Chapter Text
Today's a typical day off for me. Lazing around on my couch, channel surfing, slowly nodding off despite the fact I slept in. Nothing interesting is on the TV, as usual. Maybe I should replay one of my older console games. Before I could give that much thought, my phone started ringing. I groan as I lean forward. If it's another spam call, I’m just gonna throw my phone out the window. I pick it up and see that it's from Toriel.
“Good afternoon!” She says in her usual motherly tone. “I hope I am not interrupting anything you were doing right now.”
“Nah, I was just watching TV,” I decide to be honest, even though I know I’m probably about to get roped into something.
“Great! This is good timing then. You see, I have some rather important matters to attend to, and they require me to be out of town for a day. Do you mind picking up Kris from school and watching over them tonight?”
Yup, there it is. I sigh, not really wanting to get off my comfy couch, but I really do owe the Dreemurrs for all they've done for me the past couple of years, mainly helping me get my current job. Besides, it might be more fun than replaying the same old games for the umpteenth time.
“Yeah, it's not a problem, Tori. I can play babysitter for Kris again.”
“Oh thank you so much! Again, sorry for the last minute request, but I knew I could count on you. Help yourself to anything at my house. Remember, my home is yours too!”
“Alrighty. Good luck on whatever it is you're doing.”
“Thank you. Bye bye.”
She hangs up and I slump back into the couch. Being the only other human in Hometown and several years older than Kris meant that I've sorta become an additional guardian for Kris whenever any of the Dreemurrs couldn't be there or Kris was having “human problems” (which was usually just a cold).
I grab my pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the small table beside the couch. I’ve been slowly waning myself off of them, but I still feel a craving every now and then. Before I can light, it I get a text from Toriel.
“I forgot to tell you, Kris needs to be picked up around 4. Thank you again ]:)”
I check the time, and it's already 3:40. Must've been a serious emergency if Toriel of all people is telling me to do this so last minute. I begrudgingly get up and put down everything I was holding, then head over to my bedroom to get dressed. I try my best to fix my hair so it doesn't look like I haven't gotten off my couch at all today. I'm not feeling particularly fashionable at the moment, so I just throw on some jeans and a T-shirt with my favorite band on it. I check myself over in the mirror. God, I look like such a mess. I snap out of it before I start sulking all day at my own appearance. I grab my essentials (keys, wallet, chapstick, and of course my cigs) and head out the door.
The drive there is innocuous, I just listen to music on the radio and try to ignore how everyone in Hometown is an inept driver. I park in front of the school a few minutes after 4. I see all the kids pouring out of the school and I start looking around for Kris. Of course they're not out yet, they're probably still in their classroom setting up a prank on that poor teacher of theirs. She has pretty bad anime takes online, but she doesn’t deserve whatever Kris probably puts her through.
A few minutes of waiting turns into 30, and I start growing pretty impatient. I double check Toriel’s text, and it says 4, and it's way past 4:30 now. I unbuckle my seatbelt and head out of my car. I realize that there’s a chance that they just ditched school or I missed them in the crowd when I first got here. I don't know what I'm gonna do if Kris isn't inside.
I hurry up to the front door and peek inside. Thankfully, I see Kris at the end of the hall standing in front of a closet door. Before I call out to them, I notice a purple monster girl (I think Kris said her name is Susan?) walk down the hall and approach Kris. Now, I'm not an uptight prick or anything, but they do seem to be acting a little suspiciously, both of them clearly checking to see if anyone's looking, waiting for everyone to vacate the school before doing whatever they’re doing. I decide to finally enter when they're both staring at the door and conversing.
“Hey guys, whatcha up to?”
They both jump a bit, I guess I did sorta sneak up on them while they were looking the other way. The purple monster responds.
“Oh, we're just um…” she whispers to Kris, “dammit Kris say something!”
“...What are you doing here…” they say in their usual monotone voice.
“Y-yeah! What the hell's a guy like you doing in school anyways?!?”
“I'm here to pick up Kris because Kris's mom is outta town,” I sigh. “She doesn’t trust you to be home alone yet so I’m here.”
The monster tries hard to stifle a laugh and Kris gives her a death stare.
I rub my temples and continue. “Look guys, something seems fishy here. What are you hiding in the closet? I'm not gonna tell on you or anything, I'm not a narc. I just wanna make sure you're not like, hurting anyone. If it's illegal, I'll pretend like I didn't see anything.”
The monster quickly retorts. “We're not doing anything, dumbass! We're just, um… doing a closet review?”
I can't help but chuckle at that. That might be the most believable lie ever told.
“Guys, seriously, it's not a big deal. Lemme just…”
I reach for the doorknob, and I see Kris leap forward to try and stop me, but I manage to open the door before they grasp onto my arm. The closet is empty. I don't mean like the shelves have no items on them, I mean there's literally just a void inside. It's like a black hole absorbing all light inside, and there's what looks like black smoke emanating from inside.
“What the…” I utter in bewilderment. I take a step forward, but my foot just phases through the ground and I find myself freefalling into nothingness.