In Which Everyone Pleads To Frisk
It was a narrow escape from Undyne. Crouching in the plants really took a toll on their legs. Right after Papyrus ran off back to Snowdin, Frisk fell onto their bum in the plants, causing them to rustle a little and grab the attention of a certain captain. Frisk held their breath and stayed perfectly still until Undyne left. She must have thought it was a gust of wind or something moving the plants.
Does the underground even have wind? So far, the steam vents were the closest things Frisk had seen to wind. Those and Undyne's hair.
Must be magic.
Once it was safe to move again, Frisk crept out of the plants and quickly made their way to the beginning of the Waterfall area. As per usual when they didn't kill Papyrus, Sans was waiting at his sentry station. This was not going to be a fun chat after all that they did to stop Sans from hearing what wasn't any of his business to begin with. At least until Papyrus wants to make it his business.
They were determined to keep this secret for their friend.
"hey kid, i was just about to take my break. wanna come to grillby's with me? i know a shortcut." Sans asked. It wasn't really a question, but Frisk went along with it anyways. It would be better to see what he wants now, than to try to run away and risk having him attack later or something. Sans was always unpredictable.
Twenty steps and a dizzying teleport later, the two were walking into Grillby's and making their way up to the bar counter. Sans ordered them a burger and fries without asking and took the ketchup bottle for himself. He must be very upset with them if he didn't even try to keep up his lazy-but-still-nice act in front of the other patrons.
Frisk started pinching the inside of the mittens. Papyrus was right, it did feel really nice.
After taking an unhealthy swig of his condiment, Sans spoke up, "so, how did you like hanging out with my bro? did you have a good time?"
Frisk nodded.
"yeah, my bro's an awesome guy. it'd be a shame if anyone were to hurt him. you know, pretend to be nice only to betray that trust later." Sans accused. Frisk was looking at their legs and fidgeting a little with the mittens. Sans sighed. The kid actually looked like they regretted doing all that before.
"i'm not doing all of this to be mean to you, kid. right now, i don't really care what's going on in your head as long as papyrus is safe and healthy. i want him to stop feeling so low, you know? so can you help me out kid? what did you two chat about?"
Frisk shook their head.
"you think it's none of my business? papyrus is my brother. that makes it my business." Sans argued, "and he's treating you way nicer than he should already. he gave you mittens, offered you food and shelter, so why aren't you going to help me help him?"
"Unfair... to Papyrus... mean... his choice." Frisk kept shaking their head.
Sans chuckled darkly, "yeah? since when do you care about what's unfair or mean?"
Frisk shut their eyes and shook their head more vigourously. They were being stubborn about this point, so Sans decided to try a different approach.
He calmed his voice and face before speaking again, "then is there something you can tell me about what i have to do to help him?"
Frisk removed the mittens and placed them in their lap and pulled their sleeves. [Just be nice and talk to him and listen to him. There isn't much else you have to do.]
Sans was silent for a moment. Slowly, he took another unhealthy mouthful of ketchup and swallowed to try to calm himself. "don't lie to me, kid. i already know what's wrong with papyrus, what he's doing. don't tell me that i just have to sit around and not do anything."
[You know?] Frisk was a little shocked, but not completely surprised. If Sans was eavesdropping during their hang out, then he probably used other privacy invasion techniques to learn about Papyrus's self harm. The only question was why he hadn't done anything about it yet.
"yeah, and judging by the look on your face, you do too. it must have come up at some point in there."
In response to Sans's earlier statement, Frisk had to hold back a smirk. If Sans was allowed to be immature, then so were they. [I'm not telling you to do nothing, just be yourself. Sit around, be patient, and wait until the last possible moment to act when you could have been doing something useful all along. You're good at that.]
"you have no right to say that."
[I'm the only one with the right to say that.]
The two stared each other down until Sans looked away. He took another swig of ketchup.
"so what do you want me to do, kid? how do i help papyrus stop feeling like that? you seem to know all about this stuff somehow, so how can i fix this?" Some of the anger was leaving the skeleton, only to be replaced with depressing feelings of helplessness.
Frisk scowled. [You don't fix it. You listen to Papyrus and help him fix his own problems.]
"uh, that's the same thing kiddo." Sans cocked an eyebrow.
They shook their head. [Do you even know why Papyrus feels bad?]
Sans nodded slowly. "maybe? he doesn't feel respected, but i dunno if that's the whole reason or the only reason."
[So how does you fixing things for him make him feel better? Or maybe, what does it look and feel like when you feel respect?]
"is that a real question?" Sans asked. Frisk nodded. "i guess the short answer is either when two or more people treat each other as equals and can appreciate the efforts and accomplishments of the other towards whatever goal they are trying to achieve. what's your point?"
Frisk hit their palm against their face. [If you are fixing Papyrus's problem by yourself, then how is that equal?]
"papyrus is my brother. i can't just not help him when he needs it."
[Help him by giving him chances to help himself. Talk to him and listen.] Frisk emphasized, [It's not hard. I'm worse than a stranger and it didn't take long for me. He probably wants to talk about it, but doesn't feel comfortable sharing. He has a reason to not feel comfortable talking to you about it right now. Just be a good brother and give him a reason to want to talk to you.]
Sans thought to himself for a moment. Was their relationship too one-sided? If it was, Papyrus should be getting the better end of the deal. He doesn't need to worry or struggle with any problems because Sans would fix them for him as soon as he knew that they would become an issue. That's what he's always done. He would protect Papyrus so that he never had to experience anything bad.
Was that hurting him somehow? Was preventing Papyrus from experiencing bad and sad things also preventing him from feeling proud of himself for overcoming the obstacles? Sans could too easily see a lack of pride warping into feelings of worthlessness, but Papyrus had always been so cheery! That couldn't have happened.
Although the kid did have a good point. This overprotectiveness couldn't be considered respect by his own definition.
"easier said than done, kid." Sans sighed and pushed himself away from the bar counter and made his way towards the door. "welp, i've gotta go think some stuff over. see you around."
Frisk waved and looked back at their lukewarm burger and fries. They took their time finishing the meal before exiting the establishment themselves. They still had a couple of hours before supper, so they decided to go explore more in the Snowdin forest. In previous runs, they had always stuck to the path with Papyrus's puzzles and never ventured beyond that. Maybe this time they could find something new. They would deal with Undyne and Waterfall tomorrow, after they had a sleepover at Papyrus's house.
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Frisk was pleasantly surprised that evening. Supper was leftover breakfast spaghetti and it was uncharacteristically delicious. Papyrus apologized several times for the lack of freshness, and Frisk told him several more times that it was fine.
Papyrus had also rearranged some of the furniture in the house and the Capture Zone so that the latter was now a hospitable room for a human. There were several blankets laid out beside cushions that were arranged into the shape of a mattress. He had even put a sheet on them so that they all stayed together. He had also included a few books for them to read and a small light that they could use if they woke up in the middle of the night and needed something.
It was very sweet, and Frisk slept with absolutely no problems.
They were also pleasantly surprised by breakfast. It wasn't spaghetti, but instead a warm plate with a cinnamon bunny and a note from Papyrus on it.
HUMAN, I KNOW THAT THIS IS UNHEALTHY AND NOT SPAGHETTI, BUT I HAVE HEARD THAT TREATS LIKE THIS ONE ARE A DELICACY FOR HUMANS. I WOULD NOT WANT YOU TO MISS OUT! - YOUR FRIEND, PAPYRUS.
P.S. DO NOT FORGET THAT TRAINING WITH UNDYNE IS TODAY!
There was no way that they would forget one of the most enjoyable and memorable parts of their trip through the Underground. Even if they rarely got the opportunity to cook with Undyne, it was still one of their favourite experiences.
They at half of the cinnamon bunny and tucked the other half away for later. The sooner they got through all of the Waterfall puzzles, the sooner they would get to have fun burning down a house.
Frisk eagerly left the Capture Zone, filled with determination.
"FRISK! THERE YOU ARE! I HAVE BEEN WAITING EAGERLY FOR YOU!" Papyrus waved as he saw Frisk approach Undyne's house.
Frisk removed a mitten and replied happily, [I would never miss training with Undyne!]
Papyrus smiled with relief, "I AM VERY GLAD! BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING THAT YOU SHOULD PROBABLY BE AWARE OF BEFORE WE GO INSIDE."
Frisk tilted their head. [What is it?]
"WELL..." Papyrus started. He began to nervously play with his scarf, "UNDYNE MIGHT POSSIBLY KNOW ABOUT MY... HABIT... AND SHE ALSO MIGHT NOT BE VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT. YOU SEE, ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I WANTED YOU HERE IS BECAUSE WE ARE FRIENDS. ANOTHER REASON IS SO THATYOU AND UNDYNE CAN ALSO BECOME FRIENDS. BUT THERE IS A THIRD REASON, AND THAT IS SO THAT YOU CAN MAYBE DISTRACT UNDYNE FOR ME SO SHE DOESN'T TRY TO BOTHER ME WITH TOO MANY QUESTIONS?"
[Normally you just cannonball out the window and run away.] Frisk said with a straight face.
"YES WELL, THAT WAS ALSO ON THE TO-DO LIST." Papyrus admitted. Frisk started laughing.
"NYEEEEH! HUMAN, I DO NOT KNOW WHAT JOKE YOU FIND SO FUNNY, BUT I ASSURE YOU THAT I DID NOT INTEND TO MAKE ONE."
Frisk laughed harder. [Teasing you is just too much fun!]
"WELL IT IS GOOD THAT YOU ARE HAPPY RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE YOU WILL NEED TO REMAIN OPTIMISTIC NOW. WE'RE GOING IN TO SEE UNDYNE." Papyrus gave Frisk the gift-wrapped bone and knocked on Undyne's door.
The angry fish lady grudgingly let the two in and the regular antics ensued. Soon enough, Frisk was left alone to try to become best friends with Undyne by chatting over tea. Or rather, letting Undyne vent while burning their mouth and throat with scalding hot tea.
"I'm glad that Papyrus was able to find a friend, even in a human like you. He needs all the support he can get, especially right now. The last couple of days have been really tough on him, you know? And I probably just keep making things worse.
"You know, yesterday I actually had a sit down talk with him and told him that I wouldn't ever let him join the Royal Guard." Frisk nearly choked on their tea. "Yeah, I never thought I'd have the heart to tell him either, but he actually agreed with me! Can you believe it? The guy who never stops talking about how he'll some day be the best Guardsman just easily agreed with me that he's too nice for the job!
"But I learned from that, you know? He's mature enough to handle himself and think for himself and all that. There was no point in trying to protect him from all that hurt to begin with. Especially when I know that I go too far sometimes, but being passionate is what's important over everything else!
"I know that he's freaking tough physically, but he's even tougher emotionally. Papyrus has gone through so much shit that I didn't even know about until two days ago. Can you believe it? That cheery skeleton holding on to so much pain?"
Frisk nodded. [We talked about it.]
It was Undyne's turn to be shocked. "You did? I had to corner him in his house to make him give up just a little bit of information! How did you do it?"
[I gave him a reason to want to talk about it.] Frisk took another sip of tea. It was still very hot.
Undyne sighed. "That's some talent you've got there, punk."
[How did you find out? It's not as though he would just leave the door unlocked. Locking the door is common sense.]
"Actually, yeah. I just walked in."
[But that only happens in bad movies and cliché books!]
"Nah, it happens all the time in the human world. Alphys has the history documentaries to prove it!" She chugged her cup of tea in one go. "Hey, you know what I just realized? Papyrus totally just BAILED ON HIS COOKING TRAINING!" Undyne pointed at Frisk. "And that means that YOU will have to have it FOR HIM! WE WILL BECOME ULTIMATE BESTIES AFTER THIS!"
One burning house later, the two were standing outside panting from the excitement and smoke inhalation.
"Heh. I guess I really screwed this up, huh. Just like with Papyrus."
Frisk shook their head quickly.
"No? You saying that you had fun?"
Frisk nodded. [Hanging out with you is fun. I had a good time.]
Undyne shook her head and smiled. "You sure are weird, punk. I've got two things to ask you then, as ultimate besties." Frisk tilted their head. "First thing I want to know is how you managed to get Papyrus to actually talk to you. You were supposed to be enemies. What reason did you give him to make him change his mind?"
Frisk fidgeted with the mittens in their hands. They were a little stained and dusty now, but still very functional. Undyne seemed to be handling the situation with Papyrus pretty well, so maybe they could trust her too. Frisk was scared about what her reaction might be, but decided to try trusting their newfound friend. [Don't be mad please.]
They rolled up one sleeve just far enough to show a few of the red lines on their arm.
Undyne's eye widened slightly. "Yeesh, those sure are some battle scars, punk. Who'd you fight to get those?"
Frisk slid their sleeve back down. [Lots of things. They all became one common enemy.]
"I see why Papyrus gave you some mittens then. He's really too nice for his own good sometimes. The second thing I wanted to ask, is if you could please help him? Sans is an idiot, I've already tried and done what I can, so you're the only friend he has left. What do you say?"
Frisk smiled and nodded very quickly.
"I like your passion! Give it your all then! A promise between besties! FIST BUMP ME, PUNK!" Undyne held out her fist.
Frisk eagerly put on the mittens and returned the fist bump with all their energy.
"NGAAAH! WE'RE FRIENDS NOW, AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT!" Undyne shouted. "I'll be in Snowdin, crashing on Papyrus's couch until my house stops burning. If you need me, just give Papyrus a call. See you around!"
Undyne started the walk to Snowdin while Frisk continued on their journey to the capital. She hoped that Asgore would be merciful to the kid. Her hopes weren't high.
Upon reaching Snowdin, Undyne immediately sought out Papyrus. He was easy enough to find since he was just standing outside his house and watching the snow fall.
"YO PAPYRUS! YOU SKIPPED YOUR TRAINING, PUNK!" She called to him.
"U-UNDYNE! WHAT A PLEASANT SURPRISE! I DID NOT EXPECT TO SEE YOU HERE. THE COUCH ALREADY HAS A BLANKET ON IT FOR YOU IN CASE YOU END UP STAYING LATE TODAY FOR SOME UNEXPECTED REASON SUCH AS YOUR HOUSE INEXPLICABLY CATCHING FIRE." Papyrus turned and gave the captain his full attention.
Undyne looked a little disappointed. "Man, did the punk call you and spoil the news? I wanted to be the one to tell you about the passionate flames of friendship that we forged together. It was too much for my house, and now it's on fire and I can't live in it until that stops."
Papyrus struck a pose. "NEVER FEAR, FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL BE YOUR GREAT HOST UNTIL SUCH A TIME THAT YOUR HOUSE IS NO LONGER BURNING!"
"Thanks man, I was counting on it. Think of it as a punishment for skipping training today." Undyne's face became serious. "Seriously dude, everything alright? You don't just skip training."
Papyrus just stared at her. He also doesn't just show up late for work or chip away at his bones, but he wasn't going to mention those either. "OF COURSE EVERYTHING IS NOT ALRIGHT. EVERYTHING IS GREAT! FOR I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"
Undyne sighed. "I thought we were past this."
Papyrus just looked at his feet. The snow was very white today.
"I talked to the kid." Undyne started, "They have some pretty wicked battle scars. They don't look nearly as badass as mine do yet, but some day, that kid'll have some good stories to tell. They said they've fought a lot of stuff until all those enemies joined forces and became one."
Papyrus listened. Where was she going with this?
"The thing about enemies joining forces, is that it makes them seem impossible. But it's not. Even if the enemies work together, you can still pick them off one by one, or just work twice as hard to beat them. They are still just the same old enemies. Some day, you'll fight and conquer them for good. When that happens, you'll be even greater. I hope you'll feel greater too."
Papyrus looked at his boss with tears in his eyes. Undyne's eye sparked evilly. Before Papyrus could react, she wrapped her arm around the back of his neck and pulled his head down so she could rub her knuckles over his skull.
"UNDYNE! PLEASE DON'T NOOGIE THE SKELETON!" he pleaded.
"NGAAAH! No more mushy stuff! We're going inside before we freeze out here! Letting your guests become ice cubes isn't very host-like!" Undyne said, pulling the sore skeleton into his house with her arm still wrapped around him.