It's been a while since you've seen the Sun.

It was different, through the barrier. Even facing Asgore, the light coming through was different—twilight, you think, is a good word for it.

It's warm. You had gotten used to the cooler temperature of the underground. And liked it. You were never a fan of the heat—or the summer.

Papyrus likes it. You think. He seems to like most things. His excitement is contagious-you can't help but at least smile a little.

You, however… you're not particularly glad to see the Sun. Now that you're back on the surface, you don't know what to do.

This was what you had wanted, right? To go home?

Not at all. That was why, the first time, you had—

You…

You don't want to think about that.

"We should really think about what comes next," Toriel says, interrupting your thoughts. You listen in on the others speak, and soon they all rush off, for some reason or another. You understand. It's exciting.

You're glad they're getting this. They deserve it.

But.

But, you don't want to be here. On the surface. Now that you're here, you suppose you have to go home, don't you?

Yes. You have to go back. Unless

Unless you reset. But you won't do that. Not to them.

They're happy. It doesn't matter if you are. After all,

'You're the type of person who won't ever be happy', right?

Yeah.

So, you turn to Toriel with a polite smile. "I have places to go," you say, your voice quiet as always. Talking was still hard for you, even when the monsters encouraged it. You were too far stuck in your habit—speak only when spoken to.

"…I see," she says, and if you're not mistaken, she sounds disappointed. You said the wrong thing. You said the wrong thing! You open your mouth, then close it. No, it was too late to say anything else. Besides, your parents—you had been gone a while. They would want you home.

"See you around." she says with a smile, and you soak it up. Sans was rubbing off on her, wasn't he? You manage to pull your expressionless face into a smile, before heading out.

It takes a while to get back to where you were before. There's not a lot around Mt. Ebott besides a large forest—tall tales about the mountain keep people away. Most people. Through the woods, there's a small bus stop, connecting the rural area around the woods to a nearby city.

That's where you had been, before. Or, rather, where you were supposed to go. Instead, you walked through the woods, towards the mountain, and fallen right in.

All-in-all, one of the better decisions you've made.

You sit down at one of seats at the stop and pull out your phone. Calling your parents. That was always a good time. You start dialing your mom's cell phone.

It rings a few times. No answer. Big surprise.

Dad's cell. No answer. Home phone. No answer. Dad's work. He left for the day.

You slump in the chair. There you were, back at the beginning. You don't want to sit here and wait any more. Not after what you've been through. You stand up and start heading back into the woods. Just a little exploration. You pick up another stick, just like the one you had before. It's nostalgic, at this point. And you're beginning to forget how alone you are—it's an adventure, but not one that could actually kill you, this time.

Until it starts getting dark. Then, you begin to realize you can't romp around in the woods forever. You pull out your phone again, starting to make the rounds again, before stopping for a moment. Toriel. You had her number. You could contact her. You could stay the night, maybe. Wherever she was staying, that is. You can't imagine that they've built homes overnight. You start dialing before you freeze up.

She had never answered, all while you were in the underground. Not that it meant she didn't want to talk to you but—she had told you to leave her alone. Or… something to that effect. Your memory might be muddled, but—

She doesn't want you to bother her.

Your hand freezes in front of the numbers before slowly putting the phone down. Not Toriel.

…But, there was someone who picked up your calls every time. Someone who had always been excited to hear your voice. You try not to get your hopes up as you search through your contacts, looking for that person.

"Hello, Human! Frisk?!" he says, and you have to cover your mouth for a moment while you gather your voice.

"Hi Papyrus," you say softly, the smile clear in your voice.

"Frisk!" he says again, this time not a question. You love your name when he says it. "Where are you? Toriel says you had places to go, but we're going to hang out soon, right? Maybe I can visit you! I can introduce myself to your family!" he says, getting more and more excited as he goes on.

God, it feels so nice to hear someone else's voice.

"I'm in the woods," you mumble, glancing at the ground.

There's a beat of silence before he speaks up again. "Really?! That's close by! Where in the woods?"

"By… by the bus stop." you reply.

"Hm." he says, and you realize that your answer meant nothing for the monsters that had just barely moved to the surface. "I don't know where that is, but—Frisk! Do not worry! I will look it up on the internet!" he says, before doing what you assume is dramatically hanging up.

At least you're smiling, now. You head back toward the bus stop, standing at the edge of the woods. You refuse to go back there, and waiting there is enough for now.

It's not too long before Papyrus arrives, huffing and puffing. If you had to take a guess, he probably ran the whole way. Your face lights up as he arrives at the bus stop, looking around wildly for you.

You run up, waving. It doesn't take long for him to spot you, especially when you're waving that stick around. You drop it as soon as he gets close, and he pulls you into a hug.

"You're shaking!" he says, worried. You haven't even noticed. It doesn't matter, anymore. You hold him tightly, burying your face in his scarf. It smells like bones—or, the smell you've come to associate with bones.

"Did you do the things you needed to do?" Papyrus asks hopefully.

You open your mouth, and then close it, hesitating.

"Toriel made this weird quiche! It tastes really good!" he adds, as if bribing you into coming.

"Hey. If the kid doesn't wanna come, don't make them." a familiar voice says, coming up from behind you—the opposite direction that Papyrus had come from. A shortcut, you suppose. How he already managed to find shortcuts is beyond you.

"Sans! You're late!" Papyrus says, finally setting you back down from your hug.

You glance at Sans, then at the ground. Was he here for you? To comfort you? No. That's unlikely.

He doesn't trust you to be alone with Papyrus.

You continue to look at the ground, softly stepping on a leaf and hearing an incredibly unsatisfying mush sound.

"So, who'd you meet here?" Sans says, glancing around the place. "Must've left pretty quick." he adds, his gaze turning to you.

You give a weak shrug in response. Was that a question? Did he want you to say something? "They're busy," you mumble, hoping that wasn't too much.

Sans keeps staring at you. You don't really know a lot about him, but he always seems to know more than usual. Perceptive, maybe. Or… something else. Something that allowed him to be everywhere. You've had your suspicions, since…

No, it doesn't matter. Everyone has secrets. You don't want to dwell on them—on that time.

Luckily, Papyrus is always eager to fill the silence. "Great! Want to come with us? I can show you where we're living now!" he says, a note of hope in his voice. He doesn't want you to leave.

You don't want him to leave, either.

"Yes," you answer quietly. Papyrus has to lean in to hear your answers, sometimes, and you always feel warmer when he does. Worthwhile. He likes listening to you—something that you have to keep reminding yourself, especially when times got bad. He picked up the phone.

Papyrus stands up straight and beams. "Wonderful! Follow me human—er, Frisk!" he says, starting to march off. You follow him, a small smile on his face. He looked so heroic, like this, with the setting Sun in front of him, casting a glow around his body. You pick up your pace—you have to move twice as fast to keep up with his long legs—and you head to his house, only glancing back once to check to see if Sans was following, too.

He… was. It surprised you. He's walking right behind you, shooting you a casual grin when you glance back. He looks back at the bus stop as you walk away, his hands in his pockets, before glancing at Papyrus, then at you with an eager grin that clearly said,

"My brother's the coolest, isn't he?"

You beam back, answering in your silent way.

Yeah. He is.