Undertale - Coda Part 5

Boss monsters, it turns out, make exceptional seats. Once things had calmed down a little, the two of them had settled down to waste some time and relax. It was mid afternoon now, they were six episodes into an anime Asriel had recommended, and Frisk had long since taken up position against his stomach, his long snout resting gently on top of Frisk’s head. Frisk could feel Asriel singing along to the credits music under his breath. In Japanese, no less.

Frisk couldn’t help but grin. Asriel was a hopeless dweeb, and it was great.

The laptop struggled, lagging at the end of the video. The wifi in the hotel was not the greatest; they’d be waiting for a while. Frisk fished out their phone, trying to take advantage of the small respite.

715 unread emails, 7 unread texts, 2 missed calls. Frisk grimaced and clicked the button again, turning off the screen and tossing the phone onto the bed.

“That bad, huh?” Asriel shifted, peering down over the top of Frisk’s head.

“Real life wants me back... I’d rather stay here, honestly.”

“Well, if it’s important…”


Frisk waved a hand in the air noncommittally. “Eeeh. The guys at the office can handle basically everything. They just like me to rubber stamp things and shake hands, stare people down, stuff like that.”

“But somehow, you’re always so busy. Always going somewhere, doing something.”

“Well, I’d feel bad if I wasn’t working on things.”

Asriel leant back against the bed head, chuckling. “Well, of all the bad habits to have, you could do worse than being addicted to helping people.”

“Great. When you phrase it like that, it sounds like a bad thing.”

Asriel chucked, gently tickling Frisk. “Ah, don’t get all defensive about it. I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for your bad habits.”

“Augh! And yet you betray me!” Frisk attempted to squirm free, but Asriel had the advantage of being bigger and stronger. Eventually, Frisk settled for a tickle counterattack, but it was difficult to remained determined when the monster attacking you was grinning like an idiot and holding you trapped against his chest.

A few minutes later, Frisk had managed to crawl free, flopping on the other side of the bed and panting.

“Hate you… So much…”

“That’s not what you were whispering a few hours ago.” He looked so insufferably pleased with himself - not even winded. He glanced over at the laptop, which was displaying an error message. “Aaaand the wifi’s out again. Can’t believe we paid like twenty bucks for this.”

“Maybe the hotel’s IT guys just have better taste in anime than you do.”

Asriel tossed a pillow at Frisk and then reached out with one of his feet, hooking the laptop’s lid with a toe and folding it shut. “Alright. I know you wanted for us to just relax all day today, but if we stay here much longer we’re either going to kill one another or… Y’know, the other stuff. And I seriously cannot go again for at least a few more hours.” He made a face and shifted on the spot, a look Frisk recognised as ache in places no one ever expected to ache. “So, you wanna go do something?”

“I guess. What did you have in mind?”

“Well, there’s an alright restaurant nearby that I usually stop at when I’m in town. It should be a nice walk.”

***

“This is the exact opposite of a nice walk.”

It was a cold day, and the odd moment that the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds was doing little to alleviate the touch of the cold fingers of shadow cast by every building they passed. There was something about the massive concrete structures that radiated cold. Frisk’s light jacket was simply not up to the task.

Asriel was wearing a thin tee-shirt. He looked fine, Frisk eyed his white fur enviously.

“It’s a few blocks on a clear day! There’s hardly anyone out, which means that there’s no crowd for that stalker reporter to hide in and take photos from. Birds are singing, sun is shining… I mean, kinda.”

“And you come with a natural layer of insulation.”

“Hey, I’m willing to share!” Asriel beckoned Frisk over.

“That’s alright, the walk will warm me up.”

Asriel raised an eyebrow, hesitated for a small moment, and then shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

As they walked, Asriel talked about the tour, mostly to fill the silence. Small dramas with the drum kit, the one gig out east where there was a literal hole in the stage, how they managed to misplace a roadie and leave him behind, and got three cities down the highway before anyone noticed. How Mum had come to a show even if she didn’t approve of the music, the way Dad liked or favorited every single thing he posted, no matter how small or unimportant. Crazy fans, hate mail, death threats, surprise gifts, free stuff, endless marriage proposals. Frisk’s mind drifted.

A familiar feeling. Some kind of looming, ominous feeling. There was nothing to be afraid of, so why did Frisk feel like someone was always looking over their shoulder? Frisk hunched over, hugging the jacket. It was freezing.

“...And then the wheelchair turned out to be a bomb made out of gold and you’re straight up not listening to me are you. Frisk. Friii-iisk. Yo!” Asriel waved in front of Frisk’s face, and Frisk snapped out of it, stumbling to a halt. “You ok? ...Oh, you’re shivering. Come here, let me warm you up.” He went to embrace Frisk.

“N-no! I’m...” Frisk pulled away instinctively. Asriel looked hurt.

“Hey, what gives? You couldn’t get enough cuddles before. Let me help. I have ample warm and fluffy to spare.”

“I, uh…” Frisk glanced around. There were a few people around, bundled in an assortment of thick winter clothing, shuffling along in their own worlds. Asriel followed Frisk’s gaze, looking from the other people and then back to Frisk.

“What, are you worried someone will see?”

Frisk looked down, unable to meet Asriel’s eye. “L-let’s just keep going, ok? We’re nearly there.” Frisk tried to walk past Asriel, but he put an arm up against the wall in front of Frisk. Frisk blinked at it in surprise, turning to face Asriel, who loomed over him.

Asriel was already taller, and the horns added to the effect. He put his other arm against the wall on the other side of Frisk, blocking off escape.

“Hey.” He looked unimpressed. “I asked you a question.”

“I… I don’t…” Frisk struggled to find the words. The overcast feeling from before, being out in public, the cold. “It’s not that… it’s just, well, what if-”

Asriel sighed, his hard look softening a little. “Look. I get it. It’s… complicated. Adoptive sibling, royal family and official ambassador, paparazzi. But… You’ve never shied away from me like that before. Are you afraid of me, now?”

“Of course not! I just… You ever feel like, I dunno, when something good happens, it’s just the prelude to something bad happening?”

Asriel blinked slowly. “You know what? That is the stupidest reason anyone has ever given me for not wanting a hug.” He leaned a little closer, backing Frisk up against the wall. “I know you’re not great with crowds, and come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you show affection to anyone else in public. When it’s just me and you, you know just what to say and just what to do and it’s all I can do to keep up… But out here? It’s like being on stage, and you have stage fright. And the best way to deal with that is to just follow my lead.”

“...That is so lame-Mmph!” Before Frisk could finish rolling their eyes, Asriel leant in and firmly pressed them against the wall with a kiss. Frisk squirmed, reaching up to grab Asriel, only to have both hands caught and pressed against the wall. Frisk blinked in shock, feeling the beginnings of a hot blush, but they were trapped, Asriel’s greater size and strength once again coming back to bite Frisk on the butt. Asriel was patient, waiting for Frisk to give up, Frisk’s struggling gradually fading to nothing but quiet huffing through their nose. Asriel never looked away, totally ignoring the small handful of people on the street. Frisk saw one or two of them glance their way, but no one objected or cared.

Asriel pulled back a little, licking his lips. “Even your face is cold, you idiot.”

Frisk didn’t bother to try and think of a witty retort, instead just looking at Asriel with a mix of anger and flustered, guilty enjoyment. Asriel grinned, enjoying the sight of Frisk so obviously torn, before making the decision for them, picking Frisk off of the wall by the wrists and easily spinning them around, pulling them up close and wrapping both arms around them. Frisk gasped, but didn’t try to pull away this time. He was incredibly warm, particularly in comparison to the cold concrete wall.

They stood there for a moment, and the world didn’t end.

“...Sorry.”

Asriel squeezed Frisk a little. “It’s fine. Let’s just wait here for a bit, get you warmed up, ok?”

“Ok.”

“I don’t care who knows it. If I feel like holding you, I’m gonna.”

It was a nice feeling, to know that he was serious. Frisk nuzzled back at him gently. It was true, he had warm and fuzzy to spare.

Somewhere, beyond the limits of sight and hearing, someone giggled to themselves. “That’s cute. They’re a nice couple. Brother… and my old Partner.”