Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Here she was, falling down a seemingly endless hole into the bottom of a mountain. All she wanted was for death to come and erase the pain. Living was hard, surviving was hard, existing was hard. The light before her shrunk at a rapid pace, until all she could see was a tiny pin point of sunshine. Just when it felt like it would never end, she felt her back connect with the hard ground, knocking the air out of her body and letting a sickening crack ring throughout the silence of the cave.

Her mind was fuzzy at best, but the pounding headache made her nauseous and left her immobile. She wanted to scream, to cry, to do something other than lie there and suffer in utter agony. Every breath felt like fire burning through her lungs, every slight twitch sent shocks of pain up her spine, and even opening her eyes was too much of a challenge. So she resigned herself to lay there and suffer a slow, torturous death.

Well, at least that's what she had in mind, but it seemed fate had other plans in store. A timid voice came from beside her, yet she could not move her head towards the sound.

"My god.. are you okay?"

She managed a small wheeze, but even that left her wracked in pain.

"Right, my bad. Oh jeez, um.. stay here. I- uh.. I'll be back!" The voice called before it fell silent once more.

Yeah, right. Where else was she going to go? 

The pain roared to life at the slight twitch of her fingers, but she did her best to push past it. Her eyes opened up a small bit, and she could just barely see the sunshine falling from the roof. Her head was spinning, her mind sluggish, and the pain was growing more intense by the second. She angled her eyes to look down at her body, trying to find the source of her pain. Her leg was sticking out at an odd angle, her arm gushed blood from a deep gash along the length of her forearm, and she knew from the difficulty breathing that she had broken a few ribs. She knew from the tremors in her head, she had more than likely cracked her skull after the fall.

Her vision started to blur and she felt something coating the back of her neck. Whatever it was kept spreading down her back, making her feel warm and sticky. Definitely not her ideal death, but she'd take what she could get. The little human closed her eyes as the pain began to ebb away.

Barely registering a frantic voice from beside her, she let out a final sigh before everything went black.

Chapter Text

The girl opened her eyes. The pain had finally stopped, but that didn't quite explain what was going on. Just where was she? On further inspection, all she could see was black. Nothing but an endless void of darkness.

It wasn't as pleasant as she imagined death to be. Nothing in sight, no feeling, just a vast expanse of nothing. But was she truly dead if she still had her consciousness? Well, now that she was here, she might as well spend the rest of her...existence?...pondering the idea.

Her thoughts turned inward as she silently reflected on everything that had gone on in her life. She absently wondered how badly her body must have been and just how she looked to the person who had been by her side in her final moments. A sad smile spread across her face as she thought of the kind soul that had at least tried to ease her suffering.

A sudden burst of light cut off the remainder of her thoughts. Reflexively, she brought her arm up to shield her eyes from the harsh light that only grew brighter. A strange garbled speech startled her into action. Whipping around, she came face to face with nothing. Everything was as it had been before, except now it was bright. The voice echoed from behind her once more.

"It seems you took quite a fall back there.." the weird voice chuckled.

Whirling around led to the same result..nothing.

"You are.. determined. I'll give you that."

"Who are you? Why are you here?" She asked aloud while silently scanning the air around her.

A deep chuckle reverberated throughout wherever they were, "Ah, yes. I haven't properly introduced myself. Call me Gaster. It has been quite a long time since someone has visited this place. As for why I'm here.. that's not really a concern to you."

Brow furrowing and a tight frown upon her lips, she angrily huffed, "Yeah, well, considering we're floating around in nothing, I think I have the right to know what this," she gestured outward, "is, Gaster." His name emphasized with a bit of sass.

The voice, Gaster, spoke once more except this time directly in front of her, "Where we are is something I call the void. It is a barrier of sorts. A pit between the very planes of life and death.."

Startled, she took a step back, "You can't be serious! So what now, we just stay here and spend the rest of time in an empty fucking existence?"

A ghostly figure appeared before her. It was a frightening sight to behold, a single black mass for a body with a freakishly wide toothy grin upon a mask like face. One eye was nothing more than a slit while the other was merely an empty black eye socket. A shiver ran down her spine and she instinctively took a step back. He only smiled wider.

"Ah, my dear, I apologize greatly for frightening you, but I must ask for your assistance."

"Wh-What do you need me for?" She stuttered.

"Well, I have need for a body per say. A way to interact with the physical realm. As you can see, I'm nothing more than a specter at the moment.. which is where you will come in."

"And if I refuse?" She whispered weakly, but managed to cross her arms and glare difiantly at the figure before her.

"You could certainly do so, but that would leave us both stuck in this space for the rest of time." He smiled that still creepy smile.

She looked at him in disbelief but her gaze quickly dropped to her feet. She really only had two choices. Be stuck here forever or return to the land of the living. A sigh passed her lips before realization took over.

"Wait just a moment! I'm supposed to be dead! I fell down a mountain for God's sake!" She yelled into the abyss.

The figure merely shrugged, "Technically you are in between life and death. You still hold on to your form in the living. Perhaps there is something you must do before you can cross over. However, you will be stuck here, without my knowledge. So you have no choice but to accept my offer or remain here forever."

And with that his form vanished into thin air. She reached out to try and grasp him, but found her hand slipping into nothing. With a heavy sigh she resigned herself to weigh her options. It felt like hours had passed, but since there was no way to tell time, she had no idea how long she had been pondering her thoughts. She merely waited in silence for the strange man to return.

Her patience ran thin, she did not know how long she waited for that guy to show himself, but she felt herself slipping into madness. For every moment was torture, grating her mind in its silence. Nothing sounds nice until you're trapped in it, she figured.

"Gaster!" She tried yelling to see if it would work. Fortunately for her it did as the specter reformed before her once more.

"You called?"

"Yes, I did. About your proposition.."

He smiled once more, "I see. Have you reached a decision?"

She nodded, "Yes. I want to go back."

He laughed lightly, "So it would seem. Although, I do not blame you. A few millenia here would surely drive you to madness.."

At her horrified stare he merely chuckled before continuing, "Nevermind, dear. Now about getting us out of here.. I need to use your soul."

She stiffened, "My soul?" At his nod she spoke a bit louder, "Why on earth would you need that?"

"As you can see, I am merely a spirit, confined to this plane of existence. In order to get out, I must attach myself to your soul since you have a physical form." He explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a harsher tone, "The price to escape this place is to take me with you. Unless you would rather spend the rest of your days trapped here."

She froze momentarily but let out a defeated sigh, "Fine. I get it. Now how do we go about getting my soul-"

A sharp pain erupted from her chest as the spirit raised a hand in her direction. Letting out a loud cry of pain, she slumped forward while clutching her chest tightly.

"Couldn't you have warned me or something!" She hissed.

He shook his head, "I'm truly sorry, however it had to be done." And with that she felt something wrap itself tightly around her soul, almost a sheath of sorts. It was cold and thin, almost as if it didn't truly wish to belong with her. She let out a shaky breath and rose to her feet.

"Now what?" She reluctantly asked.

The specter smiled, "Wake up."

Chapter Text

A small yellow flower was desperately patching the young girl's bleeding gash with the vines he was able to grow. He did his very best to stop the bleeding by applying as much pressure as he could, noting with relief the slowing of the blood flow as he wrapped soft, leafy vines around her gash.

Once the gash had been tended to, the plant turned his attention to the broken bone jutting out of her flesh at a sickening angle. Despite his best efforts, he had to turn away, his stomach rolling violently at the gruesome sight before him. It was several moments before he had the strength to return to his work, but soon he pushed down the bile in his throat and forced himself to act. Tender vines wrapped around both the top and bottom parts of her leg as he maneuvered her broken limb until it cracked once more, this time in its correct place as more vines wrapped around the leg in a makeshift wrap. Still, the visual was far more than he could handle, his stomach rebelling once more as he emptied it's contents once again.

After heaving up everything he had, he wrapped the human's skull tightly with his vines, staunching the blood flow as best he could. The vines cinched tightly around her skull, almost reminiscent of a flower crown, and with that thought running through his head the little flower soon grew small yellow buds amongst the greenery. It served no purpose, truly, but he found it to be fitting for the broken girl before him. At least now, she looked more beautiful and lively, even if she was anything but.

With the last of her physical injuries tended to, he slowly extracted her soul from her body, wincing at the damage he found. He cast a quick glance at her HP and hissed fretfully as he noted the singular health point hovering over her cracked soul. Rummaging around, he pulled from the earth a small bottle of spider cider that he had managed to swipe a while back. Beads of sweat worked its way on his face as he summoned more vines to prop the girl up, coaxing her lips to part just enough for him to drip some of the sweet tasting liquid into her mouth. He waited for a moment, forcing himself to still as he watched to see if she would swallow the cider, and to his immense relief she did.

Despite the strain on his magic or the slight tremble of his vines, he managed to feed the girl small doses of the drink until eventually the glass held no more. As the last dose made its way down her throat, the little plant settled her down on the earth once more. Another check of her soul revealed full HP and he let out a pleased, but exhausted hum. He had made it just in time..

Nestling himself against her side, minding the broken ribs, he closed his eyes and waited until the human awoke.

It couldn't have been more than a few hours before he felt the girl's body twitch and a muffled groan filter through the otherwise still air around them. Sitting up, he blinked away the sleep in his eyes as he gazed up at the girl, watching with pride as puffy eyes blinked wearily up at view above. He waited for a few moments as the girl struggled to regulate her breathing into a rhythm most comfortable before he attempted to catch her attention. Once she managed to relax somewhat, he cleared his throat softly.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you all right?"

He watched as she tried in vain to move her head to look down at him, but her head was stuck firmly upward. After all, she probably didn't have much motor function if any after a fall of that magnitude, "Right, yeah, dumb question. But how are you feeling?"

"Like I fell down a mountain," a broken voice replied, although not unkindly.

"Yeah, that was quite the fall there. You managed to bang yourself up pretty bad there, bud.."

It took some time before she could muster up the energy to move. Her fingers twitched at her sides, impatient thoughts forcing her wounded arm to move, albeit slowly, until it came into view. To her surprise, her arm had been wrapped in foliage, which fortunately for her seemed to have stopped the bleeding. Her head lolled to the side as tender flesh met more of the vines at the crown of her skull. Confusion sparkled beneath honey eyes, and she tried in vain to sit up, hoping to get a better look at her makeshift bandages.

The flower, noticing her bewilderment, was quick to explain, "You see.. when I was coming back to hide here, I found you hurt and.. broken. So I took the liberty of patching ya up. I wouldn't remove those vines though, it's keeping you from bleeding out.."

"You should have just carried on.." the girl whispered despairingly.

"And let you die?" He hissed defensively, "I couldn't just leave you here!"

The girl gave a small, sad smile in return, "You should have.. but thank you. What's your name?"

"Well, I try not to give my name out to strangers, but for the record it's Flowey."

She seemed to pause, her eyes searching curiously where his voice came from, "That's an.. odd name. Why do they call you Flowey?"

Well, duh, there's no way she'd know why since she couldn't see him. With a steadying breath, he climbed up on her shoulder, watching as her body stiffened at the feeling, "Well, it's pretty self-explanatory, seeing as I'm a flower!"

Her brow furrowed and she gave a skeptical look up at the ceiling, huffing in irritation and closing her eyes once more. All of this nonsense was really giving her a headache. Well, on second thought maybe it was her split open skull, but the point still stood. What utter nonsense, a flower of all things?

"Don't believe me, take a look," he continued, bending down to peer at her dirt smudged face.

Deciding to humor him, she cracked her eyes open, only to be met with small inky black pupils staring down into her own, his round face little more than the center of a bloom while the fluffy yellow petals did little to ease his surprising appearance. She found herself hyperventilating, her eyes squeezing shut as she fought to process everything.

No way, no way! Monsters don't exist, they just don't! Yes, she had heard the legends, but they were just old wives tales!

"Apparently not," came a gruff voice from within her mind.

Her body stiffened in panic, but before she could act, the voice spoke once more, "Fear not, child. It is me, Gaster."

But why are you in my head?

"I do not wish for the others to know of my presence. I have been gone from this world for far too long, and to appear now could cause you more harm than good. Now you should probably address the plant, he seems to be friendly, which will be rare down here.."

She smiled hesitantly at the worried looking flower, but her voice betrayed her fear and skepticism, "I'm Frisk. So Flowey.. where are we? What exactly is going on?"

Flowey smiled softly before settling down in the dirt, "Nice to meet ya, Frisk. You're the first human to fall down in a long time.."

When she only gave him a confused look, he began to speak up once more, "So when you fell down the mountain, you came into the underground. How unfortunate," his smile turned into a fearful frown, "Listen, this place isn't good. You need to leave as fast as you can! There's monsters everywhere and they ain't the friendly kind. If they catch you, you'll be dead meat!"

Her eyes widened in disbelief, "Wait a second. Why would they kill me? I literally just fell down a hole and now every monster is going to try and kill me?"

"Yeah, basically." He said as if there was nothing at all confusing about his words.

"Uh, 'scuse me for not following, but I literally just died, came back to find out monsters exist, and now I find out that I'm basically a walking target. You're gonna have to give a better explanation than that!"

Flowey huffed a bit annoyed, but gave her a run down of the underground, "Long ago, humans waged war against us monsters out of fear-"

"Why were they scared of you guys?"

He sighed, "If you'd let me finish, I'd tell you. Anyways, the humans waged war for they feared that if we absorbed a human's soul, we would overthrow their race an and lead them into slavery or annihilation. Well, after the war, we were forced to retreat into the mountain where a band of priests placed a seal on the only entrance to this mountain. The barrier kills any monster that steps foot into it, but it is not full proof. See, the magic they used to trap us in this mountain came with a price."

"What's that?" She asked a bit hesitantly.

"Souls. Human souls. It is said that when the monsters have seven human souls, the barrier will be shattered and monsters will roam free once more." He finished a bit hesitantly. Looking over, he noticed how stiff the human had gotten.

"Frisk, are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah, Flowey. It's just a lot to take in. I don't fully buy this whole curse thing, but then again I didn't believe in monsters until five minutes ago.." she chuckled a bit in nervous fear.

The little plant nodded but looked down at her in all seriousness, "I get it. Your sense of reality is skewed since you probably never believed in monsters, but it's true. There are tons of them down here and any of them will jump at the chance to end your life. So you need to rest as much as you can now, for tomorrow we have got to move!" The tone in his voice left no room for argument.

"W-Wait, how am I supposed to travel with a broken leg? And besides, why are you in such a rush to leave?"

He only frowned and looked away, "There's a monster that patrols this area every morning. She may seem sweet, albeit a bit creepy, but mark my words, if she gets a hold of you, you'll be dead by nightfall."

She looked down horrified, but gave a shaky nod. She still had no idea how this plant expected her to be able to travel, but she would give it her best. If she was going to die, she was going to do it on her terms.

While she settled a bit more comfortably in the dirt, the flower rested against her good arm, encouraging her to sleep. She stayed awake for a while longer and called out mentally for her specter...friend?

Gaster?

"What is it, child?"

What are we going to do in the morning? Flowey says we must leave, but my leg..

"Worry not. With our alliance, I'll grant you a bit of my healing power. But be warned, it will not completely fix your leg. Monsters may have healing magic, but even that takes time, which unfortunately you don't have."

Thank you anyway.

"Don't thank me, child. We are merely cohabiting this body of yours. It will not do to have you die before I can carry out my plans.."

Damn, pretty brutal there, pal.

But this time there was no response, only a burning hot sensation that coursed through her body. It felt like fire burned in her very veins, spreading from the top of her head down to her toes. She gasped quietly, but inside she was fighting to distract herself from the intense pain that made her scream mentally. Thinking about the last few hours was a good distraction, but the pain still caused tears to leak from her eyes. As the intense burning began to ebb, it was replaced with a cool tingle that spread up her arm, the base of her skull, and the broken bone in her leg. After the agonizing sensation passed and the cooling tingle took over, she passed out in an overworked and exhausted heap

Chapter Text

The next morning came all too quickly for the recovering human. Flowey was whispering into her ear that they had to leave. She would be here any minute. Just who that was, Frisk hadn't any clue, but she slowly opened her eyes and experimentally flexed her arm. Noting the dull pain, she moved to stand, but found herself wracked in agony. Every moment spent trying and failing to stand made her weary.

"Flowey, is there anything I can use to help myself up? My leg.." she explained weakly.

The little plant nodded and scanned the area, taking note of anything he deemed useful. There wasn't much around them. Only dirt, blood, and sticks. Wait, sticks! He meandered over to a particularly long and thick piece and grabbed it in his little mouth before dragging it back over to the resting girl. Heavily panting, he dropped the stick in front of her and rested for a moment.

"Why didn't you use your vines?" She asked speculatively.

"Because it uses up bits of my magic. We can't afford to waste any, especially since we need to escape." He sighed.

With a silent nod, she reached out to the little flower, leaving her palm up, "Well after all you've done, I say you deserve a break. Hop on, I'll carry you."

He smiled a little and took her offer. He waited until she placed him on her shoulder before anchoring himself with a vine so he wouldn't fall.

"Any chance you could hide me? I'll help you navigate the ruins, but it will do us no good if I'm found out." He explained quietly.

Frisk nodded and pulled up the turtleneck of the black and red striped sweater she wore, "If we run into trouble, duck down into here okay? It'll keep you covered."

The flower nodded and with that she grasped the stick firmly, using the weight to help her drag her body up. It took a few tries, but eventually she managed to stand, leaning solely on her good leg and the stick, "Where, do we go?" She asked between her heavy breaths.

"Go down this corridor. I know it's tough, Frisk, but you can't afford to lag behind." He whispered. "And whatever you do, keep your voice down."

With a nod, she pushed onwards, hobbling as fast as she possibly could. It was difficult to say the least, her leg was still painfully throbbing and it took everything in her power to push past the horrible sensation. She focused on the directions the little flower gave. They passed the archway and found themselves in a bricked room, the walls a dark crimson and the air thick like smog. Frisk brought her sleeve up to her mouth and breathed through the fabric, determined not to let the air make her weak and dizzy. She noticed a few platforms littering the ground and a switch on the wall in front of them.

The flower encouraged her to keep moving, and she did so, albeit a bit more slowly. Her eyes scanned the room before she completed the puzzle, allowing them to progress farther into the ruins. Her heart beat loudly in her chest and fear coursed through her mind as she noticed the gushing red rivers that ran through the platformed area.

Was that blood?

"You have more important things to worry about, child. Keep moving!"

Shaking her head, she trudged on through the room. Thankfully the puzzles weren't as hard to solve. Every step brought her closer to the end of this accursed place, and for that she couldn't help but be grateful.

It wasn't long before they encountered their first monster, and Frisk honestly couldn't help but smile at the cute little frog in front of them, it looked so harmless. But only when it exposed very sharp and pointy teeth did she truly understand it's danger. Flowey was the first to act, using his vines to subdue the creature before plunging his roots deep into the monster's chest, straight through its soul. Frisk shook in fear as she watched the frog monster burst into flames before turning to ash before their very eyes. She didn't hesitate, but began to move away from the pile of ash, pushing forward.

The puzzles didn't take too long to solve, but when they came to a room full of crispy red leaves, they were able to make out a soft humming that grew louder with each passing second.

"Frisk, hide!" He whispered urgently.

"Where?" She looked around for any hiding spot, the humming growing in intensity. Finally settling for throwing herself into a large pile of leaves, she ducked down, not even wanting to risk being seen. Thankfully her sweater matched the leaves, only helping to camouflage the human.

She stiffened as the unmistakable sound of footsteps echoed through the silence of the room. She heard a low growl come from 'whatever it was's mouth, "Blood.." Frisk stayed perfectly still despite the protesting of her injured leg. The creature stalked past the human, "Probably just the river."

Thanking her lucky stars, she waited until the thing left before hauling herself out of the crinkling leaves. Flowey was silent, but he shook fearfully against her neck, holding onto her for dear life. Frisk leaned on the stick once more before continuing in the opposite direction. The rest of their adventure was filled with dodging the prowling monsters and solving puzzles.

Finally, when she thought they would never reach the end, they emerged into an open area that housed a small building, and although it was quite decrepit, it was still standing. A tree stump was the second thing they saw, the top half of the tree lying against the ground. Upon closer inspection, she noted deep clawed gashes amongst the bark. Stiffening, she hurried to the house, the sight filling her with determination.

Just as she reached the staircase an oddly scary laugh sounded behind her, "Welcome home, my child.."

Chapter Text

Frisk froze, not even managing to think. Flowey had fortunately ducked down into the extra fabric of her turtleneck to avoid being seen. The human only stayed staring at the house before them, much to the monster's displeasure. A loud huff was heard, and a cloud of smoke whizzed past the frightened girl's head.

"Come now, child. Is our home more interesting than me?" Her voice saturated with a fake, sweet lilt. The monster brushed past the human, bumping her shoulder in the process. Frisk flinched and held onto the stick, making sure to keep her balance. When she finally looked up once more, she took in the monster's appearance.

She was quite tall, towering over her small size with relative ease. The creature strongly resembled that of a goat, except her eyes were a fiery red, surrounded by a dark amber where the whites of her eyes should have been. She wore a long black dress that went below her knees and had a strange insignia carved on it. Frisk looked at the strange creature in mild shock. After only finding out monsters were real literally less than twenty four hours ago, this massive creature was quite frightening. Flowey's words echoed in her mind, the warning from earlier now rang true, for the monster before her eminated menace.

The goat cracked a long creepy smile before extending a paw, "Oh, you poor child. How terribly unkind of me, I haven't even introduced myself. I am Toriel, your new mother."

Frisk stared at her hand in fear, but against her better judgement, she found herself taking the outstretched paw. She remained silent throughout the ordeal, only making the monster frown a bit in frustration. Upon closer inspection, the goat smiled once more, "Poor child, you're injured! Come inside, I'll make you some tea and see to your injuries.."

Frisk opened her mouth to gently refuse, but the paw gripped tightly  and with an overly dramatic flair, the monster turned on her heel and practically dragged the human inside. A loud slam of the door startled the frightened girl, and without any hint of subtlety she looked around the 'home'.

It was very creepy. The walls nothing more than peeling gray paint that were crumbling under the slightest touch. The floor was dusty and covered in dirty paw prints, and she swore she could see a few spiders crawling across the ground. Her "mother" turned to her with that creepy smile and tugged on her arm a bit forcefully to get her moving. She hobbled a bit faster, barely managing to keep up with her long strides. Glancing around, she noted that the walls were bare except for a few candles scattered haphazardly to light the way. Otherwise the space was dreary and eerie.

Stopping outside of a dinky looking door, the goat turned to her newest child, "This will be your room, dear. Why don't you go ahead and rest. I'll bring your tea by momentarily.." With that, the monster ushered her inside the room and closed it with a loud bang. Frisk listened to the sound of her retreating steps, growing more anxious by the second. She looked around the room for any way to escape. The room was completely walled off, nothing was sturdy looking, and the place looked as if it belonged to some child eons ago, but had not been touched in years. A slight shuffling on her neck made her flinch, and she suddenly remembered her silent companion.

Opening her shirt, she looked down at the shivering flower, "Are you okay, Flowey?" She whispered softly.

He nodded but trembled still, "Don't worry about me. We have to leave. NOW!"

She nodded and moved to leave the room, but the sound of footsteps grew closer to her door. She freaked out and pulled the fabric back over the little plant just before the door was flung open. A brightly smiling Toriel came in carrying a tray with a cup of steaming tea.

"Come now, child. How about you lie down and drink this? It'll help ease your nerves. You must be so frightened.." she cooed.

Frisk eyed her suspiciously, but sat on the bed. If she was going to have any chance of getting away, she would have to play along. With a small smile, she looked up at the goat mother, "I'm not very thirsty right now, mom. Why don't we just chat for a while?"

The goat looked at the young woman, taken aback, but soon her features relaxed, "No, dearie. We should get this medicine in your system and have you sent off to bed. It'd do no good to have you weary from exhaustion. We can talk in the morning."

Frisk pouted at her 'mother' and spoke up quietly, "Really, I'd rather just sleep now. I'm not in the mood for tea."

The goat's eyes narrowed and a scowl lit up her features, "I insist, my child. Drink your tea."

Inside, the girl was absolutely terrified. She knew something bad was bound to happen, but she had no other choice. There was no way to find an exit without gaining this monster's trust. So with great reluctance, she took the offered cup and drank a bit of her tea, making the goat relax slightly and a smile light up her face.

"That's it. Drink your tea. I will come back to check on you a bit later. I have a few pressing matters to attend to." She explained before leaving in a bit of a rush.

Thankful that the monster had finally left, she hurried to stand. If she was ever going to get out, it was going to be now or never. Quickly checking to make sure Flowey was still with her, she fastened him tightly into the fibers of her sweater explaining that they were going to leave. Frisk silently opened the door, and hobbled down the hallway, trying to make as little sound as possible, which was made harder by the fact that her walking stick clattered on the hardwood. Glancing around briefly, she noted the staircase leading downwards.

God, this is such a bad idea. I mean in every horror movie the bitch that goes downstairs gets murdered in a creepy basement!

"Well, you can be the stupid bitch that stays still and gets axe murdered." Gaster supplied.

Frisk pouted angrily, but had to admit that he had a point. It would do no good to stand there and be a sitting duck. With quiet steps, she made her way down the staircase. The basement was just as creepy as she had imagined. The walls were the same crimson red as the rest of the ruins, but the dirt path was uneven and bumpy with splatters of blood soaked into the earth and brick. The place was eerily silent, and seemed to go on forever. Even looking down the end of the hall was a challenge, since the hall spanned so far out.

Flowey urged her to keep moving, and with a slight hesitation the human did just that. This had to lead somewhere. After all, why would this corridor be here if it didn't lead to a way out? She hobbled quickly, trying her hardest to cover as much ground as possible. It was only a matter of time before the goat realized she was missing.

Moving faster than before, she managed to reach the end of the corridor before an ear piercing screech startled her train of thought. Deciding not to stick around, the girl picked up the pace, shuffling even faster down the smaller corridor that held a massive door. She had no clue where it would lead, but it sure beat being stuck in this scary home with a freaky goat. Just as she was about to reach the door, she heard something slam into the wall behind her. Glancing back, she saw the monster, glowing fire in her palms and a look of pure fury in her eyes.

Frisk slammed her body into the door, not caring about her broken leg, her only thoughts were escaping the demented creature. Flames scorched her arm and leg as the monster rushed at her, but before the goat reached her, the door gave way just enough to slip between the sliver of an opening. With a grunt of effort, she pushed her stuck hips forward and fell onto a snowy floor while the black doors closed with an enormous thud. Cursing and pounding were heard from the other side of the door, but Frisk was just grateful that she had managed to escape with her life.

But this posed a new threat. Just where in the hell was she now?

Chapter Text

Frisk lied in the snow for a few moments, silently thanking whatever God for her luck. Her leg was still mind numbingly painful, but at least she was alive. Flowey grunted and wiggled against her skin in slight annoyance. Realizing she was still lying in the snow, she carefully rolled over, allowing the plant to resurface from underneath the turtleneck. With a loud gasp he coughed and wheezed. She chuckled lightly at his antics only causing him to pout angrily. She apologized and pet his petals gently which he had to admit felt really nice.

"As nice as this is, we need to get a move on. You being stuck out here in the freezing cold is not gonna bode well. Plus monsters are probably crawling all over the place." He warned.

She gave a small nod and rose to her feet very shakily after grabbing the stick that somehow managed to make it out with them. After gaining her footing, they slowly made their way forward, silently trailing down the well worn path. She took in the beautiful sight before her. The ground was littered with a vast expanse of snow, small snowflakes fell from the sky in a slow drift, the hills were glistening with the frozen wonder, and even the trees, though bare of leaves, were breathtaking amongst it all. Absently, she realized it was her first time getting to see the snow. Back home they never got to see the snow since it was always too warm for such an occurence. Smiling a bit sadly, she recalled her home with bitterness and a slight twinge of hatred. Shifting her thoughts elsewhere, she glanced at the little flower who was shivering a little.

"Are you cold?"

The plant nodded and as quick as he had, she scooped him up into her hands, cradling him in her palms to shield out the biting wind. He gave a quiet thanks and settled against the warm flesh of her shoulder, surrounded by her hands. Frisk had to admit, she was definitely feeling the cold, but she pressed on hoping to find some sort of shelter.

She watched the flurry of snow swirl and dance in the breeze. She loved the view, but without a nice warm fire, she had to say that this sucked. Well, the whole situation sucked. Tied to a specter, protecting a flower, and running from crazy deranged monsters was more than she could really handle, especially with her broken body. Speaking of, she needed to have a talk with her ghostly companion.

Gaster?

She waited a few moments before the garbled voice spoke with her, "Yes?"

What is going on with my leg? I know it won't miraculously heal in just a few hours, but there must be something that can be done?

"Trust me, child. There is nothing more I can do. My powers have already burned the infection from your wounds and have boosted the regenerating process. We must wait for you to heal properly. Without running from monsters, if at all possible."

She gave a small sigh but sent him a silent thanks for his help. Not surprisingly, she didn't get a response. Meanwhile, Flowey was watching the human curiously, the strange faces she made confused him to say the least. One minute she would look so peaceful and overjoyed, then the next she would be miserable and annoyed. What a strange human, indeed..

After a little while of hobbling, the pain was almost overwhelming and a strange dizziness overtook her. She glanced down at her sleeping companion. Deciding to stop for the time being, she veered off the well worn path into the densely packed trees. She moved forward, not stopping until she was sure they were far enough away from the main road to avoid detection. The little human collected pieces of wood and fallen branches from the nearby surroundings, intent on building some sort of fire for the group. Navigating her way through the trees, she found a spot a little ways downhill where the wind wouldn't be an issue in building the campfire.

Carefully placing herself down in the snow, she began to dig up the snow and chuck it away, intent on hitting dirt. Once her fists scooped away the last of the snow, she placed the logs on top of the earth and pulled out a small lighter from her back pocket. Thankfully, her experiences leading up the fall prepared her for survival situations. She gingerly flicked her lighter, only seeing sparks for a few moments, but with another few clicks the device produced a small flame. Lighting one of the smaller sticks she had found, she lit the pieces of wood, hoping that it would last long enough to get through the night. Thankfully, the fire caught and spread across the logs, giving off a small amount of heat and a bit of light in the darkening forest.

It was quite odd that being underground still managed to have a day and night sequence. Although she knew time wouldn't stop just because they were underground, it was just a bit confusing that she was able to discern day from night in a place that should be relatively dark.

"Don't read too much into it. You should rest while you have the chance."

I know, and I will. I just want to make sure the fire is settled before resting.

Leaning forward, she poked the logs gently, making the fire stir and crackle a tad. Once she was satisfied with their setup, she leaned back against one of the trees. She adjusted Flowey so he was now resting inside of her sweater, close to her chest so he could keep warm. Funnily enough, the flower was still fast asleep and snoring lightly. Fighting a giggle, she pulled her arms back out of her sleeves and into the bulk of her sweater before closing her eyes. Now that they were safe and warmer, she felt comfortable enough to doze off.

Except she didn't account for the figure watching her across the other side of the clearing.

Chapter Text

The figure stood stock still, silently gazing at the sleeping stranger. A toothy grin spread across his skull as he watched the little human. How could something so powerful be so stupid? Down here everyone, monster or not,  had to fight for survival. Yet here this girl rested as if it was the most peaceful place in the world.

Seriously? This is the human? What kind of idiot would lower their guard like this...

Inwardly chuckling, he teleported closer to her unconcious form. Taking his time to silently assess the 'threat', he found himself slowly unimpressed. The girl was sound asleep, her long hair tangled and frizzy, her sweater torn in places, not to mention she was absolutely filthy. What caught him off guard was the blood that coated her black leggings, the stench of it making him grin ferally. He sniffed experimentally and couldn't help the groan that slipped past his teeth, her blood was fresh. He leaned down to lick the trail of blood that seeped from her skull down her neck. A slight movement of her body made him freeze, just what was he thinking? He should just kill her before she became an even bigger nuisance!

He grunted and wrapped a bony hand around her throat, squeezing hard enough to get a response. He didn't wait long until her eyes snapped open to gaze up into the eyes of her killer. Gold met red in a clash of confusion and panic. Good, that was how he liked it..

Chuckling darkly, the monster tightened his hold around her neck, smiling wickedly at the pain that crossed her features. Her arms left the refuge of warmth and clasped around his bony fingers, desperately clawing at his grip. A small squeak of pain passed her lips, only making him more excited. The girl struggled underneath him, kicking and thrashing wildly to no avail.

"L-let...go!" She managed to croak out before he applied any more pressure.

"Why would I do that, sweetheart? You look so lovely with a face full of fear." He laughed. When he realized she was starting to lose consciousness, he let go, allowing her much needed air.

She gasped and coughed loudly, startling her flower companion. With a start he jumped, but she quickly cradled him against her chest, thankful that he was still hidden. She looked up at the face of her attacker, pure fury on her face, "Have you lost your god damn mind?" She screamed. All the momentary panic now replaced with rage.

His jaw went slack, and he backed up a single step. No one had ever challenged him, at least none that managed to tell the tale. A growl passed his teeth and he glared at the ranting woman in front of him.

"I mean really? What the fuck is wrong with you monsters? It's all the same, 'let's kill the human' bullshit. Well you know what, I'm done being scared of you assholes!" The girl raved.

At this point he was fuming, "Listen here, you stupid little girl, I don't know who you think you're talking to, but if you keep this up then I'm going to have a great time.." his eye lights disappearing completely.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right. Some intimidation tactic you got there. You know what? I ain't scared of you! You no good, spineless sack of bones!"

He slammed his fist into the tree behind her, splintering the wood into a small crater. The girl didn't even flinch, only making him even more upset. With a low growl, he thrust his face close to hers, letting his sharp teeth snap in front of her, "Listen, bitch-"

"It's Frisk, asshat."

"Like I give a flying fuck what your name is. Interrupt me one more time and I'll end your miserable life right here and now."

She smiled a shit eating grin, "Good. Kill me."

He scooted back in mild shock. He certainly hadn't expected that response. With a shaky laugh, he held his skull in one hand and his gut in the other, almost doubling over from his laughter, "You must be absolutely nuts, girl. Especially to be asking for death."

The girl merely huffed before wincing in pain, clutching her leg once more. It was finally starting to feel okay until the skeleton had decided to show up. The action didn't go unnoticed by the monster, and he frowned slightly, "Girl like you'd never survive out here. Too weak and fleshy." He commented, poking her throbbing leg. She hissed and slapped his hand away.

"Is that a challenge, numbskull?"

He grinned widely, "No, it's a bet. Tell ya what, if you can make it to the city in one piece, I might just be willing to let ya live.."

"And why would you do that?" She eyed him warily. Just a moment ago he was choking the life out of her, and now he was offering peace?

Honestly, he didn't know what exactly came over him. Whether it was the fire in her eyes or her defiant nature, he was surely intrigued. No one posed this much of a challenge, but he would have fun breaking her. That is if she even got the chance. "Let's just say that things are bound to be interesting. Have fun surviving, human."

As he turned to walk away, he gave her a wry smile over his shoulder, "One more thing. If you don't make it to the city then you're mine.."

She had no time to react before he chuckled and teleported back to his designated sentry station.

Letting out a heavy sigh, he rubbed the back of his skull, "Man, boss is gonna kill me for this.."

Chapter Text

After the monster disappeared, Frisk relaxed against the tree. Just her luck, escaping from a psycho goat and into the arms of a freaky skeleton. Huffing in annoyance, she pulled the sweater over her head, going inside to speak to the worried flower.

"Frisk, that voice.. please tell me that wasn't who I think it was.."

She looked down at him quizzically, "Didn't catch his name, Flowey. Too busy trying to keep us alive for pleasantries."

The plant looked up at her in frustration, "You don't get it. That wasn't any ordinary monster! That was one of the skeleton brothers. The most ruthless and notorious pair in snowdin.."

The human gave a slight nod and held the flower close, "Listen, why don't you go back to sleep for a while. It's still too dark to travel and I need to rest. We'll move out at dawn."

Flowey grumbled but curled up against her chest, a bit embarrassed, but grateful for the warmth, "Fine, but wake me up if something else happens and for the love of god avoid that monster."

She agreed and poked her head out of the sweater once more. Her thoughts filled with the absurdity of the recent events. How could something so dangerous go from the brink of killing her to betting on her life? Was this some kind of sick twisted humor?

"He has always been that way, child. Do not dwell on what has happened, just be thankful that you are still breathing."

Gee thanks, Gaster.

She sighed and used her stick to prod the dying fire, trying to rekindle it as best she could. Time moved on fairly slow since she was too wound up for sleep, and Gaster was of no use. If it wasn't somewhat important then he would remain silent, only adding to her growing unease. If it had been so easy to find them, what was to say there weren't more watching them from the shadows?

Growing more and more irritated at their situation, she gathered up a handful of snow, dropping it onto the fire to effectively snuff it out. She glanced up toward the sky, frowning at the dark, but they had no choice. They needed to move, and what better time to do so than when everyone was hopefully fast asleep.

She rose to her feet, still gingerly supporting her leg. At least now it wasn't so painful, and she could support a bit of weight on it if need be. The girl gave one last scan of their makeshift camp before starting down the hill, back towards the main path. Flowey was still fast asleep, so she cradled him against her chest with her free hand. They moved as silently as possible, trying to remain undetected by whatever may be out in the woods. The only sounds were the howling of the wind and the crunching of snow beneath her feet. Pulling her turtleneck over her nose, she kept moving, not wanting to lose precious time.

It didn't take long before she stumbled upon a strange looking bridge with a decaying looking gate. She smiled a little wondering who would think it would keep anyone out, the bars far too wide to stop anyone. She stalked through the opening and continued on her way, but the feeling of being watched made her antsy. Deciding they should get out of there as quickly as possible, she quickened her pace.

Gaster?

"What is it now?"

Can you sense anyone or anything around us?

All was silent for a few moments. Frisk was starting to worry. Glancing around quickly, she kept moving forward until she reached an open field with a strange looking shack and for some reason a child's lamp. An all too uncomfortable feeling slithered up her spine. Turning quickly, she looked up into the hollow eyes of her earlier attacker.

"Hello again, human. Mighty fine seeing you again," he smiled broadly, exposing even more sharp teeth.

"Stalker much?" She quipped looking away.

"Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart. I work here," he jutted his chin towards the dilapidated shack. The human gave a slight chuckle before it gave way to a hearty laugh. The skeleton frowned and huffed in annoyance, "And just what is so funny?"

"You, the big bad bones, work in a crappy hut in the middle of nowhere! I just thought you'd be more suited to prowling the streets, attacking people and scaring the townsfolk.." she giggled.

He narrowed his eye sockets and snorted, "Terrorizing the townsfolk is on Thursdays and Saturdays. On Tuesdays I follow snot-nosed humans around the Underground."

"So you admit you're following me?" She smiled smugly.

He growled and spat, "and if I am?"

She shrugged, "Then I'd say get a life, bonehead." She turned to walk away, but found herself drug back into a bony embrace. He growled lowly and bent his skull down to her neck. She stiffened as she felt something wet lap at the sensitive flesh. She let out a small squeak of surprise before she was roughly pushed away. Thankfully, she managed to regain her balance before turning to glare at the now scarlet skeleton.

"Listen up, girl. You don't get to tell me what I will or will not do. Your life is in my hands, understand?" He growled, but there was an odd look in his eyes. He frowned and crossed his bony arms, "What are you waiting for? A cookie? Get going!"

Letting out a small 'hmph', she turned and stalked off, leaving behind a confused and pissed skeleton.

Chapter Text

The girl made her way down the snowy path, not bothering to look behind her. She only cared about putting as much distance as she could between her and the perverted skeleton. To think he would go as far as to lick her neck, even though he was adamant they were enemies. It was.. bizarre to say the least.

She passed by the landscape quickly, not wanting to dawdle any longer. As she made her way through the snow, she ran into a few snowdrakes and ice caps, but thankfully she was able to flee with relatively minor injuries. The fact that her soul was being constantly drawn out into the open made her feel dizzy and nauseous. Pushing past her newfound sickness, she kept moving until she came across a strange looking snowy path. There was another one of those strange posts and she could faintly hear the sound of snoring coming from the little stand. She moved quietly and slowly, trying her best to avoid the shack all together. The creature gave an audible sniff, before letting out a low growl. The girl stiffened and waited for something to happen, but the thing, which she finally realized was dog, only twitched it's ear and growled before settling down once more. Deciding now was safe, she started into a light jog.

Boy did she regret that!

After only a moment of her run, she heard the soft thud of paws on the snow and felt something slam roughly into her back, pinning her beneath it's massive form. The dog gave a loud snapping of its jaws, close to her ear and a deep voice echoed throughout the silence, "Blood....fresh..."

She gasped softly and pleaded for help. She struggled to free herself from the dog's form, but it only dug it's nails harder into her back and bit the back of her neck drawing more blood. Looking around for something, anything that could be useful, she took in the stick lying just a few feet from her. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest, there was nothing that could be done now. If she didn't act then she would be killed. Steeling her resolve, she waited for the perfect opportunity.

When the creature let go of her neck to howl into the sky, she thrust a hand outward and gripped the stick firmly. By the time the dog knew what had happened, he was rolled off of her back roughly and found himself smashed in the face, blow after blow. Tears streamed down Frisk's cheeks, her hands shook, and her sobs rung throughout the silence. Time seemed to freeze, there was only her and the dog, who she could not stop hitting. Even as he lay there limp and unmoving, she didn't let up, fear driving her actions. Only when a vine wrapped around her wrist, stilling her movements, did she finally come back to reality. Looking down, she noticed her flower companion quivering slightly and gazing at her in a silent plea. Dropping the stick, she clung to the flower and sobbed softly.

He didn't say much, but he hugged back with his little leaves. Carefully, he wrapped a vine around her neck to quell the blood flow from her mangled flesh. The two were in shock after what had just happened, but with his gentle encouragement, Frisk gathered her stick and they set off back down the trail. Even Gaster was trying to soothe the frazzled girl, but she merely left the scene with a hollow look in her eyes. The weight of her actions residing in her thoughts.

Nevertheless, they pressed on and found that they were led to a strange clearing that was mostly ice with a bit of snow at the end and beginning of the clearing. There was no movement, not even snow flurries. The whole place gave her a bad feeling.

Taking a moment to assess the area, she could feel a cold stare on her back. She gave the slightest shiver, but decided that something wasn't quite right about the snow in front of her. Picking up her stick, she tossed the wood out in front of her. Upon the stick's touch, the field crackled with energy, scorching the wood in the process. Nothing remained but ash. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she gathered as much snow in her hand as possible before tossing it at the field, testing which areas were running with electrical currents. Soon enough she had a path littered with snow, indicating the safe way to travel. The girl moved onward much slower now that she didn't have her support, and also for the fact that she didn't want to be fried.

After a few grueling minutes of fearful walking, they managed to reach the other side of the clearing. She turned around and stuck her tongue out to the invisible gaze and motioned for whatever it was to suck it. She knew it was childish, but damn it she was proud to have survived.

The pair kept walking, Flowey more prevalent in their adventures after being squished near death. He would help her in the upcoming battles with the snow monsters, buying her enough time to flee to safety. They continued on in relative silence, solving the next set of puzzles. They only stopped at the sight of a table with a frozen plate of spaghetti and a tiny mouse hole on the side of the cliff they walked beside. It filled her with determination.

After taking a moment to rest and recuperate, they moved onward, hurrying to make it to the city. It was only when they ran across a pair of snarling dogs did they finally reach their breaking point. Frisk was worn out from the heavy traveling and the constant strain on her body. Flowey was nearly depleted of magic since he had been staving off their monster attackers. The two did their best to dodge the attacks of the paired dogs, but luck was running out. They were tiring quickly, Flowey's vines no longer as powerful nor as fast, and Frisk's movements became sluggish at best. The dogs advanced in a tangle of limbs, moving so quick that they were almost a blur. Jaws snapped at flesh, snarls echoed amongst the cliffside, and grunts of pain were abundant. When a particularly hard bite managed to crunch through the bone of her forearm, Frisk fell to the ground in pain and shock. The dogs shook the limb violently before tossing her shaky form a few feet away.  Her vision was getting blurry, everything shifting in and out of focus. Flowey was screaming at her to get up, to run away, but they fell on deaf ears. The last thing she saw was a large black hoodie jump in front of her before she blacked out.

Chapter Text

The skeleton watched from a distance as the girl trekked through the snowy landscape. Grinding his teeth, he trembled slightly in outrage. How dare this human challenge him so? Did she not know her life was forfeit the moment she fell into this wretched place? His thoughts lingered on the display of defiance. He had never had anyone show him such arrogance, well except for the boss of course..but that was another matter altogether. His eye sockets narrowed as he watched the girl stumble clumsily on a patch of ice before righting herself once more. In some aspects he was genuinely curious about the strange human. She wasn't like the others who had fallen long ago. No, she was much more stubborn and challenging.

A small smile lit his skull at the sight before him. The girl was still hobbling on, but the look of pure determination made his heart beat faster. His smile was half genuine and half pissed. On one hand he was thrilled to have a new toy, someone he could play with and break at will, but on the other hand, she would be a handful if her earlier outburst was any indication. He silently followed behind the stubborn girl, sticking far enough back that the snow flurries engulfed his form in an icy disguise. Not that it really mattered since if she ever got too close to figuring out his fun, he could just teleport away.

His thoughts turned more troubling as he reprimanded himself once again for his earlier blunder. He had not meant to taste her blood, but something had called out to the foolish skeleton. The overwhelming smell of her life force, the fire burning in her eyes, and the outward denial on her features were enough to drive him to action. Almost as if he was compelled to do such. Her blood had satisfied the sadistic side of his personality, but the more rational side was in utter turmoil. It had felt natural, like it was second nature, and if he was honest with himself it seemed way too familiar for his liking. A frown marred his features and a heavy furrow made him look as vicious as he was.

Yanking his black hoodie closer, he flipped the fur trimmed hood up over his skull and zipped the material up, allowing it to cover his red sweater. Shoving his hands into the pockets of his black gym shorts, he quickened his pace. The human was getting close to Doggo's sentry station, and he wanted to be on time for the show that would definitely pan out.

He certainly wasn't disappointed.

Watching the human shuffle about had to be one of the funniest things he had ever seen. When the dog would get particularly upset, she would stiffen and fall into a semi-hunch, almost as if she could hide by doubling in on herself. Sometimes she would strike an odd pose and freeze. The growling was getting louder and he noticed her stiffen once more before taking off into a near sprint. Well, technically hobble since she was still hurt. Regardless, it wasn't long before Doggo's sense of smell kicked into high gear with the racing of her heart. Since she was so scared, the blood leaking from her wounds had begun to drip from the gash on her forearm to the snow beneath, staining it a dark crimson. He would have smiled at the sight, but a wild creature burying her beneath the blanket of snow forced a growl from his throat.

His narrowed eye sockets took in the scene before him. The girl was desperately struggling to free herself from his massive form, but each wiggle only earned her more pain and a tightly clamped jaw to the base of her neck. Her gasp rung out in the silence, and she ceased her sruggling after a few moments. His eye burst to life in scarlet fury and he moved forward slowly and silently. As soon as the dog released his hold to howl out, he moved to rush forward, determined to snap the filthy mutt's neck. Before he could move past his cover, he saw the girl grasp her stick and roll the dog off in one fell swoop.

Gaping in surprise, he could only watch as she began to bash the dog's skull over and over. Her choked sobs rang through the air, constricting his heart painfully. Her voice was so full of fear that it overwhelmed him, urged him to protect the naive little girl. He started to move once more, but he was caught off guard yet again, only this time by the vines that wrapped itself amongst her wrist and urged her into a tearful embrace. With no other choice, he sat back and watched the flower and human embrace, silently guarding her from any other monsters that happened to be lurking around.

When the human finally began to move again, he followed behind silently. He felt bad for the stupid girl, and that only made him even more angry. He wasn't supposed to be babysitting a useless girl that only found herself in bad situations. Sighing in annoyance, he followed her through the cold terrain. Waiting for something to happen was both boring yet calming. He knew soon she would stumble upon one of the boss' traps, and it only caused his emotions to skyrocket.

He cautiously approached the edge of the clearing, just out of sight of the wary human. She seemed to glance behind herself warily and shudder lightly. When she threw her stick into the trap, he couldn't help but be impressed.

At least she wasn't dumb enough to rush in headfirst..

He continued to watch, curious to see how she would handle herself. What he didn't expect was for her to grab as much snow as she could carry and map out a safe path through the electrified ground. He gave a low chuckle and waited as she turned around, seemingly looking in his direction. When she brought her arms up and back down at her crotch, his jaw went slack and he stared at her in outright shock.

Did she just...?

Yes, she did.

But whatever he thought about doing was quickly forgotten as the girl turned around and stalked through the snow. He shook his head and teleported to the other side of the trap, keeping a safe distance away from the not so naive human. He was impressed by the sheer will she had, not many would continue onward after the endangerment of their lives. Many would have stopped to bawl their eyes out and cry out for whatever deity would overhear their pleas. But not her, no, she just carried on despite her injuries, despite her obvious fear, and for that he felt a little twinge of respect. Just a little.

It hadn't taken too terribly long for the group to reach the spaghetti trap, and he suppressed a snicker. How anyone could fall for that was a mystery. Not to mention, it was so cold that the spaghetti had now officially hardened to something akin to a boulder. Regardless, the skeleton waited while the human took in her surroundings, a look of determination passing her features. After a few minutes of resting, they continued their trek, the skeleton growing more aware of the nearing danger. His hands reflexively balling at his sides.

And just as he thought, trouble was ready to a face them head on. Dogamy and Dogessa waited until the human had walked right over the retracted spikes before springing into action. The dogs were intwined together, moving as one being, snarling and drooling along the snowy bank. At first they circled the human, tauntingly slow, but at the lack of fear, they rushed in for the kill. To their shock, vines sprouted forth like sharp spears, making the attackers twist in mid air to avoid being hit. They landed in the snow, sending a flurry of it into the air before pouncing once more.

The skeleton watched out of curiosity, but found himself growing more worried by the second. The human was tiring fast, moving slow due to her injuries. The flower wasn't in much better shape as he was huffing while little beads of.. sweat?.. fell down his leaves and the vines were slower and less accurate. Thankfully, the two had managed to do a little damage to the rabid duo, but it was quickly becoming clear who the victor would be. The monster growled lowly and let his eye socket flare in crimson fury, waiting for only a moment before springing into action.

The final straw was Dogessa's bone crunching bite that left the girl writhing in pain on the snow, blood spreading across the frozen terrain dyeing it scarlet. Her eyes were less focused, her face flushed as tears wracked her body. He barely heard the flower's screams before he found himself face-to-face with the feral canines.

His eye flamed wildly, his normally sharp teeth glinting in the morning light, and a dark laugh passed his mouth, "Seems I'm gonna have a G R E A T T I M E!"

The two tried to plead with him, but a swift punch to the jaws, sending them flying back into the side of the cliff, convinced them that words were futile. They sprung into action, twisting about in the snow, trying to use their unnatural speed to their advantage. They slashed, clawed, and bit at the monster before them, but each time he merely leaned back clearly unimpressed with their tactic. Growing tired quickly, they forced the skeleton towards the cliff-side, hoping to force him into tumbling down the rocky landscape.

He wasn't stupid, he knew what they were aiming for. Might as well entertain them a bit. Sending them a brilliantly terrifying grin, he played along with their plan, moving backward to the edge of the cliff. When he couldn't move backwards any longer he waited as they lunged towards him, albeit halfheartedly, in an attempt to drive him back. Smirking, he teleported behind them, much to their confusion, and kicked their backs in a bone crushing display of power. The sickening crunch of their spines breaking only causing his smirk to spread farther. The pair howled in pain and fell limply to floor, no longer in any shape to fight.

Laughing loudly, he pulled each head up, looking both of them in the eyes before flinging their bodies over the edge where their flesh were skewered on the spiked rocks below.

The distinct shattering of souls was the last thing he registered before rushing back to the unconscious human's side.

Chapter Text

Making his way to the fallen human's side, he rushed over in a flurry of snow. His sense picked up the heavy scent of blood, which was still heady with a sweet aroma. He groaned softly, putting a hand over his flaming eye. He had to calm down, he would not be able to help the girl if he couldn't control himself. A part of his mind screamed that he should leave her to die, that they would finally be rid of the annoyance once and for all, but the more impulsive side was already hurrying to save her. Something about this girl was familiar and welcome, which only added to the cause.

Huffing slightly, he bent down to gently pick up the girl's broken body, hoping that she may not have already died due to her extensive blood loss. A shaky vine whizzed past his cheek, just barely missing the target. He turned a menacing glance down to the shaky flower that was glaring back with equal distaste.

"L-Let go of her!" The plant cried, summoning another vine, but a red flame encased it, effectively burning it into nothing more than ash.

"Quit your whining, weed. She'll die out here," He challenged, picking her up once more, "If you value your life then don't cross me again."

With that being said, the skeleton teleported back home, leaving behind a scared and exhausted flower. Hurrying past the house and into their old shed, he made sure that the boss wasn't home before beginning his task. The skeleton didn't so much as blink before setting the girl down on the dusty hardwood floor. The draft from the broken windows was enough to make her curl up reflexively, and he looked up at them a bit annoyed. He'd have to repair the stupid things, but what could be done about it now? He huffed and shrugged off his jacket, wrapping it around her small frame and gave a slight smirk at the pained girl. The black leather could definitely wrap around her twice over, her entire body engulfed in its furry warmth. Thankfully her shaking slowed to a pained tremble, and he sighed, here would come the painful part.

Carefully, he rolled up her sleeve, cursing himself for the whimpers the girl let out. Had he been any weaker, he may have just gagged at the sight of her mangled flesh. It was caked in drying blood, while it continued to gush more from the deeper wounds. The whole arm looked like it was mangled beyond repair, her arm limp and loose, the flesh peeled back to reveal torn tendons and muscle, even a slight peek at her shattered bone.

Allowing red flames to surround his bony hands, a slight grimace lit up his skull. There was nothing he could do about the shattered bone, that would have to heal on its own, but he could at least cleanse the wound and stitch it back together. Gently, he set his hands upon her mangled flesh, letting the fire burn away the bacteria, although it did burn her flesh as well. The girl cried out in pain, much to his chagrin. Quickly yanking the fur over her head, he covered her mouth with the plush material, hoping to drown out her cries. Huffing slightly, he focused on the task at hand, wrapping his arm around her forearm tenderly. After a few moments and holding down the struggling girl, he removed his hand, ignoring the smell of burnt skin. With a wave of his hand, he summoned a needle, stitches, and bandages.

He sighed and patted her head at her quiet sobs, "I know. We're almost done, sweetheart." Continuing on, he threaded the material through the needle and began to pull the thread through one side of her skin to the other, slowly stitching her wound closed. He flinched at her sobs, not quite sure how to quell her tears. It made him both angry and sad, only making him more confused than ever.

Why should he be feeling this way over a brat's tears? She was nothing more than an annoyance, something he had wanted to break for his entertainment. So, why was his heart near breaking at her meltdown? Growling lightly, he finished the final stitch before breaking the rest of the thread with a sharp tooth. The girl was still sobbing but silently now. He picked her up once more, cradling her gently before teleporting into his room since the shed could provide no warmth or protection.

Huffing softly, he placed the girl in his bed, covering her in the thick duvet. Making sure that her entire body was covered and hidden, he made his way downstairs to check on the rest of the house. It would be bad if the boss were to come home while he was tending to his newest plaything. Once he was certain the coast was clear, he went back upstairs to lock his door, making sure she was safe inside before hurrying out the house to get to Grillby's.

Chapter Text

There she was yet again. Same black void, same spooky Gaster floating in front of her.

Only this time here was no intense white light filling the empty void. Instead, the two floated in front of each other with tension clearly written on their face. Frisk found it hard to focus on the freaky ghost while she was clearly in a state of bewilderment. Surely she hadn't died, for if she had then the two would not be face to face. God wouldn't be that cruel to saddle her in the afterlife with a spectral annoyance, would he?

Said monster gave a cold stare, a frown marring his strange mask-like face. The girl sighed and ran a hand down her own spectral form, allowing a sigh of discontent to escape, "What happened now, Gaster? I can't possibly be dead, that much is certain."

"How can you be so sure? For all we know your body could be decaying on the frozen earth." The specter huffed, a surprising display of emotion for the normally stoic creature.

The girl rolled her eyes, crossing her arms across her chest defiantly and letting out a small snort, "Well if I'm actually dead then why are you still here, huh? Your goal is to return to life, which can't happen if my body is a mangled corpse being covered by falling snow."

"Clever girl, I'll give you that," her face beamed with a prideful smirk, however the specter continued, "But foolish nonetheless."

She opened her mouth to retort, but he pressed on, "What were you doing letting your guard down like that? Besides the idiotic notion that you could dodge forever, you didn't even take a moment to even look for an exit!"

Cutting him off with a glare that would bring lesser monsters to tears, the human raised her voice, filling the otherwise empty silence, "Now wait just a damn minute! You weren't the one who had to fight for their life, you have no right to question my actions! I didn't see you offering any tips or strategies, and even if you remained silent, you told me you'd lend me your powers if I needed to defend myself!"

The creature let out a deep chortle, "You speak as if I was the reason for your failure. Your inadequacy in fighting is what led to your defeat. You cannot allow yourself to falter in front of an enemy, especially not one that has ten times more strength than your human body." The ghost deflected.

Frisk gave a snarl, turned on her heel and crossed her arms once more. Yes, she should have looked for an escape route, but with two dogs merely inches from snapping and ripping off her flesh, it was hard to find time to analyze her surroundings. Part of her wished to remain silent, childish even as she held onto her anger. The other part was siding with the creature for her failure to defend herself. Even though she knew she was no match for the dogs she still held onto the notion that she could fend for herself. Her features relaxed slightly, but the warring emotions caused her to fall quiet. The tension had only heightened between the two, the uncomfortable silence only serving to make the monster more jittery.

"Although you do have a point, I suppose it was a bit ridiculous to expect a mere human to rival that of a monster. I see that once you are healed, we must begin your training at once," the figure said calmly after a few minutes of strained silence.

The girl nodded her acceptance. With his help, she wouldn't have to rely on Flowey any longer. Wouldn't have to resort to clubbing an enemy to death. Or have to rely on...

Wait.

If she was truly alive, then just what had happened to the ferocious hounds?

Turning once more to face the upset monster, she found nothing but thin air. A growl passed her lips, now was not the time for the freaky mass to up and vanish! Oddly enough, she still felt his presence surrounding her. His deep baritone voice stood out in the emptiness, "It seems our time here is up, child. Next time be more careful. Now, wake up."

Her vision blurred until she could no longer see anything, her head spinning violently, and pain shooting up her forearm. She gave a strangled cry before finding herself back inside her body once more. Her body lurched forward, a scream escaping her mouth before a bony hand clamped over her lips.

"Shut the fuck up! Do you really want to die, you dumb bitch?" An angry yet familiar voice from her left bit out harshly. Her eyes narrowed, and she bit on his index finger which was dangerously close. He jumped and wrenched his hand free from her grasp, a strained hiss passing his teeth, "The fuck was that for?"

Frisk turned her gaze to the disgruntled skeleton, fury blazing in her eyes. She had not forgotten their last encounter. Narrowing her gaze, she moved to retort, but stopped short when she realized that she was no longer in the snow. Looking around, the human found herself in a home of sorts. The walls were a bloody red only making the space seem intimidating and a tad dreary, a few posters hung up on the walls where she could see a few cracks jutting from behind the decorations. Her gaze traveled away from her skeletal companion to take in the mess around her. There was laundry littered all around the small room, plates and dishes also amongst the massive clutter, but what was an even bigger shocker was the small tornado in the corner of the room sucking in random items and swirling it around in its windy current. The whole room was one giant disaster, seeming to have never been tidied nor repaired judging by the state of the cracked walls.

Confusion overcame her fury, and glancing down at the sheets that pooled at her waist only made her confusion heighten. Her fingers clutched the black fabric tightly as her head swam from the overexertion. She gingerly lifted her uninjured hand and clutched her chest. Eyes widening in fear and despair, her gaze completely tuned in to the skeleton before her.

He was still sitting in the stupid computer chair that sat beside the bed, leaning back on his hands comfortably, that same toothy grin on his features. His white eye lights kept their gaze trained on her face, almost goading her into something. It was nearly enough to make her jump out of bed and pummel him senseless, but then she wouldn't get her answers. Finding her voice, she addressed the biggest concern, "Where am I?"

The skeleton smiled and leaned forward, resting his skull in one hand. His amused gaze falling to her lips, "So rude, you haven't even asked my name yet, and you are in my home."

"Why the fuck am I here?" She hissed through clenched teeth. The monster before her was starting to aggravate her already fried nerves.

"Is this the thanks I get for saving you?" He mused while turning his attention to the crimson wall on his right, a smirk etched into his skull. His voice full of restrained amusement and a bit of surprise.

"You saved my life?" Her suspicious gaze flickered to his evasive eyes.

"Yep, sure did darlin'. How else would you have made it past the mutts?"

"The..dogs.. What happened? God, I can't remember anything past Flowey's screams.."  She confessed. But before the monster could answer, the girl flung off the covers and rushed to her feet. Pain flowed through her leg and arm at the rough treatment, but she ignored it to glare down at the skeleton, "Where is Flowey? What have you done with him?"

Surprise clouded his face at her rash movement. He had only just tended to her wounds a few hours ago, yet here she was bracing herself in preparation for an attack. He let out a low chuckle, not bothering to hide his obvious amusement, "Relax, kid. The weed is safe... I think.."

"You THINK? WHERE IS HE?" Her voice rose with her progressing worry and anger. Her unharmed hand moved to cup the other arm, guiding it to her chest protectively. Her frame shook with pain, and even as tears formed in her eyes she still managed a scathing glare at the monster, "I won't ask again. Where is Flowey?"

Her ferocity was stunning if it was any indication by the skeleton's jaw hanging open loosely and his brow bone rising in shock. It took a few moments before his jaw closed and his eyes took on a more serious gaze, "He's back in the clearing where you were attacked." The girl let out a nasty growl, her eyes blazing with barely restrained fury. It certainly had an undesired reaction, for he felt his face heat up with a light blush. Averting his gaze, he let out an angry huff, "Besides, the little weed probably got picked up by the goons."

"I have to save him!" The girl whispered, her gaze falling to the floor in terror. He was still out there. Where the dogs had mauled her, where he could be lying battered and broken. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest and she clutched her good hand tightly against her sweater.

A low rumble escaped from the monster's throat, "Fat lot that'll do. He's probably gone, so why waste your time on a stupid little sap-"

As fast as the words came, a fist connected with the side of his skull. If that wasn't surprising enough, the fact that she managed to swing his face to one side with the force of her punch left him speechless. No one had ever raised a fist to him, at least not since he and the boss took over Snowdin years ago. His gaze trained back on the trembling human, he expected to see shock and fear but even more surprisingly, the girl stood her ground and even began to berate him. His eye lights vanished as he receded into his thoughts, but it didn't stop the girl from continuing on her tirade.

"I don't care who you are, you will not speak about him that way! He's not a weed or a sap, he's Flowey! The plant that saved my ass from countless monsters, saved my life from the fall, he's.. he's my friend.." The last bit was forced past a lump in her throat from her emotional outburst.

Flowey had done nothing but support her and guide the human through the underground, giving her encouragement and understanding despite not knowing each other more than a few days at most. It seemed foolish to trust the plant monster so much, but he was someone she could rely on, share her insecurities and fears, someone who never judged her based on her humanity. They may not have known one another long, but already they had taken to each other, forming an unspoken bond. She would not leave him to suffer in the snow, cowering from enemies defenseless.

A low chuckle that led into a hearty laugh snapped the girl out of her thoughts. The skeleton was doubled over in the chair clutching his sides as his frame wracked with the force of his laugh. She took a step back suddenly unnerved by the monster's quick flip in attitude. This caught his attention, and a red glowing eye snapped up to meet her gaze, "Friend? You must be dumber than I thought. Down here we don't make 'friends'. We endure and survive. There is no friendship. Only the strong thrive."

He stood from his chair and advanced towards the suddenly fearful human. As she stumbled backwards she met the edge of the bed she had just leapt from, falling on her butt. She leaned farther away as he kept moving closer, "Down here ain't a sweet fairytale. You won't get a 'happy ending', you'll be slaughtered without hesitation. Especially since you are a poor, helpless human." He met the edge of the bed and bent down hovering over the girl's trembling form, his skull mere inches away from her face. His bony hands on either side of her head trapped her underneath his large frame, his legs pinning her on either side making escape impossible. He was so close that she could feel the warm puff of breath as he spoke, "Seems you don't know your place. You are in MY home, in MY bed, only alive because I wish it. If I wanted I could end your life right now."

She gulped but steeled herself. Trembling only slightly, she locked her gaze onto his, a battle between red and gold. The girl schooled her features before finally giving a reply, "Then why don't you? Just kill me and get this over with."

His expression gave way to a deadly grin, "Where would be the fun in that? No, I have other plans for you, darlin'."

"And if I refuse?" She challenged.

His grin widened farther, "You can't."

"Pretty sure I can, numbskull."

"Not while you're injured. You can't fight me as you are now." He leaned down even closer, forcing the human to turn her head away. Letting out a fierce snarl, Frisk glared defiantly up at her captor.

"Besides, there's no point in getting worked up, dollface. You're mine now. No point in fightin' it." He grinned and nuzzled the junction of her neck and shoulder. Her heart nearly stopped, her eyes widened briefly before narrowing to slits. Another course of rage fueling her actions as she roughly bashed her head against his skull. The monster only hissed before moving away to rub the tender spot of his skull.

"Like hell! You don't get to just waltz in and claim me!" She raged while glaring up at the recovering monster.

"Got a lot of spunk, kid, I'll give ya that. But until you pay back your debts, you're not getting away from me. Go ahead and run. Hide. But I will collect what is owed.. one way or another." He growled, exposing sharp pearly whites, save for his one golden fang. With that he rose from the bed and walked lazily to the door, turning the knob slightly. Before he left, he turned around to give her one last menacing look, "The name's Sans. You'd do well to remember it, sweetheart."

With that, Sans pushed past the door, slamming it behind him. The sound of a lock clicking in place echoed throughout the silence of the room.

Chapter Text

Stalking out the front door, Sans yanked his hood over his exposed skull as he marched down the snowy path in the direction of Grillby's. A few bottles of mustard would help calm his rattled brain. Overall, the past couple days had been especially taxing what with the boss practically beating his door down while he hurried to hide the recovering girl. He would spend a good portion of his days hiding out in his room to watch over her broken body, but it was growing harder to keep his new pet a secret. The human was proving to be more of a handful than he originally anticipated, and if she kept on screeching like a damn bashee then he would have no choice but to hand her over to the boss. No matter how interesting he found the girl to be, he couldn't risk the repercussions that would follow.

Grumbling to himself, he hurried past the few monsters roaming the street while silently taking pride as they crossed to the other side, clearing the way for the obviously disgruntled skeleton. Sans perked up a small bit at the glowing warmth radiating from the bustling business. Yanking the door open, the skeleton made his way to the large oak bar, watching the purple flame monster run some order to a rowdy group of doggos. As he slid into the empty barstool, said monster slid a bottle of mustard across the bar where the skeleton quickly snatched it and started chugging. The flame monster ambled over after attending to the other patrons and made himself busy with polishing the glasses behind the bar. It would only be a matter of time before the bag of bones decided to share what was bothering him.

"Grillbz, you won't believe the shit going on.." he finally piped up after slamming the empty bottle onto the tabletop. The flame monster reached down and pulled out another bottle, knowing he would be at this for quite a while. While Sans fiddled with the cap, he kept on with his tale, "So, I got a new pet. Quite the feisty little thing, but she doesn't know how to shut the fuck up! Hell, even after all I've done she still acts like I'm the enemy!"

Grillby crossed his arms and took a turn to speak while the impatient skeleton took another long swig from his drink, "Fiesty, huh? That's pretty weird for you. After all, all your other 'pets' were obedient little things, hoping to get in good with the skeleton bros."

"Yeah, but they weren't nothing more than lays. The whole 'quiet and docile' act ain't my cup of tea. I mean, sure, at first it's fun having them do anything you want, but after a few days it gets old. It's like they got no spark, no passion, how dull is that?" He grumbled and tossed back his head for another few gulps of the tangy liquid.

"Makes sense. Although you said something about all you've done for her. What was that about?" He asked while clearing away the doggo's empty plates. For such dumb dogs, they sure knew how to leave a mess.

"Wasn't a big deal. She found herself in trouble, so I got her out." He slurred back while tossing the mainly drained bottle away, "Another one."

Reaching down once again, he produced another bottle, "Last one, Sans. You aren't gonna drink yourself to death in my bar."

"Yeah, yeah. Just give me the damn bottle," the skeleton growled and snatched it from the flame monster's hands. After tipsily unscrewing the cap, he finally slowed down his pace, only taking a few sips here and there. Grillby wasn't usually one for limits, but when he put his foot down, he absolutely meant business.

"So despite the defiance, what else happened?" Grillby urged.

"She just..ugh.. I save her stupid life, grill, but she just flipped out when she woke up! She should be grateful, groveling even, but no! She just punches me in my face and screams about her 'poor friend'." He growled, now just staring at the empty glasses behind the bar, his thoughts falling back on the human, "I don't know what came over me. One minute she's being attacked by a few mutts, then the next I'm in front of her like some damn shield."

The two fell silent for a few moments. Grillby was absolutely flabbergasted, Sans never took it upon himself to act for the sake of another being, especially not a woman. The skeleton was well known for his cruel treatment of his 'pets' and being selfless on behalf of one was just.. absurd. Even if he did save the girl, for him not to have killed her on the spot was a miracle. He discreetly checked out the monster before him, making sure that this really was the Sans and not some kind of joke.

Sans on the other hand was already spilling his guts to the frazzled bartender, "I don't know what it is about her. She just.. I don't know, she's familiar. Like I know her from somewhere but I can't remember where. She makes me feel weird. One minute I hate her guts and the next I want to protect her. It's pissing me off!"

Finally snapping out of his stupor, Grillby took away the half empty condiment, "Well, That's certainly odd. Maybe you two do know each other and that could explain your jumbled emotions, but sitting here and drinking won't chase away your problems. You want my advice? Keep her around and figure it out. After all, if you saved her life then that has to count for something. Now get on outta here before that brother of yours comes looking for you."

Sans sighed and gave a small nod before pushing back the barstool, "I guess. I'll catch ya later."

Brushing past a few patrons, the skeleton made his way out the bar with minimal effort, although he did sway a bit with each step. As he made his way out of the warm bar, he flicked the hood back up once more, casting out the chill. His gaze flickered to the entryway of the town. He knew that it was only a matter of time before the girl decided she was well enough to travel and get that stupid plant. He didn't understand how she could even care for something so insignificant that it could barely even be considered a monster. That weak little plant was just about as annoying as the girl, but something within him stirred at the thought of her tears over the abandoned monster.

I hate seeing her cry..

Shaking his head, he cleared that thought away as quickly as it came.

No, I don't want her to be crying for the foreseeable future. That would just be a gigantic pain.

Sans let out a giant sigh and decided he might as well go get the fucking weed. Although part of him was mentally cursing the girl that awaited back at his home for the task he was setting out to accomplish. Granted it wasn't hard since he merely snapped his fingers and teleported back to the site of their last battle. The area was just as they had left it, blood littered the snowy field, deep divets had been left in the snow from the mutts. That wouldn't do..

Sans looked around for the plant, finding him in one of the bloody pools, most likely trying to play dead. With an eye roll, he stalked over to the plant and checked his soul, but took a few steps back at what he found.

HP- 0.5

Sans quickly snatched up the flower and teleported back to his room with his cargo. Frisk was busy trying to pick the lock on the door when he suddenly appeared behind her on the bed. She turned to give him a piece of her mind, but stopped short when she saw the bloody flower in his grasp. She gasped in horror, the one vibrantly golden flower now a dusty yellow that bordered on gray, his leaves withered and cracked. His eyes were closed and his breathing was far too shallow. Tears clung to her eyes and she ambled over quickly, only stopping when Sans cast her an obviously assertive glare.

When he was satisfied that she had understood his warning, he quickly snatched the untouched fries off his desk, also taking note that the girl had not eaten, probably not even bothering to look around. He quickly mashed up the fries until they were a mushy paste. Prying open the flower's mouth, he shoveled in little piles of the mash, before rubbing the upper part of his stem in an attempt to help him swallow. When it finally worked, he kept up the routine of giving him small amounts of paste and helping him eat. Finally after a ridiculously long amount of time, Sans handed over the tiny plant to the worried girl before bringing forth his soul once more.

HP- 5

Letting out a grunt, he wiped the rest of the residue from the fries on his pants and looked up at the woman before him, "Found your friend here back where we fought, face down dying."

Frisk could only clutch the small flower to her chest protectively while she looked up at the skeleton, "Is he...?"

"He'll be fine. When he wakes up, you and him eat. Don't say I ain't ever did nothin' for ya." He grunted.

Walking over to the bed, the skeleton plopped down face first before passing out.

Chapter Text

Sans awoke to the sound of distant shouting which could only be attributed to the angered skeleton down below. Mind still groggy with sleep, he rolled onto his side blinking up at the small gray alarm clock atop his dresser. The little blue lights flashed 5:18, although really there was no telling if that was accurate or not since they were trapped underground. He merely based the clock off the day and night cycles that the underground provided.

Stifling a groan, the skeleton stretched, his bones cracking with relaxing ease before he rolled over onto his other side, intent to catch some more z's. However, when he came face to face with a sleepy girl, a crimson blush washed over his skull. Stumbling back, he fell off the edge of his bed with a yelp as he hit the cold wooden floor. Gripping the sheets tightly, he hoisted himself into a kneeling position, staring over the edge of the bed at Frisk's sleeping form. He couldn't help but study the resting girl, not quite sure what to make of her.

Her face was relaxed, eyes closed as she no doubt was finally getting somewhat decent sleep. Lord knows she hadn't had much in the past week or so judging by the heavily dark circles under her eyes. Her face although usually twisted in disdain was quite lovely while she slept, her features relaxed and peaceful despite being stuck in a room with a monster. Long eyelashes framed her almond shaped eyes and with each rise and fall with her breath made them fan out delicately over her high cheeks. Full lips parted ever so slightly as she slept. She was unconsciously drawing him in, wondering just what it would feel like if he leaned down and sampled the soft flesh. Inching closer and closer to the slumbering girl, he was startled out of his musings by a loud banging on his door.

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR!" A loud growl echoed from the other side of the door.

Realization overwhelmed him as he noted how close their lips were, if he only leaned in just a bit more he would have tasted her lips. Jerking away with a hiss, He shook awake the sleepy girl, regreting having to disturb her slumber, but they didn't have much time. As the girl woke with a start, Sans clamped a bony hand over her mouth much to her chagrin.

"Listen, you have to be silent. Do not say a fuckin' word unless you want to be dangling from a buncha bones," He warned quietly while the banging just got progressively louder.

Sans quickly scooped up the small human and hid her away in his closet, almost regretting that he never bothered to pick up his laundry. No doubt, she immediately gagged at the stench of rancid clothes, wondering inwardly just how it could reek of sweat if he was nothing more than bones. He sent a somewhat apologetic glance, although he couldn't help but chuckle at her scrunched up face while she pinched her nose to block the smell. With a last minute glance around the room, he grabbed the slumbering flower and threw him into the closet as well. Frisk quickly reached out and caught the startled flower, keeping her hand firmly closed over his mouth.

"SANS, YOU LAZY SACK OF SHIT, OPEN THIS DOOR! I WILL NOT REPEAT MYSELF!" An annoyingly high pitched voice screeched from the other side of the door.

Sans hurriedly closed the closet door and jumped back onto the bed, pretending like he was just waking up. With a louder than necessary groan, he waved his hand and allowed his powers to undo the lock. Not even a moment later did the door fling open, hitting the wall with a loud bang that echoed throughout the silence in the room. Frisk unconsciously flinched at the sheer force before inching slowly until she could see out of the slats of the closet door. She was thoroughly surprised by the stomping monster that made his way over to Sans bed.

The figure was clad in an overly dramatic red cape, the torn and tattered edges brushing against the dirty carpet. On further inspection, she realized the monster was another skeleton, only this one was much taller than her and Sans. Maybe about 6'7? The monster wore some sort of jet black crop top, or maybe it was once a shirt and had been torn to rags judging by the tattered ends. His jeans, also the same dark black, rode low on his...hips?.. until it met thick crimson boots. With a barely suppressed snort, she inwardly laughed at the red and black color scheme that she couldn't escape from.

If it wasn't bad enough that he was literally as tall as a tree, the jagged scowl etched into his skull was enough to make her sink lower into the dirty laundry, hoping to be as small as possible. The man stalked over to Sans, lifting him by the scruff of his jacket until their faces were mere inches apart.

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?" The taller skeleton growled fiercely.

"Sorry, boss. Been skulling around.." Sans chuckled nervously.

At that, the taller monster slammed Sans into the wall, holding him up until he could no longer touch the floor, "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT YOUR STUPID PUNS?"

Sans kept his mouth shut, knowing that it was better to remain silent when the boss was like this. His anger at whatever had happened was just broadcasted on the smaller monster. Sans averted his eyes, trying desperately not to glance over at the closet where he knew Frisk was watching.

And she most certainly was watching.

Frisk's form trembled at the sheer ferocity that the other skeleton was exuding. His features were contorted in anger, yet the gleam in his eye lights seemed almost.. gleeful? It appeared 'The boss' was getting some sick enjoyment out of pushing around Sans. For some unknown reason all she wanted to do was hurl herself out of the closet and rush to Sans' side. The sight of him looking so defeated tugging at her soul to do something, anything. But instead she remained silent, not wanting to get caught up in the squabble, for if this monster was even half as bloodthirsty as he seemed, she'd be dead where she stood.

Sans had zoned out for only a moment to wonder about the human in his closet, but by the time he came back to reality the boss had thrown him to the ground and proceeded to kick him in the ribs harshly. The smaller skeleton curled in on himself rather than stand and fight. He didn't have it in him to raise a hand against the taller monster, so he just laid there in a curled up heap taking blow after blow until his attacker either got bored or satisfied.

Frisk found herself wincing, and clenching her hands into fists as she watched the scene before her eyes. There was nothing she could do to help, even if by some chance Gaster was able to lend his powers, her body was far too damaged to be able to withstand another fight. So instead she sat there, hunched over with a shaking flower while she silently cursed the boss for being so cruel.

When the boss had finally grown bored with beating the crumpled up skeleton, he gave one last feral growl and made like he was going to punch Sans in the face, only to laugh as the bruised monster flinched. Grinning at his obvious discomfort, the taller skeleton chuckled and walked to the door, "NEXT TIME BE SURE TO ANSWER TO ME BEFORE COMING HOME. I WILL NOT TOLERATE YOUR LAZINESS ANY LONGER."

With that, the skeleton left, moving quickly down the stairs and out the house. His message having been delivered.

Frisk waited a few moments as she heard the creaking of the stairs and a door slam from down below. When she was certain the other skeleton had left, she left the safety of Sans' closet, shuffling over to the crumpled monster. Setting Flowey down on the nightstand, she gently cradled Sans' skull, allowing it to rest on her lap, albeit she was a bit unsure of what to do with the seemingly unconscious skeleton. The beating had been unexpected and fierce, but what truly shocked the human girl was the fact that he just lied there and accepted it. That was nothing like the Sans that she had seen. He was always so fierce and domineering, and to see him bow down to another and let that person hurt him in such a way... well that was devastating.

A low groan broke her thoughts, and she glanced down at the wincing monster, apparently he hadn't been unconscious. She hurried to help him sit up, being mindful of his ribs, while Sans merely let out a low chuckle, "Sucks that ya had to see that, kid. Glad ya stayed put."

Frisk just nodded and kept about her task. Making sure he was as comfortable as could be, she leaned his prone form against the bed frame and tenderly unzipped his leather jacket, shrugging it off his shoulders and arms.

"If ya wanted to get me naked, ya coulda just asked, sweetheart," He teased, but turned his head away to hide his flinching and pained expression.

"Oh, hush. You're such a pervert even when someone is trying to help you." She huffed, and grasped the hem of his shirt, ready to lift it over his head, but a bony hand encircling her wrist made her pause.

"I don't need help."

"Sure you don't.." She grumbled unconvinced and attempted to raise his shirt once more. His grip only tightened, halting her movements.

"That's enough!" The monster bit out.

"Just let me.." She sighed and tried once more only to be shoved away.

"I said I'm fine! If you're that concerned to help someone then help yourself. You absolutely reek and your hair is a total trainwreck," he hissed in annoyance, finally casting a red eyed glare in her direction.

"Fine! If you want to be that way then you can go fuck yourself. See if I care!" With a hiss of her own, she stood and snatched up the horrified flower before hurrying out of the room.

With a loud slam of his door, Sans found himself finally alone. The skeleton sighed and tenderly peeled off his shirt to assess the damage. It wasn't quite as bad as last time, only a few cracks and a couple broken ribs. Sans let out a loud huff and set to work healing his damaged ribs, glad that it had only been a physical beating this time instead of a direct soul beating. His glowing hand hovered lightly above each rib, allowing the magic to seep into the fractured bone and repair it as best he could, but with the extensive healing he had done on the human a few days ago, he was left weary and depleted in a way that even food wasn't able to fix.

He'd just have to make due with the pain for a few days until his magic could regenerate fully. Although the pain was still prevelent, he found himself regretting the harsh words he had spoken. The girl didn't deserve to be insulted in such a way, but he refused to seem any weaker than he had already been. She had seen his beating, and he didn't want her pity, so he lashed out. The distant sound of creaking pipes told the monster just where the human was, so he opted to leave her to her own devices for the time being. Both pleased and annoyed at his actions, he merely crawled into bed after tugging his shirt back on and rested his aching bones.

He'd check on the girl later, but for now, he simply wanted to nap some more.

Chapter Text

Frisk left the safety of Sans' room in a bout of annoyance, but not before taking her flower companion with her. She couldn't bring herself to leave the weak plant by himself with a seriously injured and slightly unstable skeleton. So instead, the two of them made their way to the bathroom at the end of the hall, at least that was what they came up with after a bit of investigating.
Pushing past the creaking wood, she stepped into the dimly lit bathroom. It wasn't much to look at, just bare walls with a few cracks running through it undoubtedly from years of slamming doors and whatever else. There was a small sink, a  smudged mirror hanging above it and a little tub in the very corner, looking like it hadn't been used in years.

Setting Flowey down on the edge of the sink, Frisk took a moment to inspect herself. After all, it had been quite a while since she was conscious. She wasn't surprised at the dirt and blood marring her face and arms, but she did huff and pout at the large rat's nest of hair. Turning to Flowey, she hesitantly asked if he would be able to cut off the clumped mess. The plant gave a small nod and instructed her to turn around for him and hold her hair in a ponytail, which she was able to do after positioning her hurt hand at her chest. The sound of air being cut made her jump slightly, and when she felt the weight settle in her cupped palm, she gently pulled her hand away to reveal a good 10 inches of hair having been sliced. With a silent sigh, she turned around to inspect herself, thanking her friend for his assistance. Her hair was still frizzy and a bit tangled, but it was now cut into an asymmetrical bob and made her feel lighter thanks to all that hair being chopped.

Finally, she took a moment to check on her wounds. What she saw left her astounded.

Her arm, once mangled beyond recognition, had been stitched together in a fairly neat pattern, although by the painful throbbing and way her flesh hung awkwardly, she knew the bone was still shattered. Looking up into the sink, she took a moment to inspect the wound on the back of her neck, finding only a scabbed over wound in its wake. Lastly, she moved to remove her leggings, making Flowey glow a bright pink as he swiftly looked elsewhere while she struggled to take them off with one hand. As the garment fell to the floor she marveled at her leg. Of course along with any accident there was a scar no doubtedly where the fall had created a gash from calf to thigh, but to her surprise, the gash had closed up fully. A small smile lit up her features as she whispered a quiet thanks to her silent companions, both mentally for Gaster and out loud for Flowey.

Flowey gave a tiny squeak of acknowledgement whereas Gaster addressed her mentally so as not to startle the plant.

As Frisk finished undressing, she turned the taps, starting just a tad at the loud groan of pipes. The shower lurched before finally spraying a steady stream from the old showerhead jutting from the wall limply after presumably years of neglect. Although she supposed monsters didn't have much use for showers? From all that she had seen, monsters had no need to bathe. Although it was fair to say she had little to no experience on that since ever since she arrived they had been chased by bloodthirsty creaures. Nevertheless, an unexpected image of Sans in just a shower cap, singing into a loofah made her burst into a fit of giggles.

Realizing she had nothing to really bathe her body with, the girl quickly scanned the area, smiling when she noticed a small linen cabinet beside the toilet, although by the looks of it, the thing hadn't been touched in years. Nevertheless, she reached in and pulled out an old stained towel, which fortunately passed the sniff test, and she grabbed a tattered washcloth. Her face scrunched up at the sight of the disheveled cloth, but figured that it must not be a big deal to the skeletons, and she was grateful they had anything really. She quickly removed her underwear, and with a sigh she washed her panties in the sink since she had no other choice.

Frisk hurried back to the still running shower and held her good hand underneath the spraying water until the it was warm enough to step into the shower. After hoisting herself into the tub, she looked around for any body wash. Thankfully there was a small container with what looked like orange shower gel, which only took a few minutes to unscrew thanks to her good hand. Bringing it up to her nose, she took an inquisitive sniff and was pleasantly surprised to find it smelled like citrus. Giving a small hum of approval, she scooped a bit out and began to wash her hair, frowning as the water was tinged brown either from the dirt and blood, or maybe a bit of both. Pushing past the nasty water, she kept washing until it ran clear before moving on to washing the rest of her body, save for the stitched arm since she didn't want to risk pulling them out. Her body was in the same condition, bloody and dirty but bruises and small cuts littered her tanned skin. The last few days had been hell, running from monsters, bashing a dog in the face until he.. Well hopefully just passed out, but Frisk had a strong feeling he was taking a dirt nap. Things had not panned out the way she hoped, but now she had friends, some food in her belly, and someone that cared, even if it was for his own selfish reasons. Her thoughts drifted as she absentmindedly washed, purring in delight as she stood under the warm spray.

When she finally finished her shower, she grabbed the dingy towel and dried herself off before stepping out of the tub. Flowey remained with his eyes covered and she pat his head gently before wrapping her form completely, although it was a bit small on her. Looking around, she let out a loud groan as she realized there were no clothes. With an annoyed sigh, she tightened her hold on the towel and told her plant companion she would be back soon. Quietly, she slipped out from the bathroom and down the hall back into Sans' room. Sneaking a glance at the skeleton, she found him laying in his back with an arm draped over his eyes. Hopefully he wasn't awake, but she had to find decent clothes since hers were ripped to shreds. So she snuck as silently as possible over to a nearby dresser, dodging the piles of trash littering the floor, and rummaged through the drawers for something other than the dirty clothes scattered everywhere. While she shuffled through his clothes, she let out a loud 'Eep' when his voice shattered the silence.

"Third drawer, bottom left. There's some shirts and maybe some shorts. Knock yourself out."

She quickly looked over to find Sans staring at the wall opposite of her. Gulping, she gave a shaky thanks before snatching a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She hobbled out of the room quickly, not bothering to look over at the skeleton who had a bright red blush adorning his cheeks.

As she slipped into the bathroom once more, she hurriedly removed her towel and plopped it over Flowey for privacy, much to his protests. She looked down at the items in her hand and gave a small sigh before pulling the black gym shorts over her hips, slowly since she could only use one hand, forgoing her underwear as it still needed time to dry. By the time she was done her body was feeling hot and her mind clouded with dizziness from the steam. She settled herself on the toilet and gingerly attempted to pull the shirt over her head, but without any help, it only tugged her broken arm, sending shooting pains up her spine at every movement. With a sigh and small tears forming in her eyes, she resolved herself and forced her head through the hole and finessed her broken arm through an arm hole, although exceptionally painful, and she slid her other arm out before snatching her towel and clothes from the floor. Carefully picking up Flowey, she headed to the door, using her elbow to turn off the overhead light.

She slipped back into the room where a now reclining skeleton sat, eye lights settling on her clothed form, "Seems you found somethin' decent. Better than that shredded sweater of yours."

She gave a slight nod as she settled in the computer chair, clutching a shivering flower to her chest. After all, this was new to the little plant for he had not been around the skeleton more than a few minutes consciously. The plant eyed Sans warily, he just got bad vibes from the creepily smirking monster and wanted nothing more than to be rid of him once and for all. Frisk kept herself busy by stroking Flowey's petals softly, sending him encouragement and silent reassurance that he would be safe with her.

The two were startled out of their thoughts when the monster consuming their thoughts quickly yanked the human by her good arm and teleported them into an eerily dark cabin of some sort. Looking around, she noted that it was an entirely wooded structure with a few windows on the upper level by the stairs and the highest part of the walls on the lower level which let in fractions of light inside the small space. In the corner lie a dingy mattress with dried blood along with a few flimsy tattered blankets. The entire place felt small and neglected with the little light, dusty floors and cobwebbed ceiling.

"This is where you'll be sleepin', kid." His voice snapping her out of her daze.

"What do you mean? I can't stay here!" She cried incredulously.

The taller monster shrugged, "You ain't got much choice, sweetheart."

The human went to protest, but found herself being pinned by a hard glare, "You will do as you are told. If you haven't gotten it through your thick skull, you're in no condition to fight, let alone fight me. And as I recall, you lost the bet. You're mine now, pet."

He advanced quicker than she could follow and found herself stepping back unconsciously, until he had pinned her against the wall.

"I like 'em spunky, but you had best learn when to follow orders. You're in my home because I chose to keep you, alive because I allow it. Don't continue to cross me," he whispered lowly into the shell of her ear, fangs gently scraping the sensitive flesh, only making the human shudder and flush slightly.

She found herself unable to move, unable to fight against the unstable skeleton. He went from being kind, albeit a bit flirtatious, to downright threatening her in a span of two seconds. Just who does that? Although his body pressed up against hers made her feel strangely hot, she forced him away with a bit of inner struggle, their close proximity oddly familiar and difficult to understand. "Fine, I get it."

Sans took a moment to study the girl, her new appearance seeming much more familiar than he could comprehend, and the flush of her cheeks making him smirk triumphantly. This girl was stirring emotions from him, something no one had been able to do in years. These emotions and feelings were foreign and unwelcome, only adding to his frustrations, but he found himself unwilling to destroy the conundrum of a girl. Keeping her alive and out of sight was the only solution he could think of until he could truly figure out this girl. He nodded at her words and turned around before stalking off.

Watching him as he walked up the stairs and out of sight, followed by the slamming of a door, Frisk hurried up the same stairs intent on escaping. When she tried to turn the doorknob, she found the surprisingly heavy door to be locked tight.

Of course it wouldn't be that easy..

She quickly looked for any means of escape, the windows the only help, but unfortunately, they were mere slits in the wood, not even close to being large enough to think of breaking out. So with reluctant defeat, she made her way back down the stairs, and climbed onto the squeaky mattress, pulling the tattered blanket up over her and Flowey's body. She held the plant close before quietly reassuring the frightened monster.

"Don't worry, Flowey. We'll get out of here one way or another.."

Chapter Text

Days dragged on, blurring into weeks without much notice. The monster and human pair didn't know how long they had been forced to remain in their wooden prison, but neither seemed to care much. The two of them were more focused on ways to escape confinement rather than count time. After weeks of attempted escaped, the human had grown weary, exhaustion creeping in and hope dwindling. After their last failed attempt, the two of them sat down and discussed their plans, trying to decide on their next course of action. She and her partner had gone through so many monsters, so many battles, and had barely escaped with their lives. It had been a miracle that the two of them were alive and relatively safe, so after much deliberation the two decided to remain trapped, allowing their bodies time to heal.

Frisk and Flowey stayed in the little shed, not able to escape, so they made the most of their tiny space, trying to embrace their captivity with even a shred of happiness. Flowey was the first to try and cheer up the nervous human after weeks of being trapped. He had managed to grow a few plants through some of the larger cracks in the wooded floor, the sprouts turning into turning into small buds that she thoroughly enjoyed watching. Of course, the plant monster could grow them into their full extent, but giving them the beginnings of a plant made it more exciting to have something to take care of, to watch grow, and it did brighten the mood a bit as they tried to keep their minds off of their current situation. Sometimes the two of them would tell stories of their lives before everything went to shit, although both were hesitant and didn't speak much whenever the other asked about hard situations. There were still secrets that they were reluctant to reveal, but they both understood and held no grudges whenever someone went too far. After all, they were together all day every day, it would be impossible not to get on one another's nerves.

When they weren't caring for the flowers or making idle chit chat, Frisk would speak with Gaster, wanting to understand the strange creature that now resided inside her body and in her very soul. It was difficult at first, neither one quite sure what to make of the other since they were two entirely different beings coinhabiting one body. It took time to develop a certain level of camaraderie since the two often disagreed on how to proceed with their current set back. Gaster wanted to escape desperately, to get to 'the lab' wherever that was, but without proper time to recover they would run the risk of dying whether it be to the elements or to the other monsters underground.

It shocked the specter how fragile the human really was, granted he had known of humans long before being shunned into the depths of the earth, but that had been centuries ago, time having made him forget just how delicate their race really was. For her it was simple, just a fall could harm her, make her bleed. Monsters like him took much more damage before they could be truly hurt, their bodies a target for harm, but where it really counted was their souls, for if a monster's soul was too far gone, they would cease to exist. The ghostly figure would explain this to the curious human who in turn asked more questions, genuinely eager to learn more about his race, especially since he was a more willing companion. Flowey had only given her the basics and while she didn't doubt the plant, she wondered if maybe that's all he knew. From what she gathered, Flowey wasn't always a flower, and although she had asked about his former life, he refused to talk anymore on the subject, which she respected.

Frisk found herself enjoying the company of her two monster pals, especially when Gaster materialized into a ghostly figure which he assured he would only do when no one else was around. It was a nice change of pace to have a roof over her head and at least a meal a day. Sans had been harsh the first few weeks as they had tried to escape, giving her a meal only when she was on the verge of starvation, giving her water only when it was required and leaving her practically begging to go outside to relieve herself, and even then she was forced to wear a black dog collar with a leash on it! It was sadistic to say the least, and she found herself growing to hate the skeleton monster even more than she originally had. He would come to check on her periodically, like clock work. Once in the morning, sometimes once in the afternoon, and once at night. Those nightly visits were the worst, he would just sit by her bed and chuckle at her antics while she desperately tried to put distance between them.

Now that she stayed put, his visits were becoming a bit more pleasant. He would bring her plates of spaghetti daily, much to her chagrin, but if she was really lucky, he would sometimes bring her some mouthwatering hamburgers that they would share from time to time. He stashed some water in the corner by her bed, seeing as she could be given some leniency and a bit of trust. She no longer had to beg to take care of her needs and relieve herself out in the woods like an animal. He actually let her use their toilet and shower as long as the coast was clear.

It was definitely better than she had previously been treated, but she still was miffed at the arrogant skeleton and didn't find much enjoyment in his company. He would tease her mercilessly and make her uncomfortable with his close proximity. It was strange that he would be so cruel one moment and then the next be so caring and attentive. The two of them were constantly bickering and arguing, confused by the emotions the other stirred, yet it was strangely familiar. The familiarity only caused them to grow more exasperated at their situation, him wanting to both keep and kill her at the same time, and her wanting to escape and stay. The tension between the two often forced the flower and specter into silence as they watched the ongoing arguments.

It was just another day for the confined pair, Flowey was dozing on a little clump of dirt that they had scooped from underneath a rotten floorboard, Gaster was silently watching everything through his blank eye sockets from the corner of the room, and Frisk was inspecting the wounds on her body. Thankfully everything was healing up nicely, her neck had closed up with little more than a scar, her leg had finally finished recovering, the bone having mended, and the small cuts had long since gone. Now the only thing she had to worry about was the still mending arm. The radius was still shattered, but it seemed to be getting better everyday, the flesh had mended fairly well, but her stitches would have to stay for at least another week.

Stifling a sigh, Frisk grabbed a bottle of water and sat back against the wall. It had to be sometime in the evening judging by the little bit of darkness creeping in through the slit like windows. Things were going fairly well, Flowey was napping, Gaster was doing his own thing, and she was just taking it all in. Memories of family floated through her mind, but she quickly shut them out. What was the point in reminiscing or wondering what could have been?

Sensing her discontent, Gaster turned his blank eyes towards her, gesturing and forming signs with strange bony hands. It took her a bit of time to understand just what he was trying to say, but eventually she was able to make out his question.

Glancing over at the sleeping flower, she muttered a quiet, "I'm fine."

Gaster frowned and continued to sign, thankful that over the past few weeks they had been reviewing sign language whenever Flowey was asleep and Sans was nowhere to be found. It came in handy when he decided to materialize into a more physical form, usually when she felt particularly lonely. She grew suspicious that the ghost had grown somewhat fond of her, wishing to communicate in the only way he could physically.

Her logic was if they had to, sign language could be one of the few ways to silently converse whether it be used during battles or even during escape. Once he had tried to speak aloud, but it came out as a distorted voice that left chills down her spine and had even startled Flowey. The poor plant was shaking like a leaf for the rest of the day, desperately searching for whatever caused the distortion. It would've been funny if he wasn't genuinely afraid.

Gaster was moving to sign once more, but the appearance of a certain skeleton made him quickly disappear. Sans stood in the center of the room, panting heavily as his eyes went in and out of focus. Sweat dripped from his skull as he clenched his chest in a vice like grip. Frisk scrambled over to the obviously distressed monster just as he fell to his knees on the dusty floor.

"Oh my god, Sans, what happened?" She cried as she caught his forward slumping body. Pushing him back slightly, she made out a few cracks running from the top and bottom of his eye socket and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. This was serious, Sans was more than capable of taking care of himself, so just what had happened here?

The skeleton let out a guttural groan and slumped forward once more, much to her surprise. The girl panicked for a moment before making her way back to the bed, carefully dragging the heavy monster with her. Placing him on the bed, she made quick work of his jacket, tossing it to the side in a heap. She reached down and hurriedly pulled the shirt over his body while he watched through bleary sockets. Chuckling painfully, the skeleton couldn't help but tease his pet, especially when she looked so.. concerned.

"If you wanted me to strip, all ya had to was ask.."

Frisk gave a huff of indignation and shushed the skeleton before gasping at the site of him. His sternum was nearly split in half, the upper ribs on his left side having caved in, and on the right side a few had broken off entirely while others had been fractured. Blood was oozing from his chest alarmingly fast. Panicked and thoroughly upset, she did the only thing that she figured she could. Taking his shirt, she ripped it into thin strips and carefully tied his still intact ribs into place. She took the rest of his shirt and applied pressure to his wounds despite his grunts of pain. Moving to snatch her water bottle from the floor, Frisk hurriedly took the bottle and tore her own shirt into rags which she proceeded to soak. Gathering a piece of the wet cloth, she placed it onto his forehead and grabbed another piece before gently wiping away the trickle of blood from his mouth.

Sans lied there sweating and panting, his chest aching from his broken bones. He watched Frisk while she worked, noting how she sacrificed her own shirt to comfort him. She was terrified, he could see it in her eyes and the way her hands trembled as she wiped away his blood. He wondered why she would go out of her way to help him like this. He merely teleported here after his fight to make sure the boss hadn't yet found out about her, but instead she took it upon herself to tend to his wounds and even shed tears for his sake, although she did try to hide it.

He gave her a small grin, trying to ease her worries some, and succeeded in making her chuckle, albeit tearfully. He reached out and took her hand, squeezing lightly,  "I'm all right, sweetheart."

She shook her head and gave his hand a small squeeze in return,  "Obviously not, bonehead. You're bleeding.."

"Been worse."

"Yeah, well, not around me. It ain't like you to just sit back and let this happen. So what happened?" She pressed.

The skeleton stiffened and shifted his gaze to the wall opposite her, "Don't worry bout it, kid."

Frisk sighed and shook her head, "It was your brother, wasn't it?"

He remained silent.

"Figures. If you don't want to talk about it then whatever. Don't come cryin' to me." She grumbled halfheartedly, clearly upset by his lack of response. Silently laying against the wooden wall, she resigned herself to watch over the injured monster, noting how he was responding to her treatment. She was no nurse, but under the circumstances her efforts were enough since the blood flow had stopped and his breathing returned to normal, albeit a bit shallow. His eye lights had dimmed, and his face relaxed as he fell asleep.

With a final sigh, she closed her eyes and drifted to sleep hand in hand with the skeletal monster.

Chapter Text

Frisk awoke the next morning to find her bed empty, all that remained were the remnants of fresh blood staining the mattress and bits on the floorboard. Moving slowly, groggily, she arched her back allowing her stiff spine to crack pleasantly while a hand lazily rubbed her sleep filled eyes. She hadn't truly expected the monster to stay by her side that night, but it did leave her feeling somewhat empty. Strange as it was, she threw herself back into her daily routine. Snatching a suspiciously warm plate of spaghetti, she settled on the bed and chowed down hungrily, eating her portion before heading closer to the awakening plant. Silently sliding the plate to him, she stood and grabbed them water which he gratefully accepted.

Flowey had never felt better. After the first few weeks, he had managed to get Frisk to settle down and allow them time to recover, which he couldn't be more grateful for. His magic had recovered slowly what with their previous restrictions, but with the frequent meals and stocked water he found himself growing stronger by the day. He mused over plans to escape while happily chowing down on the decently made spaghetti, only giving pause to drink from the open water bottle at his side.

The two spent the day conversing happily and tending to the budding plants that Flowey had grown. It did cheer Frisk up a bit spending time just learning about her companion and taking care of the foliage. It was oddly pleasant. So much so that the two of them lost count of the days that passed. Their thoughts shifted to caring for one another in a fierce protectiveness, as one would do for their kin. At some point they had stopped seeing each other as human and monster, now knowing each other as an adopted brother and sister. The bond came quickly and deeply, formed under extenuating circumstances.

Time seemed to matter less as their confinement continued on. The new brother and sister took to sparring in their down time, wanting to better prepare for fights and come up with strategies to either escape or incapacitate. No matter what happened, Frisk never wanted to kill another monster as she had done previously. Flowey silently offered his support and encouragement, he never wanted to feel helpless anymore.

It frustrated the yellow flower to no end when he was unable to protect the seemingly sweet human girl. He wanted to be of use to her, to offer her something other than kind words and a means of escape. With every scratch, puncture, and gash that she took, his confidence dwindled and he felt little more than a burden. Yes, he was able to buy time for her to run, but he wanted to do more, to be more. He often reminisced of life before the accident, how it felt to have a body, to feel the wind running through his fur, feel the snow beneath strong paws, to feel alive. Even now, he could feel the cold, feel emotions, but it was so much weaker, his emotions slipping by the day until he was sure one day he would cease to care.

And that thought terrified him like no other.

It wasn't long after his reflection before he found himself confiding in his newfound sister, he was certain she would listen and refrain from judging. It happened during one of their spars. Vines twisted out from the rotten floorboards in an attempt to wrap themselves around fleshy calves to immobilize their target. She was faster, jumping back and rolling away from the new vines surfacing where she landed. He kept up his attacks, pushing her to her limits, forcing her to retreat lest she be pierced by sharpened thorns. It was entertaining and a bit mesmerizing watching her spin and twirl, jump and dodge, duck and scramble. Funnily enough, it was somewhat therapeutic, it made him feel somewhat alive, these spars giving him something to look forward to. He finally felt helpful, needed.

His guard slipped momentarily and he found himself tackled to the cold floorboards with a shrill cry. Frisk clutched him close and gave a triumphant giggle as the vines shrunk away, leaving the two of them be. Well at least that's what she thought until Flowey's stem grew thick piercing thorns. The prick of thorns stung her hands and she couldn't help but yelp and drop the flower to the floor while she inspected her slightly bleeding hands.

Flowey hit the floor with a pained grunt, but apologized profusely when he saw the damage to her hands. Frisk smiled softly and wiped her hands on her jeans, sending silent thanks to Gaster for the boost of healing, and when she showed open palms to the flower, he sighed in relief. The cuts weren't deep, and for that he was thankful. He felt the soothing caress on his petals and looked up into Frisk's smiling face. It was meant to comfort, but left him feeling forlorn.

With a sigh, he looked away and opened his mouth to speak, but found himself unable to. Mind jumbled and tongue tied, he simply blinked and hesitantly summoned the courage necessary to reveal his darkest secrets.

Frisk waited patiently, opting instead to grab a couple bottles of water and prop against the nearby wall. Downing one bottle, and sliding the other in front of the flower, she slid to the ground staring up at the ceiling. The water seemed to snap Flowey back to reality and he hesitantly took a gulp before beginning his tale.

"You know.. I wasn't always like this.." he began hesitantly.

"Like what? A big dork?"

Flowey snorted and shoved her lightly, "Har, Har. No, I mean a flower."

Frisk perked up at his serious tone and rolled over to face him, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I used to be a full monster, a proud one, the likes of which you've never seen."

"I see.." she trailed off unsure of how much he truly wished to share.

The flower repressed a snort, but gave a weary sigh before continuing further, "You see, I used to be a full fledged monster. One that would have grown strong enough to care for us all. Our lives would be totally different if it weren't for that day.."

Frisk leaned in closer, curiosity beating her reservations, "What day?"

"The day of our betrayal. The day our lives were forfeit. The day we died." He bit out bitterly.

The human faltered and frowned before muttering suddenly, "But I erm- You don't seem dead?"

At that he laughed, a shrill sound that unsettled her just the tiniest bit. He never laughed, yet it seemed sad, loathing. It was enough to make her reach out and lightly stroke the tips of his petals, making him smile gently.

"No, Frisk, I'm alive. Well, about as alive as can be considering the circumstances. I did indeed die, however, and was reborn as the flower you see now. Flowey the Flower."

She nodded, allowing the plant to continue.

"It happened what felt like eons ago, but really it couldn't have been more than 50 years or so. I used to live with the King and Queen.. I was their kid, you see. We had a great life, albeit being forced underground hadn't been pleasant but we made do. The rivers flowing through provided us with fresh, clean water, the plant life down here grew steadfast thanks to random cracks that allowed little sunlight to filter through. What did sprout, we cast spells on to enhance blossom growth and longevity. The bushes grew, never wilting, and we have survived ever since. What animals that wandered down here we bred and nurtured, providing us with meat."

"Kinda like farmers," she mumbled softly.

"Kind of. Except we had to feed thousands. It was hard work to keep everyone in order and to keep morale up. With us being sealed, and forced to.. Well, we'll save that for later, but times were hard. We endured and survived, people were happy enough, settling into different districts that suited their lifestyles, and had families. It was pleasant for a time, sad but pleasant. Until one day, everything changed."

She nodded and continued to stroke his petals, lulling him into relaxing slightly.

"There was a child, a girl, she had fallen through the same hole you had fallen through, except back then the grass was lush, the flowers softer, cushioning her fall. Anyway, she was like you only pale and with long flowing hair down to her butt, with striking red eyes. I took her back home, since she was lost and possibly hurt, but thankfully she wasn't, just a bit bruised and shaken up. We took her in, loved her, even though we could have easily killed her and we probably should have in hindsight."

He paused and swallowed past an emotional lump in his throat, "She uh- She was my sister. We spent so many years together. She outgrew me since us monsters live longer. I was still a kid while she was already a teenager. She played with me when mom and dad were busy, protected me from other monsters and did her best to adjust, but we knew she wanted to leave. She wanted to be free. So.. I told her. While we were playing in the buttercups,  I told her she could leave at any point, but we couldn't follow. She didn't take well to that news, but aimed to break the barrier.

"So she researched it, spent time testing the boundaries of the barrier, but each time she was the only one allowed through. Done days she didn't come home, but I'd always wait outside the barrier for her to come home. How foolish I was," he scoffed.

"Anyway, one day she came back, brought some sort of pastry and we shared it in the field of buttercups by our home. She told me she'd found a way to free us, and I foolishly agreed. Except her plan was far darker than I had ever anticipated. She pulled out a knife and stalked towards me.."

(Flashback)

There they were sitting in the fields of flowers, Asriel happily munching on this new food called a croissant or something like that. He wasn't too sure, but it was warm and flaky, and it tasted so good!

Little Asriel looked up at his sister with a beaming smile, "Chara this is delicious! You always bring home the most wonderful food!"

The teen beside him let out a girlish giggle and pinched his cheek gently, "Anything for you, Azzy."

He whined and rubbed his cheek, but smiled at his sister. She had grown over the ten years she had lived with them, her hair cascading down her back, her once chubby face narrowed into more angular features, yet still her ruby red eyes sparkled with childlike mirth. Despite her aging form, Asriel had grown quite close to her, basking in her familiar presence and comfort. It had been scary to find a human lying face down in the flowers, groaning in pain all those years ago, but he never regretted it. That day was so special not only to him, but the underground. She had been adopted into their family, becoming the princess of monsters.

A soft blush graced his furry cheeks and he looked away. Yes, she was their princess, his princess. Although he was still quite young to understand such adult feelings, he knew he would share his soul with her, marrying her to prevent her untimely death, by sharing his life span with hers. She made him happier like no other, and he would do the same for her for the rest of their lives. But for now, he resigned himself to letting things lie as they were. She was busy trying to break the barrier and he still had a few years to go before he matured, his feelings more childish and naive.

Chara's sharp noogie interrupted his thoughts while he whined and swatted her hands away, tears forming in his eyes.

"Have you been listening at all, Azzy?" She sternly reprimanded.

"Chara, Stop! It hurts," he whined while wriggling to escape her headlock.

"Don't be such a baby!" She sighed and let go, watching as Asriel smoothed down the fluffy fur.

"Anyway, pay attention. I think I've found a way to finally break the barrier!"

Asriel gave a beaming smile and jumped into her arms, "That's great! Oh my gosh, Chara!"

Said girl smiled sadly and held on tightly, "I know. It'll be wonderful, Azzy. We'll finally be free."

He nodded, cuddling up to the juncture of her neck. They would be free. After years and years of entrapment they would see the sun, the stars, feel the wind on their faces, to see all that Chara described and more. They could run through the grassy knolls and frolic in the flowers, see the clouds and sky. He was overjoyed at the fact that they would finally be free. His heart was so full of love and appreciation.

And now, steel.

With a pained wheeze, he scrambled backwards out of her hold, crumbling to the ground in a pained heap. The gentle thud of his body kicked up buttercup petals, flying up towards his traitorous sister.

"Ch-Chara.. wh-why?" He groaned out, wheezing as his lungs slowly filled with blood.

"It's the only way, Azzy. We can finally be free. We need a soul, a soul of a powerful monster to free ourselves." She whispered, advancing forward knife in hand, a murderous gleam in her crimson eyes.

Scarlet littered the flowers beneath his body as he limped and wrenched himself farther away from her. Pushing his small body past his limits all the while bleeding profusely on the floor. Tears flooded his vision, streaming down curried cheeks as fear overtook his small form.

"Pl-Please...d-don't." He gurgled, softly pleading for mercy.

But there was none to be had. As the knife plunged into his chest once more, he barely registered her apologetic voice, "It's kill or be killed."

He felt his soul crack, his heart irreparably damaged by the betrayal of his beloved sister.  As it was pulled from his body, he heard her curse anything and anyone above. His soul was useless to her now. So she gave a kick to his broken body and stalked out of the room to hide the evidence and alert their parents.

His vision faded to black as blood continued to seep into the flowers beneath him, his senses dulled by the unbearable pain in his chest. He never registered the fading footsteps and the stretching silence as his only grounded senses focused on what would happen next. He would die, that he was certain of. His parents would mourn, his sister would be unharmed, no one would discover the truth of this matter. For all he was sure of, he knew that he'd never grow old, never see the sunlight, the stars, feel the wind in his fur. Never would he see his father's smiling face, eat his mother's butterscotch-cinnamon pie, enjoy their embrace. No, all that was left was the cold embrace of death.

Until a deep voice broke through his forlorn thoughts, "Don't give up. Stay with me!"

That voice..

It seemed so familiar, yet so foreign.

He felt a gentle hand grasp his paw as his sense completely shut down.

So this is it? I guess it's time.

And so it was, Asriel was no more, body turned to ash amongst the ground, soul fleeting as the last traces of magic binding him to the physical world gave out.

And then there was nothing. His consciousness existed only in darkness, barely aware of its own existence. Minutes, hours, days, who knows how much time had passed until suddenly he awoke in the ruins, utterly confused and alone.

(End flashback)

"From that day on, I was no longer Asriel, prince of the monsters, but Flowey the Flower." He whispered brokenly, emotions stirred from the tragic tale of love and death.

Chapter Text

The silence lingering in the little shack stretched on for longer than Frisk knew how to handle. Flowey's admission had startled the young woman. It wasn't often that someone spoke of their murder, obviously. Let alone have their murderer be their sister. Her heart went out to the shaky flower, the person inside the plant. Silent sobs wracked his form, the grief more than he could bare. With profound gentleness, Frisk scooped him up and cradled him against her chest, slowly rocking them both and softly petting his petals. No words were uttered, for how could she comfort a soul that had been so badly wounded? Words were easy to spew, yet actions spoke deeper than words ever could.

So as words failed her, she did the only thing she could, hold him as he wept and grieved for the life he lost long ago.

Flowey stayed in her arms, nuzzling his head into her chest and staining her shirt with his tears. The embrace warmed his heart and soothed his soul, the tenderness in her hold making him weep harder. It had been so long since he had been cared for, treated as a person, shown anything other than hostility and detachment. As he lay there sobbing his heart out, a calm voice broke through the silence.

"I was a runaway. Long before the fall."

Flowey stilled, surprised by how open she was being. They had both agreed to leave painful memories be, but since he shared his story she must have decided to tell hers.

"My parents were simple farmers. We had such a loving home, always bright and happy. Mama would always be in the kitchen cooking or busy sewing while my daddy was out in the fields or tending to the livestock. They worked day and night growing all kinds of crops like squash, corn, and carrots. We had all kinds of animals like cows, chickens, and pigs. Needless to say, we ate pretty good." She paused to chuckle.

Flowey was confused by the produce she was referring to, but didn't speak, hoping she would continue her tale.

"We were happy, had everything we could ever want and need. It was great, until they came," her features contorted into a pained grimace.

Flowey frowned, "Who's 'they'?"

"Bandits. God knows why they stumbled upon our little farm, but they did. It was.. tragic. At first, everything was fine. They promised to protect us in exchange for food and shelter, although we didn't have much choice in the matter regardless. So we did as told, we split our crops between us, but it still wasn't enough. They demanded more and more every day until we were scrounging up anything we could to survive. I even resorted to stealing our food back at night until they caught me."

At that she chuckled darkly, "Lets just say they didn't take too kindly to a six year old girl snatching some bread. They beat me within an inch of my life, I cried and screamed until my dad, bless him, came in pitchfork in hand and skewered one of 'em straight through the chest..

But it only made matters worse. They shot my father in the face, right in front of me. He died protecting me. I couldn't do anything for him, couldn't fight, couldn't cry. I only had one choice: run. So I did. I ran and ran until my legs gave out, til my feet were numb, til every breath felt like knives in my lungs. I collapsed in a heap a few miles from the farm and could only watch in horror as my home was set ablaze, my mother's screams filling the silence of that wretchedly terrible night."

Frisk paused, closing her eyes tightly, tears welling behind closed lids, "It was hard the first few years, moving day to day, always looking over my shoulder in fear that the men would find me. That they'd finish the job they started all those years ago. It was even harder knowing that my parents were gone, that it was my fault. If I hadn't stolen that loaf of bread then they might still be alive, we would have still been a family."

"But we aren't. There's no chance of them coming back and even now it's hard to accept. Back then it was harder to cope, I was so young and naive, wandering aimlessly to the city hoping that someone might have pity. Maybe a hot meal to spare or a semi decent place to sleep. How wrong I was," she sighed, "I was snatched up by the cops, taken in to custody for stealing. I had to get by somehow.. anyway, I told them about the murder of my family, even after I explained everything to the head of the department. He wanted to let me go, but here was a mentally unstable, bloodied girl that fought tooth and nail to be freed, and a smouldering pile of ash where the murders had taken place."

The plant frowned and whispered softly, "What did they do?"

She gave a watery smile, "Locked me up of course! Put me in a mental institution a few miles outside the mountain where it was secluded from prying eyes, to 'cope with my loss'. Bullshit. They just threw me in a padded cell to waste away until doctors could come evaluate me, label me as a troubled youth that acted out in order to get attention, when in reality I fought to escape. The things they did, the people they 'treated'... It was horrible. It was like a bunch of vultures preying on a dying animal, just swooping in and taking advantage of the poor thing. The doctors 'worked' on us by shocking us repeatedly, piercing our flesh with needles filled with burning liquids, forcing us to undergo exploratory surgeries until we had no choice but to beg for mercy or embrace death. Some of them did it just for kicks, to watch us squirm and grovel at their feet. Thankfully I managed to evade surgeries but it didn't make much of a difference. They still picked my brain, did all kinds of experimentation and exams."

"So I plotted my escape. It took nearly ten years for an opportunity to present itself, but when one of the inmates got a hold of some scissors and held another patient hostage, I managed to slip by the guards outside of the communal quarters and book it out the asylum. Of course they found out quickly what with the alarm blaring and all, but I kept running, not stopping until I reached the hole in the mountain. And then I had to make a choice: Be captured or join my family on the other side. So I chose to jump. To end it all."

Tears fell freely now, "I miss them so much. It's been seventeen years and not a day goes by that I don't remember mother's screams, my father's blood coating the floor, splattering my face and staining our clothes.  If I hadn't been so unbelievably foolish they'd be alive. I'd have a family, and now.."

Fat tear drops fell from her chin, dripping onto Flowey's heartbroken face, "Now I'm here. Alive by some freakish luck. I can't even die properly! My family is gone, has been gone for years, and all I want is to join them, to be free of this nightmare."

Silence stretched once more in the small shed, the only noise were muffled sobs and sniffles from the girl above. Flowey did his best to reassure the broken woman in any way he could, holding her hand, nuzzling his face against her palm. Words had long since fallen short, for she had been through so much in her short life. Her mother and father had been taken from her, she had been forced into captivity to be experimented on like some sort of beast until finally she broke and wanted to kill herself, nearly succeeding! His heart went out to the broken young woman, for he too felt a suffering as great as hers.

Flowey's little leaves gripped her hand tightly as he too shed tears, "Looks like we're both orphans in the scheme of things."

She nodded and held his leaves in return, thankful for his support even though he too had his own problems to shoulder, "Yeah. We are, huh?"

Flowey smiled sadly, but held on to his brave exterior, "How about you and I.. we can be a.. family.. if that's what you want anyway!"

Not a word was spoken for a few minutes following his statement. The plant grew worried however and quickly began to backtrack the idea.

"N-Nevermind! Don't worry about it. That was a stupid thought anyway-"

He yelped slightly when she smooshed him tightly against her tear streaked cheek, "D-Do you really mean it?"

He blinked, slightly confused by her sudden actions, but nodded his head, "Yeah. I know it isn't much, but since we're the only sane ones here, and we're both alone, why not be alone together?"

At that she chuckled tearily,  "You're right. Everyone else here is bat shit crazy."

He wiped away his tears before smiling with hesitant hope, "We'll get out of this mess, Frisk. One way or another."

She nodded, wiping her tears on her sleeve silently. She wouldn't voice her doubts and reluctance, not wanting to upset her new brother, but deep down in the dark recesses of her mind, she knew that escape would be futile. Wherever she went trouble followed, her entire life had been nothing but hardship. Now armed with nothing but naive hope, she felt helplessly lost, but couldn't bring herself to dash Flowey's renewed enthusiasm.

So instead, the two embraced, falling into a somewhat comfortable silence while waiting for an opportunity to reveal itself.

Chapter Text

Days continued to slip into a never-ending cycle. The flower and human had fallen into a routine and stuck to it religiously. Wake up, eat, spar, rest for a few hours, tend to the plants, spar again, eat once more if dinner was available, then fall into an exhausted slumber. The two had grown in regards to stamina and intellect, always calculating the other's moves turns in advance, allowing them to gain the upper hand and quickly subdue their opponent.

Flowey's scope of magic had increased exponentially, no longer confined to a mere five feet of his body. Now he could summon his vines closer to twenty-five feet away, giving him an advantage over close range opponents. His magic began to manifest differently, flowing freely and with greater speed as he strengthened his reserves. The plant had even managed to come up with new tricks, now able to summon highly toxic plants like deadly night shade and oleander, which he immediately filed away for use outside of the shack. It wouldn't do to poison his sister. She had been very pleased with his progress and even cared for him while he spent a few hours during their break meditating and tapping into his magic reserves.

Frisk had also developed her skills as well, working on dodging and weaving, her lithe form allowing her to duck, spring, and weave effectively to avoid Flowey's sharpened vines. Her aim had gotten more accurate, her strikes more powerful, and her stamina far surpassing that of a normal girl. It was kill or be killed here, and if she couldn't manage to dodge and evade, her life would be forfeit.

She had even managed to convince Gaster to teach her how to manipulate his magic in the physical world. Despite the advanced healing, she had been able to work on awakening the magic now residing in her body slowly. It had taken weeks to hone the magic, mold it into a physical form, even longer to actually shape it into a weapon. The first night after Flowey had fallen asleep, Frisk sat cross-legged on the mattress as she focused on her breathing, turning her consciousness inwards at Gaster's instruction. The specter guided her through the ways of meditation, even though she struggled to let go.

It was frightening to turn in to herself, her fears, haunting memories, and repressed emotions waited underneath the silence. The first week was the absolute hardest as the overwhelming thoughts threatened to consume her. What little sanity she desperately clung to was jeopardized by her innermost fears. Thankfully Gaster had stayed by her side, speaking to her calmly and ushering her into a state of relative calm before making her awaken from her trance.

Throughout the week she continued her meditation, shying away from her thoughts less and less each day before finally managing to move past them into a relaxed, meditative state. Once she had finally reached that level, Gaster encouraged her to look inside herself and find the source of power hidden in her very soul.

"Focus on your breathing, child. You are doing well. Now listen, feel your lungs expand as you inhale, feel the rush of breath course through your very being, moving through your lungs out to the very edge of your body. Feel it move through your chest out to your fingers and toes. Now let it out and start the process once more.."

Frisk complied slowly, allowing herself to truly experience her body as she had never done before. In her calm state she could feel her body respond, her chest moving as she took a breath, feel the blood rush throughout her arms and legs, feeling as it slowly made its way back to her heart.

"Good. Now focus on your chest, feel the thrum of your heart beating, allow it to draw you in, to truly experience yourself."

She smiled softly as two hands made its way to her chest, stilling over the steady pulse of her heart. Reveling in the strong beat and the feeling of security, she lost herself in the serenity that washed over her.

Gaster spoke to her once more, this time much more soft, "Now, look inside your heart. Feel the energy that surrounds it, listen to it's gentle lull, feel it pulling at your very soul.."

Frisk complied, actively searching for the presence of magic within. It was difficult to focus, since she had no idea what exactly she has been looking for. So, gradually she grew angry at herself for not being able to distinguish the magic from her body.

The two had regretfully ended that session when she no longer could calmly examine her soul. It would be another week before she could successfully distinguish her soul that resided inside of her heart, but when she did a brilliant smile bloomed across her features. Her whole body relaxed and her mind cleared even further as she probed the brilliant purple spirit. Gaster had fallen silent as he patiently waited for her to grow accustomed to the feel of her soul, the essence of her life.

When she had finally come down from her enthusiasm, he began to guide her once more, "Excellent. Go ahead and search your soul. My being has fused with yours for the time being. Feel the thrum of your soul as it beats within your chest."

After a moment of hesitation, she allowed herself to release her soul and focus on its steady rhythm. Magic rushed through her being, a feeling the likes of which she hadn't encountered before. If she had to describe it, it would have to be power. Her body was alight with the feeling of energy coursing through her veins, her nerve endings fired up and responsive to the slightest touch. She could feel the swirl of magic wash through her system, bathing her body in a brilliant glow just beneath her skin. Her entire form seemed to hum in response to the strange sensation.

Although the moment was ruined as Flowey began to stir from his sleep. With a startled yelp, she felt her consciousness flee from within her body, flung back into her mind where the magical connection came to an abrupt end.

It would be many nights to come before she was able to manipulate her magic energy physically. One night after Flowey had nodded off, she slipped back into her meditative state and sought out the magic circulating through her body. Once prepared, she waited for Gaster's guidance.

Said ghost was materialized behind her, taking her arms with his black nubs and guiding them over her heart, "It seems you can access the magic far easier than before. Now, follow it from your chest out to your hands. When you feel it there, imagine pushing outwards, feel the energy flow from your fingers into the air."

Frisk nodded and focused on pushing the energy. It was hard at first, her concentration slipping as Gaster's cold form held her wrists and pressed into her back. The sensation was strange, cooling her flesh as goosebumps broke out upon her skin. The odd sensation was enough for her to stumble, but after a few minutes of adjusting, she continued on with the task at hand. Forcing her mind to focus, she willed the slumbering magic to move once more, ushering it through her veins to her hands until they reached her fingertips once more. At that point she tried to force it outwards, only to come up shorthanded.

Frustrated, but still determined, she imagined the barrier between blood and air, her flesh, and pictured the force seeping through her skin to flow out into the atmosphere. Unknowingly, her magic responded, emerging from shaking fingertips to materialize as small wisps that stretched and curled in the air before her.

Her spectral companion watched as the wisps curled between spread fingers, moving around almost playfully as she remained unaware of the feat she had just accomplished. With a genuine smile, he moved to the side to watch her progress.

"Open your eyes, child."

Slowly coming out of her trance, Frisk complied, cracking open an eye only to see tiny purple tendrils curling in the air and wrangling around her digits. Her whole face lit up with an ear splitting grin as she hurriedly looked over to her ghostly mentor.

"Oh my god!" She breathed out through the excited rush.

Her magic twirled, circling up her wrists playfully, bathing it in a faint lavender glow. The sight was breathtaking, tears rushing to her eyes as she took in the overwhelming peace that overtook her mind and soul. This felt right, natural, and so.. familiar.

As her mind began to drift, her power receded once more, absorbing itself back into her body.

Gaster gave her an encouraging smile, "You did well, child. Perhaps that is enough for the day. Rest up tonight, for their will be far more work to do in the future."

Frisk nodded, her eyelids drooping as he spoke. Summoning her magic had definitely been a miracle, but it left her feeling utterly drained. Perhaps with more training she wouldn't feel as exhausted? Whatever the case may be, she let her body fall into the mattress unceremoniously as Gaster's form dematerialized before her eyes. With a quick glance at Flowey, she let a small smile grow on her face. She would learn to control her new powers, to become stronger not just for her sake, but for his.

They would escape this prison, that she would make sure of.

Chapter Text

Unfortunately the next few days weren't spent quite so peacefully. The brother and sister duo kept up their routine, not breaking from the cycle, until a couple days later when during one of their daily spars,  Sans appeared just as Frisk aimed a punch at Flowey's face, his vines jutting out in time to slash at hers. The sudden appearance of said skeleton threw her off balance, her punch missing by a mile while Flowey's vines managed to dig through the flesh of her cheek, tearing through muscle on its way. Hissing in pain, she rolled away as Flowey quickly retracted his vines, apologizing profusely while she held her tender flesh.

Crimson bled through the cracks of her fingers as she inwardly groaned. Her eyes flickered to where Sans leaned against a wooden beam, his scarlet orbs locked onto hers. With him here she wouldn't risk even attempting to try and heal her cheek. The less he knew, the better their chance of escaping.

She sighed and cast her gaze to the floor, the only sounds were Flowey's constant apologizing and a low, barely audible growl. Confused, she looked around the shack for the noise, before she noticed Sans now in front of her, the low growl now louder than before. She gulped reflexively and stepped back involuntarily, trying to put a bit of distance between her and the towering skeleton. Flowey was now cursing and demanding for the skeletal monster to leave.

She held up her hand in warning as Sans' expression darkened, his eyes flashing like sparking embers, before darting to the side to glare at the flower. He sucked his teeth in a 'Tch' before turning back to her, moving forward, subsequently making her amble backwards until her back pressed into the cool wood. He gave a small smirk as he gently extended a bony hand towards her.

Startled by the unexpected proximity along with the feeling of entrapment, she closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.

True, she could run, but what good would it do? He would just catch her once more, take away the priveledges she had already earned. At this point in time it was simply unwise to go against his wishes. Even more illogical was the fact that part of her craved his touch, wished for his presence.

She jumped slightly as his hand enclosed around hers, gently prying her hand away from her swollen cheek. His bones were surprisingly soft and warm, almost like that of a human. It served to catch her off guard, for logically he was just bone, how could he be so warm? She faintly heard Flowey's protests and warnings to get away from him, but Sans merely held up his other hand, snapping two fingers before silence descended upon the shack once more.

The warmth of his hand soon fled from hers, and she couldn't help but reach out for him. It was strictly instinctual, the need for warmth and reassurance clouding her better judgement. Her hand shot out to grasp his once more, but he tenderly placed it on her injured flesh. Hissing once again, she closed her eyes as his filled with a foreign emotion, one she was unused to. Scarlet orbs lowered to her cheeks, no doubt inspecting the wound that she had stupidly managed to obtain. A frown tugged at her lips, and she averted her gaze, embarrassment and shame overcoming her senses. Granted, he was the reason she had become distracted, but she still hated the fact that she could be injured so easily, as evident by the blood dripping down the split in her flesh to her chin where it pooled before splattering onto the wood below.

She faintly registered his warm palm cupping her cheek tenderly, crimson liquid  flowing past his bony appendages, not that he seemed to mind. At least he didn't appear to care, judging by the serious look in his intense gaze.

"Every time I turn around you got a new scratch or three. Just don't know when to stop, huh?" He whispered, voice still deep, but underlying concern softening his words just a tad.

As he spoke, a cool sensation flooded her senses, spreading through the broken flesh to pool just underneath the surface. She could feel the muscle repairing, skin knitting back together once more as his magic poured into her. A small sigh passed her parted lips as she unknowingly pressed her cheek further into his gentle grasp. She smiled softly, the overwhelming peace this moment wrought making her relax against the wood behind her. Apprehension and fear fled her mind as she focused on the strange act of kindness the normally aggressive monster bestowed upon her.

Once the wound closed fully, Sans allowed his bony digits to gently caress the soft flesh of her cheek. His gaze softened unknowingly as he stroked the spot where just moments before a deep gash had been. His gaze followed the trail of blood down her cheek and to her chin. A low hum rumbled in his chest as he tenderly wiped away the remnants of blood.

Frisk's eyes widened at the thoughtful act, it was so unusual for the skeleton to behave this way. He had not been one for pleasantries or acts of kindness, as evident by their first encounter. All too soon the pleasant warmth left her cheek, a sigh passing her lips as it did so.

Sans merely observed her peculiar reaction, a hint of a smile on his normally scowling face. It seemed that she craved his touch, and if he were being honest, he did as well. This situation, this feeling was more than just coincidence. No, he was certain there was more to their encounter, for how could he feel such strong emotions for someone he barely knew?

Biting back the overwhelming urge to touch her once more, he stepped away from the strange woman. Eyes taking on a fierce glare, he huffed in frustration before finally addressing her.

"Yer damn lucky you weren't even an inch more to the right. What the hell were you even doing?"

Frisk froze in confusion for a few moments, snapping out of the pleasant daze. A frown crossed her features as she looked away sulking,  "We were just, ah-"

"Fighting. I saw that much," he bit out angrily.

"We were just disagreeing. It wasn't a big deal-"

"Gushing blood is a pretty big deal if you ask me, sweetheart," He gestured to the blotches of crimson staining the wooden floor.

She visibly winced, looking away once more. Obviously she couldn't explain what they were doing, lest they lose all hope of escape, so she opted for remaining quiet.

Sans glare softened slightly at the pitiful look she cast to the floor. It really was hard to be around this girl. One moment he found her insufferable, then the next she was... well, cute. God, he was losing it!

It was time to go. He needed to leave before she pulled him in once again with those sparkling golden eyes, those pouty lips and the way she looked so lost, so... alone.

Shaking his head, he growled in frustration before turning to the weed still fighting to remove the magical bonds sealing his mouth shut, "Don't let this happen again."

He snapped his fingers once more and two plates of spaghetti appeared by his feet, the magic also dispersing from Flowey's angered face. And with that, he teleported out of the shack, leaving behind an oddly flustered human and a cursing flower.

This wasn't the last they saw of the angry skeleton. He began to show up more frequently throughout the day under the guise of random inspections, but really he was doing little more than babysitting the human and flower. It had been unwelcome at first, in fact Frisk had become rather hostile towards the pile of bones, hoping that by being generally unpleasant he would lose the will to visit as often. However, her plan only served to make him visit more often, sitting in the corner where he would watch her despite her obvious displeasure and protests. The frequent supervision only made Frisk grow more antsy. How would they escape if they were constantly supervised?

Despite that thought, he showed up every day, still as unpleasant as ever.

Things began to spiral out of control as her sense of privacy dwindled. It was one thing to be called a pet, but a whole other issue being treated like one.

It didn't take long for things to escalate between the two, the overwhelming amount of tension and frustration more than she could bare. It started off innocently enough with Sans coming by to drop off more water, which then led to Flowey calling him a 'smiley trash bag', talks of tearing his petals piece by piece and using his vines in some non too pleasant areas followed by an intense glaring match ensued, which Frisk was more than inclined to ignore. Only then Sans had the nerve to imply that she would be less than pleased with the use of his vines if he were to remove his "assets", which only served to ruffle her feathers and make her vehemently deny any of those claims.

"If he rips your junk off then that's your fault. Would serve you right too, you bloody pervert!"

He clutched a bony hand over his rib cage, swooning dramatically, "Oh I'm the pervert? Weren't you trying to take my clothes off the other day?"

Ignoring him, she went back to what she had been doing, tidying up the floors, thankful to have found an old, mangled broom stowed away in the darkest part of the shed. It didn't help much, but if it took her mind off his incessant chatter, then she'd take what she could get.

Flowey continued to egg on the obviously prideful skeleton until he finally silenced the weed with a snap of his fingers, his magic putting the noisy little plant to sleep.

But of course, he knew all the right buttons to press, "Admit it. You're madly in love with me. I don't blame you. I mean really, who in their right mind wouldn't want to be claimed by one of the infamous skeleton brothers?"

Teeth clenching in frustration, she kept sweeping to calm her tense nerves but couldn't help but to bite back at his overinflated ego, "Cut it out! I'm not interested, you fucking loser. I wouldn't want to be claimed by you if you were last creature on Earth."

Sans had suddenly teleported behind her, moving to wrap his arms around her midsection. His skull rested in the crook of her neck as hot air tickled the sensitive shell of her ear, earning him a small shudder as he purred seductively, "Aww, kitty's got claws. That's okay, pet, I know how to handle kind like you. See, you think you're this big bad pussycat, prowling the streets until you meet someone like me. Someone who knows what they are and how dark creatures can be. I think you're bluffing, trying to fight the pull between us, but it's useless you know. You're already mine. Claimed, whether you like it or not."

Now innuendos normally didn't bother her, it was just part of his weird personality, but he never put his hands on her like this! She knew he did it to get a rise out of her. Well, if he wanted one, he'd damn sure get one!

Dropping her center, she fell to the floor effectively dropping from his loose hold. Sweeping his legs out from under him with speed far surpassing that of a regular human, she watched as his eye sockets widened momentarily as he crashed to the wooden floor with a surprised yelp. Before he had a chance to recover, she rolled ontop of his stomach as she pressed her forearm into his vertebrae while her hand shot out to grasp his bony hands preemptively, lest he try to physically strike her. Anger rolled off his body in waves as he merely glared up at the human who was sufficiently closing off his airway.

"Guess I 'claimed you' as you so eloquently put it."

A smug smirk tugged at her lips as she applied more pressure to his neck, earning a small groan from the monster beneath her, although it didn't sound pained.. It sounded rather..

Fuck!

Using his weight to his advantage, he rolled to the side until her back hit the floor, earning a small gasp as she momentarily lost focus and footing. He wasted no time in pinning her hands on either side of her head. A feral grin showed off his sharp fangs while he chuckled smugly.

"Is that all you got? I expected more, you know?"

Not one to quit, she squirmed, flailing her legs in an attempt to dislodge herself from underneath his larger frame. He merely chuckled at her frustration, her flailing he found to be adorable, she was trapped, no way out. He smirked down at the struggling girl before bending down until his mouth was level to her ear, reveling in the startled and displeased grunt. He allowed his form to press into her chest, smothering her in his proximity as he blew a cool puff of air against her neck, taking pride in the goosebumps now adorning her flesh.

"You ain't foolin' anyone, sweetheart. Why don't you stop lying to yourself?" his voice came out deeper, darker as his eye lights disappeared, their bodies pressing against one another doing delicious things to his senses. The scent of vanilla perfumed her soft skin, so close that he could practically taste it. In the split second he lost himself in thought, he was already sampling the tender flesh of her throat, groaning as a strangled whimper passed her lips. Fangs scraped lightly against the column of her throat down to the juncture of her neck and shoulder where her pulse fluttered wildly.

Sans kept up his dazed kisses, almost as if her scent alone was luring him into a drunken stupor. It was.. startling to say the least. He hadn't expected to be so impulsive, so eager to get his hands on the fiery human, but the feelings she evoked from him were just too delicious, too primal to pass up. With every suckle, he was rewarded with a breathy moan, every scrape of his fangs eliciting a pleasured gasp..

It was too much.

And yet not enough.

It seemed that his pet was adequately distracted by his ministrations, but..

Oh dear god..

He couldn't stop his pleasured grunt as the little vixen began to move underneath him once more, except now her attempts to flee were causing blood to flow farther south. She rolled against him once more, brushing against something she most certainly was not prepared for. He groaned huskily before biting down on the smooth flesh of her shoulder, far too roughly for her liking, but as crimson liquid spilled forth from the fresh wound, he couldn't help but lap up her life's essence greedily savoring every drop she had to offer.

In his stupor he didn't notice how much farther down her leg had gotten, how her eyes, though glazed with a strange sense of lust filled with determined fury. And all too soon their 'not so innocent cat fight' turned excruciatingly painful as she jerked her knee up as hard as she could into the unsuspecting skeleton's groin.

Hissing in pain, he rolled off of her small form as he clutched his bruised pride, in both senses, while Frisk scrambled to get as far away as possible. Heart hammering out of her chest, she glared at the monster across the room who was now moving to stand, albeit slowly and with less.. arrogance than before.

"Stay away from me you sick fuck!" She hissed venomously while wrapping her blanket around her shoulder in an attempt to stop the blood flow on her latest wound.

Sans growled dangerously, and had to visibly restrain himself from moving to her side, whether it be to strike her or pick up where he left off, she couldn't care less as long as he left her the hell alone. He opened his mouth to yell at her, maybe threaten her for daring to be so bold as to harm his jewels, but an annoyingly loud screech interrupted his threats.

"This ain't over," He hissed before teleporting out of the shed, leaving her alone with her sleeping companion, a bloody wound, and the aching throb of her mixed feelings.

Chapter Text

Another few days passed since the incident and yet, Frisk's conflicting feelings had not lessened any in the time they were apart. Sans had not come by at all in the last twenty-four hours, and to her it was a god send. There was no way she would be unable to hide her fear nor her rage that the events from the last few days had brought forth. It reminded her all too much of the doctors at the asylum she was thrown into.

Images forced their way into her mind that she desperately fought to get rid of, but no matter how hard she tried to block them out, they always haunted her. Would continue to haunt her until the end of her days.

Memories flashed through her mind, the ravenous men tearing off patient's clothes, forcing themselves onto the wailing body beneath them, and yet the entire time not one guard bothered to check on the crying inmates, each one chalking up the screams as psychotic fits.

How wrong they were.

She could still hear the shredding of fabric, the slam of flesh against unforgiving concrete walls, the desperate voices of countless women begging to be released, to end this madness. The doctors had been ruthless, exceptionally brutal, and downright cruel to their victims, and no one noticed, or if they had then no one truly cared. The only reason she herself had been spared from that hell had been her reputation for murdering her family, for lashing out at anyone who tried to touch her, and her exceptional determination. Even when she had been restrained, she still fought tooth and nail, biting, kicking, slamming the orderlies who even dared attempt to touch her in such a manner. Although, she knew it would have happened eventually had she not escaped the facility..

It was at that point that an unusually quiet Gaster broke through her thoughts, his deep garbly voice chasing away the horrific memories to be buried away at the further recesses of her mind once more.

"..Humans are cruel, yes, but do not let it rule you. Just as the doctors treated the patients, the same thing happens amongst monsters too. There is evil in us all child, yet not all let it rule their minds."

Frisk frowned, a sigh passing parted lips as she reclined against the wall, looking up into the darkened slanted window high above them. Though she knew he was right, it was still hard to accept that people could be.. good, genuinely at least. All her life she had been raised amongst evil, the bandits slaughtering her family, the police treating her as a murderer, being shipped off to a facility where she had to fight not to be raped and tortured. It was hard to believe in good when all she knew was evil.

Once more he spoke, his tone soft yet stern,  "What of the plant you travel with? He blindly helped you, cared for you as you lay amongst the dirt bleeding to death, providing you with some sense of comfort in your final moments. Even when he was uncertain if you had 'perished' he tended to your wounds and stayed by your side."

The human nodded gently, her gaze moving to the flower sleeping beside her, smiling hesitantly as he snored lightly, a thin line of drool dripping from his open mouth. She owed so much to him, and Gaster's words had only reminded her of her gratitude towards the little monster. With great care, she brought a hand down to gently stroke the soft golden petals atop his face, suppressing a tiny laugh as his snore deepened and he unknowingly moved into her hand, seeking the affection he had been so long denied. His tale had struck her to her core, her heart breaking at the thought of loving someone so much and yet having them betray you in such a manner. Her hand faltered momentarily as tears pricked at her eyes, but resumed as he mumbled incoherent words in his sleep.

You're right. There's still some good left in this world.

"Of course I am, child. Now, instead of focusing on the past, let us move forward, to protect those we hold dear."

She couldn't stop the few tears that fell down rosy cheeks. Forlorn thoughts filled her mind once more. She had finally found someone that understood her pain, found solace in their shared companionship, something she had never hoped to gain ever since the passing of her parents. Flowey didn't know the depth of severity that his friendship meant to her, and maybe he never would. For all she was, she was still just a lonely woman trying to make it in a world that wanted her dead, but by god she would survive and make damn sure this sweet flower lived too.

And then there was Gaster, the strange specter that lived inside of her, body and mind. Truth be told the ghostly man was growing on her, and she found herself wishing that whatever may lie ahead, they would at least face them together. Although she was left with a bitter taste as she recognized and agonized over the knowledge that he too would leave her after his plans had been accomplished, whatever they were. She knew it was silly to be friends with a soul caught between the precipice of life and death, but he was kind in his own way. He spoke very little, but when he did it was only to help, regardless of how stern or reproachful he was. Maybe it was only because he needed her to stay alive, but she was grateful for his presence regardless. She no longer felt so alone.

But how much time did they truly have together, before their mission was accomplished? What then? The unexpected fear washing over her as she thought of the ghostly man leaving shocked her more than anything, but it was to be expected, was it not? They had been together for months now, learning to coexist, training and growing as people, as evident by his gruff encouragements here and there, the gentleness he exuded as they grew to know one another. By no means was he a sweetheart, but he was a kind being underneath all his reprimands and lectures. He cared about her despite the circumstances they were under, well at least to an extent.

How long would they have together? The idea of being left all alone once again forced her heart to skip a beat, tears rising unbidden to fall to the floor as a broken sob tore from her throat. A sudden panic seized her mind, forcing her to clench her chest tightly, her eyes squeezing shut as she tried to still her rapidly beating heart. Her mind raced as fears and doubts ran rampant, her already frayed nerves frying once more as she desperately fought to find a way out of this hell. They needed to escape and soon, but..

Just how will we get out of here?

"Together. You are not alone, silly girl. When it is time, we shall make our escape. Do not fear, you will not be alone anymore.."

She gave a slight nod, but curled into herself, drawing her knees to her chest and burying her head into the soft fabric of her leggings. This constant fear of being locked away, forced to another's will, being alone once more was more than she could bare. Times would only get worse from here on out, she was sure, but still.. the fate of her new brother and the oddly comforting spectre was now in her hands. To be responsible for the lives of others, it was far too overwhelming for the already stressed out woman. Less than a few months ago, judging by the scratches carved into the wood, she had been alone, never needing to care for or defend anyone but herself. She never saw herself ever connecting with another soul as long as she lived, and yet here she was.. suddenly caring about this small little plant that sat beside her, dozing lightly as the hours ticked by, and the timid, yet stern spirit that stuck itself to her soul, even if it was begrudgingly.

Frisk's form trembled as she struggled to hide the sounds of her sobs, not wanting to let the peaceful plant see her in such a state. She needed to be strong, to be able to find a way out of this mess. Rational, she must be prepared and determined, and yet she couldn't stop the worry from ravaging her mind and her heart.

A soft touch, a mere ghost of a caress slid down her hair, and with a choked off whimper, she looked up hesitantly to find her spectral companion staring at her with his white eye lights in something akin to concern. His once black mass for a body had been replaced by a thin, lithe build, clothed in swirling shadows. No doubt, he had manipulated his soul in order to appear more.. human? Or at the very least proper like for a monster. A long bony hand trailed down her short tresses, smoothing it gently as he provided the comfort she so desperately needed. His normal grin now set in a grim line as he acknowledged her fear, his body settling closeby to pull her against his materialized form. Where she let out a grateful sob and buried her face into his shoulder, hands clinging to his back as if he was the last person on this earth.

It was definitely odd for Gaster to react, and even more to show it outwardly, and even he seemed a bit stunned as he brought her gently against his slender frame. His eyes bore into the side of her face even as she cried her heart out on his bony shoulder, and with hesitant movements, he gently wrapped two bony hands around her back, silently returning the embrace she had flung herself into. As the sounds of her sniffles began to lessen, he found himself gently rocking back and forth, lulling the young woman to sleep.

The last words she registered before she slipped into an exhausted sleep were soft words of comfort and reassurance from the least likely of sources.

A loud slam echoed throughout the otherwise silence of the old wooden house. With grumbling curses, Sans stripped off his large hood, throwing the oversized jacket on the floor as a clenched fist tore it's way through the sheetrock just past his door. Cursing furiously, he repeatedly slammed his fist against the wall, reveling in the multitude of cracks running it's way up toward the ceiling. As his violent outbursts had calmed somewhat, he hissed angrily and flopped onto the rumpled up bed in the center of his room. Eyes darkening slightly, he replayed the events of this afternoon, growling lowly all the while.

Truly, nothing of importance had happened today, aside from what happened less than a few hours ago. He had sat on post scaring passerby, prowling the streets of Snowdin later on that evening, making sure all who were out paid heed to the skeleton brothers. None had dared look his way as he shuffled about, knowing that if they were to stare it would be an outright challenge to their rule. Few had been foolish enough over the years to challenge him and Boss, but after many a beatings, and a few soul shatterings here and there, the locals knew well enough to snatch their children up or scurry inside to avoid the skeleton brothers.

The routine had been followed to a few, and for once he hadn't even slacked off! But it seemed that Boss still found fault in him for stopping by Fellby's on his way to report. A few drinks, a scorched rat, and a game of poker later, he had shown up, flinging the door open with such force it cracked the wall behind it, and had proceeded to drag a trembling Sans back to the house, intending on teaching him a lesson.

Reaching up absently to clutch his throbbing skull, he frowned at the recent memory of his beating. Boss would always lose his temper over the most insignificant things, but today.. his rage had been substantial. Never before had he been beaten so fiercely in his life. It seemed like things were picking up in the royal guard- he snorted lightly- if it could even be called that. No, what once had been a group of high spirited monsters bent on keeping the citizens of the underground safe had 'revolved into deranged lunatics hellbent on maintaining order- their order- by means of force.

Truthfully, it had been countless years since the royal guards had been wholesome and pure, caring for the lives of the monsters, and yet he could still remember the day Boss had been accepted. It had been one of the happiest days of his life, watching his little brother fling himself into a bony embrace, tears of joy streaking his skull as he revealed the big news. Naturally, they had celebrated at Fellby's, laughing, joking and looking forward to the future.

It was the last time that Papyrus had been the loving little brother he cherished and protected. That night was the turning point for the absolute monster that was the Boss today. Every day after his acceptance, the two brothers grew more and more distant, Papyrus spending all hours of the day undergoing training, no longer having time for his older brother's puns, gentle prying, or even the silly pranks that they would play on Snowdin's residents. As soon as dawn encroached, Papyrus would leave without so much as a note of where he would be, not returning until the last hours of daylight- and as times went on, not returning until closer to midnight, if he even came home at all.

Sans took it in stride, trying not to read to much into his brother's worsening moods, figuring it was just a phase, or some bad day of training. He kept excusing the younger monster's behavior, hoping that over time it would resolve itself, and yet as the months rolled by, it only grew worse, causing a rift between the once close brothers. One that he soon realized could never be repaired.

The two began to communicate less and less, Papyrus finding little time to spend with his lazy brother, considering him as nothing more than a nuisance. Whenever the two would be in each other's presence, Sans' puns or laidback attitude would throw the taller monster into a rage, ones that at first were just exasperated sighs or fiery glares, but soon evolved to fights, those of which Papyrus would win, since Sans could never find it within himself to raise a hand against his only brother. Resigned to the whippings, he forced himself to remain quiet as the torture came, the lack of response would usually leave Boss bored, at which point he would tell him to patch himself up and leave to let Sans wallow in his misery, forcing him to heal in disturbed solitude.

Frustrated tears clung to skeletal sockets, and the furious monster swiped them away before they had the chance to fall. They were nothing more than a weakness, proof of his inability to block out these pointless emotions. God forbid if Boss walked in, he would be struck once more for his vulnerability, for- as Boss would put it- bringing shame upon them in the eyes of the monsters for his overemotional state. Oh yes, this had been instilled in him on more than one occasion, when the grief of realizing how far gone his brother was took hold of his nearly shattered heart. Many nights were spent in silence, tears falling unbidden as Sans wondered just where he had gone wrong with his once loving brother, thinking of ways that he could have prevented the devastating gap between them.

There would be no pleasing Boss, and no hope of rekindling the once close relationship the two once shared. The last time he had tried, he was thrown head first into a wall, and that was on a good day. Now, to Papyrus anyway, the two were related by name only, Sans was little more than an underling, or possibly even a slave. And yet.. despite all of the abuse the elder brother put up with, he still loved the evil son of a bitch. Not that he would ever say it out loud.

The slight sniffle that passed his nostrils was enough for Sans to bury his face in the nearest pillow, trying stubbornly to force the angry, desperate tears to stop coming, as he curled in on himself, hoping to any deity out there that he wouldn't be caught in such a state of duress.

The last coherent thought that passed his restless mind was that he hoped against all odds that Boss would never come to find out about the little human holed up in the shed.

Chapter Text

It was late by the time Papyrus returned that night, the last of the sunlight having faded hours ago. A hiss of irritation passed his teeth as he kicked off his knee high boots, flinging them across the room in an ungraceful manner. Normally he would have had some decency to put them away correctly, but with the lack of progress, he took some slight aggression out on his clothing, wrenching off the tattered cloak and flinging it over to the couch before muttering curses as it fell just short. With an exasperated huff, he snatched the article of clothing off the floor and slammed it onto the back of the sofa, wincing as a snapping sound filled the silence of the room before the couch slanted to one side, dropping quickly as a wooden leg gave out from the strain of Papyrus' strength. With a loud growl, he flipped the irritating furniture over before stalking off to the kitchen, even more agitated than he was before he stepped foot in the house.

Quickly turning on the light, he paused to take in the absolute disaster that was their kitchen. Pots and pans were strewn across the floor, some sort of blackened sauce lay splattered amongst the grungy tiles, covering damn near every inch of the floor in its crusted mess. The sink was overflowing with moldy dishes, some soaking in a gross green goo that had no doubt formed over many a month without cleaning. His red orbs fixed themselves on the scurrying mice that fled at the harsh light shining upon them. Bringing a bony hand up, he pinched his nose bridge in a vain attempt to keep his temper in check.

It seemed the stupid monster upstairs couldn't even be bothered to clean up his mess, instead leaving it for him to find. Was he deliberately trying to frustrate him?

Before long, he calmed enough not to march upstairs and throttle the short skeleton for his lack of care, and instead turned to search through the grimy fridge on the other side of the wall. He scowled at the rank scent of mold and decay before covering his nose as best he could. He nearly gagged at the sight before him. There was a dead rat stuffed in the very back, behind some expired milk and curdled cheese, and judging by the way it was staring bleakly back at him, it was safe to say it had died fairly recently, it's body showing little signs of decomposition. Still, he refused to touch the rancid thing and promptly slammed the door in irritation. Turning on his heel, he stormed out of the room and angrily threw on his boots before trudging through the front door, back out into the cold to get a hot meal.

His thoughts turned inwards as he silently seethed, lamenting his idiotic older brother. The stupid sack of bones couldn't do anything right.

I mean how hard is it to report back to me at the end of your shift? Even the half-wit guards Undyne employed can do that much! So why can't Sans? Or is he deliberately being defiant?

The last thought was accompanied by a loud growl and an angry furrowing of his brow. It certainly was good that no one else was around, lest they fall to his wrath this night.

It took everything in his being to force himself down the snowy street instead of turning around and teaching the lazy bones a lesson he'd never forget. Insubordination would not be tolerated by anyone, no matter what affiliation they had. He would not stand to have his reputation tarnished or belittled by unsavory and disobedient actions. He already put up with so many excuses from his older brother, and quite frankly it was getting old.

The others were surely laughing at him behind his back, the other monster's less than becoming habits reflecting upon his person, making a mockery of him: The Great Papyrus. Fists clenching angrily, he bit down another growl as he stalked into Fellby's restaurant, nose upturned and gait exuding authority as he strode up to the bar. What patrons were still in the establishment shied away from his presence, moving to the furthest recesses to avoid the disgruntled monster.

Taking a seat on one of the bar stools, he grunted his greeting as the flame monster hurried to greet him as well.

"Hey there, boss. What brings you to my little bar tonight?"

Eyes rolling in irritation, he pinned the monster before him with a harsh glare, "You're the only place open in Snowdin this late at night. And I'm not trying to go all the way back to Hotland to grab a meal."

Fellby nodded hesitantly and nervously pushed up his glasses, his purple flames flickering with his nerves, "So, ah, anything I can get ya?"

"Something hot. Whatever you have in this dingy place will have to do."

Momentarily forgetting just who he was serving, his eyes narrowed to slits, the flames making up his body crackling as his anger rose. The skeleton sat before him looked unimpressed but narrowed his gaze regardless. A femur sharpened to a fine point materialized in Papyrus' bony hand in a silent threat, one that was clearly understood as Fellby backed away and stalked off with an annoyed huff. The fiery monster wasn't stupid enough to push his luck with one of the top dogs in the royal guard, but he still bristled with restrained irritation as he fetched a rat from behind the bar and set to work on cooking up the dead animal as quick as he could. When it was done cooking, he stuffed it in between two slices of bread, and added a bit of sauce to make it somewhat enjoyable.

As soon as it was done, he slid the ratburger down the wooden bar where a glowering skeleton nodded and proceeded to eat. With nothing else required of him, Fellby went to work cleaning the rest of his bar, allowing the skeleton peace and quiet.

With nothing else to occupy his time, he thought back on his annoying brother, determined to figure out what the root of the problem was. If Sans refused to shape up, then he would be left with no choice but to dispose of him before any problems arose. He would not risk his position as second in command for a bumbling idiot that couldn't do a single thing properly, brother or not.

A small voice in the back of his mind quietly whispered that he would regret if he actually went through with it, that he was the only family he had left, but he quickly clamped down those thoughts and focused back on the task at hand. Family or not, he could not afford to lose face with his crew, lest they turn on him for being weak.

Face scrunching as he ran that word through his head, he bit off a large chunk of the burger, chewing vigorously as he ignored the taste of burnt hair and charred flesh. He would not let anyone find him weak, would not stoop to lowering himself for anyone. Appearances and strength were everything down here, and since very few could best him in a fight, he found it relatively easy to run this town with very little effort on his part. No one would dare challenge him, at least not after putting the strongest monsters into early graves years ago. Anyone who disagreed with how he ran this town could feel free to join the dead monsters over the edge of the jagged cliffs just outside of Snowdin.

No, there was no hesitancy when it came to killing down here. If you weren't strong enough to protect yourself, then you simply were not needed, considered nothing but a strain on limited resources. Weakness was eliminated quickly, nipped in the bud before it could be allowed to spread. And that was just what he was going to do, and soon.

With a cruel smirk, he finished the last of his food and wiped his mouth quickly, yet elegantly as he threw a few coins on the counter. Fellby moved back to the bar, snatching the coins up quickly and rushing off with the empty plate, eager to get away from the deranged smiling skeleton. Papyrus paid him no mind as he left the establishment, decently satisfied with the meal, and looking forward to a few hours of sleep, not that he really needed it.

Yes, he thought briefly, I need to be in top shape for what is to come..

Chapter Text

A loud slam broke the somewhat peaceful silence weighing heavily over the skeleton's household. A sigh escaped Sans as he shifted in bed to get into a more comfortable position. The heavy thudding of footfall made the lazy skeleton groan and roll over to face his alarm clock. It was around two in the morning, and usually by this time his brother was either out training or in bed asleep. Whatever the case may be, Sans groaned and flopped back into the sheets, trying to slip back into the unconsciousness that eluded him so easily.

A loud bang startled the grumpy monster and with an irritated snarl, he glared over his shoulder at the monster that dared intrude on his sleep. His anger deflated when he saw none other than his brother staring down at him menacingly, his eye lights sparkling with insanity and the promise of bloodshed.

"U-Uh.. h-hey, boss. Didn't think you'd be up this late. Ya need somethin'?"

"Oh, Sans, you useless little troll, of course I need nothing from you.." he smiled, his large jagged grin widening as he moved closer to the bed, his steps slow and effortless as he marched through piles of trash and debris.

By now, Sans had scrambled backward, a pool of dread filling his soul with every step Papyrus took. The insanity was nothing new, they all were crazy down here, but never before had that malice been turned on him aside from the occasional beating. No, Papyrus had always held some reserve for him, but now his eyes spoke of suffering and pain, torture and death, all for him.

"B-Boss..?"

"You have failed me, Sans. You cannot handle even the simplest of tasks, no matter how easy they are.  Tell me, brother," at this he sneered, snapping his teeth fiercely before looming over the now trembling skeleton, "how many more chances must I give? How many more lessons must I teach?"

Sans merely gulped, his eyes finding Papyrus' before a resounding smack broke the silence of the night.

"You will answer when you are spoken to, worm! I will not repeat myself."

"Y-Yes.."

Another smack, this time accompanied by a sickening crack as his ribs caved in from his brother's boots, "What was that?"

"Ye-yes, b-boss.."

"..Good," the taller monster smiled, noting with glee the terror in his brother's gaze.

Pathetic.

Without so much as a second thought, Papyrus roughly grabbed Sans by the throat and slammed his head into the wall hard enough to crack his skull or the wall, whichever came first. He reveled in the pained groan that passed his brother's teeth, smiled as he began to choke him, and laughed as Sans' disbelieving eyes caught his own.

His laughter only grew as Sans clawed his iron grasp, fighting to draw in air as his own brother choked the life out of him.

This had far surpassed any beating Sans had ever had to endure. He was used to fractures, broken bones and concussions, but never had Papyrus tried this before. There was always a limit to his torture, but now.. he truly wanted him dead.

"P-Paps..Br-Brother..." he choked out, trying hard to force his brother to see reason. All it earned was an enraged scream and a broken eye socket as his younger brother socked him in the eye a few times before flinging him across the room and into his nightstand, the items onto crashing to the floor and shattering into pieces around his limp body.

"Don't you dare call me that! You have no right! We aren't brothers, we aren't family, you're my underling, nothing more!" He screamed, his hands balling to fists as he extended a hand and summoned a sharpened femur, advancing on the now cowering skeleton, "Except now.. you'll be nothing more than dust, you useless sack of shit!"

Sans choked on a sob as Papyrus slunk closer, his mind in tatters as the reality of what he had become swept over him like a tidal wave. They were no longer brothers, they hadn't been in years and now..

It was kill or be killed.

Before Papyrus could get close enough, Sans turned liquid eyes to him and whispered something so softly he had barely managed to catch it before his body flickered out of existence.

"I'm sorry, brother. I love you."

Frisk had just been winding down for bed, the little plant huddled close to her chest as she lie on the mattress, wishing for freedom, longing for change. The days had moved on in a blur, each day spent training without fail. Closing her eyes, she smiled softly as she recalled their latest sparring session.

Flowey had barely managed to land a hit on her as his vines shot out from underground, his attacks far more precise and fast than they had been previously. He had hardly broken a sweat in the half hour they had been sparring, his magic reserves having strengthened and allowed him to fight longer and more intently.

Frisk had been so proud, even though he had cried when he managed to slice her calf fairly deep. She had held him as he cried even though he had bandaged her up with thick leaves and a strange salve that soothed her irritated flesh. She made sure to encourage him and help him to grow past his fear of harming her. Other monsters wouldn't hold back as he had done, and he seemed to accept that fact with a sour expression and a fierce declaration to protect her from harm.

It had gotten late into the night before the two had finally wound down, and just as the urge to close her eyes hit an all too familiar skeleton appeared in a bloodied heap before them.

With a startled yelp, Frisk clutched Flowey to her despite his sleepy bewilderment. Her heart beat a mile a minute as Sans lied on the floor, blood seeping out from his hoodie quickly and a large crack forming a spiderweb design on the side of his face. Without really thinking, she moved to the skeleton's side as he groaned in agony, clutching his arm tight to his chest.

Her face fell as she took in the damage to his body, the large cracked socket pouring blood down his face like a river, his oddly angled arm hung to his side, and the small broken whimpers he couldn't stop made her heart clench in fear.

If Sans was in a state like this, then who was after him?

Body trembling, she reached down to stroke his skull tenderly, smearing a bit of the blood as a stifled sob escaped him. He moved away, his pride in shambles as he faltered in front of the people he had captured. How weak he must seem.

Not bothered by the sudden rejection, she moved to his jacket, trying to pry it open. He frowned, pushing her hands away as he struggled to sit up, pain marring his features with every movement.

"You need to go. Now. He's coming and he won't hesitate to kill you if he spots you. Get out of here!" He hissed, glaring at the door at the top of the stairs and watching as a red glow surrounded the door, flinging it off it's hinges to disappear out into the snowy night.

Flowey had nearly broke down at the sight of freedom before their very eyes. Tugging on her hand urgently, he encouraged the little human to make a break for it. Their chance had finally come and he couldn't have been more eager to leave this terrible place behind, but Frisk..

Her eyes settled on the unstable monster before her, his eyes leaking with tears and blood, his body battered and broken, just as his mind seemed to be.

"We can't leave him, Flowey," she whispered, glancing at the flower as he squeaked in denial.

"We have to, Frisk! This might be our only chance! Besides, he locked us up or have you forgotten? He treated us like dirt and you expect us to save him?"

Frisk looked at him pleadingly, "We can't just leave him, Flowey. Look at him! He won't survive whatever is coming this way. What makes you sure we would either?"

"You won't," A deep growl filled the chaotic shed, and upon the new arrival everything went deadly quiet as a large skeleton emerged from the shadows, his long tattered cape sweeping the floor as he marched closer to the stunned trio, "I see you have failed me once again, worm. Hiding humans in our shed is grounds for treason brother.."

Sans trembled, his eye sockets going wide as he scrambled back from the approaching figure, his injuries hindering his movement, "B-boss, I can explain-!"

"Explain how you betrayed me? Made me out as a fool all these years? Now I find you hiding away a human and her little plant," he seethed, his eyes flashing crimson as he clutched a sharpened femur in his iron grip.

"That's not what I-" he began only to be cut off by a sharp bone whizzing towards his face, only narrowly avoiding it as he ducked down.

"Silence! I care not for your excuses, traitor. You are absolutely worthless! You can't do even the simplest tasks, always tarnishing my reputation, and now this!?"

"Paps.."

More bones flew at them, Papyrus' scream filling the shack and echoing over the swirling storm outside, "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! You have let me down for the last time, Sans. Don't disappoint me any longer and just die!"

Sans closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable strike to come, but a pained grunt and worried scream met his ears as a body tackled him to the floor, warm liquid bathing his front as the breath left his body.

Eyes flashing open, he looked down to see a skewered Frisk leaning over him, her eyes closed tight and teeth clenched in pain. Eyes widening, he sat her up, cradling her in his arms as he yelled down at her, "You stupid, stupid girl! Why did you do that? You should have just run!"

Papyrus slunk closer, an amused laugh filling the shack as he gazed at the strange scene before him. Who would have thought the human would have come to his aid? Seems the worm managed to become attached to the foolish woman, and by the looks of it, she had as well.

"See what you caused, brother? See how she suffers because of you.."

"No," he whispered, his words increasing in volume as he stared down at her pained face, "No, no, no!"

A broken wail left him and as suddenly as it came, hundreds of blood red bones sprung up around the trio, pushing Papyrus away as Sans lost it, clinging to the broken body in his arms. His mind fell to pieces as he wailed into her chest, the fear that he would lose her overwhelming his mind and forcing his powers to the surface.

Yes, she had been a pest since the day she arrived, but he had come to admire her determination, her perseverance and defiance. He had grown to like her company despite the squabbling that would ensue. She was familiar and yet not, someone he felt he had known his whole life, and yet it had only been a handful of months. He had grown to like the little spitfire, grown to enjoy her presence, had grown to care..

He had to get them out. Had to get her to safety before any more damage could be done. With a despairingly hate filled glare, he disappeared out of existence without a trace, leaving behind a disgruntled skeleton out for vengeance.

Chapter Text

Water trickled from damp caves, the walls sparkling as the light shifted through the fog, encasing three bodies in a dim shroud, blanketing their forms as they hid beneath a jagged overhang. Moisture clinging to the walls soaked into the skeleton's hoodie as he scrambled as far back as he could, clutching the broken girl in his arms desperately. A mournful wail echoed from the little plant beside him, but with a hissed 'shut up' he flinched back and whimpered softly, beady black eyes scanning over the disheveled form of the human.

Bleary eyes met flashing gold as Frisk glanced up at the scarred skeleton, his cracked skull framed with an unusual frown, worry cinching his features as he looked at her before turning his attention to the area past the overhang.

Sans' mind practically buzzed with the worries threatening to overwhelm his person, the fear of losing the strange girl threatening to shatter what little remained of his soul. Setting her down as gently as possible, he flinched harshly when a muffled sob caught in her throat as her back connected with the cool stone beneath them.

"It hurts.." she whined softly, her voice sluggish and weary.

"I know," he soothed, although he was the utter antithesis of calm at the moment, "Just...Just stay still, okay? I need you to trust me.."

A tender caress fluttered against the palm of her hand as Flowey stood by her side. She gingerly closed an upturned palm on the fragile leaf, her brow furrowed and sweat clinging to overheated skin. At her nod, he placed a shaky hand to one bone protruding from her shoulder. Her whimpers tugged on his soul, but he urged on, mustering all of his strength as he ripped the jagged bone from her flesh. An agonizing scream rang out amongst the silence for only a moment before a bony hand clamped over her mouth.

"I know, sweetheart. I know it hurts, but we have to be quiet.." he whispered softly, his golden eyes taking in her scrunched up eyes and the ever-growing blood pooling beneath her writhing form.

His soul throbbed achingly as he repeated the process on another bone plunged deep into her abdomen, the wound gushing blood just like the last. Her strangled whines ate away at his mind, but he moved on to the next one, a rather wide bone pushing out of her arm and soaking the ground beneath them in warm rivulets of crimson.

The wound gushed an angry red as he closed a tender hand around it, eyes scrunching tight as another scream was muffled. He dare not open them, lest he lose what slim chance they had to make this work. Sweat clung to furrowed brow as the skeleton grit his teeth and forced his powers to surface, bathing his hand in a crackling golden light. Trembling slightly, he hunched over the broken girl and began a soft chanting, the sound comforting and peaceful, an odd combination from someone who struck fear into the heart of many.

Frisk felt herself slowly relaxing, her body limp beneath his warm phalanges. The words, whatever language they were, were soothing, relaxing her body and soul as the energy seeped beneath her skin, knitting together severed muscle and broken flesh. Eyes swimming, she tried desperately to focus on the smooth curves of his face, the golden irises that sparkled from the crackling energy lighting his hands up his arms in a brilliant display. She could barely make out the spiderweb cracks along his left eye socket. Her heart ached at the sight of crimson leaking from the larger cracks, obscuring the ghostly white of his cherubic face. Tender palm extended upward, her desire to soothe his pain overriding her common sense as she reached out, just barely brushing a finger against one of the lesser indents.

Strong bones wrapped around her palm, the touch featherlight despite the strength she knew he had. Smooth digits caressed the back of her hand as her vision swam, his image doubling as his words barely brushed against her delirious mind.

"Not now, sweetheart. You're banged up pretty bad. Let's fix that first.."

Hand released, she shivered at the cold that enveloped her palms, spreading down her arms to her very core. She was so cold, her life's essence cooling beneath her as she lay amongst the damp ground. Her teeth gnashed in her discomfort, a small whine leaving her throat as his warmth receded. The wonderful golden light faded from view and his searing touch fled the tender skin of her arm.

"I'm here, Frisk. Just a little longer, okay?"

Eyes clenched shut, she bit her lip and nodded as bone touched broken flesh of her shoulder, the sensation shocking yet welcome as that familiar warmth flooded her skin, melding with the torn muscle beneath. The warmth tingled against her muscle, the sensation smooth like a lover's caress, yet warm as if bathing in a cozy patch of sunlight. Body relaxing, her mind focused on the soft chanting of his words, the language spoke of health and vitality, woven together by a beautiful ancient magic that coursed through her very being.

Sans frowned, his concentration never faltering even as the tug on his soul churned, expanding to an aching throb that consumed his being. Phalanges shook, body trembled, yet he never broke the spell, his concern for her safety overriding the pain. His soul would be fine, it mattered not if it hurt, or even if it killed him, the only one that mattered was the broken girl beneath him. He watched as the wound closed, the skin beneath his fingertips knit shut with no sign of irritation left behind. A smile tugged at his lips, but he knew there was more to be done.

Exhaling sharply, he reached over to her final wound, the worst of the three, and folded both hands on top of the wound, the puncture so large it had ripped clean through her intestines, leaving nothing but tattered organs and tissue in its wake.

The sight alone made him gag, the carnage too much for such a frail thing as she. He tried not to worry as he stuffed bits and pieces of intestine back into her body, but the blood staining his fingers left him with an ever-growing pit of dread. Limbs lighting once more, he hunched over her frame pouring everything he had into his chant, praying that it would be enough.

He watched helplessly as the wound remained open, the damage too deep for what little power remained. He frowned and gnashed his teeth angrily as he forced more of his power to rise to the surface, his face breaking out in a cold sweat as he slumped heavily against the girl, her cries having turned to uneven pants and muffled groans.

He surged on, watching as the lining of her small intestine worked to repair itself, the sight horribly frightening. Such a sight was one he had never expected to see, since he was usually the one causing such injuries, and it left him utterly terrified. Bile threatened to rise at the sight, but he forced it down. The time for weakness would come later, but for now he would not let her die.

It was a struggle, for nearly ten minutes he sat slumped over her unconscious form, her having passed out sometime during the healing. He watched, panting and shaking over her form as he managed to knit the muscle back together, the skin forming so slowly that he had to stop once his powers flickered, sputtering out of existence as he collapsed beside her bloodied form.

"Weed, bar the entrance," he grit out, his vision blurring as exhaustion washed over him.

He focused on the entrance, watching as withered vines blocked the opening, allowing only the barest hint of light to filter in. He grumbled his acceptance and fought to stay awake, but it proved fruitless as his mind blacked out and his body lay limp, exhausted not only from his injuries, but extending so much magic at once.

Chapter Text

Time passed unheeded by those hidden amongst the caverns. Three bodies lie motionless on the cold stone floor, shrouded in the dark. The trickle of dew from an outcrop of stalactite served as a peaceful lullaby, accompanied by the soft sound of a distant stream babbling. Bleary eyes opened hesitantly, a muffled groan leaving her as Frisk sat up slowly, cursing as her head smacked into the low hanging ceiling.

Grumbling to herself, Frisk fumbled around in the darkness, unsure of where she was or if she was truly alone. Fear pooled in her gut and her breathing quickened as she whipped her head around, only to find more darkness around her. Frantically, she pawed at the floor, desperate to find something or someone.

It was too dark, the absence of light crippling her mind and bringing back memories best left forgotten. A frightened whimper past trembling lips as she dragged her hands around quickly until she felt the familiar cool and rugged material of leather. A soft sigh passed her lips as she reached upward, shakily caressing the cloth until it gave way to the plush fur lining the hood. Hesitantly, she shifted upwards the smooth feel of bone beneath her fingers easing the tension from her body.

"Patience, child," Gaster's disembodied voice filled her mind, "He has yet to recover. Let him be.

H-How did I..?

He saved you.

Mind practically short circuiting, she looked down at the monster in reverence. Smooth palm reached out to hesitantly brush against the curve of his cheek, pausing when he let out a groan. He made no move to awaken, so she brushed the bone gently, curiosity swaying her thoughts.

Why would he do that?

An eye for an eye, child. Though, perhaps that may not be his only reason..

Head tilting curiously she asked why he thought that, but was met only with silence. Annoyed, she glanced back toward the skeleton, noting how peaceful he seemed to be. A shiver passed through her body as a cold draft blew in from somewhere near her feet. Lying back down also proved fruitless as the cold from the stone seeped through her clothing, leaving her even more cold than before. Glancing up, she made note of the two monsters sleeping uninhibitedly and decided to make her move.

Face flushed a brilliant red, she scooted closer to Sans, hoping to share his warmth without him knowing. She could just barely crane her head back to look up at his face before she felt the warmth from his person. Shifting, she brushed against his chest, rather roughly in her fidgeting, and sat motionless as a groan filled the little space before a bony hand wrapped around her back and brought her closer. The hand on her back splayed against her spine protectively while he seemed to curl into her form, a pleased growl rumbling just above her head. Her eyes widened at the turn of events but she couldn't find it in herself to move away from the comforting warmth, and she could admit, if only to herself, that she rather liked the feel of his body pressed to hers.

Sighing softly, she allowed the monster to hold her close, snuggling closer despite her better judgment, as she drifted off to sleep once more.

Sans awoke sometime later, the shuffling of feet and the soft murmur of voices having brought him out of his sleepy haze. He noted absently that the human girl was wrapped tightly against his side, burrowing into his jacket and resting her head against his ribs. It would have brought a smile to his face, but the familiar high pitch set his nerves on edge, hackles rising.

"I don't care about that! All I care about is the human's location. For all intents and purposes Sans is dead to me."

His heart felt like it would shatter any moment, the words a harsh reality that he had barely had time to absorb.

This time a deeper, gravelly voice spoke, "Fine by me. Don't know why you bothered to keep him around so long anyway, the useless brat. Scoure the area. They can't be far."

A few moments passed before the footsteps receded, leaving the trio in silence once more. Fingers trembling, a shaky breath left him as Sans stared unwaveringly at the entrance, his mind whirling with everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours.

Sorrow weighed heavily in his heart, regret gnawing away at his soul. If only things had been different, if the queen hadn't banned humans, if the royal guards hadn't turned into little more than thugs. He could have saved him, shouldn't have allowed Papyrus to idolize the sentry, could have stopped him from spiraling into the crazed monster he had become.

Exhaling slowly, he rubbed unconsciously at the knot in his chest, willing away the useless emotions. It was too late for regrets and old sentiments. There would be no turning back time, no righting the wrongs. All they could do now was move forward and pray that they made it out alive.

The soft glide of a hand on his bicep alerted him to the girl's closeness, a fact that he had missed due to the plotting of his younger brother. Eyes widening, he scrambled backward, his skull heating as a brilliant crimson spread across his cheeks.

He halted as he caught the faintest hint of a whimper, her hand searching for him once more. He scrambled backward, unused to her being so near.

Wide scarlet gazed down at the girl's whimpering form, watching as her shivering grew with each passing second. It was only now, after all that had happened, that he realized how truly fragile she was.

Tender bone met chilled flesh as he reached out, grasping her hand in his larger palm, his thoughts drifting to the way her fingers curled a fraction, grasping his phalanges in a tender grip. Crimson flaring anew, he bit down a groan and buried his skull in his unoccupied hand.

What was he doing? For God's sake, he was one of the most powerful monsters in the underground, a terror to all monsterkind, a merciless thug, and yet one little slip of a girl managed to worm her way into his long thought frozen heart.

Her presence was nice, welcomed even, and that fact alone shot a spike of fear down his spine, for how could he move forward knowing that her very life now depended on him? What would he do if she were to perish, and damn it all, why was he feeling like this?

His blush grew darker as she nuzzled his palm, a sweet smile spreading on her sleeping face. How he adored that gentle smile, her face relaxing into something angelic despite how ferocious she truly was.

The girl had guts, he had to admit, though he still couldn't wrap his mind around her. She was odd, an enigma that he both longed and loathed to figure out. One moment they were shooting the breeze and at each other's throats, the next she was standing in front of him, taking the blow meant for him.

Hand grasping tighter, he watched as she sighed pleasantly and settled farther down in her sleep. For a long while, he sat motionless, his thumb softly caressing the back of her hand before he sighed inwardly.

Did it really mean so much to her?

But more importantly, did she really mean so much to him?

With one last leveling gaze, he settled down beside her, throwing an arm around her torso and pulling her to his side as gently as he could.

The soft sound of her rhythmic breathing lulled him to sleep and despite his better judgment, the last thought on his mind was that yes, she was that important.

Frisk awoke hours later, warmth filling her aching bones as a delightful smell of smoke and pine surrounded her in its soothing embrace. Sniffing appreciatively, she snuggled closer to the warm body beside her, her sleep rattled mind paying no mind as a sharp intake of breath reached her ears.

She hummed approvingly as her leg tangled with something soft, yet hard, but still joyously warm. Nuzzling softly, she felt the barest brush of chill against her cheek before she felt a rush of warmth as she lay her head against a warm chest. It was only as something brushed hesitantly through her hair that she stiffened, eyes flying open as she took in her surroundings. There before her was a very flushed Sans, trying his best to look everywhere but at her.

Frisk let out a startled shriek and jerked backward, only to find his phalanges tangled in her hair and with a muffled squeak, she hissed at the rough pull on her locks. All too soon the gentle caress of tender digits left her scalp, a dull ache being the only reminder of the once sweet gesture.

“What are you doing?” she snapped, face just as flushed as his though she couldn’t really tell. Her heart thrummed wildly under her palm as she faced the skeletal monster, her mind reeling as the memories came flooding back. She groaned, clutching her stomach as a flash of pain stabbed through her middle.

Sans frowned, shuffling closer until he could reach her before pressing a palm to her skin, the familiar chant humming in the air as his magic surged once more. Frisk watched in awe as a brilliant gold twined around his digits, dancing across her skin in a warm caress and easing her pain. She gasped, a hand smoothing across his as she glanced into his surprisingly warm eyes. He glanced at her for just a moment, a little flush on his cheeks as he turned back to his work, “Stop moving, stupid.”

She tensed reflexively, but he stroked her stomach softly, a strange juxtaposition that she had a hard time digesting. She nodded, waiting until the song ended, the golden glow fizzling out as he pulled away. She stifled the whine in her throat, forcing her hands to her side despite the overwhelming urge to pull him close.

He huffed quietly, struggling to catch his breath while fighting the tremble in his bones. He groaned quietly, pain shooting through his soul as the slowly replenished power had been drained once more. He saw her, the gentle hand reaching for him, and though he wanted to turn from her, she kept him pinned under her curious gaze.

The touch was slow, unsure but definitely tender, her caress slightly unnerving as she searched his face for a few quiet moments. Her hand slipped from his cheek to grasp his palm, a comforting press, and she smiled at him for the first time, a true, genuine smile. He flushed, embarrassed and wholly unequipped to deal with the beauty before him.

“Thank you,” she breathed, her smile widening as his breath hitched, “You saved me.”

He gulped, mouth agape for just a few moments before he snapped it closed. He looked down at their entwined fingers before glancing back up at her. He squeezed back, a tremble in his digits as he tried to make sense of things, “Yeah, well.. You’re mine, right? It’s only natural.”

She blushed as well, turning her head to the ground as she took in his words. For all of her bravado, she had been just as unnerved as him, unsure of where to go from here. Her head spun terribly, the shock far more than she could deal with. She could still feel them, the bones piercing her flesh, ripping her organs and draining her life away. She hummed quietly, drawing his attention as she looked out the barred entrance, “I never knew it would hurt so bad.”

“Dying always does,” he quipped, watching as she shuddered before him. Her hands moved, closing over her newly healed stomach. He’d hesitated, dropping his hand back at his side before she’d even noticed, having fallen into an uncomfortable silence. He waited, knowing that she would soon speak once more, but when the silence stretched, he caught her off guard with a question of his own, “Why’d you do it?”

She wouldn’t pretend not to understand, not with everything that had happened. He deserved to know, just as much as she needed to explain. She turned back to him a few tears on her cheeks, shocking the horrified skeleton into silence as she laughed brokenly, “I don’t know. I didn’t think. My body just moved on its own.”

He frowned, hurt flickering in his soul, but he nodded nonetheless. It didn’t make sense really. Why would she risk her life for someone like him, someone that had tormented her, locked her in his home and teased her every chance he could? His soul clenched painfully in his chest, and with a sudden clarity, he groaned, shooting a hand to his other arm as the pain roared to life once more.

“Sans?”

“Don’t,” he groaned, panting hard as she shuffled closer, “It’s nothing.”

“It’s not,” she argued, moving closer until she heard his teeth snap in warning, “Stop trying to hide it, numbskull.”

He groaned, trying to overcome his pain as he had earlier. It had to have been the adrenaline, trying to save a life while simultaneously dodging your homicidal older brother did tend to put you in fight or flight mode, and now that they were relatively safe, he’d relaxed somewhat and the pain came roaring back. He hissed as she tugged on his jacket, and with a shaky groan that bordered on a sob, he begged her, “Drop it, please..”

She frowned, her suspicions confirmed as he cradled his arm loosely at his side, the bone cracked nearly in two. Her stomach lurched, and with a frightened glance at his face, she rushed forward, palms glowing in its cool lavender haze. She saw him freeze, his face falling as he watched her warily.

She knew, understood completely as he warred with himself. No one had cared for him, she could see it in his eyes, in the various scars littering his arms, the shuddering breaths he took as he watched her every move. He sat on edge, body tensed despite the immense pain she knew he felt. Her breath quickened, fueled by an all consuming desire to heal, and with the utmost care, she placed gentle hands atop his bones, searching his face again, “Let me help you.”

He tried to pull back, afraid of this small human girl, afraid to trust, to hope and he knew she could see it too. When her palms flattened against his break, he hissed but didn’t move, his soul thumping wildly in his chest as her powers ghosted along his body. It was soothing, cool as a winter breeze and soft against his bone, and for the first time he truly saw her as she was, a person, someone willing to help him after all he had done. Tears pooled silently behind one broken socket, and with a nod he fell still, offering himself over to her tender care.

She worked slowly, asking Gaster for help as her powers rose, her determination flowing freely from her body to mend the broken bone. It was grueling, her inexperience slowing her down, but she forced herself past her own pain, knowing that she could do this. She had to.

Slowly but surely, the bone began to fuse before their very eyes. Sans could hardly believe it, wouldn’t have thought possible if it weren’t for the indescribable pull of healing marrow. He watched her eyes droop, falling closed as her power surged again, curling up around his arm to gingerly brush his cheek and up towards the broken socket. A gasp wrenched itself from his throat, the magic seeping into his sunken ribs as well as his hollowed eye. It pulsed in time with his breaths, the odd sensation of bones shifting making him pause. It should hurt, every time he had healed himself it hurt like hell, but for some odd reason her touch was warm, welcomed, and soothing. Time passed unheeded by the pair until all at once the magic faded, wisps of hazy lilac curling through the air until they were left in the dark once more.

He moved slowly, raising his arm and finding no pain. A smile bloomed on his face, the first true smile he’d had in so many years, and as the little human lurched forward, he scooped her into his arms, holding her tight against his chest while she slept completely unaware of the gift she’d given him.