Chapter Text
Undyne had checked many times if Papyrus was up to make the drive to the hospital alone. Papyrus assured her that all was well. He felt grounded today and his head was clear. He wouldn't dream of picking Frisk up at the hospital if there was any possibility he was not fit to drive! He was the very safest of skeletons!
She had packed her stuff and headed back to her apartment after that, giving him one last rib-crushing hug. He spent the next couple of hours preparing their home for their little guest of honour after receiving some very important information.
sans:
-so dr says frisk needs to stay with a guardian for a week. i asked em what theyd like to do for the next while
-they asked if they could stay with you n me. that good with you?
Papyrus had prepared two sleeping options! Frisk could either sleep in the living room, in the very cool blanket fort he had expertly constructed! Or! They could sleep in his room, and Papyrus would sleep in the living room!
(He thought they may want a proper bedroom, so they could close the door.)
And then it was finally time to bring their friend home.
Papyrus took a deep breath outside of Frisk's hospital room. He nervously fidgeted with his gloves. His favourite pair were still in the laundry, on account of - ah. As Undyne had called it, "The blood of his enemy." A very grim phrasing, though when Undyne informed him that he had looked very badass, he couldn't help but feel deeply satisfied. Anyway, the gloves had been missed in the load of laundry Undyne had done.
But! Today was not about enemy-blood or anything scary! Nosiree, today Papyrus was dressed in a soft, pastel green sweater, jeans, and his freshly-washed scarf. He was the picture of a cozy, soft skeleton! Surely nothing that would make his traumatized little friend nervous!
Papyrus straightened up, and before he could second (or third, fourth, fifth…)-guess himself, he rounded the corner into Frisk's room.
He saw Sans first, lounging in a chair, reading aloud from a quantum physics book. "…And I said patella? I barely know her!"
Then his eyes landed on Frisk, who was giggling.
They looked much less…broken than when he last saw them, but his breath still caught at the sight. The human had a sterile white bandage on their face where their cheekbone had been broken, and he was unsure if the dark circles under their eyes were from lack of sleep or bruising.
Their neck was bruised the most. He only now noticed how clearly the marks looked like a hand.
He paused in the entryway and cleared his non-existent throat to announce his arrival.
Frisk sat up straight and looked up at him. They gave him a slightly-lopsided but bright grin.
"Papyrus!!" They beamed up at him. They coughed and slumped a little bit, frustration flickering across their face.
"Sorry, pal, voice still out of order," Sans said, nudging their arm lightly. They groaned.
Ah yes, another adjustment. Sans had warned him that their voice was still recovering, due to the whole… broken-face-and-bruised-throat situation. They had a fluffy pink notebook and a purple pen at their bedside, as well as a new phone that they had ordered to replace the old one.
"Well. I am glad to see you, Frisk! And very happy to bring you back home!" Papyrus gave a bright smile back to them. "My very cool car awaits, whenever you are ready!”
Soon, Frisk was ready to go. They checked out at the reception. Before they left, Frisk motioned at the washroom sign, letting Sans and Papyrus know where they were going.
Papyrus leaned against the wall next to the washroom door. Sans leaned against the wall, then slid over until his shoulder bumped into Papyrus's arm.
"They're gonna be okay," he murmured.
Papyrus's grin strained. "Was my shock obvious?"
"Nah. Ya did good. But you can't hide it from your bro." Sans looked up at him and winked. "Don't worry. I'll keep a socket out for both of ya. Good thing I have two sockets."
Papyrus sighed and leaned his skull back against the wall.
The bathroom door opened, and Frisk stepped out.
"Ah! Are we all ready to go, then?" Papyrus asked cheerfully.
Frisk didn't make any noise or gesture in response. They had a faraway look in their eyes that seemed… not good.
Sans seemed to agree. "Hey, buddy. Something happen?"
He pulled out Frisk's notebook and pen from his pocket and offered them to Frisk, but they didn't make a move to take the items. Instead, they raised a hand to their throat, tracing the bruises.
"Can see it a lot," they whispered.
Sans winced. He moved around Frisk and looked into the bathroom. It had a bright, well lit interior and the upper half of the wall was completely covered in mirrors.
"Better lighting in there than the other bathroom," he murmured. He redirected his attention to Frisk. “You’re safe here, Frisk. we’re right here with you.”
Frisk nodded, but they still had the same vacant look in their eyes. Their fingers curled and they scratched lightly at their neck. "Can see it so much."
…
Papyrus really wished he could kill that man.
That was not currently an option, but! Helping his little friend might be possible.
"Frisk," he said softly, "Would you like to cover your neck?"
They looked up at him and cocked their head slightly, every movement slow and detached.
Papyrus unwound the scarf from around his neck and held it out to them.
"Why don’t you hold onto this," He said. "If you would like to wear it, you can put it on. If it feels bad to wear it, then you should take it off immediately! If you have trouble, the Great Me (or Sans) can assist!"
Papyrus stayed still as Frisk looked at the scarf in his outstretched hands. After a moment, they accepted it, and they wound it around their neck.
They stood still, hands holding the ends of the scarf loosely. Papyrus held his breath.
Then, Frisk blinked and their shoulders dropped. They brought one of their hands up to their face and rubbed the fabric lightly against their bandaged cheek.
Frisk smiled and closed their eyes.
"It's soft," they whispered.
Well.
Papyrus had been considering buying a new scarf anyhow! As far as he was concerned, that one would be Frisk's now, as long as they wanted it.
Home had never felt so good.
Papyrus opened the front door of their apartment with a flourish and gestured for Sans and Frisk to walk in first. Sans stepped over the threshold and was greeted with a spectacular sight.
Their apartment's kitchen and living room were open concept. The kitchen was on the left when they entered, with a counter facing the living room with no wall dividing it. It made hosting gatherings really easy, and Sans loved it.
Right now, though, the living room had been turned into a rather spectacular shelter.
Papyrus had nailed blankets to the walls and ceilings to make a cozy tent structure that encompassed their two couches and armchair. The blankets were currently pulled away from the windows, but Sans noted strings that could be untied to block out the light as needed. The TV was in the shelter, as well.
The floor of the living room was covered in two mattresses with crisp, unwrinkled sheets. They were set up beside each other so the entire floor was cushioned. Pillows were propped up all around the edges of the mattresses, and four or five blankets that Sans didn't recognize were neatly folded up. As a finishing touch, hundreds of fairy lights twinkled gently along the blanketed ceiling.
He turned around to see Frisk frozen in place, their striking red eyes wide open and full of unfiltered wonder in a way that was rare for them. Papyrus stood in the entryway behind them, watching proudly.
"Welcome to scenic our house!!" He said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "I hope you like the recent renovations!"
Frisk spun around to look up at him. They hopped up onto their toes and flapped their hands a few times, then spun back to Sans. They made a writing motion. Sans handed them their writing supplies, and they ran to the kitchen counter to start frantically writing.
IT'S SO COOL!!!! They wrote, then underlined four times. They flipped to the next page. Is it for a party?
Papyrus stood taller when Frisk held the pages up to him.
"NYEH HEH HEH!" He laughed, preening under the praise. "Well! If you count our favourite human visiting us as a party, then this certainly is one!"
Frisk paused, then looked back at Sans. Their expression was unreadable, which was honestly impressive; not much got past Sans. They turned back to Papyrus.
Papyrus cleared his throat, his tone evening out a bit. "I set this up to show you. But during the day, we can move the mattresses aside and pull the blanket walls back so we have our normal living room. And at night, this can be your bedroom!"
Frisk straightened up a bit. Papyrus continued. "But! If you do not want to stay in the living room, I have also prepared my room!"
This time, even without seeing their face, Frisk's emotion was easily readable. They visibly flinched and leaned away from Papyrus.
It seemed Papyrus noticed as well. "For you to stay in! Alone!! Privately!! And I will stay in the living room!" He said hastily. "I wanted to give you options. I am very happy with either. Let me or Sans know when you have decided!"
Frisk moved back to the kitchen counter to write again, this time at a much less rapid pace. Sans and Papyrus watched as they wrote. Thanks so much!! You're both always so kind. They paused. They continued, the text much smaller. you didn't have to.
Sans and Papyrus shared a look over Frisk's head. Sans stepped forward so he could see Frisk's face. Their bright eyes were lidded once again, and their shoulders hunched a little bit. Sans offered a reassuring smile.
"Papyrus is just really awesome. He loves doin' this stuff for friends," Sans said, his voice casual. He shrugged. "Just another day in the life of being the coolest dude around."
Frisk finally looked back up at him, then turned to Papyrus and smiled. They paused for a moment, then slipped off their shoes and walked into the living room shelter. They stepped carefully onto one of the mattresses, one slow step at a time, as if they were walking on holy ground. They lowered themself gently and sat cross-legged, looking up at the fairy-light ceiling. The wonder returned to their expression.
Papyrus stepped up beside Sans, contentment radiating from him. Sans's own Soul ached at the sight.
He remembered Frisk's look as they wandered through Waterfall, that same awe and slow, careful reverence in their eyes - as if they loved something so much, but weren't sure if they had any right to enjoy it.
He'd pranked them with a painted telescope lens, and some of their nervousness seemed to drain away as they laughed at their reflection in one of the pools of water. Anomaly or not, Sans had appreciated that they at least had a healthy funnybone.
"Missed opportunity, Paps," he sighed. "You coulda put like, at least a hundred whoopie cushions under those mattresses."
Frisk snapped out of their reverie with a surprised laugh. Papyrus huffed and crossed his arms.
"Unbelievable! I would never consider such crude japes! Rule number one of being ‘The Most Cool Dude’ is being an excellent host!”
Sans shrugged. "Really? I didn't think cool dudes had a rulebook."
"Of course we do!!" Papyrus scoffed, and immediately produced a book from his pocket labeled Cool Dude Handbook.
Sans's casual demeanor cracked and let out a surprised wheeze. Frisk craned their neck to see the book and let out a sound of disbelief.
"Really! I do not see why you two would be surprised." He opened the book and turned to the first page, which had bold letters across both pages that read RULE 1: BE AN EXCELLENT HOST. He snapped the book shut and nodded seriously. "Being this cool is serious work!”
Frisk brought out their paper, struggling to write as they shook with giggles. They held up their paper for the brothers to read.
You're the coolest. I'll stay here. They then hastily added, if that's okay.
"I would be honoured." He turned to Sans. "Our human friend has good taste!”
"Sure does, bud," he said, nudging Papyrus affectionately. "They're right. You're the coolest."
Sans and Papyrus wanted Frisk to have a bit of space after that, so they went about their business. Sans told Frisk to rest while he set up the toiletries and other necessities that Toriel had dropped off before they arrived. They had looked nervous and told him that he didn’t have to do anything for them, but he assured them it was nothing. Sheesh, this kid was way too independent.
He had known that for a long time, of course. The monsters had a system in place that covered Frisk's needs. They received a grocery delivery weekly which was funded by the community's universal basic income, and they liked preparing their own breakfasts and lunches. But every weeknight, they had dinner with one of the adults in the community. It was fun having them over. They always insisted on helping and were a surprisingly adept cook, much better than many of the adults. Papyrus, Undyne, and Sans all learned a lot from them. Then, Frisk insisted on helping clean all the dishes, and often did extra cleaning while they were at it. Sans had tried to get them to be lazy, but gave up eventually. Frisk and Papyrus must simply be made of the same stuff.
Anyway, Frisk was capable of doing stuff around the house, of course. But like, they were a hurt kid. Why did it seem so odd for their friends to lend them a hand?
Just last weekend, Sans had only figured out after the fact that Frisk had been sick. They had dinner with Undyne on Friday night, and Papyrus had stopped by to hang out. Papyrus mentioned offhandedly to Sans that Frisk had seemed a bit… pinker than usual? Otherwise, he said they were totally normal! Sans hadn't known what to make of that. He saw them on Sunday and they seemed fine, and when he mentioned what Papyrus had said they waved it off and told him that they had just needed to sleep for 14 hours and then they got over it. They said it like a joke, but…14 hours was a lot for anyone, especially Frisk. The thought of them having obviously been unwell but not informing any of the adults around them had him worried.
They had always been so happy, so energetic and involved in everything. They were a healthy kid and never got sick in a way that Sans had actually noticed, anyhow. They were playful and helpful and they showed up to dinner every night, so he would notice if something was wrong, wouldn't he?
Recent events would certainly indicate otherwise. And Sans hadn’t been the most present guardian, especially the first year that they had all moved to the Surface. He had to keep a closer watch on them. That would definitely be made easier by their current living arrangement.
He shuffled into his room and flopped backwards onto his bed. The feeling was heavenly, after having dozed in a hospital armchair for a couple nights.
It was way too early for bed, and even so, he wouldn't have been able to sleep. He had to figure out what they were going to do to take care of Frisk.
They needed to get them into therapy as soon as possible. A human therapist would be best; sexual abuse was behaviour that was exhibited by select humans, not monsters, so a human therapist would be most equipped to address it. But Frisk had always politely but firmly refused intentional connection with humans. He was actually pretty amazed that they had been okay to talk with the doctor.
Even with that progress, Sans was pretty sure they wouldn’t be keen on a human therapist at the moment. The could ask, but he wanted to have options if they turned it down. He could look for any monsters who may have learned and studied up on this type of abuse, but he hadn’t heard of anything like that. Frisk didn't even know yet that Papyrus, Sans, and Undyne knew the nature of their abuse, and Sans wasn't exactly sure how to broach the topic, and…
He groaned and rubbed his hands on his closed sockets.
Nothing needed to be done tonight. Tonight, they would make dinner, maybe watch a movie. They could figure out what to do later.
Papyrus was making lasagna for dinner. Him and Frisk had learned how to make it together last year, Frisk gently guiding him away from some of his more unorthodox cooking methods. By now, Papyrus was genuinely good at making it, and it had become a regular recipe in the household.
Frisk zipped around their kitchen. They pulled out the glass oven-safe dish, assorted kitchen utensils, and sauce. Papyrus retrieved the rest of the ingredients.
Frisk may not be able to speak, but they moved with the usual bounce in their movements, stopping occasionally to jot something down for Papyrus to read. If Sans didn't know, even he wouldn't have been able to guess that this kid had just been in the hospital.
They hadn't removed the scarf from their neck since they got here. He guessed they would wear it until no trace of their father's hand print remained on their skin… maybe longer.
Yesterday, Frisk had asked if anyone had picked up their jacket. Sans remembered it. It was a puffy purple jacket with pink stripes and fluffy faux fur around the hood. They wore it every day in the winter. He asked if they had left it somewhere. In the alley where you found me, Frisk wrote.
Sans thought that seemed odd. It was a pretty cold day, and he didn't know why Frisk would have -
Ah.
Frisk wasn't the one who took it off, were they?
How did the kid in front of him act like everything was normal? Like they didn't live with the trauma and grief and fear that only showed in flashes, only to be smothered as soon as they regained control of themself?
…The kid may have more in common with him than he had guessed.
Frisk reached up to give Papyrus a high five after they laid the last sheet on their lasagna.
Sans rested his chin on his hand and watched as Papyrus put the lasagna in the oven.
He had learned yesterday evening that Undyne had retrieved the jacket, and she would bring it by sometime soon. Frisk had been really glad to hear that.
Frisk let their body sink into the soft mattress underneath them. A heavy blanket weighed them down, kept them grounded in a way they hadn't felt in a long time. It had been borrowed from Alphys, they were informed: -20 points since it was just borrowed, and they were still in pretty good standing with her, so that was okay.
They fiddled with the bracelet from the hospital, which they had forgotten to take off. Their name was in capital letters across the top: FRISK DEL ROSSO.
After coming to the surface, Frisk was told they needed to choose a surname. They didn't want to use their dad's name, and although the Dreemurr's would have been okay with them taking their name, Frisk didn't really want to be connected to them as family in that way. Frisk wasn't particularly looking for family, even if they needed guardians.
They decided that they could name themself after their Soul colour: red. Red wasn't a very fun word, though, so they spent some time looking at other languages. They finally landed on the Italian word, Rosso, because they liked the movie Porco Rosso. Hey, it was as good a reason as any.
Frisk dropped their hand back to their side and made a mental note to cut off the bracelet tomorrow.
The evening had been really nice. They helped make dinner, helped set up the movie, helped clean up. Sans had offered to help them with their bandages if they needed it, but they declined. They had the doctor’s instructions, and they would be able to manage the routine.
And…the biggest bandage was under their shirt. They didn't know if they would be able to manage their reactions if Sans told them to take off their shirt so he could change it.
What would he have done if Frisk said no? Would he force them to comply? Would he decide that now was actually a great time to take what Frisk owed him? Frisk wasn't ready. Their body still ached, and what if it hurt even worse this time? At least Frisk knew what to expect from Dad. It usually hurt but he was always really careful not to leave marks that other people could see, which Frisk was grateful for. They didn't want other people to see how often they messed up.
But this was new and dangerous territory. Maybe they should have just gone back home with Dad and then they wouldn't owe anyone else and they could have paid Dad back and they could be good again and-
Frisk turned onto their uninjured side, curled their knees up to their chest and wrapped their arms around themself. The front of their body was sheltered like this, but their back and neck were still vulnerable. They knew from experience that humans didn't have any way to keep their body safe. If only they had been born as an armadillo. Then they could curl into an armoured ball, roll around everywhere, and only ever uncurl when they were alone and safe.
Sans was at -1350 now. Papyrus was at -1325. Not that they really needed to keep track anymore.
They uncurled themself and looked up at the fairy light ceiling.
When they had asked to stay with Sans and Papyrus, they knew they were sealing their fate.
They weren’t allowed to live alone while they recovered, even though Frisk would have been fine. Whoever they stayed with, they knew they would rack up debt faster than they could repay it.
Experience told them that once they hit -500, it was almost impossible to climb out of debt without letting Dad balance the accounts. So they were already well beyond their ability to repay Sans and Papyrus. It was perfectly logical and just plain practical to keep the debts contained to them. They weren't exactly sure how a skeleton monster would even do most of the stuff Dad did, but, well, monsters were full of surprises. They didn't doubt that Sans and Papyrus could get some kind of use out of them.
Frisk knew that Papyrus was strong, but he was pretty in control of himself. He also didn't seem to harbour any animosity towards them. The chance of him leaving Frisk with any bad injuries seemed low. Unless he purposefully wanted to do that, in which case… well. That would be that, then. Maybe he would use healing magic to make sure they were okay afterwards; otherwise Frisk could just find some healing food and bandages. They wouldn’t be a wimp about it. No big deal.
Frisk didn't know what to expect from Sans, and that felt much more dangerous. They remembered sitting across from him in a dark restaurant, him telling them that without a single promise, Frisk would be dead. Frisk fully believed Sans was capable of making that happen if he so wished.
They didn't think Sans wanted them dead, not anymore. Their friends loved them, and they loved their friends. And Sans kept Frisk safe at the hospital; he wouldn't have done that if he wanted them dead.
But someone who loved them could still want to hurt them. They wondered if those glimpses of danger in Sans would come out again when it was his turn. They didn't want to be hurt bad, but… well, they had survived this long. And Sans wouldn't kill them. They couldn't be such a crybaby about this.
Something deep in their Soul fought desperately against the thought of their friends treating them like Dad did. That was confusing; this was how the world worked, at least for them. Maybe it wasn't that way for other kids, but Frisk had always taken so much from those who took care of them. They would stop running from what they owed. Dad ended up in jail because they ran. They couldn't let that happen to any of their new friends.
They just hoped Sans and Papyrus could wait a little longer, until their body stopped hurting so bad. They would keep being helpful and try not to mess up. Maybe they could delay the inevitable, just a little bit.
Frisk drew Alphys's blanket all the way up until it was over their mouth. They blinked up at the fairy lights in the beautiful shelter Papyrus had made for them. -200 points, at least, but it really was beautiful. They smiled to themself and let their eyes drift shut. Maybe it was all worth it, anyway.