Prisoner Pets
"Come on, Frisk, you go play with the dog in my room."
Frisky heard her son laugh and a dog's bark as she heard feet go upstairs. Well, at least he's nice enough to get Frisk out of the room.
"That's better. Just in case." She could feel Sans coming closer. "Now . . . you. You don't feel right." She watched a skeletal hand appear in front of her face, and yank her hoodie back. "You saved Papyrus, so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. But." He came and stood in front of her. She watched his bony hand reach out toward her chin. Part of her was preparing for the moment he yanked her head completely up, breaking her neck. But, he only nudged it up. "Stay right there." His bony hands patted each of her shoulders again. "Relax. Chill a second."
Sure, sure. Geeeeettttt Duuuuunked oooon! went straight through Frisk's head again. Gaw, he was doing that thing, making her look straight at him for answers again. Judging. He's going to judge me, and if he actually remembers with no flukes. Then maybe he became an official Guardian. If so, he could see even deeper if he concentrates harder. If he wants to know why a boy had souls being carried around? Oh, he is going to look hard and there's no one else to disturb his focus! Just my own soul. He'll see things he shouldn't see. I don't know if I will make it out of this alive.
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It. Didn't make sense. It didn't. What was he seeing? She was behind the knife. She knew Judgment Hall, but she was screaming. Behind laughing red eyes, she was screaming in torture. Then, it flipped.
To . . .
"Here." FRISK held his little hands out to the surface. "We're free!"
Sans looked around at the vast wilderness and sky. "Wow, we really did it? You really managed to do it, kid. Hey, look at that big ball of fire. That's the sun, right?"
"Yep, Sans."
"Wow. Hey, Papyrus, check out the sun."
"It's like a big old ball of firey fire!" Papyrus said. "Wowie! The Sun! I will never forget that name!"
Toriel asked the little boy if he wanted to stay with her, but he declined, saying there was somewhere else to be. He was asked about being ambassador, but he declined that too.
"I promise, I will come back to see everyone though." FRISK looked over toward Sans. "I know you didn't care so much about it, but doesn't it feel right to be here?" He laughed and patted Sans coat. "I will never have to reset again!"
"I will never have to reset again." That kid said that. It was more vibrant than he'd ever heard before. Than he ever remembered hearing. Different dialogue. There was a different dialogue with them, not the rehashed words he learned to use over and over.
Then he saw Judgment Hall, this time the kid slamming on MERCY.
I'll endure. I can do this and keep control. If he just chooses mercy. Just choose mercy. If he just chooses mercy . . . before PERSEVERANCE takes control again. Oh, I don't want this, not again. Not everyone. I don't, I don't, just reset already! Aaaah, dodge, dodge, dodge, dodge! No, I can't do it, I won't strike him, shut up! Trapped, forever trapped. Forever trapped. Forever trapped.
"I will never have to reset again!"
Forever trapped.
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Sans was bending so far over her, he was practically on top of her! Then, he clapped his skeletal hands like an epiphany. "I got it." He chuckled. Seriously, he chuckled? "I get it now. Sorry, fear and shame are tangled up deep inside, and it took time to unwind the whole hell in your head. And there is a lot of hell in your head. Well. I've been trying to figure out what to call you, buddy."
Buddy?
"You're part of the kiddo."
Kiddo? Was he really going to start calling her Kiddo again? "Partly."
"More than partly, pal. Everything I saw, the words used, that wasn't rehashed." Sans patted her on the head like she were a child.
As she let him pull her up, she really took notice of his eye sockets. They were filled with nothing but the old Sans she once met. Not the one that was going to hurl her a hundred feet away and spike her spine with bones. Just the one that liked to drink straight ketchup once upon a time. "Good." Great. He didn't want to kill her, fantastic. If he could just stop dwelling on her now.
"It's . . . not going to be easy to remember I killed you a thousand different ways," Sans said. "But, uh . . ."
Why was he stopping and starting? Frisky didn't understand. Didn't really want to understand.
"I don't remember any of that though." He still seemed 'off'.
Okay. Please drop this. Go back to Frisk, go check up on something.
"Frisk has memories too, but he has a lot more of the good."
Okay, really. When is he going to turn away already?
"Lot more. Like nothing but good. Like actually nothing but me."
Oh, freaking . . .
"Hmmmm." And he walked off.
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That. He didn't have a routine established for each new reset because he didn't remember. He didn't replay lines in his head. She must have been that one. The first. I don't remember everything I saw in her head. But . . .
Every scene he saw in her head was just of him constantly killing her, screaming and mercy. Every one, except the beginning. He saw him. He saw Undyne. He saw things he didn't even know happened, but then nothing. No different versions of Grillby's. No different conversations. That only meant one thing.
Frisky refused to ever meet me again except in Judgment Hall, with mercy? Sans scratched his shoulder bone. He never even remembered meeting Frisky, and the only one he knew was her son? Okay. I wanted to make time move again so that every day was a new surprise. Guess this is what I asked for.
Frisk. Frisky. That other human that was destroyed. All the body parts. The ghostly spirit. He couldn't wait to hear how this one turned out.
He went back in toward Frisky. "So. How is it a bunch of humans get stuck into one kid? That doesn't just happen randomly."
Oh. He is really starting to get it. "The FRISK you knew completely, is . . . as a whole, gone. We were all one. The um, the guy I fought. He was part of us too."
"Don't miss that side, that's for sure." Sans seemed a little more depressed. "But, I guess I got the best sides. Playful." He gestured over toward his room where the dog barked and Frisk laughed again. "And DETERMINATION. Determined enough to remember more resets than me." He shrugged. "We're covering that one later." He didn't seem half as depressed anymore. "Ooh, Papyrus! Almost forgot." He gestured toward his door and it swung open. Out came Frisk and the dog floating out with his blue magic toward the front of the couch. "Stay out of the way, both kiddos." He lifted the couch with his magic and shoved it into his room. "There. Uh." He looked toward Frisky. "Don't tell anyone how much magic I actually have, okay? They'll make me start doing . . . stuff."
"Sans!" Papyrus said as he burst through the door. "I've got the bandages, and I found a book on pet keeping!"
"Cool." Sans went over to his brother and checked out the book. "I suppose humans are close enough to pets."
Now that was just annoying. Pet? I don't know if that's better or worse than prisoner.
Papyrus looked toward Frisky. "That hoodie is too tight around the waist, it looks like it wants to pop off soon." He looked into the book. "It doesn't say anything about pets wearing clothes. I suppose we should take them off."
Was he serious? Frisky watched Papyrus approach her, and she backed up.
"Think they'll probably be fine, Papyrus," Sans piped up.
"But how fragile are these humans supposed to be?" Papyrus asked Sans. "They already need bandages from a light fall. It looks like that outfit thing is pressing into its skin. I don't want to pay money for a vet, Sans."
Frisky just rubbed her face. Oh gaw. She backed up further from her shackle ball.
"It'll come round to wearing different clothes."
He and Papyrus were making a point clear. That hoodie was really tight on her. It was almost like a long dress now as low as it went but it was practically cutting into her mid-section. But, a hoodie or naked. Not a tough choice.
"Okay, then. We will skip that for now. Um, the little human is still playing with that annoying dog?" Papyrus groaned. "Well, I suppose that is pet play! Yes!" He marked it off with glee. "We are already doing something right! Nyeh heh heh!" He walked around, studying the book. "Oh, Undyne will be so proud of me. I will have the best prison pets around, she'll have to advance me even faster to join the Royal Guard." Papyrus looked back toward Frisk. "Make sure it doesn't fall over its own ball and shackle. Injury, injury, avoid injury. I will see what to do about the sleeping arrangements. And good job for moving the couch, Sans! Initiative, yes!" Papyrus handed Sans the bandages. "Here, you can help."
Sans watched as his brother sailed upstairs. "He always gets happy when he feels like he's doing something." He moved over toward Frisk on the floor. "Okay, here." Frisk took the bandages and sat down on the ground. His shirt practically covered his whole body, so he kicked his legs out from it.
The top of his foot and part of his knee didn't look the same at all. They were red and purple, a far cry from the skin color.
"Any white stuff?" Frisk asked. "It'll help it heal faster."
White stuff? Sans just shook his head, figuring he meant healing gel.
"Well. Okay. No big deal." Frisk took some bandages, but even those couldn't cover up all the weird colors. He moved himself back up, his whole body hidden beneath the shirt again. "Thanks, Sans. Don't forget about mom." He handed the bandages back.
"Part of the territory," Frisky answered. "I'm fine."
Sans came over anyway. The nicer he was to Frisky, the less she'd see him as the impenetrable force that kept killing her in Judgment Hall. No matter what her story was, he'd already had an extra deep look inside. Really deep look inside. He didn't even know he could look so deep inside . . . but she was good. She even saved Papyrus. Without her there, his brother would be dead right now. He handed her the bandages. "Here."
She still wasn't grabbing them. "Trust me, I'm fine."
"Come on, kiddo, take it." Sans answered. "Not a choice."
Frisky sighed lowly, but she didn't push him. She sat on the ground and pulled the hoodie up enough to expose her legs.
Most of her skin was a completely different shade of color, with deep cut marks in it too. That's Undyne's marks? She took a little bandage and placed it on a random place, then covered her legs back up, handing him the bandages. Those little bandages weren't going to do anything for her. She got that from Undyne's little push to get out of the way? Then what did her neck look like? What did her arms look like? Her tight clothing make it too tight to check.
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Well. Prisoner or not, Frisk was really talkative. He may have stayed short, but it looked like he was acting closer to his age. He could walk and run. He even spoke real well, and it looked like his memory was resurfacing a little more. That kid was hungry too, he ate two full cold Grillby burgers.
It looked like that was it for the transformation too. That shirt was never gonna fit that kid, they'd have to get something new for him. Same with the hoodie on his mom, Frisky. it was almost choking her mid-section.
"What about the clothes, Sans?" Papyrus touched his bony finger on his chinbone. "I think I have something for the big one, but . . . no, I don't. She's gotten umm . . ."
"Fat." He watched Frisky's attention pop back toward him on instinct. Good. More annoyance. With enough practice he'll have all the shame and fear of him converted into annoyance by the end of his next nap.
"That's not the term. But, uh . . . wider?" She shot Papyrus the same look. "Maybe that's not it either."
"I think she's busting at the seams for the answer."
"Oh, just go upstairs and get her a shirt or coat or something!"
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Frisky yanked at the bottom of the shirt Sans had let her borrow. Fancy little number that said 'It was me'. Oh, yeah. It was a real oversized shirt too because there weren't any shorts that fit. While she was the right height of Sans, she only gained a good extra twenty pounds and Sans was a broad skeleton. Only a shirt was an option. Maybe it's temporary. This wouldn't make it as easy to dodge attacks. She wouldn't have survived the attack PERSEVERANCE had inflicted on Papyrus without the locket.
"Frisk? Come here." She was not the mathematician of the group, but PATIENCE was gone. Frisky had to do her own mathematical guessing. Frisk came over to his mom and stood beside her. She whispered a few things to herself and measured down a few spades to where he was at. It couldn't be coincidence that her body adjusted to Sans exact height. He was in the line of the program when they broke apart. It must have took some of his data.
Which meant Frisk's calculations would be matching her height by about a third. Which meant, he wouldn't get much taller, and neither would she. "You're probably not going to change shape much until we get back home."
"Oh. Well, at least I can ride their dog," Frisk said as he chuckled at the dog on the floor.
"We do not have a dog. He just came into the house somehow! Again!" Papyrus patted his head. "This has been a stressful shift for me. I am calling it good. I am going to bed." The dog barked after him. "No, you cannot follow me upstairs. You are for pet play, but you are not ours." It followed him upstairs anyway. "No, you cannot come into my room!" It snuck in before he closed the door.
Frisk just laughed. "He's funny. I kind of remember him more." He looked over toward Sans. "I remember puzzles. He does them a lot."
"That's my bro," Sans answered. "He loves puzzles."
"Yeah and he likes something else," Frisk said, clearly in thought. "What is it?"
"Spaghetti."
"Oh yeah, spaghetti."
"Did someone mention my spaghetti?" Papyrus questioned as he carried the dog back out of his room.
"Uh, no," Sans covered quickly. "Good sleep, bro."
"Well. Well!" Papyrus stuck his hand in the air. "I will fix my spaghetti tomorrow for everyone!"
"That'll be incredibly unforgettable for you." Sans grabbed both of their balls on their shackles. "Follow the leader."
Going up the stairs in shackles wasn't fun, but at least they were long enough that they had enough length to drag a bit. When they reached upstairs, he put the balls with its attached chains back down.
"Goodnight, Sans!" Frisk hugged him on the leg. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yep, yep. Be good, kid. I'm first watch, but I uh, have something to do downstairs. If Papyrus asks, I just left a second."
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Sans didn't care too much about anything. Especially after resetting all the time, but he was shook up more than usual. I could have lost him today. This time, I would have had to ask for a reset to get him back, but that would bring the whole FRISK thing back, meaning . . . yeah, it wasn't a choice. Not to mention, there were probably more of those things out there. But this timeline, he had something new on his side.
Frisky. Instead of destroying his world, she could help save it. She had the ability to knock out the invincibility humans carried. Undyne already lost some guards, but that was far from genocide. Just keep your eye sockets open. Anyone lost this time is lost for good.
Sans moved through the house, trying to think. He nor his brother pointed out all the things on Frisky, but she was covered on the neck with deep scratches from Undyne. Her arms were red and marked. And having a shirt instead of that overgrown hoodie had exposed even more marks on the top of her legs.
The whole FRISK never had any injuries. It never bled once, even when it died. Maybe that was why multiple souls went in, to avoid the fragility humans faced down there? If only his powerful magic could help heal. Okay, what's wrong with you? You've killed her over a thousand times and never blinked. Yeah, but he never had to deal with the consequences of what happened to the human body. Even that guy tonight . . . it just stayed there. Humans didn't turn to dust, they just left a grisly mess behind.
Thoughts came back to his mind about the times he managed to hit her before resets. Ouch. Bones shattering through the skin. He didn't want her to keep thinking of him in that light. That was him when he was desperate. When he was fighting evil. Not . . . not her or Frisk. "We don't have anything. I guess she'd need, uh, white stuff," he said, remembering what Frisk asked for. They would need healing gel.
Well, at least she was safely at his place. Prisoner, but not dying or trapped in a cell that Undyne felt fit to put them in. That fish sure could be blind at times. Oh well. At least he gave them a few minutes of privacy. Papyrus was going to make sure they got absolutely none, wanting to make sure he got the job done right, so he'd have to make some wiggle room here and there.
Frisk sank into the couch and punched it. "Ah, oh no, the enemy. Don't worry, I'll save the day everyone!" He punched the couch more.
Frisky laughed and picked him up. Hm. Even though she had changed, she seemed to have even more strength than she did before. "Now, how do you deal with enemies?" She picked him up and put him over her shoulders. She pretended to point to a menu. "Hit ACT and try talk before doing anything else."
"I thought we were supposed to check attack and defense?"
"You can do that too. Try it." She pretended to point to ACT. "Oh, your opponent is the mysterious creature named 'Couch'. Now, look at your opponent. What's it say about them?"
"It says?" Risk thought about it. "It says others like to sit on it. But it wants to sit on someone for a change."
"Uh oh. Oh no, I think the couch is going to try to sit on you." Frisky balanced her son on her shoulders as she moved to the left, then the right. "Watch for the attacks." Frisk just laughed. "Okay, now what?"
"I hit ACT and talk. I tell it I won't sit on it."
"Oh look, it's happy about that. Uh oh, just dodge to the right a little." Frisky moved over to the right some. "Oh look, now what happened?"
"It's smiling," Frisk said as his mom brought him back down. "Can I spare it now?"
"Yep. It'll go away now." Frisky patted his head. "You did good."
"I know, I'm cool." Frisk laughed as he looked up at his mom. "I like you this close to the ground with me."
Sans had been near the door, hearing them. The mysterious couch. Ha ha, I was right, this pair isn't too bad.
"Yeah. Well. We may fluctuate some, but we'll be stuck like this."
"Even when we get back to the surface?"
"We might be able to fix it, but I don't know for sure."
"But mom, the mission was supposed to be all worked out. No flaws."
"Well, we weren't released the right way."
"How were we released?"
Uh oh. Frisky wasn't going to tell Frisk, was she? He didn't need the kid to start being afraid of him too.
"I don't remember anything, except all kinds of limbs and . . . and Sans was there, and I didn't see you and-"
"Don't worry about it. Don't think about it. It's over. You know what? Don't worry about this different size thing. You and I are fine. That's all that matters."
"Right! Finding Sans and a place to sleep tonight fills me with DETERMINATION."
Sans stepped back into the room. "Tomorrow you might actually have someone watching you sleep half the night. Papyrus takes his work seriously." Sans sat on the couch and stretched. "Luckily, I don't." He laid his skeleton body down on the couch and closed his eyes.
"Alright, come into the bed, Frisk."
"It feels weird sleeping at this time."
"When in Rome. Come on, Hon. Bedtime."
Sans barely watched them as they went down to sleep. Hm. He probably should have asked some questions, there was a ton he wanted to know. But they were stuck together anyhow, he'd had one hell of a day, and tomorrow would show up like it was supposed to. Then the next day . . . and then the next day . . .
Still, his eyes lingered on Frisky's arms after they went to sleep. She had her son wrapped up close in her clearly sore arms. His wriggling wasn't going to help them. Yep. They are fine.
Funny having two Frisks. Even funnier was how similar their names were. Talk about confusing too, he'd probably come up with his own nicknames for them later. Maybe something punny that would drive Papyrus crazy.
Well, tomorrow.