Chapter Text
You were just trying to help.
That was the thought that swirled around in your head over and over as a flower (with a face!?) sent bullets after you. Er, your heart. Soul? You hadn’t exactly listened intently to its speech, being far too interested by the fact that a flower had popped out of ground and started talking to you.
You glanced over at the passed out kid on the ground every now and then during your dancing away from the bullets, secretly hoping they would wake up and ambush the flower, but knowing that in the end they’d probably just get hurt. You had to handle this one yourself.
“Hurry up and DIE. You’re the least of my concerns!” It hissed at you, forming a circle of bullets around your soul and coming closer… closer… closer…
You shut your eyes tight, praying to whatever or whoever would listen and save you from this unexpected fate, when- Well, nothing happened.
You opened an eye to peek out at the murderous Flowey, only to find a tall monster in its place. It had a look of concern on its face, and it bent forward towards you.
Quickly taking a few steps back and eyeing the new monster suspiciously, you finally spoke for the first time since falling into the cavern, “S-stop. I don’t want to hurt you. We just fell in and…” You were shaking. The encounter with the flower had rattled you more than you originally thought, and your adrenaline decided this new encounter would be the best time to pack up and leave.
“We?” The monster frowned, looking around and finally spotting the unconscious kid in the bed of flowers. It wasn’t until this moment that it occurred to you that Flowey could have friends, and you rushed over to them. The new monster kept talking as you checked for a heartbeat and other signs of life. “Oh, you poor children… That horrible creature attacked you as soon as you woke up, didn’t it?”
You pursed your lips a bit at being called a child, since you’d been anything but that for years, but figured it was better than being attacked and let it slide. After confirming that the kid was alright as far as you could tell besides not being conscious, you warily positioned yourself between them and the new monster. Best not to let your guard down just yet. “Yeah… I was on a hike with my dog and I saw the kid run by… Spot took off after them, so I did too and- Fuck, Spot!” You looked around frantically for your missing dog. The distraction of the monsters and the passed out kid had made you forget about him entirely. But with no sign of a dog’s body or footprints, you hoped he was just off exploring somewhere and nothing… worse had happened.
The monster sighed, bringing your attention back to it. “I understand you are frightened, but I’d appreciate it if you watched your language while staying with me.”
“Uh, what?” You were certainly not expecting those words to come out of its mouth.
“I walk by here every day to check for fallen humans. It can be dangerous if you aren’t familiar with the world down here. My name is Toriel. I can offer you a safe place to stay.” Toriel smiled warmly.
So your suspicions were correct. You were in the place the humans had banished the monsters to so long ago. The monsters had been gone for so long that half of the planet had started thinking it was some myth believers took way too seriously. Most schools still taught the curriculum of the War of Humans and Monsters, though. Toriel certainly didn’t look like any of the horrifying pictures in the textbooks. You’d been taught they were evil, awful creatures, like Flowey, and humans had banished them for the safety of humankind.
This ingrained prejudice and your encounter with Flowey kept you suspicious of Toriel, but you doubted you’d fare better without her, especially with the unconscious kid that you felt was your duty to protect without their parents around.
You nodded after this mental deliberation, lifting the kid and cradling them against your chest. Damn, this kid really was small. As you walked with Toriel towards wherever it was she lived down here, you introduced yourself and finished the story about having fallen down the hole after the kid. Not on purpose, of course. Your plan had been to call for a rescue team after noting the depth of the hole, but the branch that tripped you had other plans.
“Nnn…” The kid in your arms stirred, and you stopped to set them on the ground gently.
“Kid? Hey, take your time. Don’t move around too much.”
The child smiled, reaching over and putting their too small hand on top of yours. The faintest voice came from their mouth. Too faint. You shook your head and glanced up to Toriel to see if she’d caught the words.
The kid sat up and grabbed on to your shirt sleeve, pulling you down to their level so they could whisper in your ear. Their voice sounded happy, like little chimes telling you a secret. “Don’t be afraid of Tori, she’s really, really nice. And makes good pie.”
You laughed a bit at that before confusion took over. How did they know the monster’s name? Did they come down here often? Did that mean they knew the way out?
As you asked yourself these questions, the kid had gotten up and started chatting at Toriel. You caught that their name was Frisk. The two got along swimmingly, almost as if they knew each other. But Toriel was treating Frisk with the same polite and formal manner that she had treated you. Maybe Frisk had heard Toriel’s name while being passed out, and the rest was made-up, silly kid talk.
Frisk smiled at you and took your hand when the monster said they should get going, that there was still a long walk back to her house. You smiled uncertainly back and let the kid keep hold of your hand. They seemed sweet, innocent, maybe a little mischievous like any other kid their age.
You hoped Frisk was right about the pie. You could really use a break and some good food right about now.