Finding Home
Frisk walked out of the Underground with Toriel and Asgore on either side of them and watched the sunset while listening to the excited conversation going on around them. It was a beautiful scene: them, atop the mountain with their friends, the trees underneath them like a sea rather than a forest, and the city in the skyline. They smelled the fresh air and watched as Papyrus took off, and soon everyone had followed him. They talked with Toriel and held her hand as they left the mountain together…
…Then came the pain.
It came in flashes and was a combination of dull, throbbing, and sharp. There was so much of it that Frisk blacked out, was brought to consciousness by the pain, then blacking out from it again. The cycle repeated for a long while, until they fell into deep unconsciousness and the pain couldn't pull them back out again.
-/-/-/
Frisk woke up to unrecognizable faces.
Everything was blurry. There was a light source from somewhere, and there were noises. Frisk was sure someone was speaking, but they had no idea what they were saying. Their ears started to ring and the pain returned, so they closed their eyes and everything went black.
-/-/-
They woke up again to more unrecognizable faces. A small throb of panic set in as they realized that they didn't know anyone they were seeing. They tried to open their mouth and speak, but it wasn't working right. After a few tries, Frisk managed to call out for their mother, Toriel.
They blacked out soon after, without Toriel showing up.
-/-/-
Frisk woke up alone this time, and noticed a lot of what was around them. Their brain tried to put together where they were, but it just wouldn't connect the dots. They wiggled their fingers, and they worked, so they tried to move their arms, but they felt like lead.
They went back to sleep.
-/-/-
When they finally woke up lucid, it was to a white ceiling and soft beeping noises.
At first, Frisk thought they were in Hotland. They thought they had woken up in Alphys' bed and that Mettaton was asleep nearby, with his snores being the small beeping noises.
When they moved their head, however, they saw strange machines with wires and tubes reaching towards them. They followed the wires with their eyes to see that they were connected to them, and they panicked.
Frisk tried to sit up, but pain flared at their movement. It didn't deter them, however, as panic and adrenaline fueled them, and they used their determination to sit up and grab at the wires, pulling them off one by one. The machines went insane when they did that, and started beeping loudly and rapidly. Frisk paid them no mind and focused on removing the tube that was in their arm, which hurt worse than everything else. The tube was attached to a needle, and it was deep inside their skin, and hurt a lot even as they slid it out as carefully as they could with their shaking hands. As soon as they managed to get it out, a group of humans dressed in blue clothes ran in and grabbed them. Frisk screamed and struggled, but they were too weak against the humans. The human closest to Frisk tried to talk to them, but Frisk was having none of it. They screamed, demanding their release, but the humans wouldn't let go. The human tried to talk to Frisk some more, but when he realized that they weren't listening, he turned his head and yelled to someone else. Frisk felt something prick them on the other side, and a burst of pain erupted from there. They yelled again to be let go, and struggled harder against their human captors.
They redoubled their screaming and struggling when they felt the humans reattaching the needle to their wrist. They called out for help as the humans started reattaching the wires, and managed to wrench free their other hand to tug at a few. Their hand was instantly caught again and held away from their body.
Fear set in as they found themselves becoming too tired to move. Frisk feebly cried out for help.
…But nobody came.
-/-/-
The next time they woke up, there was another human in there with them, and she tried to talk to them. Frisk wouldn't stop screaming and calling for their friends. The human injected the tube that was attached to the needle, and Frisk could feel the onset of tiredness this time while they cried out for help, and once again blacked out in fear and confusion.
-/-/-/-
Frisk woke up and was lucid enough to remember where they were. They looked around, and when they noticed that there were no humans around, they made quick work of the wires and grit their teeth before forcibly tugging the tube out. Blood was stuck to the needle, and they looked at it in horror before tossing it away from them. They climbed out of the bed, and the pain shooting through them became much worse. A severe case of dizziness set in, and they fell to the floor.
They wouldn't give up though, and attempted to crawl away. When they humans finally found them, they were curled up in the bathtub, trying to stifle their tears of pain in hopes of remaining undetected.
/-/-/-/
A human man and a woman walked into Frisk's cell on the afternoon of the fifth day. They looked at Frisk and started to cry. The woman launched herself at Frisk, trying to hug them, but Frisk screamed and squirmed against them, trying to get away.
The screaming shocked the woman and she backed off. She asked Frisk if she knew who she was, and Frisk yelled at her that no, that she was a stranger, and they didn't want her here. This made the woman cry harder and the man looked very upset from where he was standing, but after that, neither of them tried to touch Frisk again, and they left within a few moments.
Some part of Frisk's heart hurt. They felt like they should know these people. Frisk cried out for help from the heartache.
But nobody came.
/-/-/
They refused to eat human food, and after a few unsuccessful tricks by the humans, their captives resorted to force feeding them with a tube. Frisk gave in after the second tube feeding, as the tube was painful and left their throat feeling very sore. After that, they decided to just eat the food presented to them.
-/-/-
A day or two later, Frisk remembered the Save function. They almost laughed in relief as they gathered their determination to try and bring up their Load, but…nothing happened.
They spend most of the day trying, but nothing happened. At the end, they cried out for help and fear and frustration.
But nobody came.
/-/-/-
Attempts to escape were futile. More often than not, Frisk woke up tired and in pain. Earlier, all of their feats were fueled by determination and adrenaline, but now, they couldn't even sit up without help.
On the days they felt good enough to sit up, someone or something always happened by. Whether it was one of the guards or the human couple, Frisk was in for a bad time.
They usually spent their time awake lying in bed, wondering where everyone was. Were they also captured? Where they hurt? Did they leave Frisk to be captured and were enjoying their freedom? What if…what if they were dead? What if the humans who had captured them killed all of the monsters?
Frisk shook their head to clear it. The monsters would come for them. They refused to give up hope.
-/-/-
The humans had started to remove a lot of the wires and tubes that were attached to Frisk. That filled them with determination.
-/-/-
The man and woman came over again and again. Frisk refused to let them come near. The woman was always crying when she left, and the man looked more and more upset each time.
-/-/-
At one point, Frisk realized that their body was healing. The pain was getting less, and they were less and less tired. This meant that if they healed completely and behaved well, they would be able to fool their captors and get away properly.
So they behaved and cooperated. They spoke politely and did what they were told. They still refused to see the man and woman, but they were much nicer about it.
Every night, when the night guard passed them on their rounds, they would get up and walk around to gauge their strength. They could see their progress as they got better and better, and that filled them with determination.
-/-/-
Frisk waited until the pain was almost completely gone before they decided to escape. They waited until the night guard had passed them, then they quietly snuck out and tailed the guard. They managed to make it as far as the stairs before they were spotted. And as soon as a guard called out to them, they bolted.
They went down one flight of stairs after another, knowing that the bottom of the stairs would mean an exit. The humans were chasing them, but Frisk skipped and jumped over steps and managed to make it out of the lowest door before they were caught by a guard on the other side.
They kicked the human in the shins and ran. They made it to the front doors of the building and out into the street before two guards caught them and forced them back inside. Frisk kicked and screamed profanities the whole way, and cried out for help.
Toriel. Asgore. Sans. Papyrus. Alphys. Undyne. Mettaton. Napstablook.
But nobody came.
/-/-/-
Frisk had been injected as soon as they were brought back into the room, and woke up the next day with a bad headache. They felt dizzy, but jumped out of the bed and steadied themselves. Once they were sure they were stable on their feet, they ran out of the cell. They didn't count on an increase of the guards during the day, and they ran into two of them not three feet away from their cell door.
The two guards were stunned in surprise at Frisk's sudden appearance, but Frisk wasn't. They didn't even hesitate as they ran at the guards, shoving them both to the side and sprinting past them. They were at the stairs before action burst behind them, and they all but flew down the staircase to make their escape.
They made it out of the staircase and halfway to the doors before pain suddenly shot through them. It was a sharp, sudden pain, and it knocked all of their breath out of them. Frisk stumbled and fell, trying to breathe through the pain as they attempted to crawl to the doors. A bunch of hands were suddenly on them, and they knew they were caught.
In one last act of defiance, Frisk bit the hand that had the misfortune of being too close to their mouth. The hand was yanked away from their mouth, and they soon blacked out of the increasing pain.
-/-/-
When they woke up, they found themselves strapped into the bed. They feebly struggled against their bindings, wasting all of their strength.
They called out for help as their vision swam, but nobody came.
-/-/-/
Frisk soon lost count of the days and stopped calling out for help. They knew that no one would ever come.
-/-/-
Once the pain had completely disappeared, they were moved to a different cell that required a lot of walking and a car ride. This one didn't have any strange machines, but felt a lot more like a prison. It also locked from the outside, which meant that Frisk wouldn't be able to run away again.
-/-/-
Frisk refused to eat again, but when they were threatened with the feeding tube, they meekly obliged. The food here was better than their old cell, but only marginally.
They wished Papyrus was here to make them spaghetti. It'd taste better than this slop.
/-/-/
A new human came to see Frisk. She wore glasses and brought a Popsicle for Frisk. Frisk took one look at the Popsicle and cried.
They missed Snowdin.
-/-/-
The new human started to come by a lot. She brought different candies and sweets for Frisk, and, when Frisk wasn't overwhelmed with emotions, she would try to talk to Frisk.
She brought in tea one time. Frisk barely managed to keep it together, until their friend commented on how nice of a day it was.
"Birds are singing, flowers are blooming." Frisk replied, tears stinging their eyes.
Perfect weather for a game of catch. Asgore had said once upon a time.
Frisk burst into tears and became inconsolable. The new human tried to calm them, but to no avail.
-/-/-
The first snow made Frisk's mood even worse. They felt so lonely. The new woman came in with hot chocolate and a story. Frisk barely listened, and the woman asked them if they had any stories of their own to tell.
They were so lonely. They missed everyone so much. And this woman was the nicest one they had met until now.
So they talked. They told her everything and she listened. She was patient with them even when they stopped to cry, and asked all the right questions.
They felt drained and exhausted when they were done talking. The woman looked at them and told them to rest before leaving. They collapsed into bed as soon as she left, feeling like a rock had been lifted from their chest.
-/-/-
Frisk grew to trust that woman, who always wanted to hear more about their monster friends. Frisk finally felt like they had someone who they could talk to, and it gave them hope.
-/-/-
One day, their friend came in with the human couple. Everyone in the room was wary, but Frisk's friend spoke with a soft voice and introduced the couple…as Frisk's mother and father.
Frisk couldn't believe it. Toriel was her mother, not this woman. They didn't know who these two were.
Their friend wound making the distraught couple leave and talked Frisk through their emotions.
Everything hurt, and they cried out for help.
But nobody came.
-/-/-
Their friend came in with a big scrapbook and gave it to Frisk to read. Frisk remembered this book—it was the one Toriel had made of them together while they were still in the Ruins. They sobbed in happiness as they opened the first page, hope and relief flooded them as this would be proof that Toriel and the Underground was real. They fully expected to find pictures of them and Toriel together.
There weren't any.
The pictures showed Frisk, yes, but with other humans. Particularly, the two humans that came to visit them often.
They went through the book with sick fascination, and, after they finished, they threw it as hard as they could to the opposite side of the cell.
This couldn't be true. This couldn't be real. Frisk wanted to cry out for help, but they knew that no one would come.
So they didn't.
-/-/-
Their friend brought in more picture and scrap books. Frisk grew more and more angry and confused.
They were angry because these were all lies, but confused because these were all true. Frisk kept feeling twinges of emotion while looking through the pictures, but nothing made sense.
-/-/-
The couple came back with the friend today. She introduced them again as Frisk's parents, and Frisk felt dead inside. It made sense. The pictures made sense. Frisk didn't remember any of it, but it all somehow made sense in the worst way possible.
They were never going to see Toriel again.
Frisk remained quiet and motionless as the woman hugged them and cried. The man had almost hugged Frisk too, but he looked conflicted and very worried, even if he was visibly relieved at the woman's progress.
-/-/-
The couple—Frisk's parents—started coming by more and more often. Frisk, with the help of their doctor friend, slowly started to let them into their heart, but still held out a twisted hope that their friends would come and save them.
They let the couple—their parents—hold their hands today. The man cried.
-/-/-
The couple—their parents—started bringing things for Frisk. Old story books and toys that were familiar but couldn't be remembered. Frisk would go through everything slowly, examining them so thoroughly to try and see if anything would spark in their mind. Nothing did, but Frisk wasn't expecting anything different.
-/-/-/
They were allowed out of their cell—room—today. This was the first time they were allowed to do so, and found that there were a lot more guards—nurses—and a lot of other kids. They played with them for a little bit, but had to leave pretty quickly.
One of them was playing dress up as a ballerina.
-/-/-
Frisk still refused to call their parents 'mom' and 'dad.' They did act more warmly towards them, however. This made their parents a lot warmer as well, and they started sharing hugs.
Their doctor friend was really happy with all the progress Frisk had made, and mentioned that Frisk might be getting out of the hospital soon.
-/-/-
The birds were singing, and the flowers were blooming.
The day that marked Frisk's one year of hospitalization was the day that they were released. Their parents had bought them a brand new, snazzy outfit, and, after a lot of paperwork, they were allowed to walk out together as a family.
-/-/-/
They went to a nice restaurant as a celebration, and their waiter was tall and thin and super nice. He even cracked two jokes, and one of them as a pun, but not a skeleton pun. Frisk could barely keep it together throughout the meal, and cried in the car as they finally realized that they'd never see Papyrus again.
This meant that Sans was gone too. No more skeleton puns ever again.
-/-/-
Home was a one story house with three bedrooms. One was for their parents, one was storage, and one was for them. Their room had a bed and a wardrobe and a toy box. There was a book shelf and two lamps and drawings of flowers all over the walls.
Frisk waited until everyone was asleep before crying in earnest. They missed everyone so much, even if they were imaginary.
/-/-/-
Life went on.
It was so odd, but, after a lot of worry, they started going to school again. Frisk went to classes, had to do homework, and got tutoring for everything they didn't remember. The teachers were very understanding, but the students were not. Frisk was largely ignored, and any attempts to make friends were met with harsh rejection.
There was only one student who wanted to be friends. He wore striped shirts outside of school and tripped over his own feet much too often.
He stopped wanting to be friends after Frisk kept calling them Kid. Frisk never meant to call him that, it just always slipped out.
-/-/-/-
As time went on, Frisk felt lonelier and lonelier. They had no friends, and their parents were often very busy to spend much time with them. Frisk spent most of the time they were alone staring at the sky, wondering what Sans would think if he could see the stars as they were doing.
/-/-
Their mother figure brought home a bouquet of yellow flowers one day. She put it in Frisk's room in a dark red vase that looked brown with the water in it. It was to help get Frisk out of their sad mood, she had said, and Frisk gave them a weak hug in thanks. They knew that their parents were in pain from seeing them like this, but they couldn't stop their feelings of loneliness.
When the lights went off for that night, Frisk heard an odd sound they had never heard in their home before. They did their best to focus on it, but couldn't make it out before they succumbed to sleep.
-/-/-
The noise was there every night for ten days, at which the flowers had died and needed to be thrown away. The noise then stopped, and Frisk quickly figured out that the noise was connected to the flowers. They asked their parents for another bouquet of yellow flowers, and their parents happily obliged, as Frisk rarely asked for anything, even food and water.
Frisk was happy that the noise was back the night the flowers were brought in their room. It was an oddly comforting and familiar sound.
-/-/-
Whispering.
That's what the noise was.
Frisk bolted in bed when they figured out what it was, staring at the flowers in the darkness. They could have sworn that something was moving between the flowers.
"Flowey?" they whispered into the room.
The noise suddenly stopped, and didn't start back up again the rest of the night.
-/-/-
Frisk was relieve when the whispering started the next night, and called out for Flowey again. This time, they definitely saw something move between the flowers. They turned on the lights to see that the bouquet was exactly as it was, with no animated flower in sight.
They reminded themselves that Flowey wasn't real as they turned off the light and went to bed, ignoring the whispering in stubborn denial.
-/-/-
They saw Flowey in the field of wild flowers on their way to school.
He was rooted there, waving at them with his petal.
Frisk screamed and forced their parents to stop the car. As they ran to the field, Flowey winked at them and disappeared into the ground. Frisk dived after him, begging him not to go away.
Their parents caught up to them in a few short moments, and, when they asked what was wrong, Frisk lied and said that they had been too excited to see so many flowers in one place. Their parents believed them.
-/-/-/-
The whispering noise was clear that night. Frisk saw Flowey move among the wilting bouquet in the dark, and he whispered, "They're lying to you, Frisk! You have to get away! Do you hear me?"
He repeated it a few times before he stopped. Frisk turned over and found that he was gone.
He never came back after that night.
-/-/-
Desperate for some way to bring Flowey back into their life, Frisk started collecting yellow flowers.
Their method of collecting was borderline obsessive. They plucked every yellow flower they saw and brought it home, putting it in the vase that their mother figure had kept in their room. They didn't even throw out the dead ones, just in case Flowey needed them to come back.
They wished they could go to Mt. Ebott, as they were sure that Flowey going to be hiding there.
/-/-/
Frisk came back one day with a handful of yellow flowers to find the vase in their room empty. They felt hurt and betrayed, and became too afraid of putting their flower in the vase, lest they get thrown out again.
Their parents came in a while later. They saw the flowers in Frisk's hands and looked troubled. They sat down on either side of Frisk. Their mother figure pulled them into a hug, which they didn't reciprocate. Their mother figure started with how much they love Frisk and wanted them to be happy, then told Frisk that the two of them were worried about Frisk's fascination with the yellow flowers, as it bordered on obsession.
Frisk didn't want to tell them about Flowey, so instead they told them that the yellow flowers were just really pretty, and the color made them feel a lot better. Their father figure told them that if they wanted more yellow flowers, then all they had to do was ask, and they didn't have to pull them out of other people's gardens. Frisk grimaced and apologized for that, and was gently told not to do it again.
Their mother figure then asked about Frisk's lack of friends, and Frisk said that no one wanted to be friends. Frisk then said that it was okay, as the yellow flowers made good substitutes. This earned them worried looks from their parents, but they didn't say anything.
They helped Frisk put the flowers in the vase and told them to throw out the flowers once they died. Frisk agreed, and, once their parents left, they had an idea on how to get to Mt. Ebott.
-/-/-
Over dinner that night, which was some sort of curry that Frisk didn't even like, they talked nonstop about flowers, and casually mentioned that someone had told them that Mt. Ebott was covered in yellow flowers. They saw their parents exchange glances, but carried on about flowers as though they didn't just ask to go back to where their parents had lost them the first time.
-/-/-
They snuck out of their room that night to see if their parents took the bait. They were delighted to hear their parents having a heated discussion about Mt. Ebott, and snuck back to their room with hope and determination in their veins.
-/-/-
The birds were singing, and the flowers were blooming.
It was the perfect weather for a game of catch.
That was exactly what Frisk was doing.
Their parents had loaded them up in the car early morning Saturday. They drove for a long time, and Frisk grew excited to realize where they were heading. They stopped at the camping sight at the base of Mt. Ebott, and Frisk all but burst with excitement and nostalgia. They stared at the mountain with longing as their parents set up the campsite, and then Frisk and their father figure played catch while their mother figure set up the barbeque.
It was the most fun they had since they woke up in the hospital.
Their mother figure called out to their father figure, and he wound up throwing the ball too far. Frisk called out that they would go get the ball and darted between the bushes as he told them not to take too long.
Frisk found the ball almost immediately, but, as they went to pick it up, they found that it was ensnared with vines. They tried to pull the ball away from the vines, but the vines twitched. Surprised, Frisk looked up and found themselves face to face with Flowey. They fell back in shock and opened their mouth to say something, but Flowey beat them to it.
"Run, Frisk! Now's your chance!"
Before Frisk could process what was happening, their father figure approached them. They looked at him then back at Flowey, but Flowey wasn't there anymore. There was a yellow buttercup there, and the ball had no vines on it.
Their father figure commented on how pretty the buttercup was, and told Frisk about their sticky seeds. Frisk replied that buttercups were dangerous to eat, too, and their father figure agreed, though he looked troubled that Frisk would know that.
They went back to their campsite and enjoyed the barbeque, but Frisk was left with a nagging feeling that something was very, very wrong.
-/-/-
At Frisk's insistence, they went hiking during the afternoon. Both of their parents were reluctant, and they only agreed if they didn't go too deep into the forest. Frisk quickly agreed to the terms, and they set off.
Frisk kept racing a few feet ahead of their parents, looking around and taking in the scenery to try and see if there was any hint of what was going on. They didn't find anything on their short hike, but the nagging feeling of wrongness wouldn't go away.
-/-/-
That night, they were awoken with something crawling down their arm. They panicked at first, thinking it was a bug, but once they pulled their arm to them, they felt it pull back and knew it wasn't a bug. When their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they saw that it was a vine and knew the Flowey was back.
They followed the vine with their eyes and found that it led outside of the tent. Carefully and quietly, as to not disrupt their sleeping parents, they crawled out to find Flowey waiting for them a few feet ahead. They tiptoed to the flower monster as it waved its petal at them.
"Hurry!" Flowey urged before Frisk could greet him, "Run!"
"Why?" Frisk asked.
"Because this is all a lie. They aren't your parents!"
"They are."
"No!" Flowey hissed, "That's what they want you to believe!"
"I don't understand."
"You idiot! What's so difficult to understand?"
"You're not real."
"Did they tell you that?"
"Yeah. I was in the psych ward for over a year."
"You really are an idiot. Why did you think no one came to get you? They forced everyone back underground, Frisk. They kill anyone who comes out."
Frisk was taken aback by the news. If it was true, it would make so much sense…
"It's why I'm here, Frisk. The barrier is down, so I can get out, and no one suspects a flower."
It made so much sense that Frisk's chest started hurting.
"We still need you, Frisk."
There was a lapse of silence as Frisk tried to process everything.
"Don't you want to see everyone again? They all miss you." Flowey said, and Frisk felt something snap. Hot tears burned behind their eyelids as they remembered the faces of everyone they had left behind in the Underground. They missed them so, so much. Those people had been more of a family towards Frisk in the short time that they knew them than their current human family. Toriel was a much, much better mom to them than their current mother figure.
Toriel tucked them into bed. Made all of their favorite foods. Was always there to hug and comfort. Their current mother figure didn't do any of that. She was at work all day long, and spent the night working from home.
They wanted to be with Toriel again.
"Okay," Frisk sniffed, "which way?"
"We can't go back to the exit," Flowey said, "They've got the military there. So we have to go down the hole."
Frisk frowned and hesitated. The fall was a long one, and they knew they were lucky last time. This time, they might not make it down in one piece.
"Don't worry," Flowey assured when he saw the look on Frisk's face, "I'll catch you. I promise."
Frisk set their mouth in a small frown and was filled with determination.
"Great! Follow me!" Flowey said before popping back underground. He reappeared a few feet away, and Frisk ran to him.
By the time they got to the edge of the clearing, there was noise from behind them as the human couple stirred. They managed to get a few feet further before the man started calling out for Frisk.
So Frisk and Flowey moved faster.
They followed Flowey as he led them upwards. The climb was harder in some areas than others, but Flowey assured them that he was guiding them through the easiest route. He made it clear that they needed to keep hurrying, because while this was the easiest route to climb, it wasn't the fastest route to their destination.
After a long, long hike, they broke through the sea of trees to a somewhat rocky area. Frisk felt very excited because they recognized the place. Flowey hurried ahead of them, and they were about to follow when they were yanked back. The human man had caught up to them, and had grabbed them from their middle and was trying to carry them.
Frisk kicked and screamed, calling for Flowey to help. They didn't wait to see if he would, and instead kicked backwards at the man until his grip loosened. This caused them to fall through the grip to where he was holding them at their chest, which was perfect because his hands were close enough to bite.
Frisk sank their teeth into the hand and bit as hard as they could. The man shouted in pain and released Frisk. They took that opportunity to run, and, as the man started following them, a root appeared out of nowhere and caused him to trip.
Flowey came through!
This revelation gave Frisk a new burst of determination, and they picked up their speed as they chased after Flowey. After a few moments, Flowey came into view and they continued their escape.
By the time they found the cavern, the sun was coming up. Pre-dawn colors painted the sky, and the human couple's shouts were the background noise to the setting. Flowey went ahead into the cavern, and Frisk saw him go down the hole as they entered. They stood to catch their breath and look at their surroundings. A noise from behind them made them whirl around, and, to their horror, they found that the human couple at the entrance of the cavern.
They quickly turned around and sped towards the hole, jumping in as soon as they could. They felt something brush the back of their head before the started tumbling downwards.
They screamed for Flowey over the sound of the humans screaming for them. Once again, Flowey came through and caught them on their way down.
They sagged in relief. They were finally home free.
-/-/-
Underground, Frisk watched as Flowey lowered them slowly. They saw Toriel and Sans standing at the bottom, waiting for them.
"Frisk!" Toriel shouted as soon as they saw them.
"I told you I'd bring them back!" Flowey crooned happily as he gently put Frisk down on the floor.
"MOM!" Frisk launched themselves at Toriel as soon as their feet touched the ground.
"Oh, my child!" Toriel scooped Frisk up and gave them a tight hug, "I've missed you so much."
"I missed you too, mom!" Frisk replied, hugging Toriel tighter. They looked over her should towards Sans, who waved and winked, and they gave him a big smile in return.
Finally, finally. They were home.
-/-/-/
Aboveground, a pair of humans watched as the search and rescue agents brought up their child's body from the hole they had jumped in. Their head was smashed in from where it had hit a tree root on the way down, which knocked them out and spared them the pain of the death of the fall.