The Rites of Slumber

[something short and simple about Frisk's bedtime routine]

The march towards the realm of dreams was a carefully adjusted system of steps that Frisk has grown used to in almost record time. There was a comforting sameness to it; a relaxing chain of events, where the order of links may have shifted from time to time, but its elements were constant. This night was shaping up to be no different from the norm.

One way or another, but the first step always found them in front of the TV. While the return to the surface and moving in with Toriel yielded more channels than Frisk thought possible, they somehow kept returning to Mettaton's programming block. Initially just a half-hour show, it was quickly gaining ground and expanding all over the network, like a very fabulous computer virus.

Just as the evening cartoon segment played its quite awful and yet endlessly catchy ending tune, Toriel appeared in the doorframe.

"The bath is ready, my child. You should get in, while it's still hot."

The first call was always the suggestion. Frisk nodded and mouthed something akin to an 'okay, mom', but in reality, their attention was still on the set. Cartoons and news segments would soon make way for the evening films, many of which had age ratings far beyond Frisk's single digits. Just as the title card dropped, however, Toriel returned.

"Please turn off the television, Frisk. It's getting late." came the soft-spoken, but firm order.

Frisk got up this time and paced around the room, very slowly packing things away, just so they could catch just another minute of the forbidden horror flick, but the moment the tension would have really started mounting higher, they heard the unmistakable footsteps of the boss monster. It almost seemed like she always put a little more force into these steps, just to give away her arrival. Of course, this meant varying amounts of trouble, should she find them still just prancing about. So before she could actually appear, Frisk bolted off towards the bathroom, shedding clothes along the way.

No matter how much she insisted the water would go cold, it never did. It was always comfortably warm and filled with colorful soap bubbles. A hastily-made foam crown later, Frisk grabbed a small, plastic basin next to the tub and emptied its contents into the Bathroom Ocean. They toys rose to the surface mere moments later, standing by to obey their commander. Frisk staged a little under- and above-water play for all of them, though the toy Mettaton kept stealing the spotlight at every turn. Even the child couldn't tell why, though much of had to do with the fact that it was the only toy able to absorb and sprinkle water, when squeezed.

A couple of soft knocks signaled Toriel's arrival, as well as one of the less enjoyable parts of the voyage at mini-sea: the shampoo. No matter how carefully their mom picked the brand, the 'no tears' sign always turned out to be an embellishment at best.

"Calm down, it'll just be a minute." she said, a soft smile playing at the corner of her mouth as Frisk whined from the stinging in their eyes, but settled down once Toriel filled the toy basin and poured the water over them. The annoying pain really did just last for a minute.

A towel- and fire magic assisted drying session, and a thorough tooth-brushing later, Frisk finally returned to their room. They hastily put on the lavishly-patterned jammies and took refuge under the fluffy covers, before the after-bath shivers could really set in. Warmth was the key characteristic of pretty much everything in Toriel's household, so much so that Frisk suspected she always heated their covers up a bit. Not that it really mattered, since all their thought crumbled and collapsed the very second the softness and the heat seeped right into their bones.

Toriel sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled at Frisk. The child just lazily opened their eyes and returned the smile, though broke up by a sizable yawn. She leaned over and planted a kiss on their forehead, which never stopped making them giggle. Even with sleep about to claim them any minute, they still waited for one more incredibly important thing. Something which always completed the day; something that was absolutely necessary to complete the evening rituals.

"Once upon a time--" she began, cradling them to sleep with her soft voice.

By the time the first character was introduced, Frisk was already half-asleep. Toriel reached out and stroked their back softly. The same warmth emanated from her palms as well, just enough to tip Frisk over into deep slumber. She stifled a chuckle as they started downright snoring a bit, almost disappearing under the fluffy covers. Even if they couldn't hear her anymore, she still finished the story every time and tucked them in nice and cozy afterwards.

She left another kiss on their forehead and turned on the bone-shaped nightlight besides their bed. Nightmares were thankfully few and far between, but every time they had woken up in the middle of the night, the glow settled them down just right. As she quietly left the room, she looked back one last time, just to really take in the sight of Frisk, asleep. They were so peaceful, serene and so happy in their slumber, reminding Toriel every night just how much she loved this poor, vulnerable, yet determined little soul.

"Sleep well, my child."

They hadn't been the only one dreaming of a family, after all.