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Chapter Text

He felt his brother wiggle and move, signaling he was ready to get out and move. They had been hiding in their den a vast majority of the day from the weather outside. Even though they weren’t bothered by the cold, the brothers had curled up together, using each other as a boney pillow and heat source. Earlier in the day, they had time to bask in the warm daylight, but while the weather was limited in this place, this land was prone to snowstorms during this time of the year. This one was short, but it was signaling the start of the snowy days to come. The brothers will need to make sure their food stores are full. When the storms come it is best if they duck inside their den to escape the snow. This limits and prevents hunting, so having food stashed away for those times was vital for their survival. Another important task his brother made sure to do this time was to tend to the entrance of the den to keep it clear. Next time he will need to do the same. Honestly, he wouldn’t have minded if it was closed up. It would keep the colder air out, but it would be better then their den getting completely buried.

At least, for now, the storm was over, and they could hunt and scavenge for food. His brother was done waiting for him to move and crawled out of the den. In this icy land, the best hunting was done by the river for fish, and the best scavaging was done in town. He didn’t like going there though. While there was plenty of good food to scrounge up in the town, it was dangerous. He could be seen by a monster who will know the monsters from the bad place and let them know the brothers were here. It was better to be hungry or eat only fish than to risk being seen.

The dark watery place was really the best for finding food. There was plenty of food to find at the “dump” and to hunt. They have taken trips out there to stock up on food to store away for times of poor hunting or daily storms, but staying there was out of the question. It was too close to the bad place and there were too many monsters. They didn’t want to get dragged back to the bad place again. Never again.

Slipping out of the den, he let a shiver journey along his spin as a cool wind chilled what little warmth he still had. There was a beautiful stillness in the dark. It was early night by the look of it, and as much as he admired the beauty of this place he felt the drive to go searching before hunting. He needed to get his brother and himself to a place with better hunting and further from the bad place. For their safety and well being. Especially for his brother… for when he won’t be around to help take care of him.

As he stretched preparing to move, his brother dropped into a play bow then hopped around, trying to encourage play. With a happy snort, he joined in. The two pounced each other and rolled around in the freshly fallen snow. They may be fully grown but there was still a playful puppy side to both of them. Their skeletal bodies sank with no flesh to support them on the powdery ground cover. Still, they moved around with ease, their bones not being bogged down by heavy snowfall or slowed by the cold. So they bound around in the snow, long tails wagging as they nipped and dodged each other.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the energy of his brother, and he flopped over, too tired to play on. More years of physical torture under the hands of the monsters from the bad place lead to his health and energy being low. He brother huffed an annoyed sigh, but his brother understood and did not push for him to do more. The lankier skeletal beast shook off snow before walking over and nuzzling him with a narrower snout. The two purred before his brother trotted off, heading toward the river.

Slowly, he stood and shook off clumps of snow which fell from his back and tail. An itch on his neck caused him to scratch at the old collar still bound to his cervical vertebra. Even with his sharp claws, the thick leather had long proved to be impossible to tear through. It hurt as it shifted on the tender bone beneath so he stopped and sighed. He had managed to get his brother’s off but then his brother’s collar was weaker than his own. He hated these things and had always tried to get any collar put on him off. This behavior had worn those monsters’ patience thin as he clawed off collar after collar. They needed it to control him, to keep him from doing things they didn’t want him to do and to make him do things when they said so. This last one… it was meant to stay on indefinitely. Or… until it killed him. With how sore his neck felt, and how tight it was on the bone… he feared it just might.

Before then, he had to make sure his brother was settled in a good place and safe.

He trotted toward the wall he could see over the trees. He had never seen it up close before, but he didn’t feel the need to get past it before either. There had to be more… right?

He followed the wall for some time, long enough to consider this a waste of time. He should be getting food, not following a stone barrier to nowhere. Then he saw it… It was one of those pathways monsters make, but by the smell of it, it was hardly used. Hesitant, he creeped out of the trees onto this path and sniffed it over good. He stayed low and ready to dash away at any sign of a threat or monster. Indeed, after he checked it over, it was clear that the last monster to walk down this path had their scent buried under several layers of snowfall. Long enough he couldn’t identify anything about them.

As he sniffed around, he spotted the purple structure that the path came to. Tilting his head, he looked it over but stayed low, ready to bolt. He knew what this was. It was a “door.” Monsters use them to block off entrances to keep things in or out. But if he didn’t smell any monster around the area in a long time, then… this one must not be used much. Indeed, as he stepped closer he couldn’t smell anything hinting that someone had passed through this doorway in a very long time. Something about the last creature to move through the doorway smelled odd. It didn’t smell like a monster but he didn’t know what to think of that scent. It was far too old to properly consider.

So… didn’t that mean there was more on the other side? Rearing up on his hind legs he tried pushing against the door but it didn’t budge. He rocked back then forward as he slammed his front legs into the door a few times. Still, it didn’t move. He huffed angerly as he looked over the door and thought. Perhaps it opened the other way? Dropping back to all fours, he dug his claws into the crack where the two doors met and tried to pull one open. Still, it refused to open. It was like it was stuck or locked. He growled and hissed in annoyance. Well, he has dealt with locked doors before.

Backing up, he straightened his neck, so it ran parallel with his back. He felt the magic build up, starting in his chest, then moving up his neck and gathered in his jaws. Opening his mouth, his bottom jaw swung wide as the disruption of magic in his skull temporarily blinded him just as the white, hot blast shot forth and struck the door.

His vision returned and his jaws clicked closed. The snow along the path of his beam had melted and turned to steam. He had to wait for that to clear before he could see what damage he had done to the door. It didn’t take long but...

still… it stood undamaged and closed.

How? How could that be? He blinked and looked the door over, trying to figure out how it survived his blast so well when nothing else does.

“Hello?”

A voice... a monster voice! Fear took over and he ran, scurrying off into the woods, dashing toward the river to join his brother.

With care, she pulled another perfectly crafted pie from the oven. The wonderful smell tickled her nose and she smiled as she set it down on the counter to cool. Soon, it will be ready to eat. … by herself. She stood there, looking at the pie, and wondered why she bothered. It was just her here to enjoy it which usually turned into her crying into a glass of wine over all the loss in her life. All of her children, her husband… her people.

What if she hadn’t run away? What if she stayed out there with her people? What if she just accepted her husband's war?

Then she would have been turning against her own morals. She might as well be killing her own adopted child, Chara, over and over. Toriel also would have been condemning her own people to death as there was no way they could survive another war against humans. If all she could do is keep the last human they need from reaching Asgore, then she will be doing a far greater service for her people than she could ever do out there.

With all these thoughts, she needed something, and Toriel reached for a bottle of wine. Normally she would wait to have the pie first but...

Toriel paused, as she thought she heard something making noise in the basement. Listening, she soon felt sure that there was indeed something going on by the Ruin doors. With a sigh, she started to make her way to the stairs, figuring it was teenagers out in the woods messing around. Once even 50 or 60 years some group of youth will find the doors and try prying them open or spray paint on them. It wasn’t hard for her to clean off, but it was still annoying.

She walked down the hall and she was sure she heard something banging on the doors. With a sigh, she continued on, listening as they gave up forcing the door open one way only to start scraping at the door as they tried to pry it open. When that sound stopped she moved closer and listened, wondering if they were still there. As she listened she heard a sound. It sounded like a high pitch whine, followed by a whir, and then-

The boom that followed startled her and Toriel fell backward in shock. Fearfully she stared at the door, wondering if the doors would remain strong. While her magic barrier held up, she could see the light from around the edges. It was amazing but terrifying at the same time. She couldn’t help but huddle there and watch until the light died down.

Was it Asgore? Was he here to drag her back? Was it something or someone else? Nervous, she called out to whoever it was. “Hello?”

No verbal reply came, but she heard someone as they moved and quickly. She continued to listen and heard their footsteps crunch in the snow as they move further away until she could no longer hear them. She waited for a while, fearful they were going to come back and perhaps with others. As silenced continued, though, she was then felt sure they were gone and not going to come back.

Slowly, she opened the door and looked at the damage. The barrier protected the door from the magical damage that would have been done to it. Only a heavy amount of char from the burning heat remained. She stared at it, shocked, wondering what had caused that? Moving closer and saw the scratch marks from the monsters efforts to pull the door open. That clearly was claw marks, and some of them were deep. Looking, she could see the line of melted snow, where even the ground could be seen. But what caught her attention were all around her.

They were prints unlike any she had had ever seen before. Thin, like a skeleton’s print but shaped more like an animal. It had to be some kind of monster, one she had never seen before. They were about the size of her paws and she felt her paw cover her mouth in shock. What had done this? What had such magical power to char her magical barrier like that?

Turning back to the doors, she quickly strengthened her magic and ducked back inside. Whatever that was could be dangerous. A few more blasts like that and it could have destroyed her barrier and burned its way through the door. Was it after humans? Is that why it was trying to get in?

It ran away, though.

Toriel paused at that thought. That creature had run as soon as she spoke, did it not? So… maybe it was more scared than aggressive. After some thought, she hoped the creature would come back. Perhaps next time, they could have a chat?

Chapter Text

Tired and worn, he tripped in the snow and fell chest and face first. His rib cage heaved as he scrambled to get his paws back under him. His head swung up out of the snow on his long neck only to fall back down at his failed efforts. The all too tight collar interfered with the flow of his magic, and for a moment he was again blinded to the world around him. He laid there in the snow, waiting for a sound or smell to hint he was being followed… nothing. The monster he heard had not followed him.

As his vision returned he slowly lifted his head to look around himself.

He was alone…

For now, he felt a sense of relief, but this couldn’t keep up. More mistakes like that and he could find himself back in the bad place. If that were to happen, he hoped his brother would run and stay free. His brother didn’t deserve to pay for his foolishness. They escaped twice, and he didn’t think he could a third time.

The sound of running water encouraged him to stand. Legs shaking, he pushed his body off the snow-covered ground and ambled his way to the river. The area of his collar ached from the blast and stress he placed on himself. He just wanted to curl up and sleep the pain away, but he couldn’t. He still needed to hunt with his brother. They needed food and plenty of it to survive the harsh storms to come.

He couldn’t delay their move… he’ll have to try finding another way past the stone barrier tomorrow. Hopefully, one that doesn’t require blasts.

Approaching the river, he saw his brother as he lifted his skull out of the water, a large fish trapped in his jaws. It thrashed but, with his brother’s sharp teeth and strong grip, it couldn’t get away. His brother spotted him after he deposited the fish on the bank of the river beside another catch, his long tail wagging as he held his skull high and a show of pride.

Brother was a very good hunter.

Nostalgia spiked as he remembered his brother, much younger, trying to fish for the first time. His brother was awkward and his grip was weak. More fish escaped him than were caught. But, the thing that was amazing about his brother is he almost always did grab the fish even if it did wiggle free. He showed promise of being a great hunter early on. Though his brother had a kind soul, and he loved that about his brother.

Bounding up, his brother hopped around him, excited about his successful fishing. Proud of his brother, he chuffed happily and let his long tail swing lazily from side to side. His brother was trying to invite play, but he didn’t have the energy for it. Perhaps he would have let his brother continue the hunting alone, but the coming storms was a continued concern. One that even forced his lazy tail to get to work. While two fish will be good for the night, they will need more than that in the coming days.

He made his way to the water edge and walked in. The icy temperature chilled him but it didn’t really matter. It was not uncomfortable to be chilled but it was also not his favorite sensation. He slowed his movements and searched the waters. It was dark, but his eye lights were able to spot the fish just under the surface. Behind him, there was a soft splashing as his brother returned to his fishing spot. It was slow, careful, work. It was not like rabbits or other small prey. Fish swim to fast to chase. Instead, trickery was the game they had to play with them. He stood stock still, becoming part of the environment the fish belong to.

Coiled and ready, he waited then…

The water exploded as he dove his skull into the water and grabbed hold of a fish. Once he had a grip he pulled it out of the water. Water drained from his eye sockets, snout, and jaws as he held tight to the fish and turned to return to the bank of the river. Something about these fish reminded him about the smell at the doorway he sensed. They both were not a monster, whatever fish are that thing was too, though different. Just like the rabbits and mice and other things he and his brother hunt. These were flesh and blood fish.

He dropped the fish by his brother’s.  And then he returned to fishing. Both brothers managed to catch one more each, giving them five total. It was a good start on food collection and will give them some to stash away. Content, they carried their prizes back to the den.

Once they arrived he was far too tired to eat and started to bury both of his fish. He just wanted sleep and could eat one later. His brother noticed, and saved out a fish for him which his brother nudged in his direction. He looked at his brother and saw that pleading look that hinted he was worried. A sigh escaped him as he was exhausted and desperate for sleep but his brother wagged his tail and looked so hopeful that he could not turn the offer down.

Lowering his head he started to eat the fish, the taste he couldn’t sense and he figured it had to do with the blast from earlier and the collar slowing the flow of magic still. He ate it all and his brother seemed very pleased. His brother walked over and gently headbutted and nudged him. It was obvious his brother wanted to play again. He had turned down the earlier invite, and he felt guilt knowing he will be turning his brother down again. He watched as his brother then started to bounce around and did another play bow to invite him to play. He whined as he just didn’t have the energy. It was sad seeing his brother’s tail slow to a stop, but he couldn’t afford to burn through all of his energy. Even though he could see the disappointment in his brother’s eye sockets, he knew his brother understood.

He decided not to retreat to the den but he stayed out, and watch over his brother. Instead, he curled up by the entrance and rested his skull on his forelegs. His mind wandered to thoughts on that door… and the voice he heard from the other side. It didn’t sound threatening. The owner of the voice really sounded scared or worried. Did he scare them? It wasn’t his intention, but perhaps it is for the best? Perhaps if the voices’ owner was scared they won’t tell the monsters at the bad place. Perhaps he could use fear to make the voice let himself and his brother through the door. And yet, it left a hollow feeling in his soul to think that he caused someone fear.

He knew fear. For a long time, he lived in fear day by day. Thinking back, he couldn’t remember any other emotions other than fear, anger, and sorrow until those monsters placed his brother in the same cage. He owed his brother so much. That tiny pile of bones showed him there was more to life than suffering. Even now, as adults, his younger brother is the one who keeps him stable.

Watching his brother pounce on a piece of rabbit fur from a past hunt, he felt his sockets start to close. It was a fight to keep them open, a fight he was losing. His eye lights dimmed and became fuzzy around the edges as his vision began to blur. Eventually, he lost the fight and drifted off to sleep. But, as he did, he decided he didn’t want to cause fear or use fear unless he had to. No one should have to live in fear…

Well… except maybe the monsters from the bad place.

Toriel made her way back upstairs. What she was doing before that all had happened had been forgotten. She stood at the top of the stairs for a moment, a paw pressed to the side of her head as she just focused on calming down. She didn’t imagine what happened. It did, indeed, occur. Even though she was sure she should not be so scared, she still was.

Closing her eyes, she set her mind straight. She had just finished baking a pie and should return to that. She rolled her sleeves up, setting the mood for herself to help her move forward instead of dwelling in the past. The wonderful smell of the baked good filled her senses and she smiled as she walked into the kitchen. It was such a warm and comforting smell. There was always bittersweet memories that come with that scent, but she still couldn’t help but feel like she was at home.

She grabbed a plate, cut a slice, then served herself and walked out to sit by the fire. The flames of her magic were mostly calm and relaxing, save for the occasional hiccup that resulted in sharp cracks and harmless sparks. It was still reflecting her emotional state and the uncertainty within her. After reflecting on that she looked down, she could see the hand holding her fork had a slight tremble in it still.

This wasn’t the first time she had been scared or startled in her life. Many times before she never had such trouble getting over something that startled her. But all those times before, he wasn’t so alone. There was no one to talk to. No one to turn to. No one to comfort her. No one to comfort.

She was all alone.

For the first time in a long time, she wept for herself. Not the pains of another or the loss of her loved ones, but for her own self. It felt selfish and foolish. If she was in this much pain she should return. Swallow her pride and accept that she was the only one who believed she was right. But her decision before on the matter still rang true in her mind. Toriel just could not turn her back on her own principles. She didn’t have time to dwell on her own self-pity.

Taking a deep breath, she exhaled a slow and shaky sign. Feeling more relaxed she set her pie to the side and thought on the matter at hand. She needed to know why that monster was so determined to get in through the door. Was it after humans? Her? Was there something dark going on out there that she didn’t know about. Rumors always, somehow, make it through the door to her. She hadn’t heard of anything that would cause such desperation and fear of others.

If her voice did scare the monster off, how was she going to talk to them next time? It’s not like she yelled or said anything aggressive. All she did was try to speak with the one attacking the door and they ran. She can’t find out what was wrong if they didn’t stop to speak the moment she uttered a sound. So she had to find a way to keep them from running off the next time they arrive at the doors to the Ruins. Perhaps a gift will help them understand she isn’t a threat? But what could she give them?

Her eyes drifted over to the pie sitting beside her and she started to laugh. After all the pies she has eaten alone, this might be the first time since the last human child left that she had the chance to share one. It was the perfect gift. Food is a universal gift. Save for the rare allergies, she never knew someone to turn down free food.

Feeling pleased with herself, she picked back up her pie and took a bite. The flavor danced in her mouth as the magic in the pie dissolved and was absorbed into her. This pie will get them to stop and listen to her. She was sure of it.

Chapter Text

He took one day to search, leaving all the hunting to his brother. It didn’t make his brother happy to be left with all that work, but his brother still shared his hard-earned prize. In his search, he found a few possible points to explore. Each of those caves always resulted in a dead end, and only one seemed like a good alternative for their den. He is cautious and will keep a socket on it for a while to make sure it was a suitable new home.

As he continued to explore, he also looked for high points or ways over, but there was nothing that would allow them to scale over the stone wall. Nothing. There was only one way through and it was that door. That very double doors he now stood in front of this evening. He stared at it, hesitant. He feared that any moment a monster would show up and drag him away.

Steeling himself, he started forward, getting closer to the purple doors before him. As he carefully started to sniff at it, a sound from behind startled him. Out of shock, he jumped and ran. Rational told him it was just snow falling from one of the trees, but rational couldn’t stop him from running back into the forest where he could stay hidden. Fear had him run only a short way before he calmed down and slowly returned.

It was snow, just snow. He was stressing himself out. There was a strong possibility the monsters around here didn’t even know the monsters at the bad place. He started to suppose that when he saw the monsters in the small town here never seemed to go any further than the dark watery place. The bad place was in the hot, red-colored land beyond the dark watery one.

Cautiously, he approached the door, poised to run again at the hint of danger. There was a new smell compared to the last time he was here. It was a monster’s smell. His head tilted as he noticed this monster had a much different smell than every other monster. This monster was stronger and had a more physical nature to them. It also smelled nice, like delicious food. That observation made his long tail wag a little. He soul turned with hunger, reminding him the last he had to eat was a bit of rabbit and fish the night before. This reminder, of how hungry he was, resulted in a soft whine as he felt the gnaw of hungry in his soul.

No, he needed to focus. This monster was not going to share that good smelling food with him. Besides, as curious as he was about this monster, it was still a monster and should be avoided. Looking at the door, he paced slowly from side to side, thinking. He tried to push it open, pull it open, and then blast it open. None of those options worked, so he will have to try something else. Tilting his skull to the side in thought as he considered what options he might have. A new idea came to mind, he looked down and wondered if he could dig under the door.

Determined, he started digging, claws tearing up the ice, snow, and earth. He felt pleased that this might actually work… and then he hit a stone. He tried going around it, but it was one solid mass that even his claws could barely scratch. After a few more desperate scratches at the stone he sighed and stared down at the hole he had made.

He had reached his wit's end. There had to be a way through this door. Perhaps he should try bashing it open again? Exhausted, he sat in the snow and glared at the door. He needed to take a moment and rest before he could even try to shove the door open again. But as he rested there was no reason why he couldn’t inwardly send all his anger and frustration to the door in angry stares.

As if it picked up on what he wanted, the door cracked open and he turned to turn so sharply he fell over. Claws dug into ice-covered snow as he fought to regain his footing. Once all four paws were under him again, he scurried away from the door then turned to face it. Why did it open? It shouldn’t open on its own. That is bad, very bad. Was it the monster?

But... it was now open, maybe, if he was quick, he could get in there. Though, if it closed suddenly, he would be trapped and separated from his brother. He needed to know why or how it opened before he could enter. It was while he was considering this that a head appeared from the open door and looked at him. That had to be the monster, she opened the door and had now seen him. He stood ready to run or fight, depending on what she decided to do.

“Oh! Hello, there.” She looked scared though she was pretending she wasn’t. He growled in reply and glanced a few times to the forest. The path was still clear. The moment he was sure it was safe to run that is what he should do. And yet, there was something about her that made him stay. There was such a warm and friendly look about her.

That and the door was still open… if he could get past her then maybe he could see what was beyond the door. But once he got there how could he make sure his brother could follow? And what if he was trapped with her? Would she harm him as the others did? She might look nice but that didn’t mean she was. Some of the monsters in the bad place looked nice… until they hurt him.

“It is alright. I will not hurt you.” Every scarred bone of his body told him not to believe her and run, but his soul and mind made him stay. “Here, I have some pie, would you like some?” She held something out to him and he growled more. He just wanted her to stay away until he could sort this all out in his head. Whatever it was she had, it could be dangerous and he should avoid it.

The creature looked at her and not the pie she was offering him. Could he even understand her? Perhaps he really was just like the other animalistic monsters. Most of them had some understanding of the tone of voice, but he didn’t show that. Instead, he looked at her with such distrust and fear she couldn’t help but feel sympathy. As to why he wanted to get into the Ruins, she still didn’t know. Looking down, she could clearly see his latest attempt to get in. The poor creature...

“I see you don’t trust me. I suppose you have your reasons. Here, let me break off a piece…” she moved slowly as she took a piece of pie and gave it a light toss so it landed between them.

He growled deeply, trying to be as threatening as possible. His eye lights were searching her over, looking for weakness or an opening for something. As she started to fear she would never get through to him, she heard a pause in his growl. He still watched her but he now started to sniff the air with interest. He didn’t take his eye lights off of her as his body followed his nose. She couldn’t help but smile a little as the sight was rather endearing.

Once his nose was over it, he looked between the piece and her. It looked to her that he was still unsure if it was something he should eat because he didn’t trust her. Thinking she decided to prove it wasn’t dangerous. “It is alright, the pie won’t hurt you, see?” She broke off another piece, moving too fast for his liking as he had backed away again. She didn’t stop, though, eating the piece as he watched. This seemed to do the trick as the skeletal monster dashed forward and snatched up the offered pie piece.

No sooner did he grab the piece did he scurry back and away before quickly chewing it down. He was very skittish, but at least his focus was now on the pie. Something had caught her attention, though. There seemed to be something brown that seemed to be stuck on his neck, but at that distance, she couldn’t be sure what it was. Toriel knew what it looked like to her, but the idea of someone putting a collar on another like that… She had to be sure.

Toriel broke off another piece and again tossed it so it landed between them. Hesitant, he glanced down at the piece then back up at her. She saw a hint of surprise. It was clear he didn’t expect to get free food the first time, but now he was being offered more? She could tell he was thinking this over and could see the intelligence behind his eye lights. More confident than before but still ever so cautious, he crept closer and grabbed the piece.

With him closer, it still looked like a collar, but she wanted an even closer look. Again, she tossed a piece between them but this time she did it before he could back away. He stared at her for a long moment, then looked at the piece. It was obvious he wanted it. But he backed away and started to pace.

“That was too close?” She asked, and again he growled. “For someone getting pie, you should use a nicer tone.” She said in a mock motherly tone, and, to her surprise, he stopped. Did he understand her after all? That could have been a coincidence or he didn’t trust her at all before and didn’t want to respond in any way. As far as she can tell, the only way to know for sure was to continue walking with him. She tossed another piece of the pie, making sure it was in his comfort zone. She watched as he moved closer and ate it, glancing between her and the piece with those rings of light in his sockets the whole time.

This continued for a while before the whole slice was gone. She smiled, happy to see his stance was not as tense anymore. Though he still kept his distance and watched her with some suspicion. It was hard to tell, but with few good looks she had of the thing on his neck, she was sure it was a collar. The worse thing about it was that the collar looked tight and the bone looked like it was starting to grow around it in response. It also had a shimmer to it that hinted to her it had an enchantment on it to keep it in place. It had to be so painful for him, and it was clearly dangerous for his health. That all made her stomach turn, but there was nothing she could do until he trusted her enough to come closer.

“Was that good?” She asked the skeletal beast monster. He just stared at her, skull not moving as his eye lights looked her over. At least he wasn’t growling, but again, she was left wondering if he could understand her or not.

“Would you like some more?” She asked then walked back in the door to grab a second slice. As she stepped back out she saw he had moved closer in that time. Upon seeing her again, he quickly moved back like before. This time she walked closer and to her surprise, he didn’t growl or move, but he did watch her nervously. She stopped about midway and set the pie plate down then backed away to give him space.

He watched her then looked at the pie. She could see he was thinking about what to do. Then, without warning, he dashed forward, grabbed the slice, then ran. It shocked her to see that, and at first, she thought he wouldn’t go far, but he disappeared from sight into the woods. After waiting for an hour, hoping he would return for more, she decided to leave it at that for today and she went back inside.

Well, now that she fed him he was bound to return. Maybe next time he will get close enough for her to remove that collar. Feral or not, the idea of it, did not sit well with her and it filled her with fear for his well being.

He ran all the way back to the den. His brother was there, back from the last hunt. There was an annoyed look on his brother’s face, but he knew that would soon change. One taste of the food he brought back and his brother’s glare would change to a far happier expression.

His brother trotted over and grumbled while nipping at his shoulder. Twice now he failed to join in the hunt. But this time he at least brought back food. Good food. His brother’s mood changed as caught a whiff of this “pie.” He set it down and backed up so his brother could eat. It wasn’t a meal, but it was still good and full of magic that will help his brother.

It might be a while, but perhaps he could get that monster to let him and his brother through. If there is so much food there she could just give it away, she wouldn’t mind two more hungry mouths, right?

Chapter Text

It had been snowing since last night, and they couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of their den. Sure, they could try braving this weather, but what was the point? They could get lost or hurt, and both of those options weren’t favorable. So they stayed inside their den, huddled together for warmth and comfort. A few times his brother tried to play, but it was too small of a space for more than nipping and swatting at each other. And that just led to one or the other losing their temper and ending the game in a huff.

Around midday, his brother took a form that was partway between his bipedal and their usual quadrupedal form. Like that, he had paws more like hands to manipulate things with. His brother sat by him, picking at the collar. It hurt, but he allowed his brother to try to remove the thing. It used to shock them when they tried messing with it before, but it had long since stopped. Now it just made an annoying beep occasionally as his brother picked at it. It looked like it should be able to unhook, but no matter how hard he tried, his brother couldn’t get it to. Some magic protected it from his brother, repelling his efforts.

His brother was not one to give up, but after a few hours, it was clear that the magic that prevented him from removing it still was stopping him. He looked over at his brother as his brother finally sighed and flopped over beside him. Days like these were hard on his brother. The younger skeleton was not one for sitting around and doing nothing. His brother was active and playful. Days like this reminded them too much of… then.

He watched as his brother paced from one side of the kennel to the other. That small taste of freedom led to his brother feeling the need to move. Both remained silent, scared of being heard by the monsters. He was already damaged enough from a harsh round of experiments, being disciplined for talking would be bad. Being disciplined for anything was nothing he wanted right now. Something about The Doctor, the one who seems in charge of the other bad monsters, hinted to him that The Doctor wanted to just destroy him.

He didn’t want to be destroyed…

He didn’t want this life for his brother either… a life of fear and pain should not be his fate too.

Even if he gets destroyed, he would rather see his brother free.

His nap was interrupted as his brother nuzzled and nipped at him. While he slept, his brother had already left the den and dug up food to eat. His brother was now encouraging him to wake up to eat. Honestly, he didn’t want to eat… but he should. His skull felt like it was spinning as he started to crawl out of the den.

Once out of the den he stumbled a little as he started to walk. His brother looked concerned and whined as he trotted over and stood close beside him, trying to support him. The last thing he wanted to do was worry his brother, so he grumbled softly and nudged his brother. He was alright, just tired.

With that, he ate half the portion of fish his brother left him. The rest he couldn’t stomach so he buried it again when his brother wasn’t watching. It was amusing to him to see his brother play in the fresh snowfall. The younger skeleton always liked the soft powdery snow. He silently hoped for more snowfall like that and none of the icier snows that tend to make things more miserable for them both.

Their lunch taken care of, they were both feeling better. The brothers trotted off, making their way to the darker place. The world around them warmed up as they left the cold and entered the darker caverns. Glowing stones and flowers lit their way through the darkest places. Water dripped down on them from above, but still, they trudged on. He really did like this place. The stones above them made little specks of light in the vast sea of darkness. It was something he could find himself staring at for hours. But right now, he didn’t have time to marvel at those tiny lights. Eventually, they reached the area that was rich with supplies if you know where to look.

Carefully, they searched through the stacks of stuff, finding new bedding materials, some food, and paper things with colorful pictures to look at. They knew and understood some of the words printed on the pages, but both still avoided reading… reading is bad. The monsters didn’t want them to read. Even though the monsters weren’t around to discipline them, they will know…

And will possibly appear from out of nowhere to destroy him.

Treasures collected, they started back. His brother half shifted to carry some things in his arms. With the collar messing with his flow of magic, he decided to carry what he could on his back and in his jaws. Shifting right now was too taxing and painful to attempt.

They made the long trek back which lead to exhaustion. His half of the fish meal was quickly burnt through. His brother, far more fit and energetic, soon was far ahead of him. This shouldn’t bother him, but he felt like he was slowing things down if he didn’t try to keep up. With a sigh, he tried to speed up but his paws gave out from under him.

His brother heard him fall over into the snow and ran back to him, dropping their things along the way. He huffed and grumbled, not happy seeing their findings discarded for his sake. Slowly, he stood back up, showing he was alright. He wasn’t, but… he wasn’t going to let his brother know that. There were other things his brother should worry about other than him. There was a sad look in his brother’s sockets but he still gathered everything back up.

They made their way back and deposited everything at the den. Good, that was a short trip. His long tail wagged, happy that all happened unseen. His brother wanted to continue their success and hunt.

He watched as his brother happily bounded off, leaving him at the den. Curious, he looked toward the door. Would the monster be there again? Maybe she will give him more of that good food. He didn’t know if he could eat food so rich right now, but he was willing to try, and get more for his brother.

It was late, she might not be there, but he was willing to see in the case that she was still there and willing to give food away. Plus, he should keep looking for the chance of possibly finding a way to get past those doors. He can’t let his interest in this monster blind him from his goals.

He walked up to the door and sniffed at the structure. Her scent was there from last time. It was finally then he felt a calm reassurance. That monster’s magic covered the door, protecting it from strong attacks. He pressed his skull against the door. The magic felt nice.

He closed his sockets and enjoyed the warmth the magic gave to him. It seemed odd and yet made sense. She didn’t know him before and was hiding, so her magic was hidden from him. For some reason, she did not find any reason to fear or distrust him. It felt like she liked him, not as much as he liked his brother, but he could feel something that hinted that she liked him a little. Enough for the magic to feel welcoming.

The curious thing was… who was she hiding from? Maybe she too was hiding from the monsters at the bad place. If that was the case, he could trust her. But, he didn’t know for sure yet and will remain suspicious of her intents.

Toriel hoped that poor monster would return again today. She was worried about him and that dreadful collar on his neck. If she could get him to trust her she would gladly remove it and start mending the bone underneath.

Also, she wanted a better look at him. He looked like he had been through a lot. More like a veteran of the war than a monster who was born and raised in the Underground. If he was a war veteran then that makes the collar and apparent treatment that resulted in such skittishness even more appalling. Though… she was sure anything she found out will be as sickening to her.

Something about this chilled her to the bones .

That thought caused her to stop thinking of such dark thoughts. She missed jokes and puns, and even if that one was brought about by this bad situation, it still brightened her mood slightly. A shame the new monster didn’t seem to understand her. It would be interesting to see if he also liked puns or jokes.

She felt something from her magic. Someone was at the door. Happily, she grabbed the pie pan and premade carry away packet she prepared. This had to work, to help him build trust in her.

“Hello? Are you there?” Her voice must have startled him. She could hear him as he scurried away and growled defensively. That threatening sound sent a shiver up her spine, but she won’t be deterred. She placed the pie pan down, put a slice on a clean dish towel, then steeled herself to face him.

She opened the door and sighed. “Back to the growling, huh? Well, that’s alright, you still don’t know me, do you?”

Breaking off a piece of the pie, she gave it a toss between them. Without hesitation this time he went for it. The growling stopped and unlike yesterday he didn’t try moving away afterward. Instead, he looked at her with a tilted skull. This was good, or so she believed. He was adjusting to her.

She tossed another piece to him at about the same distance. When he ate it and still didn’t back away she tried again to get him to come closer by tossing the next a few steps closer. To herself.

The monster stared at the piece as he considered the distance. He looked at her for a moment then lowered himself before nearly crawling closer. The lights in his eyes flashed between the pie piece and her as he stretched his head and neck out as far as he could. Once he grabbed the piece he scurried back.

“There, see, you can get closer and I won’t hurt you. I don’t know what happened to you before, but I can assure you I won’t harm you.” She kept her voice calm and friendly. For now, she was still fairly certain he couldn’t understand her, but he did seem to understand her tone of voice.

She tossed another piece at about the same distance and he repeated the process. They continued this until he seemed less fearful and the pie slice was finished. All the while she spoke quietly to him, telling him about the snail facts she knew. She truly did hope he would find her voice calming in time.

“Alright, I suppose you will be ready to go. I packed you three slices of pie in this little towel. The snow can get bad and I hope you save the slices for a snowy day.”

She slowly stepped closer to him. He looked ready to bolt. As much as she would like to grab him and get that collar off, she wanted him to not be scared of her. That area will need time to heal and proper attention. While he did stay put as she moved closer, she knew she couldn’t get close enough to touch him anyway.

If she failed to catch him once, he will never come back. Any trust formed would be completely shattered. As hard as it was, she just smiled and put the bundle down as he watched her carefully. He didn’t move but waited for her to back away. She knew it was best not to make him too uncomfortable either. If he would panic… well, she hadn’t forgotten when he nearly got through her barrier last time.

As if he feared she would change her mind, he dashed forward, grabbed the bundle of pie slices, then dashed off into the forest. Toriel sighed. Well, they made progress, if they keep at this, he should let her close.

Sorrowful he will spend another day with that dreadful thing, she turned and walked inside.

He couldn’t run the whole way back and slowed to a walk. Why was she sharing all this food? She just gave it to him and he couldn’t figure out why. It was confusing but he wasn’t about to turn the food away. It was so rich though… he surely couldn’t eat more, but that was alright.

There were three of these “pies” in this bundle. One he will give to his brother now and he will store the other two. He wondered if she would have given him more if she knew he had a brother. Not that he wanted her to know. His brother was safe being unknown.

He didn’t think she would purposefully do anything to harm him, unlike the monsters from the bad place. But he knew the monsters from the bad place had a way of making others not see how evil they were. They were tricksters, and they laughed about it. It was kind monsters who thought they were trustworthy who reported seeing him and his brother the first time they escaped.

And here he was, breaking the rule he made of staying hidden…

With care to not damage the cloth the “pies” were in, he grabbed out a slice for his brother then buried the rest. It was starting to snow again so he carried it into the den and waited for his brother to return.

Chapter Text

Even with the “pie slices,” as he figured out they were called, stored away, he still went back to visit her as much as he could. She was an interesting monster and told him many things. She told him about snails and baking pies. She told him about her love of jokes, though she admitted she hadn’t heard a good one in a long time. And she told him about the bugs she caught or the things she saw that day.

This monster has a lot to say, though she claimed it was all boring. She said she wouldn’t bother him with it if he actually understood. So, he continued pretending he didn’t understand. Though she might find it boring, he personally found it interesting.

Chances are, she was lonely and needed someone to talk to anyway. That must be why she gave him food in the first place. She was bribing him to come visit her. Well, her trick worked, but far better than she knew. He liked her and would listen to her, even after the pie was gone. Though she always stopped after he ate a slice or two of pie.

His brother would argue that he had more important things to do. Sure, there were other things that could be done. Thing was, until now he had just been living for his bro. To make sure his brother was alright and safe was the only reason he willed himself to leave the den. His brother was older now and didn’t need him as much. In fact… he was a hindrance, really.

Visiting this lady, hearing her stories, and eating some pie renewed his will to keep moving. So, every evening he could, he made the trip to the door. Everything was good but he still refused to get close or let her get close. It was easy to see she was trying to lure him closer, but he can’t risk getting caught.

During his last visit, she clearly looked concerned about him. He was slow to grab up the offered pieces because of how sick he felt. Even moving his neck a lot hurt too much. Heck, holding his skull up ached. Every chance he got, he sat in the snow and rested. He watched her as she worried her lip with her fang when he ate half of the slice she tossed to him then refused to eat more.

He just couldn’t eat anymore. What he had eaten wanted to come back up. His neck hurt, his skull ached, and he was just so tired. With how he felt, he really just wanted was her company. He sat down, ready to just listen to her, but she came too close.

He ran…

On the way back he threw up what he ate.

...

It was a waste of good pie.

A day had passed since then. He was stuck in the den all day because of a bad snow storm.  Now that it had finished snowing he couldn’t move. He just felt so tired and cold. This sensation was wrong. The cold never bothered him before but now he huddled under blankets as his bones rattled from the cold. Nearby was the “pie slice” his brother tried encouraging him to eat.

He left the den to get the pies during the snowstorm and gave a slice to his brother. His own he couldn’t eat then, and he still couldn’t now. His brother tried to get him to eat something but he couldn’t… he just couldn’t.

His brother nuzzled him, tried to encourage him to get up. He started to, but just ended up rolling to his side. Pain rolled through him and he whimpered softly before he closed his sockets again. He couldn’t move…

After that, his brother left. To where, he wasn’t sure. He closed his sockets, too tired to think about it more. All he needed was some sleep. Just… some sleep…

Like most days, it had been quiet in the Ruins. There was a fresh, straight out of the oven, pie cooling on the counter for her usual guest. As she waited, she worked on finishing the knitting of a blanket she was making for him. It had to be cold out there for him and she hoped he would appreciate this gift.

The poor creature didn’t eat well last time and yesterday was a snowstorm. She was worried about him. Hopefully, he will show up today and let her finally get close enough to get rid of that collar. It had to hurt him so much. Even if it meant he would never show up again, she was ready to catch him if that’s what it boiled down to.

Her hope was, though, to have him come close in exchange for the blanket. But chances are things won’t go her way. There was the ever present worry that her attempt to get close last time scared him off for good. He was just so skittish. Even in his condition he zipped off without hesitation the moment she got close enough to touch him.

A noise from the basement surprised her. Normally she could feel him against her barrier magic. Perhaps it wasn’t him? She quickly moved to the kitchen to fetch the pie and knife then wrapped the finished blanket around her shoulders and hurried to the door. As she got closer she could hear whining and someone scratching frantically at the door.

It didn’t sound like him… but it sounded like a creature like him with a the voice wasn’t as deep and much louder. Curious, she cracked the door open to see another bone beast. He was tall, lanky, and had a kinder look. The sockets were smaller and the muzzle was narrow as well. His longer legs and deeper rib cage gave him the look of a very swift monster who could run for miles. But on second glance, he too bore scars and looked nervous about seeing her.

“Oh, there are more of you?” She asked, knowing she would not get a reply. This one whined yet again as he spotted the pie in her paws. “Are you hungry? I can cut you a slice.” She started to set the pie on a table she had previously set by the door so she could prepare a slice. To her dismay, this other bone beast then started to run off. With a sigh, she was ready to close the doors only to see the bone beast turn around and come back. He whined then made a bark like sound to get her attention.

Something felt… off. “What is it?” She asked, stepping out of the door. He whined again and repeated the process of running a short distance away and then returning. When he started a third time she follow after him. This seemed to be the right choice as he slowly ran ahead. Every few feet he would stop and look back to make sure she was following still.

“I am sorry I am not faster. I can see you want me to follow as quickly as possible, but I have two feet which aren’t that good in snow.” She apologized and he whined in response.

To her surprise, it wasn’t as far as she had thought from the door until she reached where he was leading her. It was still a good distance away, and she wished she had a moment to rest after trudging through deep snow. This place he led her was a very nice little clearing among the trees. There were some bushes which helped to protect what appeared to be a den entrance. The lanky beast dove into the den then returned with a slice of pie. He then dropped it in front of her and she picked it up.

She baked this pie several days earlier and she remembered giving extras to the beast she had been trying to befriend. It was still good but frozen solid from being stored out here in the cold. But most worrying was that it was untouched. She moved closer to the den and saw him, the poor beast she had been hoping to see today. As happy as she wanted to be, the condition he was in broke her soul.

He was on his side, breathing labored raspy breaths. There was a frail and bleached appearance to his bones, as if any color his magic added normally had been stripped away. Fear and guilt gripped her as she worried she was too late.

“Oh… oh no…”

Without any further hesitation she crawled into the den and wrapped the blanket she had just made around the poor dear. He didn’t wake up as she moved him, and continued to sleep as she pulled him out of the den. The other whined and whimpered, dancing around her with nervous energy. It clearly distressed him to see the other one removed from the den. And yet, there was a sense of hope, that she meant well.

“I’m taking him home to heal. You may come too, of course. I would not separate family or friends,” she explained, even though she knew he wouldn’t understand.

She continued she started back through the snowy path she had made. When she reached the door, she let the lanky bone beast in first, then followed him before carefully shuffling the one in her arms to close the door.

The walk down the hall and up the stairs felt like it took far too long. In her arms the poor beast shivered as his labored breathing echoed off the stone walls. She carried the sick beast in her arms to the kitchen and laid him on her kitchen table. That collar had to go, NOW. She saw the buckle and started to reach for it when she felt magic pushing her away.

Magic…

Pushed her away…

Magic!

Someone, no, something that no longer deserved to be consider a “one” dared to protect this horrid thing with magic. No wonder it hadn’t been clawed or chewed off. The poor creature was suffering because of cruelty and for what? What purpose could this possibly have? As if any purpose justified this.

No, she didn’t have time to be angry. The barrier spell on this had a combination. Well, she didn’t know the combination. But unlike the barrier trapping monsters underground this one requires refreshing. Like an old rusty lock, the spell was weak in some points and she could feel those weak points.

Channeling her own, stronger magic, she broke through those weak points and shattered the spell. Buckle now completely exposed she undid it and slowly removed the collar. The bone underneath was rubbed smooth like a river stone. Most likely, to him, that area was tender. Off colored magic leaked from areas where the collar dug deeper, hinting at infection. She grabbed some paper towels to lightly clean the wounds as she continued to get the collar off. It didn’t take her long to notice the foul smell of infection that confirmed her suspicion.

How long had this been infected? How far does it spread?

The collar finally removed she threw it with malice toward her kitchen trash can. She missed, hitting the wall behind it with a loud thwack. The sound caused the other bone beast to scurry fearfully under her table. She felt a pang of guilt and knelt down to talk to the taller one. “Oh, I am sorry. I did not mean to scare you. Stay here with this one, I will be back.”

She hurried to her bathroom, grabbed towels, a basin, and dug around her medicine cabinet for something to treat magic that was corrupted by an infection. She found a cream and pills, both expired but she knew from using them during the war that just meant they were less effective but still usable. She will venture out tomorrow when the store is open for something fresh that will work far better. Digging around more, she found the last of her bandages as well. Looks like she has a few things to pick up.

Once back in the kitchen she saw the other bone beast on the table. To her dismay he was nuzzling and trying to clean the wound. She rushed over and gently pushed him away. He growled and huffed though she didn’t hear the aggression the other had displayed towards her when he growled. It was softer and more of a complaint than a warning.

“I will clean it, sweet one. If you keep ingesting it, you will get sick,” she explained as she placed a towel under the injury and head of the beast she needed to treat. While it still added to her worries, it was good he had slept through this all.

She filled the basin with hot water then used a washcloth to carefully clean the wound the collar left. There was a ridge of callus like bone creating a small shelf that she had to clean under. She mostly splashed water, letting it rinse away as much of the corruption as possible.

Her past training, from during the war, told her that this would be better if she had sterile supplies to work with. Unfortunately, she had to use what she had. Simply healing this would wouldn’t work either. Not with the wound trying to heal oddly, or the potential of the infection being caused by living microbes that would be healed by her magic.

She applied the cream then wrapped the bandages around it. Finally, she pried his jaws open and placed a pill inside and watched as it dissolved and disappeared. Finally, what she had wanted to do for days was done. Time will tell if she was able to save him or not. Tired, she sat down and held her head, fearing her efforts were for nothing.

Something softly bumped her and she heard a quiet whimper. A narrow muzzle then wiggled its way between her paws and head then proceeded to nuzzle her. She giggled softly before hugging the skull. “I don’t know,” she said softly, “I really don’t know. We will have to wait and see. Wait, see, hope and pray that he will get better.”

She then took a deep breath before wiping tears from her eyes. This other bone beast looked at her with such a soft and sweet expression. “Alright, sweet one. Why don’t I make a broth soup for your friend and something yummy for you.”

Chapter Text

The broth went down easy enough for him. Toriel just carefully dripped the broth into the bone beast’s jaws. It was hopeful to see his body breaking the broth down and absorbing the magic. He didn’t eat as much as she would have liked. But it was better than nothing. Eventually, his body stopped and the broth just dripped through his jaws onto the towel under his skull.

For the other, she had cooked some chicken and vegetables. She mixed it all together, placed it in a bowl, then set on the floor. He sniffed it over then ate hungrily, his long tail swinging happily as he ate. It was amusing to watch and she couldn’t help but smile.

“It seems you liked that. Would you like some more?” She asked as she leaned over and picked up the bowl. She added a little more to it before setting the bowl back down for him. Sure enough, he again ate like he hadn’t eaten all day.

“That is it, for now. I don’t want you to overeat and get sick. You can have more food tomorrow.” She then smiled brightly. “Now, let’s make a place for you two to sleep.”

She guided him down to the room she usually kept locked. She opened the door and looked around. It had become a storage room since it could no longer serve its intended purpose. Long ago, it had been her husband’s room, back when royalty and nobles had separate rooms from their spouses. When she lived here before with Asgore, she actually spent most nights here. The same was true about living in the castle in New Home. Her parents, though, kept to tradition and only “visited” each other’s rooms then departed for their own to sleep. It never made sense to her, but that was just how things were then. Though she stopped spending nights with Asgore after he declared war; things changed between them at that time.

She grabbed pillows and blankets and carried them back out to the family room. She should put them in a room, but right now she felt the poor bone beast could benefit from the ambient warmth of the fire from the fireplace. It took some effort, but she made a nice little cozy spot for the two. While the sweet bone beast checked it out, she went back to the kitchen to retrieve the other.

He was still asleep, but he was more curled up than before. Meaning, he had moved. That was a hopeful sign, but time will tell. If he survived the night she would feel like she could trust in hope.

Carefully, she scooped him up in her arms and carried the poor beast to the makeshift bed. She placed him down and tried to make him as comfortable as possible before covering him with a blanket. The sweet one climbed into the nest of pillows and blankets then curled up next to him.

Toriel smiled as she gently petted the skull of the poor beast. To her surprise, in response to her petting, he made a deep rumbling sound. At first, she thought it was a growl and immediately stopped petting. The sound died off, and as it faded she thought it sounded different than his growl which she heard so many times before.

The sweet one lifted his skull and nuzzled her. As she started to pet his skull, he made a similar sound. It was then she understood what that sound was. “Oh, I see now! You two can purr.” She smiled and nuzzled the sweet ones’ skull.

“I will need to think of names to call you two by. Sorry if you already have names, but as it is, you could not tell me what they are. Hmmm... Perhaps some traditional skeleton names?” She thought for a moment then patted the sweet one on the skull. “I will think on it more tomorrow. For now, you both should sleep.”

Toriel got up off the floor and walked back to the kitchen to clean up and make herself dinner. As she cleaned, she spotted the vile collar on the floor and picked it up. This time she looked it over and saw letters masked by dry mud. Again, a sickened feeling bubbled up.

She cleaned the collar enough to read the letters embedded into it. There was a serial number, most likely what the poor beast had for a name. Well, she will think up something far better than a string of numbers. She scrubbed more dirt off and saw the message: “If found, return to the Royal Laboratory.”

So… he knew.

He had to know, and she felt her magic heat up in rage. Smoke drifted from her nostrils as she glared down at the collar. As king, and owner of the Royal Laboratory, Asgore received weekly reports and had to make surprise visits monthly. If Asgore didn’t somehow know then this was being hidden from him by…

By the Royal Scientist. Doctor Wing Dings Gaster, who was once her friend, but now…

What has happened to cause this?

She lost her appetite and skipped dinner for tonight.

Once ready to go to sleep, she spent the night in her chair, not wanting to leave the two beasts alone all night. It wasn’t a comfortable sleep, but it was what felt right.

A slip leash was placed around his neck and he was led out of his kennel and down the hall. On his small paws, one of their steps equaled two of his own. He had to trot to keep up with the monster leading him. On such slick floors he still slipped now and then as his boney paws and tiny claws failed to grip the floor.

They entered a room he’d been in many times before. There were more monsters here. All were followers of The Doctor, and he had seen them all before, but not all in one spot like this. It made him nervous and his tail tucked between his legs fearfully.

“PLACE IT ON THE TABLE SO WE MAY BEGIN,” The Doctor instructed his followers. One of the followers bent over and pick him up. It always felt weird being lifted off the slippery tile floor and have his paws dangling free before he was placed on the cold metal table.

He hated this table. It wasn’t so bad when he was smaller and he mostly was looked over and had food shoved in his jaws here. But now things had become painful… they stick tubes in him, test his senses, and test his recovery.

Today, though, will be different. He has observed The Doctor, and The Doctor likes smart creatures. Today, he will show The Doctor he is smart and The Doctor will stop hurting him. He was but a small pup still, but he has learned by listening to those around him. He knew and understood some of their language without being taught. The Doctor will have to be impressed!

The Doctor looked down at him, ready to start whatever test The Doctor had in mind. Now was his best chance. “doc-tor, p-pl-leeease, d-o-n’t.”

The Doctor and the followers stared at him, clearly surprised. Hopeful, his tail gave a tiny wag and he started again, this time with more confidence. “doct-”

He didn’t even see the hand that hit him. He didn’t even feel the pain right away. It didn’t even register that something like that had happened until he found himself falling. A force, in this case, The Doctor’s hand, hit him so hard he was sent flying from the table. It was too late to turn properly to land on his feet, so he landed hard on his side. Fear took over and his tiny claws tried to dig into the hard floor to help him get to his feet. His efforts only led to his paws flailing about in endless failed attempts.

The Doctor grabbed him up by the skull and tossed him back on the table. “INSERT THE IV,” The Doctor snapped at his followers.

“Sir, I haven’t given him anything for-”

The Doctor grabbed his skull again and lifted him up. Out of fear and self-preservation, he just hung there, waiting for this all to end. His shoulder and sternum were now starting to ache from the hit and harsh landing from before. He wanted to whimper but dared not to.

“IT! THIS IS A THING! IT IS NOT ALIVE, IT IS NOT INTELLIGENT, IT IS NO DIFFERENT THAN ANY MAGICAL BULLET YOU COULD MAKE! UNLESS YOU THINK YOUR MAGICAL BULLETS NEED PAIN KILLERS THEN START THE EXPERIMENT! NEED I REMIND YOU, WE ONLY HAVE SO MUCH TIME TO FIGURE OUT HOW BEST TO TREAT A MONSTER WHO HAS SUFFERED POISONING FROM EATING RANUNCULUS. THIS THING IS ABLE TO HEAL FAR FASTER THAN ANY OTHER TEST SUBJECT WE COULD POSSIBLY HAVE.”

He didn’t remember much from there. Just being force fed things that made him throw up as they poked and shoved more things into his jaws. There was no use fighting. Sick and scared he just did what he was told, slept, and threw up more until they finally stopped and put him back in his kennel.

She woke up to a sound that startled her. It was such a sad, fearful sound that it tore at her soul. Looking at her two guests she saw the sweet one was trying to comfort the poor beast who was clearly still asleep but having a nightmare. How many nightmares has the poor beast had, she wondered… and how many did he truly experience in the waking world?

Moving from her chair, she sat next to the beast, stroking his skull and humming softly. She had done this many times for so many scared children it was second nature. Even if he was grown up, she was sure this reassurance would work for him too. And, sure enough, he soon settled down. His sockets barely cracked open and she saw two blurry eye lights looking around before his heavy sockets closed again. Even though he seemed to have drifted off again, she continued to hum while petting his skull. He made that purring sound again which made her smile. It was nice to know he had enough peace in his soul to make that noise.

She was sore when she woke next, half of her in the nest of blankets and pillows while the other half was still sitting on the floor. The beast had moved his skull to be on her lap, interestingly enough. It had to be an unconscious act. She doubted he would be so cuddly if he knew where he was. But, he was alive and looking better.

Behind her was the sweet one, who happily nuzzled her upon seeing she was awake. She giggled and petted his skull. It was hard to imagine the two came from the same situation. Their personalities were far different. The sweet one was far more trusting, but that could be because he had been desperate and she did what he hoped she would. Perhaps, she had earned his trust.

Sitting up, she felt every crick she got from sleeping like that. She turned to the sweet one and smiled. “Let’s have some breakfast, then I need to go to the store,” she explained. He thumped his long tail and tilted his skull at her words. It was cute how they both listened. Most monsters who can’t understand talking grow bored of the sound. But these two seem to highly enjoy being talked to.

When she got up to go to the kitchen, he followed. She smiled down at him and he wagged his tail. Then, she got out eggs, cheese, bell pepper, and onion to make a simple omelet. “It has been a while since I had to make breakfast for someone other than myself,” she explained.

The smells mixing in the air seemed to fascinate the sweet one. His skull tilted up as he sniffed the air, tail wagging even more. A shame he couldn’t handle cooking or understand her directions. He seemed mesmerized by the idea of it, and she would love to teach him.

Once it was done she put some on a plate for herself, then the rest in a bowl for him. She set the bowl down on the floor then carried her plate to the table to sit. He started to eat then looked at her. “You better eat it before it gets cold,” she playfully chided.

She could see he was thinking about something. But he then lowered his skull back to the bowl and ate. She gathered up the dishes when both herself and the beast was done, cleaned up, then carried some warm broth out to the poor beast. Again, she pried his jaws open and dripped in broth until he stopped absorbing it. This time he drank down all she had warmed up, leaving her to get up and get more from the refrigerator.

After feeding the poor one she grabbed her things to leave. The sweet one followed her around the house until she got to the door. “Now, you need to wait here with your friend or brother… however you two know each other.” He looked back toward the poor one, and she took that moment of distraction to sneak out.

Or, she tried. He dashed out past her and the started bouncing around her front yard happily. He rolled around, seemingly happy to be someplace without snow all over. She snickered at his antics but worried about how she was going to get him to go back in the house. “Oh, Sweet One, you really should…” He looked up at her, fallen leaves from the tree stuck on his horns and spikes. She snickered at the sighted. “Alright, I won’t leaf you behind.” He tilted his skull again, and thankfully he followed her as she made her way to the store.

Chapter Text

It was no longer easy to continue sleeping. Before, an odd heavy and sickening exhaustion forced him to not just sleep but be oblivious to the world. Now that the feeling had subsided, he could no longer sleep with all the different pains he felt; including a mind-numbing skull ache. Thinking hurt, and yet his body forced him into a waking state where he had to think.

He groaned and pressed his forehead into one of the soft things surrounding him. That position resulted in a sharp pain in his neck, and he huffed in frustration. It felt like the collar grew or something as his neck felt bulkier than before. To add to that, it hurt so much and felt sticky. The only good thing was he could feel his magic flowing better passed it, so something must have happened but he had no idea what.

As he tried to relax again, his sensitive nose started to notice more of the world around him. There was a smell, much like what he remembered from the bad place. It was a smell much like what the monsters called “medicine,” which he could never tell if it was meant to help or hurt him. Since it was the place where he became familiar with pain, hurt him seemed more likely.

That “medicine” smell like the bad place made his soul turn cold. Were they found? Was he there? Where was his brother? He didn’t want to look. He didn’t want to see the monsters looking down at him or those cold metal bars.

He sniffed his surroundings and picked up scents that didn’t smell like the bad place. This didn’t smell like his den either. Again he sniffed the blankets and shifted to feel them. They were far too soft, fuzzy, and floral scented to be the ones from his den. Or the one small blanket provided for bedding at the bad place.

Slowly, he lifted his skull and opened his sockets. The world around him was a blurred mess. He lowered his skull to rub at his sockets with the side of his foreleg to encourage his magic to focus his vision. His neck protested the movement, but he needed to see for himself where he was.

This time, as he looked around, he quickly figured out he was definitely not anywhere he had been before. In fact, this looked like a monster’s house, or what he has seen of them through windows. He growled and looked around, wondering where this monster was. There was a familiar scent in this monster house. It smelled like the nice monster with the pies.

Did she trick him to capture him so she could send him back? He didn’t remember being caught. So, how did he get here?

He started to stand, but lightheadedness made him stop. He needed to move slowly, give his magic time to keep up with him. With care, he started again, carefully easing himself into a standing position. Once he stood, he waited a moment for the room to stop spinning. He closed his sockets hoping that he didn’t throw up.

When his magic calmed again, he stepped out of the bedding he had been lying in. It was a task that wasn’t as easy as it should have been. He stumbled a little then sat down to rest. It felt like he had no energy at all and yet as if he was better than he had for a while. It was a frustrating feeling, it was like he should be able to do things but couldn’t. His jaws parted in a large yawn of anxious yet tired energy. his mandible parted at the middle and spread to the side. Once done, the two sides came together with a soft click as he closed his mouth.

A source of warmth and comfort was not helping him with staying awake. He stood again and moved closer to the fireplace. Magic emanating from the flames felt warm and reassuring. He could easily climb in and curl up, it felt so nice. It was her magic, the monster with the pies, he could feel it. The magic flames didn’t burn the wood within the fireplace and lacked the heat to burn him either. But he wanted to look around and get an idea of what it was she was trying to accomplish.

Shakily, he stood again, ambling towards a different room. This one had a lot of good smells. It smelled of many different types of food and he normally would have loved this room. But, with how he felt, all the foods mixed together smelled far too rich for him right now. He back out of the room, feeling sick just being there.

He could smell his brother had been here, but now he was missing. Everywhere he looked there was no sight or fresh scent of his brother. The freshest trail led to a door. By the scent around it, the door closed the house off from the world outside. It smelled different than any of the places he had been before and, as excited as he was about that, it still left a question unanswered. What did she do to his brother? Where did she take him? He growled, worried.

As much as he had started to trust her, she was still a monster. His brother was young, trusting, and naive to the darkness of others. Even the monsters at the bad place, his brother still tried to see good in them when there was clearly none. He whined, worried that his brother’s overly trusting nature had led his brother into harm.

At this moment there was nothing he could do to get through this door. To add to that, after wandering around for a while he no longer had the energy to just wait by the door. There was a window nearby and he sat and looked out. He could see a tree and grass… and leaves. No snow. Not a bit of snow anywhere!

He rested his skull on the window sill and sighed. It looked nice here… he really did like it. It wasn’t perpetually damp or cold like the dark place. It didn’t like as dangerous as the hot place either. And it didn’t look crowded with monsters. But, experience had taught him that all places have their problems. If this monster was the only problem, it would be worth the move. Though there could be more issues. The question was, how to get past this monster?

Exhausted, he fell asleep sitting up. He only woke again when he heard a noise outside. His socket opened and he scanned the world beyond the window. Movement caught his attention and he saw his brother and the monster. She had something in her paw and his brother had it in his jaws fighting with it. He growled, watching his brother fight to pull away, but she held tight, pulling his brother along.

How dare she...

On the way to the store, Toriel couldn’t help but giggle at the Sweet One's antics. There was not one hole or crack in the stonework that he didn’t shove his muzzle in to sniff. He bounded around, barked at froggits, and tilted his head as he pondered why the whimsuns flew away.

At one point, he looked back at her, and she could see deep thought in his sockets. As to what he was thinking about, she could only guess; but, there was an intelligence there that his silly behaviors and rambunctiousness could not mask.

“When I was a child, there was a skeleton I got to meet a few times. He was old then, and he was very kind. He would bring my treats and other gifts he bought from distant monster and human kingdoms. This skeleton was known for how wise he was. He was a traveling philosopher of sorts, but he was a friend and teacher to my father. He tried to prevent the war but was unfortunately killed along the road to meet with a human king to discuss peace. If you don’t mind, I think I will name you after him. Something tells me Papyrus would be happy to know his name would be carried on by you. At least for now. If it seems you don’t like it I can change it.”

His tail wagged, and he tilted his head as he listened. Papyrus was such a sweet monster. It only seemed polite to ask, even if he couldn’t understand, and she couldn’t help but smile at him. With that matter “decided” they continued on their way to the store. Once there she asked him to “sit” and “stay” outside. To her surprise, he obeyed without hesitation. He sat down the moment “sit” exited her mouth and he stayed completely still, like some well-trained animal.

Papyrus had been trained to sit and stay before. His animalistic nature seemed to have been used as an excused to no longer acknowledge him as a monster. She had heard some talk callously about monsters as simple as the moldsmal, saying that they hardly were monsters. But, they were. They still had magic, still had intelligence, and they were still monsters and should be treated as such. She had a sick feeling thinking about that, that someone would treat this sweet monster, who was far more aware that even a moldsmal like one might an animal, and worse. But she will leave it for now. As bad as she felt for taking advantage of past cruelty, there was too much trouble he could cause in the store. As she shopped, she looked out and see he was still sitting there, waiting. After she paid she left, ready to walk back.

“You waited very nicely Papyrus, now let’s go home,” she said to him. But, as she started to walk away, she heard a sound like a whine and looked back. He was still sitting there, watching her. Worse of all, he looked fearful.

“Oh, don’t worry, you can move now.” But he didn’t. He just sat there nervously. She could see the confliction in his sockets and the way he looked at her.

A paw moved to her mouth. He was scared, scared to move because she gave him a command that he was still following. There must be a word or something to end this that he was waiting for. Toriel walked back over and knelt down in front of Papyrus. He whined, shivering with fear.

“Oh, sweet Papyrus, you don’t need to be so scared. You were very good waiting for me. But I don’t know what to say… so let me think…” she said, feeling the burn of tears entering her eyes.

She thought for a moment, petting his skull. A pang of sorrow dug into her soul when she first reached to touch him and he flinched in fear. Did he really think she was going to strike him? What cruelty had been done to him? And was this truly the work of a monster she once called friend?

Calming back down, she then said softly, “Would ‘come’ work I wonder?” He brightened up a little and his tail thumped against the ground in a wag. “Alright let’s try it.”

She stood up and backed up, ready to say the word. It stuck in her throat as she hated the idea of giving him a command. Luckily she didn’t have to say the word and he got up and tentatively walked towards her. She smiled at him and Papyrus wagged his tail, his confidence returning.

On the way back, Papyrus found a stick that he decided to carry. He hopped around and tossed it the best he could with his jaws only to pounce on it and snatch it back up. Toriel couldn’t help but smile and giggle at the antics of the sweet monster. All the while his long tail wagged, showing just how happy he was.

“Would you like me to throw it for you?” She asked. He tilted his skull and looked at her so she held out her paw. “Here, let me have it.”

Still confused, he brought the stick over and let her take it. She gave it a small toss, in response he just watched as it landed. Papyrus looked at her then the stick again before he trotted over and picked it back up. He loped back and let her take the stick again. This time she tossed it further. Papyrus let out an excited bark then gave chase.

They continued to play as they walked back to her house. As they approached he decided to play tug of war with her by not letting go of the stick when she grabbed it. She laughed and dragged the skeleton beast along the best she could. He was strong, but his frame was too light for a boss monster like her to lose. “Come along you, we need to check on your brother.”

She got him to leave the stick outside and opened the door. Papyrus trotted in before her much like he did leaving. He was far more bold and adventurous than his brother, but he also was less scarred. It did raise some questions, that she figured she wouldn’t get answers for.

She started to follow him in, just walking in her house as she normally would. The sound of paws scrambling on the floor caught her attention and she saw the Poor One charge at her. Startled, she took a step back and slammed the door shut just in time.

The other skeleton beast collided with the door hard enough she felt it shake on its hinges. Toriel could hear his claws as they scratched over her door, searching for a way out to her. His growl was clear to hear through her door and she could feel the anger he held for her. She sat by the door, shaky legs unable to bare her weight. What trust she build seemed shattered.

This was bad… she had no idea how she was going to get into her house to medicate him. And that had to be an act… not that she doubted his ability to cause her great harm in that state, but he was going to exhausted at some point. He was still very sick. Too sick to just release.

She wondered what she could do to keep him from causing any possible harm to himself when she heard the sounds change. There was more growling followed by a yelp. The sweet one, Papyrus! Was he alright?

Cautiously, she opened the door and looked into the house. Papyrus stood over the other skeleton who looked up at him with tiny, shocked eye lights. The poor beast noticed her and started to growl but Papyrus grabbed the poor beast’s muzzle in his jaws. There was a whimper even though Papyrus didn’t bite hard enough to cause pain. That signaled to Papyrus to let go of the muzzle but he still stood over his brother.

“Poor thing… let him up. I’m sure he was just scared,” she hoped Papyrus would get the understanding that she would like him to do. Thank goodness he did and Papyrus moved. The other beast looked between them before slinking over to the nest of blankets and pillows.

She sighed in relief, then looked at Papyrus. He looked up at her with a curious skull tilt and a wagging tail. Her soul sank as she worried the Poor One will no longer let her close. How was she to medicate the poor beast now?

Chapter Text

The monster continued to look at his brother, who looked up at her, tail wagging. He felt so alone now, and not because he was in the nest of blankets by himself. Not since he met his brother had he felt this level of loneliness. He wondered if his brother truly turned on him or if he was making this more than it was. Was it something he had done? Did his brother really still think it was safe to trust monsters, that they all had good in them? Had he not seen what he thought he saw?

She moved from the doorway, carrying a bag on one arm. His brother walked with her as they approached him, looking more like a bodyguard than his brother. He could sense the fear as she set the bag down by the nest of blankets then walked away. There were many scents in and on the bag. But he recognized the medicine smell. He was going to dig that scent out of the bag and destroy it, but his brother nuzzled his skull away from the bag.

It was not something he could push back against, not with how much his neck hurt. It didn’t have the strength for that. Most likely his brother knew that, and he could see guilt in the younger brother’s sockets. He didn’t like his brother feeling guilt, so he just put his skull down and sighed. At this point, he was just willing to admit defeat, for now.

Something then caught his attention, the feel of the room had changed. The magic fire from the fireplace was still warm, but the kind reassurance the fire emitted was tainted with fear and distrust. It ended up adding to his loneliness more than feeling like the victory he thought it would.

If there was one thing he could point out as a sign to trust the monster, it would be the lack of anger or hatred. There was no ill intent, and, perhaps he should consider that. Perhaps he should be more accepting, like his brother. But, as she carried the bowl, towels, and other things into the room he decided to keep his skepticism.

She knelt down beside him, and he watched her, nervously. “I need to wash your wound,” she said softly.

Wound? What wound? He growled but his brother, still beside him, gently nipped his muzzle.

“Papyrus, it’s alright, let him speak his mind… I’ll still need to do it, but he has the right to protest,” she said as she started to push his brother away.

She had no right to do that to his brother and he growled deeper. She moved her paw away quickly. For a moment she stared at him then looked at his brother. He glared as she looked both him and his brother over.

“You are both protective over each other in your own way. I think I am right in guessing you are brothers. With you being the oldest, and Papyrus here as the youngest,” she paused in speaking then. Carefully, she shifted her position as she tried to get comfortable while she made sure she avoided agitating him any further. She tapped her chin in thought. “I hope you don’t mind me calling him Papyrus. I’ll think of a name for you too.”

There was a small container she brought with her that she opened. What was in it smelled good and mild. He sniffed at it a few times before pulling his head away when she giggled. “This is a broth I made for you. Would you like some? You can have it, but only after I change your bandages.” She then held up bandages. He had seen those things plenty of times before.

He looked at his brother. So, “Papyrus” was what she was calling him. It seemed to fit… it was better than 949-405… or Blaster 2… or 2… or the weapon. Fine, if she bothered to think a nice word to call his brother, then he could submit himself to whatever she planned to do. His brother, Papyrus, seemed happy, and in the end, that is what mattered.

He placed his skull down and waited. She watched him carefully as she reached behind his skull to the collar that felt odd. As she started to unwrap something he felt shocked as well as building fear that he was raising his hopes too high. The wound she said she needed to clean, the bandages that needed changing, were they on his neck? The change he felt in his collar was not the collar feeling different but because it had been replaced by bandages. The pure soreness he felt as she set the old, magic stained bandages to the side was proof. The area actually felt cold with the collar off and the top protective layer of bone rubbed away.

No matter how sore and cold it felt, he would rather have it cold than anything else. It hurt, oh did it hurt. He couldn’t help but whine as she rinsed and cleaned the area of his neck, but he didn’t fight. His sockets burned as his vision blurred with tears. She apologized for the pain, and he felt his body shiver from it, but this pain was healing in its own way. It was a sign of things getting better.

Efforts to hold the tears back and his steady breathing started to get rough. Crying wasn’t allowed. The Doctor didn’t like him or his brother showing such emotions, but he couldn’t help it. He had been dying… but she saved him...

Why?

What did she gain from giving him food? What did she gain from helping him at all? There had to be a catch! Had to… right?

She placed some of that “medicine” smelling stuff on his neck then wrapped it up with clean bandages. It did calm and soothe the pain in his neck, but only so much. There was some fear as she offered him a couple of pills. She spoke softly about how it would help him and how she wished she could get him to understand.

There was a pause of hesitation as he looked at her, then the pill. He hated taking anything, but… for now, he will trust her. A watchful eye will still be on her, but she did seem to want to help. With care, he took the pill from her paw, slow and soft movements ensured he did not scratch her with his fangs.

With that over, she offered him the broth after heating it up with her fire magic. When he tried gulping it down quickly, she pulled the container back. “Slowly… oh dear… How can I explain this to you?”

With a sigh, she held the container to him again, but she tilted it away which made it awkward for him to shove his muzzle in, forcing him to slow his pace down. Not that she needed to, she was right. Those first few gulps of broth actually hurt. His time not having anything, or much of anything, resulted in his body not being ready to take in that much at once. He was willing to listen to her advice but he had purposefully let her believe he didn’t understand her, now she would simply expect him to just repeat the same behavior.

After drinking down as much broth as he could handle he moved his skull away. “Hold on,” the monster said and she nervously dabbed something at his jaws. He blinked, surprised by this behavior. Unsure of what was going on, or how to react, he stayed perfectly still. Then, as she moved away from his jaws, he could see she had been using a clean cloth on his muzzle. He looked from the cloth to her, and understood she had just cleaned any broth off that would have dripped off onto the blanket.

He tilted his skull as he continued to look at her, trying to understand this monster as she smiled at him. She seemed calmer now, having worked with him and not getting his aggression. “There, you should be feeling better in no time if we keep this up. Now, Papyrus, why don’t you come with me and I’ll make us some lunch.” The old bandages she gathered up and put into a bag then she grabbed the other things and stood to leave.

As she left the room he watched her. This didn’t make any sense to him. None of this did. He knew the monsters at the bad place, The Doctor and his followers, were the worst of monster kind. But no other monsters had shown this level of generosity or kindness to him before. Well, not without conditions.

A monster saw his collar before when he escaped as a pup. He was lured into a secure space where he thought he could make a nice den for his much smaller brother. But it had been a trap. With no way to escape, that night they were captured and sent back to the bad place…

And the follower who let them out was nowhere to be seen.

His brother gently nuzzled him and purred, trying to calm him so he would rest. It seemed odd for his brother to be encouraging rest instead of trying to get him to move. But then, he was injured, and even his brother knew rest was best for recovery.

Very well, he was tired of contemplating these thoughts. They were dark and sad…

She removed his collar…

Part of him hoped that meant she won’t turn him in.

But where has hope ever gotten him?

That went better than expected! Rather pleased with herself, Toriel smiled, happy with the success made. Though it was more because of Papyrus than her own efforts, admittedly. Not to discount her own efforts but the poor one had obvious trust issues. While he had learned to trust her a little, there was clearly a limit to that trust.

And who could blame him? The poor monster had a plethora of scars covering nearly every bone. And the most painful thing about them… they mostly reminded her of surgical scars.

Why would he have so many of those?

If he did come from the Royal Laboratory, as the collar stated, then was he used as a medical test subject? Doctors Gaster was a doctor of magical science and engineering, not medicine.

But then, it was Gaster who came sweeping in with a potential cure for buttercup poisoning. Sadly, it was one that would not work for humans… but it at least saved Asgore.

Had Gaster been dabbling in medical research? After finding the cure for Asgore’s accidental poisoning, did Gaster continue to experiment with medicine? And were these poor monsters the result of it?

If that was the case… was she as guilty as Asgore for not knowing what he Gaster had been doing? At that point, she was queen and was more or less in charge of everything. Asgore didn’t really have the mind for ruling the kingdom and she guided him for many years. But once she had Asriel, and then Chara to look after, she tried giving them more attention than the Kingdom.

Her own parents left her raising to her teachers and maids. And while she learned how to rule and the dealings of politics from her tutors, she had longed for a closer relationship with her parents. She didn’t want her children to feel the same way and made sure she had played a stronger part in her children’s lives.

That, and one of the few times she left the children to their own devices for a few hours to handle political matters they ended up poisoning Asgore.

When she was distracted with them, was that when Gaster started to change. The more she thought about it, the more she remembered him becoming distant. He had hurt his hands in some experiment and rarely stayed for long visits. How far had her once dear skeleton friend fallen to lead him down such a dark path?

She could only hope she was wrong. But the more she thought about it, the more she was sure she was right.

Papyrus’ claws ticking on her floor reminded her of why she was i the kitchen. She wiped tears from her eyes, then set about making lunch. “How about something a little hardier this time around? Still gentle, since you aren’t used to this kind of food, but a know a good stew recipe that might help… put some meat on those bones !”

She giggled and Papyrus stared at her a moment before giving a huff and trotting out of the room. It made her laugh harder. It was funny to imagine that was a reaction to her joke instead of him being bored of her talking.

Instead of a soup, this time she made a stew, making sure that there were nice chunks of food and more variety. It smelled good to her, even with fewer spices in it than she would normally put. It should be interesting for Papyrus and not too rich in flavor to upset his stomach.

When she finished the stew she looked out of the kitchen into the family room to see the brothers curled together. It was an enduring sight to see. Papyrus looked at her, then got up, and trotted over to her. Luckily, the poor one was undisturbed and continued to sleep on.

She walked with Papyrus into the kitchen, made him his bowl, and set it down for him. As she moved to sit at the table to enjoy her lunch, she noticed, yet again, Papyrus looked at her with an interesting stare. He studied where she sat and her method of eating, then looked down at his own bowl.

For a moment, he seemed to contemplate their differences before he started to eat. Toriel could not help but find this amusing. Clearly, both he and his brother are very smart and capable of some complex thoughts. But to what extent? Also, what was it that interested him about her sitting at the table. Was it her sitting here while he was eating from a bowl on the floor? Perhaps next time she should put his bowl on a stool or such as a makeshift table.

Chapter Text

If he wasn’t moving for tests, he didn’t move at all. Instead, he just stayed there, on his side. When they didn’t have him out to torture, he remained still, staring at nothing. Back to the world outside of the kennel, he just stopped caring. Sockets open provided they were not bandages shut, he stared at the cold metal wall. After all, he saw little reason to close his sockets. In both cases, he just saw nothing.

For once, they started tossing in things that were meant to be stimulation for his mind. Things he could do, but he didn’t know what to do with them. And, honestly, he didn’t care. Each time he would lift his skull and look at the item. First was a knotted rope, then a bone, some sort of thing made out of rubber rings, then a soft thing made out a cloth that was formed into some sort of shape with mock eyes and a nose.

After examining the items he just laid back down. If they were for tests then they were breaking the unspoken rule. The kennel was where he was free from tests. When he was in the kennel he didn’t have to do anything, so he did nothing. He even stopped getting up to eat or drink. There just wasn’t a point to continue.

This didn’t make the Doctor happy though, not that he cared. His followers cared, they didn’t like it when the Doctor wasn’t happy. The monsters started shoving some liquified food in his muzzle. Perhaps it would have worked better had they started doing that sooner. Though his body craved the nourishment, it only made him feel sick throw up most of the magic they fed him. So, out of desperation, they dripped magic in him by an IV. He didn’t care…

At this point, he saw no reason to care. He only lived for them to torture. There was no other point to his existence.

Then, one day, the kennel door opened and something was placed inside. He stopped caring to look at what they gave him. So, he didn’t move. That is until he heard it move. It wasn’t the monster who placed the thing in his kennel. Thinking about it, he was sure he had heard them leave and the kennel door lock. The noise continued and it sounded like tiny claws scratching at the metal floor in an attempt to move.

Whatever was in his kennel was slowly shifting around. He rolled onto his stomach and saw a small creature of bones. It looked around, dark sockets wide as it sniffed appeared scared and confused. It started to whine and shiver before it finally saw him. The two just stared at each other for a moment and then the small pup whimpered. His soul felt a pang of sorrow. They made another. Those monsters made another to suffer his fate.

It would be merciful to kill this new one now before the monsters could torture the tiny thing. This was no way for anything to exist, especially something so small. He slowly stood and walked over, lowering his skull to this tiny pup. He jaws started to part, ready to grab this pup up and crush it in one merciful bite.

Then pup reached up with its muzzle and nuzzled him…

He couldn’t… he couldn’t harm this pup. 

His jaws wrapped softly around the middle of the pup and he lifted the smaller one. In the corner of the kennel was his merger excuse for a blanket. The pup should have something soft to be on, and that would have to do.

He then grabbed the soft thing that was in the shape of some kind creature, he supposed, and he tore it open. The insides made a nice nesting material to make the small pup a warmer place to sleep. He ripped the fluff out and set about crafting a nest for the pup to curl up in. The empty cloth then made something to cover the pup with to keep the small one warm. 

Even with his efforts, the pup insisted on cuddling with him. The tiny beast craved affection that he was unsure how to give. He curled around the nest and purred the pup to sleep that first night. 

The nest worked for a few days rather nicely, but all good things must come to an end. One day, after testing, he returned to the kennel to find the monsters took everything away except the thin blanket, food bowl and water bottle, and the pup. They had to make do with what little he had and share the warmth made by each other’s souls.

Still, now that he had something to care about. It was their plan all along. When giving him things to do didn’t work, they gave him a reason to care.

The small pup they put in the kennel with him needed food, and someone to help feed him. During their first feeding, he learned the pup’s jaws that were still small and weak, tearing and eating food was hard. In order for the pup to eat, he had to tear the food into smaller bits that the pup’s tiny jaws could chew. So, he needed to eat to make sure the pup ate. He needs to drink to make sure the pup drank. He needed to live… to make sure the pup lived. 

Oh, he so hoped they did not make this pup to torture because of him.

The first time they took the pup out of his kennel he cried, whine, then begged. Of course, his use of monster words resulted in him badly wounded and cowering in the corner of his kennel.

The pup deserved better...

He woke up to find his brother nearly curled around him. Long, tired blinks, helped him focus his vision as he looked around. For a moment he had forgotten where he was, but it slowly came back as he tried to remember what had occurred. Hope rose up in his soul. The collar, it had been removed… right? He could feel the bulk of the bandages, and not the constricting ache, confirming he was free of it.

The room was dark, illuminated only but the low flames in the fireplace. They were still calming but he could almost swear he felt a sense of sadness from them. Where was the monster anyway? Glancing around, he spotted her sitting on a padded monster thing that seemed to be made to sit on. She had drifted off to sleep, a thing called a book was open on her lap.

He carefully stood and walked out of the nest to blankets and pillows. His talon tipped paws lightly ticking on the floor as he moved. A sting of guilt traveled through him as he remembered how he tried to attack her. He thought he saw her being mean to his brother, but with how loyal his brother was to her that no longer seemed to be the case. She didn’t need to be nice to them. It was impractical for her to share food and come up with something nice to call his brother. Especially if she was just going to send them back to the bad place.

Approaching as quiet as he could, he placed his front paws on the arm of the chair and leaned over to sniff her over. There were so many smells on her, but none smelled like other monsters. That included any smells from the bad place. Perhaps she doesn’t know them, or, perhaps she does and avoids them as well. Either way, was it right for him to continue looking at her with such distrust?

“Oh!” He heard her say and blinked as he noticed she had woken up. He could smell fear from her, which led to another pang of guilt. To show he meant no harm, he lowered his skull.

“You startled me, what are you doing awake?” She asked him before carefully shifting away from him. “Are you hungry? Here, let me up and I will warm up some more broth for you.”

Hunger wasn’t what woke him, but he would never turn down food. Getting his paws back on the floor, he watched her stand then followed her to the food room. Now that he was feeling better, he could sniff around without feeling nauseous. There were so many good smells! Behind him, his tail idly wagged as he enjoyed this explore.

“How wonderful to see you looking so much better,” she said and he looked up at her. He was, thanks to her. At that point, he decided that while he still questioned how far he should trust her, he was willing to put some trust in her.

There was a contemplative look on her face as she looked at him. Then she smiled and he watched as she pulled out a large black object. She poured the “broth” in it then opened up the food container to grab more things. While she had it open he moved closer and could feel cool air emanating from it.

“I will not add much, but some solid food bits should be nice. That does mean you will have to wait a bit longer. I hope do not mind.” The monster then turned back to the food.

If it meant he will get food, he didn’t mind waiting. Besides, there was more to sniff. As he checked around he found a spot that had a strong chemical smell. He snorted in displeasure and growled his discontent.

“Hmm?” He jumped as she made that noise. “I am sorry, I did not mean to startle you.” She looked at where he was and then smiled. “Ah, yes! That is where I keep my cleaning supplies. They are not for eating.”

By smell alone, he could figure out that was not food. Though “cleaning supplies” didn’t sound or smell interesting in any way to him either. She must like them to keep them in this room. Perhaps he will see why, as he could only find the scent offensive compared to the delicious scents that the rest of the small doors around the room hide.

“There, it just needs to cook for a bit and then we will have a mild soup for you,” The monster said with a smile before she sat down at the table. He watched her for a moment, noticing something about her. There was a worn, tired, and even sad look about her. It made him feel conflicted. Hungry had not gotten him up, but he still woke her up and let her get up when she didn’t need to.

She saved his life! Seeing her like that, when she should have been left to sleep, made that pang of guilt return. He huffed and looked away, wondering how he could make things up to her. There was one thing he could think of, and he didn’t like what it was. That sadness on her face looked lonely, so making sure she didn’t feel alone would be a good thing. With a heavy sigh, he walked closer. His ticking talons must have caught her attention as she looked over at him, and he could see her body stiffen. Such a reaction could be seen as aggressive, even in such a small amount, but he could see the hint of fear and knew it was his fault.

Again, he reminded himself, she saved his life. He crept closer then sat down next to her. She looked at him for a moment then relaxed, a smile returning to her face again. “Done exploring?”

Not sure what to do, he looked back at her. There was a smile but she still looked hurt or troubled by something. She started to reach out towards him with a paw, but then changed her mind and sighed. He tilted his skull then shifted closer. This wasn’t easy, in fact, he wanted to not do this. But… she gave him pie when she didn’t need to, she removed that collar and saved his life, and she is still taking care of him. If he could give her some ounce of comfort, then he needed to.

It seemed impossible that he would do something like that so soon. And yet, he had placed his skull on her lap. Toriel froze, the memory of what occurred earlier in the day still fresh in her mind. Yet, the memory of seeing the intelligence in Papyrus was, too.

Was this his way of apologizing?

All this time, the poor beast growled and showed little interest in showing her trust, and now he purposefully lowered his guard around her. He trusted her. That’s what this was. After all this time, and all her efforts, he trusted her. 

Considering the scared on his body, it is no surprise he took so long to trust her.

Would petting be pushing his trust? Cautious to not anger him, she slowly placed a paw on his skull. She felt him flinch but he didn’t pull away. There was nervousness, hinting he was scared she might hurt him. The poor beast. In his sleep, he enjoyed being pet so much that he started to purr. But awake, he was next to terrified.

Still, he didn’t pull away or growl. Instead, he just froze and waited. So, she slowly moved her paw along his skull then lifted it and placed it back where she started. He looked up at her confused, but still, he didn’t growl or try to get away, so she continued. After a while, he relaxed and closed his eye sockets.

“Isn’t this better than skull king around?” She teased. Shame he wouldn’t get that one, it was really good.

But then he made an odd noise, it was a deep sound, and it was a sound she knew. He was chuckling? She stared at him for a moment, convinced that rumble was a chuckle. Thinking fast, she tried to think of another bone-related pun. “I’m happy you’re being less stern -um with me.”

The sound continued and was louder, his tail wagging. Her mouth though fell open. He could understand her? All this time he could understand what she was saying? Then why?

She knew why. Why marked his entire body. Why was Papyrus obeying words he was taught to obey perfectly. Why… was this poor beast’s fear of being touched.

With a sigh, she continued to pet his skull. “So, you can understand me.”

His sockets flew open and he scurried back, his hips clattering into the cupboard doors under her sink. “Easy, easy,” she said, sliding from the chair to the floor. The look in his sockets was that of pure terror. “Hey, it will be alright, I will not let anyone hurt you. And no one has to know. I promise.”

That seemed to help a little, but only a little. He barely nodded his skull then turned away, body trembling. What more could she do? Only time to heal these emotional wounds will prove she isn’t lying. “Well, I will say this will make things easier.”

Toriel stood and got a bowl which she ladled some soup into. The poor beast still sat there, back to her, tail wrapped tightly around himself, head low, and body softly rattling as he started to shiver. She began to suspect he wasn’t fully with her at this moment. He was likely trapped in some terrible memories that she needed to guide him from. Carefully, she knelt beside him with the soup. This time when she tried to touch him he let out a yelp and huddled on the floor.

Unsure of what else to do, she left the bowl near him then backed up and began to hum a lullaby. He pressed his body closer to the cupboard doors before turning his skull toward her. There was such a conflicted look in his eyes of fear and trust.

“You are confused. And I understand why that would be. Beyond your brother, you have not been shown much kindness, am I correct?” The question was one she didn’t know if he would respond to. Still, she provided time, just in case. Sure enough, he turned his skull away, then gave a slow nod. 

“I would have a hard time trusting others too if I was in your place. In fact… I do have a hard time trusting other monsters,” to this, he looked back at her, a hint of surprise on his face. She sighed, the sadness that gnawed on her earlier returned as she thought about all of her children. “It is a story I will tell you another time. For now, since you can understand me, let me introduce myself. I am Toriel, the caretaker of the Ruins.

“Do you have a name?” She asked and he shook his head again.

“Would you like me to think of one for you, as I did for your brother?” To that, he nodded, then shifted closer to her.

“Alright, now try some of this soup,” she said as she nudged the bowl closer to him. The poor beast looked at the bowl for a moment and she feared he would turn away and refuse to eat. “You need to make sure you keep your strength up,” she encouraged.

There was still confusion in the way he looked at her, but he relented and started to eat. He drank the broth slowly and chomped down the chunks of food along the way. It didn’t escape her notice when his tail twitched a little in a modest wag. When he was done, she picked up the bowl. “Would you like some more?” To that, he shook his skull and waited in the kitchen for her to clean up.

When she finished. She spotted him by the doorway, peering out at his brother, while he waited for her. That was sweet of him though entirely unnecessary. Still, she walked back to her chair and he followed along beside her. She watched as he got into the bedding beside his brother before sitting down.

Although she tried reading, memories of her son and Chara returned. Asriel, her poor, sweet Asriel, and darling Chara. Both gone, along with every human child she had tried to protect. Each young life she failed.

She was truly to blame for the loss of life. This isolation was best for her. No one should have to deal with such a failure.

Toriel felt something against her legs and looked down to see the poor beast curled up at her feet. Her vision was blurry, and as she blinked she became aware of the tears rolling down her face. With the back of her paw, she wiped away the tears before feigning a smile to him. “It is alright. While this is very kind of you to keep me company, you would be much more comfortable in the bedding.”

The look in his eye lights had such a thoughtfulness as he looked over her. He shifted a little and she could tell he was trying to decide what he should do. Leaning forward she placed a paw on his skull. Like before he flinched a little, his sockets closing tight, but as she started to pet he relaxed and looked back up at her. “You can stay here if you wish, I just think you would be more comfortable with your brother.”

Against her leg, she could feel his rib cage expand and contract as he sighed, and his body relaxed. He then rested his skull down on his paws and closed his sockets one last time. She smiled down at him, feeling his weight on her feet and his rib cage press against her leg as he breathed. It calmed her thoughts, and she no longer felt so lonely. It wasn’t long after, she drifted off to sleep.

Chapter Text

The large skeleton sat down with a heavy thump. While he did appear big-boned, it was likely his armor, weapons, and other gear that added to his weight. He grabbed the drink before he leaned back, casually in his seat. All around him, he got looks from the others in the great hall of her father, but he didn’t care. Instead, he tipped his cup back and guzzled down the ale far faster than he could possibly drink, liquid dripping down his chin. Once done he slammed his cup down and motioned to a servant for a refill.

“Roman is a windbag,” He finally uttered with a laugh.

“That is highly uncalled for, brother,” The skeleton beside him replied. She knew him and had chosen to sit by him. Papyrus was such a nice monster, and full of interesting stories and information. He was old but wise and level headed, which is likely why he came to be here when Roman, the Skeleton King, spoke with her father concerning combining their forces against the humans. “He is our king, and besides, negotiations require a lot of talking.”

“Our king is still a windbag, a feat for someone without lungs” The skeleton, Papyrus identified as his brother, snickered and grinned. Age marked his face with many laugh lines around his eye sockets and mouth. It was hard to think that skeletons could get wrinkles, but even Papyrus had some after all the years of life he had.

“Sans!” Papyrus snapped before speaking in a softer tone. “You should not be talking like that.”

“What’s wrong brother? Am I getting under your skin ?” Sans then burst into laughter before clapping a hand on his brother’s back. “You’ve got to admit, Roman doesn’t know when to stop. Good thing the High King has long ears or they surely would have been talked off by now.”

Papyrus groaned as Toriel tried not to giggle at the pun the larger skeleton said. She failed though, and her small laughter was noticed by Sans. He looked at her before then smiled, “I see you’ve got a fur iend there, brother.”

With a sigh and shake of his head, Papyrus waved a hand to Toriel. “May I introduce the High King’s daughter, Princess Toriel.”

“Hey there, Princess,” Sans said casually before downing more ale.

“Honestly, brother, you’re utter disregard for etiquette around those of higher status astounds me,” Papyrus made a long-suffering sigh before turning to Toriel, “Please excuse my brother, your highness, he is crass and not used to being around others of the nobility,” Papyrus said to her and she shrugged her small shoulders. She really didn’t mind Sans, he seemed friendly enough, though definitely different than Papyrus.

Sans snorted, ale coming out of his nasal cavity and he started coughing and laughing rather boisterously. Everyone else in the great hall sent him glares, yet again, but he didn’t care. He turned to Toriel as well, tears in his sockets from laughing so hard. “And please excuse my brother, he thinks too highly of the other races of monsters. He forgets us skeletons lack these ‘etiquette’ rules in our own great halls.”

“We do not, you just ignore them,” Papyrus huffed.

Again, Sans belted out a bellowing laugh, “Watch out, Princess, my brother has a bone to pick with me” And so they continued throughout the night…

Toriel woke from her dream with a feeling of peace she has not had in the morning in a long time. No leftover fear from a dreadful night, or nightmares fueled by her own failings. Instead, a moment of her past from long ago had visited her and brought her peace. Perhaps it was because she was thinking of skeletons and their names before she fell asleep that the moment came to her. The reason why she had been thinking of skeletons was still where she left him. She looked down to find the poor beast still curled up beside her legs. At some point, his brother had gotten up and joined them. The taller beast half laid on his brother like some sort of blanket made of bones. She smiled down at them, amused by their bond.

Carefully, she got up from her chair so she didn’t disturb the two sleeping monsters. Once free from the piles of bones she made her way to the kitchen. Despite her efforts, turning on the kitchen light was enough to wake up Papyrus, who trotted in behind her. It was amusing to see how eager he was to see what he would get to eat. It truly seemed like he was interested in the process of cooking as much as the food itself. Not wanting to leave him out of what she was doing, Toriel made sure that he could see as she worked. She started to heat some water to make a peppermint tea then retrieved the eggs from the refrigerator. 

“Let’s try something without a broth for both of you today. You’re both doing so well in mending. I hope I am not rushing things, but I feel like your brother could use some more solid food. Anyway, for you and myself I am making cheesy scrambled eggs, sausage, and then a bowl of fresh fruit… if you eat fruit. Teeth like what you have do make me wonder.” She looked at Papyrus’s muzzle and thought for a moment. “I think more sausage and eggs, less fruit. Although, most monsters don’t have food restrictions, at least when it comes to magic-based foods.”

The poor beast still asleep will have close to the same thing, just no cheese in the eggs and bland sausage and fruit flavors. He was the sicker of the two and the one she worried the most about upsetting the balance of his magic. She set to work, cooking breakfast for them all. She even poured a little bit of milk in a bowl, which she offered to Papyrus. It confuses the beast who sniffed at it for a moment.

“That’s milk, it is something you drink like water,” she explained and she saw him shift nervously. “I figured out you and your brother understand what I am saying last night. He laughed at my puns.”

Papyrus looked worried and lowered himself to the floor. “Oh, Sweet One, no, you don’t need to be scared, Papyrus. Here,” she moved the bowl closer and knelt beside him, “try a sip.”

To coax him, she gently petted his skull, much as she had done for his brother. Slowly, Papyrus stuck his nose in the bowl and drank a little milk. She watched him blink then wag his tail as he proceeded to drink the rest.

“There, see? Nothing to be scared of,” Toriel said with a smile. “I get the feeling that whoever it was you were with before was not very kind.” Her soul felt hot as anger built up inside her. She remembered the collar and the initials. She knew who did this to them. How could he? Soon, Toriel will need to confront Gaster and find out how much he knew about this as well. The idea that Dreemurr might have known anything about this made her feel sick. This wrong needs to be rectified. How much has life beyond the Ruins changed?

But she could not leave to do that just yet, not until she knows these two monsters will be able to handle themselves in the time she will be gone. Toriel picked up the bowl and rinsed it out before placing Papyrus’ food in it. Once she gave him his food, she made a bowl for the Poor One and took it out to him. As she walked out of the room she did notice Papyrus looking at the table again but decided not to worry about that at this moment.

The Poor One yawned and stretched upon smelling the food before offering her a lazy tail wag. “Well, hello to you too,” She smiled at him and set the food down. He sniffed at it, eye lights widened at the display of food before him. He looked up at her, searching her face for something, but she knew not what. Eventually, his muzzle dove into the bowl and he began to chump up the food. “Easy, not too fast.” But she didn’t really need to say that as he lifted his muzzle from the bowl. There was a whine from him but not out of pain or fear. There was a look of such bliss on his muzzle that she couldn’t help but giggle.

“I take it you like it?” She asked and he gave her a bashful glance before dipping his muzzle back in.

It was a relief that they could understand her, only if they could talk back. But they may be like some monsters, who have their own language due to barriers in their ability to speak, such as some dog monsters. She’ll leave him to eat to get her own breakfast, and she stood and walked to the kitchen.

What she saw as she entered the kitchen startled her; she widened her eyes and backed up with a gasp. This must-have alerted the Poor One, as he was quickly at her side, looking in the kitchen beside her. What she saw, though, was still more than her mind could wrap around. She didn’t see Papyrus, or at least, the Papyrus she had gotten used to seeing. Instead, there was a skeleton. A typical monster skeleton, humanoid in shape, sitting, naked, at her table. He was awkwardly holding the spoon she used to serve the food and trying to eat from it. Upon noticing she had returned he smiled brightly at her, holding the spoon up as if trying to show this accomplishment.

The Poor One was glancing from Papyrus to her, a look of nervousness in his eye lights. He watched her reaction, all the while she was doing the same for him. This clearly wasn’t new to him. Then… they can change forms? Or at least Papyrus can. It wasn’t unheard of, monsters changing shape, but those changes are usually mild, and not so dramatic as going from a beast type to something more humanoid. “Can you do that, as well?” She asked the Poor One. She saw small beads of magic form on his skull like sweat as he shifted his weight nervously before he slowly nodded.

She looked back up at Papyrus who looked worried. Looking between her and the Poor One, he carefully picked up his bowl and stood up. Before he could set it on the floor she stepped forward. “No, it’s alright, you can sit at the table. I just… I didn’t expect to see you like that is all.”

Once Papyrus was seated again, and beaming happily, she retrieved a more appropriate utensil for eating. He learned quickly how to properly hold it and she left it at that. Experience and example will teach him the rest. She sat across from him for now, knowing she will have to get him clothes after breakfast.

Well, that went surprisingly well. He wasn’t sure why his brother decided to do that, but Toriel seemed to not mind. Though she was clearly shocked, that much was obvious. Even The Doctor was shocked the first time he changed forms, same with Papyrus. The Doctor meant to remove that ability from Papyrus but failed. He was happy The Doctor failed. Really, he was happy anytime The Doctor failed. 

Toriel brought his bowl into the kitchen and offered for him to join them at the table, but he didn’t care. The floor suited him. It’s where he had eaten his food all his life and he saw no reason to eat from a higher elevation. So while they ate at the table he savored his breakfast the traditional way, long tail wagging as each bite was so good. What other foods does this monster have that she was willing to share? He was ready to throw his suspicions and fears out the window. If she kept giving him such good foods then he’ll guard her with his life.

After breakfast Papyrus changed back and Toriel seemed to relax a little. She led them down the hall to a room with various things in it. “Next time you change forms, I have some clothes you can borrow.” He tilted his head and watched as she pulled some of those things monsters adorn themselves with. “Clothes.” So that’s what they are called. She explained that monsters who are feral in appearance, as they are now, often don’t wear clothes. But those who do not appear feral wear clothes, and it is considered polite to wear clothing. Papyrus took this all in, nodding in acceptance to this new information. He, though, rolled his eye lights and walked off.

Never once did anyone tell him he needed to wear anything other than that stupid collar and look how well that went. So, he was not about to start putting anything on because monsters think he should. What did monsters know, anyway… well… Toriel was a monster and she seemed to know good things.

…

Maybe for her, he’ll wear clothing…

Just for her.

He flopped down on the blankets in front of the fire, soaking in the warmth. His neck still hurt so much, but he could feel his energy returning to him. Before his sockets could close for a nap, Toriel appeared beside him and she knelt down. There was a moment of pause between them before she reached out and touched him on the skull. He could feel the soft pads on her paws move over his skull and the warmth emanating from them.

“I should change your bandage now if that is alright with you?” She asked.

He responded with a nod and she began to work. She removed the old bandages and started to carefully clean the wound. As she gently worked she spoke softly to him, “Last night I dreamed of someone I met long ago.” She paused again then asked, “Are you and Papyrus brothers, as I assumed you are?”

Interested, he nodded. He didn’t know if Papyrus was truly his brother, but by his understanding of the word, they were. Also, the two just latched onto it and accepted it as the label for the other. Toriel smiled and started to add the ointment to the wound. “I see, well, the Papyrus I named him after had a brother, named Sans. It is odd, your Papyrus reminds me of my old friend, and you, in your own way, remind me of his brother. They were both old when I met them as a child, and I often wished I had the chance to meet them when they were younger, but that is obviously impossible. Anyway, the point I want to get to is: would you like Sans to be your name? I think the Sans I knew would have a great laugh knowing you shared names. You might say he would find it humerus , in a good way.”

The pun hit the mark and he let out a low, rumbling, chuckle while his tail thumped against the blankets in a wag. He then lifted his skull to look at her, head tilting in thought. He liked the sound of it. Sans. And the history behind the name already sounded nice. It had already belonged to one who had a brother, long before. Besides, it seemed to mean something to her. Far more than the series of numbers he was assigned in an effort to make it clear he was a thing. Monsters had names, things didn’t, a fact The Doctor drilled into him as a pup. One can do anything they want to a thing, and the thing shouldn’t cry about it…

So, if he had a name, he would no longer be a thing.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to be a monster, but then again, Toriel was a monster and she was nice. So if having a name meant he was now a monster, he will accept.

For the first time, as Sans, he nodded.

Chapter Text

“Hey there, Dings,” The skeleton Gaster identified as an imbecile sat heavily in the chair beside him. Gaster wanted to groan and tell this idiot off, but he knew better by now. Sans thrived off that, harassing anyone who didn’t tolerate his presence.

“Greetings, Young Aster,” Said a far kinder voice that belonged to someone who was not as smart as he thought he was. “I see King Roman invited the Royal Scientists along. I have heard that you are a prodigy and already making great discoveries.”

Gaster smiled at Papyrus to keep up his pleasant act, not because he wanted to. Meanwhile, he ignored Sans, “I wouldn’t call them great, but I have had the best teachers.” A lie, they were mediocre at best.

“That you have,” Sans said, grabbing the blueprint Gaster had been working on while he was distracted. Gaster tried to grab for it but the other Skeleton easily stood and moved out of reach. He hated that old bag of bones! How could someone so stupid end up in the same family tree as a brilliant mind like Gaster? He had stopped calling both of these skeletons “uncle” a long time ago, neither deserved their relation to him to be acknowledged.

“Brother! Give that back!” Papyrus demanded, thumping his walking stick on the wood floor, but Sans ignored him, typical. That was one thing he liked about Papyrus. While San took great joy in annoying others with his mere presence, Papyrus at least had the common decency to leave what wasn’t his alone.

“Please, Sans, I am not ready for anyone to see that,” Gaster said, trying to plead to some kinder nature. As if Sans had one. Not that the oaf could understand his notes anyway. He reached again, willing to tear apart the blueprints over his work being looked at by a skeleton he had no respect for.

“Hold on, Dings, you’ve got something good here. You really think you could make this?” Sans looked at Gaster while again sidestepping any attempt to retrieve the blueprints.

Gaster frowned, he didn’t want to discuss this with him, or even Papyrus. He really didn’t want to discuss it with anyone. No one has proved to be his equal, intellectually. They won’t understand. “I believe so, yes.”

“What is it?” Papyrus asked, and of course Sans moved the prints so his brother could see. And like that, the last shred of respect Gaster had for Papyrus was gone. All the more reason to shed himself of the same last name.

“Looks like a new kind of magic, not a bullet, but a vessel that moves on its own to fire bullets,” Sans explained, oversimplifying the notes.

“In short, yes, I suppose that’s what it is,” Gaster said, folding his arms as he waited.

“Amazing!” Papyrus smiled and beamed at Gaster. It took everything Gaster had to not roll his eye lights.

Sans looked at the notes again then looked up at Gaster. “Would be hard to keep control of them in the heat of battle. Bullet patterns are difficult enough without controlling a mobile cannon or such.”

“They are to have an artificial intelligence, so you won’t need to manage their every move,” Gaster waved his hand in the air absentmindedly, as if to dismiss the question.

“Artificial intelligence,” Sans muttered, looking at the prints then again at Gaster. “So, they can think on their own.”

“In a way, but they will be trained, or programmed on how to think. Not of their own free will, but by how we teach them to think,” Gaster clarified.

Sans didn’t seem fully content with that answer, neither did Papyrus who tapped his phalanges on his walking stick. “Young Aster, are you sure this intelligence will be artificial?”

“Of course, it won’t have a real soul.” Gaster laughed at the idea of these beasts he planned having real intelligence.

“Real soul?” Sans again looked over the blueprints at Gaster, but this time there was a darkness in his tone. Something that was not wise to be the cause of. Sans was known for his fighting prowess, after all. “So this thing will have a soul?”

Gaster wasn’t going to surrender to him, though. Sans was a loud, annoying, rude, insufferable idiot and Gaster was not going to be bullied by him. So what if he was the best fighter in Roman’s army. Papyrus would have taken that role if Sans wasn’t above cheating in combat, and they all knew it. “Not really, no. A mock or artificial soul. One made to act as a soul but lesser than even an animal’s soul.”

Papyrus looked stunned by this, Sans, though, calmly rolled up the blueprints and tossed them on the table. “Sorry, Dings, but my suggestion is to scrap those and think of something else. Real or not, if it has a soul and is made of magic, it’s a monster. We don’t enslave moldsmals or froggits, and what you are suggesting borders on doing just that. It was a good idea, nephew, but dangerous.” He then put an arm around his brother, “Come along, brother, I’m sure Roman needs your advice by now. See you, Dings!”

“Take care, Nephew!” Papyrus smiled at Gaster before being led away by his brother.

Idiots… what did they know?

That memory was still burned into his soul. Now he was the old bag of bones, and yet he still felt rage toward those fools. Even now, as he sat at his desk, skull in his hands, he could still hear their mocking voices. Gaster never should have used their dust and magic fragments to create those beasts. It was supposed to be irony, a joke. Instead, they found some way to ruin his experiment beyond death. They both managed to prove him wrong.

No. No, those beasts were still lesser than animals. They weren’t monsters, they were things. Just things.

Things with their voice, looks, and similar traits.

Things he had to beat, torture, and threaten to keep them from ever talking again.

Those things were smarter than he gave them credit for. That had to come from him as he added his own genetics in as well. He ran a hand down his face before looking at the old blueprints before him. Those things were going to be his greatest achievement, besides The Core, that is. And now, every night he sat here, fuming to himself, over this failure.

He didn’t have time for this, tomorrow morning he needed to be in the throne room, presenting his works to Asgore. Another fool he had no respect for at this point. Ever since Toriel left, the king stopped his visits, and barely focused on their meetings. Gaster could light his skull on fire, and Asgore would still casually discuss tea. A mind-numbing subject, to say the least. He wasn’t there to discuss tea, but his achievements! To discuss science!

His soul seethed with anger. Anger over his failures, anger of his decisions, and anger over the ineptitude of the king. Without even thinking about it he swiped his hands over his desk, sending everything falling to the floor. He then grabbed his stool and threw it across the room before yelling.

Why?

WHY?!

Did he not deserve to be the greatest mind of all monsters? Some say he already is, but he is not going to leave The Core as his crowning achievement if it meant monsters were still trapped.

Humans…

Those creatures imprisoned them and killed off all of the rest of his people. The king’s war will doom the rest of monsterkind unless they are prepared. Most of the warrior monsters were gone. The great dragons, goblins, orcs, skeletons, and wolves to name a few. The few that lived are small in number, such as himself. The other monster races that remained were natural healers or pacifistic in nature, lacking the physical ability to wage war against anything other than insects.

Monsters needed those weapons, and he failed…

He’ll have to try again, a weapon with even simpler minds. More effort will be needed to control them and they will be weaker, but he can’t fail monster kind again. Sitting back down, he started his report for the king. He still had a meeting to attend in the morning.

She woke them both up. It was early, far earlier than she would have liked to disturb them, but she couldn’t put this off any longer. It is a long walk from The Ruins to The Castle, so she had to get an early start.

The night before she had explained everything with them; from the meals in the fridge, all meals they could enjoy cold, to the times Sans should take his medication and the bags she put each dose in. While she hoped to be back this evening, she prepared them for her to be gone longer. She made sure both knew how to open the front door if they wanted to go in the yard for “fresh” air. They knew this, they knew all of it, but the mothering nature in her would not let her leave without this final review.

It had been a few days now and she trusted them both to be fine on their own for the time needed. She told them she had something important to do, but Sans seemed skeptical. There was a look in his eye lights and an aloofness about him that made her worry. It was hard to tell what he was thinking… but he was thinking something.

After reviewing everything with them she put on a long, hooded cloak, and grabbed her bag she packed the night before. Tucked inside, protectively out of the need to keep the evidence safe, was the offending collar. That will NOT be coming home with her. After walking out of The Ruins’ doors she sealed them. It was selfish but… she feared that Sans may try to leave if she didn’t.

He was almost done with his treatments. Only a little longer, then, if he chose to leave, she won’t stop him. Honestly, she hoped they would both stay. The company they provided had been pleasant; and, with their other forms now known, she hoped to teach them other things, like speaking.

The walk was long, longer than normal since she made a point to avoid areas she might be seen, but it didn’t feel that way. With each step she took, she felt her anger grow. By the time she approached New Home, her retractable claws were exposed and the taste of fire magic was in her mouth.

The guards at the castle tried to stop her but quickly back down upon seeing who she was. “Not a word, to anyone,” she hissed as she passed them.

“Your Highness, should we not alert Asgore to your arrival, at least? I am sure he would postpone his meeting with the Royal Scientist if he knew you were here.” One of the guards replied in a hushed tone.

Toriel paused, looking back at the guards, “Gaster is here?”

“Yes, your Highness, he is. It’s time for his monthly report.”

“Good,” Toriel replied darkly, “I needed to speak with him, too.”

The guards looked at each other as she left them standing there, clearly unsure of what to do. She didn’t care, let them stand there in a stupor. If Asgore and Gaster weren’t alerted then she would have the upper ground.

The double doors to the throne room were closed, but she could hear the jovial laughter of the monster she once loved on the other side. Now that sound filled her with anger. She has not laughed like that since…

Since the day they died. Seeing her son, crumbling to dust, clutching the cold body of her adopted child stole the laugh from her. And for a moment she hesitated, unsure she could enter this room with that memory hanging over her.

The faces of The Sweet One, Papyrus, and the wound of The Poor One, Sans, entered her mind. It refueled the fire in her soul before she shoved the doors open so hard they banged against the walls.

The two occupants of the room turned and looked at her, surprise clearly seen on both their faces. It was an expression she never once seen on Gaster before. She felt pleasure in knowing she put it there. Asgore, though, started to stand and walk towards her. “Tori!”

The gall of him, thinking he could still call her that after what he did. “Do NOT call me that!” She growled, stopping him in his tracks.

In that time, Gaster’s face calmed. We will see how long that lasts. Now it was her turn to move. Striding forward, digging her paw into the bag hanging from her shoulder while maintaining eye contact with the eye lights in Gaster’s sockets. She pulled the collar out and held it out to him. “Explain!” She ordered.

Oh, that sweet feeling of momentary victory swept over her again as she saw the pure look of shock on Gaster’s face. He stood so fast he stumbled, knocking over the chair he had been sitting on in the process. “How? Where did you find that?” Gaster questioned, but no, he was not the one in control of this situation.

“I said, explain,” Toriel moved closer, straightening herself to her full height to ensure she towered over the skeleton.

“Tori,” Asgore started, but a firey glare in response caused him to correct that mistake, “Toriel, I don’t understand, what is the meaning of this?”

Gaster started to reach for the collar, thinking in that time she was distracted by Asgore she wouldn’t still be watching him. She knew Gaster had a big ego, but he truly thought too highly of himself. It was simple to raise her arm, holding the offending piece of thick leather out of his reach. “What is this? Do you not want Asgore to see this?” There was a look of frustration now in the skeleton’s face, but under that, she saw a sweeter emotional reaction. Fear. And she revealed in it being there.

The collar should have been gently tossed, but she threw it at Asgore. It was debatable as to whether it hit him in the chest on purpose or if he just failed to catch the collar, not that Toriel cared either way. He looked down at it in confusion but Toriel turned her focus back to Gaster. “Look at it, Dreemurr. Smell the stench of infected magic and look at the stains where magic bled and soaked into the material. Then, as your stomach turns, and as you think of the endless pain that poor creature suffered, look at the initials carved into the metal ID.”

“Ah, now, Toriel, it couldn’t suffer, it wasn’t alive,” Gaster started and Toriel didn’t know her level of rage could really get that much higher.

She grabbed the front of the skeleton’s black lab coat and leaned forward, looming over the now terrified scientist. Fire Magic she again tasted in her mouth as actual flames licked at her lips while she spoke, accenting her words as smoke curled up through the air. “HOW DARE YOU! So then I guess he did not die when he crumbled to dust on my kitchen table!”

“Toriel, please, I am sure there is some reasonable explanation!” Asgore started.

“And tell me, Dreemurr,” Toriel started, turning her rage now on Asgore, “what explanation would be reasonable enough to place a collar on any living creature, tight enough that it rubbed down the bone it was attached to, digging into it for so long that the body tried healing over it. The collar had a magical barrier over it, holding that thing in place no matter how hard he tried to scratch it off.”

Asgore backed down, staring at the collar as he had no answer. Toriel looked back at Gaster, waving a paw as if inviting him to answer. The Royal Scientist straightened his lab coat and made a noise like clearing his throat.

“ It escaped, and at the time that collar was nowhere near that tight. I would have loosened it had it been. But that attack , not creature or monster, had a tendency to…” He thought for a moment, most likely picking his words as wisely as he could. “That attack would incorrectly follow orders. Most likely due to it being a prototype. So the collar was indeed necessary to maintain the needed control lost by creating an interchangeable, powerful, attack.”

“‘Attack?’” Asgore questioned while petting his beard.

Toriel wasn’t going to play that game, though, and she snarled again at Gaster. “Trying to call him things to deny his sentience does not make him any less alive, but it makes you a cruel, soulless, fool.”

That statement caused Gaster to blink up at her in shock. And no surprise. Gaster may be an old friend, but even she was well aware of his oversized ego. He sputtered, trying to come up with something to say to counter being labeled a fool. Asgore, who was a cruel yet kind and still a fool, dared to place a paw on her shoulder.

Brushing it off she glared at the monster she once loved. His two-toned eyes once held her captivated in their beauty. Now, she could swear they reflect the deaths of each child she loved. “Do NOT touch me, ever again,” she snapped and Asgore withdrew a little.

“Tori-el… Gaster is our friend. We should trust him, or hear him out,” Asgore started, much to Toriel’s surprise, “perhaps this thing you saw wasn’t living.”

Her eyes widened in shock that Asgore would dare to argue with her on this. She summoned a ball of fire, levitating the white flames just over her right paw while pointing at it with her left. “This is an attack. It can not, nor does it not need to eat.”

“A side effect of it not having an actual caster, part of being interchangeable,” Gaster interjected.

Toriel glared at the skeleton, then continued, “It can not get sick.”

“To allow it to stay summoned for an extended period of time, much like the golden bone attacks my people make, I had to increase its physical matter compared to most attacks. This does, though, increase chances of damage or… illness.”

“It does not fearfully decide if it can trust me or not.”

“Mere misunderstanding of the artificial intelligence installed to allow the current caster freedom from micromanaging its movement. Only simple directions are needed. Which is good, since artificial intelligence can only understand simple words.”

Toriel glared at Gaster. Oh, his explanations have been decent so far. Enough that she can tell Asgore was uncertain. But Gaster put himself in a corner with that one. “Only simple words. And likely only the basic meaning of that word?” Toriel clarified.

“Yes, it can only learn the simple words generally used for training an animal. An abstract understanding of words would require an intelligence greater than the artificial intelligence I installed. Toriel,” Gaster dared to smile at her as if he was a friend, “what crumbled away before you was simply an attack. An attack with more physical matter than you’re used to shattering or un summoning.”

“Gaster,” she growled in return, forming the paw the attack hovered over into a fist, shattering the white ball of flames, sparks of magic bursting forth like glitter, drifting down in a shimmering shower of unspent magic, then faded out just before touching the floor. “You are either lying to us, or you are lying to yourself. That ‘attack’ laughed. He laughed. I told him a pun and he laughed. Your artificial intelligence, that you claimed to give him, was real sentience. That creature understood the abstract meaning of words in order to understand the pun. And he laughed.”

There was a look of shock on Gaster’s face as he stared back at her. She turned and started toward the doors. “I know it is no longer my place but I advise you, Dreemurr… fire him and make sure the Royal Judge gets a say in this matter.”

“You are leaving? Toriel, please, stay, this is your home!” Asgore begged.

“Will you give up on your war?” Toriel asked, looking back at Asgore. Under her gaze, he shrank away again and failed to reply. That was all the answer she needed.

She sighed and continued when Gaster called out, “There were two, did you see the other one?”

“Yes… it too crumbled to dust a day after the first. It was malnourished and too distraught for my attempts. Distraught over the other’s death. Emotions… Gaster. They both had emotions.”

On that note, she left. Asgore can deal with him. Gaster now believed her two house guests were dead, and would not come looking for them. Now, to get back home and away from this place of terrible memories.

Chapter Text

Gaster hid in the woods with the humans. What he was doing was treason, but his hate blinded him to the consequences. Or, honestly, he knew the consequences but was confident his plan wouldn't fail. Besides, what he would do will help monsterkind in the long run. Thus, the ends will justify the means. But to achieve those ends, he needed them out of the way. If these humans do their job right, Sans and Papyrus will be captured without knowing who betrayed them.

They deserve this. They should never have spoken against his plan to King Times New Roman.

Gaster finally completed his blueprints for the Canons with Artificial Intelligence and Nimbleness. Even naming it was well planned out as he loved the symbolism it may strike in the hearts of those wretched humans. To know that project C.A.I.N. was coming for them. Those humans and their stories… struck inspiration. They may be his Uncles and not his brothers, and they may be captured and not killed, but the betrayal was still there.

They stayed hidden for an hour before Sans’ booming laugh was heard. Down the road, Gaster could see the infuriating skeleton. He stood up first, speaking out against Gaster’s plan. Calling it foolish, a childish dream that was dangerous if allowed to happen. Papyrus then stood and “kindly” agreed with his brother. “IT SETS A… WORRYING MINDSET THAT A BEING OF LESSER INTELLIGENCE IS… WELL, LESSER AND NOT WORTHY OF BEING CALLED LIFE.”

Such fools!

He’ll show them.

The humans promised to supply him with their dust samples. They deserve to be maimed for what they did. An arm or leg would easily suffice. Then he will use that dust to make his weapons, betray the humans, and rescue his idiot uncles with the very tools they stood against. He smiled. His smile hurt, thanks to Sans cracking his eye socket.

“get yer head on straight, kid!”

“SANS! STOP YELLING AT WINGDINGS!”

“Surely you must agree there is a difference in value between a skeleton and a moldsmal. What I was offering our king is even less than that.”

He hadn’t seen the fist coming. His socket was still swollen shut.

Sans was a fool. A relic that stood in the way of progress. He will pay for his hubris.

The skeletons walked right into the trap.

The humans attacked.

Gaster warned them that the threat was Sans. Papyrus was the diplomat of the two and not a fighter. He should be easy to capture once they caught Sans. Again he ignored the pain from smiling. The idea of seeing that olf in chains was too sweet not to smile at.

The fighting continued, Sans standing his ground, keeping his younger brother safe. But he failed to notice the dark-clad human creeping up behind. Not until Papyrus whimpered in pain. A knife plunged through his soul.

No…

No!

This was all wrong!

He wasn’t supposed to…

Gaster watched as Papyrus crumbled away to dust…

Sans was enraged shocked…

This… no…

Sans lost his will to fight and soon fell away like his brother.

Gaster didn’t want this…

Casualties are to be expected.

He now had plenty of dust to work with...

Gaster stared at the collar that was left by Toriel. Memories of the demise of his uncles were in his mind. It made him wonder about the deaths of the weapons. Last time it was Papyrus who died first. This time Sans did…

Were they really…?

He felt sick.

When did he double over and vomit wasted magic onto the floor?

How long had he been sitting here in his lab?

Asgore told him to stay at the lab or home until he decided what he wanted to do. What if he did take this to the Royal Judge? Gaster was now far too old to be in the dungeon, wasn’t he? Or what if the judge executes him? What about his next great achievements?

He can’t… he….

He needs to create those other cannons….

She left…

She really did…

Did she really think he was that naive?

…

He was…

Or, he had been.

Sans paced, fear nipped at his heels to keep him from his typically still way of life. This monster he trusted left and will likely tell the ones from the bad place where they are. He came to a stop, and his head hung down. The feeling of betrayal hit him hard.

He thought he could trust her, even though Sans told himself he couldn’t. All this time she had been isolated, and it seemed like she would not even know The Doctor. But she left… and no matter how hard she tried to hide it, both blasters knew she had taken the collar with her. Did she not know that The Doctor would just destroy him this time?

She gave him a name…

Tears stung his sockets, and he gave a shuddering sigh. Papyrus approached him, nudging Sans’ side. Should they run? He should. He should take his brother from here and flee. And yet…

She gave him food. It didn’t feel like a trick to lure him in. Then she saved him by removing that collar. What reason would she have to do that? She tended him, changed his dressings, and made sure he got better. So, why now? Why leave them to turn them in now.

Tears stung his sockets as he stood there. Papyrus nudged him again, trying to encourage Sans back to the nest of pillows and blankets. And no wonder Papyrus seemed so persistent. Sans might have gotten more of his strength back, but not all of it. Even if he did try to flee, he couldn’t. His body was already collapsing as he staggered back to the nest.

After he curled up, Sans looked at the fireplace and sighed. The flames were low but still present. She must be some distance away now, but this flame will continue as long as she lives, much like the legendary golden bones skeletons make. He closed his sockets, soaking in the warmth and comfort it provided. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep.

It was later that a sudden wave of anger and heat roused him from his sleep. Sans sprang up from where he had slept and spun around to see the fireplace engulfed in flames. Papyrus scurried to Sans’ side and whined. Both blasters watched the rage-filled flames as they struggled to remain contained by the structure that usually did the job with ease.

It did not last that long before the flames died down and returned to their normal state of being. Still, the amount of rage emitting from the fireplace made it feel like time slowed to a stop. Once the flames calmed, the two blasters looked at each other, wondering why she had been so angry. Looking back at the fireplace, Sans noted how low the flames were, meaning she was still far away.

If she was that far away and angry… what if….

No, it couldn’t be. She wouldn’t be angry at The Doctor….

Would she?

Would she stand up for them? Or was there someone else she was enraged with?

Either way, is she still safe?

Curious; he will see how this plays out.

He will dare to trust her a bit longer and be ready to protect her if needed.

Chapter Text

“There’s the young princess. Get her over here!” A voice said that sounded familiar. It grabbed her attention as she walked around the camp, returning to her family’s tent for lunch.

Toriel blinked and looked over to see the skeleton she met the other day, Sans, sitting at a set of tables and benches. Papyrus waved for her to join them at a table. “OVER HERE, YOUNG TORIEL. COME AND JOIN US FOR LUNCH. YOU MUST TRY THIS FOOD!”

She approached and saw their plates with a wide variety of food. Sans leaned forward, “Toriel, listen close to what I’m about to tell you. Always make friends with the elementals you meet.”

“Elementals?” She questioned as she tilted her head. Elementals were an odd type of monster, and not all considered them monsters. Their soul anatomy was different as they had cores, which were hard masses of condensed elements surrounding their essence. It is possible to weaken and effectively deactivate an elemental to just its core. Humans often did to imbue weapons with the elemental's magic.

Monsters were unsure what to make of them either, as elementals are nearly ageless like boss monsters. Elementals also can enter a pact with monsters or humans and show no allegiance to either side. Most have told her to avoid elementals, but here was Papyrus, her father’s teacher, and Sans telling her to befriend them.

“YES, THEY ARE MONSTERS, JUST DIFFERENT BUT STILL MONSTERS. AND ARE WORTHY OF FRIENDSHIP,” Papyrus confirmed.

“They also are good at sharing their skills with those they like,” Sans added with a grin. “Toriel, meet our little fire friend. He doesn’t have a name yet.”

A young fire element stood there with a plate of food he offered Toriel. She took it and smiled as she smelled the delicious flavors drifting up in the steam. He was just a bit shorter than her and looked around her age. “Hello, my name is Toriel… but… uh…” She looked to Papyrus, confused about what to do if he had no name.

“Elementals don’t name their kids like we do,” Sans started.

“TRADITIONALLY SPEAKING, THEY GET THEIR NAMES FROM WHOEVER THEY FIRST MAKE A PACT WITH,” Papyrus explained.

“Oh,” Toriel looked at the elemental who shrugged.

“Hey, Papyrus?” Sans asked.

“YES, BROTHER?” Papyrus replied.

“Don’t elementals boost the strength of the one they have a pact with? At least the strength and control of magic of the element the elemental is?” Sans questioned.

Papyrus put a finger to his face and hummed. “YES, SANS, I DO BELIEVE I REMEMBER HEARING THAT. AND THE ELEMENTAL ALSO GETS A BOOST FROM THE ONE THEY ARE BOND TO FROM THE PACT.”

“That’s what I thought…,” Sans hummed and looked at Papyrus again, driving his point home. “Hey, Papyrus, aren’t chimeras strong in fire magic?”

“WHY, I DO BELIEVE SO. I BELIEVE IT IS THEIR PRIMARY ELEMENT FOR ATTACKS!” Papyrus said while smiling big at Toriel.

“... so… this is the caster you told me about?” The elemental asked, and Papyrus nodded—this shocked Toriel, who looked at the skeletons nervously.

“I… me? But… I am still learning my magic attacks…,” Toriel muttered bashfully.

“NONSENSE. I SAW YOU PRACTICING YESTERDAY. YOUR SKILL LEVEL IS PERFECT FOR THIS KIND OF FRIENDSHIP. AND WHO BETTER TO HELP YOU EXCEL THAN LIVING FIRE?” Papyrus asked.

“I heard once it is like servitude for the elemental,” She said nervously.

“... It is not supposed to be… It is supposed to be an alliance of shared ideals…” The young fire elemental explained. “... If I form a pact, I would rather it be with… someone kind.”

She looked at the elemental, who looked back at her with a determined stare. “What if…”

“... Toriel… I am alone, an orphan… my parents… killed… I would be honored to form a pact with someone who learns from Papyrus… he was my parent’s teacher…” The elemental explained.

“And I think I know a little princess who could use a friend,” Sans grinned.

Toriel frowned and looked away, annoyed it was said, but she knew it was true. There were not many monsters around her age. And even fewer in her kingdom. Being royalty also limits her social interactions, giving her more friends who are old enough to be her parents or grandparents.

“... How do I form a pact?”

It was early morning, and the artificial sun powered by the core was just starting to light the area around her. It was a soft glow by the time she reached Snowdin, as most of the area was still dark. Her trip back took longer as her anger had calmed to allow her to walk at a less brisk and tiring pace. She was exhausted as she hadn’t stopped once either way to rest or eat. So, as she started to walk past the bar and grill owned by an old friend of hers, Toriel couldn’t help but finally stop.

Just standing outside, she could feel the warmth and smell the food within that caused her hunger to nag at her. No longer could she ignore her body’s need for nutrition. However, how will her friend react to seeing her after so long?

The closed sign was still in place at the window, and she should continue home to the two waiting for her. Still, her hunger drove her to test the door handle, and when it clicked open, she followed her stomach inside. As the door opened, a little bell jingled, announcing someone had entered the building. Shortly after, a familiar elemental exited the back, a perturbed look to his flames despite his neutral expression. 

That is until he saw her.

“…….Toriel?” He looked at her, shocked, to say the least.

“Hello, Grillby. I am sorry to disturb you, as I know you have not yet opened for the day,” Toriel said with an apologetic smile.

Grillby shook his head, then waved her over to the bar. “... The pact… was to help each other when in need or… just to be there… correct? It still holds today…”

“And I told you long ago you were free from that,” She said as he looked her over as she took those tiring steps toward a barstool. As she sat down, she could feel his concern for her intermingled with the heat he naturally gave. “I will be fine, my dear friend. I just had a very long day yesterday. I was on my way home and saw your place and felt the need to stop.”

With a nod, the elemental disappeared into the back, and soon, she smelled food cooking. Grease. She could smell it as it filled the air and made her mouth water. Oh, this would be so unhealthy compared to her home-cooked meals. After what she had been through, she deserved to have one meal that indulged the taste buds without guilt. Besides, Grillby was famous for his cooking skills.

Grillby returned with the food, plenty of it, and the two shared the meal… and Toriel again felt his concern. “... What brought you from the Ruins?”

“I… I am angry with Gaster,” She sighed, and Grillby frowned. “Yes, I know. You questioned if he was someone to trust at the start, and you were right.”

Grillby chuckled, the fire of his body crackling. “... So… what did he do?”

And this time, Toriel told her story truthfully… And she saw the same anger she had stirred in Grillby’s flames. The elemental shook his head at the end of his story. “... I doubt… there will be true justice… Asgore… is too soft…” He then sighed and looked away. “But… now I know… what was making a mess of my garbage…”

“Can you keep me updated with any news you hear concerning Gaster?” Toriel asked, and Grillby nodded.

They then talked a while longer about the restaurant and would have continued their discussion on food and cooking if it weren’t for a knock on the door. Grillby looked at the time and sighed. “.... ah… it is past opening…”

“Oh dear… I didn’t mean to keep you,” Toriel said as she pulled up her hood and frowned. She did not want to leave out the front door in front of those waiting to come in. But what other choice did she have?

“... This way…,” Grillby directed her through the back room, past his kitchen, and out a different door. “... Take care… Toriel. … Stop by any time…”

It was noon when a sound from the basement was heard. The two blasters stood and made their way to the top of the stairs, looking down as they watched and waited. Soon enough, Toriel came into view, and she looked up at them with a relieved smile. “I am back, sorry, but I got hungry on the way and stopped for food. But worry not; I will make you both something fresh.”

Sans started to sniff over her, smelling that one place where he would occasionally dig through the garbage to scroung up food. He didn’t blame her for stopping there at all. The food there was delicious. If there weren’t so many monsters in that town, he might have raided that garbage more often. He did, though, smell something on her hands that made him growl.

The Doctor.

Papyrus smelled The Doctor, too, and shrank back fearfully.

“I think I know who you smell… and yes, I did go to see Doctor Gaster. Upon seeing him, I let my anger out at how you two have been treated. Then I informed him you are both dead. I think he believed me and will not be looking for either of you. So… once you are better, you are free to do as you wish. You may leave or stay here… I… I wish you would choose to stay, but… that is for you to decide.”

Sans just stood there staring at her as she spoke, as if he didn’t believe what he heard. He looked at the fireplace, remembering how the flames were out of control. His hope was true… someone… for once, stood up for them… Tears filled his sockets, blurring his vision as for once… for once, he truly felt…

Safe?

At peace?

No, there was another word… one she used…

Free…