The car rolled to a stop along the curb and with a certain enthusiasm that seemed to infect every action his brother did, Papyrus put it into park as they both looked over towards the house: Name To Be Decided.

Technically, the house didn't need an official name considering The King was not so much a king anymore and this wasn't much of a capital either. But despite that, several different names had been applied to it ranging from New New Home to Newer Home and other variations in-between if for nothing else but tradition. Monsters were all about traditions and the king would always, forever, still be very bad at names.

But to be fair, since coming up to the surface and having learned about some of the Human's naming schemes, it seemed as if the Monsters shouldn't have felt so called out on it. After all, somewhere in the world there were White Houses and Casas Rosadas and just plain old Royal Palaces.

Of course it was still awful, but the Monsters were not alone in that.

What was creativity as long as it got the point across?

And who was Sans and his horrible but brilliant puns to judge?

He honestly liked it all.

It was predictable and comfortingly simple.

And the house was simple for a simple man; there wasn't much to it. And the front door was wide opened and would stay open to anyone no matter how ill-advised that seemed, and the brothers passed it without much thought.

"FRISK?! YOUR HIGHNESS?! ARE YOU HERE?!"

"you know where they are, bro."

And that was true. Because the house wasn't very impressive but what lay behind it. Perhaps Sans should suggest the name chosen could be Garden Home.

The garden wasn't much of a garden yet. But there were two finished beds beside the back door filled with golden flowers that had been transferred from the Underground and the backyard was full of dirt and potential. Progress would be made, Sans knew. Though Sans suspects progress would come faster if it weren't for Frisk's weekly visits. The King very clearly waited to do a lot of things until the child was present. Not so much the manual labor, but the planting. And Sans kinda appreciated that.

"FRISK? YOUR HIGHNESS?" Papyrus called once again. But still, the brothers knew exactly where to go.

"We're in Greenhouse, Papyrus!" Asgore's deep voice called back, just as expected. Papyrus moved quickly ahead to the green house that rested in the back corner of the yard as Sans trailed behind through the mounds of mulch and dirt.

The moment Sans sees the kids he knows they've been crying again, and just like he suspected, knew... The King knows.

About the RESETs anyways.

One thing at a time, Sans guessed. But a part of him had actively hoped...

Chara just wasn't ready, he knew. He knew all about not being ready.

And so much had happened...

One thing at a time, Sans repeated. One thing...

The kids were looking at Sans and Papyrus even as their hands still rested in Asgore's paws as he himself sat in a sorry wooden chair that creaked once The King actually stood up; still holding one of Frisk's hands. Sans noticed Frisk squeeze it in a moment of comfort but was it for The King or themself or was it Chara doing it for the benefit of both of them?

"You must let me offer you a cup of tea before you go." The King said after the small talk greetings and jokes had been worked through and the tension relieved. But by the cups on the small table beside the chair, Sans figured Asgore had already all but drowned Frisk in tea already.

"nah. tea isn't much my thing. it goes right through me."

"SANS, PLEASE!" Papyrus cried. But Frisk laughed softly to themself.

But they did have to get going. They had a little ways to go in order to get to their surprise.

"Oh? And what is that?" Asgore asked.

"A SURPRISE!" Papyrus reiterated. Frisk looked uncertain but curious and it was Asgore's turn to chuckle

"Fair enough, my friend."

They cut back through the house and the brothers are already out the door when they turn to see that Frisk has lingered behind uncertainly with Asgore. Asgore just smiled sadly before kneeling down in front of them. But even with that he still towers over them.

"It will be alright, Frisk." He tells them, seemingly again. They bite their bottom lip and their fingers are intertwined loosely as they can't meet his eyes.

"But what if it isn't?" They managed to voice. Asgore doesn't seem to know what to say so instead he hugs them tightly.

"It will be." He promises. "She loves you more than you can know."

Their little arms can't even wrap fully around him but they try their hardest and squeeze. And Sans feels his own magic squeeze inside his ribcage. Because he knows that for all of their constant mantra of 'if they only knew' it was always heightened when it can to Toriel.

Especially when they had what they assumed to be the perfect example with Asgore.

When they had their own memory of how she had responded when they had...

"Now I see who I was protecting by keeping you here. Not you... but them!"

But Asgore was right... Toriel loved them now more than they could ever accept.

And comparing themself to Asgore would not be fair in her eyes... they were a child. Though Sans wasn't sure how Toriel felt about Asgore at the current moment even...

So much... had happened. And for all that The King wasn't so much a king anymore, The Queen was more of a queen than she had been for a very, very long time. She had even stopped countering people who dared to call her Dreemurr, but he suspected that had much more to do with Frisk and the adoption than anything else.

But Frisk was pulling away and Asgore was letting them go and they slipped out of the house and bounded towards the skeleton brothers as they waved goodbye. The King was standing up and he stood there for a moment in the doorway as he watched the trio make their way towards the car. But then, he disappeared back inside the house. And Sans suspected he was going to be making himself some more tea to help calm his own nerves.

So much had happened.

And Papyrus was scooping up the kid into his arms almost right away and to steady themself they wrapped their arms around his neck.

"P-Papyrus?"

"IT WILL BE ALRIGHT." Papyrus assured. "AFTER ALL! YOU NOW HAVE ALL OF US TO HELP YOU! AND BESIDES! LADY TORIEL WILL SURELY BE JUST AS PROUD OF YOU AND INSPIRED AT HOW BRAVE YOU HAVE BEEN! JUST LIKE I AM! EVEN MORE THAN I ALREADY WAS AND I DID NOT THINK THAT WAS POSSIBLE." Their expression dropped.

They knew. They knew Papyrus knew.

Their eyes immediately flew to Sans in panic and his smile twisted into a cringe.

"uh, maybe we shouldn't have sprung that on 'em with no warning, bro." Sans offered.

"OH! WELL, I'M-"

"No!" Frisk cried, turning back to his brother. They could already hear the apology in Papyrus' voice and Sans knew they couldn't stand it. "N-No." They managed more calmly. "I just... I-It's okay. I was just... surprised." They looked back towards Sans again, something proud in their eyes now rising up as well as they smiled sheepishly. It seemed Sans had caught them off guard this time. But they really were happy about it. But they rested against Papyrus' scarf and tightened their grip as their smile fell. Because for all that they didn't want Papyrus to apologize they did not feel like that extended to themself. "I'm sorry, Papyrus."

"WHAT IS PAST IS PAST!" Papyrus continued though he also held them tighter as well. "MY BROTHER HAS TOLD ME ALL ABOUT YOUR PROMISES AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, PROMISE TO BE THERE AT EVERY LEAP AND BOUND OF THE WAY!"

There were clear tears in their eyes but they were smiling... Accepting it as an unavoidable fact.

"I love you, Papyrus."

"NYEH HEH HEH! I LOVE YOU TOO."

"Was that... the surprise?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" Papyrus declared.

Though Sans knew that for them to enjoy the surprise fully that wasn't really true. Them knowing about Papyrus really had been a part of it in that sense.

"WELL! I GUESS IT WAS A SURPRISE AS IN SOMETHING UNEXPECTED." Eh, Sans guessed that was right too. "BUT THAT IS MOST CERTAINLY NOT ALL!"

"yeah kid, we gotta travel a bit for our real surprise."

Frisk eyed them curiously again but let Papyrus slide them down into the backseat and buckled up obediently.

And with that they were on their way and Frisk tilted their head in surprise when the car eventually pulled up to the base of Mt. Ebott.

"Why here?" They asked as the brothers got out of the car and made their way towards the trunk. Frisk twisted in their seat and leaned over the edge to try and steal a peak.

"guess." Sans offered. They shook their head, not a clue. "c'mon, guess! you're smart." Their lips pressed together, unsure of themself. "what was the first thing you suggested to me after the barrier broke?"

"I..."

Their uncertain expression transformed the moment the brothers revealed the telescope from the trunk.

"we didn't really have much fun last time, did we?" Sans asked mournfully. But Frisk and Chara were beaming. Their eyes were stars in and of themself. Gold. Vibrant. They couldn't decide which brother to look at and kept going back and forth.

Going up the mountain started off as a race but soon enough Papyrus had put them up on his shoulders and eventually had grabbed Sans as well with one arm as he held their basket of things in the other.

So much had happened and there was still much to do.

A secret in the back of Frisk's mind, a buried locket and a promise somewhere deep within the mountain. But for right then... For a moment...

They could just let that go.

The smallest of breaks.

All of them could just take one thing at a time.

And that was the surprise: A blanket, some snacks, spaghetti that wasn't half bad, and a telescope pointed to a sky full of stars and a radiant moon that was full once again.

Good food, bad laughs, irreplaceable company.

And for a moment... Just one moment...

Everything really was alright.

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END

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But not quite.

No... Never quite the end.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! THIS WAS A ONE SHOT! DOES ANYONE REMEMBER THAT?!

Okay!

Affording will have a sequel/continuation called Wanting.

You don't have to follow me, there will be one more "chapter" added onto here, too. It's like... a bookend/epilogue thing. I will post it when I post the first chapter of Wanting so you can go check it out.

But that being said, we will be on hiatus until further notice because I'm studying abroad this summer PLUS my next fall semester will be hectic. And also the outline is being mean to me.

But this is a hiatus and I'm sorry I can't give you a real guess as to when that hiatus will be over.