. Gaster."
"How'd you get here?" This couldn't be a nice place to hang out, it was so annoying just to find. "That is a tale for another time, young one," he sighs, gently making you let go of his cloak, "Now it is my turn for questions. How have you come to find this place?"
"Would you believe me if I said I fell through a door?" You grinned sheepishly, the look on his face saying that he very well did believe you.
"Child, do you know why you fell through?" he wondered quietly, looking you over as you felt a chill run down your spine.
"Not a clue," you reply bluntly, scratching your cheek slightly. Undyne was going to have your head when she found out you completely forgot to use your shield the instant you found a stranger.
"Your determination is fragile, unstable," he explains softly, chuckling when you give him a confused look. Your soul was fine. "Your soul is not as whole as you think it is," he explained patiently, which for some reason was still surprising to you, "Your soul is a reflection of you, both body and mind. If the body is fine, the soul itself appears unharmed. Yours, for instance, has a small cut where that wound in your side is. On the inside though, is were your determination lies. Yours is battered and torn, held together by thin threads of hope that you still cling to. That is how your came to enter here, how you came to create this...glitch. An injured soul can do many strange things."
Why did it not surprise you that things just had to get more complicated?
"Do not worry, young one," he suddenly smiles, "Your determination has already begun the slow process of healing, but it is not as simple as healing a bruise or...gash in one's side. You must continue to do as you have done thus far, learn to trust in others again."
"Well, you're one to talk," you snorted suddenly, "Telling me trust people when you try to run the instant someone talks to you." Your conversation is interrupted as you see a blue fire suddenly tear through one of the gray walls, your eyes widening as you see an out of breath Sans walk into the room.
"F...Finally," he gasps, walking up and grabbing your hand as he catches his breath, "Y...You scared the sh...shit out of me, baby bones."
"Gaster," Sans sighs when his breath finally returns to him, looking at the much taller skeleton with a burning blue eye, "Long time no see."
"You know Gaster?" you interrupt, tugging Sans' sleeve with your free hand, "Can you help me get him out of here?"
"What?" they ask in unison, and you sigh as you once again try to find the words you needed.
"I have this feeling we need to get him out of here, to help him get back," you try to explain, "I don't know why, but something is telling me I'm going to regret leaving him here."
"Kid," Sans sighs, now apparently struggling to find the words himself, "He can't go back. He no longer exists, he's been erased from the world."
"No, he hasn't," you snort, raising a brow at Sans, "You still remember him, and he's standing right there...He's just...In a forgotten room."
You started pressing against the wall again, only looking back at Sans for a moment when you feel him grab onto your sleeve, looking back again when your hand meets nothing but air. You found the 'glitch' again.
"Can't you go through here?" you wonder quietly as you look over at Gaster. He sighs quietly as he walks over, holding his hand out to the 'glitch' as it seems to hit something.
"A barrier?" Sans wonders quietly, and you have to bite your lip to avoid grinning. He's interested now. "That machine," Sans began, you could practically hear the wheels turning in his skull, "Did it lock you in here?"
"...In a sense," Gaster explained, "Do you remember we created it as a way to break through the barrier, to create a bridge between the Underground and the Surface?"
"Yeah, of course I remember. We turned it on and you shoved me to the ground and I blacked out," Sans replied, glancing to you with an apologetic look as you sat down to listen to them, "Almost no one remembered you when I woke up."
"Ah," Gaster mused quietly, rubbing his chin thoughtfully for a moment, "It would seem you do not retain all of your memories, old friend. Although, it is to be expected after you hit your head off the cabinet...When we first activated the machine, we had seen our first glance at stars, real stars, in centuries, but it was not to be. The barrier began to collapse in on itself, the entirety of the Underground was shaken, and our bridge began to collapse in on itself."
Gaster took a deep breath has he seemed to brace himself for the oncoming reaction, "You almost fell in, old friend. I grabbed you by your coat to pull you back, but there was another tremor just as you refound your balance and we both began to fall. Pushing you away and into the cabinet was all that I could do to save you from falling in, you still had Papyrus to raise."
"Then I," Sans began, covering his mouth as a look of horror crossed his face, "But the machine is irreparable now. I've tried, no matter what I try it doesn't work."
"What if the barrier's destroyed?" you finally speak up, you barely understood what these two were talking about, "I mean, it's like a cave in now, right? You blew a hole in the roof and it collapsed in on itself, and we're in an air hole in the rubble. Destroying the barrier would be the same as clearing the rubble, right?"
The pair looked at each other for a long moment before they both got a lost look in their eyes.
"Question, has this...Asgore ever ASKED a human for their help breaking the barrier?" You wonder, though you honestly didn't want to tell Sans how nervous you were.
"No," Sans frowns, "Undyne told you, all the humans before, their hands were covered in dust. They had practically turned gray from all the lives they took."
"Well, congratulations, you've kept the one weird human alive that's actually trying to let the Monsters out," you snorted, watching Gaster's eyes widen.
"You don't mean this whole time, you've been trying to," you could practically hear the pieces coming together in Gaster's head. "I've been trying to get to the king to ask him to help me break the barrier," you bit your lip as you slowly prepared yourself for the worst, "I get it...you know...if you don't want to help anymore."
Gaster looked ready to have a heart attack...
You yelp as you're suddenly crushed in a hug, your vision a wall of blue as Sans smothers you in a hug. "Don't even go there, baby bones," Sans scolds, though you can tell there's no heat behind it, "I'm not leaving you. You don't have do anything alone anymore. We're all here for you, including Gaster." He slowly released you as you sniffled, both of you looking over as Gaster walked over to the two of you.
"I believe it is time to take the young one home," Gaster smiled, Sans picking you up before you can protest, "I shall be watching from the void."
You barely get a chance to wave goodbye before Sans has carried you through a portal and you're both surrounded by rapidly changing numbers and letters.
"Sans? Where are we?" you wonder as he looks around.
"We're in the void," Sans explains calmly, "It's a series of codes that make up the world."
"Is this how you get everywhere so much faster?" you question again.
"Heh, didn't think you had noticed," he chuckles, adjusting his hold on you and raising his left arm as a new portal began to tear open, "It's not as impressive as saving and loading or as...destructive...as resetting, but it has it's uses. Like getting me in and out of that room."
"What's reset mean anyways?" This had been bothering you since the first time you woke up in Toriel's house.
"To start at the beginning," Sans sighs, "For some reason it only works on the Underground, so if you were to use it, you'd probably end up wherever you were before you fell down Mt. Ebott and it would erase everyone's memories."
"Not touching that," you frown, clinging to Sans as you try to not think about what that button would mean, "Ever."
You swore you saw Sans grin wider than Undyne in that moment.
