CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
"No, please!"
Frisk woke up to a muffled cry. The bed was shaking slightly. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, trying to wake up a little more.
"Don't hurt me!"
Sans was the one shaking the bed, she realized. His bones were rigid beside her, his fists clenched firmly in the sheets under him, and his eyes closed tightly. His mouth turned down in a grimace that hurt her entire soul to see. He was in pain.
She shook him gently. "Sans, wake up."
"Don't hurt me!" he cried out again.
Tears filled her eyes as she realized he was having a nightmare about what had happened to him. He must be so scared, trapped in that awful dream. She shook him harder.
"No, no, NO!" He bolted out of bed and fell to the ground clenching at his chest.
Frisk scrambled out of the sheets, her legs getting caught for a second before she was free. Sans sat on the floor next to the bed breathing heavily and clutching at his shirt over his sternum.
She fell to her knees beside him and framed his face with her hands. He flinched, but met her eyes with blue tears in his sockets.
"You're okay, Sans," she said softly. "It was just a dream, baby." She kissed him. "Just a dream."
Sans nodded. "I'm awake?"
She smiled at him. "Yes. Are you okay?"
He wasn't sure how to answer that. He thought so. "Maybe."
Frisk helped him back up on to the bed and let him curl into her. "It's gonna be okay, Sans. You'll see. It'll probably take a lot of time, but that's okay. You went through something awful, but I'm here to remind you that it's all over now." She kissed his skull and wished she could take all of his fear and pain away for him.
Sans looked over at her and smiled. "Thank you." He unfurled himself and pulled her into his embrace. "Thank you, Frisk."
She let him cling to her as long as he needed.
~LM~
Gaster stood outside the door and watched as the human comforted his son. He knew she loved Sans, but to see her so skillfully handle a flashback the way his wife used to do melted his stone heart. He couldn't find any other reason to not trust her.
He sighed as he turned away and went back to the living room. Asriel was on the couch, snoring peacefully. He knew the time would come that Asriel would have nightmares of his own. Who knew what would happen then. Gaster had been known to throw magical attacks in the midst of a flashback. He should probably warn Sans of that.
What a messed-up lot they were.
He couldn't sleep. He'd set himself up on the floor in the living room but couldn't bring himself to even lay down. The thought that Asriel could wake up and escape at literally any point during the night terrified him. Or, even worse, the prince could decide to kill everyone he felt was holding him hostage again. He couldn't allow his sons to be put in that kind of danger.
As soon as the sun rose, Gaster thought to himself, he would find a better hideout for Asriel. In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to do some planning. He pulled out his phone and called the familiar number, stepping just far enough away that he could keep an eye on Asriel but not disturb him.
"Hello?" The voice on the other end was low and crackly.
Gaster smiled. "Good morning, Grillby. Did I wake you up?"
"Gaster? What on earth…? Are you okay?"
"I'm not sure how to answer that. Listen, I need your help. I know I can trust you, but before I tell you anything, you have to swear to me that you won't whisper or crackle or even sign to another soul anything you hear from me."
"O-okay. You do realize it's two in the morning, right?"
"Actually, I hadn't considered the time. I apologize. However, this requires immediate attention, and I could use your help."
Grillby sighed. "Fine. I swear I won't communicate anything to anyone. What's going on?"
"If you were to find a living, breathing Boss Monster, where would you hide them?"
Grillby laughed. "Okay, you're drunk. Goodnight, Gaster."
Click.
That could have gone better. Instead of wasting his time trying to contact Grillby again, he decided to do some research with what limited supplies he had at his disposal. Luckily for him, Sans liked to have copies of his books at home in case he was too lazy to read at the lab.
~LM~
Asriel had never been more comfortable. Not in a very long time. Those long-ago memories felt more like dreams to him now. If he tried hard enough, he could almost feel the blankets on his bed. He had no recollection of the softness of the mattress. He knew it had been something he could sink into, but that kind of warmth had been denied him for a long time.
He didn't dare open his eyes. He knew it would all be a dream and he'd be back in that damn pod once he did. Instead, he drew in a breath and let himself snuggle a little deeper into whatever surface he was dreaming about. It was a miracle he could actually feel its softness.
There was something else. A scent he felt like he knew once upon a time. He wasn't sure how to place it. It was…sweet? He remembered sweet. There was something else there. He took another breath through his nose to smell it better. It was warm. Comfortable. Yet another scent…he wasn't sure what the other one was. It was almost spicy in a way he could barely remember. Not like the food he'd been forced to eat at the facility. It was real food, and it made his mouth water.
He opened his eyes, preferring to end the dream there. It wasn't fair for him to have such vivid dreams. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd had one that felt so real.
It took him a moment to realize he was still comfortable. In front of him was not a gray room with pods. There had been someone new. A skeleton that all the doctors seemed very interested in. He'd screamed…he'd screamed so loud and painful it had made Asriel cry. Bones broke. The screaming stopped as something glowed. A doctor groaned painfully and fell to the floor. The others panicked; he was dead.
Good riddance, Asriel had thought.
The glowing thing was put in a jar and sealed. The skeleton was sealed in the pod. Asriel had seen a lot of monsters come in throughout the years. None of them just left; they turned to dust before they were cleaned out of the pods. He had tried to talk to one of the doctors about what was going on, but as soon as he started talking they brought out that damn syringe again. He hated that thing. It was either pain or sleep, and that time it was sleep.
But no; he wasn't there. He was in a different place on a different surface. The fabric under him was brown and soft to the touch. Asriel ran a paw over it, taking in the smooth texture. In front of him was a box he didn't recognize with lights reflecting off it. In the blackness of the reflective surface, he could see the rest of the room. On the wall hung a clock, and there was a table next to a door.
"Good morning."
It was a familiar voice, but he couldn't place it. The speaker kept their voice low. Perhaps they weren't speaking to him.
"Good morning, babe."
Nope, not to him. The answering voice was a different kind of low; baritone.
"Shh," the first, far more feminine voice said. "You'll wake him up."
A deep chuckle. "It's about time he woke up, don'tcha think? I've never seen Dad sleep this late."
They weren't even talking about him. In the reflective surface, he caught a movement. Something stirred on the floor next to whatever he was on. A figure sat up and coughed.
"You could have been quiet," a third voice said. Perhaps belonging to the figure on the floor. "Don't wake Asriel."
A groan belonging to the second, deep voice. "Yeah, let's not wake him up. I don't like him."
A feminine laugh. "Only because he attacked me. Come on, Sans, I'm human; of course he tried to attack me. We should have been smarter about that."
Human.
Were the other voices human? Asriel's heart began to pound in his chest as he imagined how many humans were around him. Why was he here? Was he being lulled into a false sense of security so he'd tell them something about his soul? It had happened before. They'd given him ice cream on two different occasions to get him to talk about how magic was formed. He still didn't know; it just happened.
He could feel it now: The urge to destroy the humans around him before they could hurt him. He had to wait for the right time, he told himself. One of them was bound to come close to him, then he'd do it. He closed his eyes tightly and prepared his strongest attack.
"Holy shit!"
Footsteps running, getting close to him. A hand on him. He yelled and jumped up off whatever he was on.
He stopped instantly. He knew these faces. Especially the small skeleton. He'd been in the pod. He made himself calm down as the tall one with the cracked face approached him.
Gaster took slow steps as he put himself between Asriel and Sans. He wouldn't let anyone get hurt. The blaster that had been summoned was met with three of Sans' to accommodate for its enormous size. It barely fit in the living room.
"Dad, don't be stupid," Sans said, pushing Frisk behind him a little more. The irony was lost on him.
"Listen, Asriel, we mean you no harm."
Asriel nodded. "I know; I'm sorry, I was disoriented."
Gaster could understand that. "Will you please put your blaster away?"
"My what?" He looked in the corner where Gaster was staring and nearly jumped out of his skin when he was face-to-face with what looked like a gigantic goat's head floating in midair.
Sans was not happy about that. The guy didn't know how to use his own damn weapons? "Just will it away," he said. "Like this." His own blasters disappeared.
Frisk wasn't sure what to think about Sans' protection being gone. She was all for peace, but with that weapon still in the room she felt very unsafe. She reached out and grabbed his arm.
Sans shifted and moved her hands to his right arm, just in case he needed to use his left. Before he turned back, he kissed her head and whispered to her that she would be okay. He felt her nod against his shoulder.
"I…I don't know how to do that. I'm sorry."
Gaster looked back at Sans. "I don't have one of those, Sans. I don't know how to explain this to him." He hated this. He would rather relay information so that his son didn't have to get closer to the Boss Monster, but he didn't have much choice.
Sans nodded. "'Sokay, Dad. Frisk, I need you to let me go. Go stand by Dad."
Frisk wasn't sure about that. She knew Gaster didn't like her, so why wouldn't he let her get hurt? No, she knew why he wouldn't let her get hurt. He wouldn't hurt his son like that. Feeling better about it, she let go and all but ran to Gaster's side. Surprisingly, he put his arm around her shoulders. She felt safe again.
After Frisk was safe with his dad, Sans took a few steps toward Asriel. "Do you remember how you summoned it?" he asked.
Asriel nodded. "I was confused; I thought I was in danger."
"That's okay. But you want to do the opposite now. You really are safe here. You're with friends, and we want to help you. Tell yourself and your magic that you're safe."
Asriel nodded again. "Okay." He closed his eyes and concentrated on feeling safe. He could practically feel the relief in the room. He opened his eyes and looked to find that the skull was gone. Thank the gods.
"Good job, Prince. We were never actually introduced. I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton." He held out his hand.
Asriel hesitated. "People only do that when they're going to hurt me."
Sans put his hand down. "Then we won't shake." He gestured over to Frisk. "That's Frisk. She's human, but she's my fiancée and you're not allowed to hurt her. She won't hurt you; that's a promise."
Asriel frowned. "I'm gonna have to ask that she stays away from me. I'll do my best, but I don't feel comfortable with her in this room."
Sans nodded. "I'm fine with that." He was all for keeping Frisk the hell away from Asriel. He went back over to Frisk and took her hand. They went into the kitchen to try to salvage what they could of breakfast. Most of the vegetables had burned, so he tossed them and started over.
"How are you?" Frisk asked.
Sans smiled at her. "Better. I'm sorry I scared you last night."
She shook her head. "Don't apologize for that. There's bound to be more and don't think for one single second that you're putting a burden on me because you're not. PTSD is something we'll deal with together, just like the changes that are about to happen around us." She leaned her hip against the counter as he cracked some eggs. "How are you feeling after using your magic in the living room?"
He shrugged one shoulder. "Not too bad. My soul feels a little weak, but nothing serious." He stirred the eggs up before pouring them in the pan.
They were both silent as Frisk watched Sans cook. They both listened to the conversation taking place in the other room.
"You said you'd find somewhere else for me to go today," Asriel said with an air of accusation.
Gaster nodded. "And we will, but this has to be done in secret. We can't just walk around until we find a suitable place. I know someone who can help us, but it'll take some convincing. Please, just give me patience."
Asriel sighed. "I suppose."
"You know that if you're caught again, you'll be killed. They won't bother trying to take you back even if you are the only Boss Monster left."
"How are you not?" Asriel asked. "I mean, I can feel how strong you are. Your magic is probably as strong as mine."
Gaster snorted. "Once upon a time, yes, but it does no good to live in the past."
Sans and Frisk looked at each other with wide eyes.
"What?" Frisk mouthed.
Sans shrugged. "No way."
They stayed silent, hoping to get more information.
"I don't think it is in the past. I wouldn't be able to feel magic you once possessed. You have it now." Asriel stood up and stepped closer to Gaster. "And when can I get clothes?"
Gaster sighed in relief. "As soon as possible. I'll ask Papyrus to help me with your measurements and get something made as soon as he's up."
Asriel nodded. "Good. Thank you." He sniffed the air. "Something smells really good."
"Sans is a better cook than he lets on. He got the talent from his mother, I'm sure."
"'Salmost done," Sans hollered. He looked at Frisk with a grin. "So, Dad, what's this I hear about you being a Boss Monster?"
Frisk frowned. "Royal Monster?"
Sans leaned in and kissed her.
Gaster flinched internally and walked the short distance to the kitchen. "I'm not."
"Butcha useta be. How come I never knew?"
Gaster put his hand to his face and shook his head. "I swear to all that is holy, Sans Gaster, you have a Doctorate degree. Why do you choose to speak like that?"
Frisk looked at Sans, eyebrows furrowed. "Excuse me? My husband-to-be is a doctor and I didn't know about this?"
Sans smiled sheepishly. "It never came up."
"Oh, it came up plenty of times; you just never told me. Doctor Sans. That's very sexy," she grinned.
"Dear Gods," Gaster groaned.
"And why did you call him Sans Gaster?"
Gaster gestured to his son. "I'll let you explain name dynamics. I have other things to deal with." He turned and left the room.
Sans really wanted to learn more about his dad's status as a former Royal Monster, but he supposed now wasn't the time. He looked at Frisk. "My last name isn't Skeleton, you know. I just introduce myself that way sometimes. Dad is W.D. Gaster. I can't tell you what W.D. stands for until we're married, because then if you laugh I can divorce you."
She was almost sure he wasn't joking. "So, you trust me enough to tell me about a Royal Monster being alive, but not enough to tell me your dad's first name?"
He nodded. "That's about right." He kissed her. "Nah, I'm jokin', babe. I trust you, but he's real sensitive about it so I don't usually tell anyone. I won't tell you when other people are in earshot."
She could understand that. "So, when we're married, I'll be Frisk Gaster." She thought about that for a second. "I'm not sure how I feel about that."
Sans laughed. "Neither is Dad, but that's life. You don't have to change your name, y'know."
"I know." She started gathering plates and silverware as he turned the stove off. "I'll go get Paps. I doubt Asriel will want to eat with me anywhere near."
Sans caught her arm before she could leave. "Then you and I will eat in my room and they can deal out here." He pulled her close and kissed her again.
Frisk smiled. "Okay."