PATCHWORK SOUL - NEW MEDIUM

by Spark the Barkivist

DIRECT SEQUEL TO "PATCHWORK SOUL" — A few months later. A family of monsters and their little human kid try to start life anew beyond the confines of a giant mountain. Maybe they find something. Maybe they lose something. Time flows ever onwards, but sometimes it goes sideways, and it's heavier than they thought.

2. HELLO ANXIETY

HELLO ANXIETY CHAPTER 2:

---

Sans took Toriel to his regular spot at the bar and she huddled on what was usually Frisk's stool, though she was much too large.

"We could go to a booth," Sans suggested.

"No. No, this is fine." She rubbed her head. "My goodness."

Sans caught Grillby's eye and jerked his thumb at Toriel. He dipped his head slightly and moved to some taps.

"You, uh, wanna talk?" Sans said.

Toriel grimaced. She rubbed the brow of her snout. "Just had a little bit of a long day, that's all," she said quietly.

.

Grillby slid him a bottle of ketchup and he nodded his thanks. He popped the cap off with his thumb. It made a very satisfying sound.

"Pretty drainin' huh? Bit too much time with Asgore?"

"I… do not want to discuss him," she muttered.

Sans shrugged. Grillby clunked a foaming mug of amber liquid in front of Toriel. She looked surprised.

"I didn't even order yet," she said.

"Yeah, Grillbs is pretty good like that," Sans said with a wink.

"Hm. Thank you, Grillby," she said. She picked up the mug tentatively and took a sip. She paused, looked thoughtful, and then took another. "It's just…" She looked quickly up at the fire elemental. "It's very nice. Thank you." She turned her attention back on Sans, even though her gaze was lost in the golden liquid in her frosty mug. "Even though we're working together again, the history is… hard to overcome."

"Mhm."

"After all this time, I… I was so angry with him. Part of me still is, but I see Asriel with him again and it's like I'm back in time. But I can never forget. He did some things I can never forgive, even if I am able to move past it, to some degree." She sighed and tapped her claws against the glass. "But with these extra timelines, knowing that he killed my daughter, I just… It always brings it all back up again."

"Forgiveness is hard," Sans said, nodding, "especially when you cared so much."

"Yes. Exactly. Thank you," she said. "But sometimes I feel… like I am awful. Like I'm a horrible person for not being able to get over it."

"Why?" Sans asked.

"The bigger person would forgive. Wouldn't they?"

"Easy to say," Sans said with a shrug.

.

Toriel sighed. She downed the rest of her drink in one gulp and then held the mug tightly in her paws. Before either of them could say a word, Grillby gently slipped it away from her and offered her another. She stared at it for a few seconds and chuckled, gratefully taking it from him.

"I'm going to regret this tomorrow," she said. She shot Sans a worried look. "What would you do?"

"I dunno," he said. "I'm, uh, not some moral paragon, dude. It depends, y'know?"

"Hm." She knitted her fingers together and glowered at the wall across the back of the bar. It may have began to smoke. She took a deep breath and settled back. "There has been far too much death here, my child."

"I know," he said. He drummed his fingers on the counter. "Guilty."

"I am as well," she said. "But you took care of Frisk, even back before you knew her well, did you not? Asgore would have killed her. Asgore did kill her. By the grace of luck, she was unable to die. Or else sh-she… she would have been the seventh. And that would have been that." She winced. She wiped her eyes, and then laughed at herself. "I'm sorry. The thought is… painful."

"Not great," he agreed.

"You know. This will sound awful. But, I did not care about the barrier by then," she said. "I… I hoped Asgore would never get the seventh. I did not want to inflict that power on humanity, no matter what they'd done. I can't subscribe to that method of thought: that they were all worthy of punishment for what happened to our children. Even after all of that, my second child was still a human. No matter if she hated the world she came from, I could not hate a world that gave her to us."

.

Sans nodded. He looked thoughtful and then nudged her gently with his elbow. "Guess we're kinda the same like that. Couldn't care less about some grudge with humans at the time. Which, you know, felt kind of crap, in a way, because of people fallin'. But. I was kinda caught up with the whole tryin' to stop the world from gettin' wrecked thing, I didn't have the energy to worry about that, too. Hm. Sounds kinda bad when I say it like that."

"No. No, not at all," Toriel said, shaking her head. "Tell me, then. Did you know…? Did you know that driving force was… Chara?"

"I knew there was ghost in the ruins," Sans said. "Human ghost. Tried to get these anomalies to do bad stuff. Didn't really get it all the way until Frisk told me about her, and then after I saw into her mind, well… then I really got a bigger picture."

.

Toriel shook her head. "I… I can still hardly believe my little girl had such rage in her."

"Welp. To be fair. Human ghosts do some weird crap. Not a whole lot of experience with it, obviously, but I did a bit of readin' since we hit topside. Seems like whatever they died with, it gets kinda amplified if they take the spook-route. And I guess she was pissed enough to try to end the world. Over and over," Sans said. "Lucky for me her memories were contained per anomaly. Their determination is what would make her active again, but on her own, she didn't have any. Or else none of this would be here, I think. She wouldda had me memorized a long, long time ago." His brow furrowed. "Can't say I'm sorry I did what I did, but I am about the way it all went. "

"I know," she said quietly. "I wish… I wish I could understand." She shook her head. "What could we have done different?"

"Nothin'. She was kinda messed up before you ever got her. At least that's how Frisk put it," Sans said. "If it helps. You guys were the one thing she cared about."

"It does, a bit. Thank you." She took a small gulp of her second drink and rested her ear on her fist. "You really had to fight them, didn't you? The ones that she…? There was no other way?"

"I tried other ways. Believe me," he said.

"So why did you not simply destroy every child who came through the door?" she wondered. "There were… There were six. Before Frisk. I guess that does not count those other time children I do not remember, however."

.

He drummed his fingertips on the bar. "You know, I was too young to run into one through five. The other time ones, they weren't all a hundred-percent bad. I, uh, honestly got nothin' against humans overall, y'know? And I knew I was waitin' for Frisk what feels like a million years before I met her. Wasn't totally sure what she looked like, just knew… a situation. Saw it. And a feeling, maybe. It was her second time back. Thankin' me for savin' her after she got booted through the barrier."

"Hah. I'm sorry, hun, I sometimes forget how young you are. So what did you do?" she asked. "When you did find her?"

"Oof. Uh. Fell over. Cried a bit. She hugged me, the dork." He laughed and took a quick swig of ketchup. "I could hardly believe it. She asked me if she could stay as if I might actually say no, and that completely messed me up. Said she loved me. Of all the people she couldda picked…" He couldn't help his eye from glowing faintly. "Messed me up even more."

Toriel chuckled. "I suppose that's fair. She chose her guardian very well."

Sans scoffed and took a drink, but the blue on his cheekbones was enough to make Toriel smile fondly.

.

"You're… You're right. They won't find anything," Toriel said, nodding to herself. "And you'll protect her. Of course. But are you sure I shouldn't—?"

"Look, worst thing you can do is change your plans because of this," Sans said. "She already feels like she's derailin' everything, which, I mean, is nuts, but that's just how she is."

"She doesn't need to take everything on her shoulders," Toriel said with a sigh.

"Yeah, we're still workin' on that a bit. Guilt's always a heavy thing for a soul to carry, and she's pretty small, y'know?"

"Alright. If you're sure."

He stuck his thumb up.

.

Toriel nodded and carefully sipped from her glass. She looked him up and down, a melancholy weight in the furrow of her brow. "Sans. You… You've had a rough life, haven't you?"

"Eh. Not bad," he said.

"Bullshit," she said.

Sans stared and then burst out laughing. She chuckled, too.

"Whoops," she said, looking into her drink. "How strong is this?"

"As strong as you want it," Sans joked.

"Hah. So it's my own fault." She snickered and shook her head. "Oh my. Just. You'd tell me if you were having troubles, weren't you? If there's any undue stress?"

"Nah, don't worry. It's pretty much perfect now," he said. "You know, except this thing, but it'll be over in like two days, so…"

.

"I wish I had understood earlier," she admitted. "Do you remember when we first met?"

"Course I do," he said. He shot her a grin. "You were such a mom."

"Pfff. Well. I certainly am one," she said. "I remember. I heard this sound. I thought someone was crying, but—"

"I was just laughin' at some crappy book."

"It was hard to tell through all that stone!" she said with a laugh. "You'd just moved to town, right?"

"Nah, that was a few years before. I was still a teenager," he said. "Was doin' some dumb science thing. Or, technically, takin' a break from some dumb science thing."

"Was it really that long ago?" She pouted slightly. "God. I'm just… Sometimes I feel like I'm made up of a never-ending series of bad choices."

"Who isn't?" he said.

"I'm serious," she said, her ears pinning back and her face drooping a little. "If I wasn't such a coward, I would have kicked down my seal on that bloody door and taken you and Papyrus the second I realized you didn't have a mother."

"That's sweet of you, Tori," he said, "but don't worry about it."

"And I would have been a better judge of character. Tell me. In these… In these other timelines, you call them? These other children who time travel, before Frisk, what would they do? Did I just let them all out willy-nilly, even the murderers?"

"Nah. Most of those ones killed you."

"What? No." She raised her brows. "You're… serious, aren't you? …My god."

"I know, right?" he said. "Goddamn mess is what that was."

"Did I…? Did I used to remember that?" she asked quietly. "You know. Before?"

"No. You'd still only have Frisk's timelines," he said. "I mean, there's always a little bleed after so many times, but… nah, don't think you did."

"That's a relief," she said quietly. "But… have you died many times?"

"Sure."

"You… remember all that, then?" she said.

"I do, yeah."

"And Papyrus?" she pressed.

"Oof. Now, see, that's kinda my sore spot," he admitted with a wink. He tipped some ketchup into his mouth and then settled the bottle, looking off with a joyless smile and tired eyes. "He… remembers more than I'd like. But not much."

"I understand," she said.

.

She finished the mug and waved for another. Sans laughed.

"Doin' okay?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine," she assured him. She smiled warmly at Grillby as he brought her a third mug of the bubbling amber liquid. "Thank you, old friend. It's very good."

He seemed pleased. He held her hand for just a moment and then slid away. Toriel sipped this next one a little more gingerly.

"Thank you for bringing me out. I think I needed this. I feel like I can talk to you about anything. I hope that's not too much pressure. Let me know the second I'm overloading onto you," she said with a bashful smile.

"Chill. We're just talkin'. Good to get it out sometimes, y'know?"

"I guess, it's just… Everything. And on top of that, seeing Asgore. It's hard, sometimes," she said admitted. "Harder than I thought. I was hoping, after all this time… But still. When I see him. Even though Asriel is here, and he's safe, I see my son die."

"I know," Sans said.

"And I see that rage on his face. It didn't look like him anymore. I… guess I probably didn't look like myself for a long time after, either. But when he decided to gather the souls and destroy humanity, I thought… I knew he was talking from a place of grief. And our people were grieving, they needed to hear it." She put a hand to her brow and leaned over the bar with a sad sigh. "My children were their hope. They thought Chara was the angel from the surface to save us, and when we lost her, it was like the humans had stolen every light from our world. But… when that next human fell. I found him in the Ruins. I nursed him back to health. I sent him to Asgore. And he killed him. That's when I knew he was serious. That little boy trusted me. And the man I thought I loved killed him. I could not forgive that. Maybe…" She growled, showing fang. "And maybe I don't want to."

"Got it," Sans said. "Not sure I could either."

.

Toriel snorted. Her brow furrowed. "I… I'm not sure that I can forgive myself. But. Still. With that soul, with that single sacrifice, no matter how much I abhorred the circumstances, Asgore could have bonded with it and left the mountain. He wouldn't have had to kill if he was patient. He could have had the souls in a matter of days. I tried to tell him. But he was a coward. And… I suppose I was, too. I am certainly not blameless. I could have done it. But I couldn't bear to face that soul. Does that sound crazy?"

"No," Sans said. "Not really."

"Really?" Her voice was unsteady.

"Fusin' with a human soul… I dunno. Couldn't imagine it if it wasn't Frisk," he said. "For it to work right, it's gotta be someone you trust with everything you are. Because you get everything, and so do they. And if that soul doesn't want you touchin' it, you're not gonna get too far for too long unless you can beat it down with determination, seems like."

"I guess you'd know better than almost anyone, wouldn't you?" she said.

"Yeah. So. Guess I don't blame you," he said.

"Hah, thank you, sweetie," she said quietly. "Even if you are humouring me."

"Hey, takes a certain type of dope to find the humour in that, huh?" Sans said.

.

Toriel snorted and smiled fondly. She gently patted his skull. "I love you, Sans."

"Thanks, Tori, love you, too," he said.

She snickered and leaned her cheek on her fist. "You know, in all my years, I've never met someone as… solid as you. I'm glad. I'm proud to call you my family. I… may not be your real mother, but know that I think of you as my son. I hope that's alright with you."

"Ah… Jeez, Tori, you're makin' me blush," he said, grinning bashfully. "I, uh… I appreciate that."

"I'm glad we could all be a family," she said. "Having a bustling house again… It's really a blessing. The fact that I can say I have four children— that I've had five. Even having an extra step-child, in a fashion… It's makes me feel like I'm alive again."

"That's good," he said. "Yeah. S'weird. Never expected it to end like this. Not that I'm complainin'. This sorta thing was way too hopeful for me. But, this? Like last time, plus Az? Really dig it, actually."

Toriel beamed. "I'm so glad you two get along, after what he told me."

He snickered. "Yeah. Me too. Turned out he was a pretty good kid, huh? Who'da thunk?"

.

Toriel smiled warmly. She nursed her drink for a little while longer. "…I'm sorry if you hate to hear this, but I do miss Chara dearly."

"Don't hate to hear it at all. We knew different people," he said.

She sighed and rested her cheek in her hand tiredly. "Damn," she mumbled, smiling dryly at herself. "I still have to take that trip tomorrow, don't I?"

"Tried to warn you," he said gently.

"Please don't tell the kids," she said.

"I won't. But Frisk'll know."

"Ugh. She's just like you," Toriel said with a laugh. "Can't hide a thing, can I?"

"Shouldn't bother, anyway, it's alright to not be perfect," he said.

"They're too young to know about things like this," she joked. "I haven't had a drink like this since before Asriel was born."

"You're allowed once in a while." He winked. "I'm alright with attemptin' to, uh, actually be an adult for a bit while you take a nap or somethin', you know?"

She sat up and hugged him, pressing her soft snout against his head. "Thank you for listening, Sans," she said. "And. For saying what I needed."

"Hey. Anytime," he said with a wink.

xXxXx

Sans woke up in the morning, sprawled out on a messy blanket pile on the floor of the kids' room, to the feeling of cloth rubbing on his skull. "What the heck, kiddo?" he asked quietly, groggily opening one eye.

The kid was blotting his brow ridge with a napkin. She laughed. "Sorry. I was bringing you food and I totally spilled stuff on you." She pulled it away; there was red on it. "There."

.

He sat up, rubbing the back of his skull, and Frisk passed him a plate of pancakes with ketchup on top. "What's the occasion?"

"Mom got up and cooked kinda early, but now she's not feeling super well," she said. "I think she's really worried. Bad night, right?"

"Eh. She needed to get some stuff off her chest." He tried the pancakes and then nodded.

Frisk smiled. "Wanna try mine? Mom made a butterscotch syrup, too. It's pretty great."

"Sure. Trade?"

Frisk winced, and then laughed. "You know what? Okay. Trade."

They swapped a piece.

"You're right, that's pretty great," he said.

The kid cautiously tried the ketchup one. She looked at it and then laughed. "It's not that bad!" she said. "It'd be good with a hotdog on it."

.

Sans smiled fondly. "You sleep okay?"

"No," she said.

"Same one?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "It's… It probably won't happen. Right? I mean. It's just a thing that might happen, right? If I caught it early, I could stop it?"

"Sure," Sans said.

"Okay…" She pouted. "And I dreamt about the CORE, too. It was too hot, I don't like it."

Sans laughed and patted her shoulder. "Jeez, kid, catch a break, will ya?"

"I want to!" she protested. "I… I really want to. Jeez."

"Jeez," Sans said.

"JEEZ!" She laughed and rubbed her face. "Ugh, I'm a meeeesssss."

"What else is new?" he said.

.

He ate a little more pancake. It was pretty good. "Hey, uh… How 'bout Az?"

"He's not bad, I think." She nudged him with her elbow. "He's almost as bad as you about trying to hide it from everyone, though, so maybe you guys can bond over it or something."

"Yeesh, pointed, huh?" he teased.

"It's not that sharp, is it?" She looked down at her arm.

Sans snickered and she lit right up.

.

On the way downstairs, Frisk lazily slid down the banister and flopped onto the floor, where Sans appeared to pull her upright with one hand, balancing their dishes on top of his head without much care. Asriel scoffed and waved from where he leaned back over the arm, kicking his paws up. Toriel was at the table, head on her fist as she ate very, very slowly. Papyrus was bringing her a mug filled with coffee. He noticed his siblings right away.

"Good morning, lazy bones!" he said, whisking the hat of dirty plates away from his brother. "I am making tea, would you like some? Frisk?"

"Sure, bro, thanks,"

"Yes please!" Frisk said.

Papyrus grinned and bounded back into the kitchen.

.

Frisk went to sit down with Asriel. There was a loud clatter of mugs from the kitchen. Toriel winced. Sans's grin turned sympathetic and he shifted to sit on the table beside her. She jumped a little.

"Oh! Sans. Sweetie. Hello," she said.

"Hey, Tori," he said. "Thought I could give you a hand. Looks like you need two, actually."

.

He rubbed his hands together and his bones crackled with blue sparks. He put his fingers to her temples. She stared back at him with surprise. The blue magic seeped through her fur and, after a moment, the skeleton pulled his hands back and shook them out.

"There, that should be a little better," he said.

She smiled and cupped his face. "What would I do without you?" she said with a laugh.

"Have to sit through a big dumb headache, that's for sure," he said.

.

"WHAT?! Mom, did you really?!" Papyrus demanded. "Nyeh! You said you were just tired!"

"Well…" She smiled sheepishly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Ugh, you should not fib about things like that," Papyrus insisted. He carried three mugs of tea in two hands and began to pass them out. "How can we be expected to help you if you are not honest about your feelings?"

"Sweetheart, I… Hah. You know, I do not wish to trouble you all," she said. "That's all."

"Pffft, mom, c'mon," Asriel scoffed.

"If you can't trouble us, who can you trouble?" Frisk joked. "Seriously, we're like a big pile of dumb emotional problems and junk. I mean, except Papyrus."

"This is true," Papyrus said. "I'm as stable as they come!"

"So! I mean. You're not alone, I guess is my point. Right?" She looked at Sans and Asriel. "I mean. Even if we don't always get it, we're good listeners, right?"

"Yeah, I mean, check out these ears!" Asriel said.

.

Toriel chuckled quietly and wiped under her eyes with her thumbs. She kissed Sans on the head, and then got to her feet. She gave Papyrus a hug and a kiss, too, and then scooped up both kids and snuggled them close.

"Thank you," she said, plopping back onto the couch with the two of them held snuggly against her. "I needed to hear that." She sighed and nuzzled her snout against Asriel's head. "I'll miss you all this weekend."

"Would you like someone to come with you?" Papyrus asked.

Toriel chuckled. "Sweetie, that's such a nice thought. I'll be alright. You'd all find it terribly boring," she said. "Besides. You should be home with Frisk."

"I'm gonna be fine," Frisk said.

"Yes! Yes. Of course. But I'll stay," Papyrus said. "I would love to walk you to the bus stop, though!"

"I would like that," she said. "I suppose I'll go pack. Frisk? Would you come with me?"

.

Frisk suspected the reason. She nodded and followed her mother up into Sans's temporarily Toriel-compatible room. The woman was silent for a few seconds as she headed for a case she'd already laid on her large, pristinely made bed that took up most of where Sans's stuff used to be. The trash tornado still spun in the corner, though. Toriel liked the breeze and she'd added a couple herbs to the mess to make a pleasant smell.

.

Frisk watched her mother slowly pack away a few items of clothing. The fur on the back of her head was bristling. She waited for her to speak. It felt like a long time.

"Frisk," she said. "Please. Listen closely? Save tomorrow morning, and have that be your last one until the human leaves the underground entirely, alright?"

"Oh, um, okay," Frisk said.

"That way," she said, turning back to her with a smile, "you can tell me if something goes wrong and I should have enough time to return to you before it does again."

"Okay. Thanks," she said.

"Honestly." Toriel grabbed her shoulders gently. "It's just some silly conference."

"But… I dunno. You seem to always have a lot of fun at those," Frisk said sheepishly.

"Honey," her mother chided.

Frisk shrugged. Toriel sighed, dropped down to her knees and pulled her into her arms, gently nuzzling her head.

"Be careful, alright? And call me afterwards. And… And, listen. I know that normally, honesty is the best policy, but if there's anything you don't want to say for any reason—"

"Mom, are you telling me to lie?" Frisk joked.

"Well, I mean…"

The kid laughed. "It's okay. I know. I won't tell her about the time travel or how I keep getting killed by stuff or how I helped break the barrier. I know when not to say a thing."

Toriel chucked, shook her head, and smooched her gently on the brow. "Oh, Frisk. I know. You're very clever."

"Sometimes," she said with a shrug.

.

"And, Papyrus," Toriel said, raising her voice, "you can come in, dear."

"Ah!" The door creaked open and the skeleton peeked in with a bashful smile on his face. "I just wanted to… um… H-Help you pack! Yes! Um. I wasn't… worried or anything. Nyeh heh… heh."

"I would love the help," she said.

"Ah! Great! Because I am great! At! Helping!" he said brightly.

Toriel chuckled and pointedly turned her back on them, busying herself with nothing. The concern showed on the skeleton's face instantly and he bent down to hug his little sister warmly. He glowed. She giggled. No matter what, he was always a comfort.

xXxXx

As Toriel prepared to leave, Frisk did, too, opting to try school with Asriel this morning instead of sitting in and stewing. The goat boy shoved a couple books into his bag and Frisk copied him lethargically. She didn't really want to go. It made her feel nauseous. But, it would be good to see Kid.

.

They said goodbye to their mom before heading back down the stairs. Sans caught them from the corner of his eye as he lay back, half asleep on the couch. He sat up slightly and shot Frisk a puzzled look.

"You're goin'?" he asked.

"I'm gonna try," she said, heading over to give him a good-bye hug. "I kinda got the shakes, though, so I'll probably come home at lunchtime."

"Cool." He gently bonked his head on hers. "Good luck, huh?"

"I'll take care of her," Asriel said.

She grinned and stood on her toes to kiss Sans's cheek. She put her bookbag over her shoulder and Papyrus bent and held her hands.

"Remember! If you get into trouble! Just call us! And also remember! Both of you!" He grinned and formed his hands into a heart. "I love you!"

Frisk giggled and gave him a tight hug. He squished her close and reached over and pulled Asriel in, too.

"Nyeh heh heh! Have a great day!" Papyrus said. "And I'll see you tonight!"

.

With the kids out the door, Papyrus delved into the kitchen to begin preparing some travel snacks for Toriel. Sans kicked his feet up on the couch.

"Brother! Can yoooou bring me mom's handbag?" Papyrus called.

Sans slumped into the cushions. He felt like he'd only been there a second. "I dunno, where is it?"

"Near the door! As always! Check under her coat."

Sans grumbled, rolled onto the floor, and made his way to the coats. After a moment of digging, he found it where Papyrus had suggested, and he brought it over and plopped it on the counter.

.

Papyrus had a few small plastic containers packed full of pasta and was just finishing putting a sandwich together and wrapping it in a paper sheet. "Do you think she'd like one of those weird sodas? No?"

"Eh. I dunno. You got her some of that conversion powder in there?" he asked.

"Yes! Enough for about a week. And seeing as she's gone for just two days, that should be fine. Right? Yes." Papyrus paused and his brow furrowed. "Oh."

"What?"

"She's going to be gone for two whole days," he said. "Oh no, I'm going to miss her."

Sans smiled and held in a laugh. "Just text her the whole time. It's just a teacher's conference, I'm sure there'll be breaks."

"Yes! You're right! Of course," he said.

Sans stuck his thumbs up. Papyrus sighed.

"The house is going to be so quiet this weekend!" he said.

"That's okay," Sans said.

"Yes, I guess so." He smiled. "I guess a relaxing weekend of puzzles and cooking and TV would not be all that bad. You know. After the weird human lady goes home."

.

He packed away the food in Toriel's bag along with some cutlery and napkins. He made a face, paced for a moment, and then scoffed and added a can of pop. Just in case, surely. "Sans, you're sure there's nothing to worry about, right?"

"Yup," he said.

"Super duper super sure?" Papyrus squinted suspiciously at him.

"Yup," Sans said again.

"Ooookay."

.

Papyrus perked up to the sound of paws coming down the stairs. He grabbed the bag and pranced out to meet her.

"Oh! Papyrus!" She was toting some luggage with her and she smiled when she saw him. "Is that my bag?"

"Yes! I've filled it with food!" he said brightly.

"That's lovely," she said as she took it from him. She put it over her shoulder and then whisked her larger bag of essentials away into the box of her phone before stashing it away in her purse. "Thank you so much, hun. Guess I should be on my way."

.

Sans shifted to behind her and patted her arm. She jumped with surprise, but began to laugh almost right away. He grinned.

"Keep your phone on, huh?" he said. "Let Frisk know if you need a save."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. I know how to handle myself around humans." She bent and gave him a hug. "You will look after them, won't you?"

"I'll keep an eye socket out," he said.

She smiled and booped her snout against the top of his skull, and then straightened up. She turned to Papyrus and smiled. "Shall we?" she asked.

"We shall!" He grinned and puffed out his chest. "Hold down the fort, brother! Don't total the place while I'm gone!"

Sans stuck his thumbs up.

.

Toriel put on her coat, Papyrus threw on his new purple sweater, and they headed out into the blustering Snowdin morning. The calm quiet was a little jarring so suddenly. Sans plopped onto the couch and folded his arms behind his head. Alone. It felt a little weird. He fished his phone out of the couch near where the remote lived, and turned it on. He scrolled through Alphys's recent posts on UnderNet. There were a lot of photos of Mettaton's party from the night before. Nice, but not totally interesting. He could see that Frisk was online. Must've had her phone out in class. He smiled faintly.

"hi" he sent.

She replied with a text heart. It was exactly what he needed.

.

He covered his eyes with his arm and lay back. He was sure he fell asleep for a little bit. He woke to the sound of footsteps clunking by outside. Didn't seem to be anything, though. He stayed where he was for a while. But, maybe, he needed a little something. He rolled to his feet slowly and ambled to the kitchen. He put the kettle on and pulled out the box of hot chocolate mix.

.

Just as the water had finished bubbling, the front door opened. Sans felt a little pull of excitement for a moment before he realized it was odd. When he turned, he saw Frisk kicking off her shoes and ditching her hoodie on the floor. She had something different about her face. A dark bruise on her cheek. She smiled bashfully when she caught his eye.

"You're home early," Sans said. "Sup with your face, kiddo?"

"Oh. Yeeeeah, I got sent home," she said. "Got in a fight."

"You got in a fight?" Sans raised a brow. "Uh-huh."

"Well… It was kinda more like I put my face in between a small kid and a bigger kid's fist?"

"Oh." Sans held in a laugh and came closer. "Gotcha." He cupped her face, and his magic flared blue in his palm. He tilted his head as the dark spot on her skin faded a bit. "I think it's… okay?"

.

He pulled his hand back. Frisk poked her cheek. She grinned and nodded.

"Thanks a bunch," she said.

"So you in trouble?" he said. "Need me to make somethin' up?"

She shook her head. "Nah, don't worry about it."

"Welp," he said, "want a drink?"

"Yes please," she said.

.

He headed back to the kitchen and Frisk tossed her book bag across the room and flopped on the sofa. No sooner than she had gotten comfy, though, did the front door open again. Asriel strode in, looking rather pleased with himself despite his disheveled fur and a tear in his jacket.

"Howdy, sis," he said. "Soooo guess who just got suspended?"

"Oh jeez, what'd you do?" She got up and grabbed him by the shoulders worriedly.

"Oh nothin', just melted some kid's hat." He grinned. "I know, I know, you don't like fighting, but I figured, you get sent home for fighting without actually throwing a punch, I might as well make up for it."

"Well. I appreciate the thought," she said with a laugh, "but don't fight though, okay?"

"Okay, okay." He gave her a hug. "You alright?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Good. Or else I'd go back there."

"Az," she chided.

.

"Ooh, watch out, we got a tough guy over here," Sans said from the kitchen.

Asriel froze up and his ears went back. "Oh. H-Hey, Sans, um…"

"Chill out," Sans said. "Want some hot chocolate?"

"Y… Yeah. Thanks, dude," he said. "Don't tell mom?"

"Don't tell mom what?" Sans said.

Asriel smiled. "You're the best."

.

Frisk snickered and brushed some of the dirt out of his fur, and then smooched his snout. She plopped back onto the sofa lazily and he yawned widely. Asriel huffed, blowing a little flame out of his mouth.

"All fired up, huh?" Frisk asked.

"Pfff. I guess. I mean. It's fun. When nobody gets hurt." He grinned. "Mostly. Yo. Sans?" He stretched his arms out, cracking his knuckles. "When I get back, wanna fight me again? I mean, uh, like a training battle, right?"

"Nah."

Asriel groaned. "Come on. I still need to beat you!"

The skeleton chuckled. "Welp. You can try."

"So is that a yes?" he insisted. "Come on, Papyrus lets me fight him all the time."

"Nah."

.

Frisk snickered as the boy pouted. He folded his arms tight and tapped his paw on the carpet, then his expression shifted into a sly grin.

"Bet you're just afraid I'll win this time," he said.

Sans chuckled. "Doubt it."

"I'm the strongest monster, though," he said.

"Doesn't matter. Know why?" Sans said. He was suddenly leaning up on the doorframe and, with a flash of blue in his eye, two huge, draconic skulls boxed the kid in, toothy maws agape.

"Ah jeez!" Asriel protested. He stumbled back and bumped into the snout of one. He grabbed onto it as the other nudged him gently sideways and snorted a faint, blue fog at him.

"Here's, uh, a hint; might be a little on the nose," Sans said, grinning. "Don't waste time sniffin' around."

"Aw, c'mon," the boy protested, though he grinned sideways. "I'm not bad, y'know."

"Nah. Not bad," Sans agreed. He snapped his fingers and the massive Blasters vanished in gentle, blue sparks. "Little too preoccupied with lookin' cool, though." He vanished from his spot again.

"What's wrong with looking cool?" Asriel called.

"Nothin," Sans said with a laugh from the kitchen.

.

Asriel frowned, sighed, and dropped down onto the couch beside Frisk. She shot him an amused smile.

"What?" he said.

"I think he just means… you know, open big," she said.

"I guess," Asriel said reluctantly. "But I dunno, sometimes it's fun to build into it and then—"

"Drop star meteors on their head," Frisk said with a grin.

"Pffff! You're not salty about that, are you?" he asked.

"Nah." She grabbed his face under his ears and flopped them around playfully. "I still won."

"Baaaah, only 'cause you're an anime protagonist or some junk!" he joked.

She snickered and smiled at him fondly. His face flushed and, masking it with a grin, he mussed up her hair. She squeaked and laughed, and then grabbed him in a lazy hug under his arms. His eyes widened, soul thrumming with a little ting of surprise. He hugged his sister in return and felt warm under his fur. He rested his chin on her head. He had to pull himself away, though, or he might give up leaving entirely.

.

"So, I'm thinkin'," he said bashfully, "maybe I, uh, get outta your hair early, a little? So I'm not so tempted to just stay and glare at the human when they show up. Would that be okay?"

"Yeah, of course, you don't gotta ask," Frisk said.

"Just in case you'd, I dunno…" he said. "Would you rather I stayed?"

She shook her head. "You had plans."

He smiled and tented his fingers. "I mean, I don't super like being away from you guys anyway, but—"

"Dude, you don't gotta explain. Being with your dad is super important," Frisk said. "We're just a text away if something goes weird anyway."

"But are you sure?"

"Stop asking me if I'm sure!" She playfully tossed a pillow at him. "Besides, I really don't want to interrupt what you're doing."

"I don't care though," he said.

"But I do!" she said with a laugh. "Don't worry. You'll probably see whoever it is first anyway, right? You can text me and tell me how much of a dumb baby I should pretend to be."

"Right, right, you do look, like, four," Asriel teased.

.

Frisk groaned and rubbed her face, but she laughed, too. He snickered and tilted his head back. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, and then shot her a questioning look. She stuck both thumbs up. He sighed.

"What's the guy in your dream look like again?" he asked.

"It won't be him, it's gonna be the Ambassador, and she's a lady," she said.

"Yeah but still," he said.

"I dunno. He's, like… big, and pale-skinned with no hair, I guess," she said. "I don't know much else, it was kinda a blur and the air was kinda… dusty."

"You just really can't catch a break, huh?" he said.

"It'll… " She folded her arms and sighed. "It'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Have a good time."

"Alright," he said, albeit a little reluctantly. "Guess it's not a terrible idea to play look-out. Think I'll pack."

"Want some help?" she asked.

"Thanks but naw, won't take long," he said.

"Take this, first," Sans said. He came out of the kitchen with the mugs.

Asriel gratefully accepted one. "Thanks a lot, bro."

.

He scampered up the stairs, careful not to spill, and ducked into the bedroom. He slammed the door a little too hard and shouted an apology back to them. Sans strolled over to give Frisk her drink.

"Thanks," she said. "Needed this."

"I know." He sat on the couch and rubbed his eye socket with his palm. "Hey, uh, turn your head?"

She did. His brow furrowed and he cupped her cheek, pulsing careful blue until what remained of the bruising was gone. He pulled back and shook his hand out.

"There," he said.

Frisk grinned. "Thanks."

"Hm. Two rounds, not bad," he said.

"It's great!" she assured him. "I'm sure you'll get back to normal eventually."

"Heh. Maybe. I was never much of a healer anyway, but…" He shrugged. "It's helpful."

"Mhm!" She sipped her cocoa and grinned. "Thanks again."

He nodded and, after a lazy few seconds, he forced himself back up and ambled back towards the kitchen.

.

Frisk finished up her drink slowly and then lay down on the couch and stared at the ceiling. Her head felt a little fuzzy, still, but at least her cheek didn't hurt any more. Mom would inevitably find out. She hoped she wouldn't be too mad.

.

Frisk stretched out and was perfectly content to stay there. She closed her eyes. After a few minutes, there was a sort of sharp, insistent knock on the door. She rolled off the couch and onto the floor.

"I'll get it!" she called.

.

When she opened the front door, she was surprised not to see faces she she recognized, nor even the faces of monsters. There were three humans there. Her stomach dropped for just long enough to bring the nausea back before she realized that these were definitely not the people the humans had sent, nor the man she'd dreamt.

.

A man, a woman, and a kid— maybe her age, maybe a little older, filled their front step. The man and the kid were a bit darker than her, the woman a bit lighter. He had a pointy face and high cheekbones; looked inquisitive, but that might have just been the glasses. The woman had a rounder, friendly face with freckles on her nose and fluffy orange hair. The kid just seemed cold, with cheeks flushed ruddy even as he hid under a hood. They all had jackets, but probably not quite heavy enough. They looked just as surprised to see her as she was to see them.

.

"Oh! Hello, little girl! Are your parents home?" the woman asked.

Frisk tilted her head. She looked back into the house. "I don't think so. Um. Sans, mom left already, right?"

"Yuuup," he called back from somewhere.

Frisk shook her head, trying to hide a flinch at an odd popping sound behind her. "Is there something I can help you with? Or do you just need a grown-up? My brother's a grown-up."

The adults didn't get a chance to answer before their kid moved, curiously, a little closer to Frisk.

"You look a lot like a human," he said.

"Oh, that's not—" the man began quickly, but Frisk laughed.

"That's 'cause I am one," she said.

.

"Oh!" The man suddenly looked much more interested. "There were humans living here all this time?"

"No, just me," Frisk said.

"You live with monsters?" he pressed.

She nodded. His face lit up.

"Amazing," he said. "Sorry to seem so excited. I'm a historian from the University of—"

"Honey, she won't recognize the name if she's from here," the woman laughed. "We're very interested in this place, is all. We came to take a look before all the monsters moved out. But I'm afraid we got a little lost in the snow."

"Oh!" Frisk smiled. "Okay, where're you headed?"

"The Snowed Inn?" the man said.

"You're on the right track," Frisk said. "I can take you there."

"Oh, no, we wouldn't want to bother you—" the woman said quickly, but the kid sighed and tugged at her sleeve.

"Mom, we're lost as heck, just let her show us," he said.

.

"It's no problem!" Frisk assured them, a little unsure how they could get lost on a straight path. "Don't worry. I, um, kinda need to go to the store beside it anyway."

"Well, in that case…" the woman said, looking at her husband with a smile.

Frisk pulled back to get her hoodie from its lump on the floor. "Guys, I'mma go out!" she called.

.

She saw a look of fear cross the faces of the family in front of her. She raised her eyebrow and turned back to see Sans standing a bit behind her, holding the heart-and-circle emblem shirt he'd been wearing with red on his hands and ribs.

"What?" he asked.

"Dude, what the heck?" Frisk asked with a laugh.

"What, a guy can't walk around without a shirt on in his own house?" He grinned slightly and ambled across the room. "Uh. We're outta ketchup now, by the way."

"Put the cap on better, then" she teased.

"Eh, you're not wrong," he said.

.

Frisk smiled apologetically at the humans at the door. "Sorry about that, that's just my big brother," she said. "Let's—"

"Waaait, wait, wait!" Asriel ran up behind her, clapping a hand onto her shoulder. "Oh. Humans? Howdy! I gotta go to the store, too, I'll come with."

He grabbed his jacket and Frisk thought she heard the woman whisper something about how cute he was.

.

The humans seemed genuinely fascinated as they walked into town. The adults were particularly chatty, mostly amongst themselves, about the architecture and the use of the cavern space, and the unique way the cold felt, while their kid seemed completely enthralled by Asriel. He, however, was fully focussed on his sister.

.

"Um, 'scuse me," he said. "Um. Can y-you, um…? Can you do magic?"

"I am magic," Asriel said with a grin. He raised a paw and, in the centre, a red flame appeared.

The kid's eyes just about bugged out of his head. Asriel held the glowing fire out towards him.

"You can touch it, it's not that hot," he said.

Cautiously, the boy did. He laughed and held both hands in the flame. "It's nice."

.

Frisk snickered. The man turned to her inquisitively.

"Would you mind? Can I ask you a question or two?" he wondered.

Though the kid smiled politely, Asriel was instantly alert. He held her arm.

"I don't mind," Frisk said.

"How does a human find enough food here?" he wondered.

"Magic," she said.

"You… eat magic?" he said.

"Sure, monsters do," she said. "It just kinda isn't a problem."

"What the heck does magic taste like?" the kid asked.

"Like whatever it's supposed to, I guess. I mean, except sometimes things got kinda confused because they were under the mountain so long. Like, if you see a lime soda, it's actually probably gonna be lemon instead." Frisk pointed out Grillby's as they went past. "Check this place out if you wanna eat monster food though, it's great."

"Oh! It's… Is it like a pub?" the woman asked.

"Yeah, basically," Frisk said. "Best place in the whole underground."

.

"Could I ask you something else?" the man pressed. "That… skeleton? Back there?"

"Mhm?" Frisk said. "What about him?"

The man and woman looked at each other. The man paused a moment as if to consider his words.

"Did…? Hm… Did he… pass away? Is that how—?"

"Oh, no no no," Frisk said with a laugh. "No. He was born a skeleton."

"They were never dead humans, if that's what you're asking," Asriel said.

"Oh." The man's face flushed a bit and the woman smiled and nudged him gently with her elbow. "That's good to know, actually."

"Try not to be scared of monsters, huh? They're pretty friendly," Frisk said. She paused and pointed her finger at the inn as they came up past the door. "Here."

The humans stopped and looked the inn up and down.

"Oh, it's really cute," the woman said quietly. "Thank you, kids."

"No problem!" Frisk assured them.

.

She waved and she and Asriel continued on to the next door down. Asriel shot her a grin.

"Weird to see so many again, huh?" he said.

She shrugged and nodded. "If I'm totally honest," she held the door open for him, "it still makes my heart go a little too fast."

"Yeah, I heard," Asriel said, pointing at his ear.

.

They picked up a baker's dozen of cinnamon bunnies from the store. The rabbit woman behind the counter had a few extra items on sale, on clearance, since they'd be moving and reopening on the surface soon. One such thing was a set of teacups and a ceramic kettle that looked like a chubby white rabbit. Asriel and Frisk gladly split the cost of them as a gift for Asgore.

.

They headed back and stopped in at Grillby's. At the counter as usual, Grillby picked them out them out the moment they walked in and raised his hand. Frisk grinned and scampered up to meet him.

"Hiya!" she said. "Sans sent me to pick up some—"

Grillby nodded and clunked a case of glass ketchup bottles onto the counter. Frisk grinned.

"Perfect, dude." She used an empty stool to boost herself up a bit and thumped some gold onto the counter. "Really appreciate it. Thanks so much."

"…Mhm." He smiled a little. "…No problem."

.

At home, Sans was lazing in the corner of the sofa, shirt changed appropriately to the one covered in Z's. He raised his hand at them as they came in.

"Got a whole case!" she said proudly.

"Oh, jeez, kiddo, you guys are too good," he said.

Frisk smiled proudly and headed straight for the kitchen. Asriel ditched his coat and then stretched.

"Hey, Sans?" he said.

"Mhm?"

"You okay?" Asriel asked.

"Hm?" Sans looked a bit confused through the drowsiness. "Whatchu mean?"

"Well, I saw you texted Frisk before," he said.

"Oh. Yeah," he said. "How's your face?"

"It's alright," he said with a shrug.

Sans waved him over. "C'mere. I need the practice."

"Oh! Uh. Okay. Thanks."

.

The skeleton straightened himself up and put one hand on his neck and the other on his head. The boy could feel the magic start to seep in through his fur.

"Anything?" Sans asked.

"For sure," Asriel assured him.

"Cool, not totally useless," he said.

.

After a few seconds, Frisk came to join them, holding a cool bottle of ketchup in one hand. She sat on the arm of the couch, watching with curiosity. Her brother's eye had lit up and he was starting to get a little sweaty. They stayed quiet to let him concentrate.

"Okay, think I'm good," Asriel said.

Sans pulled back, looking tired but uncharacteristically proud. Frisk passed him the bottle and he popped the cap and took a swig. He instantly looked better.

.

Asriel hopped to his paws, giving the skeleton a thumbs-up. "Gonna finish packing," he said. "You mind if I borrow your charger for the game thingy? I can't find mine."

"No worries, take it," Frisk said.

He grinned and dashed up the stairs.

.

Frisk smooched Sans on the head and he snickered. "Doing okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. You?" he said.

She nodded. She slipped down from the arm and flopped over his legs lazily. After a moment, she rolled off the couch and then clambered back to sit beside him.

"It's been picking up a bit, huh?" she said.

"Hm?"

She pointed to his chest. There was some pride in her eyes.

"Oh. Yeah. Not bad."

"Tell Papyrus, he's gonna be really proud," she said.

"Eh."

"Okay, I'll tell Papyrus," she said.