more PSL without a title

[boogerman]

A few months after the last disastrous trip up Monster Mountain... a certain idiot child wants to go back. Naturally, there's no way in hell he's letting them go alone. As far as he knows, he's the only one with anything resembling teleportation which can get Idiot Child away if You-Know-Who rears her ugly head again.

She hasn't yet. Sandman must have slapped some sense into her. He's still not letting Frisk go alone if he winds up breaking every bone in his body. Pain happens, whatever.

Some part of him approves of Frisk having the guts to face their fear of her, anyway. Unfortunately there are other things to be afraid of in the spirit world. It's as the pair of them are leaving the city on foot that it happens--a man late for his bus dashes down the sidewalk that he thinks is empty, and runs straight through the little spirit child.

Comments

[dustless]

Through them.

Through them.

For once, fight-or-flight kicks in on Frisk properly--flight, and Frisk is gone, in more ways than one.

Their mind's years back in the past nobody can see you you're not real you're starving you're a ghost just disappear and the universe around them snaps and falls into silence and stillness in every way, even thoughts (and fears). Time's stopped completely, to a scale they've never dared to try on their own, but they don't notice, they're running. Gone. Gone gone gone.

Frisk makes it three blocks, bumping into bodies of people who are real(er) and they're probably real to too, and just as unconsciously, Time starts working again.

They're hiding in a doorway, huddled on the ground with their head pressed against their knees. They. Can get through this. It'll just take...a few minutes. Yes.

[boogerman]

One little spark of light (fear/energy/warmth) in a swarming crowd of a city... it takes him ten whole minutes to find Frisk after time unfreezes, which is a horror all it's own, just for him. He explodes out of a shadow a few feet away and sits his skinny old bones down next to them. Just in case something does happen. Probably best not to be alone after the first time being walked through...

"Frisk."

[dustless]

Frisk stiffens and peeks at him, luminous eyes over the top of their knees. They haven't been crying. They've kind of lost the feeling for that.

Oh. "Pitch...sorry." They shouldn't have disappeared like that.

[boogerman]

"Don't be sorry, I found you." Damn. This comfort nonsense again. It's really better left for their mother, because he is the one who causes the trauma and flees afterwards. He's not made for this sort of thing. What do people say and do?

"You're real. I'm real."

[dustless]

They take a long breath in. "Yeah. You're real. I'm real," they repeat dully. They sound rather less sure of the latter.

It might've been better if they weren't here. In the city. In the streets they'd wandered the last time they forgot they existed.

"...Felt pretty bad."

[boogerman]

"Time to take you to your home?" It's a question because he sucks at this and they're in no physical danger... there's always all the way up the mountain where those monsters are. It can't possibly happen twice in one night.

"If you weren't real, I wouldn't be talking to you."

[dustless]

"...no." Somehow, looking at Toriel after this...won't make them feel better. They think. Or her hugging them. Anything.

"...I know. I want to stay here. Right now. For a little bit."

[boogerman]

"Fine." Maybe silence and time is best. He can be ridiculously patient for all his jitteriness and occasional stupid dancing. He'll just sit. And wait. The promise to guard them still stands.

He loses track of time easily anyway. Nothing shorter than a night usually matters.

[dustless]

They're cold. A little sick, but not in their stomach.

So this is what happens to Pitch all the time, huh.

And that, at least, is enough to make their breathing shake.

Frisk leans over, pressing against his side.

[boogerman]

Life could always be worse. He could be Sadness or Pain instead of Fear. And maybe he would be less sane than he is.

He starts slightly when they touch him, not expecting that... and then he flicks their stupid little horns.

Which might be followed by a hug, if he were someone normal. He's still more about petting people's hair. (Not even 'people's', really. Just Frisk's.)

[dustless]

Their lips twitch. Cute. Little weird-feeling.

"Thanks For looking for me. After." It's not that they didn't expect him to--or rather, would've if they'd thought of it--but...it's still something they're grateful for.

[boogerman]

"You might have been out here all night alone." He shrugs and rests his hand on their head. Patience. "Tell me when you're ready to go on."

[dustless]

"Woulda been okay, you know."

...There's no real reason to wait, Frisk thinks. Still, standing up seems hard. They just unfold instead, stretching their legs out in front of them.

[boogerman]

He just nods and accepts the damn thank you. It's years too late to argue. Kiddo snuggling into his side means much more than a thank you, in any case. And hair to stroke, affectionately. Shame the idiot hadn't been two feet to the left and run through him instead... but it had to happen sometime. And it'll happen again many many more times when he's not able to be around, won't it? They'll cope. They have friends and family.

Forget it. Change the subject. "Who's still up in the mountain?"

[dustless]

That gets them refocused. "Gyftrot. Knight Knight. Some 'f the old guards. Part of one of the bunny families. The snowman, the mushroom guy, some Temmies. There's some others, but, um...Madjick's been thinking about going back, actually."

[boogerman]

"Why is it only you bringing them news?" See, you are wanted by Miss Crazy Pants and quite a few people know it by now, he's sure, and yet...

He shrugs, leaning against the wall behind him where he's sitting. "Not that she's tried a second time."

This is surely less trauma than being walked through, isn't it?

[dustless]

"'Cause I want to," they say simply. "It...dunno, feels right for me to do it."

...They do not mention Toriel.

"You don't actually need to come. I can go reload if she tries to get me."

[boogerman]

"Would you, though?"

You sad little puddle of martyrdom and curiosity. Besides, that would be beyond cowardly--sending a child to fight his battles. Never will he depend on them in such a way. That's no way to keep his promise.

"I don't mind. She may have given up."

[dustless]

"...Yeah." That's accompanied by a tiny prickle of discomfort. Probably.

Their shoulder bumps against his side when they shrug. "Hope so. That...was really dumb." Beat. No, they don't need to censor themselves for him. "Fucking dumb."

[boogerman]

His fingers brush their hair again. "Her?" A second shrug. "She's hated me for the majority of my life." And if hating him is stupid, most of the spirit world is 'stupid'. (He's earned it.)

[dustless]

"Don't care. She hurt you to hurt me and make me mad at you. So. Real fucking dumb." They're nearly offended she thought that'd work.

[boogerman]

Almost like she's jealous, which doesn't make a lick of sense. He did try placing nice with her millenia ago when he was... nice.

"Always better to have a stupid enemy than a smart one."

[dustless]

"...yeah. I guess. Still mad she did that t' you."

They sit up a little straighter. Feeling a little better, maybe they'll get up soon. "It's cold," they say absently. It is. More inside them than anything, though.

[boogerman]

He... has nothing to say to that. Certainly pointing out she's done it dozens of times to him before won't help. Or how many times he's 'died' to various angry spirits... not comforting.

"Cold? We don't have to sit here in the cold."

[dustless]

"Not just out here."

Beat.

Actually-- "...Where are we?" They peer around Pitch to the place across the street. Just a convenience store with a new sign. "Um, wasn't paying attention where I was going."