One fear-inducing sprint later, Papyrus and Frisk were back at the house.
Frisk had hoped that having his arms filled with groceries would make Papyrus run slower. It didn't. If anything, it was scarier since Frisk was the one who had to keep his arms and legs wrapped around Papyrus' body without any support. He was still shaking when the skeleton stopped and unlocked the door.
"Here, we are, human," Papyrus said walking through the door and kicking it shut behind him. "Home sweet home."
Papyrus walked into the kitchen and put the groceries on the table while Frisk continued to keep up his grip.
"Frisk, you can let go now," Papyrus said. "We're home."
Frisk slowly slid down Papyrus' body while the latter tried to remember what they had to get home so quickly for. Frisk then walked into the other room and laid down on the carpet while trying to catch his breath.
"Oh, no," Papyrus said running to the stove. "Your food…is fine. The water didn't burn. Thank God! Now, I can put spaghetti in it."
Papyrus picked up a handful of spaghetti noodles and dumped them in the boiling water while Frisk continued hyperventilating on the ground. Laying in the carpet was nice. It made him remember laying on the ground with Napstablook.
"Okay, Frisk," Papyrus said walking over to where Frisk was. "Now, we only have one more errand to run. Come on. Get up!"
Papyrus reached out his hand towards him, and reluctantly, Frisk gave him his hand and allowed him to pull him up. Then, with his hand still firmly gripping Frisk's, Papyrus walked out the front door with Frisk in tow.
Much to his relief, Frisk was allowed to walk this time. He stretched his legs and looked around while recovering from his dizziness. Papyrus walked quickly until they reached their destination, the library.
"Here, we are, Frisk," Papyrus said opening the door and pulling him in behind him. "Welcome to the town library!"
After they entered the front door, Papyrus let go of Frisk's hand.
"I have to go look for a book, human," Papyrus said. "You can look for one too if you want. I have a library card. I'll let you know when I'm done. Don't wander off or I will find you. Nyeh heh heh!"
Papyrus turned away to search for his book on one of the library's few bookshelves in the back.
Frisk looked back at the door. He could run, but Papyrus was too quick. He would catch him before he got too far. Even if he didn't, Flowey could. It was pointless.
Frisk turned back around and walked to the bookshelves. His life now was to be carted around by a relentlessly upbeat skeleton, so he might as well try to find something to make it more bearable.
Frisk walked to the books and looked for a title that peaked his interest. He had a flashback to his life on the surface and the libraries he saw there. He liked the libraries. He always did. They were always peaceful and comforting places to him. It felt forever ago now, but it still made him smile for a second.
Frisk finally found a book, picked it off the shelf, and sat in a chair at one of the few tables. The monsters there flashed friendly smiles before continuing what sounded like a newspaper staff meeting. Frisk flipped opened the book and started reading something interesting. He read a part about death rituals for monsters, more specifically something about sprinkling their remains on whatever they loved in life…
"Frisk, I found my book," Papyrus said making Frisk look up from his reading. "Oh, I see you found one, too. Good work. Well, come on. Let's go!"
Frisk quickly climbed out of his chair and followed Papyrus to the front desk. Papyrus turned around snatched the book from Frisk's hands and passed it to the librarian.
Once the books were checked out, Papyrus tossed Frisk his book, picked up is book, and started reading it and walking back to the house at the same time. He walked forward and managed to not run into anything or break his concentration. Frisk walked in front of him out of curiosity, and Papyrus only walked around him. It was impressive.
Frisk let Papyrus walk ahead of him and lingered behind him. It had been a while since Frisk had really looked around at the place. It was nicer than he remembered. The houses and citizens were all warm and pleasant. He could smell cinnamon in the air. It used to be enough to fill his soul with determination.
Frisk paused when he saw the path go off towards the river. He felt a certain pair of eyes bore holes into his back as he took a few steps in that direction.
"Frisk!" Papyrus yelled to get his attention.
Frisk turned around, and Papyrus said, without looking up from his book, "Would you unlock the door for us, so we can go in?"
Frisk looked around for the suspicious eyes he felt watching him, and they were nowhere to be found, as usual.
Frisk walked over to Papyrus, who handed him a pair of keys, and he unlocked the door.
"Thank you for not running back to the river!" Papyrus said hoisting Frisk up under one arm, pushing the door shut with his bones, and walking towards the couch all without looking away from his book.
Papyrus dropped Frisk on the couch and kept reading the book while walking to the kitchen to check on the food. Frisk landed on his stomach on top of his book. He sat up and leaned back against the couch.
"You can watch the TV if you want to, human," Papyrus said from the kitchen. "The remote should be on the couch somewhere."
Frisk looked on the arm of the couch and found the remote to the left of him. He turned on the TV, and not surprisingly, Mettaton was there hosting a game show. Frisk leaned backwards and stared at the ceiling while listening to the show.
He remembered killing Mettaton. Frisk remembered killing all of them. Though he reversed everything he did wrong, the memories still haunted him. Frisk could never forget, and as much as he wanted to be happy, he could never forgive himself. If the others knew, Frisk just knew that they would never forgive him either.
"The spaghetti's almost done, human," Papyrus said walking in and sitting next to Frisk on the couch while still reading his book. "You'll eat again soon. I know you'll like it."
Papyrus hadn't put that book down since he left the library. Frisk had to see what it was. He put his book on the floor and scooted closer, so he could get a look. The book was titled Depression and Its Causes.
"You curious about what I'm reading, Frisk?" Papyrus said giving Frisk a sideways glance. "Here, have a look."
Papyrus placed the book on Frisk's lap, so he could read it for himself.
"After we left the grocery store, I realized that since I'm going to be treating your depression I should know more about what depression is," Papyrus said. "I've learned so much already. For example, did you know that being quiet and withdrawn are symptoms? That's why you've barely spoken since arriving. It makes so much sense. It also said that symptoms tend to be the same no matter how old the patient is. Wait a second! How old are you, human?"
"Ten," Frisk said.
"Ten?" Papyrus said looking like he was pondering something for a second before he had his revelation. "Oh, my God! That means you're not a full-grown human! You're still a child! Wait a minute. If you're still a baby human, then where are your parents?"
"They're on the other side," Frisk said shedding a tear at the memory.
"On the other side of what? Oh…you mean they're dead…I'm sorry, Frisk. I know how that feels. Sans and I don't have parents either. I mean I remember having a Dad, but he died. At least, that's what Sans said. He doesn't like talking about it…Hey! Since you're still a kid, does that mean you're going to grow bigger?"
"Yes."
"That's hard to believe now since you're still so small. Nyeh heh heh! Wait, I need to see if that changes anything about how you're treated."
Papyrus picked up the book and started flipping through it again.
Frisk finally felt the nerve to say something.
"Papyrus, when will I be allowed to leave?" Frisk asked. "I know you said I could leave when I was feeling better, but what do you consider better?"
Papyrus looked up from his book and held out his left hand. Immediately, Frisk's soul came out and another motion revealed Frisk's health stats. He was at 1 HP.
"You see that?" Papyrus asked.
Frisk nodded.
"That represents how healthy you are, not just physically but also psychologically," Papyrus explained. "Your HP can only heal naturally when they're both healing. If your head isn't in the right place, your physical health doesn't improve either."
"That's why Sans wouldn't let you heal me," Frisk said.
"Yes," Papyrus said a bit awkwardly. "I could heal you like you can heal yourself from the items you pick up, but that only heals your body. It doesn't heal your mind. Sans and I want your mind to be better. Unless it is…well, you know…"
Frisk looked away sadly while Papyrus let go of his soul. He stared at the screen of the television how he stared at Flowey before.
"You have nothing to worry about, human," Papyrus said noticing Frisk's expression. "We'll take care of you, or, at least, I will since a certain good-for-nothing older brother is off being useless God-knows-where!"
Papyrus let himself rest against the couch and fumed.
"Honestly, he said he was going to get a toothbrush. That would take anyone else about half an hour. It's taking him over 12 hours. He wasn't even there when we went. What in God's name is Sans doing? It was his idea to take you in. You'd think he'd do some of the work. No offense, Frisk. You've been mostly cooperative. Sans is just so aggravating! He's so lazy! You can't rely on him to do anything!
Papyrus sighed and said, "How did I get stuck with an older brother like him? Honestly, I could have been given anyone else! Argh. Siblings. Am I right?"
"I don't know," Frisk said sadly remembering his own life. "I don't have any. I don't have anyone."
"What? You mean you don't have any brothers or sisters or any other family at all? How about friends? Don't you have any of those?"
"No. After my parents died about two or three years ago, I was on my own. I didn't want to go to an orphanage, so I ran away and kept wandering. Now, I'm here."
"Oh, my God," Papyrus said dropping the book onto the floor. "It's no wonder you're so sad. You've been alone for a really long time."
A few more tears started falling from Frisk's eyes. He tried to hold them back, but they kept flowing more and more quickly. The memories all came flooding back. The memories of happiness with the parents who loved him, taught him, protected him, and passed down everything they knew about determination filled his heart with bitterness as the memories of struggle, of loneliness, and of regret in the world above that he had forgotten all filled his mind with their images. Before he knew it, Frisk could only see the tears flowing out of his eyes.
Frisk suddenly felt Papyrus picking him up and giving him a warm hug. Papyrus rubbed his back again, like his parents used to do. Frisk could not make himself stop crying.
"I know how you feel," Papyrus said. "You're scared and sad, right? It's okay. I can't replace your parents, but I'll be your friend and honorary big brother! Nyeh heh heh! I'll be a million times better than Sans is, too. You'll never be alone again. I promise."
Frisk knew Papyrus meant every word. Frisk responded with a tight hug. Papyrus, on his end, was surprised by the response. All he could do was smile in response while waiting for Frisk to calm down. Papyrus was even more surprised when he felt Frisk's HP raise by one point.