Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Long ago, humans and monsters lived in peace and harmony among the surface. Everything was perfect, how it was supposed to be, how it should’ve stayed. Despite their difference, they were able to put that aside for a long time to grow a strong yet peaceful society. Until the humans grew afraid, afraid of what the monsters could be capable of. The monsters had an aspect that the humans did not, and that was the ability of monster magic, a type of magic that was much more powerful than regular magic. Even though monsters had never done anything to use their abilities against the humans, the humans did not care. Their fear was enough to start a war against the monsters, and although they had the power of magic, they were greatly outnumbered. The humans were banished underground with a powerful barrier cast by their greatest magicians.

The monsters were trapped underground for decades and began to grow their society. For years the monsters dreamed of a savior to release them from their confined prison. However, the only way to break this barrier was the power of seven human souls, and as children began to fall into the underground, the king collected their souls over time, in hopes that one day he would be able to free his people from their confinement. 

The last human to fall, a child by the name of Frisk, was meant to be the last soul to be collected, and with their soul, the barrier would be able to be broken. However, Frisk was determined to save the underground without the need for their souls to be collected. It was through the power of their determination, as well as the six human souls, that they were able to break the barrier and the monsters were finally granted the freedom they had wished for so long.

But that was years ago, five years ago to be exact. The monsters are fully free now, living their best lives on the surface. What once was a small town next to mountain Ebbot, was now becoming a growing city. Within this growing city lived Y/N, a young 17-year-old girl who had freshly graduated high school and lived with her sister. Their parents had died in a fatal car crash when Y/N was 14, granting her sister, Cassandra who was 19 at the time, full custody of her younger sister. It’s a tragic backstory but despite this, Y/N and her sister, 24 now, thrived. Cassandra was an upcoming influencer on the internet, and she was able to gain a good amount of wealth and on occasion, she would travel for brand deals, collaborations with other influencers, and other businesses related to her new found fame. 

Although Cassandra was on the rise to fame, Y/N never became a part of it, nor did she want to be a part of it. She supported her sister nonetheless, but they were opposites. Y/N was introverted and didn’t have many friends. She only had a few close friends, but that was enough for her. She didn’t need a large group of friends to be satisfied, besides, her sister was her best friend despite being complete opposites, and she was all the support that Y/N needed.

Among these close friends was Frisk who had moved in with the Dreemurr’s on the same street as her when the barrier was broken. Frisk was a very extroverted kid and still is. They had basically befriended the whole town, especially Y/N since they lived on the same street. Besides her sister, Frisk was Y/N’s closest friend and often visited the Dreemurr household. The Dreemurr’s were like the family that Y/N and her sister had gone without for so long, and they became a part of their family. They would come over for most dinners, and stay the night at times; Toriel had even taken Y/N, Frisk, and Asriel to school in the mornings and picked them up in the afternoons. Y/N and her sister would spend hours and sometimes even days at the Dreemurr household. They had accepted them as their own and for the first time in a long time, Y/N and Cassandra felt like they had a family again.

This takes us to today, a hot summer day in the middle of June in the Ebbott town. Y/N, Frisk, and Asriel were fresh graduates of high school and had all the time in the world to hang out and spend more time together. Y/N had slept over the night before and was currently hanging out with Asriel and Frisk, specifically in Asriel’s room. Asriel was on his computer looking at colleges to apply to while Frisk and Y/N were conversing among themselves.

“I think I’m gonna go into nursing” Frisk starts. “I just wanna help people, honestly,” She finishes.

“Are you sure? I mean, you’re also very empathetic, I feel like it would be hard for you to not get close to the patients.” Y/N says as she takes a sip from her bottle of soda. “It’s also extensive schooling,”

Frisk sighed, frustrated on trying to figure out what they wanted to major in, or what career they wanted to pursue in life. “Yeah, you’re right, I just don't know what to do,” She said, running her fingers through her hair. “It’s just so hard to pick what I wanna do for the rest of my life when I’m still so young,”

“I get that,” Y/N starts, offering her support. “But you don’t have to figure it all out right now. You have time to explore your options, so don’t stress too much about it. You’re very well off, so I wouldn’t worry so much.” She says, trying to reassure Frisk. Frisk got a lot of press for their major achievement of breaking the barrier and was considered a hero globally. The Dreemurr family got quite a bit of donations and support from this. Not only that, but throughout the years Asgore was able to work up to the latter and was now working as the mayor of the town. 

“Yeah, you’re right, but at least you got it figured out,” Frisk said. Y/N chuckled.

“I definitely do not, I only said I wanted to pursue music because that’s my passion, but realistically, It’s hard to get a job with a music degree, so I don’t even think I’ll be able to do that,” Y/N explained.

Behind Frisk, on Asriel’s night side, something caught Y/N’s eye. An old framed photo of Asriel as a child next to another child who was holding a bouquet of buttercups. 

“Who’s that? I haven’t seen that photo before.” Y/N asked, pointing at the picture. Y/N has practically lived in this house, It was her second home. She had seen every picture they had hung up, and seeing a new one, obviously, they were curious, especially since it looked much older than the other pictures they had in the house.

“Hm?” Frisk hummed as they turned around to face the photo. “Oh, that’s because Asriel just put it up recently.” They said, ignoring Y/N’s first question. Asriel turned around in his desk chair.

“Huh? I heard my name.” He said.

Y/N pointed at the picture once more. “The picture, I haven't seen it before.” She says. “Who is that?”

“Oh, that Chara.” He says casually. Frisk looked a bit perplexed with his comfort with talking about the topic, knowing it was sensitive. “They were the first human to fall into the underground. We had basically adopted her and we became close. I was an only child so I was very lonely until Chara came along.”  Asriel explains. “They were my best friend, still are,” Asriel says as he sighs deeply. “But they died a long time ago,”

Y/N felt bad for Asriel, thinking maybe she shouldn’t have asked. “It’s okay. I’m over it by now, but their memory still lives on in me. I decided to put it out just to have something to remember them by.”

“It’s actually very interesting, Chara was buried under the buttercups I had fallen on when I fell into the underground. The determination from my soul woke them up and their spirit followed me around, basically guiding me through the underground.” Frisk explained.

“Oh wow,” Y/N said in shock. “It seems like I find something new about your adventure every day. It makes me wonder what it would be like to explore it. You guys always talk about how beautiful it was down there.”

“It really is,” Frisk chuckled. “But also dangerous,” Asriel cuts in. “The place is littered with puzzles and boobytraps,” Asriel says. 

“Oh yeah, If you wanna go, you have to go with us. Definitely don’t go alone.” Frisk warns. “But we can take you one of these days. It’s a beautiful place, and we can tell you all the lore and stuff.” Frisk says. Y/N had already been told a lot about the underground, but to actually be there and learn by exploring sounded outstanding. 

“I would love to, it's so interesting to me,” Y/N said. “Like, it’s just so crazy, you literally had a ghost following you around guiding you,” Y/N turns to Asriel. “And you were a soulless flower! Like what??” Y/N says, chuckling at how bizarre all of this sounded. She wouldn’t believe them if it wasn't for the fact that Frisk literally had broken a magical barrier and proved to the world that monsters were real. 

“Yup,” Asriel said as she chuckled as well.

“And don’t you guys share a soul?” Y/N asked. Frisk nodded, taking out their soul from their chest, showing half of a red heart. “Mhm! I was able to give Asriel half of my soul, which is why he’s not a flower anymore,” She said as she put her soul back in her body. 

“How were you even able to do that?” Y/N asked with curiosity. She couldn’t stop asking questions, wanting to know more.

“It was a very intricate process. They had to put us to sleep and very carefully split my soul in a way that wouldn’t kill me, and quickly put me into Asriel, who was Flowey at the time. It was a dangerous process but I trusted the scientists. And look at us now!” Frisk explained as Y/N was in complete amazement. Before Y/N could even respond, her phone began to ring. It was Cassandra. She quickly picked it up.

“Yeah? Uh-huh…Oh yeah! Okay, I’ll be there in a second,” Y/N spoke before hanging up the phone. “I have to go take my sister to the airport,” She said, getting up from the bed as she hung up the phone.

“Again? Didn’t you pick her up like two weeks ago from the airport? And she’s leaving again?” Asriel questioned. Y/N sighed.

“Yeah, I guess business is booming. This time she's going to California, I’m not sure for what though, I never ask.” Y/N says as she puts her phone in her pocket.

“Well stay safe! Remember to stay safe and drive with caution! You don't know who's driving out there.” Said Frisk as they got up from the bed and wrapped Y/N in a tight hug. Y/N rolled her eyes as she wrapped her arms around Frisk, returning the hug. “Yeah, Yeah, I know,” They said before letting go. “I should get going before she misses her flight, I’ll see you guys later!” Y/N said as they walked out the bedroom door. Frisk and Asriel waved and said their goodbyes as she left.

The drive to the airport was a long one. The Ebbott town might’ve been a growing one, but it was still far from the airport, which was closer to the main city. Y/N drove so her sister wouldn’t have to pay to leave her car at the airport. She probably had more than enough money to afford it, but it was still a hassle for most people. Besides, it’s much easier to have someone take you and pick you up. 

“What are you going for this time?” Asked Y/N as she drove on the highway. 

“A collaboration with another popular creator. We have some brands to review, we thought it would be better if we did it together.” Cassandra explained. Y/N as they exited the highway, arriving at the airport soon after. 

Y/N parked at the passenger drop-off. “Well, this is your stop,” She says as she gets out of the car and opens the trunk to help Cassandra with her luggage. She pulls the suitcase out for her. “Here, bring me back a souvenir, will you?” 

Her sister hugged her tightly. “Oh, of course! Don’t do anything crazy while I’m gone or go too far,” She says, Y/N only chuckles. “You know I never do, I’m a homebody.” 

Cassandra lets Y/N go from her embrace and gets her luggage. “Alright, I love you, I’ll let you know when I’m on my way back,” She said as she waved and began to walk away. 

“I love you too!” Y/N yelled back.

Being alone never bothered Y/N, even when her sister was gone. It was nice to live in peace when you could hear the sounds of the tree leaves brushing against each other as you opened your window, or the birds chirping when you wake up in the morning. If they ever got too lonely, they could just go to the Dreemurr’s house, but even then, being in solitary was never a bother to Y/N.

This night in particular though, something felt different. Y/N usually slept a lot, call her a hypersomniac if you will, but this night she couldn’t sleep. She spent the last two hours from twelve to two AM trying to sleep, tossing and turning but never seemingly getting tired. She felt irritated, maybe because she was alone but that made no sense. She slept just fine when her sister was gone, so why is tonight suddenly so different? She could go to the Dreemurr’s but she wouldn’t want to disturb their sleep. They wouldn’t mind, Y/N knows that, but she minds. 

She groans in frustration as she gives up on trying to sleep any longer, throwing the sheets off of her as she gets up from her bed. She walks over to the kitchen and opens the fridge to see if there was anything appetizing to have as a midnight snack, but from the corner of her eye she catches a glimpse of Mountain Ebbot. She slowly closes the fridge as she turns her full attention to the open window. It was as if the mountain was calling her name. 

Y/N knew it was a bad idea to go by herself, and she could possibly end up in a dangerous situation if she didn’t go without a guide, but she was so drawn to the mountain it was as if her feet began to move on their own.  

She began to pack a bag with all of the essentials. Flashlight, battery pack, charger, clothes, a few snacks she could eat on the go. Then she began preparing lunches such as sandwiches and salads, sealing it away in a plastic container and putting it in her bag as well. She couldn’t stop. Something was giving her the drive to go on such an adventure and she couldn’t stop. 

Eventually, Y/N was ready, with a backpack on her back and tying her shoelaces. She did one last thing before she stepped foot outside. 

‘Hey Frisk, I just wanted to let you know I decided to go with my sister last minute so you won't be seeing me for the next couple of days. Tell everyone I said hi! Don’t miss me too much, love you!’ Y/N typed out on her phone before sending the text to Frisk. She felt bad for lying, but she didn’t want the Dreemurr’s to become worried when they haven’t seen her in a few days. 

Y/N opened the door and began on her adventure to explore the underground. 

~

Y/N was almost to the top of the mountain, but she didn’t really know that. It was dark, and her flashlight could only provide so much light. Again, she knew this wasn’t a good idea, especially going during the night, but she couldn’t stop. Her body was moving on its own.

Her goal was to find the barrier ideally. She didn’t want to fall down a hole and potentially hurt herself. But like stated before, it was dark and difficult to see, so when Y/N got her foot tangled up in a vine, she panicked. At first she was still standing, but when she tried to get it out, she lost balance. 

When she began to fall, she was anticipating the cold hard dirt, but after a few seconds she realized she wasn't hitting the ground. Fear began to set in the pit of her stomach as she froze, falling gracefully, not knowing when she would hit the ground, if she would even survive. 

That was until she hit the ground, and it hurt. Y/N blacked out for a few seconds as her body began to regain its stamina. Eventually when she opened her eyes, she was able to see the bed of golden flowers she landed on. If it weren’t for that, she probably would’ve gotten seriously hurt. But that wasn’t the only thing she noticed…

“Who the fuck are you?” 

Chapter Text

Y/N was shocked when she looked up. They saw who she assumed to be Chara. She was wearing the same sweater in the photo that Asriel had recently put up, and also had the same haircut. She looked to be around the same age as Y/N and had big red rosy cheeks with bright red eyes. Y/N didn’t even know having red eyes was even possible. 

Chara was very clearly irritated, arms crossed and tapping her foot. Y/N was speechless for a moment, still frozen on the ground, looking up at Chara in complete shock. Chara spoke once more.

”What are you deaf? Who are you and why are you here?” Chara asked in an annoyed tone. Y/N snapped out of it and built up the courage to respond. 

“Uhm, My name is Y/N. I’m one of Frisk’s friend’s.” Y/N explained as they slowly got up, dusting themselves off. 

“And you’re down here by yourself? Without Frisk?” Chara asked. “Do they know you’re down here?” Chara said suspiciously, walking closer to Y/N with their arms still crossed. 

“Well It’s funny you mention that actually,” Y/N said nervously, avoiding eye contact and scratching the back of their neck. “Uhm, No.” She said bluntly, looking down shamefully. Chara groaned in annoyance. 

“Do you know what you caused? Do you know how difficult it is to escape the underground without anyone to guide you??” Chara scolded. 

Y/N nervously shook her head. “No…” She said hesitantly. 

Chara sighed, rubbing her temples. “Your determination from your soul woke me up from death, now I’m bound to you until you leave.” Chara explained frustratedly. “So here’s what we're gonna do because I wanna go back to my eternal sleep.” She started. “I’m gonna get you out of here as quickly as possible and you are to NEVER do this again.” She said sternly. 

“But, I came here to explore,” Y/N said somberly. 

“Then come back with Frisk.” Chara said before sighing in annoyance. “Whatever, do we have a deal? I could just not help you, you know.” 

Y/N sighed in defeat, knowing how dangerous it would be to try and get out without any help. She didn’t wanna get hurt, or possibly die. “Fine..” She agreed. 

“Great, follow me.” Chara said as she began walking. Y/N quickly followed suit. She inspected Chara, and noticed she was translucent. She wasn’t completely clear, but clear enough that Y/N could see right through her, literally. Y/N never thought she would meet a ghost. 

The two walked through some empty hallways before they entered the ruins. Y/N was bewildered, her eyes wide as she looked around. The walls were purple, and in the center of a pile of red leaves was what looked like a floating star. 

“What…is that..?” Y/N asked as she pointed at the star in amazement. 

“That’s a SAVE point. Touch it.” Chara demanded. Y/N shrugged and did so, her two hands wrapping around the SAVE point. 

‘The shadow of the ruins looms above, filling you with determination. HP is fully restored.’ 

Y/N was confused. Was she in some sort of video game? What’s HP? 

“Now if you die, you’ll come back here.” Chara said. That statement worried Y/N. Was she going to die?  

“What?” She questioned, looking at Chara with a confused look on her face. 

Chara rolled her eyes as she started walking again, Y/N following closely behind. “Yeah, like a video game, it's weird. Just in case I want you to set your SAVE point. Though, the only thing that can kill you is the traps, and if I’m guiding you through them, you won't die.” She says, bringing Y/N a little bit of comfort as she looks around the hallways in awe. 

Chara for a moment stops and turns around to look at Y/N. “Whatever you do, I need to try as hard as possible to not die. When you die you don’t just go back to the SAVE point, you go back in time” 

“Woah, cool!” Y/N said. 

“No, not cool.” Chara started as they began walking again. “There are three other people who can remember when the timeline reset, besides you and me.” Chara explained. 

“Who?” Y/N asked curiously.

“Frisk, Flowey, and Sans.” Y/N was a but surprised to hear Asriel’s old name, and Sans as well. I mean, Chara’s been dead for a while, so she can understand why Chara doesn’t know that Flowey is Asriel again, but how does she know who Sans is? or that he remembers the resets?  

“Flowey is actually Asriel, again, by the way.” Y/N mentioned casually. Chara stopped in her tracks once more, turning around.

“Wait, how?” She asked. 

“Well, Frisk was able to give him half of their soul. It was a very intricate process, though, they had to go to a bunch of scientists who mediated the whole thing. 

“Huh,” Chara said before slowly walking again. “I had no idea that was even possible,” She said quietly. 

“Anyways,” Chara continued. “Some of the puzzles down here are already solved, so you don’t have to worry about those,” Chara explained. 

“However,” Chara stopped in front of a bunch of spikes, leading Y/N to stop as well. “Some are not. You’re gonna have to follow me through these.” 

“What??” Y/N freaked out. “What do you mean? If I step on them my foot is gonna get impaled!” Y/N stated. Chara rolled her eyes. 

“It’s not. If you step on the right place, the spikes will disappear, but if you step on the wrong spike, they won’t. That’s why I really need you to follow me. But I won't be able to activate them since I’m a ghost, so pay attention.” Chara explained sternly. Y/N nodded as she hesitantly began to follow Chara through the spikes. 

Chara was right, the spikes disappeared as soon as Y/N put her foot down on them. She carefully followed Chara through them, maybe too carefully. She could tell Chara was getting irrational with her for being slow. Eventually, Y/N finally made it to the other side. 

“Took you long enough,” Chara said. Y/N rolled her eyes. 

“Well, I’m sorry but I was trying to make sure my foot wouldn’t get impaled!” She stated as she began to follow Chara through the ruins again. 

The ruins were kinda…boring. There was no sign of life in them, and all the puzzles had already been solved. There was nothing for Y/N here, Frisk had already solved everything that needed to be solved. It was like getting a hand me down from a sibling. “You know, I thought the underground would be more interesting, it’s pretty though.” Y/N stated. 

“It’s because everyone is gone. There’s no life left down here. You shouldn’t have come here by yourself.” Chara said. Though it was a bit boring, Y/N had hope for the rest of her adventure, even if it wouldn’t be as long as she thought it would be. She was interested in Chara. She wanted to get to know her, get to know who she was before she died. It intrigued her so much that she didn’t mind the emptiness of the underground, because she just wanted to know more about Chara now. Though, Chara didn’t seem like she would be too compliant about that, or about anything at all. 

Eventually, they make an entrance to what seems to be a house. There’s a big tree in the center that has no leaves, and another SAVE point. Y/N walks up to it and touches it, activating the SAVE point. 

‘Seeing such a cute, tidy house in the RUINS gives you determination. HP is fully restored.’ 

Y/N thinks for a moment, does her HP even need to be restored? It's not like she’s getting hurt or has been recently. 

“Come on, let’s go,” Chara says, rushing Y/N to follow her. They enter the house. 

Y/N immediately takes note of the smell. It smells homey, like cinnamon, and butterscotch. The inside of the house really is cute and tidy. She wants to explore, but Chara is already halfway down the stairs when Y/N starts walking down one of the hallways. 

Chara looks up to Y/N. “What do you think you’re doing?” She says as she walks back up the stairs. 

“Looking around,” Says Y/N, walking to the end of the hallways, where there’s a mirror. Chara quietly catches up to her. “No, no absolutely not, we made a deal!” Chara says. Y/N doesn’t really listen, inspecting the doors to each room. 

“Say,” Y/N yawns. “You think I could take a nap? It’s probably like 2 am.” She says. 

“No, come on,” Chara says, attempting to grab Y/N’s wrist, only for her hand to phase right through hers. She groaned in frustration as Y/N opened one of the doors. 

“This is perfect!” Y/N, observing the room. It was clearly a room for a child, with a twin bed in the corner, but a bed is a bed regardless. Y/N walked in, sitting down on the bed. 

“Seriously, what was your name again? Y/N? Y/N, we need to get you out of here as fast as possible, that’s what we agreed on.” Chara said, frantically trying to get Y/N to snap out of it and start leaving, but Y/N was too tired.

Y/N yawned as she took off her backpack and placed it next to the bed, taking her shoes off next. “Oh relax, Chara, it’s only a few hours of sleep. As soon as I wake up we can keep going.” Y/N said as they began to lay down, pulling the covers over themselves. 

Chara looked at her a bit confused. “I never told you my name, how do you know it?” She asked, her attention no longer on trying to leave as fast as possible. 

“Asriel told me about you today. He put up a photo of the two of you, and I asked who you were.” Y/N explained tiredly as her eyes began to droop. 

“Really? He talks about me?” Chara asked as she sat against the wall, accepting the fact that Y/N is going to take a nap despite Chara’s protests. 

“Well, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of you,” Y/N said, to which Chara frowned a bit. Y/N noticed. “It was probably hard for him to talk about you for a long time, you know, since you died and stuff.” Y/N yawned. “But he did say you’re still his best friend.” She added. Chara slightly smiled, which is probably the first time Y/N had seen her smile this whole time. 

“That’s…nice to hear..” Chara said. Y/N smiled a bit, but Chara’s quickly faded. “Well, anyway, go to sleep already so I can get you out of here as soon as possible,” Chara complained. Y/N rolled her eyes before closing them, slowly drifting off to sleep. 

Chapter Text

Frisk woke up early that next morning. Nothing unusual, Frisk tends to be an early bird by nature. What was unusual however, was the next they got from Y/N at around midnight. 

‘Hey Frisk, I just wanted to let you know I decided to go with my sister last minute so you won't be seeing me for the next couple of days. Tell everyone I said hi! Don’t miss me too much, love you!’ 

Frisk re-read the text several times, rubbing their eyes a few times. Something didn’t seem right to Frisk. There was a pit in their stomach telling them that something was wrong. It was unlike Y/N to leave her home so suddenly, especially to a place like L.A.? It was the party capital of the country, and Frisk knew Y/N wasn’t that type of person. 

Maybe she just wanted to stick with her sister? Frisk questions to herself, trying to come up with a reason for this sudden decision. But that didn’t make sense, considering that Cassandra left on trips often, and Y/N never minded that. 

Frisk bursts into Asriel’s room, to which he flitched awake at the sudden sound. He was quite the opposite of Frisk when it came to sleeping in. 

“Y/N texted me at midnight to tell me that she left with her sister to L.A. as a last minute decision.” Frisk quickly explains, showing Asriel the text. Asriel squited, not yet adjusted to the light. 

“A good morning would be nice…” Asriel grumbled. “I don’t see the issue,” 

Frisk sighed as they sat down on Asriel’s bed. “How do you not? This is so unlike Y/N. She wouldn’t do this.” 

Asriel sat up in his bed and shrugged. “Maybe she just wanted to visit and see what it’s like since she’s never been. It’s not a big deal, sometimes people do things that are out of character.” Asriel said, trying to ease Frisk worries. 

“I just, I don't know…” Frisk said as they rubbed their temples. “It’s just… weird, you know?” Asriel only shrugged. 

“She wouldn’t lie to us like that,” Asriel said. 

“She wouldn’t up and go to L.A. out of nowhere either,” Frisk threw back. 

Out of those 2 statements, one has to be wrong, and Frisk doesn’t know which one Y/N is less likely to do. Frisk only sighs. 

“You’re probably right…” Frisk says, defeated. 

“She’s fine, she probably just wanted to spend some time with her sister,” Asriel says, which seems like the most likely option. 

Frisk nodded as they turned on their phone to send a text back. 

‘Alrighty! I hope you have fun! Send pics! love you too! ❤️’ 

Frisk presses send, but the pit in her stomach doesn’t go away. 

~

Y/N began to stir awake. 

“Jesus christ you’re finally awake. Hurry up, we need to get going.”

Y/N, for a second, forgot where she was. Then she remembered as she began to open her eyes only to see Chara’s translucent figure looming over her. 

“A good morning would be nice…” Y/N said before yawning. 

“We’re trying to get you out of here as fast as possible, remember. Besides, you sleep for way too long and I’m actually bored. Frisk texted you by the way, I think. Haven’t seen a phone in a while.” Chara explained quickly, practically halfway out the door, ready to go. 

Y/N sat up, grabbing their bag and turning on their phone to see what Frisk had texted. 

‘Alrighty! I hope you have fun! Send pics! love you too! ❤️’ 

Y/N smirked a bit as she read the text. They don’t suspect a thing, which is perfect considering Y/N leaving so suddenly is very out of character for her. She knows that, so she’s surprised it worked. Or at least, she thinks it did. 

“Hey, wait up!” Y/N said before getting up and walking out the bedroom door, following Chara down the hall. 

“Say, where does Frisk think you are? Because I read that text, and they definitely don’t think you’re here.” Chara asked curiously. 

“I told her I was going to L.A. You probably don’t know L.A., it’s just a big city people tend to travel too.” Y/N explained. 

Chara began to walk down the stairs, but instead of following her, Y/N walked to the other side of the house where the living room and kitchen are. Chara groaned in annoyance. 

“Hold on, let me check out the rest real quick! I promise then we can go!” Y/N said as they made their way to the kitchen. Chara reluctantly followed. 

“Hurry, we don’t have all day!” Chara claimed as they crossed their arms. 

Y/N’s widen as her eyes land on the pie with only one slice taken out of it. “So this is what I was smelling! Cinnamon Butterscotch pie!” Y/N said as she quickly grabbed a fork and began eating it, not caring to cut out a slice. I mean, who else was gonna eat it anyways?

“How do you know what kind of a pie it is? Especially such a specific one…” Chara asked. 

“Toriel makes it all the time! It’s so good! She must’ve lived here, right?” Y/N asked with her mouth full. 

“Uh, yeah, she did.” Chara said bluntly. 

“Does that mean you lived here, too? And Asriel?” Y/N asked with curiosity in her eyes. 

“What? No. We lived in the castle, which is practically the same layout but way further down. We’ll pass it on the way out.” Chara explained. “Speaking of the way out, hurry and finish whatever you’re gonna eat, I can’t stand to watch you devour that pie…” Chara said, looking away from Y/N. Y/N didn’t know if it was because Chara was jealous she couldn’t eat the pie, or if Y/N was a messy eater. Maybe it’s both. 

Y/N finally gets full and the two of them start heading downstairs, walking down the long hallways. 

“Wait, why did Toriel live here if you guys lived in the castle?” Asked Y/N, confused on why Toriel would be so far away from her kids. 

“Well, she used to live with us. After we died she moved down here.” Chara explained briefly. 

“How come?” Y/N asked. Chara started to get irritated with the questions, mostly because she didn’t feel like talking about the past. 

“It’s a long story that I don’t feel like telling, so drop it.” Chara said bluntly. Y/N sensed that it seemed to be a sensitive subject, and so she took the hint. 

“Oh, okay, sorry.” Y/N quickly apologized softly. 

Eventually the two got to the big gate at the end of the hallway. Y/N stood there, thinking chara would open it.

“What are you waiting for? Open it.” Chara said

“I thought you would,” Y/N said back.

“Did you forget I’m a ghost?” Chara asked sarcastically. 

Y/N scratched the back of her head, embarrassed. “Yeah, I actually did,” She admitted as Chara rolled their eyes. Y/N pushed the heavy gate open. 

Immediately Y/N could feel the big gust of cold wind. She knew about snowdin, which is why she came with a jacket, but that’s all she had, just a jacket, and Snowdin was about to prove to be colder than she thought.

The two began making their way across the forest, the snow crunching on Y/N’s feet as she shivered. 

“Come on, you’re gonna have to walk faster than that,” Said Chara, growing Impatient. 

“Well it’s freezing! I’m trying but I’m so cold…” Said Y/N as she shivered. 

“Shouldn’t have come here by yourself, then.”

“Are you just gonna keep taunting me about that?” Questioned Y/N, to which Chara snorted.

“Yeah, Yeah I am.” Y/N rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly. Being stuck down here with a ghost wasn’t as unpleasant as she would’ve thought. She thought ghosts were something to be scared off but Chara, Chara was good company.

“You know, for a ghost, you’re not that scary,” Said Y/N as they walked over the bridge, passing a really weird, conveniently shaped lamp, and a stand. 

“What?” Chara said, seemingly taking some offense. “I can be scary,” She said proudly.

“Really? Then show me,” Y/N asked as she stopped to set her new SAVE point. She thought she might as well. 

‘The cold atmosphere of a new land… it fills you with determination. HP fully restored.’ 

“This cold atmosphere does NOT make me feel determined.” Y/N corrected. She looked around to find that Chara was gone. 

“Chara?” She called out, wondering where Chara went. Y/N turns around to see if she’s behind her. 

“Boo.” 

Y/N let out a short scream as she saw Chara, but instead having a normal human look on her face, she had black oozing out of her eyes and mouth and tiny red dots as pupils. Not to mention, her voice was distorted as well. 

Chara began laughing as Y/N stood there catching her breath. Soon she realized it was a joke. She tried to hit Chara on the arm playfully, only for her hand to phase right through her. SHe still tried three more times to hit her, to which Chara proceeded to laugh even more at. 

“You should’ve seen your face! It was priceless!” Chara laughed, her voice distorted still. Y/N crossed her arms in annoyance, rolling her eyes as Chara laughed.

“Yeah, yeah, you proved your point,” Y/N said as she continued walking, Chara following behind. “How’d you do that anyways?” Y/N asked as Chara’s face went back to normal. 

“Oh, It’s just- Wait, stop-” Chara said as Y/N was about to step on a floor of ice, but it was too late. Before Y/N knew it. She was sliding across the ice, trying to stabilize her balance, before failing to do so, and falling on the ice. 

Chara began laughing again. 

“Do you just like seeing me in pain or what?” Y/N asked sarcastically. 

“I like seeing you make a fool of yourself,” Chara said. 

Y/N sat up on the ice, and proceeded to mock Chara. ”I like seeing you make a fool of yourself,” Y/N copied, making her voice higher pitched to sound annoying. 

“Are you mocking me?”

“Are you mocking me?”

“I do not sound like that,”

“I do not sound like that,”  

Char stood silent for a moment, crossing her arms. Y/N giggled, giving Chara a mischievous smile before carefully getting up on the ice and sliding off of it. 

Chara couldn’t help but smile slightly at the interaction.

~

“What? They’re not here? Where are they? This makes no sense!” Chara exclaimed as she walked towards the end of the dock to what looks like a river. 

“Who? Who’s supposed to be here?” Y/N asked, confused, walking up next to Chara. 

‘River person,” Chara signed sadly, seemingly disappointed. 

“And who’s that?” Y/N asked again.

Chara signed frustratingly. “They’re like, a boat keeper? Nobody knows what they are exactly. But that’s besides the point,” Chara says. “They provide the fastest transportation between Snowdin, Waterfall, and Hotland. We could’ve gone from here straight to Hot land, which is closer to the barrier. But of course,” Char explained, turning back around to continue forward. “We can’t. So we have to go through Waterfall.”

Although Chara was disappointed, Y/N was excited. She had heard great things about the waterfall, that it was beautiful, and she couldn’t wait to see it. 

“Lighten up Chara, It’s not a big deal,” Y/N said, trying to cheer up Chara.

“Easy for you to say, You want to explore.” Chara rolled her eyes. “But I’m stuck with you longer than I wanna be.”

“I am not that bad,” Y/N protested as the two walked through the town, making their way to the waterfall. 

“Yes you are,”

“No I’m not,”

“Yes you are.”

“No Im not,”

“Are you just gonna keep doing this?”

Y/N ignored Chara’s question. “You know, for the record, I think you’re a pretty cool ghost.” She complimented me. 

Chara avoided eye contact as she blushed a bit at the compliment. “Uhm, thanks.” She says. “You aren’t so bad yourself…” Chara complimented back, to which Y/N smiled at. 

“Told you I wasn’t that bad,” Y/N smirked. Chara rolled her eyes.

“Whatever,” She said, hiding a small smile forming on her lips. 

Chapter Text

After walking through a cloud of fog, Y/N felt the temperature quickly rise almost instantly. It didn’t become warm, but it wasn’t so cold anymore. Her thin jacket was now enough to keep her warm, unlike before. 

Y/N looked around as her and Chara continued to walk along the river of water. 

“Woah, this is really pretty,” Stated Y/N “This must be Waterfall,” She says as the sound of water fills the atmosphere. Chara nodded. 

“It’s, in my personal opinion, the prettiest place in the underground, without a doubt.” Said Chara, and Y/N could see why it was. 

Y/N stopped when she saw the next SAVE point, but something else had caught her eye. A glowing blue flower. 

“What kind of flower is that?” Y/N asked curiously. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” She said as she began to walk up to it. 

“It’s an echo flower,” Chara said from behind. “It’s native to the Underground, you wouldn’t find anything like it on the surface. Say something to it and it’ll repeat it back at you.” Chara explained. 

“Really?” Y/N asked as she carefully inspected the flower closely. 

“Really?”

“Oh my god!” Y/N exclaimed. 

“Oh my god!”

Y/N turned around to look at Chara. “Chara did you hear that?? That’s so cool!” She said, amazed. 

Chara smiled lightly as Y/N reaction, finding it endearing. “Yeah, it is pretty cool isn’t it?” She said as she reminisced on all the memories of when her and Asriel would sneak away from the castle and spend hours in Waterfall, talking to the echo flowers and looking at the fake stars. 

“Come try It, Chara!” Y/N said. Chara rolled her eyes as she walked up next to Y/N. 

“I’m a ghost, remember?  It won’t work on me.” Chara said as she looked down at the echo flower.

“I’m a ghost, remember? It won’t work on me.” 

Chara’s eyes widened in surprise and Y/N gasped in excitement. “It can hear you! That’s even cooler! It can hear ghosts!”

“Huh, I wasn’t expecting that…” Chara said. 

Y/N leaned down towards the flower, getting ready to say something. Chara curiously wondered what she could possibly say. 

“Fuck.” Y/N giggled as she said the profanity. Chara rolled her eyes. 

“Fuck.” The echo flower echoed back. 

“Real mature of you,” Chara said sarcastically as Y/N giggled. 

“Come on, try it! It’s funny!” 

Chara sighed, defeated as she got up close to the flower. 

“Shit.”

“Shit.” Chara couldn’t help but chuckle slightly. 

“See? I told you it’s funny!” Y/N said as she went up to the flower to say another profanity. 

“Bitch.”

“Bitch.” The two of them began to snicker as the echo flower shouted back the profanity. Eventually, they started going back and forth, trying to find the dirtiest words to say to the Echo flower. 

“Pussy.”

“Pussy”

“Asshole.”

“Asshole.”

“Mother fucker.”

“Mother fucker.”

By the time they were done they were both laughing. Chara thought it was stupid to find something so ridiculous to be so funny, but Y/N laughter was practically contagious, and she couldn’t help but laugh with her. Besides, sometimes something is so stupid that it becomes funny, and there’s nothing wrong with that. 

“Come one, let’s go,” Chara said as her laughter began to die down. Her smile, however, stayed strong. “We ran out of words to say,” She says. 

“Okay, Okay,” Y/N says as she follows Chara’s lead, deeper into the underground. 

~

“Woah…” Y/N said as she looked up at the ceiling to what looked like stars. Realistically, she knew that would be impossible but still, it was a very good replica of real stars. 

“Pretty, Right? Asriel and I used to come here all the time.” Chara said as she looked through the telescope. 

“It’s beautiful, really.” Said Y/N. “Wait, let me see!” She said, referring to the telescope, to which Chara moved out the way so that Y/N could see. 

“Wow, what are they? Crystals?” Y/N asked as she moved the telescope around to look at the false stars. 

“I think so? They’re some sort of glowing stone.” Chara explained as she sat down on the ground. Y/N sat down next to her and continued to look up at the ceiling. 

“I used to tell Asriel about the real stars on the surface, and what they looked like. He had always wanted to see them.” Chara said. Y/N turned their gaze from the ceiling to CHara as they spoke. “I’m glad he can, now.”

“Don’t you miss the stars?”

Chara paused at the question, thinking carefully about her answer. Did she miss the stars? Did she miss being on the surface? Did she miss being alive?

“No,” Chara said. “Not really. I’ve seen them many times. This was enough. I don’t miss much about being alive.”

“How come?” Asked Y/N, looking at Chara with curiosity. 

Chara shrugged. “I hated humanity, I hated everything it had done to the world. Humanity was filled with hatred and fear. I originally climbed the mountain to not only escape humanity, but life itself.” Explained Chara. Y/N only nodded, not judging them in the slightest, listening intently to her story. “When I fell and I meant Asriel and all the Monsters, I loved them. My species had trapped theirs underground but they still treated me with kindness and love. It only gave me another reason to hate humanity.” Said Chara. “I don’t wanna live in a world like that, where one species maltreats another just because they're different.”

Y/N nodded in understanding. She sympathised with Chara. Y/N didn’t know exactly how it felt to live in a world like that, since society since then had greatly improved. Y/N reminded herself to be grateful of the time she lives in now. 

“That must’ve been difficult for you to live through, I’m sorry.” Y/N sympathized. “You didn’t deserve that.” 

“Thanks, but it was a long time ago.” Said Chara. “It doesn't really matter now.” She said, looking down at her thumbs, twiddling with them. 

Y/N shook her head. “Just because you’re dead doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter.” Chara deserves a second chance, Y/N things, but she doesn’t vocally express that thought, afraid of what Chara’s reaction might be. She wonders if what Frisk did to bring back Asriel would be possible for Chara. Probably not, she guesses. Maybe it’s different with two Humans. Maybe it’s just too far-fetched. Or maybe, just maybe, Chara really would rather not be alive anymore, and Y/N should respect her wishes, but something inside her tells her that’s not true, and she’s struggling to get rid of that gut feeling. 

“For what it’s worth,” Y/N speaks up again. “The world isn’t like that at all anymore. Humanity has come a long way.” 

Chara chuckled, finding that a bit hard to believe. She was very stubborn at her thoughts on humanity, but she liked Y/N, and it kind of confused her. “How?” She asked. 

“Well for one, all the monsters have been freed from the underground, obviously, and most humans get along. Some don’t, but those are just the rotten bad apples. And for two, Asgore is the Mayor,” Y/N explained. 

“My Dad’s the mayor??” Chara exclaimed with some shock and slight smile. Y/N was taken aback to hear Chara called Asgore her Dad, but it made sense after realizing the Dreemurr’s most likely adopted her. 

Y/N nodded. “Yup.”

“Wow, from a King to a Mayor, that’s kind of a downgrade actually,” Chara said, Y/N chuckled. 

“Shut up, you know you’re proud of him.” Said Y/N, to which Chara couldn’t help but agree. 

“Yeah, you’re right. The world must be very different than if he was able to become the Mayor.” Said Chara. 

A short silence followed them as the sound of running water took over, until Y/N spoke again. 

“If you had the opportunity to live again, in the world today, would you take it?” Y/N hesitantly asked as the two of them stared at the crystals in the ceiling. Y/N thought this was a much better way to ask the question of ‘Do you want to live again?’. 

Chara shrugged as she thought about the question for a moment. “I don’t, maybe.”

~

“I’m worried, Asriel. She hasn’t responded to my text all day. First she spontaneously left on a trip she wasn’t even planning to go on, and now she’s not responding to my test! This is so weird Asriel and you can’t tell me it’s not!” Frisk exclaimed as both and Asriel sat outside a local coffee shop. The sun was going to set soon. 

Asriel was the more calm out of the two of them, and often was the one trying to debrief the situation. “I think you’re blowing this way out of proportion, Frisk, I genuinely don’t believe you have anything to worry about here. I mean, she’s probably just spending quality time with her sister, she’ll get back to you.” Asriel tried to rationalize with Frisk, but nothing could stop them from worrying. 

Frisk let out a sigh of frustration. “I hope you’re right.” She said as she rubbed her temples. “ I mean, this is just so out of character for her. But lying to us would also be out of character for her too.”

“I doubt she would lie to us, I mean What would she lie to us about anyways? The three of us are pretty close, I’m sure she wouldn’t feel the need to lie to us.” Said Asriel as he took a sip from his coffee. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t at least slightly worried about Y/N’s shenanigans, but he had faith that Y/N wouldn’t lie about something like that. I mean, she wouldn’t, right? Right…

Frisk sighed once more, looking down at her phone and turning it off, deciding to stop waiting for a text back, at least for the time being. “You’re right, she wouldn’t lie to us…” Stated Frisk, but for some reason she hesitated to say that, almost as if she didn’t believe it. Frisk has great intuition, and she knew something was up. However, they had no control over the situation or over what Y/N chose to do with her time. So for the time being, Frisk can only wait until Y/N comes back from her alleged trip to ask her what the hell is up with her. 

Chapter Text

“Whoa,” Y/N said as she looked around to see a maze of rivers and dozens of echo flowers. “This place is beautiful, Chara!” She said as she slowed down to truly take in the beauty of Waterfall. 

“I know, I know, but we should really get going Y/N.” Said Chara as she tried to move along. She already spent more time in the waterfall than she would have hoped, and she already did something she hates doing, be vulnerable and open up. Chara’s afraid that the longer Y/N stays down here stuck with them, the more Chara is going to open up and the closer they’ll get. Chara likes Y/N as a person, she thinks she’s great, but they’d rather not get closer or else she would actually be sad when she goes. 

Y/N, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to care that much about how close she gets with Chara. In fact, she wants to get close with her, she wants to get to know her. Besides, It’s not everyday you get to meet a ghost, a cool one at that. 

“Wait, hold on.” Y/N said as she fully stopped in her tracks, pulling out her phone from her bag. “I have to take a picture.” She says before taking a few photos on her phone. Chara was bewildered by the device. Sure, Alphys has made some cell phones before, but they didn’t look as advanced as that. 

“Is that supposed to be a cell phone?” Chara asked. Y/N nodded.

“I’m surprised you know what it is.” Said Y?N as she snapped a few photos before flipping the camera around. “Come on, get in frame, take a picture with me.” She said as she directed the camera towards the two of them. 

Y/N’s smile quickly turned into a frown when Chara was nowhere to be seen on the camera. “Aw man! I thought since the echo flowers could hear you, the camera would be able to see you, but I guess not…” She said sadly. Chara was a bit bummed out as well. 

“It’s alright, just take a picture with your memory,” Suggested Chara. Y/N chuckled and smiled.

“For sure!” She says before checking her phone only to realize she hasn’t texted Frisk back. 

“Fuck,” Y/N cursed as she quickly began to type out a response, not knowing if there was ever services down there. 

“What? What’s wrong?” Asked Chara.

“I forgot to text Frisk back, They’re probably worried sick!” She said as she clicked send on the message, surprisingly going through. 

‘Thank you! Haven’t taken any pics yet, but once I do I’ll be sure to send them to you ASAP!’

The truth is that she had taken pictures, but if Y/N were to send Frisk those pictures, she wouldn’t be too happy to know that Y/N was in Waterfall, and not L.A.

“Do you think Frisk would get suspicious?? I mean, this is completely out of character for me.” Y/N asked anxiously as she began to walk with Chara through Waterfall. 

Chara only shrugged. “I know Frisk, But I don’t know what your friendship with them is like. Just don’t die, which shouldn’t be too hard, and Frisk won't ever find out you were down here. That is, if you’re good at lying.” Chara said, which reassured Y/N a bit, but she was in fact, not very good at lying. For the time being, she decided not to worry about it too much. That would be a problem for her to deal with when she gets out. 

They walked in silence for a bit, until Y/N realized something. 

“Hey,” Y/N started. “I just realized, your name is the first five letters of the word ‘character’!” She said as if nobody else had ever come to this realization before. 

Chara rolled her eyes with a playful smile. “Yeah? And you just realized this?” She said, raising a brow, to which Y/N nodded with an enthusiastic “Yes!”, thinking it was cool. 

Chara didn’t think it was very cool, though. “Yeah, my biological parents got lazy with naming me.” She said with such venom in her voice, hence the emphasis with the word ‘biological’. Y/N could see, clear as day, that Chara definitely did not like her parents. 

“Well, I like it.” Said Y/N softly.

“You do?” Chara asked. Y/N nodded with a bright smile. There were a lot of things she liked about Chara, her name was just one of them.

“I think it’s unique and pretty. I’ve never heard of anyone with a name like yours.” Y/N said. “I even like saying it! Chara! Chaaaara! Charrraaaa!!” She said, dragging out Chara’s name, to which Chara giggled, something else Y/N liked about them.

“Well, I like your name too, Y/N.”

“Thank you, Chara.”

The two continued to talk as they made their way through Waterfall.

~

Frisk’s eyes lit up at the sight of a text from Y/N. She had been laying in bed, getting ready to go to sleep, (despite the fact it was only 9:30. Early bird gets the worm, right?), when she received the text she had been waiting for all day. 
‘Thank you! Haven’t taken any pics yet, but once I do I’ll be sure to send them to you ASAP!’

Frisk re-read the text a few times, trying to find something wrong with it, but the text itself seemed pretty normal. Nothing out of the ordinary. Frisk still feels like something is wrong, and is tempted to send another text to keep the conversation going, but she thought about what Asriel said. She was probably out in L.A. spending some quality time with her sister, and Frisk didn’t want to disturb that. Eventually, after a few minutes of contemplating, Frisk turned off her phone and went to bed, ignoring the awful feeling in her stomach. 

~

“What is that pink thing? Why does it have cheese inside of it?” Y/N said as she inspected the block of cheese that was stuck in the mysterious crystal. Chara only shrugged, for even they didn’t know the answer. 

“I honestly have no clue.” Stated Chara. 

“This place is really…interesting,” Said Y/N

Chara chuckled. “I know, right?” They said as Y/N went up to the save point that was next to the pink crystalized cheese. 

‘Knowing the mouse might one day extract the cheese from the mysterious crystal… It fills you with determination.’

Y/N chuckled, not feeling really that determined or confident that the mouse will ever actually get the cheese. She yawned as she leaned against the wall between the cheese and the echo flower, sliding down it until she completely sat down. 

“You know, there are so many save points, but not once have I been close to danger,” Said Y/N curiously, despite being hit with a wave of fatigue. 

“I mean, I told you to do them just in case you do. You’re not likely to die since the underground is almost completely empty. The only thing that could possibly risk your life is traps, which are not usually that bad and I could just help you, and maybe the lava in Hotland, but that is if you trip and fall in it, which is also not likely to happen.” Chara explained as Y/N nodded, listening. 

“What about when the underground wasn’t empty?” Y/N asked. She found it difficult to figure out what else could have possibly been so dangerous, unless it was the monsters themselves? But they’re so nice!

“Well, not when I was alive, but when Frisk was down here the monsters were constantly after them.” Chara explained. This piqued Y/N’s interest, and Chara could tell, so they kept talking. “After me and Asriel died, Dad had vowed to kill any Human that fell underground in order to gain enough souls to break the barrier for good. Mom didn’t agree, which is why she moved to the ruins. She would try to protect any human who fell down. Meanwhile all the other monsters were told that if they see a human, they need to capture it and bring them to the King.” Chara explained. 

“That’s interesting. Frisk never told me this.” Said Y/N. Anytime she starts to think she knows the whole story, she is proven wrong once again. Y/N felt a bit hurt that Frisk never told them this, but she could understand why they never did. 

“Yeah, Frisk died several times, actually,” Chara chuckled, causing Y/N to chuckle as well. “It really is like a video game.”

“Yeah, I-” Y/N started before she was cut off by a yawn. “I bet.” She said as her eyes began to droop. 

“Oh, come on. Seriously? Again?” Chara said annoyed. Cleary, she had forgotten what it’s like to be alive. 

“It’s late! I’m sorry that you don’t get tired but sadly, I do!” Y/N defended herself. Chara playfully rolled her eyes, secretly wishing she could sleep too. 

“Well at least lay down if you’re going to sleep. You don’t want your back to hurt.” Chara stated to which Y/N processed to shift so that she was laying down on the floor. It wasn’t exactly the most comfortable, but it wasn’t the worst either. 

Y/N let out one last big yawn. “Goodnight, Chara.” She said as she closed her eyes, ready to fall into a deep slumber. 

“Goodnight, Y/N. Sleep well,” Chara said, in a softer tone than usual, knowing she would watch over Y/N while she slept, even if there wasn’t much of anything to watch for. 

Chapter Text

Chara couldn’t help but stare. 

She laid next to Y/N as she slept, and after a short while, Chara decided to turn to her side, facing Y/N, and after that, she couldn’t turn back around. 

Chara carefully examined Y/N’s features, from her hair to the shape of her face. She had spent hours staring at Y/N. Truthfully, there was nothing else to do. 

Well, that's not exactly true. Chara could mess around with echo flowers, with the new knowledge that they can pick up a ghost’s voice. Chara could sing to herself, or perhaps pretend to sleep too. She could stare at the ceiling instead. 

The justification that there was nothing else to do besides stare at Y/N was only an excuse that Chara came up with in order to reason with the fact that she could not stop staring. She didn’t want to stop, and she wasn’t going to. She just didn’t want to accept the real reason why she was staring at Y/N for so long. 

Chara was beginning to find Y/N attractive. 

First it was her pleasant personality, and now it's her pleasant…face. Chara couldn’t help but admire how peaceful Y/N looked while she was sleeping. She envied it. She envied how beautiful Y/N looked. She carefully watched as Y/N's chest slowly rose and fell with each breath she took in. Something Chara was beginning to envy as well. Life. 

Chara traced her fingers along Y/N’s cheek, or at least she pretended to do so. If only Chara was alive, then her fingers would be able to reach the surface of Y/N’s skin. She looked soft, and she looked delicate. Chara wondered how someone like that felt like. 

Their faces were inches apart, and yet, Chara couldn’t even feel Y/N breath against her face. It would only faze right through her. 

Chara sighed in disappointment. Even if Chara had died, she wouldn’t have been able to live long enough to meet Y/N. Usually, Chara wouldn’t mind being dead. She accepted the consequences of her actions very well. But at this moment, she wanted nothing more than to be alive again. To live within this lifetime. To get to know Y/N outside of this small adventure. Chara would only be a small fraction of Y/N’s life, and she knew that. However, that was becoming increasingly hard to accept. 

Chara cursed the universe. Chara cursed whatever cruel god that was listening. Why? Why her? She could have peacefully stayed dead but instead the cosmos decided to torture by giving her something she wont ever have to let go, but will evidently have no other choice but to do so. She could cry, she would, which is weird because Chara isn’t one to cry. 

For now though, the only thing Chara could do is enjoy every moment she had left with Y/N. Maybe she could slow down the pace, and just soak Y/N presences while she still could instead of trying to get her out of the underground as fast as possible. 

Chara hates to admit it, because Chara hates to be wrong, but she’s attached, and she knows this is going to hurt tremendously in the end, and Chara is not ready for that heartbreak. 

As Y/N began to stir awake Chara backed up a bit. It’s not like Y/N can feel them so close anyways, but Chara still thinks it might be weird. Y/N sits up and rubs her eyes as she comes to her senses. 

“Good morning,” Chara started as she sat up as well. 

“God, my back hurts,” Y/N says as she stretches. 

“Well, that’s what you get for sleeping on the floor,” Said Chara. 

“It’s not like there was anywhere else to sleep. There’s not hotel around here,” 

“There is, in snowdin. We passed it, didn’t you see it?” Chara asked. 

“Wha- and you didn’t tell me?! I slept on the floor for no reason! Chara!” Y/N complained. Chara chuckled a bit. “Not funny!” Y/N stated as she got up, Chara followed soon after. 

Before the two could get started on continuing their journey, Y/N felt their phone buzz from their pocket. The buzz continued, signaling to Y/N that someone was calling her. When she pulled out her phone from her back pocket her eyes widened in shock. 

“Shit! Frisk is calling me, what do I do??” Y/N asked in a panic. 

Chara shrugged. “Why are you looking at me? I don’t know what to do! Just pick up and lie!” Chara said. 

Y/N took a deep breath to calm their nerves before pressing the answer button. 

“Heyyy Frisk!” Y/N greeted, a little too enthusiastically for this early in the morning, almost sounding fake. 

“Hey Y/N! I just wanted to check on you and make sure you were doing okay. How’s the great city of LA?” Frisk asked curiously. 

Chara watched as Y/N paced back and forth like a lion, anxiously pondering on what to say next. Chara felt a little bit for them but then again, Y/N got herself in this mess in the first place. Another part of Chara felt amused watching how Y/N would keep up with this lie, almost like watching a TV show. 

“Uhm, yeah. It’s great! I just woke up actually. It’s been nice uhm, spending some quality time with my sister!” Y/N lied. She hates lying to Frisk. The words coming out of her mouth felt like vomit, but she had no other choice. 

“That’s great! I’m glad you’re having fun! Oh, Asriel wants to say Hi!” Frisk said before handing the phone to Asriel. 

“Hey, What’s up Y/N?” Asriel spoke. 

Chara’s amused look dropped. She could faintly hear Asriel’s voice through the phone. She hadn’t heard his voice in so long, not since the fight between him and Frisk that had led Frisk to break the barrier. Chara stepped closer to Y/N, leaning over her shoulder to hear him better. Y/N noticed but didn’t say anything. Instead, she put the phone and speaker so Chara could hear him clearly. Despite only knowing Chara for a brief day and a half, maybe two, Y/N knew that it probably would mean a lot to them to hear his voice again. 

“Nothing much, how has scouting for colleges been?” Y/N asked, bringing up college. She thought Chara would appreciate knowing what Asriel was up to these days. 

“Eh, I haven’t really found one that has a good psychology degree program that I like, but I still have a lot of time to decide on one.” Asriel explain. 

“Psychology, makes sense…” Chara whispered under her breath. Only Y/N could hear. 

“Ah, well good luck! I’m sure you’ll find the one,"  Y/N. 

“Thanks! I hope you’ve been having fun out there! Frisk has been worried sick about you.” Asriel said. 

“Asriel!” Frisk scolded. Y/N could hear them hit Asriel lightly, most likely on the shoulder. 

Y/N chuckled lightly. “Well, there isn’t anything you need to worry about, I promise.” 

“LA can be dangerous, be careful!” Y/N could hear Frisk say. 

“I will,” She stated. Little did they know…

“Well, we’re gonna let you go,” Said Asriel. “We love you!” Frisk chimed in. 

“I love you guys too!” Y/N said back. 

“Bye!”

“Bye!”

Y/N ended the call before they did. Once she did it was like she had been holding her breath the entire time. She quickly focused her attention on Chara, who seemed to be a bit gloomy. 

“You alright, Chara?” Y/N asked with a soft tone that made Chara melt, a concerned and caring look on her face. Y/N would put her hand on their shoulder, if only she could. 

“Yeah, Yeah. I’m okay.” Chara reassured. “It’s just nice to hear from him, you know? He’s grown so much. He’s going to college! That’s awesome! I just wish I could talk to him, tell him how proud I am of him. I can’t remember the last time we had a normal conversation.” Chara explains, reminiscing on the fond memories they had together. Remember the life they had before everything took a turn for the worst.

The two began to walk slowly as the conversation continued. 

“I just wish I could be there, too. I wish I wasn’t such a disturbed child, then maybe things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did.” Chara added, peaking to Y/N’s interest. 

“What do you mean by that?” Y/N asked. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to do so, but she thought to herself that it wouldn’t hurt to try. 

And Chara thought it wouldn’t hurt to open up, just a bit. 

“It’s a long story. Are you up for it?” Chara asked. 

“You bet I am.” Y/N said with enthusiasm, making Chara lightly chuckle. 

Chara sighed before talking. 

“In order to break the barrier you need 7 human souls, but in order to pass the barrier, just need a monster to absorb a dying human soul.”

Y/n nodded, listening intently. 

“When Asriel and I were young, we decided to cook a pie for our dad, Asgore. However, we misread cups of butter as buttercups, the flower. We put them in the pie and fed it to Asgore. As it turns out, buttercups are toxic. Asgore got really sick but he recovered and ended up being just fine.” Chara explained as Y/N listened, struggling to figure out why this was relevant but assumed that she would find out. 

“This sparked an idea in my little, fucked up head.” Chara said a bit harshly. “I feel awful for it now, but back then it felt like it was such a great idea.” 

“Since it only takes a monster soul and human soul to cross the barrier, I had constructed this plan, that I would eat a ton of buttercups, essentially killing myself, and Asriel would absorb my soul as I was dying. He would become a powerful creature, one that would be able to cross the barrier. He didn’t like this idea one bit, but I pressured him to go along with it, convincing him that we could free the monsters this way.” Chara continued with sorrow in their voice. Y/N continued to listen, sympathizing with Chara in this moment, knowing how regretful they must feel in this moment. 

“So we did it. We went through with it. Asriel absorbed my soul as I died and crossed the barrier with my body in his arms. I had told him that my dying wish was to see the flowers from my town one last time, and so he took me there. But when the humans saw him with my body in his arms, they had assumed that he killed me, and began shooting at him. I begged him to fight back. He had the power to kill them all at that moment and I hated humanity so much that I begged him to do it, but he didn’t. He was just a child who had much more forgiveness and love in his heart than I did. He couldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Eventually, He was able to make it back across the barrier before dying. His ashes spread across the golden flowers in the garden, and that’s how he ended up becoming Flowey. And I was just gone. Dead. Toriel buried me underneath the bed of flowers that you fell on. She used magic to persevere my body so it wouldn’t rot. It wasn’t until Frisk came along that I awoke. That’s when I was really able to see the damage I had caused. Toriel and Asgore were separated, Asriel was now Flowey, and six other humans died at the hands of Asgore. All of this because of me. It was like a domino effect.”

Y/N took a second to fully process everything Chara had just said. It was a story she had never been told, one that Frisk nor Asriel would probably have never told her. The underground and it’s tales were so much deeper than Y/N had thought, and Chara was a big part of it, a part she had never know about until now. 

“I’m so sorry, Chara.” Y/N said, struggling to find the words to say after such a heavy tale. 

“It’s okay. It’s my fault, really. You shouldn’t feel bad for me.” Chara said, trying to downplay their story. Y/N shook her head. 

“No, Chara. You were just a kid.” Y/N stopped in their tracks to look at Chara in their eyes. Their beautiful bright red eyes. 

“You didn’t deserve any of that! You were just a young kid who had gone through so much. You weren’t troubled, you weren’t bad, you were just hurt. You were just a child in pain. A child mistreated by humanity and wanted nothing more than justice and revenge. That is not your fault. Don’t blame yourself. For what it’s worth, I know Asriel wouldn’t blame you for this. After all this time and everything the two of you went through, he still considers you his best friend. You were young, naive, and hurt. I’m sorry you had such a hard life, Chara. You didn’t deserve it.” 

Chara looked like she was on the verge of tears. She probably would be in tears if she could cry. 

“Why are you being so nice to me?” Chara asked. 

“Because you deserve kindness, Chara.” Y/N said in a soft and comforting tone. Chara loved the way Y/N spoke her name. It was like silk. Sweet like honey. She really wanted to cry. 

“I can’t cry but I would if I could. I want you to know that.” Chara said with a small chuckle, causing Y/N to do the same, giving Chara a small smile.

“I know.” Y/N said. 

“Thank you. You are a really good person, Y/N. Asriel and Frisk are lucky to have you in their lives.” Chara said. 

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Don’t flatter me,” She said. The two started walking again. “You’re a good person too, you just don’t know it.” 

“If you say so, I believe it.” Said Chara as the two began to walk deeper and deeper into Waterfall. 

Y/N felt deeply for Chara. She believed that they deserved a second chance at life, one where they could thrive and truly be happy. To Chara, this seemed impossible, and she had accepted the fact that she is dead and that this is her fate. 

But Y/N did not accept this cruel fate. She refused to. That's when she started to devise her own plan, one that might be just as crazy as Chara’s, but she didn’t care. 

So as the two continued on their adventure, Chara thinking this would just be a short lived experience before going back to the grave, Y/N had very different thoughts in mind. 

Chapter Text

Y/N knew that they were nearing Hotland when she felt the atmosphere get warmer. Y/N was dreading. Snowdin was too cold, and she knew Hotland would be, well, too hot. Waterfall was the perfect balance between the two, but she knew she couldn’t stay. She heard a few stories about Hotland from Frisk, specifically when Undyne passed out from the heat as Frisk was trying to run away from them. They had to pour a cup of water on them in order to wake them up. 

Y/N took off their jacket as she walked next to Chara, tying it around their waist.

“Finally, we’re almost there,” Chara said as the floor slowly turned from blue to orange. Y/N began to fan herself. This anticipated the heat, just not this hot. 

“God, why is it so hot??” Y/N question as the two walked across a bridge. 

Chara pointed down towards the lava underneath the bridge. “That’s why.” She said bluntly as she kept walking. Y/N stopped in her tracks, her eyes widened as she stared down at the lava. It was unsettling, to say the least. 

Chara noticed, stopping to turn around and look at Y/N.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?” Chara asked, genuinely cornered rather than annoyed that Y/N is holding them up. 

“This…” Y/N paused for a moment, taking their eyes off the lava to look at Chara. “This bridge is sturdy, right? Like it wont…” She paused once more, staring back down at the lava. “break, right?” Y/N asked. 

Chara rolled her eyes at Y/N’s concern. “Don’t worry about it,” Chara said, trying to ease Y/N’s concern, and the two eventually continued to walk across the bridge. “You’ll be fine. The bridges are sturdy, well sturdy enough.” 

“Sturdy enough?” Y/N asked with worry.

“I mean, like,” Chara sighed. “Throughout the entire time I lived here and throughout Frisk’s adventure. If it didn’t break then, It wouldn’t break now. Besides, even if it were to break, which it won’t, you have save points, remember?” 

“Yeah…” Y/N said as she looked down at the lava, finally stepping off the bridge. “But it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” She asked, rubbing her arm anxiously. 

“Look, if it’s that nerve racking, just walk slowly on them and don’t run. Hold on to the railing, that way, if it were to somehow snap, you’re still holding onto something.” Chara said, trying to keep Y/N’s worries at bay. “Why don’t you save?” Chara suggested, pointing at the save point in front of a building with the word ‘Lab’ on it. “Would that help you feel better?” Chara asked, walking up to the save point.

Y/N nodded. “Yeah…” She said as she followed Chara. That wasn’t really true. If she dies in the lava, then she’d be in bigger trouble than she is now, and Frisk would know someone is underground. Chara could sense that Y/N was still worried. 

“Hey, Y/N, look at me,” Chara said. Y/N looked up from the save point, making eye contact with Chara’s ruby eyes. “You’re not going to die. It would be very unlikely that you would fall in. Nothing else besides the lava is a threat, and the lava is barely even a threat. You’ll be fine, I swear.”

She had a bad feeling that something was going to happen, but Chara was successfully able to make her feel better. She ignored her worries. I mean, Chara knows way more than she does, right? So she probably has nothing to worry about.

“Okay, I trust you,” Y/N said as she gave Chara a small smile. Chara returned the smile. 

“C’mon now, save so we can keep going.”

Y/N saved, putting her hands on the floating golden star.
‘Seeing such a strange laboratory in a place like this…You’re filled with determination.’

As Y/N saved, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of grief knowing she was near the end of her adventure. She didn’t want her time with Chara to come to a close so soon, especially since she knows Chara will only go back to eternal sleep after this. Maybe Y/N is selfish for wanting to keep Chara’s presence as long as possible. Maybe she’s selfish for contemplating ways to somehow leave the underground with Chara. Maybe she is selfish, but she doesn’t care. Y/N proceeds to get lost in thought thinking about- 

“God fucking damn it! Are you fucking serious?!” Chara cussed out, causing Y/N to snapped out of her thoughts. 

“What? What Happened?” Y/N asked, wondering what caused Chara’s outburst. 

Chara pointed to the dock that was a few feet away from them. At the edge of a dock was a figure hidden in a dark blue cloak on a wooden boat. 

“River Person! It’s fucking river person!” Chara exclaimed, frustrated. 

“Wait, isn’t that a good thing? I thought you were looking for river person this whole time.” Y/N asked, confused.

“I was, I was!” Chara claimed. “But they can only take you as far as Hotland, and we’re already here! Once we get her now, they want to show up!” Chara explained.

“Oh,” Y/N understood now. When they needed river person the most, they weren’t there, but as soon as Chara and Y/N didn’t need them anymore, all of a sudden they showed up. Y/N isn’t complaining, though. If anything, she’s more than grateful the river person didn’t show up until now. 

Chara sighed, knowing herself that she didn’t mind as much either. She liked Y/N, she liked being around Y/N, but as a dead person, Chara doesn’t want to get close to anyone, and if river person showed up earlier, Chara could’ve avoided that. 

“Whatever…” Chara said as they began to walk towards the lab, Y/N following close behind.

“C’mon Chara, I’m not that bad to be around.” Y/N joked, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, as she heard Chara chuckle. 
 
~

Hotland turned out to be a bit more difficult to navigate then both Y/N and Chara had thought. After having spent so much time in the grave, Chara seemed to forget just how complicated getting around Hotland can be. It was the part of the underground and probably had the most puzzles if Chara had to guess. It also had many obstacles like lasers, conveyor belts, and steam vents that shoot you up into the air. Although the lasers and most of the puzzle had be disabled ever since the monsters left the underground, the conveyor belts and steam vents were surprisingly still running. To Chara, this wasn’t an issue, for she was a ghost and she can fly, but for Y/N? It was a completely different story. Y/N had lost count on how many times she had tripped and fallen, and Chara had lost count on how many times they had to reassure Y/N that she was not going to fall into the lava and die.

“Jesus fucking christ!” Y/N explained as she fell onto the conveyor belt after trying to figure out a puzzle that had to do with steam vents. “I thought I was done with these!” She complained as she panted to catch her breath. Being launched into the air and landing (or at least trying to) on your feet every other minute was a bit of a work out. Add that with the fact that Y/N was surrounded by heat and lava, she was sweating immensely, dying for water. She had some in her backpack, but she knew it would be warm by now. 

The puzzle in question was a steam vent puzzle in which there were seven pillars of steam vents. Five of them have a floor panel that switches the arrows when you land on them. Needless to say, this was a tricky one to solve, and worst of all, Chara doesn’t remember how to solve it. 

“You just have to keep trying until you get it right! I don’t know what else to tell you, I’m sorry!” Chara explained, watching Y/N suffer attempt after attempt to solve this puzzle, which evidently would end up with Y/N back on the conveyor belt that would lead her right back to the beginning of the puzzle. 

Chara genuinely felt bad. They really did, which was odd. They never felt bad for Frisk with any puzzle at all. Chara could care less if Frisk died over and over again to get through a fight. But this was different. Chara only ever cared about two things in her short time alive: Their family, especially Asriel, and the monsters. They didn’t even care about themselves. Now, they wouldn’t be able to stand to see Y/N die, even if they know she would easily get revived. Chara doesn’t know if that’s because they know that if Y/N dies then the time would reset back to the check point which Frisk and Sans would notice immediately, or if they genuinely cared enough about Y/N to not want to see her in pain like that. 

Either way, It didn’t really matter. Y/N would eventually leave the underground and Chara would go back to being dead. The thought brings a sense of sadness over Chara, but she quickly ignores it, pushing the feeling away. 

Eventually after about 25 minutes of Chara watching Y/N suffer as she gets launched into the air trying to figure out this infuriating puzzle, Y/N finally was able to solve it. 

“Yes, yes!” Y/N leaps for joy as she finally reaches the other side. “I did it, I did it Chara!” She proclaimed happily as Chara gracefully floated towards the floor, landing on her feet. (Can she even land on her feet? She’s a ghost!). 
In a split second, however, Y/N rolled on her ankle, causing her to trip and fall. She instinctively held her hands out to break her fall and not completely lose balance of her body. 

“Y/N!” Chara yelled out, running towards like she could even do something. 

Y/N’s hands landed on the floor, or rather, they landed on the edge of the floor as Y/N’s face loomed over what was beneath it, the light from the lava glowing onto her face.

For a moment, Y/N was stuck in fear and shock. If she would have fallen anymore towards the left, she would have fallen in. Her eyes were wide as she stared into the lava beneath it, holding her breath as if she was waiting for something to happen. 

Chara was relieved that Y/N didn’t fall to her ultimate doom, but they would be lying if they said this didn’t shake her to her core. Chara didn’t originally think that the lava would be that much of a threat, only one that was easily avoidable. After all, Frisk never fell in the lava despite the countless other ways they died, but after seeing Y/N almost fall in, maybe the lava was more of a serious threat than Chara originally thought.

Chara also had another realization: Their limitations. They couldn’t stop Y/N from falling in the lava even if they tried. If Y/N was in serious danger, the only thing Chara could do is tell Y/N what she should do, but she can’t really do anything else. That thought alone scared them, and Chara wasn’t sure why. Chara never cared this much about Frisk during their adventure, why do they care now? Chara couldn’t be more frustrated with the constraints of death itself. 

After a few long seconds, Y/N quickly got back on her feet, dusting herself off. 

“You need to be more careful Y/N, you could have died.” Chara said softly. Instead of being frustrated with Y/N clumsiness, Chara was only filled with concern. 

Y/N, on the other hand, looked like a deer in headlights. The look made Chara worried, but she just chalked it up to shock. 

“Are…you okay..?” Chara asked when Y/N didn’t respond after a few seconds. Y/N quickly wiped the shocked look on her face as she was brought back down to earth. 

“Yeah, Yeah! I’m good,” Y/N said, giving Chara a soft smile. “Let’s keep going,” 

The two continued to make their way through hotland, both dreading the end of their adventure, but only one with a plan.