The Garden, Chapter 4

Asgore has a Good Day for once
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Toriel looked back through her mirror, watching Asgore and Frisk enter Asgore’s home. She sighed, something didn't seem right about him. When she stopped him from fighting Frisk, and thank goodness that she did, he had a slight look in his eye. Some would call it hope, hope that she was coming back, that things would go back the way it was. The glint diminished as she shot him down, her harsh words punctuating that it was in fact over, but was still there. Though, today, when she looked at him, he averted his gaze, his hands tight against his body. Only the smallest flicker of that hope was in his dark brown eyes. How he struggled to speak, and stood stiff, she wanted to just run up and hug him, tell him that everything was going to be alright, as if he were a child. She wanted to love him.

But at the barrier, seeing him hovering over Frisk, his trident at the ready, mercy the last thing he wanted or deserved... She couldn't love him. She imagined all of the past children, all being extinguished under his might, like lambs to slaughter. It froze her in place, she was paralyzed by the man she wanted and hated.

She loved her husband, he was the love of her life, she wanted nothing more than to be with him. Though, that image has been ingrained in her brain, his heinous acts reminding her why she left. He was not the monster she loved before, and she hated that she hated him.

She sniffed, continuing down the road without looking back.

~~~

Asgore sighed as he lifted his fingers from the ivory keys. Happiness spread on his face as he closed the cover. He popped his knuckles, wincing slightly, “So, what would you like to do today, Frisk?”

Frisk sat on her hands, her legs swaying slowly off of the bench, “I dunno.” Asgore smiled at her answer.

“Well, that’s no good. I was going to run some errands,” he said, rubbing his neck, “but I feel like we should do what you would want to do.”

“Errands?” She asked, a peculiar look on her face “I love errands! Can I come, can I come? Please.” She grew excited, her force contorting into a wide grin as she drew out the ‘Please.’

Asgore looked at the child, how could he reject a face like that? “Of course! I have to warn you, it won’t be that exciting.” He said. She nodded.

Asgore chuckled and lifted Frisk up, placing her on the ground while getting up himself, the bench seemed to sigh in relief as his weight was lifted. Frisk ran excitedly to the garage, Asgore walking behind her, chuckling at her sheer love of errands. He grabbed the keys and made his way to the car.

~~~

They drove past the suburbs and streets on their way. Asgore made a checklist in his mind. At the top of the list was food, he needed to restock now that he had Frisk in the house, and he was getting low in reserves anyway. Tea was next on the list, seeing how Frisk drained two cups with relative ease, he’ll need to stockpile any time she came over.

He paused at that thought. ‘Any time she came over.’ Would she be coming over regularly? The thought of being a true dad again made him giddy, but it was completely up to Frisk. If she wanted to, or not, was completely her choice.

Asgore got his thoughts back on track. Tea. Frisk would probably really like the tea shop, with its neat samples and delicious brews. He smiled at the thought, her checking every sample and deciding whether or not she like them. He had plenty of money, but not enough if she chose to buy the whole store.

Finally, he needed to visit the nursery. Hopefully they had plenty of flowers ready to be planted, and maybe Frisk would help. She’s been rather interested in what he had been doing, perhaps she would.

Before he could go further in thought about his plans, they reached their destination. It was a small center, a main building for the market and a few food places scattered in separate buildings. He was lucky he heard about this market, the owners and employees apparently very monster friendly. Most humans were, seeing the ‘new’ race as friend more than foe, but there were still some who not entirely trusting. Frisk sure did help with that though, she was living, breathing proof that monster were harmless.

… Mostly.

The two entered the store, the sliding doors making a happy ‘Ding!’ as they opened, the greeter welcoming them and nodding in respect. Asgore was very well known and very hard to miss, most humans already knew of the fluffy King of Monsters. Asgore smiled sheepishly, grabbing a cart, Frisk doing as most kids do and taking a ride on it.

As Asgore made another list, trying to figure out what they needed, Frisk caught sight of something wonderful, something amazing.

“Frisk, what would you like for breakfast, do you like eggs or do you prefer toast?” He looked at the child, whose face was filled with pure awe. “Frisk?” He looked over at what she was gawking at, an ice cream parlor in view. Uh oh.

Should he let her get a sweet treat? It was a hot day, and ice cream is quintessential for those. But… he didn’t want to spoil her, Toriel would not approve of him bribing her child with treats. He was torn, the most torn he had been over a mundane thing.

His sweet tooth won the fight, he reached for his wallet and pulled out twenty dollars in cash. He handed it to Frisk, “Go ahead, and get me one too. I don’t care which flavor.” She grabbed the money and ran, giggling as she went for a frozen treat.

She made it to the parlor in record time, the familiar blue bunny that was running it having a cheery smile. “Hello! Would you like some Nice- I mean, Ice Cream?” Frisk nodded enthusiastically. “Great! Take your time, I’m ready when you are!”

There were a ton of flavors, twenty-one to be exact, ranging from the basic vanilla and chocolate, to strawberry, cherry, mint, caramel, and some oddballs like pistachio and coconut. She had always been partial to chocolate, already making her mind up at that, but what would Asgore like? She knew he was a sucker for sweet things, but what was his favorite? He didn’t seem to be a mint guy, or of a fruity palette. Pistachio probably wasn’t sweet enough, though it was Toriel’s choice, and coconut was too topical. Vanilla seemed like the best fit, until she saw the one flavor that without a doubt he loved.

Butterscotch.

She made her order, the vendor offering her a small discount for helping him kickstart his career all the way underground. He scooped the treat with practiced precision, whipping up the two cones ludicrously fast, giving Frisk them, along with a smile and a cheery “Have a Super-Duper day!”

Frisk licked happily at the frozen desert, the words ‘Are those claws natural?’ printed on the napkin that was wrapped around the base. She found Asgore, who was looking at the produce. She offered him his cone, which he took happily, taking a bite. Frisk had made the right call, he loved it.

The two made their way through the store, Asgore asking Frisk if she wanted anything in particular. The cart was loaded with all sorts of foodstuffs, juice, milk, a dozen of eggs, along with other grocery standards. Asgore double checked that they had everything they needed, making their way to check out.

The two left the store, Asgore taking the last few bites of his waffle cone. He unwrapped the napkin, throwing the tip that remained and chewing on it. There were a few crumbs and remains of ice cream in his beard, which he wiped away. As he was throwing the sheet away, the message caught his eye.

“Love yourself! I love you!”

He smiled, folding it nicely and setting it in the trash. They made it the car, loading the groceries, now to the next part of the day.

Onwards to tea.

~~~

The expedition for tea went well, Frisk finding a favorite brand of Golden Flower tea, along with a tea cup that she could call her own. Asgore felt slightly guilty for spoiling her, but he knew she would at least use what he was buying her.

Asgore was delighted to find out that the local nursery was rather well stocked, finding plenty of flowers of all colors to choose from and purchase. Frisk helped him when he turned too indecisive, her input helping Asgore out a great deal.

The two returned home, the car full of groceries, tea and flowers. Frisk held onto her new cup, the pattern simple yet beautiful, a royal blue floral etching on pure white porcelain. Asgore saw her eying it in the shop. It was interesting how Frisk worked. She seemed to have the know how and smarts of an adult, able to keep cool under stress and knowing how to defuse any situation without needing to fight, but also had the maturity of both an adult, and a child. Asgore had noticed that she had an eye for the cup and had to convince her that it was okay for him to buy it for her, she seemed to not want him to do too much for her. Any other child would be completely fine with getting any sort of gift they wanted, but Frisk seemed to be the opposite.

Asgore checked the time, 12:03. Frisk had no doubt eaten at her mother’s and had a nice serving of sugar and calories earlier, so lunch was not a problem. He didn’t feel too hungry, and wanted to get those flowers in the ground. He and Frisk unloaded the car, Asgore wondering where to put the new flowers for his garden.

When everything was put away all neat and the plants ready to be planted, Asgore donned his gardening hat and readied his tools. Frisk helped, moving the plants that he needed where he needed them, grabbing him tools and helped by digging small holes and watering the plants that had already been placed in the earth. The smell of flowers and warm soil was in the air, Asgore revelling in it. Frisk couldn’t help but smile at her goofy father-figure, his predator body morphed into a flower loving, fluffy pushover of a monster, his gardening hat the icing on the cake, with it’s position slightly tilted due to his horns.

They gardened until they finished, the day growing old as they did, before they knew it, the sound had started to recede, the sky darkening slightly. Asgore clapped the dust off of his hands as the last of the bunch had been planted, the garden shaping up nicely. His watch read 7:47, dinner time. His stomach growled under his dirt caked shirt, his white fur far from pristine.

He looked down at his daughter, who was equally dirty.

“Pizza?” He asked.

“Pizza.” She answered, smiling and nodding her head.

~~~

With a delicious, ‘home cooked’ meal in their bellies and a good wash, the two were getting ready for bed. Asgore felt better than he had in ages, the day rather refreshing. The gardening had helped remove some of the rust in his joints and Frisk more than a blessing for his mood.

He sat on the guest bed, Frisk tucked under the covers. He held a small book in his hands, reading a few pages of a story to her. She was listening intently, her head bobbing as she nearly nodded off, but still trying to listen.

He read the last line, closing the book with a clap. He looked at the child, “Ok, did you brush your teeth?” Frisk nodded, “Have your pyjamas on?” Another nod, “Are you ready for bed?” She smiled, nodding one last time. “Good.” He kissed her brow, “Goodnight, young one.”

He turned around, yawning as he opened the door, flicking off the lights.

“I love you, Dad,” Frisk said from the bed, “Goodnight.”

He froze, his hand still on the doorknob. “I…

“I love you too, Frisk.”

The door clicked shut, and Asgore went to finish the best day he’s had in what felt like forever.