Chapter 2, The Eyes that Sway the Frisk (PREVIEW - STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS)

It was early. Much earlier than Asriel would have preferred to be awake at, that is. He was just beginning to see the first few lights of the day flicker on, and the usual small group of monsters in Snowdin Town groggily stepping out into the cold, all bundled up as they headed off to work. Asriel watched this all through the small window at his bedside in the attic, wrapped up in his blankets, trying to conserve as much warmth as he possibly could. Did it always have to be so chilly in the morning?

The small clock on the dusty, wooden dresser in the corner ticked loudly as the minutes dragged on by. It was now 6AM, again, much too early for Asriel's taste. Though as much as he wanted to, as much as he tried, he just couldn't seem to get back to sleep. He was too excited to sleep. It had been this way for the past week now, ever since the run-in with those Temmies. Though they weren't exactly "magnificent, legendary creatures", Asriel just couldn't help but wonder if something better was about to come into play. Perhaps something even more perplexing! More mysterious! He had now become very nearly obsessed with the journal, and often found himself studying every word, sometimes recording his own thoughts on whatever the subject was on the many blank pages in the back.

Though as excited and optimistic as he still was, Asriel was beginning to lose hope that any new adventures were in store. For it had been days, with no signs of anything unusual or even slightly intriguing. It was almost as if the whole "Tom" incident had only been some crazy dream, and he was now back in the ever-so-boring reality. Everything had just gone back to normal. But the experience still, so clearly, lingered in his mind, and he just couldn't help but wonder what else was out there.

Asriel wasn't sure how long he had been sitting there exactly, just staring absentmindedly out the foggy glass of that small window. It seemed like an eternity, however, before a loud crash downstairs made him jump. He whipped around to see a startled Frisk now sitting straight up in a tangle of bedsheets. "What was that?!" she asked, her messy hair sticking to her face.

"Don't know." Asriel replied excitedly, quickly getting to his feet and scrambling to fish the journal out from under his own bed. "Come on!"

"You sure you need the book? It's probably just Papyrus making breakfast or something."

"At six in the morning?"

Frisk shrugged tiredly. "Wouldn't be surprised."

Asriel rolled his eyes as he grabbed an old hoodie off his bed and threw it over his pyjamas to shield himself from the cold, clearly in a hurry. "Well we don't know that! Now come on!"

His sibling sighed, slowly getting out of bed and shuffling over to the door, trailing behind her brother as he ran towards the ladder that lead them back downstairs. This was the moment he had been waiting for! It had to be! Asriel wondered what it was. Perhaps one of those little humans with wings? A pixie, it had been called. The journal had described them as being rather mischievous and messy. They could have caused the loud noise right? No! Maybe it was a gremlin! Or a goblin! Or a combination of both!

A few quieter noises came from the kitchen as both Asriel and Frisk stepped into the living room. It sounded as if someone was fiddling with the pots and pans, and Frisk made another comment about how "it was only Papyrus", but Asriel barely heard it. He was not about to take his sister's word for it and miss a chance to witness something amazing. He could see the light on in the kitchen as he instead rounded the corner, listening for a moment, clutching the journal with excitement. Something cleared its throat, and Asriel whipped around.

"AH HA!" he shouted, pointing at a figure crouched by one of the cupboards.

"Good morning to you too." a tired, familiar voice said in reply.

Asriel's face fell into a frown as the figure stood up and turned to face him. It was then that Frisk wandered into the room, immediately spotting the source of all the racket. "Told you it was nothing." she mumbled, fairly annoyed that she had been dragged downstairs out of the comfort of her bed, only because of Sans who was... What was he doing?

Asriel sighed as he tucked the journal away in his hoodie, his excitement replaced with disappointment. "Sorry, Sans. I heard a bunch of noises and thought there was a..." He thought for a moment. "A burglar or... Something." Yes, a burglar sounded much less ridiculous than some creature from a creepy, unknown book.

"Didn't mean to wake you guys." Sans replied, rubbing his forehead exhaustedly. He looked even worse than the day before, and Asriel couldn't help but wonder if he had gotten any sleep at all last night.

"What were you doing out here?" Frisk asked. "It's not even noon yet."

The skeleton shrugged. "Nothing really. Was just hiding the spaghetti so Paps couldn't make it for breakfast again. Kinda just made a mess though, I guess." He glanced back towards one of the cupboards, various kitchen utensils poking out from behind the door. Frisk sniggered at his reply. Though Papyrus's "world famous" spaghetti had improved ever since he was first taught by Undyne, it wasn't something you wanted to have for every meal of every day, and based on Sans's actions, it seemed it wasn't only the two children who were completely sick of it by now. "Oh yeah. There should be some cereal under the sink as well, if you're hungry."

"Nice!" Frisk exclaimed, heading over to the abnormally tall sink and opening the cupboard underneath. It was Papyrus who had once explained why it was so high up. He had extended the height, as he apparently used to keep a large collection of bones behind the door, before small, white dog broke in and chewed the stash to bits. Asriel had since thought it to be empty, except for a few kitchen supplies, perhaps, but now Frisk was indeed holding up a jumbo box of MTT Charms. "It's even the good stuff too!" she gasped, now suddenly fully awake.

"Wow. Uh, thanks, Sans." Asriel said, retrieving a few bowls from the counter, inspecting them first to make sure they were clean, of course. He honestly wasn't quite sure of what to say however, as he would have never really expected anyone like Sans to do something like this for him or Frisk, although it could have been for his own benefit as well.

Once the two had prepared their early morning breakfast, they both sat on the floor in silence. It wasn't an eerie or uncomfortable silence, it was rather nice, actually. The dim light of the rest of the town glinting through the window, soft voices of the early birds outside; it was so peaceful. Asriel found himself wishing it was always this serene. He could live carefree with no worries or fears. He could live a quiet life with no one pestering him... But alas, it was only a thought. After all, he would probably miss the sense of adventure, the rush of excitement... Then again, how long would it be before something else so exhilarating came along?

"So," Frisk's voice broke the silence as she munched on her cereal. "What's the plan for today, Sans?"

Oh great. Asriel had completely forgotten about the work for today. Sans always seemed to have some form of never ending chores for them to do, and the young monster hoped they didn't have to work the stand again, as he was getting tired of the smell of hotdogs.

But to Asriel's surprise, the skeleton shrugged and replied, "y'know what? You two have been working hard for the past couple weeks. Take the day off. Go out and do whatever it is you kids like to do these days."

"Whoa, really?!" Frisk grinned.

"What? Did ya think I was gonna make you guys do chores the entire break?"

Though the honest response would have been "yes", Asriel simply let out an awkward chuckle and shook his head.

"Oh! Maybe we can go visit Mom and Dad!" Frisk suggested, then gasped. "And we could bring them a present! Surprise them with something!"

"Well let's not go too crazy." Asriel laughed. "I don't think we have a lot of money on us, and it would also be a fairly long walk from Snowdin all the way back home."

"Well couldn't we just get a ride from the River Person?" Frisk asked. "They usually don't mind taking us places." She was right, Asriel knew. Though it had been a while since he had spoken with the River Person, they were always eager to lend a hand... Maybe. It was hard to tell, as their face was always covered by the hood of their long, torn black cloak -Asriel had actually wondered if they even had a face- and they always spoke with the same soft, monotonous voice. Either way, Frisk did have a point. And they had the whole day to travel through the rest of Hotland too, so there really was no reason why they couldn't visit their parents.

"Well, whatever you decide to do, it doesn't matter to me," Sans told them, leaning adjacent to the counter. "As long as you don't get yourselves killed, I mean. I think I can guarantee that your mom would have my head on a stick if anything happened to you kids."

"I can assure you," Frisk began to giggle. "We won't BEHEADING for trouble, if that's what you mean."

"You better not be," Sans replied with a quiet chuckle. "Or we'd all LOSE OUR MINDS." No one could hold it in any longer, and the kitchen was suddenly filled with laughter. Even Asriel couldn't help but join in.

Who knew? Maybe today was going to play out better than expected.

A/N: More is to come for this chapter, I just wanted to post a quick preview. :)