Disclaimer: Only the story idea is mine. The MommaCQ verse belongs to alainaprana; Fresh, Geno, and Error belong to loverofpiggies; Decans belongs to little-noko; Asy belongs to furgemancs; and Ink belongs to comyet/myebi. (And of course, Undertale belongs to Toby Fox. Not that this has very much to do with Undertale at all.)

Everything hurt.

That wasn't actually anything new, but that didn't make it any more pleasant to deal with. Decans let out a shaky breath, ignoring the creaking of his ribs as he curled in on himself. Hospital beds were always cold, and Momma had left a while ago so it was up to him to get warm all by himself. It wasn't easy, but he didn't want to get under the covers either. He might not be supposed to yet, and he really didn't want to be yelled at anymore today. Not that that was anything new either.

The tiny five-year-old chewed nervously on his lip. It really only bugged the scratch on his face, but it felt better than his ribs did so he ignored it. Today really hadn't been a good day at all. He was just reading a book, but apparently that made Daddy really upset. It was never good when Daddy was upset.

He had to go to the hospital, because he always broke really easy and then got sick really easy too. He didn't like the hospital very much, even if the nurses were nice and gave him crackers and juice. But…today had been extra different. Some lady in a suit had come in to talk to him and ask him questions about home. Decans wasn't a big fan of talking about it, but Momma wasn't there to answer for him, so he tried to do it by himself. He didn't think he did a very good job though, because she looked sad when he answered.

Where had she said she was from again? Child Protective Services? Decans wasn't sure what exactly that was, but he didn't think he needed protecting. Everything was all his fault anyway. When he got hurt, he deserved it. And then if he got sick afterwards, that was his fault too, because he was supposed to clean it better. Sometimes Momma helped him, but even then, it was his fault. It made sense though. He couldn't do anything right. He had plenty of scars to remind him.

Decans lifted his head up from the pillow when he heard voices right outside his room door. He recognized one of them – that was the Child Protective Services lady. He hoped she wasn't mad. The next one was new though, and the little five-year old couldn't help but be curious. It didn't sound like a nurse, or the doctor he saw earlier. It didn't even sound like the cleaning man who mopped the halls.

"Nah, I don't mind takin' care of da kid," the new voice said. It talked like it was trying to be quiet, but Decans was good at listening. "Pretty unrad to all up an' leave him with someone else, ya know? I got da know-how ta take care of him."

"Are you quite sure, Doctor…ah…Fresh?" That was the lady again.

"'Course I am," the other voice agreed. "I said it, didn't I? Be all sorts of uncool to go back on mah word when a lil broski needs some help, yo."

"Well…alright. But only because of extenuating circumstances. His medical history makes it risky for him to be placed somewhere else." The lady didn't sound very convinced. "We will be checking in, of course. And I'll need to monitor this first visit to make sure he wouldn't rather be placed somewhere else."

Who was the he? Decans wasn't quite sure, but a nervous fluttering inside his ribcage whispered that maybe it might be him. He hoped not. He just wanted to go home with Momma and hide under his bed. He stared with wide and anxious eyes as the door opened, unable to help the way his jaw dropped in response.

He…he had never seen a doctor so colorful before. The white lab coat didn't do a whole lot to hide the neon clothes underneath, and the vibrant ball cap and sunglasses only accentuated it all.

"Wh-who're y-yyou?" he blurted out, eyes widening further when he spoke without permission. That always made Daddy mad. "I-I…sor-rry!" he stammered out, grabbing his hoodie around him protectively.

"No need ta be sorry," the colorful skeleton immediately assured, lifting up his sunglasses to wink. "An' no need to be so tense either, yo! I'm not gonna hurtcha, just chill for a sec."

"S-sorry," Decans mumbled, ducking his head, though his eyes didn't leave the adult's face. And because apparently he wasn't supposed to be sorry, "Sorry," he added again.

"Heh, sounds like ya still bein' pretty sorry dere, broski. I'm not mad at ya, so ya got nothin' ta be sorry for," the doctor assured, frowning a bit when Decans just ducked his head further before the smile returned and he stuck his hand out. "But hey, no need ta worry about dat either, everything's rad. I'm Doctor Fresh, but ya can just leave out da doctor part. No need to be all formal an' all."

Decans flinched away instinctively from the extended hand. That…didn't usually mean good things at all. The cut on his face and ribs were proof of that, along with a lot of scars on other bones too. "I…I'm D-Decans," he whispered out, digging small fingers even tighter into his hoodie. Their grip on the fabric was so tight it was painful, but he barely noticed.

"Just a handshake, Decans bro," Fresh frowned. "Ya just reach out an' hold mah hand and move it up and down a few times."

"Not supposed to," Decans admitted in a quiet, nervous voice. "Touching hurts." Especially when it was Daddy, and especially when he had done something wrong again and Daddy was mad.

"Well, dat does sound like a bit of a problem dere," Fresh nodded. "But not with me! I'll even hold still just for ya, all ya gotta do is reach out. No hurtin' at all. Up ta you though, Decans broski. Whatev makes ya comfy."

The five-year-old stared at the adult searchingly. He would hold still? Curiosity was enough to cut through the fear, because he had never gotten to shake a hand before. Slowly he reached a tiny hand out. It seemed to be absolutely swallowed by Fresh's, but he was more distracted by the fact that he had been right. It…didn't hurt. Eyes widening, his mouth dropped open a little bit again as thin fingers dug into the adult's hand, clinging tightly. It actually felt nice, warm and gentle. And when Fresh's fingers closed around his own, it wasn't frightening like it should've been.

"See?" Fresh grinned. "It's not hurtin' ya, is it?"

"No," Decans confirmed in an awe-struck whisper. "It feels nice."

The Child Protective Services lady was looking a lot more reassured now. "Decans, sweetie, do you like Doctor Fresh?" That got a nod from the tiny child. "Well, how about you stay with him for a little bit, while the adults work some things out? Is that okay with you, sweetheart?"

And then he was on guard again, frowning as he chewed on his bottom lip. "Not supposed to go with strangers," Decans argued nervously.

"Aw, we aren't strangers!" Fresh immediately interjected. "Ya seem pretty rad, lil broski, how's about we be friends instead?"

Decans eyes widened even further, a small gasp slipping out. "R-really?" he blurted. At the confirming nod, the tiniest hints of a smile started to tug at the corners of his mouth. "I haven't had a friend before."

"So's how about you stay with me for a lil bit then?" Fresh pressed with an easy smile. "Since we're friends an' all."

"Can Momma come?" Decans asked, worried. She still hadn't come back, but he didn't want to leave her. She was much nicer than Daddy was, and said she loved him a lot and sometimes even hugged him. Even if it kind of hurt, it was nice.

"I'm afraid she can't," the same lady answered with another sad look. "The adults have to work things out, remember? But I think she can come visit you later if you want."

Decans somehow got the vibe that he didn't really have much of a choice but to leave and go with Fresh. At least he seemed nice, and he would get to see Momma later. "O-okay," he agreed hesitantly, ducking his head again.

"Aw, hey, no worries, lil Decans broski!" Fresh immediately reassured. "It'll all work out, no point in worryin' 'bout it in da meantime."

Well…that made a certain amount of sense, and Decans found himself nodding along. When Fresh kept talking, the small skeleton found himself starting to smile. And somehow, when he ended up in the adult's arms being carried outside, he found himself nodding off, feeling surprisingly safe and secure.

Maybe Fresh was right. Maybe things would all work out after all. It was…kind of like…a fresh start. A sleepy smile slipped out at the thought. Hehe. Fresh start. That was pretty funny.

Whew, okay. I am planning on continuing this, as a series of one-shots and small arcs to sort of get me back into the whole writing thing. So ideas and suggestions of things you would like to see are more than welcome!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!

-Aiva