Undertale: Reason to Live

Chapter 95

As the clapping continued, Burgerpants took Frisk aside and said, "Frisk, would you do us all a favor and never use that song to describe anyone again?"

"Why?" Frisk asked. "Mettaton lied to me and took me away from everybody, so that's like what a pedophile does. Isn't it?"

Burgerpants facepalmed and said, "No, no, no, no, no, Frisk, a pedophile is a person who does much worse things than that. Being a pedophile is a really, really, really bad thing, and as much of a jackass Mettaton is, even he does not deserve to be called something that terrible. Okay?"

"Okay," Frisk conceded. "That song didn't work anyway. I don't understand why. If a pedophile is such a terrible person, why hasn't everyone started booing me yet for singing a song about it?"

Burgerpants thought for a moment before saying, "I don't know, kid. Maybe it's because it was too subtle."

"Too subtle?"

"Yeah, I mean the imagery in the lyrics is obvious to anyone listening, but Mettaton's fans aren't the type of people who are used to being deep thinkers if you know what I mean."

"You mean, like they're idiots?"

"I wouldn't go that far, but they like to turn their minds off when they watch him. They're used to his show being just mindless entertainment."

"So, the imagery went over their heads?" Frisk asked.

"Exactly," Burgerpants replied. "What we need is a song that is blunter."

"That means obvious, right?" Frisk asked.

"More like direct, but that's close enough," Burgerpants replied shrugging his shoulders. "Do you know any blunt songs?"

"Uh…" Frisk said for a moment before remembering another song. "Yeah, I remember a song! It's both disturbing and blunt! It's about a serial killer."

"Perfect!" Burgerpants replied turning to go back to his seat before Frisk interrupted him. "Just cue me in like you did before."

"It doesn't have a percussion part though," Frisk said placing his hand on his shoulder to stop him from walking. "It's a sad piano piece. Is that alright?"

"Sure," Burgerpants replied with a smile pulling out his box of cigarettes. "Could use a break anyway. I'll be right off-stage to your left if ya need me, little buddy."

With that, Burgerpants stepped off-stage while Frisk made his way back to the piano bench. Burgerpants nodded to Inferno gratefully as he stepped aside to make room for him and allowed him to light the cigarette with his flames.

The audience died down completely as Frisk played the contemplative, melancholic opening chords to his next song.

Then, Frisk started singing sadly, "His father was a drinker, and his mother cried in bed, folding John Wayne's t-shirts when the swing set hit his head."

Burgerpants paused when Frisk sang, "The neighbors, they adored him, for his humor and his conversation. Look underneath the house there. Find the few living things, rotting fast, in their sleep. Oh, the dead."

Burgerpants looked at Frisk with knowing sadness as he continued singing, "27 people. Even more, they were boys, with their cars, summer jobs. Oh, my God! Oooooooooooh! Are you one of them?"

Frisk found himself choking up and felt the tears falling on his hands. He was not the man in the song, but he might as well be. It took him a moment to be able to continue.

The sorrow was not lost on the audience.

"He dressed up like a clown for them, with his face paint white and red," Frisk sang with a growing intensity despite the tears running down his face. "And on his best behavior, in a dark room on the bed, he kissed them all. He'd kill 10,000 people, with a slight of his hand, running far, running fast to the dead! He took off all their clothes for them. He put a cloth on their lips, quiet hands, quiet kiss on the mooooouth!"

"What an emotional performance," Inferno said quietly in ignorant amazement.

Burgerpants only nodded and puffed his cigarette while struggling to hold back tears himself.

Frisk silently thanked God that the piano chords were repetitive. The tears blinding his eyes were making it hard to see the piano as he sang the last lyrics.

"And in my best behavior, I'm really just like him," Frisk sang. "Look beneath the floor boards, for the secrets I have hid."

Frisk stopped playing his chords and quietly breathed into the microphone to complete the song.

Burgerpants looked at Frisk contemplatively before turning away to puff on his cigarette. He smiled when he realized the audience was being silent and peaked his head out from behind the curtain to check the audience's ratings.

Frisk started wiping the tears off on his sweater when to his and Burgerpants' surprise the audience erupted in thunderous applause.

"What?!" Burgerpants and Frisk yelled simultaneously.

Frisk hopped off his piano bench and ran to the front of the stage to check the rating's board. His mouth dropped open when he realized that his points had actually risen by 2,000 for his stunning emotional performance.

Frisk could not believe it. Neither could his family watching the spectacle.

Frisk had to get some air, so he ran back to his microphone and said, "I'll be right back!" before running to Burgerpants off-stage.

Burgerpants tossed his cigarette in the trash as Frisk said, "What is going on, Burgerpants? I don't get it!"

Recognizing Frisk's level of stress, Burgerpants took Frisk's hand, yelled to Inferno, "Hey! Tell the boss we're on break! The kid needs some air!" and teleported outside to the beach before getting a response.

Once safely outside, Burgerpants lit another cigarette as Frisk continued ranting, "I don't get it! This makes no damn sense! Why don't they freakin' hate me yet?! I thought singing all these inappropriate songs would make them all hate me, but the ratings haven't gone down one bit! I've done it all! I've referenced alcohol. I called Mettaton a pedophile. I basically just confessed in song that I was a serial killer! Yet, they love me more?! I don't understand! What the hell am I doing wrong, Burgerpants?!"

"You're too good a performer, Frisk," Burgerpants said taking a break from puffing on his cigarette. "Your playing and singing are stellar. The audience doesn't care about the words your singing. You perform with so much skill and so much passion that they can't help but love you. We might need to come up with a new plan."

"Dammit," Frisk said angrily. "Why do I have to be so talented?!"

Just then, Burgerpants noticed River and his passengers waving from the boat as it ran by the shore.

The group could hardly contain their excitement. Alphys and Calibri hopped off the boat and ran up to Frisk while River parked the boat.

Napstablook teleported in front of Frisk first.

"Frisk, are you alright?" Napstablook asked calmly and gently. "You look upset."

Before Frisk could speak, Alphys and Calibri cut in front of him.

"Frisk! Frisk!" Alphys yelled trying to catch her breath. "We have been talking and we have an idea on how we might beat Mettaton!"

"LISTEN TO THIS," Calibri signed. "IT'S AMAZING!"

Napstablook phased through the two monsters in front of him, looked at Frisk in concern, and said, "Frisk, are you okay? You don't look so good."

Frisk's face fell completely as he walked to Napstablook, leaned against his torso, and just moaned.