Work Text:
Toriel walked through the Ruins as she had done every day for goodness knows how long, making sure everything was all right as she made her way to the flowerbed upon which a human would occasionally fall.
As she walked back home, Toriel heard a timid, yet familiar, voice.
"Hi..."
She turned to see Napstablook floating behind her.
Normally, the ghost simply lay on a leaf pile in silence. Today he brought his headphones and a small music player with him.
Toriel smiled - she knew what this meant.
Napstablook was a musical ghost and made his own music. The songs were usually simple and a little spooky, but they were enjoyable. He'd bring his headphones and music player when he finished a new song so Toriel could listen to it. She enjoyed his work and often hummed with the melody once she caught on to it. The ghost would beam at this - a rare sight.
"Greetings, Napstablook. I hope this day finds you well."
"It's okay, I guess. I... just finished a new song... if you want to listen.", Napstablook said with a small voice. Toriel grinned. "I would love to hear it."
Toriel put on the headphones and the song began. It was a simple tune played with a slide whistle. She caught the tune quickly and began to hum along. However, instead of his usual excitement, Napstablook started crying. Before Toriel could say anything, he vanished, along with everything else.
Toriel slowly awakened. She looked around. Her clock indicated the time was 1:38 AM.
It took her a moment to notice that, while the dream had ended, the sound of someone crying did not. She quickly got up and headed to Frisk's room.
Frisk was lying face-down on his bed crying bitterly. He was saying things like, "Please come back, Toriel!" along with various apologies and promises to stay. He sounded... devastated.
Toriel gently placed her paw on Frisk's back. He stiffened and instantly went quiet.
"My child, are you all right?", Toriel asked softly.
"Bad dream." was all Frisk could say before he lost his composure again.
Toriel pulled Frisk into her arms, a gesture that always made him feel better. She waited patiently for him to calm down.
"Mom, do you remember the 'fight' we had at the Ruins' exit?"
Toriel flinched. She didn't like to think about that. "Y-yes... I remember."
"I dreamed about it... but it was... different.", Frisk muttered that last word quietly, almost inaudible.
"Oh", Toriel asked. "What happened?"
Frisk took a deep breath. "I... I fought back."
Toriel remained silent as Frisk continued.
"You kept telling me to fight and hit you as hard as I could, so I did. After a while, you stopped throwing fireballs. When I looked at you, you were... I hurt you. Really bad. You said something about Asgore's plan to take my soul and asked me to be good. Then you... you..." Frisk could not finish the sentence as he started to cry again.
As Frisk cried, Toriel pondered what he said. She had indeed told him to fight back, but he refused. At the time, she couldn't figure out why.
Then, it clicked.
If Frisk had killed her, would he have been upset? Would he have stayed in the Ruins if he thought her death really was his only way out? Determination? What determination?
Yes, yes he would.
"I... actually would have been proud of you if you had defeated me.", Toriel admitted after a moment.
Frisk looked up at her, confused.
"W-what? You wouldn't have been upset or anything?"
Toriel smiled. "Not at all. In fact, part of me hoped for it."
Even though Frisk asked, she could not bring herself to elaborate on that last sentence. Discussing the concept of suicide with a seven-year-old is hard enough. She could save that darkness for another time.
"But I am glad you decided to spare me. Thanks to you, I can live on the surface again. Thanks to you, I am not lonely anymore. And thanks to you... I get to be a mother again."
After another hug and a few words of encouragement, Toriel tucked Frisk back into bed and watched as he fell asleep with a big smile on his face.