Frisk remembered the day they all reached the surface together. He remembered well, in fact, the way all of his friends had stared in wonder up at the sky and the rising sun, all of them breathing deeply to taste the fresh air. A tiny smile crossed his face at the memory, just as it had when he'd really been there watching the reactions of the monsters who had spent their whole lives previous beneath the earth. The feeling was warm, just as the sun had been. He snuggled deeper into the bed he was in, now.

A lot of things happened, after that. The first of which had been the lot of them approaching the nearest town to make their arrival known, and Frisk could almost feel himself in that moment again. The way many people had looked confused and then horrified as they realized these strange people in costumes were in fact real monsters, and then turned to curiosity when they spotted him, the human child leading this group of misfit and seemingly impossible creatures of myth like they were his own loyal pets.

It was easier than he would have guessed, really, getting the modern world to accept their new companions. It only took a few months to get to where they found themselves now, all living nearby each other in a human city.

Shaking his head, Frisk shifted in bed, snuggling a plush flower to his chest. The plush had been sewn by none other than Papyrus, under the close instruction of Toriel of course, as a gift for the human child. He loved it dearly, just like his friends. Thinking of Papyrus, Frisk smiled again when he remembered the day they'd rewarded the overly excitable skeleton with a shiny set of keys for a car he'd spent weeks learning to drive for. Sans had gotten himself a green tricycle the same day to follow his brother around with, as reward for following his brother around during the driving lessons. The rest of the crew didn't really understand, but they were glad someone would be around to keep an eye on Papyrus.

Jostled loose from his previous shift in position on the bed, another plush rolled into Frisk's arms. He picked it up to look at it, more than a little amused at the adorable dolphin plush that he may or may not have bribed Toriel into stitching comically angry eyebrows onto. It reminded him of Undyne.

The first day Undyne had seen the ocean, she'd been more than a little excited, he remembered. She put even Papyrus' overly cheerful enthusiasm to shame, kicking up ridiculously high clouds of dust as she zoomed to the water and dived in. The wave that ensued had been equally as epic, of course, though the sunbathing humans on the beach at the time would disagree as they were suddenly rained on.

It seemed all of the monsters fit in like snug puzzle pieces as soon as the overworld had let them. Even Toriel had gotten the school she'd wanted, which was for monster kids but wouldn't turn away human children if they wished to attend either. Frisk, obviously, went to that school too. Asgore wasn't a half bad groundskeeper either, though Toriel was always less than pleasant to him, a fact that Frisk sometimes found himself wondering about but always deciding it was none of his business.

Frisk's wandering thoughts were almost pushed away as sleep threatened to pull him back into dreamless bliss, but he stirred again as he heard talking outside his room. It seemed they had guests, and the human child wasn't usually one to turn away his friends, a trait that quickly had him stumbling out of bed. His blanket clung to him in a vain attempt to keep him there, though it just ended up in a pile Toriel would no doubt fix later, and he wandered out of his room.

Down the hall and into the living room, Frisk rubbed his eye with one hand as he took in the scene before him. Toriel was sitting pleasantly in her lounge chair, sipping tea while listening politely to Papyrus chatter about something, though his words were too loud to register well in the sleepy child's head. Sans, sprawled carelessly on a couch, was the first to notice him. "Hey, morning sleepyhead! Man, I wish I could nap the day away like you do, kiddo." The lazier of the skeleton brothers sat up, greeting the child. Papyrus cut in immediately, halting his speech. Toriel gave a deep sigh of relief that went unnoticed by the skeletons.

"Sans, what are you talking about? You sleep more than Frisk does! By a lot!" He shouted, earning a dismissive wave from Sans. "You slept eighteen hours yesterday!"

"So? Just because I already did it doesn't mean I can't want to do it again."

"You have to do something productive Sans! At least one thing a day! Even if you just put your socks away!" Papyrus was fuming at his grinning brother as he ranted. "Which, why did you have to move that sock into the living room of our new house too?! Put it away!"

"But if I move the sock, I'll get tired and need a nap. Don't you want me to stay awake?"

"AGH."

Frisk looked back and forth between the arguing skeletons, squeezing the flower plush he'd brought from his room tighter. It squeaked. The brothers turned, going silent at the noise. Papyrus' face brightened immediately at the sight of the slightly haphazardly made toy.

"Ah, human. I see you continue to have good taste by liking the Great Papyrus' gift for you." He gave a sidelong glance toward his brother, and then leaned down toward Frisk. "It's a great snuggle buddy, huh?"

The child nodded, nuzzling his cheek into the yellow petals.

A sudden flash startled both Frisk and Papyrus, prompting them both to look back toward the couch. Sans was now sitting upright, leaning over the arm of the couch and grinning at them from behind a camera neither of them bothered to question the sudden appearance of. "Hey Tori look, I found a moment for the scrapbook." He waved the camera at the photo's two subjects teasingly before letting it vanish into the infinite depths of his coat pockets.

Toriel giggled at the antics of the three, while Papyrus went back to shouting and trying to grab his brother for, as far as Frisk could tell, taking a photo in which he wasn't posing dramatically. Frisk, unlike the tall skeleton, couldn't care less about a surprise photo. If it was a moment Sans had liked enough to keep forever, why be angry?

With a yawn, Frisk wandered right past the wrestling skeletons, completely ignoring their tussle as he moved straight toward Toriel's chair. She set her tea aside and gently pulled the small child and his flower plush into her lap, cradling him gently while he snuggled up against her to get comfortable. The chair rocked slowly, pushed carefully back and forth by Toriel's foot on the floor as she hummed to the human in her arms, lulling him quickly into sleep. Papyrus' shouting faded away as Frisk slipped back into dreamland.

"You three be careful, okay? Stay warm and be back before it gets dark. I'll have food ready once you return, alright?" Toriel reminded them, fussing once more with the scarf around Frisk's neck. The child let her, not bothering to push her worried hands away until she was ready to back off on her own.

"Don't worry, I shall personally protect the human from the cold! Defeating the winter is nothing to someone as great as me!" Papyrus reassured her boldly, though she just kind of blinked at him.

"Well, thank you, Papyrus. I suppose I'll leave you in charge of keeping Frisk safe."

The tall skeleton's eyes went wide as saucers at that statement, and he turned to Sans excitedly. "Did you hear that, Sans? She put me in charge!"

"Sure did, bro."

"Miss Toriel!" Papyrus turned back to her, and stood up straight like he would as if to impress Undyne with his guard abilities. Frisk and Sans exchanged a look when he went so far as to salute the ex queen. "I will take such good care of the human that it will seem as if they never left!"

Toriel raised a hand to stop him and remind him to let Frisk have fun too, but he had already plucked the small child off the floor and zoomed out the front door. Sans just gave her a helpless shrug before following.

Outside, Papyrus bounded down the sidewalk with Frisk held securely in his arms, running toward the nearest large expanse of snow. The child quickly joined him in enthusiasm, raising his tiny arms high and cheering Papyrus on. They sped up as they approached the nearby, perfectly snow covered field next to Toriel's home, and Frisk's gleeful giggles could be heard echoing far down the street as Papyrus jumped high over a large snowdrift.

As his feet landed in the deep snow of the field, Papyrus spun around to carefully lose his momentum and plop Frisk down gently on the ground, all in one fluid movement. It took a moment for Frisk to realize he was standing on his own again, and when he did he looked up to see Papyrus posing proudly. "That was fun, wasn't it Frisk?" The tall skeleton prompted, looking down at him. Frisk grinned and threw his hands back in the air again and gave loud noise of agreement.

Of course, Papyrus hadn't realized yet that Frisk wasn't actually on the ground. The snow was deep, and the crust on top was frozen hard, so no one could really blame him for not realizing he'd placed the incredibly lightweight child on top of the snow itself. He realized it right away, at least, when the frozen top gave way and the cheering Frisk instantly vanished into the powdery white fluff underneath. Sans clapped mockingly from where he sat on a nearby fence.

Papyrus threw a few swears over his shoulder toward his brother while he dove forward, mittens plunging into the snow to grab Frisk and rescue him. When he pulled the child back above the snow, both skeletons had to stop themselves from laughing at the human child who now looked more like a snow child with all of the white frost all over him. Frisk shook his head, flinging tiny white snowflakes out of his hair in a cascade of snow that glittered in the light as it fell back to the earth. Papyrus held the child in one hand, helping him dust off the rest of the snow from his sweater with the other.

"Are you alright, Frisk?" Papyrus asked, once the child was acceptably free of snow. Frisk said nothing, only tapping gently on Papyrus' mittens in a bid to be put back on the ground. The tall skeleton did as requested, placing Frisk gently down on the snow he'd already crushed to the ground, so that he wouldn't fall through again. "Frisk, are you upset?"

Still, the child gave no answer as he crouched down and started pulling some of the soft snow together into a ball, leaving Papyrus to shift from foot to foot in worry. Sans watched the whole interaction with a growing smirk from where he sat on the fence. "Looks like the kid's giving you the… cold shoulder, Paps."

"UGH." Papyrus groaned, his hand meeting his own face.

"I guess that's for putting him on thin ice."

"SANS NO."

"Sans yes."

Frisk chose that moment to take Papyrus' attention, tapping on his leg to make him look back down. When he did, the small child offered him the large snowball held in his tiny gloved hands with a smile, gesturing vaguely toward the smaller skeleton lounging on the fence.

"… Oh. Good idea, human." Papyrus carefully took the snowball, and turned toward his brother, who now seemed to be trying to fall asleep. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a questioning glance from the child. "Do not worry, Frisk. I have very good aim."

And a moment later, he proved just as much. Frisk couldn't stifle his giggles as the snow splatted squarely into Sans' face, jarring him from his nearly obtained nap, though he managed to stay on the fence. Papyrus joined the small human, laughing loudly at the sight of his brother's face being a plop of snow.

"Heh! See brother, that is what happens when you fail to help rescue the human just so you can make puns instead." Papyrus seemed incredibly pleased with himself, which only made Frisk giggle more. They both watched the snow warm enough to melt off of the smaller skeleton's face and fall to the ground. His less than amused, flat stare was now visible to them both, making them freeze. "Uh, Sans?"

Raising one bony hand, Sans made a lifting gesture and dozens of more snowballs popped out of the covering on the ground in an instant, all surrounded in the same blue haze that was now wafting from one of his eyes. He smirked as they floated in the air, and finally he spoke.

"Papyrus. Frisk. My pals." Sans droned at them, his face split in a fake evil grin. The aforementioned pals glanced unsurely at each other, both expecting him to say something about them asking for a bad time. Instead, however… "That's snow way to treat your friend."

They both groaned this time, though they barely had time to before there was a flurry of snowballs pelted at them, Sans relentlessly returning their puny attack. They all knew he was basically just tossing the snow with no aim at all, since none of the snowballs actually hit them, but Papyrus still swept a gleefully shrieking Frisk off his feet and dashed away. This left Sans with no choice but to follow and he did, laughing like an evil villain as he chased after them with his army of floating, blue snowy projectiles.

The sun was dipping low in the sky, bathing the sparkling snow that cloaked the world in a warm, orange hue, when the three of them finally collapsed into the snow together. Frisk and Papyrus were still laughing their heads off, and Sans had joined them somewhere along the way, unable to contain his mirth either.

Eventually their laughter subsided as they caught their breath, and soon there was nothing but silence as the pile of friends laid quietly in the snow together. Though Sans was starting to try to fall asleep again, and Papyrus was trying to think of something heartwarming to say, Frisk was the first to move. The child stood from his place in the snow and dusted himself off before wandering over to Sans, climbing onto him and curling up on his chest like he was a bed.

"Eh? Kid?" The smaller skeleton questioned, looking down at the drowsy child as they snuggled underneath his blue coat with him. His face instantly softened, melting into a look of warm affection as he watched Frisk nuzzle into his collarbone, kind brown eyes slipping closed in utter relaxation. Humming quietly, Sans wrapped his arms around the kid, covering them more fully with his jacket.

Papyrus was propped up by one arm in the snow, the other held under his chin as he watched the whole exchange with an equally warm gaze. "It seems the human is tired, Sans. We should return before Toriel starts to worry." He pointed out quietly, and Sans blinked, attention drawn back to the rest of the world again.

"Uh, yeah. Right."

As carefully as they could manage, Papyrus helped Sans stand upright without jarring the sleeping human awake. Once Sans was comfortably on his feet and Frisk was still peacefully unaware, both skeletons took a moment to pause, and Sans could practically see the gears turning in his brother's head as he looked down at the child.

"What's on your mind, bro?"

"Well…" Papyrus was still uncharacteristically quiet, doing his best to not wake Frisk. A thoughtful look fell onto his features as he reached out to gently brush Frisk's hair behind his ear. "It's odd to remember that this same, innocent child is the one that survived everyone trying to pummel him. With him napping on you like this, so trusting, is it not hard to see how he could have made it through that?"

"Hey, I never laid a hand on the kid." Sans reminded him, though his voice was kind. "Don't forget, though; that same trust is exactly how he made it. No monster is strong enough to hurt a kid like this."

The taller skeleton nodded. "True. Even so… it must have been hard. Think of how scary it would be to suddenly be surrounded by so many monsters trying to kill you, and then being brave enough to show them mercy."

"The kid sure is something then, ain't he, Pap?" Sans chuckled, breaking the moment as he turned away. "Come on, we should get going."

Sans started off in the direction they'd come from, which was a jagged path stomped into the snow from their playing earlier. It wasn't a direct path back to the house, but it was already there and Sans didn't quite feel like trudging through the hard frozen snow to make a new path straight back. Papyrus, apparently, had other plans.

"Brother, I think this direction would be faster." He exclaimed, his quiet tone thrown out the window as he confidently dashed along straight toward Toriel's home, the snow not giving him any trouble at all with his long legs. For the thousandth time, Sans was somewhat jealous of his brother's stature, and slowly he turned to follow in the deep footprints. Papyrus continued yelling about something as he ran ahead, and Sans mostly stopped listening as he looked down at the sleeping child cradled in his arms.

Frisk's breath came out in tiny puffs visible in the cold air, though he seemed warm enough in the skeleton's coat. Once again, Sans found a warm feeling bloom in his chest as he watched the small human snuggled against it, and he smiled softly. "Thanks, kid. For everything." He whispered, suddenly feeling immensely grateful that of all humans, they'd been lucky enough to get Frisk.

The kid's only reply was to snuggle ever deeper into his coat, one of those tiny hands grasping the fabric of his shirt. For the first time, Sans finally understood just why Toriel was so protective of every child that came under her care. The bad ones were nightmares, of course, but the ones like this… The ones like Frisk…

He wondered if any other child would have done the things Frisk did. Anyone could be merciful, but Frisk went above and beyond. When the child's only goal in the beginning had been to escape, sure, he could do that without hurting anyone. But to push that goal aside just to make all of the monsters he'd met along the way happy, even if it was for something ridiculous or just completely none of his business? And then to take them all with him when he really did escape in the end?

Sans was sure only Frisk would have done all of that. And for that, he was forever thankful.

A little ways ahead, Papyrus had stopped to wait for his small brother. Sans continued on to catch up, tuning back into the tall skeleton's chatter as he approached. "Sans! I had a brilliant idea while you were lagging behind. Do you think we can set up puzzles here just like we did in Snowdin, and let Frisk solve them just like old times?" He beamed, bright and cheerful as memories of their first encounter with the human flew through his head. Sans smiled at his excited brother.

He really liked being on the surface, if only for the fact Papyrus was always happy now. "Of course, bro. I think the kid would enjoy that."

"Then we have even more reason to return at once! The sooner we return him to Toriel, the sooner we can surprise him with puzzles!" Papyrus cheered, spinning around and dashing off again.

At least, he would have dashed off, if not for the fact he suddenly fell through the snow much like Frisk had earlier. The difference this time was that Papyrus only fell with the snow up to his chest, and there was a cracking noise and a splash as he went. The tall skeleton shrieked as his lower half was suddenly dunked in ice cold water, not realizing he'd stepped a bit too heavily onto a frozen pond.

"Papyrus! Are you okay?!" Sans jumped forward, grabbing his brother's hand and pulling the taller skeleton back onto solid ground. Papyrus' decidedly girly squeal earlier had jolted Frisk out of his nap, and the child was now peeking out of Sans' jacket, watching the situation with concern.

Papyrus tried to reassure Sans as best he could, though his teeth were chattering as he shivered. "I'm alright, Sans. Just… chilled to the bone, you know." His attempt at humor was met with a flat stare at first, though the smaller skeleton gave a tense smile after a moment.

"Wow, Pap… It must be worse than I thought if you're making puns." He joked, but tightened his grip on his brother's hand and started dragging him back the way they'd came. The safe way back. Frisk just patted Sans' chest gently, attempting to sooth him.

And somehow, just that tiny gesture from the little human made him feel a little bit better.

Toriel greeted them a moment after they'd burst in through the door, though her words faded as she noticed the worry on Sans' face and the way Papyrus was shivering. "Oh dear, what happened? Are you alright?" She asked, ready to jump to helping the frozen skeleton.

"Pap just fell in some water on the way back, I'll take care of him. Take Frisk, will ya?" Sans smiled gently at Toriel and gave the small child to her, quickly pulling Papyrus away down the hall to dry him off. Frisk reached out for the small skeleton as he went, still wanting Sans to hold him.

"Oh, my child. It's alright. Sans will return once Papyrus is warm again, and then we can all have dinner together. Why don't you help me finish cooking until they're done, hm?" Toriel spoke softly, reassuring the child in her arms. He let his grabby hands at the empty hallway drop, and she took him to the kitchen. Before they left the room, though, Toriel shouted back toward where the skeleton brothers had vanished to. "Let me know if you need anything, Sans."

Satisfied with a distant "Yeah, thanks." that was shouted back, Toriel arrived fully into the kitchen and set Frisk gently down onto an open space on the counter. The human swung his feet back and forth as they dangled over the floor, watching his goatmom move across the kitchen to find something for him to help with.

She rummaged around in some overhead cabinets for a moment, and then returned to Frisk with a bowl full of potatoes and a small utensil. "Here, my child. Are you able to peel vegetables?" He nodded, putting the bowl in his lap and expertly shaving the skin off the unsuspecting root vegetables. Toriel watched him for a moment to make sure he'd be alright, and then moved back to a pot boiling on the stove. She started humming as she stirred the mixture inside, and Frisk soon found himself joining in as he recognized the tune.

Soon they had a good rhythm going, working well together. Of course, after Frisk's experience with Undyne, he could easily get along with anyone in the kitchen. As Frisk finished peeling each potato, Toriel would take it and wash it, setting it aside on a cutting board nearby with a knife that Frisk barely even noticed. Once the bowl was empty, Toriel started chopping the potatoes and some other vegetables. "Frisk, dear, could you get me a measuring cup?" She asked as she carried the cutting board to the pot and dumped the vegetables into the broth.

Frisk nodded even though her back was turned, and opened the cabinet above his head. He found the right measuring cup right as Toriel returned from the stove, and he handed it back to her as she passed by. She hummed a thanks, taking the cup to the fridge and filling it with cream. Watching as she walked by again to pour the cup into the soup, Frisk found his voice.

"Mom, will Papyrus be okay?"

She looked back at him over her shoulder. "Of course, child. I have no doubts that Papyrus will be fine, though he may end up with a cold for awhile."

Nodding again, Frisk looked like he felt a little better, and lapsed back into silence. Toriel frowned.

"Did you all have fun outside?" She asked, and knew right away the question was a welcome one. Frisk threw his arms in the air again, smiling wide as his voice came out a little louder this time.

"Sans chased us!" He exclaimed, and then wiggled his fingers that were still held in the air. "With snowball rain!"

Toriel chuckled. "Did he, now? I hope he didn't cover you two in too much snow."

"He never hit us." Frisk admitted. "I know he wasn't trying to."

"And how do you know that?" She asked curiously, watching the child out of the corner of her eye as she stirred.

"I don't know." He looked thoughtful, trying to think of how he knew. "But I know if he did try, we would be snowmen."

Toriel chuckled at the thought of Frisk and Papyrus being turned into snowmen by Sans, imagining heaps of snow dressed in Frisk's striped sweater and Papyrus' red scarf. Frisk just grinned, glad that she was amused. A new voice speaking from the doorway caught the attention of both of them, though, and they turned to see who it was.

"Man, you got a lot of faith in my aim, kid." Sans was leaning against the doorframe, his careless demeanor back again as if it had never left. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Papyrus appeared behind him, finally wearing something different for once since his favorite outfit was soaked. He looked like he was feeling a lot better, no longer shivering, and Frisk wondered how he could get sick like Toriel said if he looked fine now. "Sans, I think I will have to disagree with the human this time. I've never seen you actually hit anything even if you tried."

Toriel was tasting the soup, and she raised her wooden spoon toward the tall skeleton for emphasis after she did. "But Papyrus, have you ever seen him actually try?"

His face went flat, giving his brother a sidelong glance. "…No."

"See, Pap? They've just proven that Frisk is right."

"All they've proven is that you never take anything seriously!"

Sans just shrugged, and Papyrus was once again fuming at him. Frisk and Toriel just exchanged a look as she dished up bowls of soup, both chuckling quietly at the arguing skeletons in the background.

It was halfway through dinner when it happened. Frisk was quietly eating his soup and listening to the banter of his monster family, watching the constant back and forth between Sans and Papyrus as they argued occasionally, and then as Sans and Toriel tossed bad jokes at each other. Anytime Papyrus was left out of the conversation, ignoring their joking, Frisk would reach over and take his hand so he wouldn't feel forgotten. He was pretty sure the tall skeleton appreciated it, but beyond that, the child was watching him carefully with worry for more than just his feelings.

As such, Frisk was the first to notice when Papyrus started looking tired, and when he started coming down with quiet sniffles. He tried a few times to catch Sans or Toriel's attention by looking at them pointedly, but it seemed this was one of those times where no one would notice him unless he spoke. He did not, and just kept watch over his declining friend.

Eventually, Papyrus sneezed loudly, startling the other two monsters. Papyrus insisted he was fine when they turned to stare at him. Only then did Toriel look questioningly toward Frisk, and then Frisk's small hand that was gently patting Papyrus' glove, and she spoke directly to him.

"Frisk, how do you think Papyrus is feeling?"

Frisk tilted his head one way, and then the other, trying to think of how to explain. His voice had abandoned him again, and he shoved his chair away from the table and walked away, leaving the three monsters to stare after him in confusion. Returning a few moments later, he threw a blanket over Papyrus and dropped cold medicine and a box of tissues on the table. With that, he climbed back into his chair and quietly went to finish his soup. Sans looked straight at his brother with a slight smirk.

"Doctor Frisk has spoken. The Great Papyrus is a liar."

"I am not!" Papyrus argued, turning away haughtily. "I simply feel fine."

"Even so, Papyrus," Toriel started sweetly, gaining his attention. "You seem to be coming down with a cold, and if you want to be better again as soon as possible, we should take care of it right away. Would you two like to stay here with us for a few days?"

Papyrus looked toward Frisk, as if asking the child for permission too. Frisk nodded enthusiastically, gesturing wildly with his hands in an attempt to translate what he was thinking, though there was no real meaning behind his random flailing. While Papyrus just looked confused, Sans gave the kid a thoughtful look, seeming to debate something.

"I think Frisk is trying to say he wants you to stay too." Toriel offered helpfully, and Frisk paused, shrugged, and nodded, as if to say "Eh, close enough."

He was actually trying to tell Papyrus that they could have fun together and make him forget he was sick at all if they stayed, but what Toriel said was basically the same point anyway.

"Hmm, okay. I suppose we could stay for awhile, if Frisk approves." Papyrus finally agreed, and next to him, Sans broke into a huge grin.

"Sweet. I've always wanted to lounge around and do nothing in someone else's house too."

"SANS!"

That night, Toriel watched over the three of them as Frisk and the skeletons stayed up late, playing several different types of puzzles together with mugs of cocoa in their hands. The TV droned on in the background, playing some movie marathon that they occasionally heard lines from out of context, and that they'd make jokes about for several minutes afterward each time.

Despite the amount of paper puzzles, board games and jigsaw puzzles Toriel had lying around the house, Frisk won at most of them. The ones he didn't win, Papyrus did, leaving Sans with a whopping score total of zero. He didn't seem to mind.

It was admittedly creative, the way they turned single person puzzles or games into three people competitions, and more than a little amusing at the varying levels of how serious each of them were. Frisk was determined as always, winning a lot simply because that's what he'd learned to do, whereas Papyrus was treating it like the most important thing in the world for him to win, and then Sans was purposefully messing up the rules they made up just to see how much the other two would yell at him.

Toriel stayed up alongside them all, late into the night, unwilling to leave them alone since Papyrus was sick. She didn't mind, it gave her time to read and drink tea, and the playful banter and yelling reminded her of simpler times when she'd had a castle with young children running about.

That was a long time ago, though.

Eventually, the lot of them fell asleep. Toriel peeked over the top of her book suspiciously when their noise died down, almost expecting them to surprise her like they may or may not have already done earlier in the night. Twice. But instead she saw the three sprawled on the rug together, all wrapped up in a big nest of blankets and puzzles. Papyrus was leaning against the couch, his head tilted back to rest on the cushions, and Frisk was curled up in his lap, bony arms loosely circled around him, and Sans was leaning against his brother's shoulder. All of them were equally and completely passed out cold.

With the patience and gentleness that only their beloved goatmom was capable of, Toriel slowly put away all of the empty mugs they still held in their hands before going about putting each of them to bed. Frisk went first, tucked back away into his room, his yellow flower plush gently placed in his arms. No one could quite figure out how she got the skeleton brothers into the guest room without waking them after that, but that's where they both found themselves the next morning.

They weren't the only ones to be surprised the next day, however. Though it should have been obvious to all of them that it would happen, no one had actually expected to wake up and find Frisk huddled in bed, sweaty and shivering and mumbling in a pitiful off tone voice. "Oh, my poor child." Toriel murmured when she found him, striding into his room and carrying him back out in a bundle of blankets.

"Tori? Is the kid okay?" Sans was eating toast at the dinner table, and Frisk looked away with a nauseas groan when he noticed the skeleton had drowned it in ketchup.

"No, it seems Frisk is sick as well." Toriel informed him, and Frisk made a pitiful noise right then as if in emphasis. Sans gave him a sympathetic look, feeling bad for the child as Toriel turned away with him. "Come on Frisk, why don't you join Papyrus?"

Papyrus was just as bundled in blankets as Frisk was, he feverishly noted, when the skeleton on the couch came into view. Despite that, he looked far less worse for wear than Frisk felt, his bony face only seeming a little tired and not completely miserable. Even that seemed to fade away when Papyrus spotted Toriel approaching with him, his expression lightening in happiness to see the child.

"Human! I see you have been forced to join me in the realm of the miserable." He greeted, sounding far too cheerful to be at all miserable. He opened his arms wide, welcoming the small child into his embrace within his mountain of blankets, and gladly took Frisk when Toriel handed him over. The small human had no complaints as Papyrus worked to swaddle them both in his blankets together. "Welcome to the Great Papyrus' Fortress of… Blanket Mountain!"

Frisk couldn't help but giggle at that, especially after he'd just described it as a mountain himself. Toriel wandered away, chuckling at the muffled noises of the amused child within the blanket fortress.

Within the blanket pile, Frisk found the energy to snuggle closer to Papyrus, resting his head against the skeleton's chest. It was warm under all the blankets, but somehow it was very pleasant despite Frisk's raging fever. Papyrus looked down at him, the blanket over his head shifting slightly as he did. "You don't feel very well, do you, Frisk?" The tall skeleton's voice was low and gentle, very unlike his cheerful shouting just a moment ago.

It was an observation more than a question, but Frisk still shook his head, a cold shiver passing through him when he did. He really, really hated being sick.

Papyrus was silent for a moment. "I am sorry, Frisk. It's my fault you got sick. Even if you didn't catch it from me yesterday, it was my idea to go play in the snow." Frisk blinked at the heavy guilt in Papyrus' voice, and he looked up in surprise, tugging his hands out of his blankets to wave them weakly in disagreement. He fought to find his voice again.

It came out as a wordless huff at first, but Frisk tried again and again until he finally heard words come out. At least, an attempt at words. It almost didn't sound like it, with how scratchy his voice had become from the cold. "I'm not… It's not your fault. Please don't feel bad."

While the scratchiness in his throat made Frisk cringe, Papyrus just went wide eyed, and the child didn't realize at first that it wasn't because his voice sounded bad from being sick. The skeleton didn't look overly worried about the kid's scratchy voice; he instead seemed to be very close to prancing around the room in cheer. Finally it hit Frisk, clear as day. He very, very rarely spoke around Papyrus, much less directly to him. It wasn't often something the skeleton got to hear.

Even with how happy it seemed to make him that Frisk had spoken to him again, Papyrus did his best to stay calm and relatively quiet. "Thank you, Frisk. Let's get well together, okay?"

Things went downhill from there.

For the first two days after, Frisk and Papyrus spent nearly the whole time snuggled together, whining and watching cartoons while Toriel took care of them. They were both miserable, that was to be expected, but they seemed to feel better for the fact neither of them were alone. At some point, Sans even proposed some nice competitive video games, and that was actually entertaining enough to distract them from how sick they were for awhile. Papyrus won all of the rounds they played, however. It seemed Frisk had lost his edge to his cold.

Neither of them noticed the way Toriel and Sans were exchanging concerned glances every time something different happened. Every time Frisk didn't feel well enough for food, every time he was too out of it to win games, every time he fell asleep mid conversation. They told themselves it was just because he was a young human child; the cold was hitting him harder than it did Papyrus.

They told themselves he'd be fine.

They were sure.

He had to be.

…

And yet, neither of them could shake the feeling that something was horribly wrong.

On the fourth day of the two being sick, Papyrus bounded out of bed. He was shouting again with all the energy he always did, cackling about how he couldn't be stopped by a mere cold. He had recovered, it seemed. But Frisk was just as bad as the day before, if not worse, they noticed. The child still woke up and asked to be taken into the living room so he could be with the rest of them, but he couldn't take himself there. Toriel carried him and set him gently on the couch, and put the TV on cartoons again for him, but when she turned back he was already passed out again.

Now that Papyrus was well, he couldn't stay oblivious to the child's decline either. He joined the other two in their concern, also picking up on the same unease that they felt. None of them could deny that, even with their limited knowledge of sick humans, this just didn't feel like something minor.

And yet, what more could they do?

Toriel was diligent in caring for Frisk. She tried to give him soup several times a day, and made sure he always had tea or water within reach, and she was careful to follow the directions on the cold medicine exactly. The skeleton brothers had to give her credit for doing as well as she did, even with the worry that creased her face more with each passing day. Even when Frisk was sleeping, or she had nothing more to do for him that hour, she stayed right nearby. Always rocking in her chair, book in hand but one eye always on the bundle of blankets on the couch.

Sans and Papyrus knew they could leave anytime and go home, now that Papyrus was better. And yet, both of them got a bad feeling anytime they thought of leaving, and Toriel seemed to enjoy not having to be completely alone with her memories and another sick child.

At the end of the day, Frisk didn't have the strength to hold a full mug anymore.

Finally, on the seventh day, the skeletons could see why they hadn't felt comfortable with leaving. It was early in the morning when they were both startled awake by Toriel screaming for them, and while Papyrus just fell out of bed in utter confusion, Sans was by her side in an instant.

"Tori, what-" He cut himself off, following her gaze to the pitiful human in bed. Whether Frisk was awake or not they couldn't tell, but the sad state of his health was undeniable to any monster who laid eyes on the grayed and cracked soul floating above his body. It glowed dimly, weaker than either of them had ever seen him. "…Oh. Oh that's bad."

Frisk was limp and boneless as Alphys looked him over, too weak to put any movement into his limbs that fell unsupported as she turned him this way or that. His soul still floated above, pulsing weakly with faded light. Undyne stood nearby with the skeleton brothers and Asgore, all of them unsure of what to do. Toriel was sitting in the corner, face held in her hands.

Finally she returned Frisk to lying on his bed, arranging him as comfortably as she could, and turned away. All eyes turned to her immediately, and she shrank under the expectant stares.

Undyne was the first to speak up, gently, to the nervous scientist. "How is he, Alphys?" Behind her, everyone else in the room waited in a state of somber but hopeful suspense. Even Toriel had gone still, peering ever so slightly over her hands for Alphys' reply.

Every monster in the room looked as if they were on a sort of fence. Whatever she told them, they would either cheer and take well needed sighs of relief, or… they would break.

And Alphys knew exactly which of those reactions would be the one had today.

Looking down and away from her friends who were hanging on words she hadn't even spoken yet, Alphys found the words dying in the back of her throat as her face fell. A clawed hand rose to cover her face like Toriel, and she shook her head. The scientist took a ragged breath, doing her best to not break down completely.

"No, no no no. You can't be saying what I think you are, right?" There was disbelief in Undyne's voice as it cracked, and Alphys' only reply was to bury her face in the taller monster's chest.

"There's nothing I can do. I'm sorry."

There was a simultaneous intake of breath from all around the room, and for some of those present those breaths turned into sobs, while others stared blankly at the floor with tears starting to form. And for one, there was pure denial.

"How can the human die so easily? He's so determined, he saved us all, it can't be true. You must be wrong." Papyrus looked at Frisk as he spoke, his face showing nothing but faith for the child. Even as Frisk was very clearly dying right before his eyes, the skeleton still believed in him so much that he wouldn't accept the ending at hand. It was impossible to him. "We were both sick and I'm fine. I know Frisk can recover too."

Beside him, Sans had nearly had enough. He was shaking as he tried to hold his emotions behind a mask, Papyrus' denial just one thing too much. If there had been anything in the world he could have done to save his brother from the impending heartbreak at that moment, no matter the cost, he'd have done it.

But that was wishful thinking. None of them had the power to do anything.

In a long stretch of silence filled with nothing but choked breathing and sobs, Asgore approached the bed and sat carefully beside Frisk. Taking the child's tiny hand in his own, the king's loud but kind voice filled the room easily. Frisk's head turned just barely at the movement, dull brown eyes looking weakly up at him. Though the child seemed to be unable to focus and stared right through the king, Asgore hoped Frisk was listening anyway. "You cannot give up just yet. Frisk! Stay determined!"

The door slammed. Everyone jumped, startled, and turned to see Toriel had vanished from the room. If possible, Frisk's soul dimmed more with the absence of his beloved goatmom. He squeezed Asgore's hand with a pitifully small amount of strength, and when the king looked back at him, he had fixed that blank stare on the door.

"Oh Frisk, I am sorry. Tori didn't mean to leave you, it's just… this is too familiar. I think it may be too much for her right now." At his words, the child blinked, understanding flashing in his eyes. Even so, Frisk still looked sad about Toriel absconding from the room, and Asgore gently lifted him from the bed to cradle him. "It's alright, my child. She will return."

Held securely against the king's broad chest, Frisk seemed a little more comfortable. He raised a weak hand and pointed at something on the floor in the corner, and when Asgore looked where the child was pointing, he noticed a certain plush lying on the floor near the skeleton brothers.

"Sans, could you bring me that flower? I think Frisk wants it."

The smaller of the two skeletons blinked, looking down and finding what Asgore was talking about. The plush Papyrus made was on the floor against the wall, and Sans picked it up delicately. It was soft and warm in his hands, the stitching tighter in some places and looser in others but still a clearly lovingly made object for a close friend. Just by holding it, he could feel the amount of times Frisk had snuggled it close, and it gave off a comforting vibe somehow. He could see how Frisk would want it now. Snapping out of his thoughts, Sans approached the bed and reached out to hand the plush to Asgore.

But he never made it.

Everyone heard it. A painful snapping noise, and then it was over. The light dimmed to nothing, fading away completely, and Frisk fell completely limp in Asgore's arms. The child's eyes were empty and glassy, staring lifelessly at the ceiling.