Chapter Text
Asriel shyly headed downstairs, glued to his mother’s dress like a clam to a rock. It was yet another day for the young boy, yet another day full of thrilling yet terrifying discoveries.
He couldn’t help but notice quite how touchy his parents were acting. They loved each other very much — Asriel was sure they’d love each other forever — but today they were sweeter than butterscotch pie.
“Oh Fluffybuns,” Toriel whispered between two pecks on Asgore’s cheeks, “When are our guests coming over?”
“Soon, Tori, soon,” he reassured, his booming voice quickly turning into a warm laugh under the torrent of kisses.
“Who’s coming over?” Asriel asked, pulling on Toriel’s red dress, which she only wore for special occasions. Last time she’d dressed this fancy, she’d left for dinner with his dad, and that babysitter he despised (as well as a five year-old could hate) took care of him.
“You’re not leaving, right?” He whined, once more tugging the red velvet, as if he was transmitting messages through morse code.
“Of course not, dear! We will stay right by your side, promise,” she reassured, ruffling Asriel’s soft hair, “And besides, you will have a friend to play with today.”
A friend? Asriel loved having friends, but hated making them. His father often affectionately referred to him as a scaredy cat. By all means, Asriel might have been scaredy, but he wasn’t a cat! He was a cool boss monster, with horns, although they hadn’t grown in yet! Therefore Asriel had to be brave, he had to say hi and not hide behind his mom’s dress like a bee under a flower.
“Oh, look, here they are!” Toriel pointed at the front door, which had suddenly swung open. Light gushed in from the bright summer sun, illuminating a family of three deers. Asriel had to admit, staring at the very tall monsters, antlers were very cool.
“Rudy, my man!” Asgore grinned as he shared an elaborate handshake with the handsome figure, inspiring awe from Asriel and contempt from both Toriel and the cold doe, whose name was apparently Carol. She sported an imposing dress, which looked straight out of the military movies he wasn’t allowed to watch.
Why do you have such a happy name when you look so sad? Asriel thought, remembering to not speak out loud. That was an inside-thought, his mom had taught him, one which isn’t supposed to be shared.
“Now, dear, this is December. Say hi to December!” His mother nudged, gently taking Asriel’s hand off of her dress. Asriel felt like a baby bird who’d been hurled out of his nest. He suddenly noticed the small girl who’d been running in circles between her parents’ legs like it was a Formula 1 track. She was a comet blitzing through the sky, and Asriel wondered why he was thinking of stars while staring at her.
“H— Hi Dess…” He mumbled, unable to finish her name. Asriel would have wanted to run back to his mother, but a strange force had paralysed him like a statue. He initially thought that he’d become a marble sculpture, but the little girl made him feel like a melting snowman.
December came to a sudden halt, and Asriel could have sworn sparks glowed from under her hooves. She stared at him like a curious cat, and then patted him down in much the same manner.
“Now, December, don’t pull other children’s hair,” Carol reprimanded, as Asriel finally remembered that having your fur stretched like play-doh hurt horribly. For the first time in his life, he suppressed a sob.
“Say sorry!” Carol ordered, her daughter mumbling something inaudible. She had crossed her arms in anger, and her puffs stabbed Asriel’s heart. He felt her every emotion as if it was his own.
“Give a true apology, December,” The Mayor continued, but Asriel's squeaky voice quivered a reply.
“S— She said sorry, I heard her,” he whispered, feeling the weight of the looming adults’ stares. He was so small, and their titanic size only made him feel even more like an ant. Yet, he found the bravery to defend December — his body might have been tiny, but his heart was bigger than the whole world.
“Alright then,” Rudy smiled, ruffling the children’s hair — much to Asriel’s quiet disapproval and December’s terribly loud annoyance — “We’ll let you two play now. The grown-ups have to celebrate Valentine’s Day!”
A few giggles emerged from the two couples, who were suddenly drawn to each other like dancing swans. In a flash, Asriel and December had been kicked into the dining room, as the lovers began to tango.
He glanced awkwardly at the girl, as his internal organs seemed to have turned into a pile of fluttering feathers. December gave the boy a few preying glances, as if she was weighing if being put in time-out would be worth tying his fur into ribbons. December had to admit that although that fur wasn’t as soft as her plushies, it was far more fun to play with.
Asriel’s cheeks grew red as the silence continued to endure. Romantic music seemed to emerge from the living room, and he didn’t know why it made him feel so hot. He tugged at his sweater, trying to get rid of a warmth he didn’t yet know was inside of his SOUL.
‘If you don’t know what to say, try showing a toy, or better yet, asking a question!’ Mom had told him. Asriel’s toys were all the way up in his room; he had no other option. He rummaged through his mind, which was filled with butterflies recklessly flying in between cobwebs.
“Uhm… Wh… What’s…” Asriel’s mouth ran dry like a small stream in the summer.
“What did you say!?” December yelled, coming closer to the boy. She wanted to hear him better, or so she told herself.
“E— Eek!” He bleated out of surprise, quickly swallowing whatever was burning inside of him. That strange mass of doubt fell a foot or two, then got stuck in his heart. “Uhm… wh… what’s…”
“What’s what!?” She continued, Asriel shrinking under her gaze. The stakes had never felt higher for him, and the possibility of failure always made him anxious.
“Wh… what’s Valentine’s day!?” he blurted out, much to December’s surprise. She stood still for a few seconds, Asriel’s heart following her example. His thoughts felt much slower, yet his brain was hyperactive.
December smiled, a giggle emerging from behind her buckteeth. That giggle quickly grew into an uproarious laugh, and it was truly wonderful. Asriel forgot that there was anything other than that laugh. It filled his mind to the brim, it blocked the flow of his thoughts like a dam barring a river. Emotions slammed against that hard concrete, against that unshakeable emotion, against that carefree laugh.
“You’re stupid!” She shared an inside-thought, and Asriel was torn between offense and surprise. “Valentine’s Day is the holiday for lovers!”
“Oh,” Asriel whispered, suddenly understanding his parents’ loveydovey touchiness. He then had a very strange reflection, which he couldn’t understand quite yet. Still, the offending neuron was taken outback and shot — his mother’s religious guilt had already rubbed off on him.
“Um,” he scratched the back of his ears, “do… do you… do… do…” Asriel continued sounding like a piano with a stuck key.
“Can I play with your fur again?” December asked bluntly. Asriel squeaked, nodding frantically. His head spun, and he wasn’t quite sure if it was motion sickness or something else.
Her hand slowly caressed his cheek, and it felt like the ocean’s waves were mirrored onto his body. The soothing motion could have rocked him to sleep. Asriel’s mind left for his daydreams like a boat sailing across a calm sea. A cannonball pierced his pure white sail and the boat shook violently.
“Eek!” Asriel cried, instinctively reaching for his cheek. A small tuft of fur had been ripped off, the culprit holding it in her palms.
“S— Sorry!” December yelped, letting the fur float to the ground as she panicked.
“It’s, it’s okay!” Asriel reassured, wiping his tears. He awkwardly reached for her, giving her a hug. It was the best way to apologise, after all. December never enjoyed hugs, yet something about that boy made it all so fascinating. She even wanted to apologise to him — as long as her mother hadn’t asked her to, of course.
“...Uhm… Do… Do you wanna be my friend…?” Asriel finally asked, the pain having grown into an uneasy numbness, as if a hundred ants were scurrying on his wound.
“Yeah!” December smiled, taking his hand. Blood rushed to the children’s fingers, and scurried back to their hearts carrying a burning fire.
“I’m hungry!” she complained after a short blush, “Let’s go ask mom and dad for food!”
Asriel let himself be carried like a cotton doll. It wasn’t unpleasant to be carried, if she was the one bringing him along. It felt reassuring, it felt warm, in a way much different than his mother’s affections.
The adults were dancing wildly across the living room, a vinyl spun like the night sky in fast forward, its crevices a thousand whizzing stars.
“M— Mommy?” Asriel asked, tugging on the flowing red dress, which fell like rain over Toriel’s legs.
“Yes, dear?” She asked, her gaze still fixed on Asgore’s eyes.
“Dec… Dec…” Asriel shook his tongue — the name just wouldn’t come out! — “Dess w— wants a snack…”
“Does she?” Toriel gasped dramatically, “That’s very kind of you to tell us!”
The mother reached for her son, then stopped. Her gaze inspected the two children, then their intertwined hands. She squinted, thought, realised, and laughed.
“Dawww, you two are adorable!” She giggled, quickly heckling the other adults to come watch the young lovebirds. Rudy’s nose grew bright red, then abated back to its usual black as he elbowed Asgore, mumbling something cheesy. Asgore whispered back, with the discretion of someone his size. Carol’s resting bitch face somehow fell down two inches, before a little smirk assembled itself, as she quickly reminisced on wild college parties with Toriel.
“Proper gentleman, eh?” Rudy teased a very confused Asriel, as Toriel flaunted with Carol in the background. Asgore gave a wink, and December dropped the boy’s hand, her nose bright red.
What had happened, all of a sudden? Why couldn’t December meet his gaze? Why were the adults so… interested? Asriel shivered like a leaf in the wind. He called out for December, who’d slithered a few feet away.
“Wait! I um…” Asriel had no clue what to say, and everyone was staring at him. December’s hazel eyes were drilling themselves inside of his mind. Every thought he threw at the wall didn’t seem to stick — they couldn’t keep still, they couldn’t stay glued to that column of love, to those fiery eyes. Asriel, out of options, decided to bring down the wall.
“I like you, Dess!” He blurted out, as everyone’s eyes widened. That was an inside thought, his mom had taught him, and he’d just shared it. He grew redder than a bucket of tomato sauce.
A silence worthy of the last few seconds of theatre fell upon the living room, as if the curtains had closed but the applause had not yet started.
“I… I like you more!” Dess replied, sticking out her tongue.
The adults erupted in laughter. Even Carol’s ice melted into an ocean of laughs.
“They’re adorable, aren’t they?” Carol chuckled, delicately nudging Toriel.
“Most definitely. Your Dess is an Angel, and, wow, isn’t Asriel’s nickname just great!?” Toriel snorted.
“Yes, I quite like it,” the deer smirked. In the meantime, Asgore and Rudy had slid into the room’s shadows for a private chat.
“When they’re sixteen,” Asgore stated, gently smacking Rudy’s antlers.
“Nah, fourteen,” He replied, slapping his friend back.
“Fifteen bucks?” Asgore asserted.
“Ten,” Rudy smiled.
“We have a deal,” They both said at once, sharing a handshake.