Chapter Text
In the dining room of Frisk and Toriel's home, Sans sat at the head table with a giant cake in front of him. On top of that cake were numerous small, blue, bone-shaped candles that were neatly arranged on it to spell out ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANS <3’. Alphys and Undyne were the ones that picked them out. They also picked out the blue ‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY’ banner that could be seen on the wall. Each dining chair had a blue balloon attached to their top rails.
Sans rested his head on his hand, and lazily watched the candle flames sway and occasionally flicker. Toriel was the one who had baked that cake from scratch. She baked it to celebrate Sans's special day. But right now, there wasn't any celebration going on. Instead, there was a silence that loomed over the entire house.
And instead of celebrating, they were waiting for Papyrus to finally arrive. To Sans's right was Alphys and Undyne sitting together. By now, since the waiting began, they had both already caught up on a whole web comic series on their phones. To Sans's left was Frisk and Toriel. Like Sans, Frisk was also passively watching the candle flames move. Toriel on the other hand, sat in her chair with a worried look on her face.
The last time Sans had seen him was this morning. Papyrus was still asleep when Sans had to work a morning shift at his donut stand before he headed straight to Toriel's home. But given that he was just as exhilarated, if not more, as Sans was about this birthday party, everyone in the room found it strange that he wasn't here now.
It was bad enough that Papyrus had already missed the first portion of the party. Toriel had prepared and served a homemade pizza that was big enough to feed two of her classrooms.
By the time when the pizza had come out of the oven, the entire house smelled of freshly baked bread and garlicky herbs. Each slice was almost as big as the plates themselves. The hot, glistening cheese sizzled. There was a satisfying crackling sound when Frisk took her first bite. When they tried to pull back from the bite, a strain of mozzarella stretched out while it clung to the pizza slice. Frisk pulled back further to break free, but instead of gracefully snapping, the hot strand dropped down until it stuck on their chin. Bits of sauce got on their face too. But they didn't mind in the slightest. There was an explosion of flavors on their palate like overlapping fireworks. The dark red marinara sauce was made out of the tomatoes from Toriel's small garden. The salty, mildly spicy thick-sliced pepperoni only enhanced the sauce's sweet and savory complex. The outside of the buttery crust was crispy, with the inside being soft, light, and chewy.
When Sans took his first bite, he froze and looked like he fell into a trance. Moments later, he collapsed onto the floor like a damsel in distress. “That is the most delicious thing I've ever had… and I don't even have taste buds!” A wide, giddy grin spread on his face as he was sprawled out on his back. He mumbled something about if the pizza were single and knew how to play video games, he would marry it.
“Oh my… GOD! This is so good!’ Undyne practically screamed out before she devoured the rest of the slice like a ravenous wolf. Bits of sauce were scattered on her face. “I need more!”
“You can have as much as you like. I insist.” Toriel beamed, looking pleased with herself as she took Undyne's empty plate and happily gave her another slice.
“I would give away my entire anime collection if it meant I could eat this everyday!” Alphys cried out. Joyous tears welled up in her eyes.
“Even the ROBOT ones?” Undyne curiously asked her girlfriend as she began munching on her second slice.
Alphys got quiet and paused to think. “Well, I guess that's sort of pushing it.” She smiled sheepishly. That earned a soft chuckle from Toriel.
“Well, no need to give up your prized possessions. I can make this any time. All you need is your appetite!” Toriel said while she handed Frisk and Undyne some napkins.
After everyone had eaten all the pizza they could, Sans, Undyne, Frisk, and Alphys gathered around in the living room where they played a game of charades. There was a moment where Undyne’s word was ‘Firefighter’ and she tried to act it out by whipping out a box of matches and lighting one.
“Undyne, no!” Alphys tried to stop her but Undyne had already ignited one of the sofa pillows. The stunt didn’t pan out how Undyne intended, however, since the flames quickly spread and before everyone knew it, it had spread onto the couch. Frisk grabbed a water bottle and poured it on the fire, which successfully helped halt the spread. Undyne ended up rapidly stomping on it until it was gone. But now there was a giant, noticeable charred spot on the sofa. Undyne draped a blanket over it just in time before Toriel stepped in the living room.
“Everything alright here?” Toriel asked after she heard the commotion from the kitchen.
“Oh everything is fine!” Undyne forced a reassuring smile while standing in front of the concealed damage.
“Nothing happened!” Alphys insisted.
“Hmm…” There was a suspicious look on Toriel’s face. She could smell the potent smoke. It was still rising from under that blanket. But for Sans, she decided not to push it. A smile returned to her face. “Alright, well I’m here if you need anything!” She said before she disappeared.
Undyne couldn’t figure out what was worse: The fact that she almost burned down the whole house or that even after that ordeal, no one could figure out what Undyne’s word was.
Either way, it was a moment Papyrus would have relished, which brings to now: The midst of the party being put on hold. Undyne suggested that Sans just go ahead and blow out his candles, but he didn’t want to do that. He wanted his brother to be here. It felt wrong to be celebrating when no one knew where he was. Papyrus has been late to things before, but never missed his brother’s birthday. And Sans never missed Papyrus’s birthday.
At this second, the waiting had gone on long enough for Sans to witness a drop of hot candle wax drip onto the surface of the cake. He let out a sigh of defeat. “And he still isn’t here…”
“I wonder what’s taking him so long,” Undyne muttered.
“Hopefully he’s okay,” said Alphys. “Otherwise, I’m going to have to find something else to read soon.”
“If you do, find something spicy.” Undyne paused. “Well, spicy with some sweetness too. Like mango habanero wings.”
“You know, I might have just the thing…”
While the couple was busy browsing different romance fan comics, Frisk pulled out their own phone. They had already sent a couple of texts to Papyrus earlier, both of which went unanswered. They tried calling once too, but it went straight to voicemail. But it couldn’t hurt to try again.
However, just as they were dialing Papyrus’s number, there was a loud crash coming from the window by the entrance. Shard glass flew in all directions. Just several feet in front of the now destroyed window was a figure.
It was Papyrus. He had cartwheeled his way through the window and landed on his feet like an agile cat. Surrounded by shattered glass, Papyrus stood tall and proud with a wide, giddy grin on his face. His sockets were wide and ecstatic, like a child in a candy store.
Both of his arms were shot up in the air, both hands holding onto a box with a logo that Frisk couldn’t quite make out from a distance, but it looked familiar.
“Oh my god, Papyrus! You made it!” Alphys exclaimed.
Toriel breathed out a sigh of relief. “So good to see you. We were getting worried!”
“Although, you could always just walk in through the door next time,” Sans chimed in with a grin. “Might be a little easier.” He winked.
“I would have to agree with that.” Toriel smiled sheepishly.
“Where the fuck have you been, punk!? Undyne demanded, fists resting on the table in front of her. Her scowl exposed her shark-like teeth. “And what’s that you got there anyway?”
“This right here…” Papyrus projected his voice, like a magician announcing his next trick. "This right here... IS THE GREATEST THING THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME! So, it all began hours ago when I woke up from one of my weekly naps. These bones need their beauty sleep, after all. ANYWAY! As I crawled out of my slumber, I heard a knock coming from the front door. Just who could it be, I wondered. So I crept up to the door and looked through the peep hole. But I saw no one. I opened the door and looked around. And still, no one was there. I stood there, pondering on who decided to try to fool me today out of all days!? I began to wonder if Sans was the culprit trying to play a joke on me. That was until I looked down and saw a present.
"It was just sitting there on our doorstep," Papyrus went on. “It was wrapped in the shiniest, most glittery green paper that I have ever seen! Not only that, but it had the cutest little red bow on it. There was a tag that said ‘For Papyrus’ but it didn’t say who it was from.”
Alphys leaned toward Undyne, and spoke in a low enough voice so that Papyrus couldn’t hear. “Did someone really deliver a present to Papyrus on SANS’S birthday?”
“And the note didn’t say who it was from?” Undyne whispered back. “Must be some strange new human trend.” She glanced over at Frisk. “No offense.”
Frisk just shrugged in response. They certainly hadn’t heard any trend about mysterious gift givers.
Papyrus cleared his throat loudly to redirect everyone’s attention. There was a stern look on his face, which instantly transformed into a smile once he was certain he had his audience back. “As I was saying, this mysterious present that had just shown up out of thin air, was wrapped so beautifully that at first, I debated whether or not it would be a waste to tear the paper apart. But nonetheless, I did anyway! At least now, our whole living room is redecorated with bits of shiny green paper! At least the bow survived. Once the deed was done, THIS was revealed.” Papyrus set the box down on the table near the cake.
Frisk and Alphys peered over at the box curiously. The packaging stood out with its blue and pink backgrounds. There was a picture of kids gathered together with bright smiles on their faces. Each of them were holding a perfectly molded cookie and posing as if they were about to take their first bite. There was a device that looked extremely similar to a microwave.
Alphys squinted and read the logo out loud. “EZ Bake Oven…?”
“That's right! Never once in my skeletal years have I heard or seen such a thing until today!.” Papyrus suddenly executed a serious expression, sinking deep into thought. His hands were placed firmly on his hips.
“Without opening the box, all I know is that this is a tiny oven.” He crossed his arms. “Once I figured that part out, I began to ponder: Just what could one accomplish with such a tiny appliance? And how come thought of this sort of invention back in the Underground…?”
“Well, you’ve certainly done a lot of pondering,” Sans chimed in. He had an amused, mischievous grin on his face. “Enough pondering to miss the first half of my birthday.”
Suddenly, a heavy silence filled the entire room. Papyrus’s entire body abruptly tensed up from head to toe. He was frozen like a statue, with the exception of his gapped jaw that twitched ever so subtly. His already wide sockets managed to widen even further.
“How…” Papyrus croaked out in a voice that was a hoarse whisper, but then he burst in a long rampage.
“HOW CAN I CONSIDER MYSELF SO GREAT WHEN I MISSED MY OWN BROTHER’S BIRTHDAY PARTY!? NO NO NO, THIS IS JUST NOT ACCEPTABLE! BLASPHEMY EVEN!” Papyrus clenched his fists in the air.
“Not only that, but you totally missed Toriel's homemade pizza earlier. It was fucking rad!” Undyne stated. The smile on her face made it crystal clear that she intended to add fuel to the flames.
That caused Papyrus to unleash a deafening howl of despair that reverberated through the walls. He whirled around and collapsed on the floor. He laid on his back, unresponsive. Silence returned to the house with everyone staring at Papyrus’s seemingly unconscious body.
After several moments, Toriel stepped forward with Frisk trailing along behind her. Frisk had a fan in their hand and waved it in front of Papyrus’s face. Toriel knelt down beside him and gave his cranium a reassuring pat.
“No need to worry about missing the pizza.” She gave him a warm, genuine smile. “There are still plenty of leftovers. In fact, there is enough for everyone to bring some home!”
Suddenly, Papyrus snapped out of his shocked state and leaped back to his feet. He continued projecting his voice. “Well swell as that is, THAT will only solve half of my problems!” He placed his hands back on his hips, but this time, he had a look of determination. “I MUST fix this. To face my wrongdoing and as an apology for my truancy, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, invite you all to MY BIRTHDAY DINNER next week at our humble home. I will cook a delicious, most memorable feast for all of you to enjoy. But for now… I can only be the greatest if I am the world’s greatest brother first. And I will do that by taking the lead as we sing happy birthday to Sans here!” He cleared his throat, and immediately began to sing, drawing out some words like an opera finger. Everyone else joined in, though at different timings.
Once Sans blew out his candles, it was officially cake time. The cake Toriel baked was also a new recipe that everyone was trying today. Frisk already knew that it was going to be good before they took their first bite. The butterscotch cinnamon pie their adoptive mother always made never failed to brighten their day. So they were extremely eager to try the recipe in cake form.
What stood out most was the beautifully golden buttermilk frosting that was mixed with the cinnamon. The frosting was rich, sweet with the mild spice from the cinnamon. The vanilla cake part was soft and melted in Frisk's mouth. It was the best birthday cake they had ever had. The rest of the party agreed, even Sans and Papyrus who didn't have taste buds. At least Sans could tell the difference between tasty and repulsive food.
After cake time, everyone including Papyrus returned to the living room to watch a movie of Sans’s choice, which was ‘Scream’.
“Oh what a great choice! There is a person with a ghost mask on the cover!” Papyrus excitedly remarked.
As everyone got settled in, Frisk walked back towards the front entrance to help Toriel, who was busy sweeping the broken glass shards that were the result from Papyrus’s eventful appearance.
“Oh no, my child,” said Toriel when she noticed Frisk grabbing another broom, the one that was actually proportional to their size. “I’ve got this. Broken glass is too dangerous for children anyway. Besides, you will have plenty of opportunities tomorrow to help me grade the piles of assignments we have tomorrow.” Toriel gave Frisk a playful wink. “Go ahead and join the others. Enjoy the party!”
With a smile and nod, Frisk headed back and took a seat next to Papyrus’s right. Sans was sitting to his left. On Frisk’s right, Undyne and Alphys were curled up together in a blanket with their eager faces glued to the screen. The movie had already started.
By the time the movie was over, everyone was drowsy and ready to turn in for the night, especially Alphys and Undyne, who both had fallen asleep during one of the murder scenes.
Frisk did help Toriel hand out the packages of leftover pizza and cake for the others to take home.
"Truly a great party, I wish I could have been here earlier," Papyrus sincerely stated when Toriel handed him his portion. "Don't forget, the party is next Tuesday! Don't forget to bring your appetites!" he announced as he sprinted out the door. A second later, Papyrus sprinted back and grabbed the EZ bake oven package that was still resting on the table. Without another word, he disappeared out the door again.
"Don't worry," Sans told Frisk, who was giving him his party leftevers. "He's made a lot of progress in his cooking the past several months. Now his cooking is certainly memorable!" Sans winked and made his leave, trailing behind his brother who was probably yards ahead by now.
Soon, it was just Frisk and Toriel left in the household. Frisk looked around the dining room to see that Toriel was nowhere to be found.
Frisk walked around the now-quiet house and through the hallways until they reached her bedroom which was cracked open. Frisk peered through to see that Toriel was standing in front of her dresser. Even from a distance, Frisk could spot the scowl that was on her face. They tried to open the door just wide enough for them to slip through, but the door creaked from its hinges, alerting Toriel.
“Hm?” Toriel looked to see that Frisk was just standing there. The scowl left her face immediately. “Oh! Come on in! Sorry, I just got caught up in this text here.”
“Is everything okay?” Frisk asked, stepping into the room and walking up to Toriel.
“Oh yes! Everything is fine,” she insisted. “It’s just Asgore. He just offered to stop by and fix the window. I keep telling him that it isn’t necessary but you know he can be insistent sometimes!”
“Why don’t you let him come fix the window?” Frisk asked curiously. “The window could be fixed by tomorrow morning.”
“Well, all I can say is that when our pipes were clogged a few months ago, Asgore didn’t quite understand what I meant by cleaning the pipes.” Toriel grimaced. When Frisk tilted their head, Toriel continued with, “He just did it completely wrong. Nothing for a child to worry about. Why don’t you go ahead and get some rest?”
Frisk nodded, and Toriel bent down and wrapped her arms around Frisk. “Good night, my child,” Toriel said softly.
“Good night.” Once they let go, Frisk headed back to their room and sat at their desk. They logged on to their UnderNet account. Alphys had already posted the following:
‘Just went to an amazing party! Shoutout to Toriel for creating the most life changing pizza and cake! Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY SANS!’ Without hesitation, Frisk gave that post a heart reaction. With a yawn, they logged off and crawled into bed with a smile on their face.