Everything was going well, Frisk thought with surprise. Now with Sans walking beside them and slipping away for only boss fights to wait in the next corridor, Frisk felt safe. Protected.
With Sans by Frisk's side, monsters trusted Frisk easily. Even Undyne, the usual standoffish warrior, was willing to give Frisk a chance from the very start.
"…Here," Frisk offered sheepishly. "Do you want some water?"
"…" Undyne weakly accepted Frisk's water and sat up, sweat dripping down her face. She gazed down at Frisk, face serious, when another voice popped up from behind her.
"water you waiting for? thank the kid," Sans commented, finally getting up from the spot where he had been sleeping at his station during Frisk's dash to escape Undyne's wrath.
"…? You… What are you doing out in the Hotlands?" Undyne grunted. "You belong in Snowdin!"
Sans scratched his head and closed one eye. "well, uh, i decided to accompany my friend here through the underground. there are some, uh, pretty scary monsters around here y'know?"
"…first Papyrus… and now you?" Undyne muttered to herself, and then growled. "Augh, whatever! I don't get this! Papyrus is so nice, I'd get how he could make friends with a human. But you? Since when were you willing to go out of your way like this?!"
"…heh. what can i say, the kid grew on me," Sans said with a nonchalant shrug. "you should really give them a chance, undyne."
"That's… ugh. Whatever, I'm going back to someplace without this god-forsaken heat." Undyne snapped, stomping back the way she had come in her heavy suit of armor. Her gaze lingered on Frisk for a brief, contemplative moment, and then she was gone.
Sans and Frisk glanced at each other and Sans gave Frisk a thumbs up. "i think that went well, don't you?"
.
"I d-didn't expect you to show up so soon though! I haven't showered! I'm barely dressed, it's all messy, and…" Alphys stammered, fidgeting with her jacket. "B-but… maybe that's to be expected b-because Sans is helping you?" She glanced at the skeleton, whom grinned at her over Frisk's head.
"I'm Dr. Alphys. I'm Asgore's royal scientist… B-b-but, ahhh, I'm not one of the bad guys! A-actually, since you stepped out of the Ruins, I've been, um… been "observing" your journey through my counsel. T-the camera didn't p-pick up your conversations though! They don't have good quality audio…" Alphys stammered, sweating nervously as Sans's gaze bore into her. "A-anyways, I uh, I w-was originally going stop you but I, uh…" Alphys sneaked a glance at Sans again and her gaze darted away. "Watching someone on s screen really makes your root for them. A-and, y-you're not a b-bad person. I s-saw what you've been doing, a-and if Sans trusts you this much, t-then…! I want to help you t-too!"
"Thank you, Alphys," Frisk said with a smile. "I'm Frisk… but maybe you knew that?" Frisk didn't explicitly tell Sans, but they were trying to introduce themself by name now. They were tired of being mistaken as… well. Chara, for one. Sans had also understood Frisk's silent request, introducing Frisk by name to any monsters they met, as seen as when Napstablook found Frisk and already knew their name.
"U-uh…. Yeah." Alphys stuttered. "Using my knowledge, I can easily guide you through the Hotlands. No problems! Except… Well, actually, um, there's just a tiny issue."
"A small issue?" Frisk asked, sneaking a glance at the wall in between them.
"Y-yeah. Sans, do you know of the robot I made named Mettaton?"
"of course," the skeleton mumbled, glancing around the lab wearily, eyes flickering. "paps and i watch him all the time on the television. not that many performers down here, after all."
"yes, well, originally, I built him to be an entertainment robot. Uh, you know, like a robotic TV star or something." Alphys admitted, her yellow face flushing pink. "Anyways, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know, j-just some small practical adjustments. Like, um…"
Frisk wondered if Sans would get a kick out of seeing the Mettaton showdown for the first time. (Unless, of course, Sans had been one of the viewers on television at that point. Actually, scratch that, Frisk was sure he had watched them face Mettaton.)
"…Anti-antihuman combat features?"
Sans leaned down and muttered to Frisk, "welp. here's one perk to tagging along with you: that robot's hilarious. me and paps are, uh, nuts and bolts about that show. and i get front row seats this time."
Frisk rolled their eyes just as Mettaton burst in through the wall.
.
YOU HAVE BEEN ADDED TO [[GROUP CHAT]] BY SANS.
SANS updated status.
*a steak pun is a rare medium well done
"…Sans?"
"yeah?"
"What is this?"
"hey, you have a phone now, so why not?"
"…"
PAPYRUS updated status.
*SANS. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO SEND ME PUNS.
ALPHYS updated status.
*Sans you are interrupting my anime, I am currently on Mew Mew Kissy Cutie's finale and my phone keeps buzzing! :[
SANS updated status.
*hey, can't help it. don't my puns just tickle your funny bone?
PAPYRUS updated status.
*NGHHHHHAHHHHH!
Although it was humorous at first, Frisk quickly grew to realize the hazards of being in a group chat with Sans around the thirtieth pun and an escalating argument between the two skeletons. Frisk's phone started blowing up, and it was only Papyrus's group addition of Undyne whom shut them up after threatening that she would personally come hit everyone involved who was blowing up her phone.
.
"the dog was a bomb, oh man," wheezed Sans, wiping at his eye socket. "that's a classic. gets me every time."
"Sans! I could possibly get killed over here!" Frisk complained, diving at the water glass but missing and face planting into the dirt. They spat out some dirt and sat up, glowering at the water glass. "You haven't been helping for any of the puzzles!"
"pfffffft," Sans snickered. "c'mon kid, you gotta admit it's a great joke. besides, the robot's harmless. his bolts are much louder than his bite. you don't need my help for this, kiddo."
Frisk shook their head good-naturedly and then yelped as the glass of water whizzed between their feet, speeding away.
.
"W-wait…" Alphys stammered, and Frisk paused, Sans continuing forwards and pausing to wait by the elevator. "…F-frisk," She added, stumbling over their name. She glanced away and rubbed her arm. "Would it be so bad if you d-didn't leave the Underground?"
"…"
"Haa. W-well, I can't s-stop you, b-but I hope that whatever you decide in t-the end it works out, Frisk…" Alphys gazed at them sadly before she turned away. "And t-take care of Sans, okay? He's been through a lot."
Frisk watched her leave and cocked their head to the side. What did Alphys mean by that? They wondered curiously. Did Alphys know Sans remembered RESETS? Or did this have to do with the lab badge Frisk had found in Sans's garage? At least the good side of these RESETS was Frisk was getting to know, little by little, all the different feelings of their friends.
.
"Hehehe. You idiot, going around and making friends." Flowey sneered, holding the captive monsters high. "Who did you think you were trying to fool? No one can possibly be this nice just because of their personality!" Flowey grinned at Frisk, eyes glinting. "And while you were busy having your little pow-wow, I took the human SOULS! And now, not only are those under my power, but all your friend's SOULS are mine, too!"
Frisk clutched the frying pan tighter, silent as they waited for Flowey to attack. Knowing that they had to fight, Frisk had picked up the frying pan, unwilling to touch the blade offered to them along with the heart locket. They knew Sans didn't like them near knives anymore, after all. Of course, they didn't like the feeling of knives anymore themself.
"But, boy! I was sure surprised! To think you managed to move everyone's heart to this extent in one go!" Flowey laughed. "Hee hee hee. And the best part is, it's all your fault! Without any help from me, you made them love you! All the time you spent listening to them… encouraging them… caring about them… without that, they wouldn't be here! And now, with their SOULS and the humans' together… I will achieve my real form… hee hee."
Frisk looked up at Sans, whose pupils were dim. And, even though Frisk was aware it would all RESET, they hated seeing this. they hated seeing their friends in pain. "Let them go! Why can't you just leave them be?" Frisk asked.
"Why…?" Flowey repeated, mystified. "You stole my SAVE files and yet you haven't used them! Not once! I'm not letting you just leave like this! You're going to use those files, and stay here, with me. This is supposed to just be a game, you know? And you can't just break the rules like this." Flowey smiled, and then whispered. "…You... I'll keep you here, no matter what."
Frisk's red SOUL was immediately surrounded by bullets, and Frisk covered their head as they spiraled closer, keeping Frisk trapped. "…so I'll teach you how to use your RESETS now!" Flowey snickered, bullets whizzing at Frisk and leaving trails of bloody scratches wherever they glanced off of their body. Frisk shrank in on themself, trying to stay as far away from the danger as they could.
And then flames surrounded Frisk, and they were safe again.
"…What?"
"Do not be afraid, Frisk," Toriel said calmly, turning her gaze to the human whom had ventured into her home and told her their name with a sad smile. "No matter what happens, we will always be there to protect you."
Flowey growled and attacked Frisk again, but Undyne and Papyrus coordinated their SOULS to fend off Flowey's attack.
"NO! WE WILL STAND BY THE HUMAN! YOU CAN WIN, FRISK! JUST DO AS I WOULD DO… BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! I KNOW I DO!" Papyrus yelled.
"Come on, human, you can't give up this quickly!" Undyne added, eyes flashing in a wordless challenge. "If you got past me, you can do anything… right, Frisk? We're with you all the way!"
"…frisk…" Sans grunted, one eye opening. "….go get 'em, kiddo."
"I- I don't understand. Who is Frisk? What are you doing?!" Flowey snapped. "Chara, that's not funny to try and play a different game than me!"
Frisk flinched, but kept their gaze firm. Taking a deep breath, they flashed Sans a thumbs up, and faced forwards just as Flowey started to absorb all of the SOULS and change shape.
Frisk, faced with a being that could bend the rules of this world, clutched the heart pendent close and lifted their head as they smiled. After everyone had called their name like that, Frisk felt like they were strong enough to do anything.
.
"Hey… did you know what the skeleton used as a xylophone? His rib cage!" Frisk shouted, and then blushed and covered their face with one sleeve. "…oh man, that was bad."
The LOST SOUL, however, seemed to love it, while the other one seemed to hate it.
"I MUST CAPTURE A HUMAN!"
"just give up. i did." The LOST SOUL said softly, arms stuffed in its pockets.
"why even try?"
"THEN EVERYONE WILL-"
"you'll never see 'em again."
"…"
Frisk closed their eys for a moment before taking a deep breath and opening their eyes again, vision blurry and shook their head slowly. "You should know better than that, Sans," they said, and Frisk reached out and SAVED him and Papyrus once again. "…We can't give up here, after all, right? We have to keep trying."
.
Everyone left the Underground, and Frisk silently watched the sun standing between Toriel and Sans. And after Papyrus ran off, Sans pulled Frisk by the hand and ran after him together, the two using a shortcut after Sans promised Toriel he'd have her new kid home before it got dark.
The three of them, laughing at puzzles, and the two of them, Sans holding Frisk as they struggled not to fall asleep as night fell.
And the world RESET.
Sans started telling Frisk jokes, one per run, creating new jokes that Frisk hadn't heard dozens of times before. Each time, Frisk laughed and eventually, they started joking back.
Sans seemed to be quite proud whenever Frisk thought of a pun just as bad as his own.
And the world RESET.
Frisk tried to fix the same grin Sans had on their own face, and jokingly started telling just as many puns to Papyrus's horror as they tried to ignore the pressure they felt building in their chest.
And the world RESET.
Frisk could feel a gaze on them whenever they woke up in the bed of golden flowers… and yet Chara remained quiet. Frisk wondered if they would ever see the angry SOUL again.
And the world RESET.
"kid, it's okay. just breathe, i'm here, you didn't hurt anyone. you haven't hurt anyone in a long time, frisk. it's not dust from… from that, it's just from a fire, kid, it's okay…frisk?! oh man, hold on, i'll get a trash can, just don't move…"
And the world RESET.
"THE TRUTH IS… I DON'T HAVE MANY FRIENDS. I JUST HAVE SANS AND UNDYNE… I WONDER WHY…?" Papyrus glanced away, and Frisk reached out.
"Well, I'll be your friend," they said sincerely, aware of Sans's gaze on their back. "I'm also alone here, after all… I've only got you and Sans in the Underground."
"WHA… HAHA, THANK YOU, TINY HUMAN. THE GREAT PAPYRUS UNDERSTANDS, YOU MUST ALSO FEEL LONELY! I WILL BE YOUR FRIEND… ALTHOUGH DOES THIS MEAN I WAS FRIENDZONED ALREADY, FRISK?" Papyrus wiped at his face and smiled sadly down at Frisk.
Frisk blinked and shook their head, remembering something important. They hadn't told anyone in this run their name yet. I see why Sans was worried, Frisk realized."…I didn't think I told you my name," they said softly. "Where did you learn it from?"
Papyrus froze, a troubled expression flitting across his face before he brightened up and hit his other hand with his fist. "OH, I KNOW! …I THINK IT WAS IN A DREAM. A REALLY NICE DREAM, WHERE SANS INTRODUCED YOU AS OUR COUSIN TO ME! I KNEW YOU WERE A HUMAN ALL ALONG THOUGH, NYEHEHE. ACTUALLY, I'VE HAD A WHOLE LOT OF DREAMS ABOUT HUMANS EVER SINCE I JOINED THE ROYAL GUARD... ONE HUMAN WORE A REALLY CUTE APRON..."
Frisk glanced at Papyrus from the corner of their eye, but the skeleton wasn't looking at them anymore, caught up in talking all about his dream journal.
And the world RESET.
"You should watch out, you two," The River Person advised as they drifted down the river. "When one discovers the answers to the questions, they don't always like what they find."
Sans and Frisk glanced at each other, before Sans leaned over and whispered a joke in Frisk's ear and they quietly laughed.
And the world RESET.
And there was nothing, nothing, nothing found. Frisk wanted to scream in frustration because why couldn't they find anything? The only thing Frisk knew was that the whispers were getting louder each RESET, but they didn't tell Frisk anything. All they could hear was don't give up whispered to them each time they fell into darkness.
They wanted answers already.
The cheerful demeanor Frisk had managed to uphold started to wear thin again, and Sans started to watch them more closely than before. Even though he didn't say anything, Frisk knew that Sans was afraid of them.
No, perhaps that wasn't right. Sans was afraid for them. He thought they were going to start behaving rashly and hurt themself to a point were a RESET wouldn't fix all the damage done to their SOUL.
Well if they were that fragile, then why not just leave them be? Frisk started trying different things each run. They stayed at Sans's house half the time, completed the timeline a quarter of the time, and wandered around or stayed with Toriel for the rest.
But the monotonous days filled Frisk with a lethargic feeling during the day that made them want to just sleep all the time. During the night, however…. Nightmares of what once was returned to Frisk, try as they might, and they still couldn't shake Chara's memory off of them. At least that part of their life was over, though.
Or so Frisk had thought.
.
.
.
DETERMINATION is wearing thin.
((This is the last of the long time skips for this part of the plot. I have three busy weeks after this, but good news! I was an idiot and wrote the next chapter before realizing I jumped into the next plot point way too fast and had to go back and write this chapter. Whoops. But hey, this means that I have a surplus of material so even when I'm busy I can publish more chapters! You might not thank me for that, though. Next chapter is angst. Sorry to those who prefer fluffy stories, I'm jokingly called the bringer of angst by my friends, and that is a needed part of this story! Thanks for the support and patience, everyone!))