:):
Holidays. Am I right?
Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews!
I'm still here and I'm still writing. My brain, however, feels like it's been working at half capacity for months now.
That being said, I'm going to be uploading 3 chapters this month to make up for lost time.
Expect the next chapter on the 24th :)
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What's Better Than a DeltaRune?
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Staring down at the nearly completed banner, Fearia's vision blurred slightly as she set her crayon down on the table. She didn't feel like celebrating anymore. Right now, all she wanted to do was cry. How had she let so much time get away from her? She'd been asleep for a whole week! How many days did she still have left before the next full moon? What if it was already too late!
Bringing a hand up to her pink nightgown, the little girl curled her fingers into the soft fabric as large tears began to roll down her rounded cheeks. She missed her sister terribly, but now she didn't even know if she'd ever get to see her again. What if she never did? What if she never ever saw Frisk ever again?
The thought was utterly unbearable...
Overcome with sorrow, a pathetic keen escaped the small child as her face scrunched up in misery. This wasn't right... She was supposed to save Frisk! How had she failed so badly?
Hearing the odd noise, Papyrus turned his attention away from his dinner preparations in order to glance over at the tiny human. "Miss Fearia!" He exclaimed upon seeing her distressed state. "What's Wrong? What Happened?"
"Papppyyy..." Fearia sobbed as the taller skeleton hurried over to her. In childish frustration, the little girl tugged lightly at her nightgown as she tried to explain to him what was troubling her. "I messed everything up, and now... Now I don't know how to fix it!"
"What Do You Mean?" Papyrus asked as he looked down to the large banner. Everything looked fine to him. Maybe a little sloppy, but that was perfectly acceptable for someone so young. "You Don't Have To Fix Anything, Miss Fearia. You Did A Great Job!" he praised, clearly not understanding why she was so upset.
To Papyrus' dismay, however, his compliment only seemed to make the tiny human even more distressed. Had he said something wrong? If he had, how then could he make it better? What should he do? Completely at a loss, the bewildered skeleton was more than relieved when he heard his older brother's concerned voice.
"hey now," Sans began as he stood at the entrance to the kitchen. "what's with all the waterworks? did something happen?"
Turning to her friend, Fearia's tears only seemed to increase when she spotted him. Without a moment's hesitation, the little girl hastily slid down from the high kitchen chair and landed lightly on her bare feet. Then, driven solely by the desire for comfort, she ran over to the shorter skeleton on weakened legs.
Grin lessening considerably, Sans was quick to collect the small child before she took a nasty tumble. Lifting her up from under her arms, he gently brought her to his sternum where she wasted no time in attaching herself to his cervical spine. Tilting his skull, he gave the little girl a brief side glance before bringing a hand up and placing it to her back.
"uh.. care to fill me in here, paps?" Sans asked in puzzlement as he walked over to his younger brother. "why's she crying?"
"I Honestly Don't Know." Papyrus replied as he stared worriedly down at the tiny human. "She Was Perfectly Happy Just A Few Minutes Ago. Then, For Some Reason, She Just Became Upset... When I Asked Her Why, She Just Said That She Had "Messed Up", But... I Just Can't See Where..." He admitted as he looked back down to the large paper banner. "It Looks Fine To Me."
Taking a moment to study the colorfully decorated banner, Sans had to agree. There wasn't anything wrong with it. Aside from the fact that most of her time had been spent doodling instead actually filling in the words that had been provided for her, it looked pretty darn normal if you asked him. So, what was the...?
Catching his attention, the skeleton's eye lights were drawn to a half colored heart near the center of the banner; a dulled red crayon had been left beside it. Putting two and two together, Sans had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly why the kid was so upset. She missed her sister, and was probably agonizing over that dumb deal she had made.
Considering that the kid didn't seem to remember anything from after her Soul was stolen, chances are, she probably didn't remember what he had told her back in the Ruins either. She didn't know about Frisk. Fearia probably thought her beloved big sister was still up on the Surface stuck in that awful village.
Smile softening sympathetically, Sans rubbed the small child's back as he gave her some calm words of reassurance. "it's alright. everything's gonna be just fine, kid. you don't gotta worry about a thing."
"No it won't..." Fearia sniffled miserably as she buried her face into her friend's soft clean sweater. "Everything's ruined... I didn't make it back in time, and now Frisk is going to be sent away to Fugue and I'll never get to see her again! She'll be gone forever!"
"Fugue..?" Papyrus asked as he cocked his skull in confusion. Now he was totally confused. What in the world was she talking about? "Is That A Place On The Surface? Why Would Your Sister Be Sent There?"
"Because that's where Troven lives..." Fearia replied, not even bothering to hide the displeasure in her voice.
"and... who's troven?" Sans asked, lifting an eyebrow bone in question. Having heard most of the kid's story, he felt he already had a pretty good idea as to who this Troven person was, but he still wanted to know. Perhaps it was just morbid curiosity on his part.
"He's the man who was chosen to be Frisk's fiance..." Fearia revealed glumly. "She doesn't even like him, but Father doesn't care. He's forcing her to marry him anyway as part of a peace treaty... It's just not fair..." The small child lamented as she curled her fingers into the dark fabric of her friend's soft sweater. "I was supposed to save her, but I spent an entire week sleeping! Now I'm all out of time..."
"maybe not." Sans said, his expression brightening just a little as his eye lights wandered off to the side. "something tells me that you might have more time than you think, kid."
"Didn't You Say You Had Until The Next Full Moon?" Papyrus asked as he tried to be of help in this dilemma. "That Happens At The End Of Each Month, Right? So, That Means You Have At Least Four Whole Days Left!"
"not quite, bro, but you're on the right track." Sans said as he carefully retrieved his cracked cell phone. "just so happens, i've actually got an app that can tell us exactly when the next full moon will occur."
"Really..?" Fearia asked as she finally loosened her grip. Reluctantly pulling away, she sat back in the skeleton's softly padded arms so that she could watch what he was doing. Honestly, she had no clue what an "app" was but she trusted that her friend knew what he was talking about. "What does it say?"
"welp, according to this," Sans started as he held his phone out for both his brother, and the tiny human to view. "you've got exactly 2 days and 17 hours left until the next full moon."
Letting out a small gasp, Fearia brought a hand to her mouth. She could hardly believe her ears! "That's almost three days... I still have time!" she exclaimed in excitement. "I still have time to save Frisk!"
"That Is Wonderful News." Papyrus replied, though there was now a bit of hesitancy in his voice. Smile turning slightly nervous, he tried to quell the rising unease bubbling up inside of him. "But... How Are You Going To Do That...?"
"Well..." The little girl started as she fell into thought. "If I can get back up to the Surface, then I might be able to return to Fauna before the next full moon. Then..."
"wasn't there something that you were supposed to bring back with you?" Sans asked as he calmly watched the tiny human.
Brow furrowing slightly, Fearia unconsciously nibbled at one of her nails as she fell into thought. He was right. She couldn't just return to Fauna empty handed... That would be way too dangerous. "Do you think the King would let me barrow one of his DeltaRunes if I ask him real politely?"
Eye lights drifting away, Sans privately smirked at the idea. "eh, who knows, kid. it might work... but, you know..." he continued as he drew his focus back to the small child. "i actually found something even better than a deltarune."
"You did?" Fearia asked in amazement. As far as she knew, there wasn't anything better than a DeltaRune. Whatever this item was, it must be truly impressive. "What is it? Can I see?"
Giving a lazy shrug in reply, Sans easily agreed as his smile turned slightly mischievous. "sure. i'll show you. but only on one condition."
"What?" Fearia asked, a small frown appearing on her face. Why did there always have to be a catch?
"you gotta hold off on trying to get back up to the surface - at least until tomorrow." Sans negotiated. "it's getting kinda late today, kid, and my bones are tired. so let's just save that talk for when we've all had a good night's rest. deal?"
Looking away for a brief moment, the little girl considered the terms carefully before following it up with her own proposal. "Okay... deal." she agreed with a small nod. "But, only if you let me barrow it."
"heh. sure thing, kiddo." Sans grinned in amusement.
Smile brightening, the small child beamed up at her friend before throwing her arms around him again in a loving hug. "Thank you, Sans!"
Notably quiet throughout that exchange, Papyrus cast a doubtful look to his older brother. "Sans, I Don't Know About This..." Sure, he wanted the tiny human to be happy, and he understood how important her sister was to her, but... The thought of letting her go back to the Surface left an awful feeling in his nonexistent stomach. It just felt wrong. Perhaps it was a bit selfish of him, but he didn't want to see her go. Not now... Not after they had just gotten her back.
Smile softening sympathetically, Sans gave his little brother a look of reassurance. "it's going to be okay, papyrus." he comforted, trying to ease his brother's worries. "i know what you're thinking, but you just gotta trust me on this, bro. everything's gonna work out just fine."
"I Hope You're Right, Brother." Papyrus replied. Even though he still had his doubts, he also had an unwavering trust in his older brother. If Sans said it would be okay, then he truly wanted to believe that it would. He was still worried, though...
...
From inside the steam-filled bathroom, Frisk was blissfully unaware of the drama that had just occurred. Right now, she was completely focused on trying to get the last of the soap out of her hair. In hindsight, she probably shouldn't have used so much, and she did feel a bit guilty for using it without first asking, but... it felt so good to be clean! She honestly couldn't remember the last time she'd had a proper bath. It had been literal years! So... who could really fault her for indulging a little?
Finally rinsed clean of the floral scented soap, Frisk carefully turned the silver knobs to shut off the water flow. She still didn't quite understand how this "shower" thing worked, but she had to admit that it was something that she could easily become accustomed to. Even so... Frisk had to keep reminding herself that this was probably just a temporary living arrangement. As much as she appreciated Sans' kindness and hospitality, she didn't want to end up becoming a burden to him by overstaying her welcome.
Secretly, though, Frisk couldn't help but fantasize a little. If she and her little sister got to stay here, what would their lives be like? Truly, after spending most of her childhood living in fear, a peaceful life like this felt like a dream come true, but... she didn't want to get her hopes up too high. Chances are, life in the Underground might not be so simple, and she definitely didn't want to cause her new friend any more unnecessary trouble.
With a small sigh, Frisk put those thoughts to rest. That was an issue for another time, and she knew she'd have to cross that bridge when she came to it. For now, she was just happy that her baby sister was finally awake and safe once more. She was so unbelievably grateful for how things had turned out.
Curling her fingers around the pale yellow curtain, Frisk cautiously pulled the damp material to the side. With only a haze of steam there to greet her, the small bathroom was otherwise empty. She was alone.
Feeling a mixture of both relief and an odd sense of anxiety, Frisk carefully stepped out of the porcelain tub. Making her way over to the nearby closet, she picked a towel at random and wrapped it around herself. Even though the blue cloth was soft and fluffy to the touch, it still caused a painful twinge when it came into contact with her damaged seal. Now that it was thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, she needed to find a way to bandage it somehow before it got infected.
It really hurt...
With a subtle grimace, Frisk made her way over to the fogged up mirror. Wiping the condensation away, she lowered the towel in an attempt to view the damage. Reflecting back at her, a perfect circle of raw flesh could be seen. The sight of the nasty looking wound somehow made it hurt even more. No wonder she was in so much pain.
Letting out a silent whine, Frisk foolishly placed the tips of her fingers to the edge of the wound before quickly pulling away with a pained hiss. This was so much worse than she had thought. Her skin had quite literally been burned away in that one small area. She'd pushed her limits before, but never had she ever done so to the point where she had caused herself so much harm. Honestly... she was a little worried. Would she still be able to use her magic is this state?
Taking a moment to weigh the potential ramifications, Frisk wisely chose not to test it just yet. She just couldn't afford to cause herself anymore unnecessary damage. Her side was bad enough as it was. She didn't need to make it any worse by being foolish. Right now, the best thing that she could do was to go easy on her magic for a few days. If it was taken care of properly, the seal should mend itself all on its own. At least... she hoped it would. In order for that to happen, though, she needed to find a way to bandage it.
Unfortunately, therein lied a small problem. If she was going to get a bandage, she'd have to ask for one. As nice as Sans was, Frisk had no doubt that he'd be willing to provide her with what she needed, but... she really didn't want to draw attention to her seal! It was something that she kept hidden for a reason. If he saw it... then...
Mood sinking, Frisk glowered at the damaged seal for a brief moment before turning back around. Even though she could no longer see the runic symbols, the invisible shackles that bound her to the seal were still as oppressive as ever. If only there was some way that she could be rid of it. Of course, that was never going to happen. She knew that. It would always be there - a permanent reminder of what had happened on that awful day.
Shaking her head, Frisk tried to clear her mind as she turned away from her reflection in the mirror. This was no time to dwell on the past. She needed to focus on the present, and right now, she needed to get dressed.
Taking a few minutes to dry herself off as best she could, Frisk then knelt down beside her Mother's torn up tunic. Lifting the silky fabric from the floor, she felt a stab of guilt hit her as she surveyed the damage. Now covered in blood, and with the back thoroughly scorched, it only vaguely resembled what it used to.
This tunic was one of the last remaining possessions she still had from her Mother, and now it was utterly ruined. In retrospect, it probably wasn't the best idea to wear something special while attempting her escape. If she was being honest, it was really more of a statement than anything else. It wasn't practical at all. Still... how was she supposed to know that she'd be in a life or death battle against a ginormous flower monster?
Really. What were the odds of that?
Thankfully, though, with her magic, she could probably restore her mother's clothing to how she had found them when she had pulled them from the dusty drawer back in Fauna. All she needed to do was rewind the tunic's time back to around ten hours or so and it should be as good as...
Wait... She couldn't use her magic!
Letting the silky material slip from her fingers, Frisk paled slightly as she finally realized the predicament she was in. She had nothing to wear! All of the extra clothing and supplies that she had meticulously gathered for her journey were still stuffed inside the bag that she had unintentionally left sitting beside Fearia's... back up on the Surface!
Oh no...
This was bad! What was she going to do?
An anxious frown settled on the mute girl's features as she looked back down to her stained and tattered clothing. Well... Maybe if she just used a tiny bit of magic... Just a few hours would probably make a world of difference. They didn't have to be clean. They just had to be wearable...
Mind made up, Frisk took the dirty clothing and spread them out on the cool tiled floor. This was going to hurt and she knew it, but really, she couldn't think of any way around it. She couldn't just walk around naked, after all, she needed her clothes. Centering herself, Frisk released a slow breath as she held her hand out. Right when she was about to close her eyes, however, something caught her attention.
Huh?
Looking over to the closed door, a small bundle had been placed just inside the bathroom. What was that? Abandoning her efforts for the time being, the mute girl decided to investigate.
Quietly making her way over, Frisk crouched down beside the small assortment of wrinkled fabrics. Placed on top of the pile, a note had been left.
*sorry, darlin', i forgot to give these to you before. thought you might want something fresh to wear. i know they're not much, but at least they're clean.
ps. don't worry about your clothes. i figure they're probably pretty special to you, so we can get them fixed up if you want. paps is real good at sewing.*
A small smile appeared on the mute girl's face as she read the sloppy WingDings. Even though his penmanship wasn't the best, his message was perfectly clear. How very considerate of him. Honestly, it was a little strange, for such a simple act of kindness, she still found it so unexpected. Now that she understood him a little bit better, though, maybe it really wasn't so surprising. Sans was, undoubtably, a very generous person.
Thank you so much. Frisk thought silently with a smile as she collected the small bundle of clothing. Now she wouldn't have to use her magic. With that problem put to rest for the time being, the mute girl made her way back to the bathroom vanity.
Placing the clothes on the counter, she took a short moment to consider them before unfolding a pale lavender colored shirt from the top of the pile. It was baggy and slightly wrinkled. There was also a mysterious speckling of blue here and there, almost like that had been its original color at one point. Smirking, Frisk held back a silent giggle as she stared at the clothing. For some reason, it was all too obvious that this belonged to Sans.
Still, she couldn't help but feel a deep sense of gratitude. Sans was offering up his own clothing, after all. She was nothing if not grateful for his generosity.
Placing the damp towel aside, Frisk flushed slightly before hesitantly slipping into the loose fitting shirt. It felt weird to be wearing someone else's clothes - intimate almost. Even so, she couldn't deny that the soft fabric felt nice on her skin as she pulled it down to a little past her hips. It was longer than she had expected, but it still wasn't quite long enough to cover her properly. Good thing Sans had also volunteered a pair of his pants as well.
And they were his.
The broad stripe down both of the legs was a dead giveaway. However, curiously enough, the white color of the stripes was now slightly pink for some reason. Not all of it, though, just in patches. Seeing this, the color of the shirt made a lot more sense. If she had to take a guess, Frisk would wager an accident had occurred during the washing process.
Holding back a silent laugh, a small humored smile appeared on the mute girl's lips as she stared at the discoloration. Oh dear, she though privately.
Poor guy.
Aside from the odd color, the pants were actually a bit heavier than what she had seen him wearing. The fabric was notably thicker. They looked like they had been created more for warmth than simple casual wear. But, considering it was so cold outside, maybe this wasn't a bad thing.
After slipping into the pants and pulling the drawstring tight to keep them from sagging, Frisk was feeling nice and toasty. More importantly, though, she felt dressed. Sure, it was still a little weird to be wearing someone else's clothes, but she'd be lying if she said they weren't comfortable.
With a subtle smile, Frisk turned to observe herself in the mirror once more. If she was being honest, these clothes were still fairly curious, but they were so much softer than what she normally wore back in Fauna. The material wasn't scratchy at all, in fact, it felt really nice.
Gliding a hand over the pale purple fabric, Frisk unconsciously tried to smooth out a wrinkle or two before giving up completely. It would seem some things just couldn't be helped. Letting out a silent chuckle in spite of her effort, the mute girl finally turned away from the mirror.
Now that she was finally dressed, Frisk's attention turned, once again, to her mother's torn up tunic. The damage was truly extensive. Could Papyrus really fix it? If he could, she would be forever grateful. Before that, however, she should at least do the courteous thing and wash it beforehand. It was still so filthy.
Minutes ticked by, unnoticed, as Frisk painstakingly washed out all of the blood and grime from the once pristine article of clothing. It had taken her a bit of hard scrubbing, but now most of the stains were gone. All that was left were the rips and tears that randomly marred the silky fabric, along with the visibly blackened scorch marks on the back. It wasn't perfect, but she'd done all she could do for now. Carefully squeezing out the excess water from the damaged tunic, the mute girl jumped slightly when she heard a light tapping on the wooden door behind her.
"knock knock."
Hearing her friend's laid back voice, Frisked paused for a moment to look over her shoulder. She'd been so preoccupied with her task that she had somehow forgotten to consider the time. Had ten minutes already passed?
No... It's been way longer!
"sorry, hun. i know i'm a tiny bit late late. i got a little sidetracked." Sans apologized, his voice sounding ever so slightly guilty. "how was the shower? you all done in there, or.. do you need a few more minutes?"
Unable to verbally answer him, Frisk gave a small smile as she turned back around. She was done. Basically. Not wanting to keep him waiting much longer, though, she quickly squeezed the last of the water out of the torn tunic before getting back to her feet.
After draping the damp material over the side of the porcelain tub, the mute girl quietly made her way over to the closed door. Once there, she tentatively reached her hand out for the handle before pausing in hesitation. With a small frown, she instead lifted her hand before delivering a couple light knocks to the wood. Grimacing slightly, Frisk privately cursed her own shyness. Hopefully he wouldn't find that too weird.
With a good-natured chuckle, Sans easily replied without missing a beat. "heh. thanks for the response, darlin'. does that mean you're done?"
Relieved, but still a little embarrassed, Frisk gave a small smile as she knocked for a second time.
"great." The skeleton said, a touch of humor in his voice. "didja find the clothes that i left for you? i know they're probably a little too big, but that's all i can do for now. ...tibia honest, you can actually keep them if you want. i really don't mind."
Unconsciously curling her fingers into the soft fabric close to her chest, Frisk felt an unexpected warmth fill her. Was he serious? Not bothering to knock this time, the mute girl instead reached for the metal doorknob. Turning it, she quietly opened the door before shyly peering up at her friend. *I can keep these? Ae you sure?*
Staring down at the silent human, Sans felt his grin falter for a brief moment before softening into a smile. "yep, they're all yours, hun." he confirmed as his eye lights unconsciously drifted off to the side. "heh, i figured you might like purple. looks good on ya."
Not expecting the compliment, Frisk fidgeted slightly before an awkward smile appeared on her face. He had probably just said that out of courtesy, but even so, his words still managed to make her feel happy for some reason. Lifting her hand, she tapped her chin lightly as she graciously thanked him.
Catching the familiar action in his peripheral, the skeleton's expression seemed to brighten a bit as his eye lights were quickly drawn back to her face. "eh don't mention it." he grinned before lifting the small metal box he had been holding. "i, uh, actually brought some bandages. how's your side feelin'?"
Taking a quick glance at the box, Frisk's wound gave a painful twinge as if to remind her of its existence. In truth, she would have liked to keep her damaged seal a private matter, but it was obvious now that her friend had already seen the injury. He'd probably caught a glimpse of the wound earlier when she had been unconscious. Despite her misgivings on the matter, there was really no point in hiding it now. She could only hope that he wouldn't think any less of her because of it.
With a small wince, Frisk averted her gaze before lifting her hands again. Extending her pointer fingers out, she tapped them together twice before using her dominant hand. With her thumb and pointer finger, she brought them close as she silently mouthed out her reply. *Hurts a little.*
"yeh, i bet." Sans commiserated, giving a small sympathetic nod. "it looked pretty damn painful from what i saw."
Flushing slightly, Frisk continued to evade eye contact as she absentmindedly fiddled with the hem of her new baggy shirt.
Smile lessening a fraction, the skeleton tilted his skull slightly as he carefully studied the smaller human. She definitely looked uncomfortable. Maybe her side was hurting her more than she was letting on. Feeling a twinge of worry, the monster's smile went flat as he lowered the box. "hey, uh.. if it's really bothering you, i can take you straight to a healing star right now if you want. really, it's no trouble at all... how about it?" he asked, offering out a boney hand.
Looking to the skeletal appendage, Frisk's expression seemed to soften a little before she gave a small shake of her head. He really was so kind, but she didn't want to trouble him further. Reaching past his hand, she placed hers lightly onto the cool surface of the metal box. *This is fine.* she silently reassured.
"alright.." Sans replied, doubt underlying his words. "let's just get it patched up then. first thing tomorrow, though, i'm taking you to a star."
Nodding in agreement, Frisk smiled up at her friend. That was fair. Truthfully, she wasn't quite sure what he was talking about, but if he thought a star would help, then she was more than willing to give it a shot - tomorrow.
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I know this chapter seems like it ends abruptly, but that's just because it runs directly into the next one. Initially, this is just part one of a very large chapter. This is purely due to the fact that I was really struggling to write and this part of the story had to be rewritten dozens of times because it was just never good enough in my opinion.
...
In the next chapter, Fearia learns a new word! ..kinda?
Who am I kidding? The next chapter's pure fluff lol
xxx
Thanks for reading!
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Sheii Bae~