Catch Me If I Fall (Dancetale AU)

The Internal Struggle

Frisk hurrieddown the street. It wasn't quite dark yet, however she didn't want Toriel to worry. Frisk also did not enjoy the idea of finding herselfout on the streets while it was dark... not in the Ruins at least.

The Ruins were a district on the outskirts of the City of Ebbot. Snowdin (where Grillby's bar and dance studio was located), Hotlands and Waterfall districts were also rather large districts on the outskirts of the city. The center of the brightly lit city was befittingly known as The Core.

Albeit the Ruins were a smaller and much poorer district, named so due to the crumbling buildings and overgrowth.

Frisk remembered the night she had arrived here, before she had met Toriel. There had been an accident, leaving Frisk alone with no one to care for her. And so having been only seven she had done the only reasonable thing she could think of. She ran. Ran with tears streaming down her face as little feet plodded againsst the side walk. Not once paying attention to where she was going. Not that she cared, the only thing that remained for her back there was the social workers. She didn't have a family. Not anymore at least.

And so Frisk had found herself in the grubbiest part of Ebbot. The Ruins.

The now older girl stopped and stared at a curb across the road. To anyone else it would have been a normal run down curb in a normal run down street but for Frisk it was anything but, as the ghost of her memories appeared before her eyes.

A little girl, running from her life, tripped at that curb. She lay sprawled there for a minute, stunned, before pushing herself into a sitting position. Small arms were wrapped around grazed legs as tears trailed down the girls now dirty face. She was alone with nothing but the clothes on her back. That was until a soft paw placed itself upon the girl's shoulder.

"My child, are you lost?"

Those words which had been so kind, so warm had saved that little girl. That woman had saved that little girl.

Frisk felt her eyes become moist, no tears fell though, as she continued along the street while the evening light dimmed. She finally arrived at her destination. It was a small faded purple brick house however it was not crumbling. It was rather well cared for by the owner. Frisk opened the door. The warmth and smell of freshly baked butterscotch-cinnamon pie engulfed her as she stepped inside.

"Mom, I'm home," She called out towards the kitchen. A second later a white goat-like head poked out, "My child, how was your day?"
Frisk smiled at Toriel, "It was fun. Grillby bought some visitors to watch. I even danced with one of them."

Frisk chuckled fondly at the memory of dancing with the excitable skeleton named Papyrus. Toriel looked surprised but smiled, "I'm glad to hear you had such a wonderful time. Dinner will be ready shortly if you wish to take a shower."

Frisk nodded before making her way to her room with only two thoughts playing in her mind.

Firstly, that little girl had been very lucky to meet such a kind monster to take her in.

Secondly, she could not wait to eat that pie.

-_- -_- -_-

As they sat to eat the amazing meal Toriel had cooked for them, Frisk decided she should tell her Mom about the competition.

"Mom, I've been asked to join a group for a competition," She said.

Toriel's face was surprised however she did not probe, instead she waited and listened.

Frisk continued, "I want to help the other dancer out... but."
She looked down at her plate and pushed around the food with her fork.

"I see, my child. I think... you should do what you want to do and don't let anything stand in your way," Toriel told her kindly.

They continued to eat, Frisk's mind to caught up in her thoughts to partake in small talk.

-_- -_- -_-

After dinner (and pie~) Frisk and Toriel curled up together on the couch. They enjoyed watching movies together, especially movies about dancing. Sometimes it was a newer movie about hip hop or breakdancing, sometimes it was an older film about a musical or ballet, or sometimes they rewatched old films from when Toriel had once been a dancer (whenever they watched those films Toriel's eyes always seemed to be filled with such longing).

Tonight though Toriel had chosen Frisk's favoirite movie for them to watch. It was a recording of the famous ballet 'The Nutcracker'. This performance had been recorded 9 years ago, the year before Frisk had met Toriel.

The show began and Frisk watched the beautiful women and handsome men as they twirled, leapt and danced around the stage. As the 'Sugar plum fairy' entered the stage, Frisk felt her heart swell. The dancer's beautiful browb hair was swept up in a bun and her green eyes filled with determination. She was stunning as she moved to the music taking the center stage. Frisk felt tears well up in the corners of her eyes. Oh, how much she wished she could be on stage with the woman. How she wished she could dance with the woman... with her mother. Frisk blinked away the tears. She couldn't though. She would never be able to, not since 10 years ago when an accident back stage had killed her mother.

Frisk rose from the couch and mirrored the woman's moves. She closed her eyes and danced, feeling as though she was now alongside her mother. That's why she danced ballet, even when Toriel had tried to teach her ballroom dancing, because that was the closest she got to her mother. Not only that, but it made her feel special, beautiful, free similar to how her mother looked when she used to dance.

Then she remembered Sans's eyes. How trapped he looked, how broken. He wanted to, no needed to dance and Frisk was the only one who could help him.

As the music ended and the next scene played Frisk opened her eyes and looked towards Toriel.

Determination filled her heart as she spoke, "I'm going  to enter the competition."