Father's Day

	The sun was high in the sky as Asgore stood in front of the grill, excitedly preparing and scrubbing the griddle for the cookout later in the day while the sun beat down on his back. The days were growing hotter and hotter as they led up to Father’s Day, feeling as if it was already summer, which made refreshment outside almost a necessity. Though the king didn’t care; the smell of the warm summer air was fresh on his nose as he enjoyed the different aspects of nature that grew in his backyard. All sorts of life sprung to live in his garden after the dutiful showers of spring, new growth and young animals appearing in every corner of his well-kept yard.

	Asgore’s smile only widened as he cleaned up his barbecue. He had on his new ‘Mr Dad Guy’ apron that Frisk and Toriel had made for him not too long ago, which he hoped would be a hit for the night. The whole backward was primed and ready for the night, lights hanging from the trees and the house, tables set up with intense care and the garden was beyond stunning, which was to be expected. Every member of his ‘family’ was due to come over later, though Undyne was adamant that she should come earlier to help prepare, and Asgore had no say whether she could or not. It was funny how different the two were from each other, but Asgore knew he couldn’t give up their relationship for the world-- she was practically his daughter, even if a tad fishy and a little more rowdy than he was used to.

	His thoughts and rhythmic scrubbing were interrupted by the sound of the french doors opening as Frisk walked into the back yard with a stack of buns, meats, toppings and condiments piled well up above her head as she made her way blindly to the grill. Asgore immediately set down his brush with a chuckle and eased the human’s burden so that she could at least see. A muffled ‘Thanks’ came from the child before she set down the tasty payload, sighing as she finally freed up her arms. Asgore ruffled Frisk’s hair before looking back at the grill, which looked adequately clean, no evidence of past uses clinging to the metal besides the leftover soot and residue from the fire. He was eyeballing the charcoal he had at the bottom before he heard the characteristic ‘Hup!’ from the wooden gate to the garden as Undyne vaulted over it, landing with the plume of dust that erupted from her feet.

	“Sup, Fluffybuns. Happy Father’s Day, you old lug!” she hollered, turning to Frisk as she walked up.

“Hey, Squirt!” The ex-guard ruffled the humans hair when she reached her, and gave Asgore a playful punch to the shoulder. “Are we ready for the best barbecue the surface has ever seen?!”

	Asgore laughed at her enthusiasm. “I suppose so, we just have to get the food ready. The grill is all set up.” He looked between his two ‘daughters’, wondering what task would best fit them both. “Frisk, can you take all of the packaging off of the food for me please. Undyne,” he turned to the other monster. “Would you prepare the veg-”

	He stopped himself. Flashbacks of the first time he ever saw her ‘cook’ popped into his head. Horrific messes and remains of food that only the naive and desperate would call ‘edible’, pasta burnt to an absolute crisp, bruised and demolished vegetables crushed beyond recognition, broken utensils that suffered extreme temperatures and speeds, an overabundance of salt. Shaking his head, he looked back at the fish. “Actually, I think it would be best if you got the cooler from the garage while Frisk helped prepare the food. The ice and drinks are already in there, you just have to bring it out here next to the table. You are strong enough to carry that all by yourself, no?”

	Undyne’s face turned both serious and competitive. “Is that a challenge?”


	Asgore smirked. “Is it?”

	In a flash, Undyne was gone, leaving a stifled ‘NYAGH!’ that erupted from the house as she no doubt was beginning to suplex the poor container. Asgore and Frisk looked at one another before cracking up into a laughing fit, both knowing exactly how that would play out. The two worked side by side, Asgore showing Frisk how to shape the burgers and how to cut and prepare the toppings before putting them on the table riddled with plates. A smile was on the old goat’s lips as he watched his adoptive daughter and got the whole party ready. In what felt like seconds everything was in its right place, and the barbecue was lit just in time as some of the guests started to arrive.

	Asgore hummed as he placed the first few patties and dogs onto the griddle, grinning as he heard the satisfying pops and sizzles that came with cooking. He went over to grab his tongs, before he felt Frisk collide lightly against him. He looked down and saw her smiling face looking back up at him as she hugged him as best she could, her arms barely able to wrap around his waist. He grinned happily, placing his hand on top of her head.

	The moment lasted for a short while before it was cut off-- Undyne came in from the side and tackled Asgore to the ground, leaving all three of the crew on the springy grass. Laughs arose from the pile of bodies as Undyne gave the king an aggressive noogie, deftly dodging any attempt that he gave to get her off. Frisk giggled at Asgore as he laughed and fought, trying to get his attacker off without knocking over anything nearby, with little success.

	Eventually, Undyne relented, the guard as breathless as her victim as she let out her last laughs. She smiled. “Happy Father’s Day, dad.”