Time With the Skelebros

Frisk's POV

"Hey, Chara." Frisk was laying down on the bed beside Kat, who was dozing peacefully beside them.

"Frisk, it's too early for this," Chara grunted.

"Well, I'm wide awake," Frisk announced, sitting up. "And I have some questions."

"You always have questions… ugh whatever, ask away I guess."

"What are you?" Frisk began, resting their hands in their lap. "Or… were you? In life, I mean."

"I was human." Chara's voice was still weighed down by weariness. "I fell into the Underground and lived here for a while." Frisk's mind wandered back to the Ruins.

"Was… was Toriel your mom?" There was no response. "I mean, did she take you in? I'm asking because… you-you called her mom."

"Oh… so you heard that." Chara paused to sigh. "Yes, she did take me in. I'd rather not discuss the details of my past before falling Underground but Toriel and… her family were my family too."

"I see…"

"Frisk." Kat let out a grunt. Sitting up, she rubbed her tired eyes and glanced at Frisk. "Who are you talking to?"

"Chara."

"Oh right… are you gonna tell the others about that?" Kat asked, slipping out of bed.

"I guess if they really wanna know," Frisk answered, running a hand through their messy hair. They had to force their hand through the tangled parts. They stood up. "Let's wait for the others in the lobby." Kat nodded. They stepped out into the hallway, skidding to a halt as another door opened. They turned to see a red-haired girl in the hall.

"Poppy!" Kat called, gesturing to her. Letting out a grunt, Poppy followed them down the stairs. In the lobby, Clover, Ray, and Teri were already standing at the door, chatting amongst themselves.

"There you are!" Teri exclaimed, rushing in front of Kat. "We were wondering when you'd come down!"

"And… you brought Poppy." Clover's eyes were narrowed at the redhead. However, he did not go on.

"Come on, we can finally get going." Ray pushed open the door, ushering everyone outside. The door slammed behind them in the wind as they made their way across the town. They passed a restaurant, a house, and a Christmas tree.

"Yo!" A voice called. The group turned to see a striped monster, about Frisk's height, with spikes and no arms. "You're kids too, right?"

"Yeah, we are," Teri replied with a nod.

"Cool! I can tell 'cause your leader is wearing a striped shirt." Everyone immediately looked at Frisk.

"That's… not how it works…" Clover objected, tilting his head to the side.

"Whatever, let's go." Everyone nodded to Frisk. The group made their way past the town. Eventually, they were enveloped in a thick cloud of fog as they made their way through the pine forest. Ahead, they could make out a tall shape in the fog.

"HUMANS." The group immediately recognize Papyrus's voice. "ALLOW ME TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME COMPLEX FEELINGS. FEELINGS LIKE… THE JOY OF FINDING MORE PASTA LOVERS… THE ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER'S PUZZLE-SOLVING SKILLS. THE DESIRE TO HAVE COOL, SMART PEOPLE THINK YOU ARE COOL. THESE FEELINGS… THEY MUST BE WHAT YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW!" Poppy was facepalming again. Frisk didn't see it but they heard it between Papyrus's words. "I CAN HARDLY IMAGINE WHAT IT MUST BE LIKE TO FEEL THAT WAY. AFTER ALL, I AM VERY GREAT." He broke off to chuckle softly. "I DON'T EVER WONDER WHAT HAVING LOTS OF FRIENDS IS LIKE. I PITY YOU… LONELY HUMANS… WORRY NOT! YOU SHALL BE LONELY NO LONGER! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE YOUR…" Papyrus turned around. "NO… NO, THIS IS ALL WRONG! I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND!" He turned around to face the group, glaring. "YOU ARE HUMANS! I MUST CAPTURE YOU! THEN, I CAN FULFILL MY LIFELONG DREAM! POWERFUL! POPULAR! PRESTIGIOUS! THAT'S PAPYRUS! THE NEWEST MEMBER… OF THE ROYAL GUARD!"

"NO!" Ray exclaimed, the dismay evident in his eyes. "I believed in you!" Frisk couldn't help but nod. Their red soul appeared in front of them, along with the souls of their friends, glowing like a rainbow in the mist.

"Papyrus blocks the way!" Chara announced.

"Yeah, obviously," Frisk muttered, clenching their fists. "What should we do?"

"Well… you could insult him, spare him, flirt with him, or fi-"

"Flirt?!" Frisk exclaimed, their eyes lighting up. "Why didn't I think of that?!" They cleared their throat, locking eyes with Papyrus. "Hey, you look cute… all the time, every day." Frisk pointed at Papyrus. (The writer is questioning what got them to this point.)

Teri's jaw dropped. "Frisk! What the-"

"WHAT? FL-FLIRTING!" Papyrus was blushing. "SO YOU FINALLY REVEAL YOUR ULTIMATE FEELINGS! W-WELL!" Papyrus fidgeted with his scarf as he spoke. "I'M A SKELETON WITH VERY HIGH STANDARDS!"

"What should I say?" Frisk muttered, gripping the ends of their shirt.

"Probably the only thing he'd like about you is that you can make spaghetti," Chara grunted.

"Well, dang." Frisk shrugged. "I have no redeeming qualities then."

Kat reached toward them. "Frisk no-"

"OH NO! THAT HUMILITY… IT REMINDS ME OF… MYSELF! YOU'RE MEETING ALL MY STANDARDS! LET'S DATE L-LATER! AFTER I CAPTURE YOU!"

"Wow… you actually got a da-" Chara cut off with a gasp. Frisk jumped back as a white shape emerged from the snow. It was a bone. Frisk and the others leaped over it.

Ray's POV

Ray leaped to Frisk's side, gripping his pounding heart as he glanced at Papyrus.

"What are we going to do?" Ray asked, shaking.

"We have to fight back," Poppy replied, stomping her foot in the snow.

Clover nodded. "We can't let ourselves get captured. We could be killed later."

"But I don't want to fight him!" Ray exclaimed, his eyes watering.

"WHAT WAS THAT? YOU WON'T FIGHT?" They group turned back to Papyrus.

"No, we won't," Frisk replied, stepping forward. Ray, Teri, and Kat stepped behind them, all nodding to Papyrus. Clover and Poppy exchanged glances.

"SO YOU WON'T FIGHT…" Ray shook his head. "THEN LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN HANDLE MY FABLED 'BLUE ATTACK!'" There was a blue flash on Papyrus's hands as a flurry of blue bones were hurled at the children. Ray forced himself to stand still as the bones passed through him. However, he couldn't suppress a shiver. There was a 'ding' and Ray's eyes widened to see that the orange glow of his soul had been replaced by a blue glow. Ray flopped face-first into the ground, his grunt muffled by the snow. A small white shape slid toward him and Ray was barely able to push himself to his feet and jump out of the way.

Ray looked around to see that his friends' souls had all turned blue! "YOU'RE BLUE NOW. THAT'S MY ATTACK!"

"Oh, so nothing's changed, then," Teri replied with a shrug.

"Uh, yeah something has!" Ray exclaimed, struggling to hold his heavy soul in his arms. "There's something weighing down our souls!"

"We have to fight back!" Poppy gasped, pulling her soul against her chest. "If we don't, we'll be captured and killed!"

"I hate to say I agree," Clover grunted, holding his soul in his arms like a baby.

"We're not going to hurt him!" Ray snapped, glaring at them. More bones drifted towards them from the ground. Ray stepped over the smaller bones and leaped as high as he could but slightly grazed the tall ones.

"HM…. I WONDER WHAT I SHOULD WEAR…" Papyrus muttered to himself as he fired another attack. This one was a lot of bones, all of varying sizes, the taller ones in the middle and the others going down like a staircase. Ray leaped over them, his stomach grazing the middle bone. A small scratch now marked that spot. More bone attacks drifted toward them through the ground, while others flew at them through the air. They were forced to jump from side to side to avoid them. The children were fighting for their lives and the entire time, Papyrus was rubbing cologne on his head. He was clearly thinking about that date. Seriously, Frisk what the heck?! Ten-year-olds can't date! The group kept dodging the attacks, some more closely than others, and healing themselves with candy and cinnamon buns.

"GIVE UP OR FACE MY... SPECIAL ATTACK!" Papyrus boomed out of nowhere. Ray jumped over a tall bone, slipping between the gap between it and a bone above it. He did the same multiple times, panting as he fell into the snow. "YEAH! VERY SOON I WILL USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK." Ray slipped around the next line of bones. He watched them pass by him, struggling to hold his soul in his arms. They weaved through two more attacks as Papyrus continued to brag about his special attack. "BEHOLD! MY SPECIAL ATTACK!" A huge bone appeared in front of them. Ray tensed. However, before anything could happen, a little white shape appeared from the snow, taking the bone in its jaws. It was a dog. He laid down in the snow in front of them, nibbling on the bone.

���Great attack," Poppy grunted, clapping mockingly.

"WHAT THE HECK!" Papyrus's eyes narrowed. However, the dog continued to nibble on the bone. "THAT'S MY SPECIAL ATTACK! HEY!" Papyrus marched toward the dog. It glanced up at Papyrus, its eyes widened. YOU STUPID DOG! DO YOU HEAR ME?! STOP MUNCHING ON THAT BONE!" The dog gripped the bone, bolting away. "HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Papyrus called, racing after the dog. However, the dog had already disappeared into the snowy bushes. "COME BACK HERE WITH MY SPECIAL ATTACK!" Ray snickered to himself. Papyrus shambled back toward the group, his head hung low. "OH WELL. I'LL JUST USE A REALLY COOL REGULAR ATTACK." Ray tensed again, clenching his fists. Papyrus let out a sigh. "HERE'S AN ABSOLUTELY REGULAR ATTACK." So, it turned out that was a lie. The attack was normal enough at first, with bones sliding toward them through the ground. Even the bones going up and down were normal at this point. Then the dog ran by. It tripped Ray and a few others with its bone. More bones passed by, slamming into their heads and scraping their skin before they stumbled out of the way. Ahead, was an entire field of bones. They travelled towards them slowly but they took up the whole ground. There was nowhere to run. Frisk spread their arms, pushing the group back with them. They eventually backed into a boulder. Grunting, Ray pushed Frisk aside, lunging out toward the bones. Instead of plummeting into them, Ray floated higher and higher above the bones, his soul as light as a feather in his chest.

"Ray?!" Frisk gasped, their eyes wide. Ray shrugged as they floated over the highest bone. The others leaped after him. They floated through the air, their eyes wide. The group eventually stumbled down into the snow on the other side of the massive bone. Ray pushed himself to his feet, panting in exhaustion. In front of him, Papyrus was also panting.

"WELL I…" He cut off to pant. "IT'S CLEAR... YOU CAN'T... DEFEAT ME. YEAH! I CAN SEE YOU SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS." Not a single one of us is wearing boots.

"THEREFORE I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ELECT TO GRANT YOU PITY. NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO ACCEPT MY MERCY." Ray let out a sigh of relief.

"Yes, finally," Frisk replied, holding out their arms. Everyone's souls disappeared. The fog faded and Papyrus turned away with a sigh. He was making a weird sound. Sobbing? "NYOO HOO HOO… I CAN'T EVEN STOP PEOPLE AS WEAK AS YOU..." Ray's eyes narrowed. For once, however, he didn't argue. "UNDYNE'S GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME. I'LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD… AND… MY FRIEND QUANTITY WILL REMAIN STAGNANT." Frisk took a step back, gesturing to the group. They huddled into a circle.

"What should we say?" Frisk asked, resting their hands on Teri and Kat's shoulders.

"That he's a loser," Poppy grunted. Everyone glared at her. "What? It's the truth."

"Well I think he's cool," Ray replied with a shrug. "And so's his brother."

"You don't have to be friends with him, Poppy," Frisk replied, stepping out of the circle. Everyone else took a step back. "But I think the rest of us do."

"Yeah!" Ray agreed, nodding vigorously. The others nodded, except Poppy.

"Alright, whatever," Poppy replied with a shrug. "I'll wait by that tree." She pointed to a pine tree before shambling toward it. She slumped against the trunk. The others turned around, making their way toward Papyrus.

"We'll be your friends," Ray offered, smiling. Papyrus turned to them with a bright smile.

"REALLY?! YOU WANT TO BE FRIENDS, WITH ME?! ALL OF YOU?!" They all nodded. "WELL THEN… I GUESS… I GUESS I CAN MAKE AN ALLOWANCE FOR YOU! WHO KNEW THAT ALL IN NEEDED TO MAKE PALS WAS TO GIVE PEOPLE AWFUL PUZZLES AND THEN FIGHT THEM? YOU HUMANS TAUGHT ME A LOT." Wait no, don't do that, Ray longed to say, but Papyrus kept rambling. "I HEREBY GRANT YOU PERMISSION TO PASS THROUGH! AND I'LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS TO THE SURFACE." Ray froze as Poppy rushed toward the snow, stopping beside him.

"Oh good," she muttered breathlessly.

"CONTINUE FORWARD UNTIL YOU REACH THE END OF THE CAVERN. THEN… WHEN YOU REACH THE CAPITAL, CROSS THE BARRIER. THAT'S THE MAGICAL SEAL TRAPPING US ALL UNDERGROUND. ANYTHING CAN ENTER THROUGH IT BUT NOTHING CAN EXIT… EXCEPT SOMEONE WITH A POWERFUL SOUL… WHICH ALL OF YOU HAVE."

"Thanks," Ray replied, his lips turning up in a smile.

"THAT'S WHY THE KING WANTS TO ACQUIRE A HUMAN. HE WANTS TO OPEN THE BARRIER WITH SOUL POWER. THEN US MONSTERS CAN RETURN TO THE SURFACE." Ray's eyes widened. He had said all of that so quickly and casually it only registered to him now: the monsters are trapped underground. "OH, I ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU." Papyrus's eyes narrowed, and his tone was suddenly serious. "TO REACH THE EXIT YOU WILL HAVE TO PASS… THROUGH THE KING'S CASTLE. THE KING OF ALL MONSTERS… HE IS…" Papyrus's bright smile returned. "HE'S A BIG FUZZY PUSHOVER. EVERYBODY LOVES THAT GUY. I AM CERTAIN IF YOU JUST SAY 'EXCUSE ME, MR. DREEMURR… CAN WE PLEASE GO HOME?' HE'LL GUIDE YOU RIGHT TO THE BARRIER HIMSELF." Ray cocked his head. That sounded a little too easy, especially considering Toriel's warning… Frisk giggled beside him. "ANYWAY! THAT'S ENOUGH TALKING! I'LL BE AT HOME BEING A COOL FRIEND." He pointed at Frisk. "YOU FEEL FREE TO COME BY AND HAVE THAT DATE." Papyrus cackled as he skittered through the snow… and over the river… somehow. Everyone turned to Frisk. They turned and followed Papyrus's trail.

"Where are you going?" Kat asked, raising an eyebrow.

"To have that date," Frisk answered, stepping forward.

"Right now?!" Frisk nodded to Ray.

"That's cool." Kat gestured to the others. "You do that and we'll hang around in town."

"We could go find Sans!" Teri suggested, her face lighting up.

"Yes!" Ray exclaimed, jumping in the snow and making pieces of it go flying. "We should all hang out with him!" Poppy let out a grunt. Everyone glared at her, making her eyes widen.

"Sorry," She muttered, glancing at the snow. "I just… I really hate puns… I just can't. Y'all can hang out with him if you want but… I'd just ruin it."

"Vas a arruinar con esta actitud." Clover muttered, crossing his arms.

Poppy let out a growl. No one knew what Clover said but it was obviously an insult. She turned away, stomping through the snow. "Y'all have fun." Poppy sat down, pressing her back against a pine tree as she pulled out her notebook. The others turned to Frisk.

"Well, let's go then," Ray suggested, gesturing to them. Frisk nodded. The group walked toward the town.

Frisk's POV

"You heard what Papyrus said, right?" Frisk murmured out of nowhere.

Ray turned to them. "He talked about a lot. What specifically?"

"About monsters being trapped here," Frisk replied, pushing their hair behind their face. The thought had been plaguing Frisk's mind ever since Papyrus had brought it up.

"Oh yeah… that…" Ray fell silent.

"Yeah, I feel bad about that," Kat admitted, walking closer to Frisk. The others nodded in agreement.

"Why do you think they're trapped?" Clover asked, tilting his head to the side. "And who do you think trapped them?"

"My only guess would be humans," Kat replied with a shrug.

"Oh…" Teri perked up, her eyes wide. "That's why some of them attacked us!"

"Our kind imprisoned them…" Clover's eyes were wide too. "But, why?"

"I don't know," Frisk butted in. "But I think I understand why we're here."

"To free them?" Kat asked, cocking her head. Frisk nodded.

"Is that really a good idea?" Clover asked. "I mean, yeah, it sucks that they're trapped down here but… maybe they did something to deserve it?"

"Who deserves to be trapped underground forever?!" Kat gasped.

"Murderers perhaps."

"You think they killed humans?" Ray asked. It was the first thing he'd said in a while.

"Maybe." Clover shrugged.

"But Papyrus didn't want to kill us…"

"He wanted to capture us," Clover argued. "And he mentioned that the king wants our souls to open the barrier… I doubt taking our souls would be very peaceful."

"But Sans didn't even attack us-"

"And Toriel just wanted to keep us safe," Kat added, cutting off Ray.

"I'm not saying they're all bad," Clover insisted, skidding to a halt. The others stopped as well to meet his gaze. "But maybe a lot of them were… maybe their leader did something bad in the past to justify this."

"Or they were wrongly imprisoned," Kat grunted, folding her arms.

"We don't know all the facts," Teri replied, walking away again. The others followed her. "We should figure out all the facts first before we come to any conclusions."

"That's true…" Clover admitted. The others nodded. Then they all skidded to a halt, just a few paces from Papyrus's house. The tall skeleton stood outside.

"You ready for your date, Frisk?" Kat teased, nudging Frisk's shoulder. Frisk's cheeks warmed. That was only supposed to be a joke… it wasn't really supposed to go this far. Oh well. One date wouldn't hurt.

"I have to talk to Chara first." Frisk's eyes widened. Oops...

"Who's Chara?" Ray asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They're how I always know what's going on," Frisk explained, putting their hands in their pockets. "I can't see them, but I can hear them and they have a lot to say."

"I haven't even said anything since the Papyrus battle," Chara muttered.

"So you're hearing a voice in your head that no one else can hear?" Clover asked, raising an eyebrow. Frisk nodded. "That is so-"

"COOL!" Teri interrupted, leaping forward. "You have a little ghost helper! And we can all escape the Underground in one piece with their help!"

"Thanks, Chara," Ray added, waving.

"Why do your friends believe you?" Chara grunted.

Frisk shrugged in response. "Well, I'm gonna go have my date. See you guys later." Frisk turned away with a wave.

"Bye Frisk!" Their friends called. Frisk nodded to themself. After this date, they knew exactly what they needed to do.

Kat's POV

"Sans!" Ray called, his eyes bright. He sprinted toward the short skeleton. The others rushed after Ray, screeching to a halt behind him. Kat's feet sank into the snow as she did.

"Hey, guys," he greeted with a wave. "I'm going to Grillby's, wanna come?"

"Yeah!" Ray exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Sure!" Kat replied, beaming.

Sans chuckled. "Welp, if you insist." He gestured to them. "Come on, Grillby's is just over here." The group followed Sans toward another tall wooden building. However, this one was darker. It had more windows and a sign near the top with the name "Grillby's" plastered on it in bright orange. Sans ushered them inside. Instantly, a gust of warm air hit Kat in the face.

"Hey everyone." Everyone in the restaurant turned to greet Sans, with varying levels of enthusiasm.

"Hey Sans."

"Hi Sans." Kat recognized those two as the dog couple they'd encountered back in the forest. They sat at one table, wearing their usual armour.

"Greetings Sans."

"Hiya Sansy." These two, however, were odd. One was a bunny with swirly eyes and the other was green with huge, sharp teeth. It looked a bit like a venus flytrap. Sans lead them to the front counter, where another creature spoke to him.

"Hey Sans, weren't you just here for breakfast a few minutes ago?" They asked.

"Nah," Sans replied with a shrug. "I haven't had breakfast in at least half an hour." He winked. "You must be thinking of brunch." A fit of laughter erupted from the restaurant, which included Kat and her friends. Sans gestured to them. "Here get comfy." Each of them took a seat, filling up the whole row. Kat was between Teri and Sans, the former being furthest to the left while Ray sat between Sans and Clover. A strange sound filled the room. Ray jumped from his seat, revealing a whoopee cushion on it. Kat covered her mouth to giggle. "Whoops, watch where you sit down," Sans replied as Ray threw the whoopee cushion aside and sat back down. "Sometimes weirdos put whoopee cushions on the seats." Kat cracked a smile. That weirdo is you, isn't it?

"Sounds like a fun place," Ray commented, resting his elbow on the counter. There was another monster behind the counter. This one had a head of flames yet wore glasses and a fancy suit that somehow didn't burn.

"It is," Sans replied. "It's where I go for most of my time off, which with two jobs, means twice as many legally required breaks."

"Really?" Ray's eyes lit up. Sans nodded. "Man, I wish we got more time off from school." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Anyways, let's order. Whadda y'all want?" Sans asked. "Burger or fries?"

"Burgers all 'round," Ray replied, gesturing to them.

"Except me." Kat raised her hand awkwardly. "I'll take fries."

"She's a vegetarian," Teri informed, nodding to Sans.

"So's most of the Underground."

Kat's eyes widened. "Wait really?"

Sans nodded. "All the 'meat' is either made of magic, plants, or both," he replied with a shrug. "The burgs are safe."

"Nice!" Kat's eyes lit up. "But I… still kinda want fries."

Sans nodded before turning to the flame man. "Grillby, we'll take a… quintuple order o' burg with a fry pack for this one," he informed, pointing at Kat. The flame man turned and disappeared out a door in the back. "Hey, where are the rest of ya anyways?" Sans asked, glancing between Kat, Ray, Clover, and Teri. "Weren't there six of you before?"

"Poppy's off somewhere writing," Ray replied, rolling his eyes.

"And Frisk is with Papyrus," Kat added, tapping her fingers on the table. Teri beside her was doing the same.

"Oh yeah, Papyrus. What do you guys think of my brother?" Sans asked.

"He's cool," Clover replied, spinning his toy gun around on the table like a pinwheel. Kat and Teri nodded.

"Yeah, he's awesome!" Ray added, his smile bright.

"Of course he's cool," Sans replied with a nod. "Y'all would be cool too if ya wore that outfit every day."

"I look cool in my outfit," Teri muttered, a sense of jealousy lacing her voice.

"He'd only take that thing off if he absolutely had to," Sans continued, seemingly oblivious to Teri's comment. "Oh well, at least he washes it, and by that I mean he wears it in the shower."

"Ew!" Teri exclaimed, her face green. Kat giggled.

"Sounds like something you'd do Ray," Clover replied, nudging Ray's side.

Ray just shrugged. "Why do you care about what I do in the shower?" Clover's cheeks glowed. Kat and Teri giggled to themselves. Before Clover could respond, however, a door opened from behind the counter. The flame man was back, with a platter of food.

"Here comes the grub," Sans announced, pointing at him. The flame man handed Kat her box of fries, which she grabbed eagerly, while everyone else took a burger. "Want some ketchup?" Sans asked, holding up a bottle.

"Sure!" Teri exclaimed, reaching toward the bottle.

"Bone Appetit." Sans winked as he handed her the bottle. Teri opened her burger and tipped the bottle over. The cap fell off, allowing a river of ketchup to pour out and coat her food in red. "Whoops." Sans shrugged. "Eh, forgeddaboudit. You can have mine-"

"Are you kidding?" Teri asked, putting the bun back on her burger. "This is the only way to eat a burger! Smothered in ketchup!" Teri took a huge bite of the sandwich. Ketchup sprayed everywhere. It tainted her pink shirt red, coated her hands and lips, and dripped over her plate.

Sans chuckled. "If you say so, kid." Ray coated his burger in ketchup as well. Clover put ketchup on the inside, carefully tipping the bottle over and allowing it to trickle out bit by bit. Kat didn't get ketchup. She peacefully munched on her fries. "Welp, I'm glad that worked out," Sans admitted with a shrug. "Anyway, cool or not, you have to agree Papyrus tries real hard, like how he keeps trying to be part of the Royal Guard. One day, he went to the house of the head of the Royal Guard… and begged her to let him be in it. Of course, she shut the door on him because it was midnight."

"Jeez," Teri snorted, covering her mouth.

"But the next day, she woke up and saw him still waiting there. Seeing his dedication, she decided to give him warrior training. It's, uh, still a work in progress."

"Puedo entender porque," Clover muttered, picking up his burger. Everyone glared at him. He put down his burger, glancing at them with wide eyes. "Nothing against Papyrus of course but he doesn't seem like the warrior-type. He's just too… friendly."

"What's wrong with that?" Kat asked, her head tilting to the side.

"Nothing, but… you know, he was supposed to capture us and he befriended us instead. Cool thing to do but…"

"Oh… yeah, the head of the Royal Guard probably won't approve of it..." Kat's eyes widened.

"We're so dead," Teri realized, her body completely stiff.

"Eh, don't sweat it," Sans replied with a shrug. "You'll be fine."

"I hope so," Kat muttered, resting her head on her hand.

"It'll be dangerous," Ray replied through a mouthful of food. "But Sans is right. We'll be fine." Ray wiped his mouth. "I mean, we've made it this far, what can stop us now?" The group fell silent. Ray gazed at his hands, a myriad of emotions in his gaze.

"Oh yeah," Sans spoke up out of nowhere. "I wanted to ask you something." There was a flick, and the lights around them shut off, leaving the group in a spotlight. Kat jerked awkwardly, her eyes widening. "Have you ever heard of a talking flower?" Kat's breath caught in her throat. Flowey.

"Yes," Teri answered with a nod.

"So you know all about it: the echo flower." Kat and Teri exchanged glances, their eyebrows raised and heads cocked. "They're all over the marsh." They looked back at Sans. Behind him, Ray and Clover looked as confused as Kat. "Say something to them, and they'll repeat it over and over…"

"Uh… why are you telling us this?" Ray asked, tilting his head to the side. Sans's gaze was fixed on the counter.

"Well, Papyrus told me something interesting the other day. Sometimes, when no one else is around…" he paused to sigh. "A flower appears and whispers things to him. Flattery… advice… encouragement… predictions."

"That's weird…" Teri commented.

Sans nodded. "Yeah. Someone must be using an echo flower to play a trick on him. Keep an eye out, ok?" The group nodded. "Thanks." The lights came back on.

Ray's POV

Sans stepped out of his seat, turning toward the door. "Welp, that was a long break- wait, who's that at the door?" Sans asked, pointing to it.

Kat let out a gasp. "Frisk!" she dashed toward him. Ray and the others followed. "How was your date?"

Frisk shrugged. "Eh, it went alright. He rejected me but… you know, it was never supposed to go that far anyway, and I did get his number."

"Nice!" Kat exclaimed. "We'll be able to call him after we leave Snowdin."

"Uh… about that." Everyone turned to Ray. "I kinda wanted to stick around for a while…"

"Ray?" Kat raised an eyebrow.

"Don't misunderstand me…" Ray rubbed his shoulder as he spoke. "I want to get back to the surface as much as any of you… but… I don't really want to leave my new friends yet." Ray gestured to Sans. It couldn't have been more than a day since he met him and his brother but he was already so attached to them… and once they returned to the surface, he may never see them again.

Sans chuckled. "Haven't had enough of my hilarious jokes yet?" he asked, winking.

"Pfft. Pretty much," Ray admitted with a shrug. "I can catch up with you but I want to stay in Snowdin for a while… with Sans and Papyrus."

"If you're sure," Frisk sighed. "What do you say, Sans?" Ray gazed at the short skeleton, hope flaring in his chest.

"Sure," Sans replied with a shrug. Ray's eyes lit up. "I think we can make room for you in our house… for a while at least."

"Well… Goodbye Ray," Frisk sighed, opening their arms.

Ray rolled his eyes. "Why are you acting like this is goodbye?" he asked. "I'm just gonna stay with them for a bit before we leave the Underground forever…" Ray's heart ached. Thoughts of Ace returned to his mind, piercing his heart like a knife. That was someone else he'd never see again. "I'll catch up later," Ray insisted, waving to Frisk.

"Well, yeah, okay, but I still kinda want a hug," Frisk admitted, taking a step closer. Ray let out a sigh. He wrapped his arms around his friend, gasping as Frisk pulled them even closer. Ray patted their back.

"I'll be back," Ray murmured into their ear. "I promise." Frisk patted Ray's back before backing out of the hug.

"We'll see you then," Frisk replied with a nod.

Sans turned to Ray. "Alright, kid. I gotta get back to my job so… you go tell Papyrus you're stayin' with us for a while. Our house is just on the edge of town."

"Sure!" Ray gave him a thumbs up. He rushed toward the door, turning back to his friends for a moment. "See you guys later!"