Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Once upon a time, there was a King and Queen who ruled all of the land. Everyone treated the royal couple with respect and loyalty, and all were quite content with their day-to-day lives. A golden age descended upon the villages that the King and Queen ruled which was only made better by the birth of the Prince, the couple’s first child.

Everyone had expected that that the son of such a sweet couple with such pure souls could not hold hatred in his heart. But the Prince was lonely. He had no other children to play with, and as he grew older and older, his heart grew more and more bitter. He was envious of the children in the villages who could play and run about all day; he hated being stuck in the castle. He wished his life could be more exciting, and he would do anything to break the dullness of his day-to-day life.

Unfortunately, he got his wish, but not in the way that he had wanted. With the death of his parents, the poor Prince only grew more bitter, and any child-like innocence he had had before disappeared. He grew to be too afraid to love anything and pushed those he had cared about away. He would disappear for hours at a time, lock himself in his bedroom and refuse to come out, and yell at the servants-turned-caretakers in an attempt to rid himself of the bad feelings that gnawed at his blackened soul from within.

He was only eleven when the Enchantress came knocking at his door. Bitter or not, the Prince had not deemed it safe to let a stranger into his home, and he suffered the consequences. Everyone did.

The staff was transformed into terrifying (albeit somewhat adorable) monsters while the Prince himself was forced to take on the embarrassingly fragile form of a flower. The Enchantress declared that if his soul remained black by his 21st birthday, his petals would begin to fall and everyone would stay as monsters forever. However, if he learned to love another again, the whole castle would be saved.

Fearing the wrath of the humans in the villages, the inhabitants of the castles locked all gates to the outside world so no one could come in. The Prince, hopeful at first, began to sink into a deep pit of despair that he was sure no one could save him from. After all, what human could ever learn to love a monster?

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Frisk had never lived a particularly interesting life. They had lived in the same town all their life, went to the same places every day, talked to the same people… Really, it was quite dull. Not that they were complaining! They truly were happy to live a plain and simple life, even if they did long for adventure from time to time. They supposed they were old enough to make a life for themself elsewhere, but they felt in their soul that there was a reason they stayed in that little house on the edge of the woods.

The weather was nice that day. While they would usually spend their days inside, Frisk had decided that they would wander into town and finally run the errands they had been pushing off for a while. Frisk wasn’t a very social person, but the other villagers were nice enough to them to their face. Behind their back, though, Frisk knew that the kind residents talked about how odd they were behind their back. This didn’t really bother Frisk; they found it amusing when they overheard people’s hushed debates over whether the outlier was a boy or a girl. It was easy to just brush all of them off.

That being said, there was really only one person that Frisk truly had a problem with. And unfortunately for them, that one person decided to make his presence known when Frisk walked by.

“Frisk!” came the all-too-familiar shout, and they couldn’t help but scowl. Chara was such a creep, and Frisk always wondered why he would want to chase after someone who was so clearly not interested. They were debating whether to turn and reply or just keep on walking when they felt a hand on their shoulder. They shuddered from the cold touch.

“Frisk,” the voice repeated, this time with a bit of an edge to it, “why do you always ignore me when I say hi to you?” Frisk knew that tone too well. Chara put on a charming, confident mask to the rest of the village to gain their love and adoration, but Frisk could see right through him and his games.

Despite this, Frisk wasn’t a generally mean person and tried to be civil towards everyone. It was because of this that they finally decided to turn around. With the most indifferent expression they could muster, they simply raised a hand and waved slightly at the grinning man before them.

Chara’s grin turned a little less sinister at being acknowledged by the cutest person in town. The last time he had spotted Frisk wandering through town, they had not turned until the third time Chara prodded them. It infuriated him, but he knew he would have to suffer in order to gain Frisk’s affections. He would have them one day, he was sure…

Frisk sure was a fighter though! They were the only person he had not won over already, but perhaps one day--

His thought process was cut off when Frisk turned to leave, and it was his turn to scowl. “Woah, hey there!” he protested roughly, grabbing their arm and forcing their weary eyes to turn back to him, “Don’t you want to hang out with the hottest, most gorgeous person in town?” He added a cheesy wink which was almost enough to make Frisk gag.

They held back, though, and forced a pleasant smile onto their face. They kindly gave a made-up reason for why they were busy with other things and excused themself. When they turned to leave, Chara looked like he was about to put up a more assertive protest when there came a great commotion up ahead. It seemed that a fight between two of the most infamous town drunkards (already wasted this early in the day; a new record, surely) were about to duel outside of the village’s only bar. A large crowd of passersby had gathered around them in a short span of time and were currently shouting “fight” over and over again. It was only natural that they would want to see some action; nothing exciting ever happened in this town, and they were all bored to tears.

Frisk and Chara both approached the mayhem unfolding before them. Frisk, not all that interested in watching a petty fight, used this diversion to sneak away and head back to their house. Chara noticed they had disappeared into the crowd and wanted to chase after them, but since he was playing the role of the town do-gooder, he felt responsible to stay and break up the fight. There would be other days and other opportunities…

Once Frisk had slinked far enough away from the crowd and realized that Chara was indeed not following them, they allowed themself to relax. Though they would never admit it aloud, they were frightened of Chara; he was rude, brash, and there was something about him, something that lurked deep under that facade, that seemed so dangerous and sinister. They had seen his aggression before, always directed at someone else, and they did not want to be at the butt end of that temper. They had seen what he could do with a blade to animals before, and animals weren’t that different from people...

It wasn’t until they reached their home that Frisk truly felt safe. They threw themself inside and, already exhausted despite the early hour, went up to their bedroom to contemplate. They felt like they were going insane and had felt that way for quite some time now. Between a boring life and Chara constantly on their back, Frisk was more than a little tense. They needed to get out of this place, even if it would only be for a few days.

They turned to the bedside table and regarded the letter that they had received earlier that morning. Their family who lived in the village on the opposite side of the woods had been wanting them to visit for a while now, and this was just another letter urging Frisk to take a break in their day-to-day life to make the trek through the woods. Frisk had blown this idea off before due to work, but they supposed that the book shop they ran could be closed for a few days more… and, after all, who (besides Chara, Frisk thought with a shudder) would truly miss them? Maybe it was time for Frisk to finally make that trip they had been promising their family for so long. It was only a few hours walk in the woods; they could be there by sundown.

And so, with a good feeling in their soul, Frisk gathered up their things and headed off into the woods without a second thought. It was reckless, sure, but they truly felt as though they were doing the right thing, like this was destiny somehow. Little did Frisk know how important this decision would be in their life...

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Frisk supposed they realized they were lost after about two hours of walking without seeing a single sign. Having made the trek to the neighboring village a handful of times before, they were quite certain that they should have seen at least one sign by now. Perhaps they had simply taken a wrong turn a while back, and they should retrace their steps?

With no better plan in mind, Frisk sighed and frustration and spun on their heel. It was getting dark, they observed as they padded softly along the not-so-used path they had found themself on. The sunlight that flickered in the holes of the canopy of leaves above them grew dimmer and dimmer the longer they walked, so they figured night might be upon them soon. The idea of being in the woods in the dark of night was enough to get their heart beating faster and their soul to quiver in their chest. No, no, they couldn’t think negatively; they would reach one of the villages eventually so long as they just kept walking.

But try as they might, Frisk simply could not control time, and darkness soon descended upon them. They cursed themself for having been so reckless, but they supposed wishing for the past to change wouldn’t really help them now. They would simply walk straight ahead in one direction and would find the edge of the woods at some point or another.

It actually wasn’t that bad out, Frisk noted with a positive smile. The air, cool on their warm cheeks, was the perfect temperature. The moonlight that shimmered down was oddly entrancing. And, best of all, there was no creepy Chara lurking around the corner, eager to frighten Frisk with talk of marriage. They shuddered again, but not out of cold.

They were certain that their plan of escaping the woods would have gone swimmingly if it hadn’t been for one minor hiccup: the wolves.

There was a reason why Frisk had always been told to stay far away from the woods, especially at night. The wolves and other predatory creatures who lurked in the shadows would be eager to have a tasty human meal. This idea had always frightened them then, but now, they did not think they really had no reason to fear the woods. That is, until the howling started.

It happened suddenly. Frisk heard the howls, caught a glimpse of the lustful, glowing eyes staring from the darkness, and began to ran. They didn’t know where they were going, and they didn’t care; they only cared about surviving. They could hear the wolves giving chase behind them, but they didn’t have the death wish required to stop and turn around to look at the predators. Frisk kept running and running, swerving around trees and jumping over bushes, until they were met with an obstacle that they could not get around.

Frisk, in their attempt to flee the wolves, had failed to see the metal gate they had just run into. They fell to the ground and rubbed their throbbing head, but when they heard the nearby snarls and snaps of their chasers, they jumped back up again. Exhausted, their determination kept them going as they banged on the gate, begging for someone to save them from their certain death…

And, surprise surprise, whatever angels there were above heard Frisk’s call.

The gate gave in slightly, and noticing this, Frisk pushed it open and ran through the gap in the metal bars. They had just managed to slam it shut and lock it where the wolves finally appeared at the horizon of darkness, the sight of them too terrifying for the human to bear. Frisk, lying on their back, managed to kick themself away from the door and further into the courtyard to get safely away from the long, nasty snouts of the beasts that tried to squeeze between the rusty metal bars.

The wolves, infuriated for quite some time, eventually realized that there was no way they could get through the gate and slinked off back into the darkness in search of some other meal. Frisk was relieved, and when they shakily stood up and turned around to survey their surroundings, they were even more relieved.

They stood in the courtyard of a castle. This surely couldn’t be King Asgore and Queen Toriel’s castle, could it? The gardens, which they supposed must have once been magnificent, were overgrown with weeds and vines. The stone paths that led from the gate to the gardens and to the castle were in a state of ruin with their stones having been pried up and covered in dust.

The castle itself was terrifying, the grand thing standing as a dark and menacing figure against the night sky. Frisk felt as if they were on the set of some horror story rather than the fabled abandoned castle they had heard mentioned so many years ago.

Having nowhere else to go and not wishing to face the woods again in the dark after that wolf chase, Frisk decided that they would simply have to hole up in the castle until the morning and find their way out of the woods then. Feeling both fear and determination surge again through their veins, they slowly made their way to the castle door, wondering if anyone still lived here after all these years. They figured not, but they knocked on the door anyway and was very surprised to find it unlocked. What a stroke of luck! With a final glance behind them and their soul flaring in their chest, Frisk sealed their fate by walking into the castle and closing the door.

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Frisk wasn’t quite sure what to expect when they entered the castle. The floor and walls and furniture, which Frisk had assumed would be covered in thick layers of dust, were surprisingly clean. Some people said that the inhabitants of the castle still resided there, but most believed that they had simply vanished in the night or had never existed at all.

Frisk did not know what to believe. They felt as if they were dreaming even though they somehow knew this to be real. Just to convince themself, they absently traced a finger down one of the wooden walls as they walked further into the grand castle. They were greeted with the cold, roughness of the wood, and they shivered. Now that they thought about it, they were freezing! Perhaps there was a fireplace around here somewhere that they could light…

They turned to begin walking down another hallway when they heard the creaking of wood coming from behind them. They spun around on their heel and looked wildly about them. It was impossible to see very far in the dark, though, but they were sure that they could hear someone approaching. The footsteps stopped once Frisk turned around which made them believe that they were merely hearing things. After all, they were quite shaken after the wolf chase.

They turned back around and continued walking, but the sound only grew louder and louder until Frisk was forced to stop, frozen in fear. For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of feet pattering against the floor until it stopped right behind the frightened human. There was a brief moment of silence, and then…

“Don’t you know how to greet a new pal?”

Frisk didn’t move.

“Turn around and shake my hand.”

Frisk took a deep breath and turned around, reaching out a shaking hand to clasp with the one that was offered to them, and…

A loud, farting noise rippled through the air, and Frisk could not help it as they giggled at the peculiar sound.

“The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick is always funny,” the person before her chuckled before stepping into the tiny circle of light that a candle next to Frisk’s head dully illuminated. Frisk’s merriment quickly disappeared as they took in the sight of him, gasping and again wondering if this really was reality or not. He was a… a…

“I’m Sans,” the monster before them introduced himself, his ever-present grin never fading from his face, “Sans the skeleton.” He withdrew his hand from his jacket pocket, this time whoopee-cushion-free, and Frisk tentatively accepted it. This was undeniably strange, but Sans seemed nice enough. Frisk introduced themself as Frisk the human, and this only seemed to make Sans’ smile grow, if that were possible.

“You’re really a human, huh?” Sans asked, and Frisk curtly nodded. “That’s pretty cool. My brother really likes humans, I think the two of you would get along well. He’s a real funny bones, that one; I’m sure you’d like him.”

Frisk was surprised to hear that there were other people in the castle and expressed this shock. Sans only chuckled again. “Yeah, there’s lots of us here! Maybe I could show you around, introduce you to everyo--”

“SANS!” came the echoing shout from down the hall which was accompanied by the pounding of feet on the wooden floor, and Sans broke out into a cold sweat (was that even possible?) “I’m boned,” he mumbled right before the storm hit. A taller skeleton appeared and did not appear to be very happy. Thankfully for Frisk, he didn’t seem to acknowledge them for the time being.

“SANS, you KNOW you’re not supposed to be up past bedtime hours! We have these rules in place for a reason, you know, and you can’t keep going around and breaking them all willy nilly!”

“Sorry, Papyrus,” Sans replied, though he didn’t sound very sorry at all. His arm wrapped around Frisk and pulled them close. “I was just being hospitable to our guest here.”

The skeleton called Papyrus stared at Frisk for a long while before pulling Sans off to the side. Frisk listened in humor as the two “whispered” about them.

“What… exactly is that thing?”

“Well, it’s not a monster.”

“If it’s not a monster, then it must be… must be…”

“Must be what, Paps?”

“A HUMAN!”

With that final statement, Frisk was suddenly picked up off the ground and whirled around in the air by Papyrus, both of them shrieking in joyous laughter. If this was a nightmare, it was the best nightmare Frisk had ever had.

The moment was short-lived, though, as Papyrus promptly set Frisk back down with a stern look on his face. “This won’t do,” he murmured sadly, “Flowey clearly said that there should be no humans in the castle, so I’m afraid we’re going to have to ask you to leave.”

Sans piped in before these words could fully register with Frisk. “Have you looked outside? It’s started to snow! I’m sure Flowey won’t care if it’s just for the night…” Sans leaned in closer to Papyrus and quietly added, “Besides, what if they’re the one to break the spell?"

Papyrus began to ponder this possibility, but before anyone could say anything else, a vine shot out of the darkness and wrapped itself around Frisk’s waist. They flinched in pain, and Sans and Papyrus both stepped back in apprehension. They braced themselves for the impact of the shout that came next.

“A HUMAN? In MY castle?”

“They’re only passing through!” Sans defended Frisk who was currently once again frozen in terror, “They’ll be out of here by morning if you just give them a place to stay!”

“Oh, I’ll give them a place to stay!” the mysterious voice boomed all around them. Frisk was quickly dragged down many twisting halls, the kind skeleton brothers chasing after them. They closed their eyes until they finally stopped moving, and when they opened them again, they found themself in a tiny, stone prison cell.

“For trespassing on my property,” came the voice of the person that was just beyond what Frisk could see in the darkness, “You will spend all eternity in my dungeon!” With that, the door to the room slammed closed, and Frisk was once again left in the darkness and the cold.

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Frisk wasn't sure what had just happened. They supposed they had just become a trespasser-turned-prisoner, but everything had happened so fast, they weren't entirely sure if anything they were seeing was real. They felt detached from themself and felt as if they were floating high above their physical body. They supposed the dank, dark cell they were currently enclosed in was freezing considering they could quite clearly see their breath, but they didn't really feel cold: just numb. Numb and scared.

They shivered more out of fear than anything else. They did not see the monster that had locked them away, but the their voice alone was enough to send shivers down the human's spine. Yet, Frisk could not help but feel a certain attachment, a deep longing in their heart, towards the beast they had yet to catch a glimpse of. Their soul knew it was destiny that had brought them here, but their mind was too tired to process that and decipher what it all meant. Instead, weary and abused, the human collapsed in a heap on the stone floor and was quick to fall asleep. They had gone through enough that night, and their aching soul and throbbing body deserved a little break.

Deep in slumber, they failed to hear the door--the wooden door that led into the hallway, not the door to the cell--creak hesitatingly open just minutes after it had slammed shut. Green, thorny vines gently pushed the door until it gave Flowey, the master of the castle, a good look at the human in the cell. The bright colors of his yellow petals and almost off-white face contrasted greatly against the heavy darkness of the room. He was innocent-appearing enough now that his tantrum was over, but he was a monstrous sight to behold when someone pissed him off.

He was slightly more in the right state of mind (was he ever in the right state of mind, though? what was "right" anymore?) but his ever-present anger still burned through his stem and petals. Yet, for the first time in a long, long time, he felt... neutral? Curious? Something that wasn't angry? Having felt very few emotions for quite a few years, he didn't really know what to call this, but he felt it nonetheless. After all these years, this was the first human to come into the castle. Should that be... exciting? Or was this a cause for concern?

As he fought with what little mind he had left, Sans and Papyrus, who had been standing silently a ways behind the then-seething Flowey, slowly began to approach. Sans looked nervous, and Papyrus was too frightened to even open his mouth to speak which was definitely a rarity. Flowey did not acknowledge the skelebros as they approached, but he also did not immediately push them away or yell at them; that was a good sign, right?

"F-Flowey," Sans started tentatively, both he had his brother surprised at just how nervous he was, "Do you think this human could be the one? Y'know, the one to break the spell?"

"Of course, I'm not stupid," Flowey immediately snapped back, and though one of his vines whipped up, he did not harm Sans this time, much to the short skeleton's relief. The flower's ebony eyes never left Frisk still sleeping soundly in the room before them.

"Then," Sans continued as Papyrus quivered in sheer apprehension behind him, "Perhaps we should give the human a more comfortable room?" Flowey whirled around at this, vines whipping in the air but otherwise doing nothing else. Papyrus was quietly begging Sans to just drop it before they got themselves into more trouble than they were already surely in for speaking out of turn and letting a human into the castle, but Sans was determined to hold his ground. He was either really brave or really stupid for doing this so often as he was one of the few in the castle who vocally opposed Flowey on a day-to-day basis.

This time, his bold questions were not for naught. A look of regret and thoughtfulness passed over Flowey's face just long enough to give Sans hope before slipping back into the neutral expression. Flowey turned back towards the human. Could this really be the one? Flowey thought to himself, and for the briefest moment, he almost let himself feel hope. His flowers would begin to wilt soon, though, and even if this human was the one they castle's inhabitants had been waiting so long for, why would they want to love a monster like him? But at the same time...

"Take them to the living quarters in the east wing."

...what did he stand to lose?

Chapter Text

Hours had passed before Frisk began to stir. They had been having a rather foreboding dream--not a nightmare, not unpleasant, simply... strange. It felt like a prophecy of sorts, something that they should remember, but when they released from the tight arms of slumber, they could not recall even a glimpse of what they had dreamed. They felt uneasy as they carefully looked around without really taking in what they were seeing. They rubbed at their eyes droopy eyes. What time was it? Was it time to head into town? They didn't sleep in, did they?

It took nearly thirty seconds for the reality of their situation to sink in. They immediately began to panic as they realized that they had not awoken in their own bed; instead, they were sitting in a bed nearly twice as big and thrice as luscious. The room they were in was dark, but they could make out enough outlines of furniture to conclude that this was indeed not their room back at their house in the village. Where then could they be?

The memories started to come back to them then. The woods, the castle, the... monsters; it all came crashing in at once. Frisk became overwhelmed and started to sink into a panic, but it faded as soon as it arrived. Their determination, which coursed through their veins harder than ever before, was too strong to be extinguished so easily. Maybe... maybe instead of being overcome in despair, they should look around? They were a prisoner, though, but surely they could walk around the room?

Oh, yeah: how exactly had they gotten in this room? They remembered falling asleep in the little cage they had been thrown into, and then waking up here. Had that monster, the one with the vines that they never got a glimpse of, brought them here? If so, why the sudden change of heart? Not that Frisk was complaining; if they were to be a prisoner of this castle, they would not mind having a nice comfy room.

They stood carefully from the bed, trembling legs sore from all the running they did last night. After a moment, they regained their balance and took some cautious steps forward. It took a minute, but they became re-accustomed to what walking felt like. The first thing they did was move over to the room's only window and drew open the curtains. It seemed the sun was just beginning to sink; had they slept the whole day away? What little light poured through the window illuminated the room, and the warmth of it on the human's face was very much welcome.

Now able to see around the room, they took in the furniture: a wooden dresser, a small bedside table, and a desk with a chair in the corner. It was such a simple albeit pleasant room. In fact, it looked and felt like a larger, fancier version of their own room. Frisk stopped to admire it for a moment before they turned towards the door.

It was unlocked, surprisingly. Shouldn't prisoners be locked in their room or something? Were they really even a prisoner? They stepped cautiously into the hallway, silently closing the door behind them and glancing around more in curiosity than apprehension. They tensed when they saw one of the skeletons from before (Sans? was that his name?) sitting slumped against the wall across from the room that Frisk had emerged from. He was fast asleep and snoring noisily, the sound reverberating down the hallway. The human smiled at the sight and felt their soul twinge in delight at seeing a familiar face in this unfamiliar environment. Sans seemed pretty cool last night; maybe they could become friends? That is, if Frisk decided to stay at all; it seemed they could make a break for it and escape if they really wanted to...

They did not dwell on this thought for long. They patted Sans on his shoulder in a friendly sort of way and continued on down the hallway. Sans stopped pretending to sleep and turned to watch Frisk with a wide smile as they rounded the corner, but they failed to notice this. The human pattered down every hallway they came across, determined to at least try to build a mental map of castle. They were at this for a good hour before they crossed paths with someone; a shocking feat considering just how many inhabitants of the castle there were.

The monster they had come across was a small frog creature that croaked in surprise when Frisk had nearly stumbled over it. The human made a similar sound, and after steadying themself, they knelt down to make sure the monster (which couldn't seem to talk) was all right. They had just gotten the creature to warm up to them when they heard talking coming from around the corner. Cautiously, Frisk stood up, the frog (Froggit, that sounded like a nice name) hopping off in the opposite direction of the voices. Determination flaring, the human steeled themself and walked around the corner, right up to two large wooden doors that would surely fly open if pushed. Frisk took a deep breath and walked right in.

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Frisk wasn’t sure what to expect to find when they pushed the wooden doors before them open. At this late hour, they certainly didn’t expect to find a huge dining room full of hustle and bustle. Monsters of all types whipped around the room, clearing off dishes from an almost 20-foot wooden table. Three chandeliers of varying sizes swayed ever-so-slightly due to the controlled chaos on the ground, causing their lit candles to flicker and shadows to change shape against the walls.

Frisk was too engrossed in the scene before them to realize that they were in the way, and it wasn’t until they were nearly trampled by a large monster hurrying past that they stepped back closer to the door. Blinking, they turned their head away from the dining room with the intention of quietly going back through the door, but it seemed they had already been spotted.

“H-hey!” One of the monsters near to Frisk greeted. The human at first thought that they were in trouble for wandering where they shouldn’t, but when their eyes landed on the friendly, grinning reptile calling to them, they realized they were in no danger. She was short, about the same height as the human, was a bright yellow in color, and had a tail that whipped around in excitement.

“Hi!” she cried again, shuffling over to the door where Frisk was standing. The human smiled and waved in response. “I’m a-afraid you missed di-dinner,” the kind monster said with a small frown. Frisk’s stomach growled in response, and the reptile perked up again. “I-if you’re hungry, though, I’m sure we co-could make something for y-you!” A dreamy look came over her face, causing her eyes to go unfocused and her grin to grow wider. “You sh-should really meet Undyne; she’s our head ch-chef, and she’s really g--”

“Are you talking about me to the human, Alphys?”

The loud voice boomed over the bustle of the dining room. Its culprit was a blue fish creature who wore a chef’s hat, an eyepatch, and a “Mew Mew Kissy Cutie” apron. She held a meat cleaver in her right hand, the kitchen utensil currently being pointed at Frisk. Her uncovered eye was narrowed and her smirk had an evil sort of tint to it. The human assumed this was the Undyne that had just been spoken of. The room instantly cleared as soon as Undyne came in, leaving just the human and the two monsters in the room. Frisk swallowed in fear, but Alphys, the yellow monster, was there to the rescue.

“Y-yeah, I was,” Alphys admitted to the chef, “but o-only because I was t-talking about how great you a-are in the kitchen!”

Flattery seemed to get you everywhere with Undyne as she was instantly beaming at the compliment. “I’m only great because I have one of the best apprentices in the world!” Her free hand reached out to pull Alphys closer, her arm snaking around the shorter monster’s shoulders. Alphys blushed in response, and Frisk grinned in delight.

“Now,” Undyne started in a much calmer tone, eye flicking back to Frisk, “I’m sure you’re hungry from being out cold all day. How ‘bout I whip you up some spaghetti, my specialty?”

“Did somebody say spaghetti?”

The kitchen door on the other side of the room popped open just wide enough for Papyrus to pop his head through. His smile grew wider when his black eyes landed on Frisk, and he began to walk over. “Ah, human, you’re awake! We have already cooked dinner, but a second dinner is certainly in order!”

Frisk opened their mouth to let him know that that really wasn’t necessary, but they were immediately cut off by Undyne’s loud voice.

“Yeah, we’ll make that spaghetti in a jiffy! Don’t you worry!”

Again, Frisk tried to protest, but in the blink of an eye, Undyne and Papyrus had zipped back into the kitchen to get started on the human’s meal, leaving only Alphys and Frisk in the dining room. It was eerie to see the room so empty after all of that bustling earlier, but Frisk didn’t really mind the quiet. It was welcome in their suddenly hectic life.

“Yeah, I-I like this place when it’s q-quiet, too,” Alphys broke the silence, seemingly able to read the mute human’s mind. Frisk turned to her, and they shared a smile before the monster led them over to a spot at the table. “I wouldn’t be t-too worried about Undyne, e-either,” she added as they sat, “She can be a bit s-scary at times, but she r-really does mean well. She’s glad that you’re here; all of u-us are.”

Frisk spent the next twenty minutes chatting with Alphys as they waited for their meal. They learned a lot in that time, including names of the different people who worked in the castle, a little bit about each of them, and what daily life was like here. The human had just begun to ask about Flowey, the master of the castle, when Undyne and Papyrus came bursting in, grinning ear to ear and holding a giant pot of spaghetti.

The rest of the night was a bit of a blur. Frisk remembered eating lots of spaghetti and Papryus doing magic tricks on the table. They remembered lots of jokes and laughing and the room filling up with more and more monsters who had came to investigate the ruckus and decided to stay. There was dancing and music as the evening grew later, and with all the noise they were making, it was a surprise that Flowey had not come to shut the party down. Frisk wasn’t really worried about that, though; they were just glad to have made so many new friends.

A dark green vine snuck slightly between the two wooden doors that served as the entrance to the dining room. One of the doors was pushed open lightly as Flowey peered in, his face contorted in rage at all the commotion. At least, that was the expression he ought to have made; instead, he wore a more neutral face until his beady eyes landed on Frisk. They were dancing with some new monster friends, laughing and having the time of their life. Flowey felt a blush tinge his face and felt a smile tugging at his lips. He turned away swiftly and closed the door just as a single petal of his detached and tumbled slowly to the ground. He sighed heavily and began to slink slowly down the halls and back to his chambers.

He was in love, and he didn’t know what to do.

Chapter Text

It was very early in the morning when the little party in the dining room came to a conclusion. The one course of spaghetti had quickly grown into many courses of different appetizers and desserts, the likes of which Frisk had never seen. They were a commoner who didn't mind the common food they normally ate, but they enjoyed getting a little taste of all of the fancy foods presented to them. Afterwards, the dining room didn't look too bad, even with all the dancing, but the kitchen was a disaster. The human helped Undyne and Papyrus clean and put away the dishes; it was the least they could do after the little party the monsters had thrown for them.

Even after all of that chaos, Frisk wasn't tired when they finally exited the kitchen. Maybe it was because they had been sleeping all day? The other monsters were exhausted, though, and most had already retired to their own bedrooms.

"Night, little human," Undyne ruffled Frisk's hair before heading out of the dining hall. Frisk smiled after her, realizing that they, too, should probably go back to their room. They heard Papyrus meander in from the kitchen, humming quietly to himself. He seemed surprised to see Frisk still standing there.

"You ought to head back to bed, human," the skeleton suggested wisely. Frisk shrugged their shoulders, hoping for an alternative, and they got one when they heard another voice behind them.

"Oh, c'mon, Paps." Sans walked up and slipped his bony arm around the human's shoulder. His sudden presence seemed to startle them both. "Frisk's been sleeping all day; I doubt they wanna go back to their stuffy old room." Frisk nodded in agreement, but Papyrus looked uncertain.

"I don't think Flowey--"

"To heck with Flowey," Sans cut in with an eyeroll, "he's probably asleep anyways. We'll be super quiet."

Papyrus crossed his arms, looking curious. "And what would you have the human do at this time of night?"

Sans grinned grew a bit wider as he turned to look at Frisk. "I think a tour's in order."

The tour was most certainly a good idea. The human looked more relaxed as the skeleton brothers guided them through the castle than they did when they first arrived there. They listened with delight as the brothers went on and on about each wondrous room they passed by, Sans cracking jokes constantly that made Frisk giggle and Papyrus infuriated. Frisk trailed behind them at a short distance, staying close enough to not lose them around all the twisting and confusing corners. The human stopped, however, when they stood at the base of a staircase. The skeletons had walked by it without sparing it a glance or a word, and Frisk was unsure as to why that was.

It took a moment for Sans to realize that the human was no longer following them; to be fair, they hadn't spoken a word the entire tour, so he was used to the quiet. Concerned about them getting lost, Sans grabbed Papyrus arm and turned them both around. They didn't have to backtrack far at all to see the human they were looking for standing at the top of the staircase, hand on the knob of the only door up the stairs. The brothers blanched but could barely call out a warning before the human opened the door.

Chapter Text

Frisk closed the door lightly behind them as their eyes attempted to adjust to their new surroundings. It was dark, the only light source coming from a floor-to-ceiling window that framed the moon on the other side of the room. They made their way further, bare feet scuffing against the dark wooden floors. They reached out to a shelf and wiped curiously down the side of it. The light illuminated the dust that had gathered on their finger, and they stuck their tongue out. When was the last time this room had been tidied up, they wondered.

It was packed with all sorts of broken junk. The further they got, the more hazardous it became. They tiptoed carefully as to not hurt themselves on anything, stumbling here and there as they made their way to the grand window. A bed sat next to it, small and dusty like something out of wartime. They thought to sit on it but was concerned that the whole thing would collapse if they did, so instead, they stood before the window, hand pressed tenderly to the glass. The night sky was beautiful. The stars twinkled and the moon beamed against swirls of dark blue and gray. The sun would surely be rising soon, and that would really be a pretty sight to see with this view.

Frisk became lost in their own head for a while as they simply enjoyed the sight. They blocked out the world around them until the sound of something metal being knocked to the floor startled them out of their reverie. They spun on their heel, a look of terror twisting their features. They saw no one in the darkness; who then had made that sound?

"You shouldn't be in here," a soft voice cut through the air like a knife, and Frisk felt a shiver run up their spine. It was a voice they recognized... the voice from the dungeon. The master of the castle. Flowey. They began to sputter, trying to spit out an apology as they backed themself up against the window. The words got stuck, though, so they could only stand in frightened silence as the figure of the monster crept out from behind a pile of junk. Flowey came closer to the human, looking like a dark shadow in the night.

"This is my room, and I really don't care for visitors," he spoke again. Vines appeared from the darkness and attempted to wrap around Frisk's feet. They kicked the things away like they were venomous snakes. "You really shouldn't be up this late, either. Why aren't you in your bedroom?"

Frisk was too scared to even try to reply at this point. They were sure they were going to get in trouble for going into a place they shouldn't have been. Their right hand fumbled, hastily signing the word "sorry." Their other hand brushed against the window again, and they found their back touching the cool glass. Flowey came closer, hesitating just before he reached the light's edge. After a moment, he entered the light, allowing the human to see him for the first time. A flower with a twisted expression, he looked frightening in that moment. They gasped and pressed further against the glass until it gave.

The window hadn't been latched. Frisk realized this as they felt themselves tumble out and begin to fall. They heard the cry of "No, wait!" before all they could hear was the rush of wind and the blood pounding in their ears. They were just beginning to realize what was happening a split second before they were destined to hit the ground. They cried out, closing their eyes and preparing for the worst, but it never came. When they opened their eyes again, they were dangling just above the ground, their nose almost touching the tip of a blade of grass. It took a long moment for them to realize they were not going to die that night.

"Are you alright?" It was Flowey again, except this time, he was right next to them. His expression looked somewhat concerned, and with the light of the lamps in the courtyard, he appeared much less daunting. Frisk managed a small nod before the viney tendrils that had wrapped around their body released their tight hold. Flowey... had saved them? They thought they were going to get in trouble.

"I'm... sorry I startled you," Flowey grumbled after he set the human down on the ground. Frisk was surprised at the apology and found themself offering him a small grin. "I'm sorry for going in your room," Frisk signed to him and was happy when he seemed to understand. It was then that the human found the voice to speak two words: "Thank you." Flowey felt the weight of those words deep in the remnants of his soul. He smiled a little, the expression looking awkward as he hadn't done so in a while.

"Come on," he grunted as he turned away from the human, "It's cold out here. We better get inside by the fire." Frisk nodded and followed the flower into the castle. Unknowingly, watching from a balcony above was Sans and Papyrus. The two turned to each other and smiled wide. That was the most civil they had ever seen their master. Maybe there was hope after all.

Chapter Text

The next few days spent in the castle went surprisingly well. Frisk no longer snuck about like they had when they first became prisoner; they were up at normal (well, normal-ish) hours touring the many rooms and being constantly entertained by the many inhabitants of the castle. Sans and Papyrus were the two that seemed to always want to guide their tours which probably wasn’t the greatest idea. Individually, the skeletons could stay focused, but together… it was chaos. Frisk often found themself at the center of whatever petty argument they could come up with. They learned pretty quick that it was best not to pick a side when the brothers got like that. Of course, the brothers never truly bickered; it was clear to see that they cared very deeply for each other. Their humorous interactions made the human wish they had a sibling to treat as such.

Frisk was also learning more about everyone’s role in the castle.

“I’m part of the royal guard!” Papyrus boasted before becoming uncharacteristically sheepish. “Well, some day I will be. Sous chef is equally as important!”

Sans’s answer wasn’t nearly as straightforward. “I trim the hedges, fix things. Y’know, this and that.” What skeletons were hiding in his closet?

Undyne, of course, had her positions, and she wasn’t nearly so shy about it. “Head of the royal guard AND head chef! Bwahaha!”

After the spaghetti party, Frisk had seen very little of Alphys. According to Undyne, “She’s in charge of keepin’ everything running, along with Pap’s brother. She’s such a nerd.” An immediate blush. “I mean that in a good way!”

And so they started to slowly learn more and more about each monster in the castle. Each one except for the elephant--or, rather, flower--in the room. Frisk got along swimmingly with each and every monster they came across, but the moment they mentioned Flowey, they suddenly had other things to take care of in other parts of the castle. The servants of the castle would not dare catch themselves sharing any gossip about their master, even Sans who seemed to have the loosest lips for someone who didn’t have lips.

So since Frisk couldn’t learn more about their captor from the others, they decided to go straight to the source.

Ever since that night Flowey had saved them from that fall, the two seemed to grow a little closer each day. The monster still preferred to be seen at night, when the lighting was low, but he spent those evenings spending time with Frisk. It was awkward at first when he invited himself to one of Frisk’s late-night book-reading sessions in the grand library. He had been so sheepish when he admitted that turning the pages was hard with his tendrils. From then on, almost every night, they would meet in the library and read a new book together, Flowey reading carefully over the human’s shoulder. It was intimate, but surprisingly, neither seemed very bothered by the fact.

Without sharing many words at all, they began to grow closer. Frisk didn’t know if it was stockholm syndrome settling in or if they were really starting to care about Flowey the same way they cared about every other monster in the castle. It was clear, though, that something they were doing was getting through to the flower.

This idea was really solidified early one evening when Flowey slowly slithered into the dining room when Frisk was having dinner with the others. Flowey had never eaten a meal with other people, even before he became a monster, but he knew from books that that was a normal thing for other people. The dining hall had been so lively, but as soon as people began to notice his arrival, they shut up. He sat awkwardly in the doorway for a hot minute while everyone stared. He hated being stared at. Even though everyone else (excluding Frisk, of course) was a monster, he felt like the most horrid one of all. He was about to slither back out when--

“Flowey, sir, please, let us make you a plate.”

Sans had spoken first, always the mediator when it came to these sorts of things. Everyone at the table slowly began nodding in agreement, Papyrus, the ever dutiful chef that he was, began setting up another spot at the table right by Frisk. Frisk in turn smiled at them, the only genuine face in a sea of anxious expressions. And when Flowey did join them and everyone sort of went back to normal, it almost made him feel normal. It was a start, awkward as it was. And each time he joined them for meals, it was a little less awkward. He was certainly making progress.

It was nearly a week later when Frisk was entrusted to leave the castle without supervision. It was a decision Flowey had thought long and hard about beforehand that entrusted to Sans, his somewhat-of-a-right-hand-man.

“And if they leave for good?” the skeleton had asked. Sure, Sans wanted what was best for Frisk, but the human leaving also meant that the residents of the castle would remain monsters forever. It was a little selfish, but nobody wanted Frisk to leave. Plus, they were finally becoming a good friend to many in the castle; one of the rock monsters, Frita, even said that they wanted the human to be a godparent to their newborn son.

Frisk had every reason in the world to leave if they so pleased. The gates of the grounds were left purposefully unlocked, and as they wandered through the overgrown gardens, they had no idea that dozens of eyes were watching them from up within the castle. Everyone was waiting to watch the human run away like they always did, but Frisk never left. Hell, they even went to Sans, who they assumed was the groundskeeper, to let them know that the gates were rarely locked. Sans had been so stunned that for once, he had nothing clever to say.

Another week passed of these garden strolls, sometimes with Flowey and sometimes alone, until the master of the castle finally asked the question that had been eating him away.

“Why do you stay?”

Frisk was more confused than anything else. “Because you want me to,” they signed.

“But… I mean…” Flowey was oddly nervous, it seemed. It reassured Frisk to see that the creature was capable of other emotions besides anger. Humiliation was a big one lately, as well as contentment. Never quite joy… “You don’t have to stay here. You’re not a prisoner anymore.” He looked away then to stare at the crumbling castle walls. Sans wasn’t a very good groundskeeper. “You never were, really. I-I would have let you leave, if you wanted to.”

Frisk gently tapped him on one of his tendrils so that he’d turn his head back. “I feel compelled to stay. I want to stay.”

Flowey didn’t know he was crying until he felt the humans arms wrap carefully around his awkward plant body. He didn’t know he could cry as a flower, but he supposed he was magical now, to some extent. Not used to being touched, he imitated what Frisk did and substituted arms with tendrils. It felt… nice.

Flowey never asked Frisk about it again after that, but the gates always remained unlocked. “Just in case you ever change your mind.”

In such a short amount of time, the two had grown so much closer. When they started to tire of books, they came up with a new pastime. Frisk would tell Flowey stories about their life back in the village, how they were an only child and somewhat estranged from their parents. They talked about how, at the tender age of eighteen, they packed up a bag and left to start a new life in a new village. They talked about the bookshop, about Chara, about how everyone in town treated them like an outsider, like something less than human.

In return, Flowey shared as much as he could remember about his life before the curse. He talked about what little he remembered of his parents before their passing, about how boring life had been growing up trapped within the castle walls. There was much he couldn’t remember, though, or simply didn’t want to talk about. And when it came to the curse, he’d always go mum.

That wasn’t exclusive to him, though. Whenever Frisk tried to learn more about the curse that left them all monsters, no one would say. Not even Papyrus who loved to share facts about the castle with the human would say anything more than a sheepish, “I can’t say.” But Frisk swiftly found out that when he said that, he meant it; it seemed like none of them could physically give details of the curse as part of the curse. In fact, when Frisk asked Flowey if that had always been his name, he wasn’t even sure.

“I suppose I had another name before, but this is the one I am plagued with.”

Unbeknownst to Frisk, the residents of the castle were capable of talking about the curse to an extent. Frisk didn’t need this communication to know that something was physically wrong with Flowey, other than just being a flower, of course. His bright yellow petals were starting to sag as the days went on. At first, Frisk thought this was a reflection of his mood, but even when he seemed rather happy (or as close to the emotion as he could get), they still sagged.

Then, one day, a petal came loose. Frisk had tapped his head to get his attention after reading something especially funny in the book they were working on. It had been the lightest of touches, but it was just enough to make a loose petal float to the ground. When the human realized what they had done, they apologized profusely. They were sure Flowey would be upset with them, but shockingly, his anger didn’t bubble up. He just seemed… sad. He stared at the petal while assuring his newfound companion that he wasn’t hurt, just a little surprised. He wasn’t surprised, though, as he knew this day would come soon enough. His 21st was swiftly approaching, just a little less than a month away. He didn’t share this knowledge with Frisk, though, mainly because he physically couldn’t. Instead, he just forced a smile and changed the subject.

Flowey called a private staff meeting long after Frisk had retired to their bedroom to share the bad news. They had only had one other meeting before, right after the change had occurred and right before Flowey became a shell of his former self. They needed to brainstorm. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but you have to make them fall in love with you.”

The flower flinched, a rare sign of vulnerability in front of his subordinates. Frisk was really making him soft. “I know, Sans, but I’m not sure…I don’t want to force anything on them.”

“O-of course,” Alphys piped in timidly. She was one of the many monsters that were still extremely nervous around the master of the castle. “Ma-maybe you shou-should try something ro-ro-romantic and s-see how they feel?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Flowey muttered under his breath, and Alphys blushed deeply from the praise. But the flower had to admit something aloud, something that made him uncomfortable. “But, how do I know if I… um…”

It was weird seeing their terrifying master stumble over his words. “If you like ‘em back?” Undyne offered, and Flowey curtly nodded. The fish monster grinned, but there was no malice behind the expression, the flower noted. “Well, that’s why you should test the waters and see if the two of you are compatible! Love isn’t always at first sight, and even then, crushes don’t always form as fast as they do for my boy Papyrus here.”

Somehow, Papyrus’s skeletal cheeks reddened. “Wh-what?!”

“Aw, come on, Paps. We all know you have a crush on--”

“Ooo, are we talking about crushes? What’s the gossip?” A handsome robot and hunched-over ghost had just walked through the doors: Mettaton and Napstablook, respectfully.

“S-sorry we’re late,” the ghost murmured more to Flowey than anyone else, “I overslept again…”

Flowey nodded slowly, not quite paying attention as an idea started to take form in his head. He wanted to do something nice for Frisk anyways, and he needed to see if they had a connection of any sort…

“Mettaton.” The robot’s head snapped up immediately, a nervous look straining his gorgeous features. “You’re good at decorating and preparing events, right?”

Mettaton’s shoulders relaxed a bit; he wasn’t in trouble. “Of course! I mean, I did just get done redecorating the entire north tower, and me and Blooky have hosted quite a few galas.” Napstablook sunk more in on xemself at the mention of their name, looking like xe wanted to disappear. Xe hated social events but had a knack for picking out music and helping xer cousin decorate.

“Good. Then let’s hold a ball.”

Chapter Text

That night, Frisk didn’t sleep very well. They weren’t the type of person to have dreams very often, but they had a nightmare last night. They dreamt of shadowy figures who they couldn’t quite place, clashing with one another on a balcony. When they awoke in a cold sweat, they tried to decipher what the dream meant, but thinking too hard made it all muddy. Though they felt a terrible dread, they knew they couldn’t worry their new friends about it.

When they went down for breakfast, it was easy to forget their troubles. Everyone was unusually quiet aside from hushed whispers and hidden giggles amongst one another. Whenever Frisk tried to ask, or was even spotted coming down the hall, the monsters would simply grin at them and scurry off. Though it might have bothered anyone else, Frisk was used to people talking about them behind their back. However, this didn’t seem like anything malicious, but they still wanted to be in on whatever was going on. After a quick meal of oatmeal, they went to all of their friends to see what was going on.

Sans had been the first monster Frisk had run into. The human eagerly flagged him down, and he was kind enough not to run away right away. But the only thing he gave was a bit of advice. “Sounds like a pickle. Maybe you should talk to Paps.”

Papyrus was outside trimming the overgrown hedges and attempting to whistle a song to himself. With no teeth. Frisk joined in for a little while before asking why everyone was acting weird. Papyrus laughed his signature laugh. “What a puzzle! Sounds like something my good friend Undyne could help you with!”

At this point, Frisk knew there was a game afoot. They went and joined Undyne in the kitchen just in time for a cooking lesson with the younger monsters. Frisk helped the sea monster teach the kids to prepare the classic dish of spaghetti. As a reward, the human was given more advice. “I wouldn’t know anythin’ ‘bout that. Talk to Alphys, she’s real smart. But be sure to eat some lunch first!”

It took a while to find her, but Alphys was on the third floor fixing some leaking pipes. Though there wasn’t much they could do, Frisk offered the anxious monster encouragement while munching on their spaghetti. With their help, Alphys felt quite accomplished after fixing the leak. “Th-thanks, bu-but I can’t h-h-help you. You’d bet-ter talk to F-Flow-owey.”

Frisk was sure this was the last stop of their quest. It was late afternoon by then, and they were starting to feel worn out from all the running around they had been doing all day. They didn’t need to ask anyone where the master of the house was; their footsteps guided them to the library, the place where their friendship began.

Sure enough, Flowey was waiting there on the couch, carefully turning the pages of a propped-up book with his tendrils. He looked up and smiled a little when Frisk entered, something they gladly returned. He had seen better days as his petals were beginning to wilt, but his smile still seemed so genuine. Frisk was so happy to realize just how far the flower had come in the span of just a few weeks.

Alphys said I should talk to you?

Flowey nodded but turned his gaze back to the book he was reading. Frisk walked over and joined him on the couch. Frankenstein, one of the first books they had read together. Flowey had said it was his favorite. Now that Frisk was closer, it was clear to see that though Flowey was looking at the words on the page, he was not reading. It was almost like he was using the book as an excuse not to look Frisk in the eye. The human frowned.

Did I do something wr--?

“Frisk, will you go to the ball with me?”

He had blurted it out all as one word, so it took a second to process what he was saying. Their hands froze mid-sign for a moment before they hastily started signing something else.

What ball?

Flowey was looking at them now and slowly began to laugh at himself. He turned his attention back to the novel on the table. “O-oh, right. Well, we’re throwing a ball for, y’know, old times’ sake and I was just wondering if, uh… you would, uhm… I mean, you don’t have to, I get--”

Frisk had been trying to sign something to him, but he was so preoccupied that he hadn’t noticed. So instead, they opted to wrap a gentle hand around one of the nearest vines, careful of the thorns. Flowey’s face flushed as he looked at their radiant smile.

“So… that’s a yes?”

A curt nod, and Flowey returned the grin. He turned towards the slightly opened library door. “They said yes! You guys don’t have to hide anymore!”

There was a lot of shuffling and whispering, even a few cheers from behind the door. The two laughed as the monsters rushed off, supposedly to prepare for this ball.

So, when is it?

“Oh, tonight!” Frisk’s eyes widened when they noticed the time, but Flowey was quick to reassure them. “No, no, don’t worry. I’ve got someone who can help you get ready. Just go to your room, and they should be there.”

Frisk was sad to part with their reading buddy so soon, but they were excited at what the night would entail. They hurried back to their room and, sure enough, someone was waiting there. A robot Frisk had never met before had his back turned to the human, bent over the only dresser in the large bedroom they had been using. Most of the clothes inside were ones they packed before starting their trip, and others were plain clothes given to them by the kind monsters that resided here.

Frisk didn’t have to get the attention of the other as he quickly spun around when he heard them enter. His synthetically-made-up face looked surprised for a split second. He leaned against the dresser with his arms crossed, a cool smile playing on his lips.

“Mettaton,” he greeted simply, “and you must be the human everyone’s been talking about.” Frisk nodded, returning the smile; he seemed friendly enough. They turned their attention towards the dresser that was slightly open. The robot’s face flushed slightly.

“I promise I wasn’t looking through your things!” Frisk raised an eyebrow at him, and he relented. “Ok, fine, maybe a little. But only your shirts! I am in charge of getting you ready for the ball, after all.”

Ah, so this was definitely the help Flowey had mentioned. As fashionable as he looked, Frisk was sure Mettaton knew what he was doing.

“Your clothes are… a little plain.” Whoops, that came out wrong. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with ‘plain’ clothes! You’re more than welcome to wear something more comfortable if you’d like.”

He turned away from them, throwing open a closet Frisk had never noticed before. Inside was a large array of dresses that looked like they had been dutifully cleaned on a regular basis to prevent them from getting dusty and moth-eaten.

“There are plenty of wonderful dresses here. Any spark your interest?”

Frisk swiftly shook their head. No dresses, please, they signed.

Mettaton understood. “Well, more options for me, then!” For now, they closed the closet door and whipped over to the adjoining closet. Since when did this room have so many closets?!

“Here we go. How does this one look?” As the robot pulled it out, Frisk couldn’t help but grin in delight. It was perfect.

Three hours later and everyone was gathered in the ballroom. As it was a lesser-used room in the castle, it had been dusty as all hell earlier. However, everyone in the house pitched in to make it look as enchanting as it had been all those years ago.

All of the monsters were mingling among one another in an attempt to ease their nerves. It had been some time since they had had a get together such as this, and it proved to be a nice change of place. They enjoyed drinks and snacks prepared by the head chef herself, Undyne, as well as sous chef-in-training Papyrus. The taste of these snacks was… indescribable. Everyone stood waiting anxiously for the human to arrive, though no one was as anxious as Flowey. He knew that the fate of himself and his servants may be sealed on this very night.

However, he was mostly worried about the human. What if they ended up not liking him? He liked to think they were friends, but… really, they were just a prisoner. Well, they could leave at any time. But why exactly was that?

His pondering was interrupted by the ball doors swinging open. There, at the top of the staircase stood the human, smiling down at everyone in the room. They wore a warm yellow suit with a matching bowtie, a white button down underneath. They looked… amazing. Flowey felt severely underdressed in his simple black tophat.

From behind Frisk, Mettaton encouraged them to go down the stairs. Their nerves were also getting the better of them, but seeing their friends smiling at them really helped. Nothing was better than the way Flowey was smiling at them, though.

“Ah, aren’t they just adorable?” Mettaton beamed as they joined the party.

“They sure are!” Papyrus happened to be standing right next to him, carrying a tray of horderves. Well, that’s what Undyne called them. They were really just pigs-n-a-blanket. He took a moment to take in how great Mettaton looked in his floral dress. “Though… you look nice tonight as well!”

The robot turned their attention to the other. “Thank you, Papyrus! I like your bowtie.”

The skeleton’s face flushed. He didn’t really know what to say other than a quick thanks, awkwardly offering one of the horderves to the robot who gladly took one.

“Wow,” Mettaton said after the first bite, “these are really good!”

“R-really?” Papyrus was shocked. “Thanks, I made them myself! No one ever says stuff like that about my cooking…”

Before Mettaton could reply, a small group of monsters a few meters away started waving towards him and calling his name. He waved back.

“Sorry, the fan club’s calling. I’ll catch up with you in a bit. But here,” he pulled a wrapped candy out of a pocket in his dress, “Blooky and I made these earlier. A sweet treat for a sweet man.” He winked before turning and heading over towards his friends, leaving Papyrus awestruck and flustered. Undyne, who happened to be passing by, elbowed him with a wide grin on her scaly face.

“Looks like Flowey ain’t the only one finding love tonight!”

On the other side of the ballroom, Flowey and Frisk were standing before one another. The air around them felt awkward, like everyone around them was watching. As if on cue, the music started up under Napstablook’s command. Everyone on the main floor found a partner and began dancing. Flowey and Frisk were still just looking at each other.

Do you want to dance?

Flowey chuckled. “I haven’t done so in years. I’m not sure if I can in this form…”

Let’s find out.

The human carefully wrapped their hands around the vines that Flowey used as arms. With no feet, the flower could do little more than sway to the music, but it was actually kind of nice. Though he had been nervous of everyone watching before, he found that with Frisk, he no longer felt such a fear. He closed his eyes and simply enjoyed being so close to another living being. It had been so long since he had had physical contact, and even though the circumstances made it a little awkward, he didn’t mind.

And neither did Frisk. They had never done something like this before, but it was less nerve-wracking than they thought it would be. By the time the song was done, they were so relaxed that they didn’t want to let go. But then the music kicked up and became somewhat of a swing and dance. They grinned at their dance partner before swinging them both around in a circle.

Flowey was caught off guard, but soon, he found himself laughing. Frisk joined in as they spun around and around, neither having a care in the world. After a few moments, they soon grew tired and had to stop. They stood laughing at each other, waiting for the dizziness to wear off. Flowey couldn’t stop smiling.

“Frisk, I think I--”

The sound of a slamming door filled the air. The music stopped, and there was nothing. Then, a shot rang out. Everyone began to scream.

Chapter Text

Frisk had forgotten. It had been easy to forget their troubles when they were whisked away into a world of casual enchantment. They had forgotten the life they had left behind, just for a little while. They had never considered that anyone would notice them gone besides their family in the neighboring town. They didn’t think anyone would go looking after them.

And yet, a crowd of humans stood just atop the stairway. In the commotion that followed, Frisk wouldn’t be able to get a good glimpse at all the people, but in the split second they had, when the world stood still, they recognized one face. A face that grinned in triumph as if he had found his latest catch.

Chara. The charismatic bastard must’ve talked the whole town into searching for them after they went missing. If it had been anyone else, Frisk would’ve been flattered. But they understood Chara’s ulterior motives; if he rescued the damsel in distress, the pressure on them to wed would be too much. Frisk would have to leave and start their life anew, something they couldn’t fathom doing. But I already have a new life here…

A single shot fired in the air startled everyone into silence. Chara stepped forward and blew the steam off his gun as he surveyed the room below him. Though he advanced, the crowd behind him, though equipped with pitchforks and other homemade weapons, didn’t dare to move. The monsters cowered under their terrifying sneers.

“Now,” Chara’s boots thumped and echoed throughout the room as he meandered down the stairs, “I see that you have taken one of our own. What do you say we end this peacefully, hmm?”

He looked pointedly at Frisk and Flowey. The monster had not moved, his expression seemingly blank. But when Chara tried to take another step closer, a vine moved protectively in front of Frisk.

In turn, Chara sneered. “So we’re doing this the hard way? Sounds good to me. Round ‘em up.”

It was hard to tell what was happening after that. Flowey pushed Frisk to the side, the human falling into a small crowd of monsters. They thought to apologize, but in an instant, the ballroom devolved into chaos. There were shouts and screams, and whether they were human or monster in nature, they couldn’t tell. They struggled through the whirlpool of frenzied bodies, trying to make their way back over to Flowey. They were a little short, but what little they could see over the heads of those in front of them didn’t look good.

Flowey had managed to knock the gun out of Chara’s hand, and the latter was trying desperately to get it back. He struggled against the vines that entangled him, reaching for his pocket. What he pulled out was something that shimmered under the chandelier’s light, and that was all Frisk could see.

Even though they fought against the flow of stampede, they still managed to get pushed out of the ballroom along with quite a few others. Humans and monsters alike ran past, each ignoring the silent being that hid in the shadows of the corridors. They wandered, trying to find their way back to the ballroom and to Flowey when they bumped into Sans.

“What’re you doing here? You need to get somewhere safe.” He looked out of breath as he chucked glowing bones at the humans that drew too close to him.

Are you alright?

“Oh, y’know me. I’m good,” Sans chuckled even though he looked like he could keel over at any moment. “Seriously, I got this. Go.”

Frisk was extra happy that they hadn’t chosen a dress for the ball as running in that would’ve been so much more difficult. They weren’t much of a fighter, so they tried to avoid the other humans as they made their way down the twisting corridors. Though they had gotten turned around, they finally made it back to the ballroom only to find it trashed and deserted. They groaned before dashing down another hallway.

They crashed into Alphys as they came around the corner. They both fell to the floor as the person who’d been chasing the monster finally caught up. They didn’t even have a chance to try and stand their ground as a spear was soon thrown straight into the man’s shoulder. He fell, and Frisk winced and looked away. Behind them, they saw a relieved Undyne.

“Alphys! I found you!”

She helped them both to their feet, the reptile muttering a long-winded apology. Undyne shut her up by hoisting her up and kissing her.

“Don’t scare me like that again. You’re stickin’ with me.”

She turned away from the now very-red-in-the-face Alphys to survey the human. “You wanna run with us?”

Frisk shook their head. Got to find Flowey.

Undyne looked worried, but she didn’t argue. “Understood. Take this and stay safe.”

The wooden baseball bat felt awkward in their hands, but they were quite thankful for it. It was easier to get by when they had a weapon in hand. They hated hurting people, especially their fellow kind, but they did what had to be done. They had just finished whacking someone that had tried to grab them when they heard some familiar voices down the hall.

“Nice kick!” Papyrus was patting Mettaton on the back as they both surveyed an unconscious person lying in front of them. In fact, as Frisk surveyed the room they found themselves, there were a lot of unconscious people on the floor. The two must’ve been keeping busy.

“Oh, Frisk!” Mettaton was the first to notice their arrival. “Have you seen anyone else? Are they doing okay?”

“And if you did see anyone,” Papyrus added, an expression of worry on his face, “is my brother on that list?”

Frisk rested the bat against their shoulder to sign, Yes, everyone I’ve seen is fine. Have you seen Flowey?

The two men shared a look. Mettaton started, “He was fleeing towards the east wing when we saw him--”

“--but that was a while ago. I’d look there, though,” Papyrus finished.

Content that the two had things under control, Frisk continued on, racing down the corridors towards the east wing. They didn’t get very far when a figure popped out of one of the walls.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you…” It was Napstablook, whose expression was unreadable. Frisk didn’t have time to sign anything as xe continued. “The east tower. It’s not going well…”

They vanished as quickly as they had arrived, but that was all the information Frisk needed. Clambering up the stairs, they steeled themself. Flowey needed them now more than ever. They kicked the door open, and up the twisting staircase they went. It wasn’t long before they reached the top.

The sight before them was a monstrous one indeed. Flowey and Chara stood facing each other, snarling like animals in combat. The knife in the human’s hand was bloodied, and one look at Flowey’s face could see why. A deep gash ran from the top of his face to the bottom. All but one of his petals were gone, and he looked like he was struggling to stay upright. Chara didn’t look too hot either, covered in small punctures, likely from the thorns of Flowey’s vines. Neither noticed the newcomer in the room.

The bloodied human was staying just out of reach of Flowey’s vines, back facing the floor-to-ceiling window that the moon shone through. They both stood panting for a while, each daring the other to make a move. Out of the corner of his eye, Flowey finally saw Frisk. He did a double take, shock written clear across his face.

“Frisk?”

Chara saw his opportunity. He roared and lunged forward, knife swinging wildly. He had caught the monster off guard, and there was little Flowey could do in retaliation; in his sorry state, his vines were just too slow.

“No!” Frisk’s voice was hoarse from underuse, but it rang out clearly throughout the dark tower. They weren’t thinking as they ran forward, bat at the ready. They closed their eyes when they swung so they wouldn’t have to see Chara’s expression of malice. The other was forced back, straight into the window. There was nothing anyone could do when the glass instantly shattered, and he fell to the world below.

Frisk’s breathing was the only sound in the room for a moment. They were shaking, staring wide-eyed at the broken window. But they didn’t have time to think about what they had just done. Flowey collapsed to the ground, and Frisk had to help him.

They fell to their knees beside him, ripping off part of their suit sleeve to wrap around the monster’s bleeding face. Flowey chuckled, grinning up at them.

“Ah, don’t… ruin your suit fo-for me.” The last yellow petal fell to the ground, and Frisk didn’t need an explanation to know what was happening.

“Don’t cry.” They couldn’t help it. They didn’t know they cared for the monster so much. They had only spent a short time together, and now, that was coming to an end. “I… I love you, Fr-Frisk.”

I love you, too.

Their sobs sounded like rain.

Chapter Text

Monsters didn’t die the same way humans did. Flowey bled like a human would, but when his last petal hit the ground, his body began to disappear. Frisk couldn’t see it happen as their eyes were shut tight. But they could feel as Flowey turned slowly to dust. They hugged him tight, willing it not to happen despite there being little they could do. They squeezed until there was nothing left, and then, they wrapped their arms tightly around themself. There was no thunder, no rain. Only their broken sobs echoed. They were alone.

It was dark in the tower, even darker still behind their eyelids. Without even lightning to illuminate the room, they had grown used to the darkness. That was why they were taken aback by the sudden light emitting from just in front of them. They ignored it for a moment, too broken to think of anything other than their hurt. But when the light only grew brighter and a cold wind brushed their cheeks, they finally opened their eyes.

It was hard to see past the tears. Despite that, they could clearly make out a large, glowing shape in the center of the room. The wind picked up, a whirlwind forming inside the tiny tower. Objects whizzed past their head as they sat dumbstruck. They tried to sweep up some of the dust, all that remained of their dear friend, but even that was lost in the storm. As the light grew brighter, they scurried away from it, backing themself into a corner of the room. It kept growing brighter and brighter until the human was forced to close their eyes and turn away. It was too much, even with their eyes closed tight. Just when they thought they couldn’t take it anymore, the light vanished all at once. Still, they did not open their eyes. There was a moment of silence as the wind began to wind down. The human’s heart skipped a beat.

“...Frisk?”

They didn’t need to open their eyes to confirm what they were hearing. They knew that voice. Still, they turned towards the figure anyway and slowly peeled their eyes open. They didn’t see much as the figure stumbled swiftly over, collapsing in front of them. They felt two arms wrap around their shoulder, not the thorny vines they had grown so used to.

“Frisk.”

The tears began to flow again in earnest. They fell silently this time, Frisk clinging to her friend with all the strength left in their weary body. They could’ve fallen asleep right there in his arms, but he eventually pulled away. Frisk blinked the tears away, taking in his new form. He was devilishly handsome, they had to admit, but not at all like they were used to.

“You look weird,” they signed, and he had to laugh. They couldn’t have been happier, but they were still so terribly confused. “How?”

Now it was his turn to cry. “You broke the curse, Frisk.” And they sat there for hours, laughing and crying and trying to come to terms with all that implied.

Within a month, the castle was back in tip-top shape. With everyone pitching in, it didn’t take long to get the dilapidated castle looking brand spanking new. In that month, they had managed to recover from what had happened that fateful night. Not a single casualty to be had, they all counted their blessings. And with the curse lifted now, they hopefully wouldn’t have any more run-ins with the nearby villages any time soon. And, of course, most were adjusting well to their now-human forms. A majority of the monsters had been born and raised human and were happy to be back to normal. The few children that had been born during the span of the curse’s duration were slowly coming around with help from their elders.

All in all, the castle was quite peaceful. Well, it would’ve been if there hadn’t been so much going on. There was the usual hustle and bustle of constant repairs, but even after the renovations came to an end, they all figured a celebration was in order. And what better way to celebrate than with a wedding?

“Frisk, darling, are you almost ready?” Having been one of the most humanoid monsters, Mettaton was one of the few who didn’t look all that different after the change. They gave him a thumbs up and a grin, but he could tell by the way they were shaking that they were clearly nervous. “Don’t be scared! You’ll do fabulous!”

Well, they certainly felt fabulous. They chose to wear a similar suit to the one that wore that fateful night. There were bad memories attached to the choice, of course, but there were good ones too. Frisk stared long and hard in the mirror, adjusting their bow tie and cufflinks about a dozen times before finally turning and nodding at Mettaton. They were ready.

The room was already filled with mon-- no, humans, all lined up in pews. They all turned to look as Frisk made their way down the aisle. Their face was surely beet red from all the attention they were receiving, but they almost bust out laughing at the funny faces Sans was throwing them. It seemed like he was happy to finally be able to make other facial expressions rather than a permanent grin. Papyrus elbowed his brother before waving cheerfully. Frisk returned the gesture, and Mettaton blew him a kiss which made him blush about as much as Frisk was. They grinned at that.

Mettaton took his place at the podium with Frisk stopping to the right of him. Their gaze turned towards the front row where Alphys and Undyne were seated. They tried to wave to the couple, but the shorter girl was preoccupied with trying to soothe her girlfriend. Frisk didn’t take Undyne as the type of person to gross-sob at weddings, but they were touched nonetheless. Napstablook was going ham on the piano in the corner of the room, something xe had grown to be really good at again since xe had hands now. There was just one more person they were all waiting on…

There were a few minutes of awkwardness that followed. Flo--Asriel was supposed to follow down the aisle right after Frisk, but he was nowhere to be found. They shuffled from foot-to-foot anxiously as Mettaton whispered reassurances to them.

“Don’t worry. He’s just a bit late.” Sure enough, right after he said that, the doors swung open. Asriel stumbled through, face flushed and long hair messy like he was just in the middle of brushing it. He hurried down the aisle, too embarrassed to look any of his subjects in the eye. He did, however, look up from his feet to gaze upon Frisk.

“I thought you got cold feet,” they stealthily signed as Mettaton began speaking to the audience. Asriel chuckled.

“I got really anxious and spent some time calming down.” Frisk gave him a concerned look, but he brushed it off. “Don’t worry, I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere.”

“Neither am I. You’re stuck with me now.”

They both chuckled, but the moment was interrupted by a whispering voice. “Hey, uh, did you guys hear me? It’s vows time.”

Asriel covered his laugh up with a cough as he stood up straighter. He had been rehearsing his lines for days, but in that moment, his mind went blank. Looked like he was gonna have to wing it.

“Frisk, I know that I haven’t known you for very long--just a few months, really,” he began, slowly picking out his words, “but I feel like I’ve known you my entire life. You taught me to love again. Not just my subjects and other people, but myself as well. You saved me; you saved us all. You bring me joy in every waking day, and I hope that we have many more days and adventures together.”

Short and sweet; that was very much his style. Unlike Asriel, Frisk hadn’t had any big speech planned, but they knew what they wanted to sign. “I loved you as a flower, and I’ll love you as a person. I’d love you in any form you take. I will be by your side forever and always, and I hope you’ll do the same for me.”

Frisk purposefully avoided looking at all of their friends sitting in the audience as they knew if all of them started crying, they would, too. Frisk and Asriel smiled at each other as they exchanged rings. The world was a blur as emotion overwhelmed them, knowing the moment was coming up. They didn’t even hear the words come from Mettaton’s mouth, but he must’ve said them because Flowey flung himself around them and squeezed them tight. They melted in his arms, letting the applause and cheers wash over them as they relished the moment. With the ceremony complete, it was time to celebrate.

This truly was their happily ever after.