Nightmares and lullabies
Frisk hid slightly behind Papyrus as the group of monsters sitting across the room threw very threatening gazes in her direction. The boldest of them was Undyne, as she sat on the worn couch, chin resting on tightened fists, glaring at Frisk as though she believed that she could punch a hole through her head with only her eyes. The dog monster that had cut Frisk off from her escape also shot her a particularly nasty snarl, as he twirled a serrated dagger suggestively between his fingers. Frisk gulped as she scooted further behind the taller skeleton brother, who just smiled at the group, oblivious to the sinister threats being casted by the monsters through there angry stares. Soon, Sans reappeared from upstairs, apparently finished with whatever business Asgore had to discus with him. He glanced over at the group from across the room briefly before continuing forward toward his brother.
"Hey bro, mind if I get a word with you?" He asked, motioning for his brother to follow him a short distance away.
"WHY OF COURSE NOT BROTHER." Papyrus responded enthusiastically. He then quickly turned to Frisk, who had almost reached out to grab the skeleton by his belt in dread of being left to fend of the frightening barrage of the ominous monsters that sat only a few feet away from her.
"WORRY NOT SMALL HUMAN." Papyrus said, flashing Frisk a reassuring smile sensing her distress." I WILL NOT BE GONE LONG. MAYBE YOU CAN USE THIS TIME TO GET ACQUAINTED WITH YOUR NEW CO- WORKERS! I'M SURE YOU WILL BE AS THICK AS THIEVES IN NO TIME AT ALL."
Frisk felt her heart sink as Papyrus followed after his brother. She barely dared to glance back to the group of monsters. The atmosphere had definitely grown more deadly once the protective presence of Papyrus was no longer situated in front of her. Frisk stood stalk still, she was beginning to feel like a cornered mouse as Undyne's slited yellow eye dilated, focusing on Frisk's trapped form. She flashed her a very hate filled toothy grin as she dragged a clawed finger slowly across her throat. Frisk stiffened, completely understanding the gesture. What the hell had she gotten herself into? Soon Papyrus and Sans returned from their discussion, and Frisk almost fell over with relief.
"Ready to take the kid home Paps?" Sans asked.
"MOST DEFINITELY BROTHER!" Papyrus replied, and to Frisks astonishment he sounded even more chipper then usual. She wondered what had gotten him in such a good mood. Papyrus then walked over to Frisk, his happy disposition taking on a more sheepish appearance.
"UM HUMAN.' He began, Fidgeting slightly with the canvas sack in his hands.
"Oh." Frisk thought to herself. She had almost forgotten about the bag.
"I KNOW THAT YOU DO NOT LIKE IT." Papyrus continued. "BUT I ASSURE YOU, YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO WEAR IT ALL THE TIME, JUST WHEN WE ARE TAKING YOU TO AND FROM PLACES THAT YOU CANNOT KNOW THE LOCATION OF." He said, his jovial temperament returning.
Sans watched nonchalantly from over his shoulder as Papyrus tried to reassure the kid, to his surprise it seemed to work. The kid let out a short sigh, before bowing her head forward, and allowing Papyrus to place the sack gently over her face. She then allowed him to take one of her hands and lead her toward the door.
The three re entered the black sedan, this time without a struggle. Frisk didn't even try to pay attention to the directions that Papyrus was driving in, as all she was concerned about was getting back to her apartment for a much needed rest. Just the thought of bundling up into the quilts and blankets on her mattress in front of her warm stove made her heart flutter happily. Suddenly the car came to a stop much sooner then Frisk had anticipated. That’s odd, had Papyrus decided to take a more direct rout? Again Frisk heard Papyrus turn off the engine and open the door. She then felt herself being pulled out of the back seat.
"ALL RIGHT HUMAN WELCOME HOME!" Papyrus said happily as he pulled the bag off of her head.
Frisk blinked in confusion for a few moments at her unfamiliar surroundings . This wasn't the apartment. This wasn't home. Frisk now stood in front of the entrance of what looked to be a bar of some sort. 'Grilby's' was spelled out in gold letters above the doorway. As she looked around, she recognized the area as being within the more monster populated area of the city. Frisk turned back to Papyrus quizzically.
"AMAZED ARN'T YOU! NYEHEHE! I'M SO GLAD, I WAS GOING TO TELL YOU BEFORE WE LEFT BUT SANS THOUGHT THAT YOU WOLD APPRECIATE THE SURPRISE!" Frisk narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
"What were you going to tell me Papyrus? She asked, her tone full of dread. Papyrus didn't seem to notice, as he began to drag her toward the bar.
WHY THAT YOU ARE GOING TO BE ROOMIES WITH MY BROTHER AND I FOR AN ENTIRE MONTH! ISN'T THAT EXCITING?" Frisk Immediately shot a furious glare at the shorter skeleton.
"Hey don’t look at me pal." Sans replied with a shrug. "You’re the one that wanted the extra security."
Frisk felt her hopeful mood crumble to dust as she whispered a sad farewell to her comfortable bed, while continuing to follow Papyrus. If she would have known that she would have to remain under the constant surveillance of the skeleton brothers, then Frisk would have probably put more consideration toward accepting Asgore's offer. She quickly felt her face drop into a frown as she bean to wonder what other choice 'aspects of truth' Asgore had decided not to relay to her. After all, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her right?
Frisk was now led inside the building, and through the closed bar. It was dark, but Frisk could still make out most of the details. Maroon leather couches and arm chairs surrounding small drinking tables lined the walls, as larger tables with there chairs flipped over and placed on top of them were scattered along the rest of the floor. There was an elegant mahogany bar near the back wall of the building, lined with matching bar stools. Though there were only non alcoholic beverages displayed on the shelves lining the wall behind the bar, Frisk knew that this was probably one of the watering holes for the members of the Pansy gang, and probably for the members of a few other monster gangs as well. This place most likely served as a regular meeting spot for the mob members to wet there whistles with a liquid far sweeter then water. The walls alternated between exposed red brick to being richly finished with an art deco patterned wall paper. To the right of the floor stood a vintage looking baby grand piano, its varnish was chipping and its ivory keys were slightly yellowed with age.
THIS WAY SMALL HUMAN , I THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL GIVE YOU THE GRAND TOUR OF OUR APARTMENT UP STAIRS!" Papyrus declared proudly as he ushered Frisk up the stair case, with Sans following close behind.
The grand tour that Papyrus had promised had lasted about ten minutes as the apartment only consisted of a small living space with a worn lumpy green couch, a kitchenette and small dining area, a closet sized bathroom, and Papyrus' and Sans bedrooms. Papyrus' room was adorned with Hollywood movie posters. As it turned out, the taller brother was a bit of a romantic. He told Frisk about the daring vigilantes, or misunderstood mobsters and there tragic tales of unfulfilled love that were shown on the big screen. Frisk had never had the luxury of seeing a moving picture before, but she listened intently as Papyrus described his favorite scenes. Sans convinced Papyrus to skip over his room as he hadn't cleaned it in a while, and Papyrus, after calling him a lazybones, decided that it was probably for the best. However, the look that Sans shot at Frisk when his brother had his back turned made it very clear that his room was permanently off limits.
After the tour, Papyrus set up the couch as a make shift bed for Frisk. He lined it with clean crisp sheets and covered it with a thick woolly blanket, before fluffing a goose feather pillow and placing it below one of the arm rests. Sans just watched his brother work as he leaned his weight on one of the apartment walls.
"ARE YOU SURE YOU WILL BE COMFORTABLE OUT HERE SMALL HUMAN?" He asked. Frisk nodded firmly.
"It's fine." She said not making a move toward the couch.
ALRIGHT THEN, HAVE A GOOD NIGHT HUMAN. IF YOU NEED ANYTHING DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK. I WILL BE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER AFTER ALL" He said as he headed off to his room. Sans followed his brothers lead as he pushed himself off the wall.
"Sleep tight kid." He told Frisk, flicking the light switch as he passed . Frisk eyes narrowed as she caught the warning in his tone.
When both of the brothers had disappeared into their rooms, Frisk allowed herself to sit on the couch. She did not lie down, however, as she kept her eyes focused on both of the brothers bedroom doors. Yet, despite her efforts, her exhaustion had caught up with her as her limbs slowly felt heavier, and the couch gradually became more comfortable. Frisk felt her head start to nod as she struggled to keep her vision focused. She knew that it would be dangerous to let her guard down, but she was just so tired. Frisk felt herself giving in to her worn out bodies demands.
“Just a quick nap." Frisk tried to argue with herself, but her head was already swimming, and her eyes finally fell shut as she drifted into a deep, deep sleep.
When Frisk opened her eyes she was in a dark space, an endless expanse of pure blackness. Though the space seemed to go on forever, Frisk had never felt more trapped. She tried to run to find an exit or an escape from the void, but to no avail. It was an odd feeling, running as fast and as as hard as she could, but at the same time going nowhere at all. When she finally stopped running, she sat down and curled herself into a ball. She had never felt so vulnerable before as she rocked herself back and forth, trying to give herself some comfort and attempt to hold herself together.
Suddenly from out of the blackness peered a stark white face. It had black eyes, and wore a thin smile. Its right eye drooped slightly as a crack that ran through the upper right side of its skull cut through it . An Identical crack appeared on the bottom portion of the left side, running downward from its left eye, before meeting with its sinister grin. Frisk felt a stab of fear embed itself, and worm its way through her entire being as the face continued to stare at her. A white disembodied hand joined the face, It reached for her through the darkness. Frisk wanted to shout at it to go away, but any sounds that she made were immediately swallowed up by the thick blackness surrounding her. She couldn't move as she watched in terror while the hand floated toward her through the void. Frisk didn't know who this man was, but she knew she didn't want to go with him. Her mind kept screaming at her that he was a bad man, that he did bad things, bad things that hurt. Frisk squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered, wishing for the man to go away, But she still felt him, felt his probing stare on her huddled form. Then she heard him speak.
" "
Frisk screamed.
Frisks eyes snapped open as she bolted up from the couch. She was tangled up in the sheets and woolly blanket, and bathed in sweat. Her eyes darted around the room, and she almost panicked at the unfamiliar surroundings of the brothers apartment, before the memories of that nights events settled in her mind, reminding her where she was. once she had calmed down slightly, Frisk let out a shaky sigh. She glanced over at the brothers bedroom doors.They were still closed, and there was no evidence of anyone awake or moving from behind them.
Frisk slumped back into the lumpy couch. It had been a while since she had had that nightmare. It was the same one that she had always suffered from when she was younger. Frisk guessed that the stress that she had endured today had probably re-awoken the dream from its slumber in her subconsciousness. She wiped the sweat away from her brow and untangled herself from the couch. One thing was for sure, Frisk wasn't going to get anymore sleep tonight. As she headed for the door of the apartment, she quickly threw one last glance over her shoulder at the brothers bedrooms, making sure that no one was there, before she opened the door and headed down stairs to the bar below .
Frisk wandered around the main floor of the bar exploring her new surroundings. Though there wasn't anything immensely interesting about the space, Frisk needed some kind of a distraction to pull her thoughts away from the nightmare. Her gaze then fell to the worn baby grand piano, and she quickly walked over. Frisk let her fingers gently brush over the yellowed keys, before she gathered enough courage to press one of them down. A strong even tone rung out in the bar, and Frisk held her breath and looked toward the stairs waiting for Papyrus or Sans to come down them looking for her. when everything remained silent, Frisk turned her attention back to the piano, a small smile tugging at her lips. It had been a while since she had played.
Frisk was by no means a trained musician, but she had taken a few lessons when she was a child, back when things were better. Frisk placed her hands over the keys in what she remembered was a basic starting position. She then quickly played out some basic scales; she was pleased to find that her fingers seemed to remember how to maneuver through them fairly well, even though they hadn't so much as touched an instrument in years. Frisk found herself giggling slightly as she continued to allow her fingers to move across the keys. She then decided to try and play a song. It was the only one she had learned to play all the way through, a lullaby that she held in her memory from a sweeter time that she had safe guarder from all the bitter years living on the streets.
After she played through the melody a few times, making sure that she remembered all of the notes, Frisk began to hum along, and soon she was singing softly to the familiar tune. As Frisk sang through the verses, she let her mind wander to the happier memories of her past, something that she did not normally allow herself to do . She figured, however, that after all that she had been through today, her mind could definitely use a break, and it seemed to also help wash the bad taste out of her mouth from that nightmare. As Frisk neared the end of the song, she felt that all to familiar wave of melancholy nostalgia. When she was finished, instead of shaking off the feeling immediately, she allowed herself to relish in it for a moment, resting her hands quietly on the keys.
"Wow kid you really are full of surprises hu?" A familiar voice sounded from the bar. Frisk immediately pushed herself off of the piano bench, slamming her hands down on the keys in the process, resulting in the piano growling out a very off putting chord, which resonated throughout the empty room.
"Careful, we wouldn't want to wake up my brother." Sans chuckled from his place at one of the bar stools, as he sipped an amber liquid from a clear glass.
Frisk stared at him in astonishment. How did he get there? She was sure that the bar was empty when she had come down, and she had been keeping the stairwell in her constant line of vision . Sans just smirked at her as she continued to gawk at him in surprise. Quickly Frisk fixed her bewildered expression into one of annoyance as she fought to suppress the blush that she could already feel spreading across her cheeks.
"What are you doing here?" She asked him sharply. Sans smirk only grew larger as he leaned his wight on the bar.
"You know, I could ask you the very same question." He responded, fixing Frisk with an amused glare. Frisk narrowed her eyes at him.
"I couldn't sleep." She replied curtly.
"Small world." Sans said taking another sip from his glass. "Neither could I." Frisk didn't buy his excuse, even for just the lint in her pocket. She knew that Sans was keeping an eye on her, a very close eye.
"You don't trust me do you ?" Frisk asked keeping her gaze firmly locked on Sans. The question must have surprised him a little because his grin faltered slightly.
"Now what gave you that idea?" He replied, raising a brow bone. Frisk ignored the mockery in his voice
"I don't expect you to, in fact I would be surprised if you did." She continued. "Besides, I don't trust you either." Sans tilted his head lazily to the side. Frisk continued to hold her firm gaze over him refusing to break eye contact.
"But whether or not we trust each other, we still have to work together." She said. "So I propose a truce." Sans hesitated for a moment before he got off the bar stool, and began to saunter over to where Frisk was standing.
"A truce, hu ?" He asked. Frisk fought the urge to back away from Sans as he approached, and nodded firmly.
"I will follow your rules, and do everything you tell me without fighting you, and in return you'll protect me from any other dangerous encounters with your coworkers, as well as any other monsters from other gangs until the month is up." She said.
"And after the month?" Sans asked.
"Then I'll leave." Frisk answered "I'll go on my marry way, and be out of your hair.... so to speak." Sans paused for a moment, contemplating her offer.
"What about your promise to Asgore?" San's questioned.
"The only thing I promised Asgore was to give this a try for one month, and I intend to keep that promise, but after that time is up I believe you, as well as your colleges have made it very clear that I shouldn't over stay my welcome." Frisk replied. Sans chuckled darkly. If anything at least the girl was good at reading people, not that the message hadn't been very clearly spelled out for her.
"Alright kid." Sans said, extending his hand. "You got yourself a deal." Frisk blinked hesitantly at his offered hand for a few moments. "what's the matter? don't you know how to make a new pal?" San's asked, shooting her a sly smile. Frisk countered his smirk with a determined glare, and quickly met his open palm with her own. However, as soon as she did so, Sans tightened his grip and pulled her roughly toward him, and his pitch black eye sockets.
"But make no mistake friend." He said in his usual lazy tone, though the jet black stare that accompanied it suggested that this message was anything but jovial." You make one wrong move, or step out of line one time, or do anything to put anyone in danger outside of yourself, I can guarantee you that there will be consequences, capiche ?" He questioned. Frisk nodded stiffly fighting back the shiver that was trying to run up her spine. Sans held her firm for a few more moments, making sure that his message sunk in, before he let her go and lazily made his way back up the stairs.
"see you in the morning kiddo." He said as he left Frisk alone in the bar, battling to control her frantic heart beat.