Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The day was a regular Friday. The time was around ten in the morning, in the small town in Ebott Valley. Life was poor. Hard to manage, around these parts. A family of two, a father and son were having it especially difficult lately. The Juga household was very quiet... devoid of life almost. The father and the son always had a rather complicated relationship. It was the mother of the household that kept everything together. Kept everyone attached. Like a glue.

But the mother has not been in this house for at least two years now.

Just a couple months ago, the father has learned that his dear wife will never return to their house. He could no longer take care of his four years old son. Work was hard, not paying well. Not to mention the loss of the love of his life took a great toll on him. He just could not take it any longer.

Said father was walking down the stairs, to his four year old's room. He slightly opened the door, looking in the child's bedroom. The room had blue wallpaper, toys scattered all about, drawings glued on the walls. Just about how you'd imagine a child's room. The father spoke up, looking at his son who was drawing, sitting on the carpet. "Fortune, have you finished packing your things yet?"

The child, Fortune had shimmering red eyes, tan skin, dirty blonde hair and he was wearing an oversized blue and purple striped shirt along with similarly oversized black pants. He lowered his pencil, looking up at his father, his expression turning bored, unamused. "No, Daddy... do we really gotta go now?"

"Yes, we have to leave soon. Pack your things and I'll wait for you in the living room."

"Okay Daddy." The young child nodded. Mr. Juga left the room and little Fortune stood up, getting his gray backpack ready that was overly big for him. His father got it for him a few days ago. The boy stood in his bedroom for a while, looking around.

Wherever they are going... they will probably come back soon. So, he probably doesn't have to take much with him. He took his favorite toys, playing cards, a toy car, his teddy and his favorite drawings and put them in the massive bag. The mentioned drawings were mostly the same. A small toddler holding hands with a woman. The woman had bright blue eyes, and similar dirty blond hair and tanned skin like the toddler. Fortune really missed his mother a lot. He wondered when she would be back home. It has been years since she's been here. Well, they did visit her in the hospital a lot. But his Daddy didn't take him back to see his Mommy in two months. Maybe they will finally go now?

Fortune, having finished getting his most precious belongings, put on some striped socks and headed out to the living room to see his dad. Mr. Juga was a tall man with brown hair and shining orange eyes. He was now wearing a black coat with dark pants and shoes. He looked at his child when he entered. "Alright, you ready?"

"Yes, Daddy!" Fortune nodded. His dad helped him put on his coat, then they went to their very old car. Mr. Juga helped Fortune get into the kid seat and they were off. Fortune idly looked out at the trees and buildings they passed by. It was mostly quiet, until he spoke up. "Daddy, are we going to see Mommy?"

His dad glanced back at him from the front seat for a moment. "No, no, Mommy is... not well. She needs her rest." He shook his head, pinning his eyes back on the road.

Fortune frowned, gripping his teddy. "Aww... we haven't seen her in so long... when can we go next?"

"I don't know."

"... I miss Mommy..."

"I miss her too, Fortune..." The Father's hands trembled on the steering wheel for a moment before he regained composure.

"But then, where are we going Daddy?" The young boy tilted his head with curiosity, his red eyes glowing in the sunlight like rubies.

"We are going someplace very nice, son. Don't worry."

"Okay!" He smiled.

The silence returned. Indeed, they will not see Mom any time soon. Not soon, not again, not ever. The memories of the horrible day in the hospital were resurfacing, flashing before the Mr. Juga's eyes like images. It was all so clear. The pain was still heavy. The wound was still fresh...

'"Hi Daddy!" Fortune waved to his father, sitting on the white chair in the hospital hallway, just in front of the door that lead to his mother's room. His father gave a tired smile. "Hello, Fortune. I hope you had a nice day with Mommy."

The child frowned a little. "Dr. Kyle told me to stay out here and wait for you. He said Mommy needs to rest now... I was sitting here for a lot."

The man's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Ah... I see..."

"Mommy didn't say hi at all today... she didn't even open her eyes." Fortune's frown grew bigger as he looked down at the floor, hugging his beloved teddy. "Not even to look at the new lilies we brought her. She must be really sleepy."

The Mr Juga's expression grew more and more unsettled. "Yes... she must be..." He mumbled. "I will go see her, stay here." He opened the door to enter a hospital room. On the bed, was lying a woman. A woman with dirty blond hair. Her skin was paler than it should be, and her eyes were closed. She was hooked on a life support system. The heart rate monitor next to her bed was...

It... it wasn't beeping...

Flat line.

No... that... that couldn't have been...

A man with dark brown hair, purple eyes and glasses was sitting at his desk, his expression clearly distressed. As the Mr. Juga entered, he stood up. The Father felt his voice sore as he

spoke up. "Dr. Kyle... please... tell me she is alright..." His voice was almost begging.

"I am... terribly sorry, Mr. Juga. We tried everything, but her heart remained unresponsive and... we lost her." The doctor readjusted his glasses, looking into the other man's orange eyes.

Mr. Juga stared down at the white floor beneath his feet. It felt like a knife pierced it's way into his heart. Not even to break it, but to make it bleed. Until his heart bleeds out in pain. Dr. Kyle put a hand on his shoulder. "My condolences... I am very sorry for our failure."

"So my wife is dead?" Mr. Juga looked into Dr. Kyle's eyes. For the first time, his voice was the most devoid of emotion. He received no vocal response, but only a slow, miserable nod from the doctor. There were no other words spoken in the room. Mr. Juga just walked to his dear wife's bed, sitting on it, holding her cold, white hand. He lightly stroked her hand. Even when there was no more life in her body, her skin remained just as soft as he had remembered. He felt his eyes fill with tears. He squeezed his eyes shut, his tears dropping on the bed sheets. The knowledge that his dearly beloved was no longer alive was very difficult to accept.

He could no longer listen to her sweet voice. No longer spend happy moments with her. No longer share a smile, a laugh, or perhaps even a cry. Fortune will have to grow up without his mother. His mother, was truly an irreplaceable soul. The perfect mother any child could ever have. A few minutes after he somewhat regained composure, Mr. Juga stood up. "Thank you... for your efforts, Dr. Kyle. I will let Fortune say goodbye to her, then we will be on our way home."

Dr. Kyle nodded, standing by his desk. "Alright."

Mr. Juga walked to the door. His legs felt numb. His entire body felt numb. He wanted to collapse here by this door. He wanted the pain to cease. He wanted all of this to be a bad dream. He wanted to collapse and then wake up six years ago, when his wife was still healthy and happy. When there was still hope left for their family. But four years ago, his dear wife was diagnosed with a severe disease that she fought on her own for two years. But after two years, she had to be rushed to the hospital and she has been staying here since.

Considering how long she had been here, it seemed very likely she would recover soon.

But fate just had to be cruel.

Take her away, mere weeks before his child's fourth birthday.

Mr. Juga took a deep breath in front of the door, wiping his face. He didn't want to tell Fortune the dreading news. Maybe... it was not the wisest choice. But he was still so young... so innocent. There is still time for him to face the cruel reality of the situation. For now, he should just life his life with the belief that his mother will someday return home and play with him again, day in and day out. He put a cold, shaky hand on the door handle and exited the room to face his young son.

"Fortune, come say goodbye to your mother. We will be going home now."

"What did Dr. Kyle say? Is she better?"

Mr. Juga paused for a second before slowly nodding. "Yes. Of course. She ... she is just fine."

A wide smile made it's way to young Fortune's face. "Yay!"

"Now... come say bye, then we'll go home." He opened the door wider. Fortune hopped off his chair, entering the room and running to his mom, kissing her in the cheek. "Bye Mommy! See you tomorrow!"

Mr. Juga walked to her bed again, looking at her. Fortune stopped at the door. "Daddy, are we going then?"

"Yes, yes just... wait outside for me for a moment, alright?"

"Okay!" Fortune nodded with a smile. With the door closing behind him, Mr. Juga placed a hand on his wife's forehead, running his hand through her blond strands of hair. "Goodbye... my dear Lynette. I promise, I will take good care of Fortune for you... for us." With that, he kissed his wife's forehead and left the room, leaving the hospital with his boy by his side.'

In the end, he failed to keep that promise. The pain, the grief, it was getting worse and worse as the weeks went by. The finances were getting worse and worse. It was already not great at all, considering the price of the medical bills were terribly high during the time Lynette was still at home and stopped working. Mr. Juga's poor salary was never going to be enough in the long run. He did not have a chance to get a new job, either. He just couldn't afford to take care of poor Fortune anymore, no matter how much he wanted to.

No matter how much it pained him to have to abandon his child like this.

Mr. Juga's brain was operating like a machine and he did not even realize that it has been at least ten minutes since he has parked the car. It was Fortune's voice that snapped him out of his train of thought.

"Daddy, are we here?"

Mr. Juga looked out the window. Ah, yes... they were here. They arrived.

'Ebott City Orphanage'

It was time... to say goodbye.

"We're here, Fortune. Let me help you get out." Mr. Juga stood up, helping Fortune get out of the kid seat. After they both got out of the car, they walked to the front gates, where a gray haired lady greeted them. "Good afternoon, Mr. Juga and, oh you must be Fortune." She smiled down at the small child.

"Fortune, say hi." Mr. Juga looked at his son.

The little boy waved. "Hi, Miss!"

There was silence for a few moments. "Well... if you need a few moments to say goodbye to him..."

Mr. Juga nodded. "Yes, thank you..." They both turned away and Mr. Juga knelt down to his son's eye level. "Alright Fortune. You will be staying here for a little while. They will take good care of you here, okay?"

Fortune tilted his head a little. "But... why? Aren't you staying, Daddy?"

A sad smile crossed his father's face. "No... I am afraid I cannot stay."

Fortune frowned. "But... you will visit... right?"

Mr. Juga frowned too. "I am ... not sure, Fortune."

"Daddy... please... promise you'll visit!"

The man let out an inaudible sigh. There was silence for a few moments, then he nodded. "I... I will try. I promise."

Fortune wrapped his small arms around his father, Mr. Juga returning his embrace. After a few minutes, they pulled away and Mr. Juga placed a hand on his boy's shoulder. "Never forget. You are my Fortune. Our Fortune. You understand?"

The little boy nodded. "Yes Daddy."

His Father nodded back. "Good... I will miss you. Goodbye, Fortune."

"Bye... Daddy..."

Mr. Juga stood up and walked off. Little Fortune looked behind him, clinging to his teddy. After a few silent minutes, the lady at the gates approached the small child. "Well, hi there, Fortune. I will be your caretaker. You can call me Miss Weaver."

"Oh okay." Fortune nodded slowly. He was still visibly under the effects of the parting, but Miss Weaver tried her best to stay reassuring. "Let us go find you a room, alright?"

"Alright." Fortune nodded again. Miss Weaver gently took his hand and they walked inside the building. As they went inside, they were greeted by a long, dimly lit hall, with doors leading to different rooms. There was a staircase at the end of the hall. From behind the door, came the sounds of a lot of other children. Downstairs, there was a cafeteria, and a back door leading to the yard. Fortune was looking around curiously before looking up at Miss Weaver. "Miss Weaver... what's this place?" He asked away.

The kind lady looked down at him. "This is the Ebott City Orphanage, Fortune. Children who do not have a home of their own are staying here."

Fortune furrowed his tiny eyebrows. "Whaaa... but I have a home! I have a Mommy and a Daddy!"

"Of course, Fortune. Of course." She nodded dismissively. The two walked up the staircase and Miss Weaver led Fortune to an empty bedroom. There was a bunk bed, a desk, a dust old carpet, a giant wardrobe and a tiny shelf filled with old toys and children's books. There was also a window looking out at the sunny sky. All things considered, the room didn't look too bad, but it was very dull and boring compared to Fortune's room at home. Miss Weaver and Fortune walked in.

"This is your room, Fortune. Lunch will be ready soon in the cafeteria. You can unpack your things until then. If you get lost, I am sure the other children can help you." She smiled.

Fortune smiled back. "Okay!"

Miss Weaver left and closed the door. Fortune went to sit at the bottom bed, putting his teddy in the corner of the bed next to him. The bed felt old and dusty. He put his bag on the floor and lied on in. It was just as old and dusty as it was when he was sitting. Nowhere near as comfortable as his bed at home. Well, it was what it was.

Fortune opened his giant bag and pulled out his drawings that he tried sticking on the wall above the bed. But they wouldn't stick, so he put them on the desk instead. The desk was cold and also dusty. Then he pulled out his toys and left them on the small shelf. Looking at the shelf, he could see some of the toys there. There were a lot of card games and board games.

He also peeked at the children's books, but he didn't recognize any of the titles. Except for 'Peek-a-boo with a Fluffy Bunny' that one, he had back home. After he finished organizing his belongings, he lie on the bed once more. Staring at the bottom of the other bed above him. It was pretty boring.

Fortune started to wonder what he usually did back at home. Well, he played with his toys. Or he drew. He wanted to finish his drawing he started back at home, but then remembered he left it at home. Same with his drawing pencils. Fortune frowned. He stood up again and walked to the desk again. There were a few colored pencils and a few pieces of paper on the desk. There was only really red, green, blue and yellow, no other. But no matter, he can work with this.

Fortune climbed on the wooden chair in front of the desk. Just as everything else in the room, it was cold and dusty. Fortune started wondering how much cleaning they did in these rooms. He grabbed a piece of paper, grabbed a few pencils and started drawing. He started drawing himself at first. He was going to draw himself, holding his mother's hand as usual but... this time, he decided to draw something else.

His drawn self was frowning, curled in a ball. His mommy and daddy were far away from him, also frowning. Unlike his other drawings, he was alone. Without a mom or dad.

And he wasn't only alone in the drawing, he was alone in reality, too.

Before Fortune could continue his drawing, a loud, ear piercing bell sounded across the halls, followed by the sounds of countless children and feet running down the halls. Fortune curiously peeked outside his room to see what was happening. All of the other doors were opened and army of children started storming down the stairs. Fortune decided to also walk downstairs. It must have been lunch time by now, as Miss Weaver mentioned before.

As Fortune walked among the crowed, he was being pushed around by a lot of children running around. He could barely keep himself from falling to the floor. Fortune also started running, until he reached the stairs. He went slow on the stairs once again. Following the crowds of children, he made his way to the cafeteria where there were a lot of kids standing in line for lunch. Fortune also stood in line.

Now, he could observe all the other children a little closer. Some were younger, some were older, some where about the same age. Lot of them had different colored eyes green, blue, yellow, orange and so on. More and more children came in the cafeteria. After a few minutes, Fortune noticed one particular person entering. It was a boy. A boy with black hair and purple eyes, wearing a purple sweater that seemed to be a few sizes too big for him. He looked older than all the other children. He was taller and less skinny. Fortune couldn't observe the newcomer for much longer as the line moved again.

When he was finally first in line, he looked at the selection of foods for lunch. Well, it wasn't much. It was just some soup with bread. Fortune clumsily poured himself some soup and sat at one of the long tables. He took a sip of the soup. It tasted... alright. Not great, not awful just... alright. As Fortune kept sipping the soup, he looked up to notice that the boy he was observing moments ago was looking at him now. However when Fortune looked up at him, the dark haired boy turned his attention back to his food. Fortune just shrugged it off, continuing with lunch. After he finished he stood up and went back to his room.

He continued that same drawing he left off. But after he finished, he found he wasn't exactly in the mood for drawing. It wasn't that long since his daddy brought him here and yet, it felt like he has been here for hours. The time went by very slow. Fortune leaned on his desk and sighed, walking to the window. The sun was shining brightly. It was late august after all. There were almost no clouds in the sky. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming. It was also very hot in the room, Fortune only just realized. As he was staring out the window, he heard the laughter of other children.

Looking down, he saw that there were a lot of children playing tag, hide and seek or playing with a ball. Fortune wanted to go down to play with them. Excited, he rushed out of his room and managed to find the back door, leading to the yard. Indeed, the groups of children were there, playing all kinds of games. However there was one thing that caught Fortune's attention. The same boy with black hair in the purple sweater was not playing. He was just standing in the shade of a tree, folding his arms, looking at the others.

Maybe Fortune could ask him to play.

"Hi! Do you want to play with me?" Fortune walked up to him, greeting him cheerily. The boy looked at him for a minute, then looked back at the other kids. "No thanks. Not in the mood."

"Oh... okay!" Fortune sat in the shade of the tree and looked at the other children too. His attention was fixated on a group playing catch with a ball.

"You're the new kid, right?" The older boy spoke up after a few silent minutes.

"Wha?" Fortune looked up at him.

"You are the new kid. Right?" The dark haired boy repeated, looking down at him.

"Yeah! My Daddy brought me here today!" He smiled brightly.

The boy raised a brow. "Your Daddy?" He then looked away and hummed. "I never had parents. I grew up here."

"Ohhhh... why?"

"I dunno."

"Well I won't stay here long! My Daddy will come back for me! He promised!" Well he only really promised to visit, but it's not like he'd really leave him here all alone, right? Fortune was sure, once his mommy finally recovered, they can go back home again.

The stranger boy raised a brow. He could tell Fortune didn't really have an idea why he was even here. But he just shrugged it off. "Sure, kid. I bet." There was silence again for a few moments. "Anyways, what's your name?"

"I'm Fortune!" He stood up, still wearing the same bright smile.

"... Fortune, huh... my name's Vade."

"Hi!" Fortune waved. Vade just looked away in response. "Well, good luck getting adopted." He said.

"Adopted?" Fortune tilted his head, confused.

Vade nodded. "Yeah. That's why we're all here. We're waiting to get taken by parents."

"Oh! Well, I know my Daddy will come back for me after Mommy recovered from being sick! Then we'll all go home and be happy again!" Fortune kept being his cheery and positive self. Vade furrowed his brows. Then his expression slightly softened. "Sorry 'bout your Mom."

"It's okay! She will get better!"

"Sure." Vade responded absentmindedly.

There was no more exchange between the two. After a while, Fortune went back to his bedroom once more, a little sad. Sad, because none of the other kids wanted to play with him. They all just... ignored him. He didn't understand why. So he just went upstairs to his bedroom and continued drawing, playing with his toys, resting on the old bed.

His first day in the orphanage felt... strange. He felt so alone without his Daddy. He just hoped he wouldn't have to stay here too long. That his mommy would soon recover, then his daddy would come back for him and the three of them would be back home, together again.

Happy.

Like years ago when Fortune was nothing but just a toddler.

Chapter Text

Four years later...

As the years passed, everything grew rather... monotonous. Like a loop. Fortune waited for years for his father to return to him. For his mother to recover so they could live as a happy family together again.

But that day just never came.

As the months grew into years, as Fortune got older, the reality of the situation was setting in as well. The time when Fortune finally realized... his mother was never going to recover... it was a hard time. Everything grew more difficult. Fortune felt abandoned. Abandoned by his father. He felt like his father only brought him to the Ebott City Orphanage to just... get rid of him.

His mother died, so Mr. Juga just passed off his son. He wasn't his problem anymore.

That is the mindset that Fortune believed in. He believed his father sent him off with that kind of mindset. Feeling betrayed, he even cast off his birth name.

He will no longer be known as Fortune Juga. Just... Frisk.

Frisk.

Simple as that.

By abandoning his name, he can also abandon his painful past. He can just... forget it.

Ignore it.

Like it never happened.

But truthfully, it wasn't as simple as that. Frisk just couldn't ignore the pain. It hurt. It hurt so much. Why did his father never tell him? Why did he let him live in a false hope that he would see his mother again? Why did he have to LIE to him? Why did he have to ABANDON him? When he was the only person he had left, even if he didn't know at the time. It made Frisk angry. Angry and hurt. It made him so angry he never wanted to think of his father ever anymore, to the point he wouldn't even be using his birth name anymore.

Frisk is all he will be known as from this day forth.

'You are my Fortune' his father told him. What a Fortune he must have been to be passed off like this.

'Daddy... please... promise you'll visit!'

'I... I will try. I promise.'

He promised.

He promised.

Yet, he never came back.

Not now, not ever.

That day was the same as ever. Eight years old Frisk was sitting on the bottom bed, reading a book. He wasn't even reading out of interest or anything. Just pure boredom to pass time. It was around late afternoon. Classes have ended by now. Frisk was sure Echo would come visit his room to do homework with him.

Yes, Echo and Vade were the two kids who actively interacted with Frisk throughout the years. Echo ended up in the orphanage after roughly two years of Frisk's arrival. She has been always keeping an eye on him from the very beginning. For whatever reasons. Her method of spending time with Frisk was to knock on his room's door. Every single day. To offer to do homework together.

Frisk, honestly wasn't very fond of it. He didn't enjoy homework, and doing it with Echo certainly didn't make it any more enjoyable. But every day she would show up and Frisk could never bring himself to say no. Echo also seemed to act very strange around Frisk. Often being a little shy, a little awkward, blushing, giggling, saying strange things about him like how nice his hair looked today. That lessened Frisk's enjoyment in doing homework even more. He genuinely wanted to ask sometimes what was going through her mind when she acted like this, but the question felt way too awkward for Frisk to ever muster to ask.

Vade on the other hand...

Frisk met Vade the first day he was in the orphanage. He was one of the first kids he talked to in fact. At first, Vade was ... tolerable. Not great, not awful. Just tolerable. But with the passage of time, Vade grew more and more frustrating and antipathetic towards him. Frisk didn't quite understand the reason behind it. At first Vade was just distancing himself from the other kids. He was more quiet. Closed off. But with time he started getting more and more enjoyment out of tormenting other kids, mostly Frisk though. He would go on and on about how great it must have been for Frisk to have a father, a real home, how unfortunate it was that he was cast off like that.

It could have been out of jealousy. Most possibly. Frisk didn't quite understand though. What was there to be jealous of? Is Vade jealous that Frisk had a deceased mother? That Frisk had a father, who in the end, turned out to never truly care for him enough to keep him?

Is this what Vade was jealous of?

The ten years old boy was also feeling a lot of frustration however, over not getting adopted by the parents that visited. Vade was the oldest in the orphanage among everyone else, having been raised here since birth. Never having a true family. Not knowing what that experience even felt like. This was the only way in which Frisk could sympathize with him. After all, Frisk was also among the oldest children and he still didn't get taken either. Most children spend two years at most in an orphanage before they get taken away. Not Frisk though. He was here for four years.

And Vade... for ten whole years. Frisk couldn't imagine the agony of that. So in a way, he could sympathize with the older boy. That didn't mean his actions towards him were justified though, nor did it mean Frisk didn't get frustrated whenever Vade would make jabs at him. But he tried his best to resist the anger that boiled with him every time it happened.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Frisk set down his book on his pillow, getting up to open it. It was Echo, coming to do homework with him, Frisk thought. It was only to his surprise to find that it wasn't Echo standing behind the door.

It was the caretaker, Miss Weaver. There was a boy standing next to her. A boy who was short, skinny, pale, with messy brown hair. Frisk looked at him, examining his features. The newcomer had a very old, torn, oversized green sweater on him. His eyes shined emerald green. Well... only one of his eyes. His right eye was bright green while his left was a darker green color.

Frisk lightly furrowed his brows. He'd never met anyone who had two different colored eyes.

"Hi there Fortune, I hope you're having a nice day." Miss Weaver smiled down at him. Frisk didn't really appreciate the fact that Miss Weaver called him his old cast off name, but he just ignored it.

"Hey... Miss Weaver." He responded in a sour tone. He turned his gaze back at the younger boy. The boy looked back. They were silently staring into each other's eyes for a while. The new boy was a lot shorter than Frisk. He barely reached up to Frisk's shoulder.

"This is Ben, Fortune." Miss Weaver broke the short silence. "Ben Waif. He will be your roommate. Alright?"

Frisk nodded. "Sure, Miss Weaver."

The old caretaker left. It took Ben actually a few minutes to enter the room. But once he did, Frisk closed the door behind him. Following that, was more awkward silence. But Frisk tried to break it.

"So uh... hi... you're Ben, huh?" The boy just shyly nodded, mumbling a small 'mhm.' Frisk stepped a little closer to him. "I'm Frisk. Nice... to meet you...?"

"Uh... Nice to meet you too..." The little boy mumbled, his voice very small but high.

"If... if you don't mind me asking..." Frisk tried to be careful with his words. "What's wrong with your eyes?"

Ben gave him a disapproved, slightly angry look. "Nothing! My eyes are normal..."

"I-I know, I know!" Frisk fidgeted with his hands nervously. "Sorry that came out wrong... I just... uh..." He wanted to say 'I haven't seen anyone like you before.' but that might just offend Ben even more. "Nevermind. Forget it."

"... Sorry for... yelling... it happens..." Ben looked away tugging on his sleeve.

"No, no it's okay. I shouldn't have asked." More silence. The boys wouldn't even really look at each other. "Well... you can tell me if you want to do anything, I guess."

"Okay." Ben nodded. Frisk hopped down on his bed, continuing to read his book. Ben stood in front of the bunk bed, staring up at the ladder and the top bed. "Can I... not stay on the bottom...?" He looked at Frisk.

"Oh- oh uh right... sure. I can sleep on the top." Frisk stood up and climbed up the ladder carefully, continuing to read his book on the top bed. But it wasn't long before he finally finished reading, getting bored of it. "Hey d'you wanna play cards?" Frisk at Ben in the bottom bed. "I'm kinda bored of reading the same books."

"Ah- that sounds fun." Something resembling a tiny smile finally appeared on Ben's face.

"Let me get the box." Frisk climbed down his ladder and grabbed the old, dusty cards box from the shelf by the door. But then he stopped in his tracks. "I... never actually played with this. So... I don't really know the rules."

"Oh... that's okay, we can make up our own rules!"

Frisk smiled a little bit. "I guess... we can, yeah." Frisk sat on the middle of the carpet. "C'mon then." He beckoned Ben. Ben sat in front of him on the carpet. Frisk opened the card box and shuffled all the cards, setting a few cards both for himself and Ben.

The card game they were playing was UNO. It was rather simple, it didn't take too much thinking for them to figure out the game on their own. Frisk won a few turns, then Ben, then Frisk again. They kept playing for a while, having fun, forgetting all the tension that was in the room just moments before.

"Hey..." Ben spoke up after a few minutes. "You were asking me about my eyes right?" He looked at Frisk as he set down a green card on the pile.

"Oh, yeah." Frisk nodded, also setting down a card while pinning his eyes on Ben. "I just noticed they were different color. I thought every trait had one color and that color is also your eye color. But you don't have to talk about it if you don't want."

"It's okay... I kinda want to."

"Then... I'm listening."

They both turned their attention away from the game. Ben looked away, couldn't muster to make eye contact. He spoke with the familiar shy tone that he spoke with the first time he entered. "My soul is... a bit weird."

"Weird how?"

"It's... not how it should be..." Ben said, thinking of the correct words to use. "My parents said I'm a parasite."

"What the heck?!" Frisk's eyes widened. "Why would they say that? You're fine how you are."

"I-I don't know..." Ben's eyes teared up a little. "But they weren't nice at all... and they made my soul even worse."

Frisk shuffled a little closer to Ben. "Hey c'mon, it's okay. There's nothing wrong with you. Whatever is with your soul I... I'm sure it's fine."

"It's just a little hard to control my emotions. Sometimes I feel really angry and say bad things but then I feel bad for it."

"I think that's normal."

"But it's not... my soul is actually bad. Half of it is not a real trait, it's something else."

Frisk tilted his head, a little confused. "Really? What is your trait?"

"Uh... Kindness. But half of it is bad. It makes me feel angry all the time and do bad things because of that and I can't control it."

"That's... strange. I never heard of that before." Frisk scratched his head. "What is that other trait called?" Even before he finished the sentence he realized that was a foolish question. "I mean... sorry, you can't really know if it's not a real trait."

"Y-Yeah... I uh... I never saw a doctor about it. But the more bad my parents were to me the more angry I felt all the time."

"I... I'm sorry. That must feel really bad." Frisk frowned. Ben just frowned too and silently nodded. Then Frisk forced on a smile. "But hey, I'll never be bad to you. Okay?"

"Okay..." Ben nodded.

Their conversation was interrupted when somebody knocked on the door. "She's here... again." Frisk set down his cards on the floor and stood up.

"Who is she?" Ben put a finger on his chin, watching Frisk as he opened the door. Outside the door was a girl with tied up dark hair and glasses. Her eyes were shining dark blue behind the lens. She was carrying books and pencils on her. "Hi Frisk!" She smiled brightly.

"Hi, Echo." Frisk tried to smile back but it came out more awkward than he intended.

"How's your day been?"

Of all the questions to ask. It really had to be this one? Frisk however didn't want to be rude, he just shrugged. "I dunno. Fine, I guess."

"That's nice hehe..." There was silence for a few seconds before Echo peeked into the room. "Can I come in now? O-Or uh... do you... wanna do homework with me?" She looked at Frisk, blushing a little in embarrassment.

Frisk sighed quietly. "Sure..." Once again, it's not like he can bring himself to say no, so might as well. Frisk let Echo come in and it didn't take her long to notice Ben. "Oooh you have a new roommate?"

"Oh yeah, this is Ben. Ben, this is Echo. She's..." Frisk's sentence was left unfinished as he didn't quite find the right word to describe Echo. They weren't really friends? But they hang out a lot? But it's only to do homework really? It's complicated.

"Hi Echo."

"Hi Ben! Nice to meet you! I hope you'll like it here."

"Mhm me too." Ben in agreement.

"Anyway Frisk..." Echo inched a little closer to him which made Frisk feel all the more uncomfortable. "You ready to start?"

"Sure let's just do this." Frisk inched a little bit farther from Echo.

"What are you doing?" Ben kept his eyes glued on the two.

"We're doing today's homework!" Echo looked back at him from where she was standing. "That reminds me, you can come to class with us tomorrow!" Her eyes shined.

"Oh... really?" Ben looked a little worried. "I haven't been to a... class yet. What is that like?"

"It's... fine, I guess. More often it's boring though."

"I like learning new things! I wanna get a greater education when I get adopted!"

Frisk looked down at the old carpet. Adoption was still a rather... uncomfortable topic for him. Maybe he was just having bad luck, but not getting taken by anyone yet in four years... well, it could have been worse. Maybe.

"Maybe we can get adopted together, Frisk!" Echo pulled on his arm.

"Mmm whatever! Let's just do homework..." Frisk never really liked it when Echo acted so strange and kept touching him like this.

"Yeah, let's start." She nodded. They both sat down to the desk, Frisk getting out his notebook. "What was it again?" He wasn't truly interested in homework. As usual. It was just another thing that was part of the day and had to be done, or they will get a bad grade in class.

"This is biology." Echo set her own notebook down on the desk. "You remember the lesson right? It was about the difference between living things."

"I remember..." Mostly. But Frisk wouldn't add that detail. Classes were mostly kinda boring for him. Also for Vade, too. That was another thing they could share sympathy with.

Since nobody in the orphanage was as old as Frisk or Ben, most of the lessons they were learning was 1st grade material. That wouldn't have been a problem on it's own, however since Frisk has been here longer, he keeps hearing the same old lectures every day, lectures that he sat through years ago already. It gets rather tedious. While everyone is sitting on a new and interesting lesson, Frisk is forced to sit through a lesson he's heard a million times already.

At least Echo enjoyed the classes much more than he did. Good for her. While Frisk and Echo were doing homework, Ben put away the cards and picked out a children's book to read from the shelf.

The assignment itself was rather simple itself. You had to sort everything into categories, animals, plants, fungi and all the others. At least this was more simple. Frisk didn't mind simple assignments as much, though they still got boring and tedious at times.

What he hated more than anything else, was math. Math was his biggest enemy. Math was a torture. Every single time they would get math homework, Frisk would feel like his brain is being pulled through an obstacle course. Even doing homework with Echo couldn't help the agony of a math homework. Frisk could rarely enjoy himself doing homework anyway and Echo being here certainly didn't enhance the experience. It all felt like a chore. Just another thing to add to the things that loop through the years of being trapped in orphanage.

Everyone wakes up, they head down to breakfast, have to sit through classes until one o'clock in the afternoon, get lunch, do homework, then they are free for the rest of the day. After that comes dinner and bed time strictly at 8 o'clock in the evening. It was all the same. Nothing ever changed. Occasionally, every few months, adults would come visit the orphanage for adoption. But of course, Frisk would never get picked.

At least... he had Ben now. He wasn't as alone. Ben seemed nice, too. A little shy. A little misunderstood. A little hard to think about his past life before the orphanage. The two seemed to have a lot of similarities.

Maybe... Frisk could finally get a true friend.

"Frisk, we're already done."

"What?" Echo snapped him out of his train of thought.

"Are you that tired? You were just staring at the wall in this weird way for so long without saying anything."

"Right... sorry. I'm fine. I'm not tired. Are we done yet? I wanna go outside."

"Yeah, we did the assignment." Echo smiled a little amused. "Thanks for helping, Frisk!"

He didn't really do much. He just went along with whatever Echo thought they should scribble in their notebooks. That's how uninterested he was in the whole thing. But he just shrugged it off. "Yeah, sure, you're welcome I guess. Thanks... for coming by." He added. Maybe Echo couldn't enhance his experience with homework but... well, at least she couldn't make it more boring than it already was.

"See you tomorrow on class!" Echo stood up, gathering her things. "Bye Frisk, bye Ben!" She waved.

"Bye!" Ben waved back. Frisk also packed his bag for tomorrow. He was at least happy he was finally free. He might have lied to himself earlier, he did feel a little tired. All he wanted was a breath of fresh air, that will surely help him. "Hey, Ben wanna come out to the yard with me?"

"Outside is nice." Ben stood up, staring at the window. "Look how the sun is shining."

"Yeah. I don't think anyone's in the yard, so wanna go out? Just us? It's nicer than in this room."

"Yes! Let's go! I like outside."

Frisk smiled at Ben's rising excitement. He definitely seemed a lot calmer than when he arrived. "Did your parents ever even let you play in your yard or something?" He asked as the two left the room.

"Not really... they thought I would get lost so they didn't let me out."

"I... I guess that's kind of fair though. They were just worried, right?"

"Maybe..." Ben stared before him as the two were walking downstairs. Ben seemed he had a lot of things bottled up that he didn't say out loud. Then again, considering what he told Frisk about his trait beforehand, it wasn't too surprising.

Still though, it seemed like there was a great deal of trauma weighing on his mind. Frisk couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"We'll be good friends Ben, okay?" He looked at him. "We'll be there for each other. Then we never have to hurt from our past again. Okay?"

Ben looked back into Frisk's crimson eyes, a small smile spreading on his face. "Sure... thanks, Frisk. You're so nice..."

"I mean, you're okay too, so of course." He smiled back at Ben. "I never really... had any true friends here. But you feel different."

"I never even had friends before... I thought nobody will ever like me because of my soul."

"Well your soul doesn't seem to be a problem right now, right?"

"Oh, true..." Ben's eyes lit up a little. "I feel better. I guess... you make me calmer a little."

"Yeah, that's good."

The two reached the yard downstairs and they decided to sit in the shade of a nice big tree. One of the only trees in the yard. There were already some other kids out here. Most of them were also sitting in the shade or sunlight, enjoying the light breeze. It was getting a little late by now, but it wasn't too late for Ben and Frisk to spend a little time outside before dinner and bed time.

"Hey Ben, do you see anything in the clouds?" Frisk looked up, pointing at the cloud patched blue sky.

Ben tilted his head, looking at one bigger cloud. "I don't know... they look soft. Like... pillows. I think."

"Pillows?" Frisk followed his gaze. "Yes, I kinda see it. Sleeping on a cloud must feel so good."

"Yeah! Fluffy clouds!"

"Fluffy soft clouds."

Ben giggled. Frisk let out a soft chuckle as well. "But maybe clouds taste good too. They look like ice cream, no?"

"Oooh, I like ice cream." Ben's eyes shined.

"Me too. In the summer it feels even tastier than by itself."

They were interrupted by a new figure walking under the shade of the tree. "Hey there, Fortune Cookie."

Just by the words and tone, Frisk didn't even have to think for a moment to figure out who it was. "I told you not to call me that, Vade.. it's Frisk."

"Sure, Fortune Cookie." He shrugged, resting his back against the tree. "Anyway, I'm usually here and you guys are ruining my peace."

"Oh, I am so sorry." Frisk responded in a sassy tone.

"Also, who's your weird new friend?" Vade glanced at Ben. Ben was just looking at Vade. His behavior was already making him slightly uncomfortable.

"Shut up, he's not weird. He's fine." Frisk furrowed his brows, looking at Vade.

"Sure." Vade shrugged again. "Why are your eyes all weird?" He looked at Ben again.

"They're not weird... leave me alone." Ben looked away, avoiding his gaze.

"Do you need eye drops? Are your eyes itchy?" Vade inched closer to Ben.

"Shut up and leave him alone." Frisk pushed Vade farther away.

"Don't push me!"

"Why did you even come here? We were here first!"

"But I'm always here. So scram." Vade prodded Frisk.

Frisk wouldn't budge. "What's your deal, why do you always mess with others anyway?"

"Because all these whiners like you are overshadowing me. It's because of you that I'm still stuck here and not getting taken away."

"Oh, we're whiners? Then do you know what that means?" Frisk smirked smugly. "You're the biggest whiner of all!"

Vade looked at Frisk, his expression turning unamused. "At least I wasn't thrown out like you."

"Says the one who was passed off into the street since he was born."

Vade's expression hardened. Before he could think to respond, Ben suddenly spoke up.

"No wonder you're so unloved with a personality like this."

There was a solid minute of silence. Frisk looked at Ben with a hint of surprise, not expecting such a comment coming from him. Vade stood up, towering over him. "Do you wanna say that again, weirdo?"

Ben's expression fell, realizing he lost himself. "... No... I ... didn't mean it like that... sorry..." He looked away.

"Sorry won't cut it."

Frisk also stood up. "How about you just stop harassing others? The thing is, what Ben said is true, you're a real jerk Vade."

Vade switched looks between two, folding his arms. "Whatever. See you tomorrow in class." After he left, Frisk sat next to Ben under the tree. "... You okay?"

"Y-Yeah..." Ben nodded slowly. "Sorry..."

"Nah it's okay... sorry you had to see Vade. He's been a real jerk to everyone cause he's mad he's not getting adopted. I think he's been around the longest. He's just jealous of others younger than him getting adopted."

"No wonder he doesn't get adopted." Ben remarked, his tone showing a hint of anger. The worse side of his trait was coming out, it seems. Frisk didn't fail to notice either.

"Maybe let's go eat some snack before bed. That will calm you down. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay. I'm hungry."

They both stood up from under the tree and walked inside. Already the other kids were crowding down into the cafeteria to get their dinner before bed. Ben managed to overall calm down through the night. Frisk accompanying him gave him a lot of comfort.

They only just met today, but it seemed like there was potential for a deep connection between them.

Chapter Text

"Frisk? Are you okay?" Ben's voice sounded from the bottom bed on an early morning hour. That made Frisk snap out of his long train of thought.

"... Yeah." He spoke up quietly. "I just remembered..." There was a long pause.

"What is it?" The silence made Ben speak up again.

"Remember... when you first came here? The first day?" There was a minute of silence setting in again. Ben stared at the wall with a wistful expression. "Oh yeah... It feels like forever ago..."

"It does..." Frisk slowly nodded. Even though the two didn't see each other from where they were sitting, they could read each other's emotions. The bond between them just grew that strong over the years. "I just kinda remembered everything that went down here since I came. It was like a dream. But I knew they were my memories."

Ben's brows lightly furrowed. "Are you sure you're okay Frisk? You sound very sad..."

Frisk rolled on his bed, staring at the ceiling above. "Things were so much easier. I thought there was still hope for us back then."

"Don't say that!" Ben looked up, his eyes meeting with the mattress of Frisk's bed. "Parents are gonna visit today, remember? Maybe today is our chance! Maybe we'll finally get adopted!" Even thought Frisk couldn't see him, Ben still smiled reassuringly. Frisk rolled on his bed again, now staring at the wall. "That's what you said last time." He responded, his voice getting more devoid of emotion. "And yet we are still here. I've been here eight years Ben. I'm one of the oldest kids. I'm twelve. Maybe there is still hope for you, you're four years younger than me. But who would want a 'big kid' like me anymore?"

"Well I'm not going anywhere without you." Ben's expression slightly hardened. "You're my best friend. I'm not leaving you here."

"... Sure." Frisk didn't really have energy to continue his the argument. Even despite the fact that Ben's words felt like nothing but empty promises.

Frisk was twelve years old by now. It has been so long since he was abandoned by his father. Left all alone here. With the belief that he could still see his mother and reunite with his parents. It was only a few years later that reality became clear in Frisk's eyes. That his mother was long deceased and his father would not come back for him anymore. Wherever he was, must have been real nice to finally get rid of this pain in his back, that was Frisk.

A few years after he arrived, Ben arrived, too. As his roommate. The younger child was terribly abused by his parents, causing his trait to taint, a condition that was incurable. However Frisk could help his struggles. Their friendship, their bond made both of their pain steadily float away. Although wounds leave scars, Frisk and Ben provided each other with happiness. They could only feel happy in each other's company nobody else's.

Frisk began to lose hope more and more. As the number of years grew, he grew more and more tired of being trapped in this orphanage. Getting left behind, not getting adopted by any parents. Today was another day like that. Parents are going to come to visit in a few hours, to adopt children.

Maybe today is the day? Yes, well. That was nothing but blind faith for Frisk anymore. Ben still held hope but Frisk... he'd rather set himself up for disappointment.

The temporary silence was interrupted by a bell ringing and after that, hundreds of footsteps storming down a set of stairs.

"Breakfast time!" Ben jumped down from his bed and looked up at Frisk on the top bed. "You coming, Frisk?"

"Not hungry." Frisk mumbled, still staring at the wall.

"Frisk..." Ben tilted his head, his expression becoming one mixed with sadness and concern. Frisk sighed quietly. "Okay, okay... fine." Ben smiled a little bit, having changed Frisk's mind. Frisk climbed down the ladder on the side of the bunk bed and the two of them headed down to the cafeteria to get their breakfast. Already a lot of children were standing in line for breakfast. There was an unusually big chatter. Obviously everyone was excited about parents coming today.

'Good for them.' Frisk thought. He already knew, they had better chances of being taken. He will just get rejected again, having to wait another six or more months for more parents to come. Then he will get rejected again, and again, and again... the loop will never end. Frisk only realized they were already sitting at the table when Echo sat next to him and Ben. "Hi Frisk! Hi Ben!" She waved as she sat down. Her glasses were shining in the sunlight. Perfectly clean and immaculate as always.

"Hi Echo!" Ben waved at her. Frisk just looked at her for a moment, not saying anything, not making any gestures. He was too busy lingering on hopeless thoughts. Echo did not fail to notice Frisk's rather grumpy mood, but she still made an attempt at breaking the ice. "Soooo... are you guys excited?"

Frisk rather didn't say anything. He didn't want to be rude, or a mood wrecker.

"Oh yeah! I think... maybe... we'll get adopted today. I hope." Ben shrugged. Despite everything, he tried staying positive. Despite the fact that the odds of a boy with a tainted soul getting adopted were rather slim. But unlike Frisk, Ben wouldn't let odds and dark thoughts cloud his judgement.

"It's nice to see you doing so well, Ben! I remember when you were still struggling with your soul."

"Well, I can thank Frisk for that." He lightly poked Frisk's shoulder with a cheery smile. "He's helped me a lot with coping and stuff."

"Mhm..." Frisk nodded. Echo frowned. She could no longer ignore the empty emotionless aura surrounding Frisk. She leaned forward in her seat a little to see him properly. "C'mon Frisk, don't be so down. Who knows, maybe you'll be the one this time! You never know!"

"Oh absolutely." He said sarcastically in response, not even looking back at Echo. Echo didn't respond anything, she just looked back at her food with a slightly less cheery expression.

"He's... been through a lot." Ben sighed. He indeed could sympathize with Frisk. Frisk has confided in him so much throughout the years. Although, it got overwhelming given the age difference, but Ben didn't mind too much. If it meant Frisk would smile even just for a few hours, then it was all worth it. Not to mention Ben also confided in Frisk a lot of times. They were always there for each other.

"I know... Sorry, Frisk." Echo looked up again.

"You're fine. You still have hope. So it's okay. I won't take that away."

There was silence between the three again for a while. Frisk used this chance to look around the cafeteria a little. He could indeed see, Vade sitting at the table in front of them. Vade did notice Frisk and the two kept staring at each other for a while. This silent war between the two has been going for years. Vade really enjoyed tormenting Frisk about his past, about not getting adopted. Frisk suspected that perhaps Vade is jealous of him. Even though he felt like there was nothing to be jealous of, it could be true.

Or perhaps... Vade saw himself in Frisk. They are both older than other kids, both not getting adopted, both been stuck here for long years. Perhaps Vade sees himself as weak.

'Nah. That's stupid.' Frisk shook away the thought.

"Well I'll... see you guys later." Echo stood up, having finished her food.

"Bye!" Ben waved at her.

"See ya." Frisk said quietly. If anything he was kind of glad his attention was driven away from Vade. Glancing back at him for a moment, Frisk saw him also leaving. At least this time he didn't make an effort to come to him and mentally torture him again. Not to mention Vade also very much enjoyed harassing Ben, which often led to great deal of conflict between the three boys. But... not this time. Maybe Frisk can find some peace today, even if he will ultimately not get adopted.

Frisk and Ben also stood up and went back to their room after a while. As they both entered, Frisk looked at their clock. Ten o'clock. About two hours left and they'd have to dress up in their fancy shirts, gathering in the main hall so parents could see them. Frisk felt... nervous. For some reason. He knew he wouldn't get adopted but... still... a part of him wanted to believe he would.

Frisk sat on the carpet in the middle of the room, curling up in a ball, burying his face in his hands. "Why... is it so hard, Ben?" He mumbled, his voice muffled by his hands.

"Hmm?" Ben sat in front of him. "What do you mean?"

"I want to-... why am I still clinging on?! It's not gonna work out... it never does..." Frisk stared at his feet, small tears collecting in his eyes. Ben reached out to hold one of his hands. "Hey.... I know. I'm nervous too. But... I want to be optimistic. Even if we won't get anything out of this again."

They stared into each other's eyes for a few minutes. Then Ben's face lit up. "I know! You should close your eyes!"

Frisk tilted his head a little in slight confusion. "What?"

"Close your eyes! Imagine what your future will be like after tomorrow! I bet that's gonna make you feel way better!" Ben took Frisk's other hand, the smile never vanishing from his face.

Frisk looked away, his expression darkening again. He knows what the future will be like. He will just keep sitting in this old, boring orphanage room.

"Let me try first." Ben turned his head up to the ceiling and closed his eyes. There was silence for a while. Frisk still didn't look at him. He knows Ben is just trying to cheer him up, but this felt rather silly than anything. But suddenly he spoke up again. "I see the Sun... it's a Sunny day. We're outside together. And we're playing with a ball. We're happy."

"That's what happened yesterday Ben." Frisk responded, a little moody. "We went out to play with the ball."

"Oh... yeah... right..." Ben opened his eyes, looking away a little embarrassed. "W-Well uh... do you want to try now?"

Frisk really wanted to deny. What's the point? This still felt very silly. But... well, he didn't want to disappoint Ben. He's trying really hard. Frisk shrugged. "Sure... I guess..." He turned his head up to the ceiling, similarly to how Ben did. "Close my eyes..."

There was nothing. Only silence. Only blackness. He was just about to open his eyes again when suddenly... he heard voices. Voices he has never heard before.

'shoot... someone's been busy.'

'From now on, we're playing by my rules, Frisk...'

'You holding up alright? Partner?'

'Please Frisk... you still have so much to live for! It's not too late, you're still so young!'

'Give me ONE good reason why I shouldn't just kill you right here and now!'

'I STILL BELIEVE IN YOU! EVEN IF YOU DID BAD THINGS... YOU DID GOOD THINGS, TOO! SO I DON'T BELIEVE YOU ARE TRULY BAD!'

"Frisk!!"

Frisk blinked a few times. He was still in his room with Ben.

Those voices he just heard... they felt so distant yet...

"Frisk, you okay? You kinda fell asleep... but not really. You must have seen something really nice, hehe..." Ben smiled a little.

Frisk still couldn't stop thinking about all those voices he heard. But he blinked a few more times, trying to snap himself back to reality. "Yeah... fine. I just zoned out a little."

He... still felt very strange. He didn't expect to hear voices at all. It felt like a short dream, but he knew he wasn't asleep though. He tried to recall what the voices were saying, without any success.

"Are you sure?" Ben still looked rather concerned. "Your face still looks so... distant."

"I guess I'm just tired." Frisk shrugged, trying to get a hold of himself.

"Well, it's almost time for parents visiting." Ben remarked. That made Frisk forget about the voices right away and made the anxiety well up inside of him all over again. "Don't worry. It'll be okay. We'll get through it together like all the time!" Ben added when he saw Frisk's shifting expression.

"Yeah... together. No matter what happens, we will always be together." For the first time today, Frisk finally managed a smile.

"That's right! We're best friends after all!" Ben smiled back.

"We should probably start getting ready..."

"Look at him. Should we take this boy?"

"He looks so sweet... but I'm not sure."

"Seems like he's gone through a lot."

"A deceased  mother... no child should have to go through that..."

"He's so much older... can we handle him?"

"Can we really take care of him?"

"He seems so deeply troubled..."

"I don't think we are ready for an emotionally scarred child."

"There must be a reason he's been here for so long."

"No. No, no, no, no, please! Don't make me stay here anymore! I'm not scarred! I'm not troubled! I'm fine! Nothing is wrong with me I'm fine! I'm fine! I'm... I'm... fine..."

Just like that. Once again. Shunned. Judged. Abandoned. Rejected.

Because he has 'gone through a lot.'

Because he is 'older.'

Because he is 'deeply troubled.'

Because he is 'emotionally scarred.'

It's just not fair. What right do they have to label him this way? Why? Why is he getting different judgement compared to other children, who are taken with no hesitation? It's not liked he asked for any of what happened. It's all their fault for being so... stupid.

Cowards...

Frisk was lying on his bed, curled in a ball, tears rolling down his eyes. He knew this would happen. He knew it was going to end up like this. Yet every time it happens, every time they come, it scars him just like before. He just couldn't understand... what was wrong with him? Why is he not good enough for them? Why is he at such a disadvantage?

The door opened.

"... Frisk...?" Ben's voiced chimed in. Frisk didn't say a word. In fact, not a sound left him. His eyes, his vision was blurry with tears and yet... no sound. It was like he was silently crying. Is it even crying if he's not making a sound? It was as if the pain made him lose his voice. He just wanted it to end. He wanted all the pain to end. He wanted to get rid of all these useless feelings, that were nothing but a burned on him. "... Frisk..." Ben spoke quietly. "I... I didn't get adopted too, right? So... it's okay. We just have to wait again. Together."

"Wait for what." Frisk's voice didn't even sound like crying. His voice was just emotionless. It's like the pain has blackened his soul and made his emotions all vanish. Like he lost his will on this Earth. "... I already got rejected so many times. It shouldn't even bother me anymore. Then why is it still hurt?"

"Because... you expected it to go different this time...?" Ben rubbed his neck as he stared up at Frisk's bed.

"Then I'm just stupid."

"Stop it Frisk... you're not." Ben's voice got all the more saddened the more he saw Frisk like this. He didn't know what he could say right now that could make him feel better. Then, as the thought passed through his head, he realized Frisk has to get through this on his own, and this is not a pain he can help him with. "Maybe let's go down to the cafeteria and eat something... see if that will make you feel better."

There was no response for a while. Ben almost thought Frisk would reject the idea when...

"Sure." Frisk wiped his eyes with his blanket and got up. Then Ben and him once again walked down the stairs and went to the cafeteria. It felt emptier. Knowing some children actually found home today. Not like him. Frisk was almost sure it was just him who saw it that way, but he didn't even care. He didn't have the energy to fight it off. He got himself some bread and sat at one of the tables with Ben. As usual, cafeteria food is poor. He will never experience the warmth of a homemade meal.

Ben wanted to try saying something to break the ice, but there was nothing he could really say. The two just ate silently. Frisk looked up from his meal to see who else was in the cafeteria. He immediately spotted Vade, standing in line for the food.

Not in the mood.

He will probably not come here. Actually he probably will. He always has a tendency to make Frisk's life hell. All the time. But Frisk couldn't even bother to care. That all changed however when Frisk actually did see Vade heading toward their direction.

No NO NO-

"Hey there, Fortune Cookie." Vade sat next to him. "I see you're looking pretty glum today."

Do not respond to him, do not respond to him, do NOT respond to him, Frisk chanted in his mind.

"Not today, Vade." Ben spoke up in Frisk's defense.

"Shut up weirdo, wasn't talking to you." Vade shot his gaze at him for a split second before looking back at Frisk. "How are you feeling today, Fortune Cookie?" Just from his expression alone, it was obvious he was looking to get a reaction out of Frisk.

He wants a reaction? Fine, he can get it.

"Are you this damn bored?" Frisk shot a glare at him, his red eyes shimmering with anger. "I get it, you need entertainment for yourself because you had to realize you're still unloved."

Vade blinked. He wasn't really expecting for Frisk to respond to his taunting. "Well, I'm not any less unloved than you, since you are still sitting here."

"Shut the hell up." Frisk was beginning to lose patience. "I'm not having your crap today."

"Frisk..." Ben tried. He wanted to keep the peace as much as possible, even if Frisk's rising anger was justified.

"Do you wanna say that again?" Vade inched closer to Frisk. "I don't think I heard you right."

"Then maybe you should get your damn ears fixed!" Frisk looked back at him again.

"... Now listen you-"

"I'm through with your crap Vade. Go bother someone else." Frisk stood up from his chair, about to leave, Ben swiftly following him behind after a moment. It seemed like Vade was done. But then...

"It's no wonder your mom died. I would have kicked the bucket too, if I had to live with someone like you."

Frisk stopped. It was as if he took his time with processing Vade's words. Then... something snapped.

It happened so fast that neither Ben, Vade nor anybody else could see it coming. Frisk turned around and punched Vade right in the face, knocking im off his seat. Panting, Vade raised a hand to his cheek. For a little while, he could only stare at Frisk. Then he stood up and grabbed a fork from the table, stabbing Frisk's cheek.

Frisk screeched in pain and soon he felt the warm, fresh blood dripping down his chin. That got Frisk to punch Vade again. Vade wanted to hit back, but before he could do anything...

CRACK

Vade fell on the floor again. The crack and the blood flowing from his nose indicated that Frisk successfully broke Vade's nose. He didn't even stopped there, Frisk towered over Vade lying on the floor and he kept hitting him at full force, not for one second did he stop. Vade tried to do something to defend himself, but he was blinded from pain.

Frisk kept hitting his face at every inch he could reach him, his fists getting coated more and more with Vade's blood.

Ben, who had been watching it all go down with shock, ran forward and wrapped his arms around Frisk. "Stop! Stop it Frisk!!"

"LET ME GO BEN!!!"

It was really difficult to hold Frisk back as Ben was only about half his size. But this alone was enough for Frisk to snap out of it and see what he had done. Vade was lying on the floor, his face barely distinguishable from the amount of blood. There was a very, very uncomfortable silence in the entire cafeteria. Every other child was staring at Frisk right now.

Frisk looked down at his red hands. He felt his ears ringing. He began shaking. He looked at Vade, then the crowd staring at him, then back at his hands, then...

He ran out of the cafeteria.

"Wait- Frisk!" Ben ran after him.

Frisk ran back to his and Ben's room. He bandaged his face where Vade had stabbed him with the fork, he wiped his hands, then he stood in front of the window, staring outside.

It is such a beautiful day outside.

Birds are singing.

Flowers are blooming.

Not a cloud in the sky.

Perfect weather for a game of catch. For a walk in the park. For a picnic in the valley.

Before he knew it, the tears rolled down on Frisk's face again. He climbed up to his bed and wrapped himself up in his blankets. Even if it was at least thirty degrees outside today, he did not care.

One thing for sure, tomorrow Frisk has to pay the price for what he had done today.

And it will be a hefty price.

Frisk woke up later that night. What time it was, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that it must have been a very, very late hour. He also knew that he must have been awake for at least thirty minutes. He just kept staring at the ceiling, swarmed by his thoughts. This whole day... it was so messy. It all felt like a horrible, bad dream.

It started with anxiety.

Continued with rejection.

Then finally, it ended with rage.

But through all those bigger feelings, Frisk found himself wondering... is it still worth keep going? Is it still worth it, to sit here and wait for someone to adopt him? A miracle was more likely to happen at this point. It was just an endless loop. It was all so pointless. It just wasn't worth it. Why should he wait here, why would he continue the loop, when he could just as easily... break it?

Frisk climbed down from his bed and shook Ben awake. "Ben..."

Ben stirred, yawning and looking up at Frisk. "Mmm... Frisk...? I-It's really late what are you doing-"

"I'm tired, Ben."

"Mmph... I-I'm tired too-"

"No! I mean I'm tired of everything! I'm sick of just sitting here."

Ben sat up and blinked a few times to clear his vision so he could properly see Frisk. "What are you talking about?"

"Look... what if we just bail?"

Ben's eyes widened. "W-What?? What do you mean?"

For the first time, Frisk's face lit up, though the expression on his face was not joy. It was... some inexplicable emotion. But whatever it was, it scared Ben. "Look, nobody is ever going to adopt us anyway! So we could just leave! Get out of here! Make our own life! The two of us against the world, like it has always been!"

Ben's expression shifted. "Go back to bed Frisk..."

"No, I'm serious!" Frisk grabbed one of Ben's hands. "I'm sick of all this! I'm sick of sitting here, waiting for a miracle to save us! Let's just leave!!"

"F-Frisk... we can't just leave! What are we going to do out there on our own?"

"We'll get through it! Like we always have! Just imagine! We don't have to wait for them anymore, we can just get out there and build a life on our own, not relying on anyone but us!"

There was something strange sparkling in Frisk's red irises. Ben did not like it at all.

"You... you sound kinda creepy right now Frisk... I know it was a hard day, but I'm sure someone will come and adopt us eventually."

"I am done waiting Ben." Frisk straightened up. "I am leaving. And you cannot convince me not to."

Ben sat more upright on his bed too, his expression now showing notable fear. "Frisk, you can't leave!"

"There is nothing keeping me here anymore! And I don't care if you want to stay here I am leaving and you cannot convince me otherwise!"

"B-But... Frisk..." He inched closer to Frisk on his bed. "We... we're supposed to stay together. We're best friends... right?"

"... Yes. We are best friends. Which means, you know what we have to do."

Ben hesitated for quite a few minutes before uttering his response. "We should stay here. I'm sure we'll get adopted eventually. No matter what awaits us here, I am sure we can get through it."

Frisk looked down at the floor. It took him several minutes to turn his gaze back to Ben. "If that is what you think, then..." Frisk walked to his bag in the corner of the room. "I guess we're not best friends anymore."

"W-Wait what?!" Frisk walked to the door. "N-No! Don't go! Frisk!!"

"... Goodbye... Ben."

With the door closing behind him, there was nothing but eternal silence left in his wake. Ben did not even understand what had just happened. It couldn't have been real. It had to be just a bad dream. Nothing more, nothing less.

It couldn't have been true...

Frisk is gone.

Chapter Text

It was the first time he went to the cafeteria alone in the morning. In fact, it took him a rather long time to convince himself that yesterday's events were not just a terrible nightmare.

Sure, sometimes Frisk would skip breakfast. But this time was not like that. Because Ben knew that Frisk... was gone. Wherever he is, he is long gone from this orphanage. Every time he reminded himself of that, he was also reminded of Frisk's last words to him.

'I guess we're not best friends anymore. Goodbye... Ben.'

Surely he didn't mean it, right? Surely it was just... sudden anger making him say those words.

Well, he will never know now. He will never get the chance to ask Frisk anymore. He will never get the chance to talk to Frisk in his life ever again. After everything they have been through together throughout the years, it's just all over. Just like that.

Getting his bland breakfast, that being some apple slices, Ben could notice one thing. Vade was not here. Either he decided to skip breakfast, or he was still under the effects of his... encounter with Frisk yesterday. Ben just chewed on the apples silently. His expression was distant. It was like he was not even really paying attention to his surroundings. Like he was somewhere else in the mind. Which he was, he had difficulty wrapping his mind around the fact that Frisk left him. They could have had the potential to get adopted together. But instead, things took a turn for the worst.

"Hi Ben." The person sitting next to him was none other than Echo. It took Ben quite a few moments to notice her, though even after he did, he didn't say a word. "Are you okay? You seem a bit... quiet today." Well, not just quiet. Ben looked very distant, sad, empty... alone.

"Oh yeah... just tired." He tried to smile but it looked rather forced. Not only that, his tone of voice also belied his words. But Echo didn't really want to press the topic. Whatever was upsetting Ben, if he didn't want to talk about it, then she wouldn't force him.

"Soooo... where is Frisk?" She changed topics quickly. She, however, had no idea what terrible choice it was to ask this of all questions. "You guys are always together."

"A-Ah! Frisk- he's..." Here came the choice. Should he tell Echo? Echo was friends with Frisk too for a long time after all. Well... she seemed to like him. Frisk though, he didn't really seem to have such big fondness for her. Besides, who knows what kind of trouble he will get Frisk into if he tells her the truth. "He still feels bad after yesterday. So he wasn't in the mood to come down to eat..." It was a rather poor lie, but Echo seemed to buy it.

"Oh..." Her relatively cheery expression faltered into a saddened one. "Poor Frisk... is he still upset for not getting adopted?"

"Mhm..." Ben nodded. He couldn't look into Echo's eyes, for he felt like he would immediately spill the entire truth to her once he did.

"Though he was kind of... scary yesterday. What he did to Vade... I-I don't blame him, Vade has been harassing both of you for so long, but... I don't know, I feel like he pushed it over the top."

"Well, what Vade said to him was also too much." Ben quietly remarked. While he agreed, Frisk beating up Vade like that was definitely a horrific image that he had a hard time forgetting, Vade taunting Frisk with his deceased mother was more than too much.

"I know... you're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't judge Frisk like that. It must be so hard for him to lose his parents like that." Echo readjusted her glasses, staring down at her half eaten breakfast.

"Yeah..." Ben slowly nodded his head, his voice still small. Although at the same time, he had a hard time agreeing, remembering what Frisk said to him before he left out that door.

'...we're not best friends anymore.'

"Well, I'll uh... see you in class then." Echo stood up after finishing her breakfast, waving at Ben. Ben waved back, and soon he also left the cafeteria. The hollow feeling in his soul returned as soon as he saw the empty bedroom.

Still no Frisk.

Why did he suddenly expect him to be here, even knowing he's gone? Why does he still expect Frisk to just appear out of thin air and scare him, like it was all just a sick prank?

Ben just looked down and kept staring at his feet, just so he wouldn't have to see Frisk's empty top bed. He lie down on his own bed, staring at the bottom of Frisk's abandoned bed above him. He wanted to see what time it is, but he remembered that the clock was also at Frisk's bed.

A few minutes later, he suddenly felt the tears in his eyes. Ben punched his mattress with his tiny fist. Why? Why does it have to hurt so much? Frisk abandoned him with the harshest last words possible, he should hate him. He should feel like their friendship ended and is beyond repair forever. So why does he want to see Frisk again?

Ben rolled on his bed with a tear stained face. As he did, he saw the desk opposite his bed. Or rather... he saw what was above the desk. Drawings pinned on a bulletin board. Ben stood up to see them closer. These were all the drawings Frisk and him made together. Not only that, there were also drawings Frisk made when he was alone in the orphanage, long before Ben arrived as his roommate. Ben turned to look at one of them. There were three people on the drawing. A child, a mother and a father. The mother was holding his son's hand while the father was a little more distant.

He turned his head a little to look at another drawing. This one was of Frisk and him, sitting in a shade of a tree together. Ben took that drawing off the bulletin board. His tears dropped on the paper. His hand holding the drawing trembled for a moment. Then, he crumpled the paper into a little ball and threw it in the direction of the trash can. It landed a few inches next to it.

Ben could feel the dark hostility becoming stronger in his tainted soul. Usually, Frisk could help him cope in such situations and help him calm down. But not this time. This time, he was alone.

All alone.

Around an hour later the bell rang, prompting Ben to head down to class. Once in the classroom, Ben could notice that Vade didn't come to class either. So he definitely was recovering from his incident with Frisk then.

Part of him feels like Vade deserved it, another part of him felt bad for Vade.

However, he chose not to get too absorbed in those thoughts. Ben just sat down at his desk and got his school supplies ready. The bell rang again after about ten minutes. The first class of the day was history. The Human Monster war. Ben however, found it especially difficult to focus on class today. No matter how much he wanted to avoid it, he could only think about Frisk.

He either felt longing, or anger toward his best friend. It was sort of switching between the two.

By the time the teacher mentioned something about some Gaster skeleton, Ben was not at all paying attention. He was just scribbling in his notebook mechanically. His brain did not process the words he was hearing, but his hands at least were. The rest of the day passed like this. There were a few times when the lesson caught Ben's attention, but it mostly didn't.

Ben wasn't the type of person to not pay attention in class. It's just that without Frisk, it felt impossible for him to function in the every day life. He didn't even know if Frisk was alright. What if he got hurt, alone out there? What if he's gonna starve on the streets? He could get seriously hurt, wandering the streets alone.

What was he even thinking anyway? Did he really think that him and Ben can just survive on the streets, just the two of them, with no money, no family, no nothing? Frisk sure was desperate to make a change in his poor life. That one thing was certain. But to this extent?

After classes ended, Ben went to get lunch. Once again, Vade was nowhere to be seen. That got Ben wondering why he didn't see Vade all day. Could it be that he left together with Frisk? Did Frisk replace him with Vade as his new best friend?

... No, no, that wasn't like Frisk at all.

His curiosity got the better of him however, so he decided to look for Vade. Only problem is, he didn't know where Vade's room was. However, knowing Vade was among the first children to come to the orphanage, Ben could figure Vade's room was one of the first in the hall. His suspicion was further proved when he followed other children who went back to their rooms in the bottom floor. Seeing where they entered, there was only one room in which no child has entered, nor did anyone leave. That had to be Vade's.

Ben walked down the hall on the bottom floor, standing in front of the door to room 005, one of the closest rooms to the front doors of the orphanage. At first, he knocked. He didn't want to just barge in on Vade after all, especially since the two of them have not been on good terms ever since they met.

But he received no answer to his knocks. He knocked again, a little louder this time. But still, no response. Maybe Vade was actually not in his room? Or was he sleeping? Ben carefully opened the door to peek in.

Vade was in his room. He was lying on his bed, reading one of his books. Ben didn't even think he would enjoy books. Although, on second glance, Vade was clearly just reading out of boredom, having nothing else to do. His expression was that similar one of moodiness that Ben saw on his face, practically on a day to day basis. Another thing that caught his attention, was the bandage over Vade's broken nose. His whole face looked a lot different like this. He almost looked like a different person right now. Ben couldn't help but... pity him a little. After all, he did not really approve of what Frisk did to Vade, even if it was, in a way justified.

Ben took a closer step into Vade's room, but that small step alone was enough to make Vade notice him. As soon as he saw Ben, he lowered his book. "What the hell are you doing in my room?!"

Ben took a step back. "Ah- I- I just- I just uh... you... you didn't come to class and-"

"Yeah, you wondering why, you idiot?" Vade stormed over to Ben, towering over him.

"... I just wondered if you were okay after yesterday." Ben said quietly, fidgeting with his fingers. Vade clearly wasn't expecting that response, however he tried to hide his surprise and just folded his arms, looking away. "Whatever... like you really care. I bet you really enjoyed watching."

"No." Ben spoke a little louder, turning to face Vade. Vade only glanced at him for one moment before turning to look away again. "I do think Frisk took it too far." Ben went on, seeing as though Vade won't say anything in response. Even after saying that, Vade continued staying silent, so Ben kept talking. "But you know, you went too far as well. I mean, you've been bullying Frisk and me for years. Then you were taunting Frisk with his mom when he was already really upset. It's no wonder he snapped at you."

"... Hmph..." Vade's brows furrowed a little. Seemed Ben's words were affecting him.

"I don't say it was right of Frisk to hurt you like that. He was really scary actually I-... I've never seen Frisk so angry before." There was silence between the two for a few moments before a question sparked in Ben's mind. "Why are you doing that anyway?"

"Doing what?" Vade finally spoke up, looking into Ben's eyes.

"The whole... bullying us. Are you really that jealous of Frisk? Or... are you just gloating?" Ben tilted his head with honest confusion.

Vade sighed. "I'm not jealous. I'm just..." He paused. "Ack- whatever, it's stupid." He turned his back on Ben, walking a little further from him.

"I won't judge." Ben spoke honestly. Vade hesitated for a few moments before speaking again.

"I see Frisk like myself. We're both the oldest here."

Ben's eyes slightly widened with surprise. This was definitely not a response he expected from Vade. Not to mention, this was the first time he heard him call Frisk in his preferred nickname. "If I bring him down constantly... that sometimes helps me feel better about myself. Sometimes, it helps me still believe I'll be adopted one day. That's also why I keep taunting him whenever he won't get adopted. It's like a competition between us. It has been for years."

"... Oh..." Ben looked down at the floor before looking at Vade's back again. "What about me?"

"You're insecure. Like me. I guess you both remind me of the worst things about my life."

His words were followed by silence. Ben never would have expected that this was the reason Vade tormented the two of them for so long. He thought it was just for fun. That he had fun, seeing them saddened or frustrated. "It's not our fault we're like this though-" The thoughts slipped from Ben's mouth, but Vade interjected.

"I know that you idiot. It just... gets easier if I tell myself I am superior to you and that you are weaker than me."

"... Why don't you have a roommate?" Ben decided to change topics as it was slightly difficult for him to wrap his head around Vade's logic.

"What?" Vade turned to face him.

"You've been here the longest, right? So why are you alone in this room? Don't you have a roommate?"

"I don't want a roommate." Vade buried his hands in his pants' pockets.

"But... look at me and Frisk. We both have our insecurities and we both have an unhappy life. But we help each other every day to overcome our insecurities. We are there for each other every day, to make each others' days brighter. We are best friends."

"Where are you going with this??" Vade interrupted.

Ben actually smiled at him in respond. "I'm saying, you could benefit from a roommate. If you had a roommate, then you could be there for each other. Like with Frisk and I. You should ask Miss Weaver if you could move in with someone."

Vade thought about it for a few seconds. "... I guess." He shrugged.

Since no other words were spoken between them, Ben decided it's time for him to get moving. He stood in the doorway for a moment before leaving, though, looking at Vade. "I hope you get adopted soon."

"Hm... yeah, just get out of my room already." Vade turned away so he wouldn't have to face Ben.

"Yeah, sure Vade." Ben smiled. He closed the door behind him and returned to his own room. There was once again a saddened feeling eating him up on the inside, recalling everything that he said about Frisk. They were really best friends. It was so unimaginable for him, to spend his days without Frisk, and whether he liked it or not, word will go out eventually that Frisk sneaked out of the orphanage.

Ben's thoughts however were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Hey Friiiiisk, I know you didn't come to class, but do you want to help me do my homework still? I could even help you recover today's material!"

"Um! F-Frisk is- he's not well! Come back later!" Ben shouted at the door, slightly panicked.

"What? Ben? Are you okay? Is Frisk in there?" Echo most probably noticed the sudden fear in Ben's voice. "Frisk, are you okay?" There was no response. Of course, Frisk is not here. That made Echo finally open the door and enter. Ben didn't expect that, so he was just frozen in place in surprise. Echo looked around the room. It didn't take her long to notice that something wasn't right. "Ben where is Frisk?" Her voice turned into one mixed with wary and concern.

Ben's shoulders dropped in defeat as he closed his eyes. "He's gone Echo."

"Wh... What do you mean gone??" Shock settled on the girl's face.

"He's gone! He left! He sneaked out last night!" The pain in Ben's voice became more and more apparent. His denial crumbled into sorrowful acceptance with every second of the moment.

"Sneaked... out?" Echo looked like she didn't believe her ears. "Sneaked out where? Where is he now?"

"I don't know..." Ben's voice trembled. "He just told me... he was so sick of everything, he wanted the two of us to leave and... try to make our own life, he said. Because nobody was going to adopt us anyway. But I... I was scared, I didn't want to go with him. Because... what would we even do out there alone..." As he spoke, Ben sat down on his bed, staring at the floor.

"Oh Frisk..." The sadness set in Echo's tone of voice as well as she realized the reality of the situation. She never would have thought Frisk would feel like this after not getting adopted again. "I thought he will just... cope with it like always..."

"I... I did too. But I think his fight with Vade is what especially pushed him over the edge." There was silence for minutes that felt like an eternity.

Then suddenly, Ben took his pillow and threw it across the room. "WE WERE BEST FRIENDS!! We were always there for each other- I told him we'd be there for each other and he just abandons me like this! Like nothing even mattered! He just threw it all out the window!!" Ben's eyes filled tears the more his screams filled the room. Echo was very caught off guard by his sudden outburst.

"Ben, please calm down!" As she took a step closer, she felt something under her feet. She looked down and saw a piece of paper crumpled in a ball. She set her books down on the floor to pick it up and see. It was the drawing of Frisk and Ben that he threw away earlier today.

"Ben..." Echo looked up at him after observing the drawing. "You know Frisk loves you."

"Then why did he leave me all alone...?" He sniffled, curling in a ball on his bed.

"I... I don't know. I'm not Frisk." Echo walked closer and sat next to Ben on his bed. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Should we tell someone?" Ben looked at Echo with a tear stained face.

"... I don't know..." Echo stared down in front of herself. They didn't say anything else to each other. They just sat there on the bed, in each other's comfort in this unfortunate situation.

It was so hot. It felt like the hottest day ever. The street was crowded unsurprisingly. A lot of families were spending time together in the city in the days of summer. Frisk just watched them all from the dark alleyway which he was sitting in right now, to hide from the sun's burning temperature.

Families.

That is something Frisk will never have.

A family of his own.

He has been wandering the street for over twelve hours now. He was walking, he didn't even know where. He was just walking on and on. He didn't even have any idea what his goal was. He expected to be out here with Ben. It would have been so much easier if he wasn't so alone.

He was alone, hungry, thirsty and tired. On retrospect, he should have brought more things with himself. He has long ran out of food and water and he had no money. He felt way too embarrassed to talk to people, so he mostly stayed hidden on the streets. He has long since regretted leaving the orphanage.

It was his complicated mix of emotions that made him choose this path. His helplessness over his poor life situation. His sadness that he still wasn't adopted after all these years. His anger that he had to endure Vade's torment of him and Ben for all this time. But despite all that, it didn't feel like a good path anymore, at all. He acted without thinking and worst of all, he left Ben all alone, in the cruelest way he possibly could.

And the way he beat up Vade... he was really no better than him in that moment. Hell, he was possibly worse than Vade there. Sure, Vade bullied them, but he never caused any physical harm to either of them. He seemed to helpless to fight back against Frisk's blacked out rage.

Frisk tapped the scar on his cheek for a moment. Scar of the past. He deserved that. Vade did stab him with that fork only after he punched him, after all. As much as he hated this fact, he wanted to apologize to Vade for his outburst. He also wanted to apologize to Ben for what he had said to him. But he knew he won't see them anymore. Possibly ever in his life.

With a sigh, Frisk stood up from the dirty ground. He didn't want to sit in here for too long, otherwise he'd risk getting noticed by someone. A young child like him, wandering on the street on such a bright, sunny day alone was not a common sight, after all. Frisk tried to find the best opening so he can blend into the crowd. Leaving the alley, he continued walking down the sidewalk, keeping his eyes pinned on the ground. Once again, he felt the sun's burning heat touch on his skin and he felt that his shirt was practically glued on him from the sweat. He just kept walking wherever his legs took him, ignoring any other pedestrians that stared at him in confusion or worry.

Soon, he passed by a bakery. Frisk stared at the window. The delicious looking pastries in there made his stomach rumble. He was just so hungry. He hasn't eaten anything in long hours. He didn't have any money either. Could he perhaps...? But no. There is no way he is going to steal. Even if he somehow got away with it unnoticed, he would feel way too guilty. The starvation is just one of his punishment for making such a lousy decision of running away from the orphanage.

"Fortune? Is that you?"

Frisk's heart skipped a beat as he heard someone call out his birth name. His heart skipped even more beats when he saw who that person was. Someone he has not seen in nearly ten years.

"... Hey... Dr. Kyle." Frisk rubbed his forehead awkwardly. This was certainly an unexpected encounter. Dr. Kyle was the doctor treating his mother back in the hospital. Seeing him again not only filled him with a lot of discomfort, but it also reopened some old wounds. Frisk sort of wished he could just melt away in the sun's light and become a puddle in this very moment, like a snowman.

"My, you have grown so much. I haven't seen you in so long." A smile spread on the doctor's face as he readjusted his glasses, looking over Frisk more carefully. "Just what are you doing out here on your own?"

"Oh I-I uh... I was just..." Frisk paused for a moment, trying to come up with a convincing lie. "I was heading home from school!" He finally blurted out.

"School? At this hour?" He furrowed his brows.

"Yeah, yeah we uh- we have a lot of classes today..." Frisk couldn't quite decide if the collecting sweat on his forehead was caused by his nervousness or by the approximately 40 degree burn of the sun.

"I see... and how is your father?" Dr. Kyle continued chatting. Frisk wished so badly that he wouldn't have asked that. He had to muster great effort to not lose himself. "I... he's great." He said very slowly.

'I bet he feels great that he's been rid of me for eight years.' The thought crossed his mind.

Dr. Kyle's expression shifted. "That is good... I'm glad you two are coping with the loss well. I'm terribly sorry we couldn't save poor Lynn."

Frisk swallowed. He suddenly felt like there was a black hole settling in his stomach, but maybe that was just his hunger. More than anything, he just wanted to be out of this situation already and he wanted Dr. Kyle to just finally move along. "I know... it's okay..." He nodded slowly.

"Well, I better go, I have just finished my shift for today and am heading home. Take care of yourself, Fortune!" He smiled at him once more before walking further down the sidewalk.

"Thanks Dr. Kyle." As soon as he left, Frisk let out a sigh of relief and continued walking down the sidewalk himself. There was another painful grumble in his stomach, moments later.

He really was starving.

He was just so... so hungry.

Frisk looked around the street. He walked to a less crowded spot, then went to look for a trash can. It really has come to this. Sometimes throughout the day, when his hunger got too unbearable, Frisk would dig through some trash cans in hopes of finding some edible leftovers. But so far, he had no luck.

After he made sure nobody was watching, Frisk dug through a trashcan in one of the alleys. All that he got was a torn news article. The word 'MISSING!' was written across the headline and there was a picture of the near Mount Ebott.

'Months, even years later, several searches have been conducted, yet there are no signs of the missing children of Mount Ebott. The situation remains as it was, seven children have gone missing. The last sighting of them was near Ebott Valley. Our sources say the disappearances are more than likely all connected to the local mountain on the city outskirts, Mount Ebott. This article is written as a reminder to everyone, DO NOT under any circumstances, ever climb Mount Ebott. All signs suggest, everyone who has been spotted near the mountain has disappeared and never returned. In case you happen to see any of the following missing children, please dial this...'

The rest of the page was torn off. Under the picture of Mount Ebott were pictures presumably of the mentioned missing children, their names written under their pictures.

'Abigail, Thomas, Marcus, Gabrielle, Kale, Vincent, Kathleen'

Frisk reread the news article multiple times, before a dark thought settled in his mind.

'They never return... huh...'

Perhaps... he should just disappear with them, too. After all, he has already lost everything. His mother, his father, his best friend. What else did he have to lose? The best thing he could do at this point, was to just disappear from the eye of a world that never truly cared about him. Frisk stared far into the distance. The mountain didn't seem that far off. If he walked for another day or two, he could probably reach it.

After a few seconds of hesitation, a different kind of light sparked in Frisk's eyes.

'If nobody ever needed me... then I might as well just disappear forever.'

With that, Frisk dropped the torn news article on the ground and headed towards the East.

Chapter Text

At first, he just saw darkness. Just... darkness. Did he... really die? Is this... what death is like? Suddenly, there was a light sparking in the infinite darkness. He reached out to the light, slowly. As soon as he did, his eyes opened. He blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision. He felt very dizzy. There was a bright light shining down on his face from a whole high above him.

Was that the entrance to Heaven?

... Well, after what he did to Ben, perhaps he would rather deserve hell.

* It seems you have fallen a long way. And no, the disembodied voice in your head does not mean you died.

"Wha... h-hello? Who are you?" Frisk sat up, looking around in the darkness. It was so dark, he couldn't even tell where he is.

* Who I am is irrelevant.

Frisk just stared up at the hole above. For some reason, he felt rather uncomfortable that he was talking to himself, so he stared up at the hole to at least pretend like he is talking to someone else up there. "Are you... a real person? Or am I just going crazy?"

* ... That is subjective. On the other hand, I can assure you, you are not going crazy.

Frisk looked around his surroundings. Well, as much as he could. It was still very dark in here. Just... where is he?

* You start wondering how you even survived. It seems the bed of golden flowers softened your fall.

So, the disembodied voice could read his thoughts as well. As they said that, Frisk lowered his hand and he indeed found himself touching on some flowers. They were beautiful golden flowers. He had never even seen anything like this on the Surface.

...He came down here to disappear from the world, yet he still survives. Well, in a way he did disappear.

That though made Frisk remember the news article. Those missing people...

* It seems this is where every other Human ends up at Mount Ebott.

"... Are you gonna keep... talking like this?" Frisk spoke up, staring somewhere above him in the darkness. "It feels a little weird."

* Then I shall stay silent.

"Wait- I didn't mean it like that I just-"

* ...

"Whatever, weird voice in my head." Frisk sighed. He finally managed to stand up. He was still quite dizzy, but he tried his best not to fall over. He took a few careful steps in the darkness. As he did, he noticed something in the distance that looked like a doorway. There was light coming from there, again. So naturally, Frisk walked towards the light. However, the only thing that greeted him was another empty space. There was a little patch of grass that a similar light shined on, but nothing else. "Can you at least tell me where I am... please?" He tried changing his tone to not offend the strange voice again.

Then again, it felt very peculiar to be talking to a voice in his head.

* You have fallen into the Underground world of Mount Ebott.

Underground world... Something about this certainly sounded familiar, but he couldn't recall right now. He should have paid more attention in history class. Frisk stood around idly on the patch of grass for a moment before calling out. "Hello? Anyone?" For a few moments, there was nothing. But then, Frisk heard some footsteps. Soon enough, a monster resembling a goat stepped out of the shadows.

The strange monster wore a robe with some kind of symbol sewed on the middle. She had white fluffy ears and small horns. Her crimson red eyes felt slightly threatening, but her look felt comforting at the same time. "Hello, my child. Are you alright?"

Frisk was slightly taken aback by the tall goat lady. It just all felt so... surreal. Either this was a terrible dream or... somehow, this was reality. "I uh... I guess I'm just lost." Frisk rubbed the back of his head, not making eye contact with the monster for now.

"Of course, you have just fallen down. You must be so confused. But to do not worry, my child, I can help you." A gentle smile appeared on her face. "I am Toriel, guardian of the Ruins."

"Am I... am I just stuck in a weird dream?" The smirk crawling on Frisk's face was mixed with shyness and a bit of confusion. Toriel chuckled lightly at his question.

"As far as I am aware, you are wide awake, my child." She smiled again. Her presence felt... warm, comforting. Some may have felt afraid in the presence of a monster but to Frisk... she seemed pleasant enough.

"Right..." Frisk scratched his bandaged cheek for a moment. His confusion still wouldn't cease, but for now he just decided to go with it, since obviously he wouldn't get a sensible answer for now, where exactly he is. Besides being under Mount Ebott.

"Did you get hurt from your fall?" Toriel slightly tilted her head, noticing the bandage on Frisk's cheek. There was some slight tinge of worry appearing in her expression.

"Oh no, this is-..." Frisk's sentence trailed off. He did not really want to reminisce about what happened between him and Vade back at the orphanage. "... Nothing. I-I am a little dizzy though." He tried to quickly switch topics.

"Well, you could take a rest in my house, if you would like."

A rumbling, empty stomach. Aching limbs. Frisk could use a proper rest after wandering streets, digging in trash cans, getting sweaty in the forty degree heat of the sun. This was clearly an offer he just couldn't pass up right now. As strange Toriel seemed to him, as confusing as this whole situation was, Frisk decided to follow her along.

Hopefully she won't cook him from dinner.

"I would... really like that, thank you." Frisk nodded. Toriel gave him another bright smile.

"Great. Then please, follow me this way." Toriel walked into the dark shadows and Frisk followed right after her. Soon the two of them entered a hall. The purple brick walled interior was decorated by fallen leaves here and there. There was a strange sense of nostalgia coming from this place. Frisk wasn't entirely sure why he felt like this. As Toriel walked up a set of marble stairs, Frisk stopped in his tracks, noticing something strange at the foot of the stairs.

It was like... a star. A yellow flickering star. Curious, Frisk touched it. Immediately, he heard the strange disembodied voice speak up in his head.

* The shadow of the Ruins looms above you, filling you with determination. HP fully restored.

Suddenly, Frisk felt all the pain from his body float away. Touching the mysterious magical star sure didn't cease his starvation, but at least he wasn't dizzy and physically exhausted anymore. He followed Toriel up the stairs and they reached another room. A room with a locked door. Toriel turned to face Frisk.

"Welcome to your new home, innocent one." Frisk slightly flinched. Can he really be called innocent? Toriel didn't seem to notice, though as she went on. "Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." She walked over some switches on the right hand side of the room and the door opened. "The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and door keys. They were built a very, very long time ago, to..." Toriel trailed off and looked away for a moment. "... Well it doesn't matter why. You must solve the puzzles to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them." Toriel walked forward into the next room.

Frisk noticed a sign by the door.

* The sign is written in a strange language you cannot read.

Frisk furrowed his brows. "What is this? I never seen writing like this before..." His words were followed by silence. "... You know you could keep talking to me. Then maybe I'd find you less weird." Frisk said, his tone a little unamused. "... I mean... I'd find the feeling of having a voice in my head less weird." He quickly added when he realized how impolite his previous statement was. Despite what he said, there was just more silence. "Ooookay then moving on..." Frisk followed Toriel into the next room. She was already waiting for him.

"In order to proceed, you need to trigger several switches. But don't worry, I labeled the ones you need to flip." She walked a little further down the path. Frisk followed her, spotting another path.

* Sign reads: Follow the path.

There were some spikes blocking the path. Frisk looked around and surely enough he spotted one of the switches labeled by Toriel, flipping it. There was a clicking sound a slight distance away and as he turned, Frisk saw that the spikes retracted. Toriel walked further down the path and Frisk followed along too, flipping the second switch.

"Very good!" Toriel smiled. "It seems you got hang of it. Let us proceed to the next room." She walked on. Frisk, just out of curiosity, wanted to flip the other switch to see what would happen.

* This switch is broken.

"Oh well..." He shrugged and just proceeded to the next room. This time, there was something that looked like a training dummy. Toriel turned to Frisk again. "As you are human, monsters around here may try to attack you..." Toriel said with a tiny hint of concern.

"That sounds pleasant..." Frisk mumbled, rubbing his neck.

"Do not worry, though. Conflicts can be resolved by peaceful means." Toriel quickly remarked. Once again, Frisk flinched ever so slightly as she said that. Somehow, everything seemed to remind him of the events in the orphanage. "You can just strike up a friendly conversation."

"... And what if they aren't interested?" The question came from Frisk. He had a feeling that not all monsters would be up for a chatter if they saw him. Toriel didn't quite expect this question, her expression shifted. "Well... there is always the choice to run. Or fight them. But we don't really want to hurt anyone here, do we?"

"... No." Frisk looked away. Too many terrible images were flashing before his eyes. "I'll try talking."

"Great." Toriel smiled. "I'm sure you will do splendid." She walked a little more to the sidelines while Frisk approached the dummy.

* You encounter the dummy.

It only took a few moments for Frisk to realize how awkward this situation was. Here he was, standing in front of an inanimate object, thinking about what to do or say. Obviously, an encounter with a real monster won't be something like this. He just silently stood in front of the dummy for at least several minutes.

* The dummy looks like it's going to fall over.

"Well, that's one way to make things even more awkward..." Frisk whispered a little

uncomfortably.

"Are you having trouble thinking of conversation topics?" Toriel leaned in.

"You uh... could say that I guess." Frisk turned to look at Toriel. "It's just... I don't think this is how my first encounter with a monster will look like."

"Indeed, monsters can be often difficult. But if you need any ideas for topics, I often start with a simple 'how do you do?' You could ask them about their favorite books, ask them about the weather. There are a lot of ways you can pique their interest long enough that they might decide to spare you."

That did not give Frisk any more confidence about the situation. But regardless, he spoke to the dummy. "Um... nice... day today, huh?" Of course, there was no response. It was just a dummy.

* The dummy stands around absentmindedly.

"You uh... had a nice day...?" Again, no response. But Toriel already seemed happy enough with Frisk.

"Great! You are very good, my child." She said with a smile. "Let us move on to the next room." They walked on. "I wonder if you can solve the puzzle in this room." Toriel looked back at Frisk above her shoulder. As they went through the hall, Frisk accidentally bumped into another monster.

* You encountered a Froggit. Life is rather difficult, for this enemy.

"Uhhh..." Before Frisk could even think about what to do, Toriel walked close to the small monster, giving it a very stern glare. It only took the Froggit a short glance at Toriel to retreat. Frisk felt like he'd rather not question. The two just continued forward, then Toriel stopped in front of a spiked bridge. "This is the puzzle but..." She looked at the spikes, then at Frisk. "Here, take my hand for a moment." Toriel gently took Frisk's hand with her big furry paw,

The touch of her hand, it felt... comfortable. Soft. Warm. Frisk gripped her hand a little bit harder as they walked over the spikes. Every spike that Toriel stepped on retracted as soon as her feet would have touched them. It only took a few moments before they made it into the clear. "Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now..."

Frisk looked back at the spiked way for a few moments. It was probably for the best that Toriel helped him through it, although he could have propably solved it himself without any help. As he turned around to proceed to the next room, what greeted him was Toriel and a very, very long hallway. "You have done excellently this far my child. However, now I have a difficult request to ask of you."

"Huh? What is it?"

Toriel paused for a moment. "... I would like you to walk to the end of the room, by yourself. Please forgive me for this." Toriel rushed to the end of the room. Frisk just stood there for a little while. '... Really? I'm not a baby...' He thought. But regardless, with a light sigh, he started walking down the long hall. 'Oh man, it's so hard...'

After he reached to the end, Toriel came out from behind a pillar. "Greetings my child. Don't worry, I didn't leave you. This was just an important exercise to test your independence as I must leave to attend for some business. Please remain here, it's dangerous to explore by yourself."

"Okay, I'll stay." Frisk nodded, digging his hands in his pockets.

Toriel handed him a phone. "Here is a cell phone, you can use to call me if you need anything. Please be good, won't you?" She took a last look at Frisk before turning to walk away. After she left, Frisk sat down by the pillar and stared at the ceiling. As much as he wanted to enjoy Toriel's company, he was starting to get a little tired of all the coddling.

Sure, monsters may be dangerous. But that doesn't mean he can't do anything by himself. Anyone could solve these puzzles effortlessly. He doesn't need to be taught how to walk on his own legs after all. He was already independent enough, especially after spending a whole day on the streets alone.

Frisk sat in that room for quite a few minutes, with such thoughts swarming around his head. Until...

* You wanted someone to take care of you, yet now that there is actually someone, you are complaining.

"Wha- how'd you-"

* ... I can hear your thoughts, too.

"That's... creepy."

* Regardless, why the complaining? Is this not what you wanted?

"Well- I didn't want to be coddled." Frisk said in a slightly irritated tone.

* But you have to consider that she has been kind to you so far. It would have been so easy for her to get rid of you. Yet, she cares for you deeply despite only having met you just mere minutes ago.

"I ... guess that's right..." Frisk mumbled.

* But despite that, sitting on this floor is not the best way to spend your time.

"What do you mean?"

* Just use try your phone.

Frisk fished out the cell phone from his pocket curiously and dialed Toriel's number. She answered after a few rings. "Hello, my child. Is there something you need?"

"Nope I just uh... wanted to say hi."

"Hmm, now that you called, I have something to ask of you."

"What?"

"For no reason at all in particular, which one do you prefer? Butterscotch or cinnamon?"

Butterscotch or cinnamon... both sounded delicious. "I... I kinda like both. But uh I guess... cinnamon, maybe?"

"Ah, I see. Thank you! Also, before I forget, it might be good to mention that I may take a little longer as I have run into... little bit of trouble with my errands."

"Oh... I uh... I see." Frisk furrowed his brows a little. He had a feeling where this was going.

"It's so strange. Do dogs even like flour?" It took Toriel a second to realize what she said before she quickly added. "I mean- that is an unrelated question."

Click...

"... Am I supposed to make sense of this?"

* Not really. All you need to know is that waiting here is pointless.

"Okay... but why dogs? Of all things?"

* You are in an Underground world filled with monsters and you are going to question dogs of all things?

"... Fair." Frisk stood up and walked out of the room. He was greeted with more halls decorated by purple bricks and leaves. There was yet another yellow star flickering above a leaf pile. Like before, Frisk touched it.

* The nostalgic interior of the Ruins fills you with determination.

He did not even leave the room yet and already he has encountered the first monster. However, this monster was not a Froggit this time. Rather, it looked like an oversized moth.

* You encounter a Whimsun. This monster is too afraid to fight you.

"Um... well-" Before Frisk could even think of what to do, the Whimsun immediately burst into tears and ran away. Frisk was left standing there for quite a few moments. "... Alright. Not even going to try to question it at this point."

* Wise choice. You won. You earned 0 EXP and 2 G.

Frisk kept walking through the Ruins, solving several puzzles, including falling through cracked floors, pressing switches and pushing around rocks. All in all, they weren't the most difficult of puzzles he'd ever lay his eyes on. However, as he was wandering the Ruins, he kept encountering more and more monsters, each looking stranger than the last. He tried his best to show them mercy as much as he could manage, earning quite a few gold coins from each encounter.

However, not all encounters went all that well. When Frisk encountered another Froggit, he started wondering... what if he tries to fight? Just... out of curiosity, he wanted to try to fight. He wanted to see what would happen. So, after a moment of hesitation, Frisk landed a hit on the frog monster. It turned to dust immediately at the impact.

* You earned 10 exp and 15 G. Your LOVE increased.

"I... didn't mean to be that hard... did I actually kill it?" Is this really all it took? One strike? Although, Frisk wasn't really sure what he expected, he didn't think it would be this easy. To just... kill a monster. Does this count as killing an animal? Or killing a real person?

* Do you enjoy hurting others for your own amusement?

"Hey I didn't- I wasn't- I just... wanted to... try. I didn't think it was going to die so easily. I didn't mean to-"

* Well, what else would you expect.

"It... was just one frog. It's not... not that bad, right?"

* It posed no threat to you. Therefore, you didn't really have a reason to hurt it. Do you often hurt others for no reason in particular?

"I... I don't..." He looked at his hand. He just couldn't help but remember... his incident with Vade all over again. Although that was different. This time, it was just pure curiosity driving him to violence. Maybe a little frustration, too, at the constant monster encounters. "I... won't do it again. I'm sorry."

* ...

"Oh dear... this took so much longer than I would have expected." Toriel got her cell phone out to call Frisk. Only, Frisk's phone ringed a little distance away as he just entered. Toriel quickly rushed over to him. "How did you get here my child? Are you hurt?"

"Nope. I'm okay. Completely fine." He would rather not go into detail about accidentally killing a monster.

Toriel bent down to take a look at him. "Hmm... not a scratch, that's good. But still, I am sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try and surprise you like this. You must be hungry and tired, come inside now." Toriel walked off and Frisk

followed after her. By the house, was another yellow flickering star that he touched again.

* Seeing such a tidy house in the Ruins gives you determination.

As Frisk entered, he smelt something very nice inside the house. "Do you smell that?" Toriel already waited for him with a smile.

"It smells great, what is it?"

"It's a butterscotch-cinnamon pie. I thought we'd celebrate you arrival. I want you to have a nice time living here."

Frisk paused. "... Living here? I could... stay?"

"Of course. As long as you'd like." She said softly. "I even prepared a room for you down the hall.

A room of his own too. This... this really is all he ever wanted. For someone to... take him. For him to have a proper home to stay. Where he would really feel like home. Where he wouldn't feel rejected or abandoned. "Thank you... that's... great." He managed a smile for the first time. In fact, it may have been the first smile on his face in the last couple of days.

"You don't have to thank me. It is only natural." Toriel said in a real caring, motherly tone.

"The pie is cooling off, so I hope you can wait for that. Maybe you would like to take a rest in your room in the mean time."

"Yes, that sounds good." Frisk nodded. He indeed was rather tired out from all the walking, encountering monsters and puzzles.

"I will bring in the pie for you when it is ready."

Frisk walked down the hall and indeed found his room. It was full of toys, old clothes which did not fit his size, dusty photos. A part of him wondered whose room this was before him. Then, he started wondering if Toriel even saw previous humans. But right now, he did not want to wonder about all this for too long. All he wanted, was to finally take a proper rest in a proper bed. He took off his shoes and lie down into the small bed. The softness, the warmth. He had really missed sleeping in a an actual bed again. Even thought the bed at the orphanage was not exactly the greatest in terms of comfort, it was still better than the cold ground on the street.

It really took Frisk only a few minutes to fall asleep in the soft bed.

'Do you really hate me... that much...?'

'i have some advice for you about fightin' my bro. don't.'

'S... STILL... I BELIEVE IN YOU!'

'This world... will live on...!'

'Unlike you, we will be remembered.'

"S-STOP!!" Frisk bolted up from the bed, panting. It took him quite a few moments to realize where he was. He was still here. Still in the Ruins. Still in his room. This was just... a bad dream. A terrible... terrible dream. All those voices he heard... those terrible images he saw. It was just a dream. Yet... why did it feel... so familiar...? As if he had actually... done what he did in his dream in reality. But... he did not even recognize any of the monsters in his dream.

Yet...

* ... That was unexpected.

"Did... you see it too...?" Frisk spoke to the air.

* Yes.

"I... I never- I never did-... why... why does it feel... familiar...?"

* ...

"I never hurt anyone- I never want to kill anyone I-"

* ... It was probably ... just a bad dream.

Frisk nodded slowly. "Yeah... a-... dream. Right." He was just quietly sitting on his bed, trying to recover from the nightmare. Trying to process it. What he saw. It ... had to be just a dream. Yet it felt... so real.

It would be in your best interest to leave these Ruins.

Frisk felt a shiver crawl down his spine as he heard a new voice speak up in his head. This voice... this voice that spoke was different. It felt cold. Emotionless. Almost... machine like and yet... equally human like.

"Who... are you?" The question sounded.

It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that you should leave the Ruins. We won't make much progress here.

"Who's we?"

As I said. Doesn't matter.

Whoever this voice was that spoke... they did not feel as normal as that other voice. There was something about this voice that made Frisk's soul fill with fear and unease. "... I don't want to leave. I want to stay."

That is not an option at hand.

"I don't care. Why should I even listen to you?" There was a minute of silence.

You wouldn't want your nightmare to become reality now, would you? If I have to make you leave... you will not find the result favorable I am afraid. Am I understood?

Frisk found that not even a sound came out of his throat. Was he... still dreaming? Is this still part of his nightmare? Just... what is happening? Who is this strange second voice? What do they even mean by making his nightmare reality?

Great. I give you ten minutes to leave, otherwise I will have to step in. So move.

Frisk, after sitting around for a few minutes, stood up from the bed. It was then that he noticed Toriel left him a slice of butterscotch cinnamon pie. The smell was so great the taste must have been just as great too. He took the pie and left the bedroom, not wanting to linger here for much longer.

* Just so you know, that wasn't me.

"I figured..." Frisk stopped in his tracks as he heard the other, more familiar voice speak to him. "Who is this... other voice? What did they mean by stepping in?"

* I don't know. And I don't think you want to find out either, so better hurry. You shouldn't take your chances.

"Right..." He really didn't want to leave. Toriel was so nice, he got him a room, he let him stay here. He could finally have a real home, like he had always wished for. But... if what this ominous second voice told him was true, then he really has to leave. He indeed got a feeling that if they are forced to 'step in', it would not be a pleasant experience.

Frisk made his way to the living room. Toriel was there, reading in a chair. For a few moments, Frisk was still silent, wondering what he should say. He did want to stay, so what could be the most effective lie that he could come up with on the spot?

"Ah, up already I see?" Toriel noticed him, lowering her book. Frisk returned her gaze for a moment before looking away. Toriel could read his expression. "What's wrong, dear?"

"Uhh... I just... I was wondering where I can leave." Frisk looked back at Toriel. A tinge of worry made it's way onto the goat lady's face. "Leave? Where?"

"I... want to go home." This was the worst, most untrue lie Frisk could ever come up with. Nothing could be farther from the truth. He had no desire to return to a world where he was always unloved. But... what else is he supposed to say?"

"Home? But... THIS is your home now."

"I know... it's really nice here but..." What else could he possibly say? Why did this have to be so hard? "I just can't stay!"

"Um... would you like to hear about this book I'm reading?" She was trying to change the topic. Frisk wished that he didn't have to do this, but he just cannot stay.

"I'm sorry... where is the exit to the Ruins?"

Toriel sighed, setting the book down. "I... I have to do something. Stay here." She got up from her reading chair and dashed away. Against his better judgement, Frisk followed. There was a stairway leading down, somewhere. This was probably where Toriel went. As he walked down the creaking steps, he made his way into a cold, dark hallway. Toriel was standing just a little distance away from the stairs. As she heard Frisk's footsteps echo in the hall, she spoke up.

"You wish to return 'home' do you not?" He wanted to deny it. But his throat felt like it sealed up. "Ahead of us lies the exit of the Ruins. The only way to leave to the rest of the Underground." There was a slight pause. Toriel's hands shook ever so slightly for a moment. "I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again. Now be a good child and go upstairs." Toriel walked further down the hall. Frisk went after her. "Every human that falls down here meets the same fate..." The goat lady's voice grew more uneasy. Frisk could even sense a tinge of pain in her words. "I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave. They die." Toriel turned around to look at Frisk. "If you leave the Ruins... King Asgore will kill you. I am only protecting you. Do you understand? Go to your room." Toriel proceeded down the hall.

* You find your feet rooted to the ground. What will you do?

Frisk sighed quietly, staring at the ground "Can't... stop. I can't turn back now... gotta keep going." He looked up, continuing to follow Toriel.

* . . . Good luck.

"You really want to leave so badly?" Toriel faced Frisk, standing just in front of the door leading outside. "Hmph... you are just like the others. There is only one solution to this... Prove yourself. Prove to me you are strong enough to survive."

* Toriel blocks the way.

Wait... no.

No.

No, no, no, no, no! Why? Why does it have to escalate into a fight? Why couldn't he just simply leave!? He doesn't want to fight Toriel! What is he supposed to do?

* You tried to say something... but you couldn't think of any conversation topics.

As Frisk desperately tried to think of what to do, flames came closing in. It was almost as if the room was on fire. The heat of the blames blinded him, it only took a few moments for Frisk to be knocked on his feet.

"Fight me, or run away!" Toriel's voice came from somewhere that felt very, very distant. Frisk felt like his lungs were tightening up in the burning heat of the flames that stroked his body at every possible angle.

* You tried again, to think of something to say... But it seems like ironically, talking isn't the best solution in this situation.

What should he do then? What could he do? He can't just run away... should he try to fight?

* Can you show mercy without fighting or running away?

Suddenly, something clicked in Frisk's mind. That's it. He knows exactly what to do.

* SPARE

"What are you doing? What are you proving this way?" With every second, Toriel's movements grew more and more reluctant. Frisk just stood there, ignoring his burns, ignoring the pain, he just kept solemnly staring into Toriel's eyes. "... Don't look at me like that..." There was a spark in Toriel's eyes that was almost certainly her tears. "Please fight!"

But no. He won't fight. He won't run. He won't do anything. The only thing he will do, is show MERCY.

Eventually the flames let up. The temperature immediately fell in the room as Toriel struggled with tears. "I know you want to go home... but please go upstairs."

* SPARE

"I promise I will take good care of you here. I know the Ruins are very small, but we can have a good life here."

* SPARE

There was a minute of silence between them. Frisk still just stood there. Not for one second would he turn his solemn eyes away from Toriel's crimson ones. It was then, that a tear escaped the old monster's eyes. "Ha... pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child." Toriel took a step closer to Frisk, a gentle smile appearing on her face. "I understand. You would only feel trapped, staying here. My expectations... my loneliness... my fear... I will put them all aside for you, my child. If you truly wish to leave the Ruins, I will not stop you. However, when you leave..." Toriel looked away for a moment, before turning her eyes back at Frisk. "Please do not come back. I hope you understand." She then knelt down and pulled Frisk into a tight, warm embrace.

Frisk didn't even feel like he properly processed those moments. He felt like he was transported to a different reality all together. A different life. This feeling of protection however ceased as soon as Toriel let him go and walked away. Frisk turned back to look at her. "Goodbye, my child." He wanted to say something... but before he could think of anything, Toriel disappeared into the shadows. So Frisk turned around and walked out the Ruins doors, making it outside where a great big gate awaited him.

*... At least that went well.

"Yeah... I-I can't believe I actually did it. Speaking of... Mr. Mysterious ominous second voice in my head? Hello? Are you still there? Can you explain what this was all about earlier in my room?" His words were followed only by silence. Somehow, the silence felt even more ominous than if he had heard somebody speak.

* Perhaps they are gone. But I wouldn't let my guard down if I were you.

"Yeah... noted." Frisk nodded.

* In any case, we should proceed.

"Right." He nodded once more and turned around, walking through the big gate that led him out of the Ruins, and into the world of the Underground.

Chapter Text

The morning was the usual one. The stores were one by one opening their doors, children were off to school, adults were off to work. The usual daily routine in Snowdin Town was never broken once. Everything was calm, peaceful, friendly. A very small town, colder than the harshest winters of December, but warmer than a fireplace of any home at heart.

Dr. Gaster woke up early in the morning, as always. He blinked a few times to clear his blurry vision and banish the remaining sleepiness from his sockets. With a yawn, he sat up on his bed, putting on his glasses and stretching his arms a little. He looked to his left and saw Sans, still deep asleep in his own bed. Gaster glanced at the clock. Seven thirty a.m. Thirty minutes left until they need to head to work in the CORE. A part of him wanted to wake up Sans, another part of him wanted to let him sleep. The growl of his nonexistent stomach made him decide on the latter.

With that, Gaster stood up from the bed, changed into his usual attire of a gray turtleneck and dark pants and walked down the stairs. The sounds of cooking were coming from the kitchen, a pleasant scent filling the house. Papyrus was already bright and early, making some scrambled eggs with bacon.

Papyrus had a passion for cooking, especially since he started visiting Undyne a lot lately, the two of them having cooking lessons together on a regular basis. There were still some flaws in Papyrus's cooking, but he was certainly improving from spending time with Undyne, however chaotic her cooking methods were.

"Good morning, Papyrus." Gaster leaned at the kitchen door frame, folding his arms. Papyrus glanced back at him from above his shoulder. "MORNING GASTER!! JUST PREPARING THE PERFECT BREAKFAST FIT FOR THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND THE UNDERGROUND'S TWO GREATEST SCIENTISTS! NYEH HEH HEH!!!" In that exact moment, Papyrus had to swiftly flip the strips of bacon on the frying pan, to make sure not to overcook them.

"You are certainly improving." Gaster remarked, a hint of a smile spreading on his skeletal face.

"YES, UNDYNE IS DEFINITELY A GOOD INFLUENCE TO MY SKILL!!" He paused for a moment. A part of him new that was a slight stretch. "... WELL, WE DIDN'T BURN THE HOUSE DOWN YET NYEH HEH..." A nervous smile appeared on his face. Gaster, in the meantime walked over to the coffee machine, sitting at the dining table moments later, sipping his coffee. "I PRESUME SANS IS STILL ASLEEP?" Papyrus turned to Gaster again for a moment.

"Yes, he is." Gaster nodded. "I didn't feel like waking him up for once."

"THAT LAZYBONES IS GONNA OVERSLEEP SOMEDAY!!! I UNDERSTAND HE WORKS VERY HARD... BUT STILL!! SLEEPING TEN HOURS ON A DAY IS PUSHING IT!!" Papyrus readied a set of eggs and bacon on a plate as he spoke.

"He does work harder than anyone expects him." Gaster sipped his coffee again.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY HE IS PUSHING HIMSELF SO HARD SOMETIMES..." Papyrus's expression softened slightly.

"... One of the bad habits, we two share." Gaster quietly said.

"well, somethin' here sure smells great." As if on cue, Sans entered the kitchen, wearing a gray hoodie and shirt, black shorts and pink slippers. Sans mostly wore Gaster's old, worn down clothes. They were a little oversized, but they fit well enough. Meanwhile, Papyrus always wore his self proclaimed 'Sentry Uniform' that consisted of a white, orange sleeved sweater, blue jeans and scarlet colored scarf, boots and gloves. The latter three were gifted to him by Gaster when the doctor was moving his old possessions from the lab into the skeletons' new house, here in Snowdin. Papyrus had great fondness for these pieces of clothing ever since.

"Speak of the devil. Good morning Sans." Gaster turned to the doorway. Papyrus also turned around after he finished preparing the last plate of breakfast. "MORNING SANS!!" He greeted his brother with a bright smile.

"heya... G, hey paps." Sans waved at the two, yawning mid-sentence. He took a seat in front of Gaster at the dining table. "Coffee?" Gaster offered as he set down his empty mug. Sans shook his head round head. "nah, thanks. i'm good."

Papyrus set the plates of breakfast on the table, taking a seat himself. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S SCRAMBLED EGGS AND BACON!! MAYBE... JUST SLIGHTLY OVERCOOKED..." He rubbed the back of his skull with a small smile of embarrassment.

"naw, it tastes perfect bro, don't worry about it." Sans said as he took a bite.

"WELL, THAT IS GOOD THEN, NYEH HEH HEH HEH!!" He also took a bite of the food and the three just ate in silence for a few minutes, before Gaster broke the silence, looking at Sans. "Don't forget your papers this time."

"pretty sure i left them on my desk, so don't get too rattled."

"NO PUNS AT THE TABLE!!" Papyrus furrowed his brows with a slightly annoyed groan.

"sure bro." Sans grinned. "... do you sleep in that thing as well?" He asked after examining Papyrus's Sentry Uniform for a few seconds.

"YES I DO!! I CAN'T JUST TAKE IT OFF! OTHERWISE IT WILL HURT MY FIGHTING SPIRIT!! AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT UNDYNE SAID. BUT MAYBE SHE WAS BEING SARCASTIC." He added that last sentence after a brief pause, thoughtfully rubbing his chin.

"gotta agree though, that outfit emits total coolness energy. at least you wash it." Sans shrugged.

"By wearing it in the shower." Gaster remarked.

"are you sure it's okay to do that papyrus? what if the coolness washes away?" Sans looked at his brother teasingly. Papyrus frowned with a hint of playful annoyance. "IT'S A RISK I AM WILLING TO TAKE. DON'T WANT TO BE SMELLY LIKE YOU!!"

"me? smelly?" Sans's expression turned into one of faked offense. "i am hurt."

"YES YOU ARE SMELLY WHEN YOU HIDE KETCHUP BOTTLES IN YOUR HOODIE AFTER A VISIT TO GRILLBY'S!!" Papyrus shot his gaze at him. Sans just smiled innocently. "i dunno what you're talking about." Right as he said that, he dug into his inner pocket, pulling out a ketchup bottle and taking a long drag after taking a bigger bite of a strip of bacon.

"... I should have known." Gaster's tone wasn't annoyed, or surprised. It was a usual thing by now, really. Sans had a habit of hiding ketchup bottles everywhere in the house and having an infinite stock of them hidden in his hoodie. "You did not wash your laundry last night, did you?" He raised a brow.

"... maaaaaybeeee..." Sans looked away, his playful grin turning into a slightly guilty one. "i mean, hey. if i wash it, the charm is all gone."

"YOU MEAN THE SMELL..." Sans winked at Papyrus in response.

"In any case, we better get going now." Gaster stood up from the table, having finished his breakfast. Sans also finished the last bit of eggs and stood up as well. "yeah. can't go bein' late."

"And put that bottle away." Gaster looked back at Sans as he walked out of the kitchen.

"aye, aye." Sans saluted, taking a last drag of ketchup before putting it on the table and following Gaster upstairs. Papyrus put Sans's remaining ketchup in the fridge and put the dirty dishes in the sink. It was Gaster's turn to wash the dishes later tonight. A few minutes later, the three skeletons stood outside in front of their house, Gaster and Sans wearing their white lab coats.

"HAVE A NICE DAY IN THE CORE!!" Papyrus smiled at the two.

"good luck with sentry duty today, paps."

"Take good care." Gaster nodded. "We will be back in the afternoon."

"YES, BYE!!" Papyrus waved as the two of them walked off. As they disappeared into the fog at the edge of town, Papyrus also turned around walking away. It was time he fetched Roman.

Frisk certainly did not expect the sudden change in climate as he exited through the Ruins doors. But right as he took his first step outside, he immediately hugged himself as the cold air filled his lungs and made his eyes water. "C-Cold..." He breathed. "H-Hey, is it still just you?" Frisk called out, looking up at nothing.

* Yes. The other person doesn't seem to be here, if that is what you are implying.

"Do you still have no idea who they could be?"

* No. But I doubt they are gone permanently. For whatever reason, they really wanted you to leave the Ruins. Better be cautious.

"Yeah, right..." Frisk nodded, taking a few steps forward, his shoes becoming wet from the two inches of snow. Looking around, he could see that he was in a snowy forest. Certainly an interesting change of scenery after the Ruins.

* You have to wonder how it is even possible for there to be snow Underground.

"You don't say..." Once again, this mysterious person was voicing his thoughts, but he is slowly getting used to it. As Frisk kept going forward, he stopped for a moment, looking back. But there was only darkness and more snow behind him. For a moment... he could have sworn he heard footsteps. Frisk just shrugged and kept walking. As he went further and further, the footsteps behind him grew louder and louder. Frisk stopped in front of a very strange looking gate. While he examined it, it became obvious that someone was definitely behind him.

"I GOT YOU!!"

Before Frisk could even react, he was knocked off his feet, his back slamming against the rough wood of a small bridge stretching under the lousily built gate. "Ow- what the-?!" As he looked up, his eyes met with an unexpected sight. A bear was standing in front of him, holding something that looked like a large bone with claws stuck on it's ends. For a bear, they looked very small.

The bear monster was just as surprised to see Frisk as he was to see them.

"Oh... uh... hey? Are you a Human?" He spoke up. From his appearance and voice, Frisk could guess he was definitely a child too, however he must have been at least a few years older than him.

"I am..." Frisk said a little annoyed, rubbing the back of his head. It still ached from falling on the wood. Now that he stood up, he noticed that the monster was a centimeters taller than him as well. The bear put away his obscure looking weapon and tilted his head. "Weird. I thought humans were taller. And... less skinny."

"Hey, it's not my fault we got underfed in that damn orphanage!" Frisk got slightly defensive for his appearance being judged. But the bear child just looked at him, his expression turning a little confused. "Orphanage?"

"That's uh..." Frisk paused, before dismissing the thought. "Nevermind, who are you?"

"Ah- yes!" The stranger straightened up, having regained his composure. "I am Roman! Aspiring Royal Guard! Together, me and my partner will capture you and deliver you to Captain Undyne!"

"Huh..." Frisk remained rather unimpressed. With all that he's seen so far, it was just as easy to wrap his head around all that Roman just said as it was difficult. "Royal Guard? Captain Undyne?"

"Yes! The Royal Guard are the most popular, most respected people all across the Underground! And I will become one of them!" Roman paused, his shoulders slumping slightly, the confidence once again faltering from his expression. "As ... soon as I capture you... with my partner."

* Seems this child is stumbling between cockiness and a lack of self confidence.

"Who's your partner?" Frisk inquired.

"Oh, I think he's coming right there." Roman into the distance behind Frisk. In that moment, he once again straightened up and pulled out his clawed bone-spear. "Uh- move. Move it Human." He jabbed at Frisk with his weapon. Frisk wouldn't move an inch. "You know I'm not gonna hurt you. You don't have to-"

"Silence! Humans are dangerous! I am not going to trust you!" Despite his words, there was some obvious doubt in Roman's tone. He expected the first human he meets to be more... fierce than this. Regardless, Frisk just sighed inaudibly and went forward. As they walked across the gate, heading into the clearing, another monster appeared in the view. A tall skeleton.

"ROMAN, DID YOU FIND A HUMAN?"

"Yes! I totally did, look! They're right here! Though uh... they look... pretty small." Roman looked over Frisk again. Frisk shot a slightly annoyed glare at him for the description, but he didn't say a word.

Papyrus paused for a moment, staring at Frisk. Then his eyes shined with excitement. "OH... MY GOD. ROMAN. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS??"

"That once we capture them we can become Royal Guards?" Roman smiled at Papyrus.

"EXACTLY!!!" Papyrus's tone was burning with energy. "THIS IS OUR CHANCE ROMAN!! WE FOUND A HUMAN!! WE CAN FINALLY BE POPULAR!! WELL KNOWN!! WE CAN BE CHERISHED BY THE PUBLIC!!! WE WILL BE THE GREATEST ROYAL GUARDS THE UNDERGROUND HAS EVER SEEN!!!"

"Yeah!! You are so right!" Roman rushed to Papyrus's side. "Now we are really gonna do it, Papyrus!"

"YES WE ARE!! WE WILL BE SO... POPULAR!!! UNDYNE WILL BE SO PROUD OF US!!"

Frisk wasn't really sure how to feel about the scene. One thing for sure, these two certainly didn't look like they could really cause him any harm, even if he threatened them at gunpoint. However, moments later Papyrus calmed down a little and straightened up, puffing out his chest. Roman followed his movements. "I MEAN AHEM!! HUMAN!!! PREPARE TO FACE YOUR DOOM!! YOU WILL BE FACED WITH PUZZLES!! JAPES!! PUZZLING JAPES!! TRAPS!! AND OTHER SORTS OF THINGS!! YOU WILL BE CAPTURED AND DELIVERED TO OUR CAPTAIN UNDYNE! THEN... THEN!!!" Papyrus's stance broke as he looked at Roman. "... WHAT WAS IT AGAIN ROMAN?"

"Uuuhhh... I... I guess Undyne will promote us?" Roman looked up at Papyrus, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"AH YES!! OF COURSE! THAT IS RIGHT MY DEAR ASSISTANT!!" Papyrus once again straightened up, pinning his eyes on Frisk. "IN ANY CASE, HUMAN! CONTINUE ONLY IF YOU DARE!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!! COME ON ROMAN, LET'S READY OUR PUZZLES!!" The two of them rushed away into the distance. Even minutes later, Frisk just found himself standing there, speechless.

* ... Well. That was certainly rather peculiar.

"Took the words right out of my mind. But oh well, I guess I can't judge too hard." Frisk shrugged. "Speaking of... what's with the capturing? Do you know anything?" It was basically habitual at this point that Frisk would stare up at nothingness when talking to the strange voice in his head.

* It's... a long story...

"... How about a short version then-"

* Long. Story.

"Okay, okay, fine..." Frisk looked back at the road in front of him. "Let's just see what the puzzles are all about." Frisk went on forward into the forest, seeing another yellow flickering star along the way that he hit, as usual.

* The strange dynamic of Roman and Papyrus fills you with determination.

As he walked forward, Frisk soon encountered another one of Snowdin's monsters. It looked like a strange bird.

* You encountered Snowdrake. This teen comedian fights to keep a captive audience.

"Better not Snowflake out."

Bullets came storming in that Frisk actively tried to avoid. "... I don't think puns work like this, pal." He spoke up after a moment.

"Hey, shut up! My jokes are the... coolest around here! Heh..." More crescent-shaped projectiles came flying towards Frisk. He ducked down on the ground to avoid them, which ended up being a mistake as his face became coated in cold snow.

* I think you should just roll with it. They don't seem to let up.

"You're not really having an... ice-time here hehe!" The monster winked at Frisk. Frisk tried to his best to force a smile on his face.

"Wow... that's... sooo funny haha... good one..." His tone was not really convincing at all, but Snowdrake seemed to buy it.

"Wait you really thinks so?" The attacks stopped. Frisk nodded. "Yeah. Your comedic skills are real... chilling."

* Why.

"Ha! Dad was wrong! I CAN make people laugh!"

"Yeah, sure, go live out your dreams."

* SPARE

* ... That was dumb. But in any case, you earned 5 G and 0 EXP.

As Frisk went onward, he saw a strange build. It was a cardboard box, barely being kept together by some glue.

* As you observe this strange box, a voice message begins to play.

'YOU OBSERVE THE WELL-CRAFTED SENTRY STATION.WHO COULD HAVE BUILT THIS, YOU PONDER...I BET IT WAS THAT VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN! (NOTE. NOT YET A VERY FAMOUS ROYAL GUARDSMAN.'

"I don't even have anything to say. These guys are weird." Frisk said a moment after the message stopped playing.

* I would rather call them eccentric.

"I suppose, that fits the bill too." Frisk shrugged. "I don't know, everything just feels so weird here... like I'm in some kind of fever dream." He dug his hands in his pockets idly, staring at the ground.

* It is normal to feel like this.

"... Hey, you've been here with me for a while. Do you have a name? Or something I can call you?"

* ... I am nobody important.

"Okay, but... do you have a name?"

* My name has no meaning anymore.

"I don't really care about that. I just wanna call you something other than 'weird disembodied voice in my head.'"

* ...

"... Well... I am Frisk. You are?"

* ...

Frisk sighed in defeat. "Okay fine... voice in my head it remains."

"OHO, THE HUMAN ARRIVES!!" Frisk reached Papyrus and Roman once more. All that was in front of him was a large square of dried snow. Papyrus and Roman were standing on the other side of it. "So... what is this?" Frisk looked at Papyrus.

"I AM GLAD YOU ARE INTRIGUED NYEH HEH HEH... YOU SEE, MY LOVELY ASSISTANT ROMAN AND I PREPARED SOME PUZZLES IN ORDER TO STOP YOU. THIS ONE IS AN INVISIBLE... ELECTRICITY MAZE!!!" The pause mid-sentence was clearly for dramatic effect only. Frisk's expression turned unamused.

"A maze..." His shoulders dropped.

"OH BUT THIS ISN'T JUST ANY OLD MAZE!! IT'S INVISIBLE TOO!! AND WHENEVER YOU TOUCH THE WALLS... ROMAN!" Roman quickly handed a little orb to Papyrus. "THIS ORB WILL ADMINISTER A HEARTY ZAP!!! DOES IT SOUND FUN?"

"No."

"GREAT!! STEP FORTH NOW!!!"

Frisk ignored Papyrus's obliviousness to how deadly this puzzle was and took a step forward in the maze hesitantly. However, it was Papyrus who got zapped, getting burnt from head to toe.

"You okay Papyrus??" Roman shot his gaze at him.

"THERE SEEMS TO BE SOMETHING... OFF WITH THE PUZZLE..." Papyrus tried his best to ignore the awkwardness of what had just happened. "ROMAN... DID YOU DO SOMETHING WITH IT BY ANY CHANCE?"

"No...?" His brows furrowed, before his mind clicked. "Hold up- shouldn't the Human be holding the orb?"

"AH RIGHT!! OF COURSE!!" Papyrus walked across to Frisk, perfectly revealing the correct way to go. Neither Roman nor Frisk said anything, though they obviously noticed Papyrus's mistake. "HOLD THIS PLEASE!!" Papyrus handed Frisk the orb.

"Yeah... sure." Frisk tried his best to hold his laughter from the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Uhhh Papyrus..." Roman spoke up as the aforementioned returned to his side.

"YES ROMAN?" The skeleton looked at the bear child.

"Don't you think there is something uhhh... wrong with the puzzle here?" He didn't want to spell it out to Papyrus and make things even more awkward.

"WHATEVER DO YOU MEAN? ARE YOU DOUBTING MY SKILLS??"

"Oh no, no, it's just uhh-"

"WELL, DON'T WORRY ROMAN!! I AM SURE YOU WILL BE AN AMAZING SUCCESSOR OF MINE SOMEDAY!!" While the two of them were too busy chatting, Frisk carefully followed Papyrus's footsteps and was on the other side of the maze in a matter of moments. Papyrus put his hands on his hips, noticing Frisk. "INCREDIBLE YOU SLIPPERY SNAIL!! YOU SOLVED IT SO EASILY!! BUT NOT TO WORRY, THE NEXT PUZZLE IS DESIGNED BY MY DEAR INTERN ROMAN!!! I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT WON'T BE SO EASY!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!!!"

The two dashed away once again. Frisk carefully set the orb down into the snow.

"You know... I really can't decide if they are serious about all this or not."

* They seem to take it seriously. Papyrus just seems comically unaware of how ridiculous all of this truly is on the outside. Roman does seem to take it more seriously than him though. You will just have to find out what his puzzle has in store for you.

As Frisk ventured forward, hitting another yellow, flickering star on the way.

* Getting through the invisible maze without being burned to a crisp, it fills you with determination.

Papyrus and Roman were just a little further. This time, there was a wide icy field in front of Frisk. An icy field covered with a bit of snow here and there... and... filled with quite a few spikes along the way, too.

"SO YOU HAVE ARRIVED HUMAN!! I WILL ALLOW ROMAN TO DEMONSTRATE THIS PUZZLE TO YOU!!" Roman stepped forward and cleared his throat, straightening up. That confidence once again appeared on his face. "Human! In this puzzle! You will need to slide through the ice! But you need to make your movements carefully! You don't want to slip up onto those spikes right?"

"... FOR THE RECORD, I STILL THINK YOU COULD HAVE USED MAYBE... JUST A TINY... TINY, TINY BIT LESS SPIKES. SPIKES ARE ALL GOOD FUN!! BUT-"

"Well it will be easy to capture them like this right?" Roman smiled at Papyrus. The tall skeleton tried his best to hide the tinge of nervousness from his face. "WHY OF COURSE!! YOU ARE... COMPLETELY RIGHT... NYEH HEH HEH..."

Frisk looked at the path in front of him. There were a lot of spikes around the edges, around the middle. There seemed to be no straight forward path here without having to dodge a spike or two. How is he supposed to avoid them without...?

* You better tread carefully here. Take it slow.

Frisk took his first step. He didn't slip yet, he was standing still. He looked around a little. In front of him was a snowy step, just a few inches before a set of spikes. No matter where he looked, there were spikes covering the edges as well everywhere. There was no way he could go around. He had to stay away from the edges and stay in the middle. But there were a lot of spikes in the middle path as well. There was basically a spike at every fifth step and before them, a snowy patch of ice.

Frisk defeated the momentary fear coming over him and took another step forward. He was still standing stable. There was a patch of snow in front of him. He tried to take a careful step to his left, but as he extended his left leg, his right leg slipped and he fell straight on his face. There was the taste of fresh blood filling his mouth.

He stood up too fast and he slipped again, right onto the snowy patch of ice. He tried to stop himself. The spikes were getting close. He couldn't stop. He lost control of himself. He just slipped straight forward on the ice until-

At first, he felt excruciating pain.

Then, everything faded away.

...

...

...

'Chara... You have to stay determined! You are the future of Humans and Monsters!'

'ROMAN! WE WERE JUST SUPPOSED TO CAPTURE THEM!! WE WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO...'

'I didn't think... I'm sorry...'

Frisk suddenly opened his eye. He found he was sitting in the snow. Right next to the yellow star that he touched multiple times already. "I-..." It took him a few moment to process. It... felt like he fell asleep. Did he? "What... happened? Wasn't I just- didn't I-"

* ... It seems you are back here.

"Back... here..." Frisk tried to gather his thoughts, standing up from the snowy ground where he was sitting. "What just happened, didn't I just-"

* You slipped... too hard.

"I... what... happened to me...?" Frisk rubbed his forehead. "I remember there were... a lot of spikes. Then... it all went black."

* You slipped head first on the spikes. Now you are back here.

"... Did I just..."

* You did.

There were long moments of silence. Frisk swallowed. The sheer thought... it felt so haunting. No matter how he put the pieces together in his head, he couldn't deny it. "But then... how am I still here?"

* It seems the stars... the very manifestations of your determination are able to bring you back.

"So... I can basically cheat death?" Frisk slowly turned to the yellow star next to him.

* You could say that. But try not to abuse the power.

"Of- of... course..." Frisk just hit the star again without saying another word.

* ... The fact that you are still here... it gives you determination.

"I DON'T KNOW, ROMAN... I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE THIS PUZZLE IS SAFE..."

"But... it's a good way to capture them, by weakening them, right?" Roman looked up at Papyrus. There was a constant feeling of dread hanging over the skeleton all of a sudden. "PERHAPS BUT... I HAVE A FEELING SOMETHING IS ABOUT TO GO VERY WRONG."

"Maybe..." Roman looked away. He did understand what Papyrus referred to, strangely. Although he didn't quite understand what this feeling was. When he made this puzzle, it didn't seem bad at all. Now, however...

In that moment, Frisk entered the scene.

"AH, SO YOU HAVE ARRIVED HUMAN!!" Papyrus glanced at Roman for a moment before looking back at Frisk. "IT HAS BEEN DECIDED... MY DEAR ASSISTANT ROMAN MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN A LITTLE TOO EXCITED ABOUT YOUR CAPTURING AND WENT A BIT...

OVERBOARD WITH THIS PUZZLE. SO!! WE WON'T USE THIS!!" With a wave of his hand, Papyrus summoned a big, long bone that stretched over the field of ice.

"O-Oh... uh... thanks." Frisk didn't really mind all that much that he had to skip this one.

"I AM SORRY ROMAN... PERHAPS I COULD HELP YOU DESIGN A PUZZLE NEXT TIME SO IT CAN BE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!!"

"Yeah, maybe..." Roman looked down at the ground, a little saddened that his puzzle seemed to fail. "Sorry I messed it up, Papyrus."

"OH DO NOT WORRY, YOU TRIED YOUR BEST!! THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT AS THEY SAY!!" Papyrus pat Roman's shoulder before he turned back to Frisk. "IN ANY CASE, YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE AWAITS YOU NOW, HUMAN!! PROCEED ONLY IF YOU REALLY DARE TO FACE OUR GREATEST PUZZLE YET!!!"

"... Well... that was unexpected." Frisk remarked after Papyrus and Roman disappeared in the view.

* Agreed. But at least we made it through without getting skewered.

"... We?"

* ... You. You made it through.

"Sure, sure..." Frisk smiled a little mischievously.

After quite a bit of walking, Frisk reached a long, long bridge. Walking across it, he was met with Papyrus and Roman yet again.

"HUMAN... PREPARE FOR YOUR GREATEST CHALLENGE YET!! BEHOLD, THE GAUNTLET OF DEADLY TERROR!!!" Suddenly various weapons appeared floating in mid-air, ranging from maces, to flame throwers, to...

* Why is there a dog.

"Gooood question... why is there a dog?" Frisk looked at Papyrus.

"A DOG- WHAT?!" Papyrus looked up, noticing a small, white dog among the other weapons. "OH CURSE THAT MEDDLING CANINE!! I BET IT'S TRYING TO STEAL MY WEAPONRY AGAIN!!!!"

"How did it even get up there?" Roman scratched the top of his round head.

"I HAVE NO IDEA... BUT REGARDLESS HUMAN!! PREPARE FOR YOUR DOOM!! WHEN I SAY THE WORD, THE TRAP WILL FULLY ACTIVATE!! BLADES WILL SLICE, CANNONS WILL FIRE!!! ONLY THE TINIEST CHANCE OF VICTORY REMAINS!!! ARE YOU READY?"

"Well I-"

Before Frisk could even process everything he just saw and heard, Papyrus already went on. "BECAUSE I! AM! ABOUT! TO DO IT!!!"

And so he waited. And waited. And waited. Nothing really seemed to happen. Papyrus nor Roman wouldn't say another word. Frisk just awkwardly stood there, looking at the two monsters in front of him, occasionally staring up at the weapons floating above to see if they would start.

"Soooo? Are you gonna start it?" Roman broke the awkward silence.

"YES, YES!! I AM ABOUT TO ACTIVATE IT RIGHT NOW!!"

More silent, awkward minutes passed. The trap still wouldn't activate.

"... Papyrus...?"

"YOU KNOW ROMAN... PERHAPS I WAS TOO STRICT WITH YOU EARLIER. I MEAN THIS CHALLENGE... THIS METHOD... IT'S TOO DIRECT!! A ROYAL GUARDSMAN'S WORK IS HONEST WORK!! WE CANNOT BE RESPECTED WITH SUCH RAW METHODS NOW, CAN WE?"

"I mean- it gets the job done doesn't it-"

"WELL MAYBE... BUT!! MY PUZZLES ARE FAIR!! MY TRAPS ARE EXPERTLY COOKED!!! THIS ... THIS JUST DOES NOT STAND FOR MY STANDARDS!! WE CAN'T USE THIS!! AWAY IT GOES!!!" With that, all of the weapons dissipated into nothingness. Somehow, the dog did too. "I SUPPOSE BOTH OUR PUZZLES SEEM TO HAVE FAILED..."

"I guess..." There was a slight tinge of disappointment in Roman's voice. "I really thought we could do it..."

"I SUPPOSE THE HUMAN WAS TOO KEEN ON OUR PUZZLES TO TRULY GET WEAKENED."

"I dunno I am pretty cold, though." Frisk remarked, shrugging. "And hey, I had fun. Despite the constant threat of injury."

"WELL, THANK YOU, HUMAN!! WE MAY HAVE FAILED TO CAPTURE YOU... BUT AT LEAST YOU WERE ENAMORED BY OUR PUZZLE WORK!! THAT IS SOMETHING, ISN'T IT ROMAN?"

"I mean sure but... what about Undyne?"

"AH, YES... UNDYNE WILL BE DISAPPOINTED I SUPPOSE... I ALREADY TOLD HER WE WERE GOING TO CAPTURE THE HUMAN BUT... I SUPPOSE WE FAILED." Papyrus looked down in defeat for a moment. "YOU SHOULD PROBABLY HEAD HOME ROMAN. PERHAPS SOME OTHER TIME... WE CAN WEAKEN ANOTHER HUMAN WITH OUR PUZZLES!!"

"Well... okay... then. I suppose, see you later Papyrus." Despite that, Roman wouldn't move an inch from where he was standing. But Papyrus didn't seem bothered by that as he looked at Frisk. "SO HUMAN!! IT SEEMS YOU HAVE KEEN PUZZLE SOLVING SKILLS AND WE COULD NOT WEAKEN YOU EVEN WITH OUR BEST OF TECHNIQUES!! SO... I SUPPOSE WE'VE NO CHOICE BUT TO LET YOU PASS NOW!"

"Uhhh... sure, thanks. I guess." Frisk wasn't really sure where he would go though. He can't go back to the Ruins... can he stay in Snowdin? Or... should he just move on?

"IN ANY CASE, I MUST TAKE MY LEAVE NOW!! COME ON ROMAN!!!" Papyrus rushed away into town. Roman just stayed there for a few minutes before looking at Frisk. "... Hey... I..." He stepped closer to him. He seemed to have a bit of trouble figuring out what he wants to say. "I guess you did good. But... there is something I need to talk to you about. Alone. I don't want Papyrus or anyone to see us doing- I-I mean... talking."

Roman's words right now... did not quite seem honest. This tone of voice... it suddenly felt so different from how he spoke before. Did... did this 'defeat' really struck him this hard?

"Where... are you going with this?" Frisk asked slowly, paying very careful attention to his choice of words. Roman looked down at the snowy ground before looking back up at Frisk's face.

"Let's meet at the city outskirts. Just you and me."

Frisk was... hesitant on taking Roman's request, to say the least. Something suddenly seemed to snap inside the bear child. Frisk felt that all too much. But yet, something still drove him into going to the city outskirts. As he walked there... he felt like he wasn't even the one controlling his movements. He felt as if there was an outside force, pushing him forward and forward. And he was helpless to do anything against this feeling.

... Was he even in control anymore?

He suddenly stopped. In the thick fog, he could somehow still make out Roman's figure. And somehow, he could make out that Roman did not face him. He turned his back on him.

"... So you actually came. I did not expect that." Roman's voice was quiet... almost eerily so. Frisk wanted to ask him if he was okay. But no words formed. He did not speak. Not because he couldn't, in fact he very well could speak. But... it was as if there was something that wouldn't let him speak.

* ... Frisk... What are you doing?

'I-... I-I don't know what's happening I can't- I can't move. I can't even say anything! I don't-'

I am very sorry Frisk. But my time to act has come and your time is up.

It was that voice again. That cold, ominous... terrifying voice. 'You... You again! What do you want from me?! I left the Ruins like you wanted me to! Get out of my head! Get out of my body! Stop this!'

You don't understand, do you? We are playing by my rules. Everything will go according to my wishes. I let you have your fun in the Ruins, but now it's my turn to play.

'Just let me go already!! Please...'

"I... I don't blame Papyrus. But... I just can't let you leave like this." Roman's voice interrupted the inner conflict in Frisk's mind. The young bear monster finally turned to face him. "I'm sorry... but I can't let you go." He pulled out his weapon. "If I could get your soul... I could prove to Undyne that I am worthy to be in the Royal Guard... I could prove to my dad that I'm not a total screw up!" That joy in Roman's voice... it did not feel like true joy. If anything it felt like very, very panicked desperation.

Frisk wanted to run.

He wanted to run so badly.

But... none of his movements were truly his. This... outside force... whatever it was... whoever it was... they did everything in his place.

* I have a terrible feeling about this... Frisk can you hear me?

'I- I can! But... I can't do anything! I-I'm not- doing any of this! I want to get out of here!'

* Calm down just- Do not let this... this thing do whatever it's planning. Try to fight back for control! Even stalling for time could help. Someone has to notice what's going on...

'... Got it...'

Roman charged forward to try and land a strike on Frisk. In that moment, Frisk summoned a red knife and blocked his strike. Roman got slightly knocked back as he was caught completely off guard by Frisk summoning a weapon.

In fact... even Frisk himself was. Since when can he do such things? HE never even knew he could summon knives. Just... who is this person?

* You tried to speak up... but the words fail to form. Just don't let them land a single hit on Roman, Frisk!

Why do you even bother trying? You cannot possibly think you can fight off MY will.

'We will see about that freak...'

Having become distracted at voices rising up, Roman successfully landed a hit on 'Frisk', knocking them off their feet. Roman's movements were however, very slow. The confidence in him was completely gone. He clearly did not want to do this.

"I'm sorry... But... I have to do this! I have to prove myself!" With a shaky hand, he was about to stab down his weapon at Frisk, only for them to kick him away, causing Roman to fall to the ground this time. Frisk approached him, ready to land a strike on him with their red knife.

As he raised a hand, his movements suddenly froze. Roman stared at him with wide eyes.

Frisk dropped the knife on the ground and fell to his knees, clutching his head."Get- OUT! I-... don't... want... leave me ALONE!!" Roman stood up, staring at Frisk with a sudden rising fear. He dropped his weapon and took a closer step. "Get away!! Don't... come... near me..." Frisk pushed him away.

Frisk... you will regret resisting my will. If you refuse to kill him... if you refuse to finish the job, things will be much... much... MUCH more painful for you. You do not want that, do you?

'I don't CARE! I don't care what your deal is but leave me out of it! I'm not killing anyone!'

Curious, you were so quick to kill that Froggit in the Ruins. Why did you change your mind so suddenly?

* They know?!

'I-... That was... an accident! Both times! I won't take part in your sick games! Leave me alone!'

Don't you want to erase them all? Don't you want to become powerful? Don't you want revenge? Don't you want to erase all this filth from this wretched world?

'I don't! I don't know what your point is! I don't WANT any of this!! I never wanted this! I never wanted to hurt anyone!'

"ROMAN?" Papyrus came into the scene. Roman was still standing there, staring at Frisk with horror, who tried to regain control of his mind. But it seems that this other person in Frisk's head was caught off guard by Papyrus, enough that Frisk could finally convince himself that he was in control again.

He turned to look at Papyrus.

And it was really him, this time.

Nobody was commanding his movements.

"ROMAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE HUMAN?? UNDYNE TOLD US NOT TO FIGHT HUMANS!! WE MUST CAPTURE THEM, BUT NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EVER FIGHT THEM!!"

"P-Papyrus- I-..." Roman looked at Frisk for a brief moment, before looking away. "Sorry... Papyrus... I just..."

Seems Roman wasn't going to mention whatever happened with Frisk. Frisk was honestly very glad for that.

*... Are you okay, Frisk?

'... Yeah... I-I don't... know what happened but- I... I'm back now.'

"I KNOW, ROMAN... I KNOW YOU ARE EAGER TO PROVE YOURSELF. BUT DON'T WORRY!! NO MATTER WHAT, YOU WILL NEVER DISAPPOINT ME!! DON'T WORRY ABOUT UNDYNE, I AM SURE SHE WON'T BE TOO UPSET WITH US!!!"

"I... guess..." Roman and Frisk awkwardly looked at each other. With a solemn look, they both silently agreed not to talk about this to anyone. "I'm just going to go home."

"THAT WILL PROBABLY BE BEST. GOODBYE ROMAN!!"

"Bye, Papyrus." As he walked off, Roman also waved bye to Frisk who waved back at him with slight hesitance.

'... Alright Frisk. Keep playing your games. I am patient for now. But it will not be long before I ensure I and only I AM the one in control... you will regret disobeying me...'

Chapter Text

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT, HUMAN?" Papyrus turned to Frisk a few minutes after Roman walked off.

"Yeah... I'm fine." Frisk nodded after he managed to get a hold of himself. It everything felt rather... fuzzy. The past ten to twenty minutes were all a blur. All he knew was that he was fighting for control over his own mind. Fighting against... whoever this strange other voice is in his head. But now he was back.

"I SUPPOSE, RIGHT NOW IT WOULD BE MY TURN TO TRY AND CAPTURE YOU..." Papyrus rubbed his chin. There was a tinge of fear appearing on Frisk's face. However, in the next moment, Papyrus dropped the confident stance. "BUT OH WELL... YOU ALREADY FOUGHT ROMAN!! I WON'T TRY AND CAPTURE YOU!! HOWEVER..." He turned around, his shoulders dropping in defeat. "I SUPPOSE I REALLY FAILED... UNDYNE WILL BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME... I'LL NEVER JOIN THE ROYAL GUARD... AND WHAT'S WORST, MY FRIEND QUALITY REMAINS STAGNANT..."

* Even though he has Roman, seems like Papyrus could use a couple more friends. What will you say?

"I mean... I could be your friend." Frisk rubbed his arm, looking away awkwardly. Papyrus raised his head and turned around to look at him with surprise. "REALLY?? YOU WANT TO BE... FRIENDS? WITH ME?"

"Yeah, sure. You seem cool." Frisk smiled a little. In that moment, that self-confident smile spread of Papyrus's face once again. "NYEH HEH HEH, A KEEN OBSERVATION HUMAN!!! I AM INDEED COOLER THAN EVEN SNOWDIN'S DREADFUL CLIMATE!!" He stepped a little closer, his expressions easing up. "I SUPPOSE I COULD BE FRIENDS WITH YOU!! WHAT IS YOUR NAME?"

"Oh... it's Frisk." Frisk had to look up to look Papyrus in the eyes. Now that he was standing in front of him, he realized just how tall the skeleton really was.

"RIGHT THEN, HUMAN FRISK!! WOULD YOU LIKE TO VISIT MY HUMBLE HOME?"

"That sounds nice. I would like that. Thanks, Papyrus." Frisk nodded.

"FOLLOW ME THEN, HUMAN FRISK!!!" Papyrus dashed away into the snowy mist and Frisk followed after him. It only took a few moments for him to stop in front of a house. "OUR HOUSE IS RATHER CLOSE TO THE CITY OUTSKIRTS!!"

When he stopped, Frisk looked away into the distance for a second before looking back "Uh... hold on, actually. I just want to do something, can you give me a few minutes?"

"OF COURSE, TAKE YOUR TIME!!" Papyrus smiled. Frisk just walked to the edge of town to save once again at one of those flickering stars.

* The fact that you managed to regain control over yourself... It fills you with determination.

"You got that right..." Frisk said quietly, looking at the snow beneath his feet.

* There might be something good to mention, Frisk.

"Hmm?" He looked up.

* You can always go back. Not just when you die.

"What do you mean?" Frisk furrowed his brows, confused.

* ... I could tell you in a more simpler way, or a more confusing but thorough one.

"You can be thorough." There was a minute of silence.

* These stars always save your position. They are the manifestations of your determination. And if you focused... you could even go back in time.

Frisk's shoulders dropped. Suddenly, every emotion vanished from his expression and there remained nothing but speechlessness. "... What." It took him quite a few minutes to speak up.

* I told you it would be confusing. Basically, you can always return to the last moment you saved, to the last star you saved at. Try it. Walk a little further away from here. Then, Just close your eyes and focus.

Frisk walked a few distance away, to a building with a misspelled sign 'librarby.' Despite the spelling mistake, it was probably a library. Frisk stopped in front of the building and closed his eyes. "Close my eyes and focus..." He whispered to himself. For a few moments, there was nothing. But then he felt like there was a sudden force pulling him back and next thing he knew, he lost balance and fell over into the snow, back where he last saved.

"That's a bit- disorienting..." Frisk stood up, wiping the snow from his clothes with shaky hands. He was so cold.

* You get used to it. But Frisk, I must tell you, you need to be careful not to abuse the power. You should only use it if it's absolutely necessary. You understand?

"Yes, got it. Thanks. For explaining and all that."

* Also, it might be a good time to finally spend your G.

"Huh?" Frisk turned to look at the building he was standing in front of, noticing the sign that said 'shop'. "Oh." Frisk entered. There was a tall rabbit monster behind the counter, looking at him curiously.

"Now you are a strange looking face if I ever saw one. Good day to you."

"Uh... hello." Frisk waved a little awkwardly. "I am uh... just passing through." He rubbed his neck.

* She doesn't seem to recognize that you are a human.

"Well in any case, how may I help you?" The lady smiled gently. Frisk spent the little gold he had on a bandanna and a cinnamon bunny. But he still decided to stick around after that.

* TALK

"Up for a little chat?"

* SNOWDIN

"Long ago, not long after our kind got sealed, monsters used to live in the Ruins. But people's demands started growing bigger and it was not long before the Ruins became to small for our population. So, some folks went to see what else was out there. Then, a couple monsters who decided they really like the cold set up a camp here. Town has been more than the same since, perhaps a few new changes here and there."

* LIVING HERE

"So uh... what's it like living here anyway?" Frisk asked curiously anyway.

"Life here isn't so bad... perhaps only a little claustrophobic." A smile spread on her face. "But we all know freedom is coming, don't we? Just gotta smile through the bad times."

"Freedom?" Frisk tilted his head.

"Aye, King Asgore only needs one more human soul. Then he can shatter the Barrier and take back the Surface from humans."

* ...

'So... that's... why they wanted to capture me?'

* ... Seems like it. I'd rather not ask more about this subject, if I were you.

* ROMAN

"Oh that child? He is quite an... interesting one. His father is a teacher at the local school. Shame, that boy has potential to follow in his father's footsteps, but instead... Well, that Papyrus is a kind lad, but I'd rather feel safe if we were protected by Undyne instead of him."

* PAPYRUS

"It's rather peculiar. We never would have expected that Dr. Gaster would return to Snowdin, let alone bring two other skeletons with him. Nobody knows where they came from, all we know was that they were Dr. Gaster's sons. I never would have thought Dr. Gaster had kids!"

* DR. GASTER

"Aye, he's our Royal Scientist. Truly a brilliant mind. He has done so much to revolutionize the Underground's technology. His greatest creating to date is the CORE. We'd just about die down here without it! Sometime after the Queen's left, he's moved out of Snowdin. Then, decades later he comes back and brings two kids with him, too!"

* LEAVE

"Bye now! Come again sometime!"

Papyrus practically flung the door open with Frisk closely behind him. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS RETURNED!! AND I BROUGHT A FRIEND!!" Inside the house, Sans was lazing on the couch while Gaster was doing some paperwork.

"Man... it's so much warmer in here..." Frisk breathed. Finally, he felt the cold from his body wash away ever so slightly.

"You brought... a human?" Gaster furrowed his brows, looking at Frisk from the table which he was sitting at. Frisk waved at Gaster a little shyly. Taking a close look at him, Papyrus had a lot of resemblence to Gaster. Aside from a few distinguishing features. Holes in his hands, glasses, a scar stretching down under a permanently sealed shut right eye.

"YES WELL... HUMAN FRISK WAS ABLE TO WITHSTAND OUR MOST EXCELLENTLY CONSTRUCTED PUZZLES!!"

"i guess, so much for the whole human capturing huh?" Sans stood up from the couch, walking closer to Frisk. He was only a few inches taller than the child. A slightly chubby, round headed skeleton wearing a gray hoodie. "heya. i'm sans." He held out a hand for Frisk to shake. He took his hand, then-

'if you continue on the path you are right now, you are going to have a bad time.'

'ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE? WOWIE!! MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING!! I, PAPYRUS, WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!!'

'you trust me, don't you?'

'Heh... you two really came all this way just to die. I would admire the effort, if it wasn't actually so pathetic.'

'you are about to basically change the entire course of time, what if you-'

'I don't care.'

Pbbbbhhhhttttttt...

There was a solid minute of silence.

"OH MY GOD SANS I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO STOP WITH YOUR CHILDISH PRANKS?!!?"

There was just silence. Gaster tried his best not to get distracted from his work. Meanwhile Sans was staring blankly at Frisk with blacked out eye sockets. To say that it was an unsettling sight for Frisk was an understatement. The human boy just withdrew his hand, slowly.

"Okay..." Frisk looked away, avoiding to stare into Sans's pitch black eyes.

"... SANS?"

"...huh?" Sans blinked, his sockets turning back to normal.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT BROTHER?" Papyrus leaned a little closer to his brother, a little worried now. Gaster was also looking at the trio now with slight concern.

"... what?" Sans stared at his hand for a moment, then he looked at Frisk. His expression was a mix of utter confusion and... perhaps a slight tinge of fear. What just happened?

"Are you alright, Sans?" Gaster repeated Papyrus's earlier question.

Sans didn't respond for a few moments. Then he just rubbed the back of his skull. "yeah... fine. i think i'm just... tired. i'll take a nap."

"... Well, if you are sure."

Sans did not say anything else, he just headed upstairs. There was a few moments of silence between the three present. Papyrus tried to fight off his sudden worry by clearing his throat. "WELL... WELCOME TO PAPYRUS'S HUMBLE HOME!! YOU ALREADY MET SANS, BUT THIS HERE IS GASTER!!" Papyrus gestured to the latter skeleton as if Frisk didn't notice him sitting there the whole time. Once again, the two locked gazes.

"Uh... hello, I'm Frisk." Frisk waved at the older skeleton. Gaster just looked at him for a few more moments without saying a word. Papyrus befriended a human. Well... it wasn't far from him to do such a thing. Papyrus has always been very friendly and social, almost to a fault at times. Gaster himself was still not very comfortable with humans.

Yes, there was Kale. But one human won't heal old wounds.

Regardless of his opinions though, Gaster was not without manners, he stood up and walked a little closer to Frisk. "Well... it is nice to meet you, Frisk. I am Dr. Gaster."

"It's nice to meet you too, Dr. Gaster." He gave a small smile. This was probably the Gaster the shopkeeper was talking about.

* It would be strange if there were two skeletons called Gaster, after all.

'... I'm still not used to you reading my thoughts...'

* ... Sorry.

"What are you doing?" Frisk leaned to peek at the papers on the table by the wall, a few steps away from the door.

"Ah, it's today's paperwork. Nothing particularly interesting." He said as he sat back down, continuing his work. There was already a few paper sheets set aside that were presumably done.

"IN ANY CASE, FEEL FREE TO MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME, FRISK!!" Papyrus stood by the kitchen door while Frisk took a closer step inside and looked around. There was a couch, a TV, stairs leading up. Frisk walked over to the couch.

* This couch looks pretty old.

"IF YOU DON'T WANT TO MEET ANY LOOSE KETCHUP BOTTLES OR HOT DOGS, I SUGGEST NOT SITTING DOWN!!" Papyrus spoke up from behind him.

"Gross. How old is this couch even?" Frisk directed the question specifically for Gaster.

"... It probably came with the house." Gaster said after a few moments of thinking.

* In short, it could be hundreds of years old for all we know.

'... I don't even know what to make of this.'

* I suggest you just leave it be.

'Fair.'

* You turn on the television. All of the channels feature something that looks like a giant calculator on wheels.

"OOHH THAT'S METTATON!!" Papyrus peeked at the TV. "I LOVE WATCHING HIS SHOWS!!!"

"Who's Mettaton?" Frisk turned to Papyrus.

"HE IS THE UNDERGROUNDS HOTTEST STAR!!! DR. ALPHYS AND GASTER CREATED HIM WITH TEAM EFFORT!!" Gaster gave an 'mhm' in the background as confirmation.

"Huh... that's pretty cool." Frisk rubbed his chin with a smile.

"YES, I KNOW!!"

"What's this sock though?" Frisk just noticed a very, very dirty sock next to the TV.

* It's a sock covered in sticky notes. It even has some ketchup on it. Do not question.

"... Should I even ask?" Frisk looked at Papyrus, who was standing rather close to him now.

* You shouldn't.

"OH NO... THAT SOCK HAS BEEN THERE FOR A VERY LONG TIME!! IT'S PROBABLY GOT IT'S OWN CONSCIENCE BY NOW!!!!" From his tone, Frisk couldn't even tell if Papyrus was joking or seriously concerned. He leaned forward so he could read the sticky notes.

'SANS, YOU LEFT ONE OF YOUR SOCKS HERE... I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW IT GOT HERE BUT PLEASE PICK IT UP!!'

'I may have dropped it... when I was going to wash the laundry.'

'SO IS THIS YOUR SOCK?!!?'

'Check it if has ketchup stains.'

' UGH!!!! THAT'S JUST GROSS!! SANS, PLEASE MOVE YOUR SOCK!'

'ok'

'YOU ONLY MOVED IT A MILIMETER, MOVE IT TO YOUR ROOM!!'

'I wouldn't want any ketchup stained socks in our room.'

'GASSSTEEERR!!! DON'T ENCOURAGE THIS!!!!'

'omg i'm totally gonna bring it to our room and prank you while you sleep'

'Sans no.'

'yes'

'SANS YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN'T.'

'double yes'

"I don't know what's weirder, the fact that this sock is still here, or the fact that you went along with the sticky notes." Frisk looked at Gaster.

"This is just one out of many of Sans and Papyrus's antics." It looked like there was a small smile hiding on the scientists's face. "Sometimes I'm part of them."

"SANS DOESN'T EVEN REGULARLY WASH HIS LAUNDRY. AND OOOHHH ALL THE HOT DOGS... THE KETCHUP... THE BURGERS... THE GREASE!!!!" Papyrus sounded like he was on the verge of tears. But Frisk still couldn't tell if he was serious or just playing.

* There are many personality types. Papyrus is one of them.

'That's probably the most sensible explanation.'

"Actually I ... think I'm getting pretty hungry."

"OH!! WELL IT WOULD BE JUST ABOUT TIME FOR ME TO START MAKING DINNER!! YOU COULD EVEN STAY OVER FOR THE NIGHT IF YOU WANTED!!"

"Wait really?" Frisk's eyes slightly widened with a little surprise.

"UH... GASTER, CAN HE STAY OVER?" Papyrus looked at the aforementioned. Gaster looked at Frisk, then at Papyrus, then he shrugged. "I suppose... it's just one night."

"Thank you!" Frisk smiled.

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH!!! NOW IT IS TIME FOR MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS TO PUT HIS ARTISAN SKILLS TO THE TEST!!!"

Sans woke up in darkness. He was alone. Gaster wasn't even in the room. He tried to call out, but his voice couldn't be heard. So, he just exited the room and looked around the house. Papyrus wasn't here either. Not in his room, not in the kitchen. Him and Gaster were nowhere to be found. Where is everyone, the question crossed Sans's mind. He tried calling out again, but his voice was unheard yet again. So he left the house and started walking to the outskirts of town. It almost felt like his legs were moving around on their own. Like he knew where he was going already.

But he didn't.

Once the cold fog grew thicker, Sans could make out a figure in the distance. It was a short child wearing a striped shirt. He recognized Frisk in him. But Frisk looked slightly different this time. He was wearing a bandanna, too and orange gloves. But what was most different... was that his hands and clothes were covered in dust.

'HALT, HUMAN!!' Papyrus's voice sounded in the fog. Frisk however, paid it no mind, he continued forward. 'HEY, QUIT MOVING WHILE I'M TALKING TO YOU!! I, PAPYRUS HAVE SOME THINGS TO TELL YOU!! FIRST OF ALL, YOU'RE A WEIRDO!! NOT ONLY YOU DON'T LIKE PUZZLES... BUT THE WAY YOU SHAMBLE FROM PLACE TO PLACE... THE WAY YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS COVERED IN DUSTY POWDER... IT FEELS... LIKE YOUR LIFE IS GOING DOWN A VERY DANGEROUS PATH...'

Sans couldn't see his face, yet he could detect the tinge of fear in Papyrus's tone. All this felt... so familiar. Like he has seen it all before...

Frisk once again took a step forward.

'HEY!! QUIT MOVING!! SEE THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!! HUMAN, I THINK YOU ARE IN NEED OF GUIDANCE!!! BUT NOT TO WORRY!! I PAPYRUS, WILL GLADLY BE YOUR FRIENDS AND TUTOR!!!'

Another step.

'I SEE YOU ARE APPROACHING!! ARE YOU OFFERING A HUG OF ACCEPTANCE? WOWIE, MY LESSONS ARE ALREADY WORKING!! I, PAPYRUS WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS!!!'

Suddenly, the fog cleared. Sans could clearly see everything. Papyrus was just standing there, arms open, with Frisk standing only a few steps in front of him. Then...

It happened with the blink of an eye. Frisk landed a strike on Papyrus, making his skull fall right off into the snow. '... W-WELL... THAT'S... N-NOT WHAT I EXPECTED...' Papyrus coughed. His headless body turned into dust. "B-BUT... ST... STILL!! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER... EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO! I... I PROMISE.'

Frisk stepped over the dust pile and proceeded forward. Papyrus was gone. There was nothing left of him. Nothing but magical monster dust. Sans wanted to scream. He wanted to cry out. He wanted to strike at Frisk right there on the spot.

It was then, Sans bolted awake on his bed. He was panting, his face covered in sweat. He looked to his right and saw Gaster sound asleep. Sans put a hand on his forehead, leaning back in his seat. He was trying to recall the details of the nightmare.

Then, it hit him...

Papyrus.

Sans practically jumped out of bed, going to check Papyrus's room. He opened the door just a little bit to peek. Only to find... he was there. He was asleep. He was fine. But then... what was that nightmare about? Why did it feel so real? So... familiar?

"You're awake, Sans?"

Sans almost jumped when hearing Frisk's voice. He turned around and saw Frisk sitting on the couch. "... ah... hey kid..." Sans tried his best not to be uncomfortable as he walked down the stairs. "why are you awake?"

"I don't know... I can't really sleep." It was very dark, but Sans could still somewhat make out Frisk's face. His crimson eyes were almost glowing. "But what about you? Why are you awake?"

"nothin' just... i guess i'm hungry." It was not a complete lie either, Sans did feel a sudden rumbling from his nonexistent stomach. "though... i wanna ask you something." Sans made eye contact with Frisk for the first time.

"Uh... sure." Frisk inched a bit closer to him on the couch. He almost sank in it though, it really was an old couch. For a few moments, Sans didn't even know what to say. He didn't know how to ask this question forming in his mind. He didn't want to scare Frisk.

"... did anything happen today... while you were with papyrus and that bear kid?"

Frisk's expression grew uncomfortable. He looked away. "Well... nothing really."

"are you sure?" Sans was reading his expression. He could tell Frisk was lying.

"I... just..." Frisk paused, then shook his head. "But it doesn't matter, nothing happened." His voice grew a little more firm. He was now looking at the carpet beneath his feet, he didn't want to look at Sans. The skeleton's brows furrowed. Frisk was hiding something for sure. "I didn't do anything! I didn't- it wasn't my fault and-"

"hey, hey, calm down... sorry for pushing it." Sans rubbed his skull. "uh... you sure nothing happened though?"

"It's just... I didn't hurt Roman I just-"

"roman? what happened with him?"

Frisk curled in a ball on the couch. "I don't know what happened. It was so fast. But I didn't do anything! It wasn't me!"

"okay... okay. i believe you." Sans tried to calm him. He also didn't want Frisk to wake up anyone. "sorry i'll... let you sleep now. night kiddo." Sans waved and walked upstairs.

"Good night Sans..." After the door closed behind the skeleton, Frisk lie on the couch, closed his eyes and just tried to fall asleep.

She only saw whiteness. There was nothing but pure whiteness. But when she looked down, she saw her very hands. Seems she was back in her original form. Although, that wasn't going to last. In fact, none of this was real. She hates the fact that she has to evade Frisk's dream like this, but Frisk was asleep right now, therefore he wasn't as conscious of what was going on his his head. This was probably her best chance at getting to talk to this stranger, one on one.

* ... I know you are still here. I know you did not leave. Show yourself.

A tall, black figure appeared in front of her. They resembled a humanoid form, but nothing about them looked even remotely human and their voice, sounded like the voice of a demon sent from hell. It was emotionless. It was cold. Yet, it was a very ominous and terrifying voice.

I suppose my silence can only go so far.

* This is how you look like?

I do not possess a physical form of my own. So, I am formless. That is why I invade other beings' bodies.

She closed her eyes in frustration.

* Regardless, who are you? Why are you trying to force Frisk to do things he doesn't want?

A sick smile spread on the tall figure's face.

Why do you care about Frisk so much? Don't you hate humanity... Chara?

Chara folded her arms letting out a quiet, spiteful groan.

* While I am still not happy that my fate is to be sealed to humans, I am not going to irrationally hate every human on this earth like I did in the past. There are so humans who are undoubtedly cruel, yes, but there are exceptions.

Chara finally opened her eyes, glaring at the figure.

* But you are the one trying to make Frisk do terrible things. It's not his fault, but yours. I ask you again, who are you?

The sick smile on the stranger's face grew even wider. They truly looked like a hellspawn, even in their formless appearance.

If you truly wish to know. I am the Player. I watch over all of the world for all eternity. That is my fate. My position. My role in this very, very limited world.

* So why are you trying to control Frisk?

I control anyone. Since I myself do not possess a physical form, I am free to pick any vessel I want.

Their smile grew even wider.

Frisk is special. I already chose him once, twice, multiple times. And I will keep choosing him. For all of eternity. In all timelines, he will always be my ideal vessel. And he will always carry out his purpose just the way I wish.

* It sounds like you are rather obsessed with Frisk. Say, if you can pick any vessel you wish... why do you wish to ruin innocent people's lives?!

I do not just pick any vessel. I pick the vessel I deem ideal.

The Player crawled closer to Chara, their shapeless face was only a few inches from hers.

And I want to let you know, none of these beings truly matter. Their one and only purpose is to entertain me. They only exist for my entertainment. And I can do whatever I want with them. They are my toys.

Chara raised a brow. Despite the Player getting all up in her face, she didn't back away.

* So you enjoy breaking your 'toys'?

I have seen the same sentimental, friendly, pacifistic paths for too long. As soon as Frisk landed a strike on his very first monster, as soon as I entered his mind and saw the suffering and pain inside his soul, I knew he will be PERFECT.

* Just because you are some kind of god, that does not give you the right to treat these people as playthings. They are NOT your toys! They have lives of their own!

Their lives are insignificant next to my demands.

* Yet, there would be absolutely no 'entertainment' for you if they were gone.

Suddenly, the Player and Chara were both starting to fade away.

* Ah... it seems Frisk is waking up.

Chara looked at the Player one last time.

* We are not done here yet. You can keep trying all you want, I won't let you turn Frisk into a demon like yourself.

Frisk had little to no recollection of his dream last night about Chara and the Player. Chara herself chose not to mention it to him for now. She did not even talk about the Player to him at all. For now, her goal was to protect Frisk from the Player's influence.

Frisk was already sitting at the dinner table in the kitchen, with Gaster and Papyrus. Sans was still in his room. Papyrus was kind enough to make breakfast for Frisk as well, before he ventured onward into Waterfall.

"Well, thank you for the breakfast. Also, thanks for letting me stay over. But I should probably go now."

"OH, BEFORE YOU LEAVE, LET ME GIVE YOU MY PHONE NUMBER!!"

While Frisk and Papyrus were distracted conversing, Gaster went upstairs to check on Sans. He gently knocked on the door. "Sans? Are you still asleep?"

No response.

Gaster hesitated for a few moments before opening the door. His eyes widened when he saw that Sans had curled in a ball on his bed, hyperventilating and panicking. Gaster slowly entered the room and sat on the smaller skeleton's bed. "Sans..."

"tell me G... did you notice?" Sans looked up at Gaster. His left eye was glowing in a mix of yellow and cyan. He was clearly losing it. Gaster furrowed his brows, trying to keep calm. "Notice... what?"

"something with that kid... i-i just look at them... and then i see that sick smile..." Sans's eyes were welling with tears. "... please tell me i'm not going crazy."

Gaster paused. He didn't even know how to respond to this properly, or how to calm down Sans. He did not even understand what he was talking about. "Look, maybe you should sleep it off-"

"i can't sleep!!" Sans leaned back, his breathing growing more and more unstable. "every time i try to sleep, i have a dream. and when i have a dream, people are dying!"

Gaster's expression grew more and more worried. "... Sans..." He carefully put a hand on his shoulder.

"... please tell me i'm not insane..." Sans looked down, his eyes going black. "you had to have noticed something right?"

"I don't... really... know what you mean, Sans. Are you sure it wasn't just another bad dream?" Gaster tried to pick his words very carefully.

"no, it's not like that." Sans shook his head. "it keeps repeating. every time. and- in every one of them..." His sentence trailed off. He let out a soft sigh. That seemed to have calmed him down just a little bit as he looked into Gaster's eyes once more. "we... we should just try and keep an eye on that kid. something... feels off."

Gaster slowly nodded. "Of course. I trust you. I will do my best, if it will make you calmer."Sans seems to have finally pulled himself together. His eye stopped glowing after he wiped away his tears. "It is alright if you want to take a few days off from work, Sans."

"... nah... no need, i'm good." Suddenly every ounce of emotion disappeared from Sans's voice.

""Everyone will understand, there is no need to-"

"i'm good gaster. i... don't wanna take a day off over this. i think i'm just being overly worried for papyrus. y'know, brother thing..." he looked away. He was obviously lying he knew, what he saw was not just in his head. But he didn't want to push this topic any further.

Gaster probably also suspected that Sans wasn't entirely honest with him, but he just sighed. "Well, alright. If you're sure... just please try and get some rest."

"... yeah... i'll try. thanks."

"Of course." He nodded. After some moments, Gaster left their bedroom and Sans lie back on the bed, staying like that for a while. Gaster headed back down to the living room. Frisk already left.

"IS SANS OKAY?" Papyrus asked, not even trying to hide his concern.

"... He'll probably be alright." Gaster honestly couldn't say for sure if Sans is alright or not. Clearly, he was not telling him the full story.

"WELL THAT'S GOOD THEN!! I MUST GO NOW AND GIVE UNDYNE MY REPORT ABOUT FRISK!! BYE GASTER!!" He left out the door in a flash. Once he left, Gaster sat on the couch and fished out his phone from his pocket.

"Good morning, Alphys?" Gaster spoke into the receiver a few seconds after Alphys picked up.

"M-Morning Dr. Gaster! Are you alright?" Alphys's usual nervous voice sounded from the other end.

"Yes, I'm fine... have you heard about the new human?" Gaster leaned back in his seat.

"O-Oh yeah... I-I've been watching him on my c-... cameras."

Gaster furrowed his brows. "You installed cameras?"

Alphys chuckled nervously on the other end. "Y-Yeah... j-just y'know for safety measures."

"Hmm... that might actually be a good thing. Say, has he been doing anything... unusual or strange?"

Alphys paused for a moment. Then, there was some worry in her voice. "N-Not really but... th-there is something you... might want to see."

"... Alright. I'll be right over there."

It took a while for Sans to get himself out of bed, but once he did, he knew what he was going to do. He had to talk to Roman. Something happened between him and Frisk yesterday, and whatever it was, Frisk wouldn't talk about it. Which certainly made Sans suspicious, especially because of his recurring nightmares about Frisk killing Papyrus.

He knocked at the wrong house quite a few times before he found the correct house. A small house standing just before the room with the riverboat. Sans knocked on the door. A few minutes later, a tall, very strict looking bear opened the door, wearing glasses and a red shirt.

"ah uh.. good day sir, is roman home?"

"Who are you?" The bear monster furrowed his brows.

"i'm sans. i'm papyrus's brother."

"Why do you want to see Roman? Does this have anything to do with his foolish desires to be a Royal Guard?" The tone of Roman's father was certainly not pleasant. Nor did he really seem like a pleasant man. But Sans tried to keep it cool.

"yesterday papyrus and roman encountered a human. there was something happening between roman and that kid that i need to know about."

"Do you think I care about the foolish antics that my son gets up to, day after day, instead of focusing on school?" He folded his arms. Sans was starting to lose patience.

"look sir, i'm just trying to look out for my brother. he became friends with the kid, and if something happened between roman and the human then i need to know what it is. if that human is dangerous then i gotta protect my brother from him."

"Who is it dad?" Roman walked into the scene. Sans could somewhat see him. "Oh, hey Sans. Did you want something?" Roman's father turned around, walking away from the door. Sans just let himself in, even though nobody told him he could come in. It's a good thing he quickly entered, because Roman's father slammed the door shut mere seconds later.

"That's it Roman! You are not allowed to ever go out in the forest with that numbskull!"

"hey, you're talking about my brother!" But Sans got practically ignored. "B-But dad!" Roman took a step back as his father towered over him.

"I am sick of you bringing down my reputation with your nonsensical behavior! From now on, you will focus only on your schoolwork! Forget all this Royal Guard nonsense! Any sane person would never put their life into your incapable hands! You will never become a Royal Guard!"

The silence of the room was deafening. Roman walked stormed into his room slamming the door behind him.

"And you get out of my house!" Roman's father barked at Sans before he himself disappeared behind another door next to Roman's room.

"... jeez. pleasant guy." Sans didn't leave yet, instead he went to where he assumed Roman's room was. He opened the door just a little bit to peek in and he saw Roman crying, sitting on his bed. Sans slowly walked further in his room. "hey... you good, kiddo?"

"Y-You know..." Roman sniffled. "When I came home after Undyne made me Royal Trainee... I-I was so excited." A crooked smile spread on his tear stained face. "I told him 'Hey dad! Guess what! I'm gonna be a Royal Guard! I'll bring honor to our family!' But... he never took me seriously. He thought it was all just a game. And that ... s-some like me... should never get the chance to have such authority..." Roman stared down at his bed sheet, hugging his knees. "All I ever wanted... was just... to make him proud. Just... once... tell me that I'm doing a good job! But... he never does. All he does is make me feel worthless..."

Sans sat next to Roman. "hey, you know... i get it. i once... had someone. who used to make me feel worthless." Sans looked away. It felt strange, to talk about Gaster like this. This Gaster, and the Gaster in the lab ten years ago felt like two entirely different people. "he used to make me feel like i won't ever accomplish anything worthwhile. that i wasn't really capable of anything. but hey... look at me now, i'm working next to the royal scientist every day." He smiled a little at Roman. Roman managed to smile back at him. "just remember this... whatever your dad says... he is wrong. you're gonna be an amazing royal guard someday. heck, i'd be real proud of your dedication if i was undyne. but i'm not heh..."

"Really? You... really think?"

"yeah." He put a hand on Roman's shoulder. "and if anything... you've been a real pal for my bro. you're one of the few real friends he has. so i owe you a thanks just for that." He winked. Roman's smile widened a little. "Heh... yeah... yeah you're right! Maybe we didn't get the Human now but someday, I will get into the Royal Guard! And I won't let anyone bring me down!"

"exactly! you can do whatever you wanna do. you shouldn't let anyone get in the way of your dreams."

Roman wiped his face. "thanks... sans."

"heh no worries. any time." He stood up from Roman's bed, getting ready to leave. "anyhoo, i should probably leave before your dad throws me out."

"Right... bye Sans!"

"see ya kid." Sans waved goodbye before leaving and going back home.

Chapter Text

It didn't take too long for Gaster to arrive to the lab. The lab that he shared with Dr. Alphys for quite a while now. Ever since King Asgore appointed that they should start working together in Gaster's lab, which was now really not just Gaster's, but Alphys's as well. Alphys would still sometimes be at her old lab, but she did most of her work down here, with Gaster, too. Though Gaster mostly did his work at home, since Sans would not come down to this lab anymore due to old wounds, Gaster still tried to get some work done with Dr. Alphys here as well. 

As he walked down the hall, Gaster reached the office. The lab remained relatively the same in the past ten years. The only notable difference was that Gaster got rid of all his machines that he would use to experiment on the brothers in the past. There were also a few new additions to the office. Alphys moved down her more important equipment. There was also a charging station where Gaster saw a rectangular metal box that he recognized as Mettaton. 

At Alphys's desk, there were a set of cameras monitoring the whole of the Underground that she set up some time after the 6th human's fall. She thought it could be efficient to keep a close eye on what humans did around the Underground, and Gaster did not really find it to be a bad idea, per se. Although he was more than sure the purpose of this was rather that Alphys can satisfy her interest in humans, Gaster did not exactly mind either way. 

In the corner of the room, there was also... 

... 

An unconscious human, hooked on a life support system. 

They were malnourished and pale, despite them being technically a 24 years old adult at this point. They have been asleep for for ten years. Ten entire years. Their soul has been unresponsive and they did not show the slightest hint of being alive anymore. 

This Human, was Kale Nova. A very, very special human. The only human that Gaster could feel even the slightest ounce of sympathy for. The only human who was able to earn his trust. The human who became a dear friend to Sans and Papyrus in their youth. Who was an anchor for the boys in their hardest stages of life. The human, who gave their life to help monsters. 

The human who was the reason Gaster became the person he is today. If he hadn't took them in that day, ten years ago... Gaster dreaded to think of how things would have changed for the worst. 

Kale's determination was sucked out by Alphys and Gaster's determination extractor - a machine that found a new home down here in this lab, - in order to stop a cruel, soulless monster Flowey the Flower from stirring terror across the Underground. Kale made this sacrifice in order to protect their friends. Due to this, they lost their trait and have been in a coma ever since. 

"I-I wonder..." Alphys suddenly entered the office, snapping Gaster out of his trance. "... if they'll ever wake up anymore..." The lizard monster anxiously readjusted her oversized glasses. 

Gaster buried his hands in the pockets of his light grey jacket. "It's been ten years. It's hard to say if they are even alive anymore." 

"Y-Yeah..." Alphys shifted her gaze onto the floor with saddened eyes. 

"But, in any case..." Gaster quickly changed the topic. "there was something you wanted to show me?" 

"A-Ah- y-yes, right." Alphys nodded, finding her original train of thought. "H-Here, I-I think you should see this." She guided Gaster to the camera systems. Frisk was currently sitting by a river in Waterfall, seemingly admiring the aesthetics. "S-So uh... I've watched them all day yesterday, since they left the Ruins. T-They have been uh... p-pretty normal. They were doing Papyrus and his friend's puzzles. I-It was all fine until... P-Papyrus's bear friend confronted them a-and... it..." 

Gaster vaguely remembered Papyrus and that bear child trying to ... 'capture' Frisk in an seemingly very futile effort. Neither Papyrus or the bear child were very hostile, after all. Sans said this morning that they should probably keep an eye on Frisk for good measure, because he felt like something was off. Gaster furrowed his brows as a suspicious feeling began to arise within him. "Did anything happen...?" He tried his best to keep his tone casual. 

"W-Well uh... t-they started fighting. A-And the Human was acting v-very strange. But Papyrus quickly broke them up." Alphys fidgeted with her fingers and cleared her throat to make the ounce of nervousness vanish from her tone before she continued. "I-I thought the human just got scared at first. B-But then I saw... t-their stats..." Alphys referred to another monitor next to the cameras. It relaid Frisk's stats. Immediately, something did not miss Gaster's attention.

LV 2 

That meant Frisk must have killed at least one monster. Or perhaps even more. 

"T-They were already LV 2 when they left the R-Ruins. I-I figured they probably just... g-got scared of a Froggit or something. B-But there are moments when-" 

In that exact moment, the screen blinked for a second and the stats changed, shockingly different.

Frisk 

LV 19 

HP 99

AT 100

DEF 100

WEAPON REAL KNIFE 

ARMOR LOCKET 

Gaster had to do a double take to make sure he was reading those numbers right. "... What." 

"Y-Yeah uuhh.. i-it does that..." Alphys squeaked in an unusually high voice. "I-I really though it was just some w-weird error or something! B-But it... keeps blinking out... a-and then the stats go crazy." 

"But that... that can't be right..." Gaster rubbed his forehead. 

"I-I know." Alphys nodded nervously. 

It took Gaster a while to process this before the stats blinked back to... 'normal'. Were they really normal? Which stats were correct. "There... there is no way they could have killed that many monsters in the Ruins." Gaster said, though his tone sounded like he was rather trying to convince himself. 

"I... I-I don't think they would. Th-there can't be that many monsters there. A-And even so... they s-seemed... friendly enough." Gaster's change of tone did not miss Alphys's attention, and that made her a little more apprehensive. 

"And how can you know for sure? They could have just been trying to manipulate Papyrus to make him lower his guard. Besides, based on the stats, they must have killed at least some monsters."

"W-Well..." Alphys looked away, sweat collecting on her forehead. She couldn't really blame Gaster for his suspicions, he still had a hard time with humans after all, but this wasn't exactly the reaction she expected. In fact this was probably a worse case scenario that Alphys hoped wouldn't occur. "I-I think! I-I-It's just some weird g-glitch! I-I ... m-musta messed up something! S-Stupid machine hehehehe... y-y-y-you should forget about it! It probably doesn't matter!" Despite her words, the strange statistics made Alphys concerned too, and she hated it, very much. 

Gaster did not look convinced at all, but he just nodded. "Alright... if you say so. Just call me if there is anything strange happening, I'll bring over paper work later today. Good day, Alphys." 

"Y-Yes! B-Bye Dr. Gaster!" 

Gaster quickly walked down the hall and entered the elevator leading outside. 

He felt like a fool.

He should have known, as soon as Papyrus would see a human, he would fail to realize the immediate danger. Papyrus is still painfully naive. Gaster dreaded to think about what could have possibly happened to Papyrus yesterday during his sentry duty. He was even slightly concerned for the bear child. As he entered the the elevator, he whipped out his cell phone and called Papyrus, impatiently tapping his feet. 

Papyrus answered moments later. "HI GASTER!! IS SOMETHING WRONG? I WAS JUST ABOUT TO TALK TO UNDYNE ABOUT-" 

"Papyrus, can you explained what happened yesterday, with that Human?" Gaster failed to keep his tone calm which caused Papyrus a bit of concern. "ARE... YOU ALRIGHT?" 

"Just answer me." 

"... WELL NOTHING WRONG HAPPENED! FRISK SUCCESSFULLY WITHSTOOD ALL OF OUR PUZZLES!" Of course, Papyrus sounded just as lively and happy as ever.

In contrast, Gaster failed to stay calm, even though he didn't want to get mad at Papyrus. It wasn't really his fault, after all. "Did he do anything? Act strange?" 

There was worry, settling in Papyrus's tone, the bright cheeriness washing away immediately. "HE REALLY DIDN'T... WHY ARE YOU ASKING?"

"He could have just been trying to fool you all along. You could have gotten seriously injured or worse." 

There was a minute of silence. "BUT... GASTER... I SWEAR, FRISK WAS BEING FRIENDLY!! HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!" 

"And I refuse to believe that for a moment." The elevator already opened, but Gaster didn't leave yet. He just folded an arm, leaning into the wall. "I know for a fact he killed at least a few monsters." 

"I'M SURE HE WAS JUST SCARED!" Papyrus tried to ease Gaster to the best of his ability, although the idea of Frisk killing monsters sounded very unsettling to him. When he got nothing but an unconvinced groan in response, he added. "GASTER, PLEASE... I KNOW YOU STILL DON'T TRUST HUMANS BUT JUST... TRUST ME! I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING! I PROMISE!"

Gaster sighed, his tone finally going softer. "Just... be careful. Very careful. Please." He closed his eye. His cell phone holding hand trembled for a moment. "I'd never forgive myself if you-..."  

"I KNOW... DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME. I'M THE GREAT PAPYRUS! FUTURE ROYAL GUARDSMAN!!" 

"... Of course you are." Gaster couldn't stop a smile from spreading on his face, however small it was. 

"I'LL SEE YOU LATER AT HOME!! BYE!" 

"Goodbye, Papyrus." 

* * * * *

Leaving the cold snowy fields, Frisk was traversing through a place, although not much warmer, definitely more beautiful. As he walked on the road, he heard the sounds of waterfalls, the river flowing just next to the road. He had to stop for a moment to admire. The river carried huge blocks of ice with it, stretching into the dark abyss where no eye could see. Frisk sat down on the rocky ground, though careful not to fall. "It's so... beautiful."

* ... It is. The Underground does have a hidden beauty.

And to think he climbed this mountain with the intention of disappearing from the eye of the world... He has already been down here for three days. He started wondering how all the others are doing. Ben, Echo... even Vade. Suddenly, Frisk dug through his gray backpack, digging out an old cell phone. A phone that Toriel gave him. It felt like an eternity since he has left the Ruins. ... Toriel asked him to not come back. Should he even bother calling her? Against his better judgement, Frisk dialed the number. However, nobody picked up. "... I kind of miss her. She was so caring."

* Toriel is just like that, yes.

There was silence for a few minutes. Frisk in the meantime, buried his phone back into his bag, watching the river flow. However, Chara eventually broke the silence.

* I want to ask you something. If it's not too personal that is.

"Oh? What is it?" Frisk looked up at the air, as usual when he was talking with Chara, although he did not know who she was yet.

* Frisk, why would you climb Mount Ebott?

Frisk bowed his head, rubbing his arm. "Oh... well... I... It's kind of silly, to be honest." He turned his head away.

* I will not judge.

"... I... I did it because... I felt like the world never loved me. I felt like nobody ever needed me. See, I was in an orphanage for as long as I remember. But I waited eight years, yet nobody would adopt me... ever." His words were followed by silence. Frisk went on. "As I said... just silly. I even abandoned my best friend, in the worst way possible. He would hate my guts if he ever saw me again." There was a lump forming in his throat, stopping him from saying anything else. Thinking about Ben was still painful, especially considering how long he has been gone for. 

He wondered if he got into the newspaper article about the missing humans. Chara broke the silence.

* I don't think it's silly. You felt unloved on the Surface and even hurt your best friend because of your trauma. I can relate.

"... Really?" 

* Yes. My parents were abusive, I did not have any friends in school, I was constantly mocked and humiliated for not fitting in. I had... rather peculiar interests, despite being very young.

"That... sounds terrible." Frisk said quietly, staring at the flowing water before him. Chara went on. 

* So, I relate to you. I also climbed Mount Ebott to escape my hellish life. I was even younger than you, when I did it.

"Wait you're... also a Human??" Frisk's eyes widened with realization. 

* I would hardly call this pathetic state human.

There was a little more anger in her tone than she would have liked. She softened up as she went on.

* ... But... yes. I used to be a human. I climbed Mount Ebott, with the intentions to end my life. But I survived the fall. I was found by Asriel Dreemurr. Son of the King and Queen. 

There was a pause. It was exceptionally difficult for Chara to look back on these memories. She tried to regain her composure as she went on. Frisk just listened without interrupting. Somehow, he could feel the emotions weighing down this disembodied person in his head. He couldn't help but frown, sadly. 

* The Royal family were very loving. It was... difficult to adjust to, at first. I came from a world where I was unloved, only to fall down to a place where people, for once in my life, loved me for who I was. With all of my flaws and weaknesses. Eventually... me and Asriel became best friends and siblings. Until... I ended up hatching a... 'perfect' plan to free monsterkind. And I dragged Asriel into it. 

"I guess it didn't go well..." On second thought, Frisk sort of wished he'd have stayed quiet. "I-I mean... sorry, pointing out the obvious here..." Chara didn't seem to mind. 

* No... It went horrible. My plan was to poison myself and end my life, so Asriel could absorb my soul, cross the Barrier, then collect six other Human souls to free monsters. At first, it went according to plan. I successfully poisoned myself. Asriel could cross the Barrier with my soul. But... when he got to the village... every human attacked him with all they had. He refused to fight back. Asriel thought that if he killed the Humans... monsters would have had to face another war. At the time, I did not understand. So I called him an idiot. A coward. In his last living moments. My horrible plan caused my brother's untimely death, and the ruin of Monsterkind. 

Frisk found that it has been several minutes and he was still speechless. It took a lot for him to digest everything Chara just said. He did not even know what to say. His first instinct was to say sorry, but would that really be worth anything at all? He rather just preferred staying quiet, but then he thought... "I don't think you should blame yourself. Sure, you made a mistake but you couldn't have known what happened. And you couldn't have known what would be the aftermath of Asriel's death. That was out of your control." 

* ... I manipulated my brother into trying to murder an entire village. 

"And I'm not saying that's okay. But... you just wanted to- 

* Stop. Talking. Now. I do not want your pity. 

"But I'm not- I-I mean-" 

* If it wasn't for me, monsters would have never lost their prince. I was never even one of them. I was just a nobody, coming from the world that they were despised by. 

Frisk felt like this was not an argument he could win. However, before he could even think to speak, he felt his vision blur. He wiped his eyes and found that the tears wouldn't stop flowing from his eyes. But... he wasn't crying. He didn't feel like crying. 

* I-I... my apologies I shouldn't- 

It didn't take a lot of thinking for him to realize what was happening. "No, it's okay. You can... heh... let it out through me." Frisk smiled, with tears flowing down his face that were not really his own. There was just silence between the two of them for a while until he spoke up again. After he gave his companion time to calm down, he felt confident enough to ask. "Can you... tell me your name? I know you said before, it doesn't matter. But it matters to me. I want to call you by name. I... want to view you as an equal... a friend, even. Since you've been so helpful and nice to me ever since I fell. You have been guiding me through my whole journey and... I'm getting more and more used to you being here. If I could call you by name, it could feel even more natural. So ... what is your name?" 

* ... It's... Chara. 

* * * *

Frisk took a few more minutes before he would go on. There was a patch of tall grass in the way that he was trying to crawl past, when he heard a familiar voice sounding above him. 

"HI UNDYNE! I'M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT!!" Frisk was surprised to see Papyrus on a higher area above him, facing a tall, armored figure. He stopped to listen in. "REGARDING THAT HUMAN I CALLED YOU ABOUT EARLIER..." The armored figure muttered something that Frisk did not hear. It was too dark to see his expression, yet from his tone Frisk could still tell Papyrus was nervous. "DID I FIGHT HIM? WELL UH... ROMAN DID!! AND I ASSURE YOU, HE FOUGHT VERY VALIANTLY-" Papyrus's sentence was caught off as the stranger spoke again. "DID WE CAPTURE HIM?" Papyrus looked away for a moment, shoulders slumping. "NO... WE TRIED VERY HARD UNDYNE, AND WE ARE VERY SOR-" There was a minute of silence. Papyrus's tone was now vibrating with concern. "WHAT?? YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE HUMAN'S SOUL YOURSELF? BUT UNDYNE! YOU DON'T HAVE TO DESTROY HIM, YOU SEE-" The armored person turned to face Papyrus, menacingly, causing the tall skeleton to back away. There was another uncomfortable minute of silence before Papyrus sighed. "I UNDERSTAND... I WILL DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO HELP YOU." 

Papyrus ran off into the darkness and Frisk waited for a few moments before trying to sneak off in the grass. But as soon as he took one step, he heard armor clanking. He looked up again, to see the menacing figure pointing a blue spear at him. Frisk froze, right there on the spot. He did not even dare to breathe, as he felt his body fill with fear. 

Are they gonna throw the spear at him? Should he try to run? Should he just stay very still? 

Before he could even think to make a move, the armored monster put their spear away and disappeared into the shadows. Frisk had to take a few moments to recover from his sudden fear, before he could move forwards. But as he did, he heard footsteps behind him that caused him to stop in his tracks and shoot his gaze behind his shoulder. But there was only a yellow monster child behind him. Frisk heaved a sigh of relief. 

"Woaaahhh..." The monster child's eyes shined with excitement and amazement. "Did you see the way she was staring at you? That... WAS AWESOME!! I'm soooo jealous! What did you do to get her attention?" The monster inched closer to Frisk and now he could see he was a few inches shorter than him. Before he could think of a response, the child already scooted away, exclaiming excitedly. "Come on! Let's watch her beat up some bad guys!" Not paying attention, he tripped and fell face first on the ground, but he quickly stood up and ran off. 

* Okay. 

It was Chara's voice that managed to snap Frisk out of his fear induced confusion. He saw another one of those stars, and hit it with a moment later. 

* A feeling of dread hangs over you. But you stay determined.

"Do you think Papyrus-" Frisk said a moment later with worry. 

* I don't think he will really hurt you or drag you into harm's way. But Undyne is more serious than him. If it's up to her to collect you soul...

A moment of silence. 

* ... Well, we should be twice as cautious around here, till we leave this place.

Only a few minutes later, Frisk's phone rang in his bag and he picked up. 

"HELLO, THIS IS THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

It took a moment for Frisk to react. "I never gave you my number??" 

"OH, I JUST DIALED EVERY NUMBER UNTIL I GOT YOURS!! BUT ANYWAY FRISK, I HAVE A NICE ADVICE FOR YOU! IT IS GOOD TO CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES!!"

"My... clothes?" Frisk blinked. He had absolutely no clue where Papyrus was going with this. "What do you mean." 

"WELL... YOU KNOW... STRIPED SHIRTS CAN BE A BIT EXPOSING!! AND IT MIGHT BE GOOD FOR YOU TO KEEP A LOW PROFILE!" 

"... Oh... right..." It didn't take long for him to put the two and two together. "I guess... you are right." 

"... AND ONE MORE THING." Papyrus said after a pause. "DID YOU EVER HAPPEN TO... HURT ANYONE?" 

Frisk felt like his heart just dropped from a twenty story drop, landing somewhere in the very pit of his stomach. He did not hurt anyone, if you do not count the incident with Vade and that one Froggit... and the encounter with Roman. Even if they both came out of that scenario uninjured. "I..." Frisk didn't even know what to respond. 

* I can feel you shaking. Breathe. I can't really judge anything you did on the Surface and what happened with Roman wasn't your fault.

"I JUST UH... HEARD SOMEONE SAY... SOMEONE WHO I DEFINITELY DON'T KNOW BY THE WAY!! I HEARD THEM SAY YOU... MAY HAVE KILLED MONSTERS... A-AND UH... O-OF COURSE I DON'T BELIEVE THAT FOR A SECOND, YOU ARE MY DEAR FRIEND AFTER ALL!! BUT THIS PERSON WHO... WHO IS... DEFINITELY NOT SOMEONE I KNOW!! THEY HAVE A BIT OF PROBLEMS TRUSTING HUMANS! AND I JUST WANT TO PROVE THEM WRONG!! EVEN THOUGH I DON'T KNOW THEM!! AT ALL!!! NYEH HEH HEH!!"

"... Is it Gaster?" Even though he didn't see the Royal Scientist for a long time, Frisk could definitely tell Gaster was the type to mistrust humans and Papyrus's points about not knowing that person were not very convincing. 

"WH-WHAT? OF COURSE NOT!! WHY WOULD HE EVER SUSPECT YOU!! AFTER ALL HE... UH... HE IS..." Papyrus lost his train of thought as he realized he couldn't come up with a convincing lie. "JUST... PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING..."

"I-I... I swear it wasn't- I didn't mean- it was just an accident and I- I didn't- I-" Frisk stammered with his words, unsure of how to explain himself. "I..." 

"... I UNDERSTAND." Papyrus said after a minute of silence. "YOU WERE JUST SCARED!! OF COURSE YOU WERE!! IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE, AFTER ALL! MONSTERS MUST BE SCARY FOR YOUNG HUMANS!! I KNEW I WAS RIGHT ABOUT YOU, I WILL TELL GASTER RIGHT AWAY THAT HE THOUGHT WRONG!" 

"Wait-" 

After Frisk barely managed to get out his first word, Papyrus hung up. He sighed, his shoulders dropping. 

* ... Don't hold it against him Frisk. Gaster was... never comfortable with humans. He resented me too, when I was living with the Dreemurrs.

"How much do you know him?" Frisk looked up at the air. 

* I never really got to know him. He mostly avoided me and I only ever saw him a handful of times.

"I guess... he's just ... distant?" Frisk mumbled rubbed his arm uncomfortably. 

* Yes, I can definitely say. And a lot of monsters mistrust humans. You can't blame them, can you?

"No." Frisk shook his head. "... What about the clothes?" Frisk changed the topic from Gaster, to Papyrus's very peculiar advice. 

* Unless you packed a different shirt in that bag, I guess the best you can do is lie low, until Undyne is no longer a threat.

"Right..."

* * * * *

'The War of Humans and Monsters. Why did the Humans attack? Indeed, it seemed they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the soul of nearly every monster just to equal the power of single human soul. But humans have one weakness. Ironically, it is the strength of their soul. It's power allows it to persist outside the human soul, even after death. If a monster defeats a human, they can take it's soul. A monster with a human soul... a horrible monster with unfathomable power.' 

".. Now I kind of regret never paying attention on my history classes." Frisk stopped for a few moments after he finished reading all the signs with the ancient writings. On the last sign, there was an illustration of something that looked like a horrible beast. "I-I'm sorry, it must be... hard to look back on all this." Frisk remarked, noticing Chara's strange silence. 

* ... It's fine. You should know. 

"I... feel so sorry for the monsters who went through so much." Frisk frowned. 

* Yes. Humans still prove to be exceptionally cruel creatures.  

He decided not to linger by the signs for much longer, so he proceeded through Waterfall. He was walking through a long wooden bridge when suddenly. 

There was a blue spear landing right in front of him, almost impaling his foot. Frisk only shot his gaze up once to meet with Undyne's before he realized this is the perfect moment to start running. The spears came storming from every direction, Frisk had to be very quick to make sure he doesn not get hit by any of them. He almost tripped and because of a false movement, a spear grazed his right arm and left a nasty scratch. Frisk stood up as quickly as he could and continued running, until he saw another patch of long grass that he practically jumped into to hide. 

The clanking of the approaching metal armor was getting louder and louder. Frisk could feel Undyne's presence right next to him, but he did not dare to look up once, he only squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the worst. 

Only... that didn't come. There was silence. Frisk dared to look up for one swift moment, to see that Undyne was holding that same monster child that he encountered before. Undyne gently lowered him and walked away. It was only when her banging footsteps stopped, that Frisk felt safe enough to stumble out of the grass. Moments later, he heard the younger monster's footsteps behind him. 

"Yo... did you see that? Undyne just... TOUCHED ME!! I'm never washing my face ever again!" The excitement and joy was once again present in their voice and expression. Frisk just nodded and smiled nervously. "Yeah... you're... so lucky, dude." 

"Yeahhh, you're pretty unlucky. But don't worry! I'm sure we'll see her again!" The child ran off, tripping once again. Frisk walked forward, rubbing his injured arm. 

* You okay?

"Y-Yeah it's... just a scratch." He nodded. 

* It seems Undyne is still onto us. 

"You don't say..." Frisk mumbled a little sour. He couldn't deny, he felt rather stirred up. He did just have to run for his life moments ago. 

* You may take a breather if you want. I can still see your thoughts and I can see you are not alright.

"... Sure. Thanks." Frisk nodded, sitting in the dirty, rocky soil of Waterfall. This area was probably the most beautiful out of any other that Frisk has seen in the Underground so far. Right now, he was sitting before a flower field. There were blue flowers scattered all around. A lot of monsters in the area, too. Frisk hoped he wouldn't draw too much attention to himself just by sitting there. 

* Ah yes. The echo flowers. They repeat your words forever.

"That... sounds scary and amusing at the same time." Frisk was just looking at the flower field and the monsters having fun with the echo flowers, when he heard approaching footsteps, and as soon as he turned to look, his gaze met with someone completely unexpected. 

It was Gaster coming through. The royal scientist was probably just as surprised to see Frisk as he was. They stared at each other for a few moments. Considering what Papyrus told him, Frisk really didn't feel like he would have wanted to meet Gaster right here, right now. 

He tried to muster a timid hi, but the word got stuck in his throat half way through, so he just waved, standing up clumsily. 

"What are you doing here?" Gaster looked over him, not even trying to hide the suspicion. 

"Nothing..." Frisk rubbed his bleeding arm. Gaster noticed, too. "Ah..." He was probably able to connect the dots, at least Frisk hoped he would. He really didn't want to have to tell Gaster that he's trying to escape from Undyne. 

He would probably turn him in, if he did.

'No, don't think that stupid!' He berated himself. Gaster was just staring at him with a skeptical look, folding his arms. "I-I'm sorry." Frisk managed to say. 

"You're sorry?" Gaster tilted his head. 

"I mean-... Papyrus called me earlier and uh... yeah..." Frisk looked away. He felt so uncomfortable by the situation, especially because he couldn't tell Gaster was uncomfortable with him, or outright disliked him in this moment. Though a part of him felt like it was rather the latter. 

"... I see..." Gaster said after a moment, before stepping closer to Frisk. Somehow, Frisk felt overwhelmingly short compared to Gaster right now. "So? Did you or did you not kill monsters?" 

"... Why are you asking? Does it really matter?" Frisk hissed through gritted teeth, clenching his hands into fists. He did not mean to sound so aggressive and this certainly wasn't helping his situation, but he was so frustrated with Gaster showing up in this moment that he felt like he rather wanted to run away and avoid a conversation. 

"You see it matters, because Papyrus views you as a friend right now. I wouldn't want him to be friends with an untrustworthy, manipulative human." Gaster's tone remained alarmingly calm. Frisk felt a tinge of anger spark in his gut. Manipulative? He really thinks he is manipulative of all things? He met him only a day ago, and already he is assuming he is a scum. 

"I'm not-" 

"What makes you think I'm manipulative?"

Frisk slapped a hand on his mouth in surprise. That voice that came out of his mouth... that wasn't his voice. Gaster seemed genuinely surprised as well, suddenly. Taking advantage of that, Frisk's mouth moved again, and the new voice formed words that he never even thought to speak. 

"You do not have proof against me. I understand your mistrust of humanity, Dr. Gaster, but it doesn't excuse your prejudice. We only met a day ago, so you shouldn't assume things."

"I'm not-" 

"Humans hold the same prejudice against monsters. Do you really think it is right, to act like this? Doesn't it make you just as bad as them?"

"Do not lecture me!"

Frisk honestly wished he could shut his mouth. Or make whoever is speaking for him shut their mouth. The voice was familiar too... was it...? 

"You know I'm right. That's why you're getting frustrated. You are better than this, Dr. Gaster. You and I both know." 

"... Who are you? You do not sound like the same human." Gaster seemed like he did not even believe his own words right now. But he seems to have caught on, there was no doubt now Chara was somehow speaking for Frisk. Seems she didn't expect this question, as she remained silent for several moments. 

"Who I am is not relevant. Just someone who knows you well enough."

Gaster seemed defeated, he closed his eye and walked off. But he looked back at Frisk over his shoulder for a moment. "... I'm watching you." With that, he was gone. 

There was a solid minute of silence. 

"What the heck?" Frisk spoke up, this time with his actual voice. 

* I am sorry, I shouldn't have done that without your consent. But I felt how angry you got, so if I would have let you speak, this would have only turned uglier. 

"... Okay, fine. You got me there. But how- how did you even do that?" Frisk rubbed the back of his head. 

* I noticed for a while that I can feel the things you feel. And vice versa, when I... you know...

"... Right. So... I'm sharing my body? With you?" 

* I believe so, it is something like that. 

"Well... I'm happy to share, just give me a heads-up next time." Frisk said, chuckling nervously. 

* Of course. 

* * * * *

Frisk managed to traverse through the rest of Waterfall without any further problems. He completely forgot about Undyne and Gaster by then. He was approaching a cavern opening, when there was suddenly an unfamiliar voice echoing through his head. 

"Seven. Seven human souls and King Asgore will become a god." Frisk looked high up and saw Undyne's armored figure standing atop the cliff. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach. He wanted to move, but his legs wouldn't give in. Undyne turned to face him. "Six. That's how many we have collected thus far. Do you understand Human?" 

"I... I'm sorry for what happened to monsters." Frisk spoke up, his voice small. "I read those signs. I understand-"

"PAH!! Don't make me laugh! Do not give me that! I know this is all just a cute shtick. You really think you can make me lower my guard like that?!"

"I-I wasn't-" 

"LET'S JUST GET TO THE POINT!" Undyne landed in front of Frisk, tossing her helmet aside, revealing her finned, scaley face, her long red hair fluttering in the wind. "Here's the deal, human! Either you give up your soul, or I will tear it from your body." 

"I-I..." Frisk did not even have time to think. Everything was happening so fast. Undyne however, seemed all too excited to fight him. 

"TIME'S UP!" With a swift mood, Undyne jabbed at Frisk with a blue energy spear. Frisk jumped out of the way, but couldn't nail the landing, so he ended up landing on his face, feeling the taste of fresh blood in his mouth. He managed to stand up. Undyne tossed a spear in front of him, grinning manically. "The only way through is if you face danger head on! No more running away! You won't last a SECOND against me!!" 

With trembling legs, Frisk was trying to think about what on Earth he should do, but before he could even start to think, spears were already storming toward him. He just ran, dodging them as swiftly as he could. 

* Look- Frisk, just try to breathe. I'm sure we can get past her without fighting.

"FIGHT BACK YOU WIMP! STOP RUNNING AWAY!" Undyne barked, sending another array of spears toward Frisk. 

"I don't want to fight you! Can we not just- s-settle this?!" Frisk stammered. He needed a great deal of energy to be able to block the spears, run and talk all at the same time. Undyne seemed relentless. 

"Settle this?! Oh PLEASE like I would EVER accept mercy from you!" Undyne cackled with glee as Frisk was already out of breath and could barely move. A spear hit him right in his left arm, making both of his arms injured now. He fell to his knees, his vision turning blurry. All he saw were blue flashes, and he felt pain in every inch of your body. Undyne rolled his eyes. She looked strangely annoyed. "Seriously? I wanted to make this fair, but if you're going to be such a pushover!" Undyne effortlessly threw another spear in Frisk's direction. 

But Frisk suddenly blocked it and stood up. He felt a newfound strength in his body. Was it really him...? Frisk threw his spear toward Undyne, catching any other incoming spears and throwing them again, making Undyne block them and move out of their way. Somehow, Frisk looked very threatening right now, despite his small figure. 

"About time you showed some guts!" Undyne huffed, starting to get tired. Frisk would not even be hit anymore, he did not even need to dodge the spears. He could grab the incoming spears and block them efficiently. 

* Frisk what are you DOING?!

It was as if Chara's words went unheard. Frisk suddenly grabbed two spears with both hands and lunged at Undyne with all his might, catching her off guard and piercing through her armor. Undyne knelt down, clutching her wound. "Ngaahh... Y-... You... you were stronger... than I thought..." 

Frisk's face remained completely blank and emotionless as he tossed the spears to the ground. Undyne's body was shaking intensly and it seemed like she needed to muster a lot of energy to even be able to speak. "... So then this is... where it ends..." She croaked, pouring her every ounce of strength into forming her words. But suddenly, she smiled, a new kind of light shining in her eyes. "No... no! I won't die" She smiled, but it was a very forced smile. "Everyone is counting on me to protect them! I won't let them down! Do you hear me? I WILL DEFEAT YOU, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES!" She tried to send more spears toward Frisk, but Frisk could block them with no effort whatsoever. As he just stood there, he couldn't help but notice... Undyne's body... 

"C-Come on... is that all you got!?" Undyne kept smiling as if there was nothing wrong. He was standing there, completely unaware of her body deteriorating. Frisk seemed.. amused. He enjoyed this. As he blocked more spears, he continued piercing Undyne's armor even further.

Undyne's body was becoming more and more unstable. She struggled to stand straight. "I... won't... give up..." Her voice was fading. There were not even anymore spears coming in. And Frisk was just watching it all. Undyne tried to straightened up. "NO! Not yet! I won't die!" It seemed like life was slowly fading from her eyes, as she was struggling for every drop of determination he could get to not crumble into dust.

"I WON'T DIE!" Undyne's body started melting away, forming a pool on the ground. "I WON'T DIE!" She melted even further, every inch of her body becoming more and more disfigured. "I  W O N ' T  . . ."

With a last howl from the wind. Undyne disappeared into nothingness, her dust scattering all around. There was long, long, eerie silence. 

* ... Frisk...?

Frisk fell to his knees. For minutes, he could not even speak. He was horrified. "What... what did I do...?" He whispered, tears collecting in his eyes as Undyne's melting body kept flashing in front of him, over and over. "It wasn't me! I-I didn't- I swear I didn't do this! I didn't mean to do this! I DID NOT DO THIS-"

* Frisk- just- calm down okay? You can go back and fix this right now, alright?

Go back, and I will make you do it all over again.

The familiar lifeless, cold voice sounded in Frisk's head. He recognized it. So did Chara. It was the Player all along. They still did not leave. They were lingering in the back of Frisk's mind all this time. 

* You...

You wouldn't want to witness this... horror again, would you Frisk?

Frisk weakly shook his head, unable to form any words. Even without a body, the Player's voice sounded like they were wearing their most sickly smile. 

Very good. And you listen carefully now.  From now on, we're playing by my rules, Frisk... You do not want to disobey me. Otherwise... I am afraid you may not find the result very flavourable. Do not make this harder than it needs to be. Am I understood?

Chara wanted to speak up. She wanted to say anything. She wanted to move. Scream. Take control over Frisk, anything. But it was too late. Frisk was too far gone, absorbed by this horrible monster. His movements became very robotic, almost as if it something else moving him around, like a puppet. 

The Player approached a yellow star, and touched it, speaking up in their demonic voice. 

18 left.

Chapter Text

As Papyrus slowly made his way home, there was a sinking feeling in his soul. Gaster must have been wrong about Frisk, right? He must have been mistaken, there is no way Frisk could...

But if Gaster warns him of danger, it is never without a good reason. Yet, he just seemed so nice. Papyrus couldn't get rid of this sinking feeling. He wanted to believe Frisk was innocent, but at the same time, Gaster warned him multiple times about the dangers of facing a human, back when he first took his sentry position. He shouldn't disregard all that. Besides... what if he's right? Papyrus hated this thought, but what if Gaster was actually right?

Frisk did sound awfully nervous when he dropped that question. But who could blame him? All this pressure, being a lone human in a world that was out to get him. There is always the possibility that it was just an accident.

... But accident or not, someone still died.

Papyrus found that he was facing the front door for several minutes by the time he snapped out of his long train of thought. He took a deep breath and turned the doorknob with a shaky hand. "SANS, GASTER, I'M HOME!!" His words were followed by silence. Gaster must have been gone to attend some business. However, Sans had to have been home, it was their day off, after all. He rarely wanders off all on his own, and whenever Gaster leaves, he usually goes to his lab to see Alphys. Knowing what kind of painful memories that place holds, it was out of the cards that Sans could have went with Gaster.

Papyrus walked upstairs and stopped in front of the door to Sans and Gaster's room, knocking gently. "SANS ARE YOU HERE? CAN I COME IN?" A quiet 'mmm' sound came from the other side of the door, Papyrus assumed it meant yes. Papyrus opened the door and saw Sans lying in his bed. He walked in and sat by his side. "ARE YOU OKAY?" He looked at his brother, clearly worried. Sans hasn't acted this way before. At least, not in a long time.

"y'know. not really." Sans was just staring at the ceiling above him with empty sockets.

"WHAT'S WRONG, SANS?" Papyrus inched closer to him. Sans sat up, resting an arm on his knees.

"i went to talk to roman today. but i got him at a pretty bad time. couldn't really get a word out of him." Sans was staring in front of himself as he talked.

"COULDN'T GET A WORD OUT OF HIM ABOUT... WHAT...?" But Papyrus was connecting the dots. Roman was the one who went to face Frisk alone yesterday. Everything seemed to point out the obvious and Papyrus felt like he couldn't hide behind the thin protective walls of denial.

"you see... frisk told me something interesting the other day. i saw him awake at night and just out of curiosity, i asked him about roman. he looked pretty freaked out. said he didn't hurt him, how it wasn't his fault." Papyrus didn't say anything, but his expression shifted. "wasn't hard to figure out he probably did something horrible. roman didn't look injured when i saw him today. but i wonder..." Sans's sockets blackened again at the last few words.

Papyrus felt like something just stabbed him in the soul, and instead of shattering it to millions of pieces, it just engulfed him in a sharp and suffocating feeling. For the first time in his life, he felt... betrayed. "... GASTER WAS RIGHT..."

"huh?" Sans furrowed his brows.

"HE TOLD ME HE KNOWS THAT FRISK KI... H-HURT MONSTERS. I THOUGHT HE WAS JUST... BUT... HE WAS RIGHT, I KNOW. I SHOULD HAVE JUST CAPTURED FRISK PROPERLY. THEN HANDED HIM TO UNDYNE. SO THAT WAY, I COULD HAVE PREVENTED PEOPLE FROM GETTING HURT." Papyrus's voice and expression finally broke. His tone was one that Sans has not heard him speak in, in years. He did not like to hear that tone of voice coming from Papyrus, but considering he made friends with Frisk, he couldn't blame him. "WHAT KIND OF ROYAL GUARD AM I? PEOPLE ARE GETTING HURT RIGHT UNDER MY NOSE AND I CAN'T EVEN PROTECT THEM... I LET MYSELF BE FOOLED BY THE FIRST HUMAN I SEE-"

"bro. i'm gonna stop you right there." Sans interjected. Papyrus looked at him and Sans looked right back, his expression very serious. "don't beat yourself up like that, 'kay? it was the first time you met a human during sentry duty. course... you'd have slip ups. it's not your fault."

"BUT.. PEOPLE GOT HURT!! ROYAL GUARDS ARE SUPPOSED TO PROTECT PEOPLE AND I... FAILED THEM..." Sans couldn't help but wince ever so slightly. He remembered all the nightmares that he was getting lately, where he saw Frisk murdering countless monsters. But there was no way he could tell Papyrus when he was in this state.

"look... maybe you feel like you shoulda tried harder. and maybe you really should have. but... something about that kid feels really off. it's like he knows how to get away with stuff. know what i mean? how could anyone expect you to catch on, when that kid could be real experienced with being stealthy and unnoticed when killing people-"

"SANS DON'T SAY THAT!!" But not even a second after he said this, Papyrus looked away, the mask shattering. "... YOU'RE PROBABLY RIGHT THOUGH. BUT I DON'T UNDERSTAND, FRISK SEEMED SO NICE! I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY HE WOULD KILL MONSTERS... EVEN IF HE WAS JUST SCARED THAT... THAT'S NOT AN EXCUSE. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TRIED CONVINCING MYSELF THAT IT WAS." There was silence between them. In the silence they heard a door clicking open and closing downstairs. "gaster's home." Sans was seemingly trying to make Papyrus forget about his worries with this exclamation but that clearly didn't work. He stood up, but saw that Papyrus was still sitting on the bed. "you coming?"

"O-OH... YES, JUST... GIVE ME A MINUTE... TO THINK."

Sans nodded slowly. "... sure." He turned around and walked downstairs. Gaster was standing by the door. "heya G." Sans waved.

"Hello, Sans." He waved back. "Are you feeling any better?"

Sans shrugged. "not really." He looked away, then he looked back at Gaster, walking closer to him. "actually about that... there is something i gotta tell you. it's about what happened this morning."

Gaster furrowed his brows. "I'm listening..." Sans sat on the couch with a sigh, trying to gather his thoughts. "basically i've... been getting some... pretty vivid nightmares. and..."

"... Yes?" Gaster sat on the couch, too, to be on the same eye level with Sans.

"all of them were about the kid. killing people." There was silence. Gaster swallowed and looked away. He felt his hands beginning to shake. First, Alphys's statistics, now this? "i... i get some really weird dejavu feeling... like this... happened before. what if- ... my dreams... aren't just simple dreams?"

"Are you implying...?" Gaster started slowly. Sans nodded. "it feels like we've lived through this before. are we- supposed to remember frisk from somewhere- am i seeing the future- am i just going crazy?!" Sans leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

"Sans. Breathe." Gaster put a hand on his shoulder.

Suddenly the door opened upstairs and Papyrus walked down. He looked at Sans and Gaster for a moment before givng Gaster a solemn look. The older skeleton stood up. Papyrus hesitated for a moment, before his shoulders dropped. "I'M SORRY GASTER, YOU WERE RIGHT ABOUT FRISK." When Gaster looked at him, Papyrus half expected he would look disappointed, give him an expression that very much told him 'See, I told you so.' so it was surprising when Gaster looked at him sympathetically. "I JUST...  I GOT SO CAUGHT UP IN TRYING TO MAKE FRIENDS THAT I COMPLETELY DISREGARDED MY DUTY. I COMPLETELY DISREGARDED EVERYTHING YOU AND UNDYNE EVER TOLD ME ABOUT HUMANS..." Papyrus's shoulders dropped.

Gaster sighed. "Humans... it's in their nature to backstab people. It's just who they are." Papyrus looked away and Gaster could see that he was mouthing the word 'Kale' silently. "... Even if there may be... some exceptions." He added.

There was another minute of silence. Gaster shot Sans a quick look that said 'We'll talk about that later', then Papyrus straightened up. "I SHOULD GO AND HELP UNDYNE CAPTURE HIM. TO MAKE UP FOR MY MISTAKE." Right as Papyrus was about to exit through the front door, there was a little beep coming from Gaster's phone.

The text looked like it was very hastily written in a rush. It was sent by Alphys. It said.

'G-Gaster- come- it's the Human- they've ki- hu- everyone is in danger you have to hurry!!' Gaster's eyes widened with shock. That last sentence alone made him feel immense dread like something horrible was going on in this very moment. The word 'human' did not miss his attention. Gaster felt utterly horrified. Sans just described to him... that in his dreams, Frisk was killing people. Was it really happening? Was he really seeing the future?

Gaster could barely speak for several moments. "... Papyrus you... you should stay home for the time being." He had to muster a great effort to keep his voice steady. He buried his phone back in his pocket as he talked. Papyrus looked back at him, confused but also determined. "BUT WHY? I WANT TO HELP UNDYNE!! SO WE CAN CAPTURE THE HUMAN BEFORE MORE PEOPLE COULD GET HURT."

"You must stay here. I have to go see Alphys." Gaster took a step forward, seemingly ready to block Papyrus's way of exitting the door if he has to.

"B-BUT GASTER, I CAN'T JUST STAY HERE I HAVE TO-"

"No. You are staying here."

"BUT-"

"I don't want you hurt!" Papyrus's eyes widened and he took a step back in his surprised. Gaster closed his eye and sighed to try and calm down. "... Just please... stay here where it's safe. Until I get back." His voice was so quiet suddenly, Papyrus didn't even know how to respond.

"sure. we can do that." Sans answered for his brother. Gaster nodded. "Good... I'll try not to take long." With that, Gaster left. Papyrus still stared at the front door, minutes later. "SANS...?" He finally managed to break the long silence.

"... it'll be okay, bro. we'll be fine."

"I BELIEVE YOU. I-I THINK..."

"heh... it's fine if you don't. i don't really believe myself, either."

Gaster rushed to the lab as fast as he could manage. Part of him wanted to believe there was nothing wrong, another part of him wanted to believe this was nothing more than a horrible nightmare and he was about to wake up. His mind was racing, he couldn't stop thinking about all the disatrious scenarios that were happening outside of these walls in that very moment. When the elevator to the lab opened, he practically ran to the office. He left the lab barely an hour ago and somehow, he was back here.

"Alphys what's going on." He slowed, catching his breath.

"A-Ah- G-Gaster you're here- I-" Alphys was stammering more than usual, her face was all red and sweaty. "Th-the Human's just been- t-tracking down monsters and killing them in Waterfall! I-I-I'm t-trying to- to h-hook the c-cameras o-on my p-phone so I can watch them while I-I'll- w-warn people!"

"I'll help you with that." Gaster walked closer to the camera system hooked by Alphys's computer. Already he could see that Frisk was acting out of the ordinary. He was just pacing back and forth. Clothes dusty. His face was blank, completely expressionless. He was holding a blood red knife and his movements... they seemed so strange. Like every step he took was prescribed. As if he wasn't even moving on his own accord, but there was someone else directing him, moving him from place to place. It was very unnatural to see such movement from a human.

"Y-Yeah..." Alphys nodded. "C-Can you turn on Mettaton?"

Gaster carefully hooked Mettaton off his charge station, the flipped his 'ON' switch. His rectangular monitor flickered for a few seconds before his arm and wheel grew out. "AFTERNOON, BEAUTIES!" His booming robotic voice sounded. But it only took him a few moments to notice the situation. "IS THERE A PROBLEM?"

"M-Mettaton!" Alphys quickly turned to him. She was so short compared to her. Mettaton's rectangular metal form was even taller than Gaster, if only by a few inches. "L-Listen, t-there's a-a b-big emergency! W-We need you to w-watch the lab while we're gone- a-also! I-I-If s-someone s-strange comes... s-s-someone who looks like a-... a-a H-Human, y-you gotta call me immediately!"

"UNDERSTOOD." Mettaton's entire demanour changed immediately once he realized something major is happening right now.

"I-I-... w-won't t-turn on y-your o-other form when you're still l-low on b-battery power but- i-it should be fine."

"YES, DARLING, I WILL KEEP A CAREFUL WATCH, DON'T YOU WORRY."

"O-Okay l-let's go, I-I'm done." Alphys looked at Gaster and the two of them went to the elevator. Alphys was fidgeting nervously, constantly checking her phone with every passing second. Gaster was just standing there. He was still in complete shock. His expression showed no emotions and yet, the thoughts were storming in his head, it almost gave him a headache. He was thinking about Asgore, Sans, Papyrus, the fate of the Underground... what if a human single handedly wipes out the entire population of monsters? Would that even be possible?

"O-Okay- t-trusting that h-he won't head back to Snowdin i-it would p-probably be best to..." Alphys looked up at Gaster. The skeleton's eye was glowing white and he was staring blankly in front of himself. "G-Gaster...? A-Are you okay?"

Gaster closed his eye, letting out an inaudible sigh. "Does it matter..."

Alphys's head dropped. "... R-Right, o-o-of course you're not okay-"

"But we can't afford that right now. We have to keep ourselves focused." He said quietly. Alphys nodded. "Y-Yes, yes... w-we have to act fast. Before.... a-anyone else gets hurt..." The elevator door opened shortly and Alphys stepped outside. "... Just... give me a moment." Gaster said, burying a hand in his pocket and fishing out his cell phone.

"O-Oh s-sure..." Alphys nodded slowly, leaning against the wall next to the elevator, trying to calm herself. Gaster found his hands were still shaky and he was holding his phone and scrolling through his contacts.

"heya G. 'sup?" Sans's voice sounded from the other end. Gaster had to take a few moments to gather his thoughts.

"It may take me longer to get home than I thought..." He began, burying his free hand in his pocket, his gaze falling down onto the elevator floor. "But whatever happens, do not leave the house. Lock the door if you have to. Stay inside and keep each other safe."

"gaster what's going on?" Sans did not really need to ask. He already knew what was happening. He only asked, because he wanted his suspicions to be wrong. Gaster knew that. For a few moments, he did not even know how to respond. Uttering those words in his mind sounded most horrifying to him. That a human was wiping out countless monsters as they speak. How could he bring himself to say that aloud? "I'm afraid you were right. Those dreams of yours might not have been simple dreams." He managed to say, although very quietly. The response that followed was very unexpected for him.

"what if you don't come back?" Sans said, in the most chilling voice Gaster heard him speak in a long time. He could almost see his expression just by the tone of his voice. "what then?" Sans asked again, as he recieved no response from Gaster.

"I don't know, Sans..." Silence followed. This wasn't even anything Gaster wanted to think about. If he didn't come back... if he left Sans and Papyrus all alone in this terror... and how would Asgore handle that?

"better not get yourself killed bonehead, y'hear me? papyrus would really miss you."

"I know." Gaster closed his eye, letting out an inaudible sigh.

"... just... take care out there, yeah?"

"Yes, you too. I'll... see you soon." Gaster hung up the phone. "... I hope..."

Twenty left...

Eighteen left...

Sixteen left...

Ten left...

One left...

Determination.

It took a while. But Waterfall has been completely wiped. They realized by now. probably those foolish monsters already noticed what they've been up to. But who really cares? It's not like any of them could really stop them now. When they are this high in power. LV 11 now. They are gaining more and more power and Frisk no longer has a chance of fighting back against them. After they finished slaying their very last monster in this wretched cavern, they approached a save star.

"One exhausted... Three more to go."

* You know I'm not going to let you save this, right?

"Amusing. You still resist me? I have Frisk twisted right around my fingers. Even if heh... 'you' don't let me save, he can never go back anymore." A sick smile widened on Frisk's face. The Player's wickedness completely corrupted him to the point where he did not even look like himself anymore. Grasping a magical red knife with dusty hands, dusty clothes, his face was completely expressionless. Unphased by the murders he has committed. The only time there was a tiny hint of life on the human boy's face, was when the Player wore one of their sickening smiles. Frisk has been completely banished to the back of his own mind. The duration of the control, the sheer fuddling feeling of gaining LV enabled the Player full control of this body. Frisk was lingering somewhere in the back of his own mind, helpless to fight back.

But Chara was still here, although just as helpless to do anything as Frisk, but fighting back against the Player's control as much as she could manage, influencing their hold on Frisk's body. Being a lingering spirit for so many years had their advantages. It wasn't as easy to push Chara around to do what she doesn't truly want to.

* Maybe. Or maybe your cockiness is getting the better of you. You are getting a little overconfident, don't you think... partner?

"Even if they tried... their efforts will be futile. Those puny pitiful monsters can no longer stand in my way. No one can."

* We'll see about that.

"Anyway... now that we are done here, Frisk..." They said the name in such a sweet voice, as if all of this was just a walk in the park. As if they had just done their daily chores around a house. It was sickening for Chara to have to listen to this, but neither her nor Frisk would have to endure for much longer. She knew. "I think it would be best you go and finish the job, hmm? Normally I despise backtracking in a case like this but sadly... your little friend managed to foil my plan the first time I attempted, I'll give her that."

* ...

"So, back to Snowdin Town we go! Those fools would probably not see it coming from a mile away!"

* Hey... here's a question. Just something I've been wondering. 

The Player did not give any vocal indication that they were listening to whatever Chara had to say, but they did stop.

* What drives you to do this? Is it boredom? Are you loney? You are yearning to have a normal life? Or are you just plain insane?

There was silence followed. Something that was very, very unexpected for both Chara... and surprisingly, the Player. But despite the question, the Player's demeanor did not change a bit. "Oh Chara, Chara, Chara... have I not explained well enough? Frisk has a purpose to fill. I am not quite done with him just yet."

* Don't give me that crap. I don't believe it for one bit... But... hmph... perhaps you really are just pure crazy. All these powers drove you mad, didn't they?

"I am sorry dear, I do not have time to spare for your nonsense, I have a race to wipe out, a job to finish, you know how it is. Toodles!" With that, the Player just continued walking in their very strange movements through Waterfall, heading for Snowdin next.

She just needs the perfect moment for them to drop their guard... Whenever that moment comes, she will be ready.

It was awfully quiet in the house. Papyrus was probably the most antsy Sans has ever seen him in years. He couldn't blame him for it. They couldn't have known, what was going on out there. Who knows how many monsters Frisk killed already. Who knows if Undyne was alright out there alone. If Gaster was alright. Sans already closed the door after Gaster's call. Since then, the brothers were just sitting on the couch. Both being anxious in their own ways. Sans was probably better at hiding it than his brother.

"... SANS?"

"yeah, bro?" He looked at his brother's concerned face.

"SHOULDN'T WE GO OUT AND HELP?"

"papyrus i already told you. gaster told us to stay here." Despite his tone, Sans could sympathize with how Papyrus was feeling. Just the fact that his nightmares were becoming a reality were terrible enough for him and he had to try his very best to not lose composure, especially when Papyrus was already very distressed.

"I-I KNOW BUT... WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO HIM? OR OTHERS- WHAT ABOUT UNDYNE OR-OR ROMAN OR-"

"papyrus..." Sans sighed, placing a hand on the taller skeleton's shoulder. "look..." He really didn't know how he could ease up this tension. For Papyrus was voicing his own worries. Although Sans never really saw eye to eye with Gaster to this day, of course he was worried for him. Not to mention the other monsters. So, in lack of reassuring words, Sans just plastered on his best fake smile. "just gotta trust gaster, yeah?"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO ACT STRONG FOR MY SAKE!!" Papyrus furrowed his brows, seeing right through Sans's act. Sans looked away. "MAYBE I SHOULD TRY TALKING TO HIM."

"what- talking to him?? what is there to talk about with that kid?" Sans shot his gaze back at Papyrus. Papyrus would not return the eye contact. "MAYBE... IF I COULD JUST SHOW HIM THE RIGHT WAY, HE COULD BECOME BETTER. ANYONE CAN BECOME BETTER, AS LONG AS THEY TRY!!" Papyrus stood up from his seat, straightening up with the bright, confidence expression sitting on his face. But it was not truly genuine.

Sans also stood up. "no. papyrus, don't. you don't have to talk to him, he's not gonna listen to you."

Papyrus looked at him. "I HAVE TO TRY SANS!! IF HE JUST... HAD A GOOD FRIEND GUIDE HIM... I'M SURE HE COULD-"

Sans cut him off. He was starting to get more desperate. "papyrus he's already killed so many monsters, what makes you think he won't do the same to you?! you said it yourself, in your desperation to make friends, you couldn't even see what was right in front of your nose!"

Sans's words had their effect on Papyrus, but he tried not to lose composure. "I CAN'T JUST SIT HERE AND DO NOTHING, I HAVE TO TRY SOMETHING SANS!!" Papyrus almost sounded like he wasn't just trying to convince Sans, he was trying to convince himself too.

"so you wanna try getting yourself killed!"

The argument was forgotten immediately when they heard a loud noise from outside. A noise that very much sounded like someone trying to break the doorknob. Sans and Papyrus looked at each other. "SANS...?"

The anger on Sans's face was replaced by immediate fear. "look papyrus just- go upstairs and i'll handle it."

"WHAT?? NO YOU CAN'T!! YOU KNOW HOW EASY IT'D BE FOR HIM TO-"

"i know! but if you think i'm just gonna let your offer yourself-"

Suddenly there was an ear piercing noise and next thing the brothers knew, the door slammed down on the floor. Frisk was standing in the doorway. Red knife, dusty clothes, expressionless face.

"sheesh. i guess a locked door will not stop you in trying to see us, huh kid?" Sans's words were a lot calmer than his voice. He shouldn't lose himself now and definitely shouldn't start panicking, but regardless of how they looked at the situation, it was bad. But Sans would not let Papyrus take the lead. He will not give Frisk a chance to strike his brother right in front of him, like in all his dreams. He took a step forward, standing in front of Papyrus, giving Frisk his usual calm and silly expression. Perhaps it was just to mask his increasing worry for his brother standing right behind him. "yknow..." Sans looked away for a moment. "i don't really get why you're putting so much effort into this. i mean... killin' all those monsters... there are a lot better things to bide your time with, know what i mean? you could have some good food... some bad laughs." Sans gave Frisk a wink.

Seems Frisk was completely incapable of listening, Sans barely finished his sentence when Frisk charged and jabbed at the skeleton with his knife. Good thing Sans had good reflexes, he slid out of the way, pushing Papyrus farther away from Frisk, too. "okay, i see you're not up for a chat." Sans closed his eyes, before reopening them, his sockets going dark. "guess you like to do things the hard way." With that he successfully pushed Frisk right out the door with blue magic, a loud thud indicating that Frisk landed against a tree somewhere nearby.

"papyrus, you're staying inside." Sans looked back at his brother. But Papyrus shook his head immediately. "SANS, I'M NOT LETTING YOU FACE HIM ALONE!!"

"well i'm not letting you get killed!"

"AS IF WHAT YOU WERE DOING WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SANS!!" For the first time there was anger sounding in his voice, too.

"i'm buying you time to just- get outta here! run, get help, help people out there i dunno, just leave! i'll buy you time long enough!"

"SANS!!" With the speed of light, Frisk was already back, about to strike Sans from behind. Papyrus quickly summoned a bone to block the hit and pushed Sans out of Frisk's way. Sans landed somewhere near the kitchen door and Papyrus was pushed back against the arm of the couch. "NOW, NOW HUMAN FRISK, THERE IS NO NEED TO FIGHT!!" Papyrus said nervously, blocking another incoming hit from Frisk with the bone he was holding. "IF YOU ARE UPSET, I CAN USE MY GREATEST CONVERSATION SKILLS TO LIFT YOUR SPIRITS!! IF YOU WOULD JUST LISTEN-"

With a swift move, Frisk snatched the bone from Papyrus, tossing it aside and slamming his knife into his ribs and pushing him back. Papyrus landed against the stairs with an uncomfortable crack sound. Frisk was about to stab right at Papyrus skull with both the knife and the bone he was still holding while Papyrus was still trying to recover, when Sans once again pushed him away with blue magic into the wall. He quickly got up, standing in front of Papyrus to defend him, but Frisk was quick to recover and pinned Sans against the wall with the bone he was holding. While Sans was trying to free himself, Frisk once again turned his attention back to Papyrus.

Papyrus in the meantime managed to stand up, rubbing his injured knees. He was standing on the lower steps, now taking his chance to try to reach out to Frisk. "HUMAN FRISK, PLEASE I COULD HELP YOU!! IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO TURN BACK JUST YET!!" Suprisingly Frisk... lowered his knife, for the first time. Whether that was the Player acting, pretending to be swayed by Papyrus's words, or it was Frisk himself being able to regain slight control over himself wasn't sure. But it made no difference to the brothers either way. Still, seeing Frisk break out of the aggressive stance gave Papyrus slight confidence.

"I KNOW, YOU ALREADY DID A LOT OF TERRIBLE THINGS. YOU HAVE ALREADY HURT A LOT OF MONSTERS. BUT!! I THINK, IF YOU JUST GOT SOME GUIDANCE, I COULD HELP YOU BE BETTER!! I COULD BE YOUR TUTOR!! I COULD GIVE YOU GUIDENCE AND TURN YOUR LIFE RIGHT AROUND!! EVERYONE CAN BE A GOOD PERSON IF THEY JUST TRY AND I BELIEVE YOU CAN BE GREATER TOO, IF YOU JUST GAVE IT A SHOT!!" Papyrus's confidence suddenly shifted when Frisk took several steps forward, but he tried to stay calm. "IT IS CERTAINLY BETTER THAN HURTING DEFENSELESS MONSTERS! PLEASE... IF IT IS A FRIEND YOU NEED... I CAN GIVE YOU A SECOND CHANCE! I CAN HELP YOU!!" Papyrus put his arms out, trying his best to smile at Frisk, but it only came out as a crooked, nervous smile.

Sans was watching it all from downstairs. He wanted to scream at Papyrus to come to his senses and stop this, for Frisk isn't going to listen to him, but all the words were stuck somewhere in his skeletal throat. He could only look at Papyrus and Frisk standing on the middle of the stairs, still pinned to the wall, completely frozen.

Papyrus was shaking. But he tried his best to hide it all behind a confident smile.

Frisk was just standing there. Just as frozen as Sans.

* . . . Papyrus is sparing you.

It's been at least an hour of evacuating monsters, getting them all to gather in the lab, where Mettaton could protect them. Gaster was somewhere in Hotland right now, while Alphys was trying to look for possible survivors in Waterfall. Gaster could only hope that Sans and Papyrus were alright.

His phone ringing snapped him out of his trance. He could only hope Alphys had some good news. But unfortunately, that would not be true.

"G-Gaster-... i-it's..."

"What is it?" He furrowed his brows. He already worried for what Alphys would say.

"N... N-No one's left here... I-I think I-I was t-too late..."

Gaster's shoulder's dropped, his hold on the phone loosening ever so slightly. "No one left?"

"N-No... W-Waterfall is- s-so empty I..." Alphys's voice cracked and in the next moment she was talking so quietly. Gaster could tell she was close to crying. "I think... Undyne is gone too... I-I-If anyone, she should have stopped the Human... b-but... i-if even Undyne couldn't..."

"Where is he now, Alphys? Do you know." Gaster's voice was cold and emotionless. He wanted to badly for all this to just be a nightmare. What he needed to know the most right now, was that Sans and Papyrus were safe.

"I-I... I-I'm not sure, I-I don't see them a-anywhere h-here, o-or in Hotland I-I think-..."

Alphys didn't even need to finish her sentence. Or if she did, Gaster certainly didn't hear any of it, his brain practically drowned out any and all sounds. He dropped his phone and ran, as fast as his legs could carry him, he ran like never before in his life and he would not stop running until he made it home. If the Human was not in Hotland and not in Waterfall, that could only mean one thing. Every possible sound on the Earth, every possible voice was all shouting at Gaster to run home as fast as he could and save Sans and Papyrus before it was too late.

The silence was extremely tense and unnerving. The fact that nothing happened still, even though several minutes already passed was unnerving. Papyrus was just standing there on the stairs, while Sans desperately tried to remove the bone that was pinning him to the wall to stop Papyrus from getting himself killed. Frisk would still not move, as if it took a long time for Papyrus's monologue to register in his brain.

Alphys was probably already worried sick for him, but Gaster could not respond to her anymore, for he left his phone somewhere in the middle of Hotland lying in the dirt. The only sound his brain could register were his shoes tapping against the rocky floor of Hotland. He was already out of breath and his face was covered in sweat, but he would not stop, he would not slow down for a single second.

Papyrus's stance would not waver. Frisk finally moved, taking closer and closer steps to the tall skeleton. Sans wanted to call out to Papyrus, but he could not find his voice. In fact, he could not find anything anymore in his body. Not strength, to pull the bone out of the wall and free himself, not strength to call out Papyrus, not strength to raise his arm and pull Frisk away from his brother. He could only stare with black eyes and the void. Papyrus was still smiling crookedly as Frisk was approaching.

Tap, tap, tap,

What was he thinking?

Tap, tap, tap,

He should have just brought Sans and Papyrus with himself to the lab.

Tap, tap, tap,

Mettaton could have protected them.

Tap, tap, tap,

He is going to lose them and it will be all his fault.

Tap, tap, tap, 

Is this Waterfall? Yes, he was already halfway through Waterfall. He is almost there.

Tap, tap...

"Please, let me make it in time..."

The next several seconds felt like they were playing in slow motion. Papyrus squeezed his eyes shut, a drop of sweat rolling down his skeletal face. Frisk slowly raised his knife. Sans called out, although his words could not be heard by anyone. Storming footsteps indicated Gaster was approaching.

Frisk was about to stab Papyrus.

"papyrus move already!!!"

Gaster entered, it only took him moments to realize what was happening.

Papyrus already readied himself...

"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!"

Suddenly, everything stopped. Frisk dropped the knife, tapping his face, feeling his body, before breathing out a long breath that he was holding in for who knows how many minutes now. A new voice sounded from his mouth. "I... I did it... Sorry partner. I know you really hate this. But it's only temporary." Frisk breathed out once again and he leaned against the wall, so he could properly see all of the three skeletons in the house.

"... Greetings. I am Chara."

Chapter Text

There was deafening silence in the room. Papyrus just stood there on top of the stairs, his arms now lowered, Sans was still pinned against the wall and Gaster was standing in the doorway, not even noticing that the door was broken down and lying on the floor. The three words spoken left all three skeletons at a loss for words. Was this just an act? An act to trick them? Or was it real?

Was this really... that Chara? How would that even be possible?

Gaster was the first one who wanted to speak up, but he found he couldn't speak at all, for he was still out of breath after running through half the underground to get home. He rested his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

Frisk... or rather, Chara in Frisk's body was just standing there, waiting for her words to sink in. Which seemed to be happening very slowly.

"CHARA...?" Papyrus spoke up timidly. "THAT CHARA? CHARA CHARA?"

"Yes, yes..." Frisk nodded with Chara's voice. "I know, it's hard to believe. It's even harder to explain how I am here. But it is me."

"so we're just supposed to believe you, huh?" Sans looked up at Chara. "how do we know you're not just trying to trick us?"

"Why is the door broken." Gaster finally gathered enough strength to speak and that was the first thing he noticed.

"ah..." Sans looked in Gaster's direction. "yeah, that just happens when... a crazy kid is out to get us. a broken door sure didn't seem to stop him."

As Sans said that, Gaster suddenly remembered what he saw when he entered. "Papyrus what on Earth were you thinking?! You almost died!" He rushed up the stairs, completely ignoring that Chara and Sans, who was still pinned to the wall.

"I... I JUST- THOUGHT-"

"i mean, you are right G but you coulda also gotten killed out there you know."

"BUT SANS, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO WAS IN THE BIGGEST DANGER WHEN-"

"don't say it, i know!"

"You both should have tried to run away before anything happened!" Gaster glared down at Sans now.

"what the heck were we supposed to do huh?"

"If anything happened to you it would have been my fault for leaving you alone at home!"

"If you would just let me speak!!" Chara raised her voice, losing patience. Everyone was suddenly silenced and they all looked at Frisk. She sighed. "Let's get off the stairs for one..." The trio walked down the stairs carefully.

"uh... little help here?" Sans finally brought attention to himself and to the fact that he was still stuck to the wall.

"Ah, right hold on." Gaster walked over to him and easily pulled the bone out of the wall, freeing Sans. "Are you hurt?"

"nah, nah i'm good." Sans rubbed his sore shoulder. The skeletons sat on the couch, eyes pinned on Frisk. "... Is it... really you?" Gaster asked with great disbelief. "Chara?"

"Yes, it's me, just let me explain..." The skeletons were silenced. Chara started from the beginning. "It all started when Frisk fell down... I woke up. Woke up, from what felt like a coma. But this wasn't really new for me. Throughout the years... somehow... I would always get bounded to humans who fall down here and I'd be forced to follow them along their journey."

"are you a ghost?" Sans tilted his head.

"No, I wouldn't use that term. People can see ghosts. Nobody can see me. Not even the humans I'm bounded to. I suppose... I'm just a spirit, lingering around. Though I'm only really conscious when I'm bounded to humans. It's like I'm awake for a couple months, then I fall back asleep for years and so on." It was certainly very strange to hear Frisk speaking in such mannerism. The skeletons were more than certain now this really was Chara, speaking through Frisk's body. Chara's tone of voice was also much different than Frisk's. A slightly higher, quieter tone, in contrast to Frisk's mutating voice. Despite the fact that Gaster hasn't heard this voice in decades, he immediately recognized it when...

"You spoke to me earlier today." Gaster looked at Chara. Frisk's eyes widened ever so slightly with a hint of surprise. Then, Chara rubbed her arm uncomfortably. Sans and Papyrus switched curious looks between them. "Right... I apologize for the poor mannerism back there. I was being all too personal."

"WERE YOU BOUNDED TO KALE TOO?" Papyrus suddenly asked in a soft voice. "YOU... SAW EVERYTHING THEY SAW?"

Chara hesitated. She avoided to look into Papyrus's eyes and her expression darkened. "I did. I didn't interact with them much though. They were... strange. So... clumsy, nosy, inconsiderate."

"that's kale alright." Sans smiled nostalgically, chuckling quietly.

"I was never fond of humans. So we remained distant." Chara looked away into the distance.

"Then... that means you also saw..." Gaster looked down at the floor, his voice suddenly grew raspier. Terrible memories were starting to resurface. Chara knew exactly what he was talking about.

"... Regardless, that is not the point right now. And besides, I hardly have any right to judge you for anything you've ever done, Dr. Gaster."

"What do you mean?" He looked up at Chara, furrowing his brows. Chara looked away again.

"... Nevermind... I'll explain later..."

So Chara explained everything. How Frisk killed a Froggit in the Ruins, how the Player first contacted him, how they met Roman and Papyrus, Roman and Frisk's fight, the encounters they had with Undyne and Gaster. Up until she reached the last part, where The Player killed Undnye. She did not really want to admit what happened then, in Papyrus's presence.

"so there was this weird controlling godlike guy who was forcing the kid into doing everything he did thus far?"

"Not everything, but yes. That is basically it."

"This is... very peculiar. And hard to believe." Gaster said. He was being very skeptical about Chara's explanation.

"I can understand that it feels that way." Chara nodded. "I wouldn't believe myself either, if I were you."

"What was their name again... The... 'Player'?"

"That's what they call themselves." Chara folded Frisk's arms. Her tone turned very bitter suddenly.

"AND... HOW CAN WE STOP THEM?" Papyrus was strangely silent for the duration of Chara's explanation. It was rather obvious he sympathized with Frisk the most.

"I'm afraid there isn't much... the best chance there is, that I maintain control over Frisk for a while. The Player can't influence me as easily as him. They keep preying on his insecurities and fears. But they won't trick me like that." One of Frisk's hands clenched in a fist as Chara spoke. "They are just using Frisk as a puppet." Chara looked at Papyrus. "When they were about to kill you, Papyrus, I saw the conflict between Frisk and The Player. Frisk didn't want to kill you. Frisk wanted to badly to stop this horror. But he was helpless to do anything and so am I. All I can do is watch... watch and listen to what is happening."

"IT MUST BE HARD FOR YOU TOO..." Papyrus frowned. Chara's expression remained unchanged.

"... This isn't about me. This is about Frisk and all of you. Whatever the Player is planning with this world, they will not stop until they get what they want."

"can they only control frisk. or does their control spread over to others as well?" Sans said in that usual emotionless voice. He wasn't looking at Chara now, he was staring at the floor with blacked out sockets.

"... They can. They claimed they can control anyone. But they find ... 'ordinary' people to be 'boring'. They see something in Frisk. They are strangely obsessed with controlling him and him only." Chara buried Frisk's hands in his pockets, probably to hide his shaking fists. "They are a maniac."

Sans's expression did not change a bit. "but what if they do decide to control others, besides frisk?"

"... It's getting late." Gaster interjected, probably in an attempt to get Sans to abandon that train of thought. "We should put off further discussion until tomorrow."

"right. i'm bone tired." For the first time, Papyrus didn't acknowledge Sans's terrible pun.

"You need rest too, Papyrus." Gaster said, looking over Papyrus's injuries with concern.

"DON'T WORRY TOO MUCH, I'M JUST FINE!!" For the first time in hours, Papyrus finally managed to smile, just as brightly as ever. It brought a small, tired smile to Gaster's face as well.

"What about me?" Chara asked as the skeletons stood up from the couch. Sans was already gone, the sound of a door closing indicating that he went to his and Gaster's room. "You shouldn't just keep me here so freely, the Player could still take control again while Frisk is sleeping."

"Yes... that's true..." Gaster rubbed his jaw.

"YOU COULD STAY IN OUR CAPTURE ZONE!!" Papyrus piped up. "SOMEONE SHOULD STAND GUARD FOR THE NIGHT TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS OKAY!"

"I will take that, then." Gaster said immediately.

"BUT-"

"No, Papyrus." He raised a hand, in a non-contradictory voice. "You need to rest after today Papyrus. I shouldn't have left you."

Papyrus sighed and nodded, finding that he can't really argue with Gaster. "ALRIGHT THEN."

"... Also... can I have your cell phone? I... lost mine." Gaster only just remembered he dropped his phone somewhere in Hotland. Papyrus found the request a little strange but he smiled.

"OF COURSE!! HERE!" He handed his cell phone to Gaster.

"Thank you. I'll return it to you in the morning." He should probably call Alphys. She must have been really worried for him after he dropped his phone like that. "Good night Papyrus." Gaster headed for the broken down door, with Chara after him.

"GOOD NIGHT GASTER!!" Papyrus smiled, waving and heading upstairs.

"... Will need to fix that door somehow."

Several minutes later, Gaster and Chara were already sitting in the chilly shed that was next to the house. Gaster was leaning against a wall and opposite him was Chara sitting in a corner. Gaster locked the door and summoned a wall of several white and blue bones, so Chara would not escape in case the Player happens to strike again. Gaster already finished calling Alphys a few moments ago. He explained to her that they have the Human contained for now and he will notify her if anything goes wrong. The evacuated monsters were all safe, though also greatly afraid of course. But nobody else got hurt.

There was just silence between Gaster and Chara. Gaster took off the light grey jacket he and was now only wearing his gray turtleneck. He was staring at the ceiling, resting an arm on his knee. Chara was hugging her knees, sitting in the corner. It was much colder in this shed than in the house.

"It's... strange." She suddenly spoke up. Gaster looked at her. "I never thought I'd... ever talk to you again. Even if this is a very inappropriate way of doing it."

"Yes..." Gaster nodded. He didn't really know what else to say. He was talking to King Asgore's deceased child, which was already strange by itself. "I never would have thought you were still alive."

"Oh please, this pathetic form is anything but 'alive'." Chara scoffed, her tone becoming suddenly harsher.

"Ah... Right... I suppose. I'm sorry." Gaster looked away, feeling uncomfortable, which was a very usual thing whenever he talked to humans. But especially whenever he talked to Chara, back in the day.

Chara sighed. "No, it's... it's alright." Her expression softened, for the first time since she took control over Frisk. "It's just... I should have stayed dead. Asriel stays dead, yet I get to live? It doesn't even make sense. It's as if the world went out of it's way to torture me for the horrible choices I made." Her tone was a mix of sadness and anger. Gaster could feel it. It has been many years since the tragedy and Chara must have spent all those years subconsciously cursing herself for it. But...

"It wasn't your fault. An illness... can happen at any time." Gaster carefully tried to make eye contact with her again.

Chara closed her eyes. "You don't understand..." She hissed through gritted teeth. "It wasn't just any illness."

"What are you talking about?" Gaster furrowed his brows. Chara reopened her eyes, staring solemnly into Gaster's. "I poisoned myself!! Then I forced Asriel to absorb my soul so he can kill six other humans!"

"You... what??" Gaster's eye widened. He was shocked to see that... tears started flowing from Chara's eyes.

"I drove Asriel to his death... I forced him into that stupid plan. I got ANGRY at him when he didn't kill the humans. He died because of me. He never should have died, he should have lived. And I should have stayed dead. And yet, I get to be here?! While he is still nothing but dust?!" Chara's voice was breaking more and more the more she spoke.

"Ssshhh it's alright, just calm down..." Gaster inched closer to her cage. Chara looked away, wiping the tears. Gaster rubbed the back of his head. He didn't even know how to respond to this. All this information that Chara just told him was so sudden. That Chara's death was no mere accident, that Asriel was never even meant to die... it was hard to suddenly process this, not to mention it was hard to find the appropriate words to say when Chara was breaking down like this. Gaster felt like he should be angry at Chara, but seeing her like this and seeing how she regretted it, he couldn't even get angry.

"I... made a lot of mistakes, too. There are a lot of things that I still resent myself for." Gaster spoke softly, kneeling in front of the wall of bones from a safe distance. However, Chara did not move closer even by an inch and seemed completely unaffected by Gaster's words.

"Toriel leaving wasn't your fault... Asgore declaring war wasn't your fault... it all happened because of me."

While Chara's voice was burning with more and more anger, Gaster's tone and expression remained soft and sympathetic. "Perhaps... but I still did those experiments by my own volition. I still abused my children horribly for several months. I still acted like a ruthless, cruel being, out of nothing but selfishness and cowardice. You and Asriel were just children. Neither of you understood what you were doing, to full capacity."

"We were fifteen. We were old enough to know what we were doing. Besides, I climbed the mountain to end my life. I knew what I was doing, Asriel wanted nothing to do with it and yet I still forced him into it." Chara's hands clenched into fists and she was clawing at Frisk's arms so tightly, they were reddening.

Gaster closed his eye for a moment and sighed. He quickly realized this was not an argument that he can win. "Perhaps you should sleep." He said at last.

"... Perhaps. It's late, isn't it?"

"It is." Gaster nodded.

Chara took off Frisk's bag from her back to use as a pillow. But then suddenly, Gaster remembered something. Something he wanted to say for a long time. "I am sorry."

"What for?"

"I am sorry, for always blatantly avoiding you and ignoring you all those years." This was one of Gaster's biggest regrets. Just a few months after the children died, he regretted never properly getting to know Chara and always avoiding her as much as he could possibly manage. This was a guilt that he had to bare for a long time. However, Chara looked at him sympathetically.

"I never held your behavior against you. Sometimes I... even thought your treatment of me was more understandable than others'."

Gaster couldn't help but smile ever so slightly and wondrously, for the first time, Chara smiled as well. "Good night, Dr. Gaster." Chara laid on the dirty floor, resting her head on the backpack, her eyes slowly closing.

"Good night." Gaster leaned against the wall and continued staring at the ceiling.

The atmosphere the next morning was rather tense. Gaster didn't manage to stay up the whole night, watching Chara, but Chara didn't seem to lose control so that did not end up being a big problem. Sans hardly wanted to get out of bed, presumably because of another nightmare. Papyrus was just very quiet, an unusual behavior for him. Chara was still being held hostage in the shed, but she did not mind it at all. It was for safety measures after all.

It took about an hour until everyone finally pulled themselves together and the three were now sitting in the kitchen while Papyrus was making breakfast. Gaster and Sans did not go to work today, for understandable reasons. The Underground was temporarily quarantined. Everyone was staying home by orders of Alphys and Mettaton, 'until the threat was neutralized'. That was what Mettaton said. It seemed like Alphys wanted to keep it under wraps that a human caused this terror. At least, for now.

"I HOPE UNDYNE IS ALRIGHT TOO..." Papyrus said while flipping two strips of bacon to their other side in the frying pan.

Gaster almost choked on his coffee when Papyrus said that as he suddenly remembered what Alphys told him yesterday.  Alphys was very much convinced Undyne didn't make it either. Gaster just decided to stay silent and hide his expression behind his mug of coffee to the best of his ability. Luckily, he did not need to speak as Sans did it for him, although the smaller skeleton's tone wasn't very reassuring.

He was staring somewhere under the table, his sockets black. "maybe the kid didn't bump into undyne yet at all. i mean he did come back to town."

"RIGHT... MAYBE." Papyrus tried to turn his attention back to his cooking.

"... Is there something on your mind, Sans?" Gaster asked very carefully. He knew it was pointless to ask Sans if he was alright. Because he obviously wasn't. Nobody was.

"i was thinkin if what chara said was true." Sans said in the same emotionless tone. "you know her better, don't you, G? you think she'd lie to save that kid's skin?"

"Absolutely not. I did not know her well, but I know her well enough to know she would not try to cover up a human's crimes. She always seemed resentful of humanity."

Sans looked away "heh... 'player'. some weird god toying with our lives."

"It is... peculiar. To say the least." Gaster stared into his empty cup of coffee. The conversation was interrupted, when Papyrus set three plates down on the table with freshly made scambled eggs and bacon. The skeletons began to eat breakfast. There was mostly silence. Sans did not seem hungry though.

"... say G. got any idea how we'll deal with this stuff?"

"Hm?" Gaster looked up at Sans. Sans's expression remained unchanging. "what do we do with the kid?" Sans looked back at Gaster, his sockets turning back to normal. Gaster turned his gaze away. "I am... not sure. The fact that Chara resides within him is somehow is... conflicting to say the least. And if what Chara said to us is true-"

Sans interrupted. "and you really believe there is some all powerful being pushing the kid around?" Gaster tried his best to remain calm. He knew that claiming they shouldn't kill the human was extremely hypocritical of him to say.

"I do not see why Chara would lie to us." He said quietly, still not looking at Sans.

Sans remained suspicious and unconvinced. "how do you even know it's her? what if it's just the other kid pretending to win us over?"

"BUT... FRISK'S WHOLE BODYLANGUAGE AND MANNER CHANGED." Papyrus interjected, looking at Sans. "I DON'T THINK HE WAS PRETENDING AND EVEN IF HE WAS, I DOUBT HE'D BE THIS GOOD AT IT. HE SOUNDED LIKE HE REALLY FELT BAD WHEN I TALK TO HIM ON THE PHONE."

"i don't think he felt bad. i think he was just nervous that you caught him on the act." Sans shrugged.

Gaster did not say anything. Honestly, he agreed with Sans in a way. He still did not trust Frisk in the slightest. But... it just had to be Chara. There is no way Frisk could replicate that speech, that mannerism, that tone of voice so perfectly. But still... Player? All powerful god? Controling the human? Gaster couldn't deny it was very hard to believe. It sounded like something from some kind of fantasy novel.

So why? Why was there a part of him that did not want to kill the Human?

"... Perhaps... it would be best to keep the human hostage for now. Considering Chara is with them." This was the most transparent lie Gaster could ever say. He knew this was not the real reason why he feared of killing the human.

"are you sure this isn't just a poor excuse, cause you're still afraid of asgore absorbing all the souls?"

The fork slipped out of Gaster's hand. As if he was reading his mind, Sans voiced his greatest worry. Despite everything, despite the massacre the human committed, if they faced Asgore now... he would surely lose. Then, all hope would be ultimately lost. Sans just doesn't see that, Sans can't understand that.

"You don't understand." Gaster forced calmness into his voice as he responded.

"nah, i understand. you're just afraid." Sans continued twisting the knife. Gaster knew Sans was not intending to upset him. Yet, he could feel the frustration boiling inside of him.

"What do you know about this." The words slipped out of Gaster's tone and it seemed the conversation was going to escalate into an argument as Sans's expression hardened. "maybe i dunno as much about this as you do, but i know for a fact you tend to do some messed up things when you get scared doc." Gaster knew exactly what Sans was referring to. He had lower his hands under the table to hide his shaky left fist.

"Sans, this is different..." Gaster did not even try to sound calm anymore. "That human cannot see Asgore. The consequences will can only be terrible."

"how do you know that? maybe there is nothing wrong with asgore taking those souls."

"You don't know that-!" Gaster was starting to lose his original train of thought.

"i'd rather risk that than have an untrustworthy kid running around freely!" Sans raised his voice.

"You think I trust him?!" Gaster raised his voice too.

"... PLEASE DON'T FIGHT..." Papyrus's voice sounded, but his words were not heard.

"every time you get scared of something it always drives you into doing irrational and impulsive stuff and you lose your mind!" Sans bolted up from his seat.

Gaster stood up too. Papyrus was just sitting between the two of them, helpless to do anything. "I do not lose my mind! I do not act impulsive!"

"oh really, that's funny. i'm pretty sure i could recall quite a few instances when you were clearly not in your right mind and were doing impulsive crap!"

"That- was different, I wasn't-" Gaster fumbled with his words. Sans interrupted him.

"then i think i see the problem!" He raised his voice even futher. "it's always about whatever you want, whatever you need! you would never stop even for a damn moment to think about others!" Sans's eye glowed a fusion of cyan and red in as his anger was rising. Gaster's eye started glowing red too as Sans was clearly talking about his most vulnerable moments.

"That is not true, everything I did was always with regards to people I care about!"

"like torturing us for months?!"

"I was WRONG! I made a mistake, Sans and I've been trying all these years to change who I used to be!"

"then you're not trying hard enough! you haven't changed all that much after all, you're still putting others in danger and are acting without thinking because you're letting your fears get the better of you! you always need to wait for something horrible to happen before you finally realized you screwed up again!"

"Just because I have done what I've done in my life that doesn't mean I'm intending on making the same mistake I've already made in the past Sans! I have suffered terrible losses already and I am not going to lose anyone again!"

"see, we're back at it again! it's always about what you feel, whatever you've been through, do you ever think about others??"

"ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU STOP IT!!" Papyrus stood up from his chair too, his words leaving cold empty silence in their wake. Seems it was Papyrus's interjection that finally got Gaster to calm down slightly. Sans however, did not seem calmer at all. "you know..." He spoke up with a cold voice, blacked out sockets. "i... wanted to forgive you." He looked up at Gaster. "but... i realized i wasn't really ready. because you did not deserve my forgiveness. and you still don't. i hate you." Sans stormed out of the kitchen and up to the bedroom, the door slamming shut behind him like a gunshot.

At that moment, all emotions were wiped off from Gaster's expression. He was left staring in front of himself, Sans's words echoing in his head over and over again.

you did not deserve my forgiveness. and you still don't 

you still don't

i hate you

i hate you

I HATE YOU

"... GASTER?" Papyrus's voice snapped him out of it. Gaster just stood there for a few moments. Then he turned and left the kitchen, and out the front door. Papyrus was left standing in the kitchen, completely baffled by what had just happened.

Papyrus could never have imagined that after all these years, after everything that happened since they left the lab...

Sans chose to share a room with Gaster.

He was working by Gaster's side in the CORE day in, day out.

Yet somehow, despite this Sans still hated Gaster.

Chapter Text

Papyrus stood alone in the kitchen, at a loss on what to do after what had just happened. In his helplessness, he put the remains of the breakfast in the fridge, then he moved to the living room. The house was filled with the cold air, due to the door still being busted down. Papyrus just stood in between the couch and the TV for some moments. He knew right now, Sans needed his support more than ever. Yet still, he chose to go see Gaster first. He looked out the front door and saw Gaster sitting outside on the front porch. Papyrus took a few careful steps closer to him.

"GASTER? ARE YOU OKAY?"

Gaster wouldn't even turn to look at Papyrus. His tone was just as devoid of emotion as it used to be, on his worst days. "Sans needs you now, way more than I do."

"I KNOW. BUT... I FELT LIKE YOU COULD USE A TALK." Papyrus sat next to Gaster and for a while, there was just silence between them as they stared into the distant woods. Snowdin, a town that was always bright, full of life, felt so empty right now, with all the monsters either staying inside their homes or being evacuated to Hotland. Gaster was bending forward slightly, resting his arms on his knees and Papyrus was fidgeting with his hands, trying to think of anything to say. But in the end, it was Gaster who broke the silence.

"Papyrus. Please be honest with me."

"YES? WHAT IS IT?" Papyrus looked at the Gaster, however the latter would still not look at the younger skeleton.

Only four words left his mouth, yet those four words felt like a sharp dagger piercing through Papyrus's soul.

"Do you hate me?"

"W-WHAT- NO, NO, OF COURSE NOT!!" Papyrus flailed his hand, almost panicked from the question. "I DON'T THINK SANS REALLY MEANT THAT EITHER, WHEN HE SAID IT. HE'S JUST... REALLY UPSET, BECAUSE..." Papyrus's sentence trailed off as he finally took a better look at Gaster. The doctor looked... tired. Tired and hurt.

"I don't understand." He almost whispered. "Sans has every right to hate me. I do not blame him for it. It would have been miraculous if he ever managed to forgive me after all I did, really. It was just too good to be true."

"GASTER-"

"He was right. I am selfish. I am a coward. It was my selfishness and my cowardice that drove me to make every mistake in my life." Gaster finally looked into Papyrus's eyes with a frown. "Yet, somehow... you always see past that. As if it did not matter. You always seem to look past my selfishness. How do you do it?" Gaster propped up his elbow on his knee as he talked. Papyrus took a few moments to consider the question. It sounded so casual, yet so terribly sad. Papyrus could feel that Gaster was really at his lowest point. He rather wanted to avoid the topic, but he knew that would not help Gaster right now, so the best he could do was to just really be honest.

"I DON'T REALLY THINK YOU ARE SELFISH..." Papyrus said, looking down at the snow beneath his feet. He just couldn't look at Gaster when he looked this miserable. "I MEAN... YOU DID EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU WANTED TO HELP ASGORE, RIGHT?" The young skeleton managed to turn his eyes back to Gaster's face. Now it was the doctor's turn to look away, uncomfortable.

"That's... not an excuse."

"I KNOW BUT... IF YOU WERE SELFISH... YOU WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN TRIED ANYTHING. YOU WOULD HAVE JUST LET IT HAPPEN. THE FACT THAT YOU FEEL SO BAD FOR YOUR MISTAKES PROVES YOU ARE NOT SELFISH." Papyrus gained a little more strength from his own words. His tone was more like how he usually talked. "IF YOU WERE SELFISH, YOU WOULDN'T CARE AT ALL. YOU WOULD NOT HAVE DONE ANYTHING TO MAKE IT UP TO US."

Papyrus's words hardly had any effect on Gaster. "Yet, it was not good enough." He said gloomily. "I was not good enough. Even after all these years, the scars are still there. They are truly irreparable. I will never be able to fix the damage I caused, no matter how hard I try."

"I-I MEAN-"

"You still think about it all, don't you?"

Papyrus hesitated. He fidgeted with his hands again, his fingers drifting over his left hand. His left hand, which did not have a plate drilled in it no more. Yet... somehow... his hand felt heavy. He couldn't lie to Gaster. All he could do was give a slow, wordless nod, frowning. Gaster closed his eye for a moment, before reopening it, staring in front of himself.

"I am sorry. I am sorry you are both still hurting because I couldn't be good enough for you. I suppose, it was foolish of me to think this would be enough. I did not mend any scars, I just put them under wraps. And now, the bandages are starting to wear off."

"GASTER..." Papyrus spoke up, his voice once again devoid of that strength that filled him a few moments ago. "DON'T SAY THAT, PLEASE..."

"But it's true, isn't it..." Gaster hugged his knees, his head dropping. "I can never do anything right. I'm such a failure..." He spoke quietly, his voice trembling. Papyrus didn't know what he could say to make Gaster feel better. So instead...

He inched a little closer to the older skeleton and gently pulled him into an embrace. Gaster's eye widened slightly as he was completely unprepared for the gesture. "YOU'RE NOT... A FAILURE. JUST BECAUSE YOU MADE MISTAKES, THAT DOESN'T MAKE YOU A FAILURE. EVERYONE DOES BAD THINGS. YOU'VE BEEN TRYING SO HARD TO DO BETTER. PLEASE... DON'T BE SO HARD ON YOURSELF, GASTER."

"I-I..." Gaster's hands trembled as he struggled to return Papyrus's embrace. "But I..."

"I THINK... NEITHER OF US WILL EVER REALLY GET OVER WHAT HAPPENED. ALL THREE OF US MUST THINK ABOUT IT A LOT. I KNOW. BUT GASTER... I THINK... THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU NEED TO DO ABOVE ALL ELSE, IS TO FORGIVE YOURSELF."

"How... how could I ever forgive myself..." Gaster could barely even speak from the overwhelming emotion. "Everything... all I ever did-"

"NO. I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO SAY AND DON'T EVEN SAY IT! YOU SAVED SANS' LIFE, YOU BROUGHT US TO A NEW HOME, YOU REMOVED OUR PLATES, YOU'VE BEEN TRYING SO HARD TO PROTECT US AND CARE FOR US PROPERLY ALL THESE YEARS. YOU ARE DOING YOUR BEST." Papyrus pulled away from the hug, so he could look into Gaster's eyes. "AND IF IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER... I FORGAVE YOU LONG AGO." Finally, after the hardships of the past two days, the first smile made it's way to Papyrus's skeletal face. "I AM SURE SANS WILL ALSO COME AROUND. HE JUST NEEDS SOME MORE TIME."

Gaster's shoulders dropped. He just did not have the words. He almost felt like crying. He didn't even know if it was out of sadness, happiness, or a mix of both. But he wouldn't allow himself to cry in front of Papyrus. He just turned away from him and folded his arms.

"DO YOU... FEEL A LITTLE BETTER?" Papyrus asked carefully after he made sure Gaster calmed down a little.

"... I don't know." Gaster's voice sounded even more tired than before.

"MAYBE YOU SHOULD TAKE A REST. I'LL TALK TO SANS, EASE HIM UP BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO TALK TO HIM. OKAY?"

"I... suppose..." Gaster slowly nodded. He stood up from the front porch and Papyrus did the same. "Thank you, Papyrus." Gaster looked at him as he stood up. Papyrus smiled brightly.

"OF COURSE! YOU KNOW I DON'T LIKE FROWNS! NYEH HEH HEH!!!" Gaster finally managed to smile at that, however weak. "BUT NOW YOU SHOULD REALLY REST. YOU LOOK TIRED. MAYBE FINISH YOUR BREAKFAST, TOO!"

"Yes... yes, I will."

Before the two headed inside, Gaster stared at the broken down door. "... Still need to fix this, somehow."

Frisk stood in complete emptiness. The last several hours have all been a blur. He barely knew what he was doing. It felt like a terrible nightmare. Only, Frisk knew it wasn't. He was practically sleepwalking, his body being dragged around by the Player, doing things with his body, with his mind, that he would never dare to do.

It was pure torture. He wanted to fight back. He wanted his body back. But the Player's determination outweighed his and there was hardly anything he could do. Even when they were about to strike Papyrus, all he could do was buy time. It was in that moment, that Frisk managed to regain slight control over his body. But he could not really do anything. All he could do, was prevent the Player from any movement.

The Player even found his efforts at fighting back admirable. They were truly astonished that even after everything that happened, Frisk still had some resolve left.

"What makes you think they would even forgive you?" They would tell him. "How do you know that they will forget it all, once you RESET? What if they will remember it all? Do you really think you will win back their trust? Sans and Dr. Gaster are already through with you. That idiot Papyrus's trust is also shattering. The damage is irreversable. Therefore, you have no good reason to resist me."

"Don't listen to them. They are just trying to manipulate you, to ensure complete control over you."

A familiar voice echoed through the empty void as Frisk saw another human appear in front of him. They had shoulder length brown hair, shimmering red eyes like him, a green sweater with a single yellow stripe, a golden locket shining in their neck. Yet they did not really look alive, they rather looked like a spirit.

Frisk did not need to think too hard, to guess who was standing in front of him.

"Chara...?" He tilted his head. His voice was just as distant as Chara's. This almost did not feel real. "Am I dreaming?" The question left Frisk's mouth.

"... You could say that. It becomes easier for me to enter deeper into your mind while you are asleep. Sorry for the breach of privacy." She added. "But now that you are asleep and the Player cannot disturb us for the time being, I need to talk to you. First of all, how much... do you remember of what happened the past two days?"

Frisk looked away. Thinking back was painful and hard. "Not... a lot. It's all very fuzzy. Like a dream."

"Mhm..." Chara nodded. "Were you even aware of what... 'you' were doing?"

"Sometimes. I-... I almost managed to step in when they were about to kill Papyrus. I wanted to step in during that whole fight, I didn't want to kill Sans or Papyrus or anyone I-"

"I know. I know. Go on."

"I... I could almost step in. But they... they're just relentless. I don't even feel like I have any chance to control my own body. All I could do was just distract their thoughts, stop them from doing anything for a little while. Until..."

"... Until I stepped in. Again, I apologise for doing it without your consent."

"It's okay... at least you stopped them for a while." Frisk rubbed his arm.

"I told them everything. About the Player, how you were just being puppeteered around, how you only really killed one Froggit on accident. That... well I don't think it matters anymore, considering how things escalated." There was a slight pause. Chara thought Frisk would say something, about what she had just said, but Frisk just stayed silent, his expression weak. It made Chara wonder what Frisk was even going through during his inner turmoil with the Player. "I don't think they believed me, though. Papyrus seemed... convinced enough. Sans is suspicious and Dr. Gaster is skeptical."

"Gaster hates me either way." Frisk folded his arms, turning away from Chara. His expression shifted from saddened to angry. Chara sighed.

"He doesn't ... hate you it's just-"

"Yes he does. You talked to him, didn't you? It was so obvious he hates me..." Frisk's expression shifted, the corners of his mouth dropping into a frown. "Although I guess I deserve it. I ran away, left my best friend alone. I deserve to be hated. Someone has to. Ben would, too."

Chara opened her mouth to speak, only to close it a second later. She realized there was nothing she could really say that would mean anything. Not to mention this was none of her business. She could hardly help with Frisk's trauma, when she did such a poor job of coping with her own. "I know how you feel. Asriel would probably hate me too, if he could see me again." That was the only thing she could say. It did not have much effect on Frisk, but he did took a brief glance at Chara as she spoke. Chara exhaled, looking straight into Frisk's eyes "But anyway... the most imporant thing I wanted to tell you is... that you can still go back."

Frisk's eyes widened slightly. "I can?"

"Yes. I couldn't take control over you while the Player was so... aware. When you distracted them, that was my perfect chance to maintain a longer control. Their manipulation doesn't work so well on me. I couldn't fully take control over your body, but I could prevent the Player from saving their progress. I could maintain that much control."

"Really?" The sudden hope in Frisk's tone melted in a swift second. "Didn't they try to stop you?"

"They did not really seem to care about not being able to save. They are fully convinced that they have you wrapped around their finger." There was another pause. Frisk could not really agree with Chara's claims. "But you are not. Right? You are still willing to go back and fix things."

Frisk was still not certain, even after Chara gave him that little nudge he no doubt needed. "I don't know, Chara... they said-"

"Don't listen to whatever they say. The control over your body is yours and yours only. If you do not let them get in your head, they will be powerless against you. You cannot let them manipulate you futher, you have to fight back and stand strong."

"I ... I don't know..."

Chara breathed out her nose. "I will give you time to regain your composure. Do it whenever you are ready. Just remember, I will be able to maintain control for at least a few days. I will not save once. The Player won't trick me so easily to overpower my determination. So... you have time. Nothing bad will happen. Alright?"

Frisk nodded slowly. "Alright... thanks... Chara..."

"Hm..." She looked away. She did not really approve of doing this and she much rather would have preferred Frisk putting his foot down against the Player, but she could not blame him for being afraid. She could not even imagine the trauma of being unable to control your own body and thoughts. Before she could say anything else, she felt strange. She looked down and saw her hand fading away. "Ah. Seems you are waking up." She looked back at Frisk. "Good luck, partner."

"Thanks... you too."

It had been about some minutes since Papyrus went to Sans and Gaster's room, to talk with the former about the argument that just transpired. Gaster was laying on the couch, facing the ceiling. He was trying to fall asleep, but he was unable to. So instead, he just stared at the ceiling with a blank expression. His mind was still racing. He couldn't stop thinking about the argument he had with Sans, and the conversation that followed with Papyrus. Although the only thing he could hear in his head right now, was his own voice calling him all sorts of terrible things.

'You are weak.'

' A Coward.'

'Selfish.'

'A Liar.'

'A failure.'

'A pathetic excuse of a father.'

'THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU NEED TO DO ABOVE ALL ELSE, IS TO FORGIVE YOURSELF.'

Suddenly, he heard a pair of footsteps walking in. Then he heard a familiar voice. "A-Ah uh... I-... I was gonna knock..."

"... Alphys? What are you doing here?" Gaster sat up as the lizard monster stared at the broken down floor sitting on the floor. Gaster also looked at it, rubbing the back of his skull. "Yes there was... a problem." He said, careful with his wording.

"I-It's... cold." Alphys said quietly. Despite the fact she just said, there was still sweat collecting on her forehead from the anxiety. Gaster could see Alphys looked unusually tired and distressed. Very unlike her. He couldn't blame her either, knowing she probably spent a great deal of time evacuating monsters in Hotland and all arlund the Underground.

"What are you doing here?" Gaster repeated. That was when Alphys turned her attention to him. A crooked smile spread on her face. "W-Well I just ... wanted to see how you were doing... A-Are you alright, Gaster?" She asked, having seen Gaster laying on the couch, looking rather melancholic.

Gaster turned away on the couch, resting his arms on his knees. "I'm fine, I just..." He looked down. He didn't really know how to explain to Alphys what had just happened. All this time, Gaster wouldn't have imagined Sans hated him. Although, he wasn't sure why he even expected anything else. It was only justifiable.

"W-Where are Sans and Papyrus?" Alphys asked with slight worry, sitting next to Gaster. The question gave him a better opening to explain what happened just about an hour ago.

"They are talking." He said quietly, not looking at Alphys. He was still just staring in front of himself, somberly. "Sans is angry at me."

"Oh..." Alphys looked away. "I-I'm sorry, I came at a bad time..."

"Don't worry. I'm glad you are alright."

"M-Me too. G-Glad you guys are okay uh- s-sort of..." Alphys paused before asking away the first question that invaded her mind after Gaster's statement. "Why is Sans angry?"

"It's just the usual." Gaster closed his eye. Alphys quickly realized what Gaster meant. "A-Ah..." She just decided to change the topic, for she doubted she could make Gaster feel better in this situation, seeing as though he was in a particularly dismal mood. "I-I also came because uh... A-Asgore has been p-pretty worried about you. S-Since uh... y-you lost your phone and... he hasn't heard from you since... s-s-since what happened." Alphys fidgeted with her fingers as she talked.

That made something click in Gaster's mind. Somehow, he completely forgot about Asgore. He completely forgot he was partially the reason the argument between himself and Sans happened. "Does he know? About the Human?"

"W-Weeeell..." Alphys looked away nervously. "I-I-I was t-trying to uh... n-not go into detail too much a-about what's been going on, but I think he figured it out on his own."

"Right..." Gaster nodded. He dreaded to think about the human seeing Asgore. Would Asgore even be able to defeat a human possessing this much power? Asgore was strong but... he never gave it his all when fighting humans. Which only meant...

"W-Where are they, by the way? Y-You uh... t-told me you uh... d-dealt with them."

Gaster hesitated for a good while before answering. Even before he uttered his words, he could already see how Alphys was going to react. "They are looked up. We are... keeping them hostage." He did not even want to mention that Chara's spirit resides in that human. Alphys already turned even more worried than she was moments ago. "B-But- G-Gaster-"

"I know!" He snapped. "I know, this is not right, I should kill them. A part of me wants to but if Asgore could got that soul... if he even faces the human..." Gaster paused. For once, he was listening to his own words and he was disturbed by them. He burried his face in his hands. "God Sans was right... what am I saying... I'm just letting my fears get the better of me... I'm putting people in danger with my cowardice."

"N-No, no I... I understand. W-Who knows if Asgore could even stop the Human. U-Undyne c-couldn't even..." She trailed off, her voice turning hoarse with the last few words. "B-But... y-you know they can't stay here. Th-they could hurt y-you or others in Snowdin."

"I know..." Gaster leaned back in his seat, giving a slow nod.

"A-Anyway, I can uh... l-lend you my phone if you want to talk to Asgore." Alphys got her cell phone out from her pocket, handing it to

"Well... alright." Gaster took the phone from Alphys. "I-I'll leave you to it then." She stood up from the couch, walking over to the kitchen. Gaster scrolled in Alphys's phone until he found Asgore's number. He pressed the call button with some hesitance. Of course, he wanted to hear from Asgore and he wanted to let Asgore know that everything was just fine.

But that knowledge did not make the situation any less difficult. Asgore answered mere seconds later.

"Asgore... it's Gaster." He said, before Asgore could say anything probably thinking it was Alphys calling. "I'm calling from Alphys's phone. I've... lost mine."

"Ah, Gaster! It is good to hear from you." Asgore's voice was practically vibrating with concern. It made this so much more difficult for Gaster than it was going to be. "Are you alright?"

Gaster buried his free hand in his pocket, letting out an inaudible breath. "Yes, we are all fine. I... hope you are alright as well." Gaster's voice trembled at the last sentence, which he mentally cursed himself for. He wanted to keep his composure, even if he was very emotionally fragile right now, considering what happened this morning.

"Good... that is good." Asgore said slowly. From his tone, Gaster could tell Asgore was probably just as, if not more distressed than he is. "Gaster, I want to tell you... no matter what happens... I will be alright."

Gaster nearly dropped the phone. It seemed as if Asgore was reading his thoughts through the phone. It seemed more than obvious now, Asgore was aware this chaos was a human's doing. The skeleton swallowed, trying to keep his voice as steady as possible, but he failed. The sentence he uttered made it even worse. He was starting to lose that little composure he had left. "How... how can you say that...? When you know exactly, the severity of this..."

"Gaster... please, I do not want you to worry."

"How can I not worry? If you face that Human... it will practically be you imminent doom." Gaster's voice lost even that little steadiness it had. The fact was, even if Asgore did somehow defeat a human that already massacred a number of monsters, it would still not get any easier for him. He would still need to absorb the human souls, and then...

Asgore did not respond for at least a minute. "Just please, trust me." His voice sounded after a long silence that felt like it stretched on forever. "I assure you, everything will be alright."

Gaster painfully closed his eye, leaning his head back. His grip on the phone was trembling. He wanted to believe Asgore would be alright. But the odds said otherwise. Despite everything, it would have been a miracle if Asgore came out of all this 'alright.' Even after absorbing the human souls. And to think that he does not even know that his deceased child is currently possessing the human that he is fated to face.

"Gaster?" Asgore's uncertain voice made him realize it had been several minutes since he said anything. Gaster tightened his grip on Alphys's phone.

"... I understand." He said the two words quietly. He could hear Asgore sigh on the other end. "Good... thank you. Take care of yourself and try to contact me if you can and need to."

"Yes, I will. Thank you, your Majesty. Goodbye."

Gaster hung up and walked into the kitchen. Alphys was sitting there, fidgeting with her hands and looking around. Come to think of it, Alphys probably hasn't visited the skeleton family in Snowdin in a long time, if ever. The old scientist sat in front of Alphys by the kitchen table, handing her the cell phone back.

"H-How did it go?"

Gaster shrugged. "Fine. I suppose."

"I-I think I should go now then." Alphys was about to stand up. Gaster looked at her. "It is alright if you stay. Say, for lunch."

"A-Ah- n-no, it's okay... y-you don't have to, hehehe..." Alphys looked away with a crooked smile.

"You look tired, Alphys. I insist." Gaster said a little more firmly. Alphys sat back down, quickly realizing she won't win this argument. "I-I suppose... I-I did tell Mettaton to take care of things while I'm gone, haha..."

Before the two could say anything else to each other, a door opened upstairs and footsteps approached the kitchen. It was Papyrus. He seemed pleasently surprised to find Alphys there. "OH!! HI, DR. ALPHYS!!"

"H-Hey Papyrus." She smiled, waving at him. Papyrus turned to Gaster a moment later. "I TALKED TO SANS... HE IS STILL UHH... A LITTLE UPSET. BUT I THINK HE IS READY TO TALK TO YOU."

Gaster nodded. He couldn't help but notice however, that Papyrus was... shaking? "Are you alright, Papyrus?" Gaster furrowed his brows. Papyrus immediately plastered on his usual smile "Y-YES, OF COURSE!! I'M JUST... T-TIRED THAT'S ALL!! NYEH HEH HEH..." Gaster could tell Papyrus was not speaking the truth, but he dismissed it.

"Very well... if you are sure. I shall talk to Sans." Gaster walked out of the kitchen, leaving Alphys with Papyrus. He felt that it was probably unneccessary, yet he still knocked on the door before entering. "Sans? It's Gaster, can I come in?"

"... sure." That was the only response he got. Gaster slowly opened the door and walked in. Sans was lying on the bed, an arm hanging off the side, staring at the ceiling. It was completely needless to ask if he was alright, so instead Gaster just silently walked over to him. He did not even want to sit down on Sans's bed, he felt like that would already be too much.

He expected the younger skeleton to start the conversation. But when that did not happen and the silence continued to linger, the old scientist took a silent breath and spoke. "I am sorry. You were right. I... let my emotions get the better of me."

"yeah, sorry not sorry. we are all sorry every once and a while, aren't we."

"Sans-"

The afforementioned sighed. He sat up, looking at the doctor with narrowed eyes. "i'm sorry too, G." That was entirely not what Gaster expected to hear next. "i don't hate you. i didn't really mean that i just-"

"I understand. Wounds can take a lifetime to heal. Believe me, I know from experience." Oh, how many untreated old wounds he still had that still opened up to this day, completely unexpectedly.

"i guess it's just that... when you were ready to make some irrational, impulsive choice, just for the sake of asgore, it just... reminded me of what happened back then. it was the same deal."

"I talked to Asgore." Gaster remarked. "Alphys came over to visit just now and I got to call him."

"really?" Sans looked at Gaster. "i guess he's not doing super great either, with all this crap going on."

"No, he isn't." Gaster shook his head, folding his arms. He leaned by the wall. Sans tried to drift back to the previous topic. "anyway bottom line is, i don't hate, hate you gaster. i'm just still... angry about everything sometimes. i can't help it."

"I don't blame you." Gaster nodded.

"you gotta understand, i... i really didn't forgive you. i thought if i spent more time with you, shared our room... worked with you in the core... i thought that would help me get there." Sans looked away as he buried his hands in his oversized hoodie's pockets. "but... i guess i still didn't get there. even though it's been ten years. dunno if i'll even get there."

"Sans." Gaster finally sat on Sans's bed, gently setting a hand on his shoulder. "I understand, believe me. I will not be upset and angry. Just take your time. Hell, if you chose to never forgive me, I would still understand."

"... yet, you seemed pretty upset when i told you at the breakfast." Sans's eyes darkened. Gaster drew his hand back from Sans's shoulder, looking away. "That was because... I suppose part of me believed you already moved on. But it was foolish of me to assume that. I myself still haven't moved on completely."

"papyrus hasn't, either." Sans commented.

"I know, he told me."

"did he tell you anything else?" He glanced at the older skeleton. Gaster tilted his head slightly in confusion. "... No? Why do you ask?"

"gaster..." Sans's voice trembled. He looked down with dark eyes. "papyrus has just been bottling up everything for our sake."

"What??"

"he told me that... how did he put it... 'if i am not happy, then nobody else is. so i will just act like i am happy, even if i am not.'"

Gaster's shoulders dropped. All this time, Papyrus was just bottling up his sadness for their sake? "Oh, Papyrus..." He dreaded to think how many times Papyrus faked a smile, just so Gaster and Sans wouldn't be worried.

"yeah... i was gonna get mad at him for doing this to himself. but then i realized, i can't really get mad at him cause... i'm like that too. i just shrug off the bad days. the bad moods. act like it's all fine, even when it's not." Despite the weight of his words, Sans's expression remained relatively calm.

Gaster's eyes widened slightly with realization. "I... I do that often, too. Although I am a... very transparent liar."

Sans smiled weakly, letting out a breathless chuckle. "guess you rubbed off on us, then."

"I... suppose."

"anyway i'm not really angry anymore. i just uh... freaked out there. sorry bout that." Sans rubbed his skull.

"Don't worry about it, it is alright." Gaster assured. "Would you like to come downstairs now?"

"yeah, sure." Sans nodded. The two stood up and walked downstairs. Down in the kitchen, Alphys and Papyrus seemed to be having a lively chat, Papyrus telling Alphys about how much he was enjoying Mettaton's shows.

"SOMEDAY, I WANNA BE IN ONE OF HIS SHOWS!!"

"Ahaha... s-sure I-I could uh... a-arrange that sometime... I-I think..." It was rather awkward to think about that, considering current circumstances. The two noticed Sans and Gaster entering the kitchen. Papyrus smiled. "WELL!! I AM GLAD YOU TWO MADE UP!!"

"yeaaah, it was no big deal, i was uh.. just a bit miffed." Sans shrugged. Gaster kept his eyes pinned on Papyrus. "Papyrus..." He spoke up quietly. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"OH, OF COURSE!!" He did not expect the question, but he was open for a talk. Sans could already guess what it was about. Gaster walked with Papyrus over to the corner of the living room by the bathrom door. "Sans told me what you said to him. How you often bottle up your emotions."

Papyrus's smile quickly turned into a frown. "DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, PLEASE... I JUST WANT YOU BOTH TO BE HAPPY. THAT'S ALL. I TOLD SANS THIS, TOO."

"But Papyrus, we want you to be happy, too." Gaster narrowed his eyes sympathetically.

"BUT... IF I'M UPSET, EVERYONE ELSE GETS UPSET!!" Papyrus shot his gaze at Gaster, his expression being a mixture of sadness and slight anger. "I'M SUPPOSED TO BE HAPPY AND I'M SUPPOSED TO SUPPORT YOU BOTH. I AM SOMEONE YOU CAN LEAN ON!! I CAN'T JUST GO BEING SAD WHEN MY FAVORITE PEOPLE NEED ME TO BE HAPPY!!"

"Papyrus..." Gaster wasn't sure what came over him suddenly, but he couldn't help himself. He pulled Papyrus into a gentle hug. "Don't do this to yourself, please. This is not healthy. I have bottled up my emotions countless times and it brought nothing but harm. It is alright if you feel upset. You don't have to mask your emotions just for our sake."

"BUT... S-... S-SOMEONE HAS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU BOTH..." Papyrus sniffled, his eyes filling with tears. The bottled up emotions were slowly showing. "YOU... BARELY TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES. SANS IS ALWAYS SAYING HE IS FINE, EVEN WHEN THAT'S NOT TRUE, AND YOU ARE ALWAYS UPSET AND FEEL GUILTY FOR WHAT YOU DID IN THE PAST."

"But that does not mean your emotions are irrelevant. I appreciate you caring so much, but do not forget about taking care of yourself as well. If you ever feel upset, you can talk to us both. Whatever it is, that is troubling you." Papyrus did not say anything. Gaster could almost guess what he was thinking. "Is it the lab?" He felt Papyrus nodding into his shoulder. He suspected as much. "That is alright. I still think about it a lot, too. You can talk to me about it anytime you feel upset. Or with Sans, if that makes you more comfortable."

"... YEAH... ALRIGHT. I'LL TRY." Papyrus sniffed, whiping his eyes as Gaster pulled away from the hug. "Now..." He spoke up. "Perhaps it is about time to make lunch."

"R-RIGHT!!" Papyrus immediately gathered himself. "I SHALL IMPRESS DR. ALPHYS WITH MY GREATEST COOKING SKILLS!! PERHAPS SHE'LL BE EVEN CONVINCED I COULD RIVAL METTATON!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!!!" Papyrus rushed away into the kitchen. Gaster looked after him with a gentle smile.

Gaster let out a sigh, and entered the bathroom. He wanted to wash himself a little, he figured he probably looked like a mess, considering he barely slept last night since he was guarding the human. Not to mention this morning's events were... more than trying, for all three of them. As Gaster washed his hand and face, he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

A tired, old skeleton looked back at him. Wearing glasses, his right eye permanently closed with a scar running down under it, which will never heal anymore. A scar from ten years ago, when Sans pulled him into the force field, trying to kill him down in the lab.

"Forgive myself..." Gaster said quietly to himself. "How am I supposed to forgive myself...?" He closed his eye. When he reopened it, he felt himself shaking. He looked down at his hands and saw that they were coated in fresh, warm, scarlet blood. Gaster's eye suddenly glowed yellow. "No... no, not now..." He leaned against the bathroom wall, taking deep breaths and trying to snap himself back into reality. He grasped his chest. He felt like his lungs were tightening up. As if he was about to pass out.

"gaster?" Sans entered the bathroom. Immediately, he could see something was wrong. He furrowed his brows. "... are you okay?"

Gaster's eye stopped glowing yellow and he sighed inaudibly, managing to calm himself. "... Fine... I'm fine."

"well c'mon. papyrus is making lunch." Sans pointed to the kitchen with his skull.

Chapter Text

Alphys ended up staying for lunch, but after that she insisted that she should return to the lab since it would be about time for Mettaton to charge up, for he was running for well over twenty four hours. Then, Alphys would have to keep an eye on the evacuees. She thanked for the lunch, then she left. Afterwards everything grew more quiet in the house. Despite everything, Sans still seemed to be under the effects of whatever happened in the morning. Right now, the three were in the living room. Sans was lying on the couch, eating a bag of chips with Papyrus sitting next to him. Meanwhile Gaster was trying to reattach the broken door.

Overall, things have calmed down a little, considering how eventful the past two days have been. Knowing Chara kept things under control so that the Player would not interfere, it brought some sense of security. But it was unsure how long that would last. Chara couldn't possibly defy the Player forever, especially since Frisk eventually has to take back control. Not to mention Gaster and Sans were still rather skeptical about the whole Player conspiracy to begin with. But Papyrus tried his best to stay positive.

To take his mind off things, Papyrus decided to go out to the shed and see how Frisk was doing. If he was back yet. To his surprise, when he entered, he saw that Gaster's blue bone barricade faded away. Frisk was however still sitting in the corner. He turned his head up when he saw Papyrus entering.

"Oh yeah... the bones are gone. I uh... didn't really want to alarm anyone, so I was staying here even despite that." From that tone of voice, Papyrus could tell this was in fact still Chara, not Frisk. It struck him with a little bit of disappointment but he tried not to show it to not be rude. "AH, HELLO HUMAN CHARA!!" Papyrus walked through the bars to sit next to her. Chara looked away.

"Don't sound so happy to hear from me." She grumbled a little.

"I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY I DIDN'T MEAN TO BE RUDE!" He apologized quickly. "IT'S JUST UH... I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT FRISK." Papyrus rubbed the back of his skull. Chara still did not want to make eye contact which made this a bit awkward. It must have been hard for her to socialize, especially since she has been nothing but a spirit lingering around for the longest time. "DO YOU UH... I MEAN CAN YOU EVEN TELL HOW HE IS?"

"Yeah, we uh... 'talked' sort of." Chara relaxed a little, finally turning to Papyrus. "He's not ready to come back yet. He's afraid of losing himself again."

"YES, I UNDERSTAND THAT." Papyrus noted, though a moment later his expression shifted into one of slight concern. "ALTHOUGH... GASTER AND SANS ARE STILL REALLY DOUBTING ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID TO US. YOU KNOW THE WHOLE... CONTROL AND..."

Papyrus tried to pick his words carefully to not offend Chara. But Chara seemed to accept what Papyrus was telling her. "Yeah, I know." She said, making Papyrus forget about whatever else he was going to say. "I wouldn't believe myself either, so I don't blame them. Besides..." She paused for a moment, thinking through what she was going to say next. "You soon... won't remember all this. It will be like a bad dream."

Papyrus furrowed his brows, tilting his head with confusion. "WHAT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?"

"Let's just say... you guys will probably feel a lot of fuzzy dejavu." Papyrus didn't really know how to respond to this. Or what Chara was even talking about. "But anyway... I guess uh... it's nice to meet you a bit more officially, without any pre-near death experiences." She quickly changed the topic.

"OH YES, I CAN AGREE!! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!!!" Papyrus smiled, quickly forgetting about Chara's cryptic talk.

"Don't know how much Gaster said about me. I assume not a lot. We were never really close." Chara rubbed her arm while hugging her knees.

"NO, NOT REALLY..." Papyrus's smile faded, rubbing the back of his gloved hand. "HE NEVER REALLY TELLS US A LOT ABOUT WHAT IT WAS LIKE WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER." Suddenly, his eyes shined. He was getting an idea. "WAIT, WHAT WAS GASTER LIKE BEFORE?? WAS HE A LOT DIFFERENT? OR NOT? WAS HE SIMILAR TO US?"

Chara couldn't help but smile. In a way it was nostalgic. "Yeah uh... my memory is a bit fuzzy and he always acted in a... certain way, whenever he was around me. Don't know what he was like when he wasn't anxious. But I can still tell you if you're really interested."

"YES, TELL!!" Papyrus nodded with excitement.

"Well he was... very timid, actually. Quiet, rather soft spoken. Also very, very closed off. He didn't even really talk to me a lot." Chara's expression shifted, turning a bit sadder. "I could tell he's been through a lot, what with the war and everything. I suppose, I could somewhat see myself in him, in a way. I was also very anxious when the Dreemurrs first took me in. I can say he changed a lot and not exactly for the better, which I think is no suprise to you."

"YEAH..." Papyrus nodded gloomily, looking away.

"But I don't judge him for anything. I don't really have a right to be judging people." She quickly added.

"ACTUALLY I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH YOU UH ... HEARD BUT... SANS AND GASTER ARGUED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT EARLIER TODAY." Papyrus said quietly.

"I may have... heard a bit of shouting. But I won't inquire if you don't want to talk about it."

"IT'S JUST... SOMETIMES WE ALL STILL THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED."

"Anyhow," Chara quickly drifted off this topic, probably because there were some unpleasant old memories resurfacing. "don't tell Gaster I told you any of this, you know."

"YES, OF COURSE." Papyrus chuckled. Then suddenly, his face lit up as he got an idea. "WAIT, SINCE YOU ARE HERE ANYWAY... DO YOU WANT TO COME HELP ME MAKE DINNER? I COULD GIVE YOU ONE OF MY EXCELLENT COOKING LESSONS!!" Papyrus leaped to his feet.

Chara did not seem to thrilled by the idea, however.

"I... I don't know. I don't think that's a good idea... Gaster and Sans would probably freak out if they saw me walking around." She was mostly concerned with the Player, rather than Gaster and Sans, worrying that they'd probably get tempted to take control and defeat Chara's control, but she did not dare voice this concern to Papyrus. She did not want to scare him. Papyrus, however still looked bright and happy with the idea.

"COME ON, YOU MUST EXPERIENCE MY GREATEST COOKING LESSON!! IT'LL BE FUN!! IT COULD PROBABLY CHEER YOU UP! OR FRISK FOR THAT MATTER IF HE IS LISTENING."

Seeing as though Papyrus was probably not going to relent, Chara stood up with a sigh.

"Alright, alright. I suppose." She shrugged. "But if I start doing weird things and lose control to the Player, just bonk me in the head with a pan or something. Don't worry, it's for the best." She added when Papyrus was about to protest with concern.

"WELL, I SUPPOSE... ALRIGHT." Papyrus straightened up, clearing his throat. "ANYWAY, ONTO THE COOKING LESSON!! HOPEFULLY I WILL BE A GOOD ENOUGH TEACHER!! I LEARNED A LOT FROM UNDYNE! NYEH HEH HEH HEH!!!" Chara looked down, grimacing slightly at the mention of Undyne. She could only hope Papyrus won't truly learn what happened to her before Frisk resets. She wanted to say something, but she was worried of saying too much and giving Papyrus ideas, so she rather did not say anything. Papyrus led

Chara out of the shed and into the house.

Gaster was still working on the door, with little success. Sans also kept lazing around on the couch, an arm hanging off the couch. He finished eating his chips and now the bag was lying on the carpet. "SANS, DON'T MAKE A MESS OUT OF THE LIVING ROOM!!" He picked up the chips bag from the floor.

"hey bro and... uh..." He was looking at Chara.

"It's Chara. Still. Frisk is... needs time."

"ah... got it." Sans hummed and Chara saw that uncertainty in his expression. She wanted to convince herself that Sans is not comfortable with neither her nor Frisk, due to understandable reasons, but her low self esteem was rather trying to convince her that Sans disliked her specifically.

"Why are you out of the shed?" Gaster raised a brow at her, turning his attention away from the door. "Not that I don't trust you-" He quickly tried correcting himself. He did not have any problems with Chara after all, only Frisk.

Chara did not take any offense to it however. "No worries, I understand. Can't be too careful."

"Well yes, indeed." Gaster nodded.

"How's that door looking?" She inquired as Gaster turned his attention back to fixing it. "I... I can probably fix it soon. I am not a handyman but it's not too broken. Some screws just need replacing."

"anyways what are you guys doing?" Sans stood up from the couch, dusting himself off.

"SANS, YOU SMELL LIKE JUNK FOOD." Papyrus looked at him, displeased. "DID YOU EVEN SHOWER LAST NIGHT?"

"i uh... probably forgot." He rubbed the back of his skull. "y'know in light of the whole... we-almost-died-to-this-kid thing."

"UGH!! GO AND TAKE A SHOWER SANS!! CAN'T HAVE YOU BEING STINKY BEFORE DINNER!!" Before Sans could even move a foot, Papyrus picked him up and carried him off to the bathroom.

"... I assume this happens on a daily basis, yes?" Chara glanced at Gaster. Gaster looked rather amused, though he tried his best to hide it. "Yes. They are getting up to all sorts of antics every day." The amusement on Gaster's expression shifted into a little bit of genuine annoyance. "Sans keeps the most obscure things in our room. It can be a nuisance to get him to keep his side of the room as clean as possible."

"I can imagine." Chara really didn't want to think too much about how tiring it must be to share a room with Sans. A moment later the bathroom door opened and Papyrus reentered the living room. "I MADE SANS TAKE A BATH BEFORE DINNER! HE PROBABLY NEEDS IT ANYWAY!! SO, HUMAN CHARA, IT IS TIME FOR OUR TERRIFIC COOKING LESSON!!" Chara followed Papyrus into the kitchen. "SO!! A GOOD FIRST LESSON WOULD BE TO MAKE MY WORLD-CLASS SPAGHETTI!!"

"Sure." Chara shrugged. The situation felt extremely odd and peculiar to her. Here she was, possessing another human's body, about to cook pasta with a skeleton. Who would have thought she would ever find herself in such a situation as the disembodied voice she was, lingering around the Underground for years.

It was almost funny how seriously Papyrus took this. "SO... WE WILL NEED THE BEST

QUALITY PASTA AND SOME NUTRITIOUS MEAT AND VEGGIES!! CAN YOU GET THAT FROM THE FRIDGE, HUMAN CHARA?"

"... What are the chances I will find something extremely bizarre in that fridge?" That was the first question popping into Chara's mind. Papyrus was not even surprised by the question, rather he took it into consideration, which was even more intimidating.

"IT'S A FIFTY-FIFTY. WORST CASE SCENARIO IS TOO MANY BOTTLES OF KETCHUP." He said, rubbing his jaw.

"I guess I can take that." Chara walked over to the fridge and opened it. There were no ketchup bottles, but instead there were a number of random objects. "Ooookay, there is... an empty bag of chips, a rubber duck, a pair of glasses-"

"What." Gaster's voice sounded from the living room. Chara took the glasses. "Yeah. They were at the bottom of the fridge."

"WHAT??! WHAT WERE THEY DOING IN THE FRIDGE?? FOR HOW LONG HAS IT EVEN BEEN THERE?!"

"... So that's where my spare pair went..." Gaster walked in the kitchen, taking the glasses from Chara. The lenses were completely frozen over, it was very cold. You really had to wonder how long they were in there for.  "How did they even-"

"Sans. I would say. Chances seem high." Chara said, trying her best to hold onto sanity with the senselessness of the situation. Gaster closed his eye, sighing. "Saaaaaaaans!"

"yeah?" The aforementioned just entered the kitchen, presumably finished in the bathroom.

It did not take him long to realize the situation when he saw Gaster holding a very frozen pair of glasses. "oh. totally forgot i put 'em there."

"When did you even do that." Gaster mumbled while facepalming.

"probably a couple days ago." Sans just couldn't help but widely grin with the hilarity of the situation.

"I... I can't believe you, Sans." Gaster let out a long, annoyed sigh. Sans tried his best to keep an innocent expression on his face. "hey, leaving socks around your side of the room gets old eventually. gotta get creative." He shrugged. Gaster just continued to look unamused.

"Okay but what's with the rubber duck?" Chara pulled it out of the still open fridge. "You guys enjoy eating rubber?" Considering how nonsensical this all got, she would not at all be surprised if one of the brothers said yes.

"OOHH THAT'S WHERE IT WAS!! I FORGOT!! I PROBABLY LEFT IT THERE ON ACCIDENT!" Papyrus snatched it from Chara.

"And you haven't noticed since."

"I MAY HAVE MISTAKEN IT FOR CHEESE!!"

"I-... I'm not even going to ask." Chara's shoulders dropped tiredly in defeat. She has long since given up trying to make sense of all this.

"ANYWAY, I SHALL RETURN SOON!!" Papyrus bolted out of the kitchen. Sans was also on his way upstairs, taking a drag out of a freshly opened ketchup bottle. When did he even get that?

"Some good the shower did..." Chara mumbled, looking after him. Gaster sighed again, absentmindedly and pocketed his frozen glasses. "I assume it can get really tiring with them." Chara said to Gaster, following him in the living room to sit on the couch until Papyrus returns.

"They do have... a lot of energy sometimes. It gets hard to speak up. Especially with Sans's peculiar pranks." He said the lasts part with a particular hint of exasperation in his tone. "But you cannot blame them too much. I... I never let them have a proper childhood. They may seem immature to most people."

"Yes, I understand. At least... they could loosen up a little, considering everything that happened lately." Chara said quietly. It really was a relief in a way that Sans and Papyrus haven't been too affected by the Player trying to kill them. Though she was aware she'd eventually have to break the mood and tell them that Frisk will have to return control. That will no doubt cause Gaster and Sans to be more wary. Perhaps Papyrus will be glad to get to talk to Frisk, though.

"True... that's true." Gaster said softly. Seemed like he finally finished fixing the door. Just then, as Chara observed Gaster seeing if the door worked properly, Papyrus returned to the living room.

"I APOLOGIZE FOR THE HOLD UP, I JUST FOUND MY ROOM WAS MESSIER THAN I REMEMBERED! I CAN GUESS WHOSE WORK THAT WAS..." He grumbled. Seemed Sans liked to regularly pull jokes on Papyrus and Gaster both. But pranking Gaster was a more frequent stunt for him to pull. "ANYWAY!! WE STILL HAVE A COOKING LESSON TO COMMENCE, SO COME NOW HUMAN CHARA!!" Papyrus swiftly hurried back to the kitchen with Chara behind him. Moments later he readied all the ingredients from the fridge and cupboards and they were ready to cook. Gaster just watched them from the living room. "FIRST OF ALL, WE MUST READY THE SAUCE!!" Papyrus pointed at the vegetables. "ENVISION THE VEGETABLES AS YOUR WORST ENEMY!"

"What now?" Chara raised a brow. She almost started to take this a little more seriously before Papyrus made this comment.

He shrugged. "I DON'T KNOW, UNDYNE ALWAYS SAYS THIS. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EFFECTIVE." He cleared his throat, once again talking in that overly energetic tone that was very usual of him. "POUND THEM TO DUST WITH YOUR FISTS!!"

"Uh... okay...?" Gaster coughed in the background. Probably in an attempt to cover up a laugh. Chara pounded on the counter as hard as she could. "... Ow." She rubbed her hand. Perhaps she hit the counter a little bit harder than she should have.

"A RESPECTABLE ATTEMPT!! LET ME SHOW HOW IT IS DONE!" Papyrus practically crushed the tomatoes, smearing the counter and walls with tomato sauce.

"You will clean this up." Gaster commented from the back.

"I KNOW..."

They scraped the sauce into the bowl and cleaned up the rest from the walls. After they finished the sauce, it was time to cook the noodles. "UNDYNE ALWAYS SAYS IT'S BEST FOR THE PASTA TO BE AS HOT AS POSSIBLE! BUT... MOST OF THE TIMES THE NOODLES DON'T SURVIVE SUCH A CASE, SO LET'S JUST COOK THEM AT A SAFER MEASURE, NYEH HEH HEH..." Papyrus turned the heat up appropriately, then they waited for the noodles to be finished. Gaster was still sitting at the living room table, supervising the two. As much as he trusted Papyrus's cooking abilities, it was a known fact between all three skeletons that Undyne's lessons given to Papyrus often ended up with something setting on fire, so it was best to keep a careful watch in case it accidentally happens.

While they waited for the pasta to be done, Sans entered the kitchen. "heya, how's cookin' lesson going." He leaned to the kitchen doorframe. Holding a trombone and a book. Whatever he was up to this time, Chara pinned down that is was probably something really dumb or really dangerous.

"Where did you get that?" Gaster furrowed his brows, looking at the instrument.

"from the dump. it was a while ago, too. i just know how to hide these from you." He grinned. Gaster did not even seem surprised, or annoyed at this point. Like it was a daily occurance that Sans dug up something strange from his room, which it probably was, Chara thought. "I will definitely search your side of the room later tonight."

"anyways, while you guys wait for that to be done, wanna hear a joke." He winked.

"SANS, DON'T." Papyrus folded his arms. He could already sense what was coming. Chara did

not yet, but regardless she was concerned.

He opened a book, which Chara saw on the cover that it was a joke book and read an excerpt.

"what is a skeleton's favorite musical instrument?"

"SANS."

"a trombone."

"SAAAANS!!!"

Sans played a tune on the trombone, and in that exact moment, the fire alarm went off and the sprinkler system turned on. It only took mere seconds for Gaster, Sans, Papyrus and Chara to all be wet from head to toe.

Gaster bolted up from his seat and turned off the oven quickly. The pasta was nearly burnt to ashes.

"I... I SUPPOSE I ACCIDENTALLY SET THE HEAT A LITTLE TOO HIGH..." He rubbed the back of his skull with a nervous smile.

After the sprinkler was turned off and the house was somewhat dried and cleaned, the three skeletons and Chara were now sitting in the living room, Chara, Sans and Papyrus sitting on the couch. In spite of dinner being overcooked, Gaster, Papyrus and Chara just ate some leftovers from lunch while Sans found himself satisfied with an extra bottle of ketchup.

"hey..." Sans spoke up suddenly, looking at Chara. "uhh sorry if i was kinda rude to you before." He rubbed the back of his skull. "just ya know, after what happened yesterday..."

"I know." Chara nodded over her plate of leftover mac and cheese. "Don't worry, I understand." There was a short pause and Chara thought it would be an appropriate time for her to break the news and probably cause the skeletons to feel a sudden sense of wary.

"Speaking of which, there is something I should probably warn all of you about." When she saw all eyes being pinned on her, she went on. "Well... I shouldn't be possessing Frisk any longer. So just be aware he will probably... 'return' tomorrow, so to speak." They reacted just about how Chara originally imagined. Papyrus looked conflicted, Sans was uncomfortable and Gaster was wary. "He will... try his best to fix all this." She added carefully. She did not want to go into detail about the concept of Resetting, considering the skeletons were already skeptical about the Player.

"and how exactly does he plan to do that?" Sans asked, keeping his tone casual but his expression showed a significant rise in anger. "he killed a ton of monsters."

Chara sighed. "Look it's complicated. I know what he will do and I know he can do it."

"Just because he can, doesn't mean he will." Gaster interjected from the other side of the living room. "How can we trust him?"

"I will not try to change your mind about him." Chara responded calmly. "You are right to be in doubt, after what happened. But trust me when I say, when Frisk is in his right mind, he knows what he is doing."

"and when he's not?"

Chara looked down. "Well... that's when the Player comes in." She said quietly. It was not easy to talk about this, considering how unbelivable it was for all skeletons present. Chara did not really know what she could do to convince them. Though she did not really want to, either. Considering Frisk will Reset soon, chances are they will completely forget about all this. About meeting Chara, about the Player. It was probably for the best.

But then Chara realized... the Player has been radio silent ever since she took over. Either they have no interest in trying to fool Chara into losing control... or they will use their opportunity to use Frisk again. She will just has to do her best to support him, so he will no longer lower his guard, even if the Player becomes absent for a longer time.

"I... I BELIEVE IN FRISK!" Papyrus chimed in, although sounding a little nervous.

"Alphys showed me how she has been monitoring that child." Gaster spoke up. He was going to say something that he did not mention before, to anyone present. At first, he forgot about it completely, then the time was just not appropriate to bring it up. But now he will take the opportunity. "She has been monitoring all his statistics. Sometimes, his LV would jump all the way up to 19."

His words were followed by silence. Sans ended up breaking it first, after a few minutes. "19... that's... a lot isn't it." He rubbed his skull.

"It is. It would require a human to kill at least a hundred monsters to even come close to that number." Gaster's tone was now one mixed with hatred and slight fear. It seemed he was afraid of his own words, but at the same time he felt there was truth in them. Which just made his hatred for humanity burn stronger than it ever did in the past ten years.

Chara furrowed her brows with confusion. "But no that... that can't be right. Even after-"

After they killed Undyne, Chara almost said. But no, she cannot tell them this now. Not when it was like this. Not when it was about to be Reset soon anyway. She quickly rethought that sentence she was about to say. "Even after the Player took over Frisk, they did not kill that many monsters in Waterfall alone. As soon as they returned to Snowdin, they were coming 

for Sans and Papyrus, not the rest of the monsters."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Gaster hummed. "I suppose I will ask Alphys about it later. Perhaps it is just an error in the system." He shut his eye for a moment. "I certainly hope that is the case..." He said faintly.

"Anyway just... point is, prepare to see Frisk again sometime soon. I will still be... around him. If anything goes bad, I can try to take control again." She quickly changed the topic, mostly because she did not want to raise this much concern in the three, even if she was aware they will not take the news well at all.

"i guess... whatever he's gonna do to fix all this, he better do it damn right." Sans said with darkened eyes. Papyrus stood up quickly, clearing his thought. "AT ANY RATE, I WILL GET TO WASHING THE DISHES!!" He took Gaster and Chara's plates with his own.

"I can do it." Gaster offered.

"NO, THAT'S ALRIGHT. I DON'T MIND, REALLY!!" Papyrus went for the kitchen. Gaster just shrugged. "Well, alright then." He settled on the couch next to Chara as Sans stood up, too. "i'm headin' to catch some z's. i'm wiped for the night."

"No more socks." Gaster said, half serious half joking. Sans grinned. "no promises. but on a serious note, got it."

"Good night, Sans." Gaster nodded as he headed upstairs.

"night G. night paps. night kiddo." He waved while heading upstairs and a few moments there was the sound of a door closing. After that, everything went quiet. Papyrus cleaning the dishes was the only thing breaking the silence. Chara just sat there on the couch with Gaster. She wanted to say something, but it did not feel very appropriate. To talk to Gaster this way, through Frisk. Especially since this all will be gone soon. Nobody will remember. Perhaps it is selfish. But...

"Gaster?" She said quietly.

"Yes?"

Chara looked away, a little uncomfortable. "I know this is not a very appropriate way of communicating. At all. But just..." She took a silent breath, turning to look at Gaster. "How are you?" There was a pause, during which she realized this question was probably not worded clearly enough. "I-I mean... just how have you been doing these past years? Since... you know."

Gaster didn't seem prepared for a question. He looked surprised at first, then uncomfortable. "I... well..." He rubbed his neck. "It has been... severely difficult at times." He folded his arms, closing his eye tiredly. "A lot has changed since then. I haven't really... changed for the better myself. I don't think I am the appropriate Royal Scientist the Underground really needs, knowing the things I've done."

"I am going to stop you right there." Chara interrupted. "I may not know the details, or the full context of what happened in the past. All I know is what I have seen through that human and even then, I was mostly... in that sleeping state I am, most of the time..." She was rambling. She sighed, quickly jumping to the point. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say. You were never a bad Royal Scientist, Dr. Gaster. Just because you made mistakes and some poor choices, that doesn't make you bad at your job."

"But- but I should have-"

"Yes. The 'should have' is always there. But just because we should have done some things different, doesn't always mean we really could have changed anything. You really think you could have stopped Asgore from declaring war on the humans? Or stopped Toriel from leaving?"

Gaster looked away with a frown. He did not say anything and that gave Chara a feeling that her points were actually correct and she wasn't talking complete nonsense.

"The damage was already done when I got sick. You couldn't have changed anything, even if you tried."

"Why- I was never... all I ever did was alienate you, why are you..." Gaster rubbed his forehead.

"You were struggling with your own trauma. I don't have any right to judge you for it. Besides..." She paused for a moment, taking another silent breath. It was very difficult to talk about all this. To talk so confidently about these weighty emotions and thoughts. But Chara knew... Gaster needed to hear this from someone who was there. Someone who shares the exact pain he is feeling. Perhaps some of it will still remain in his memories, even despite the Reset. "You had no real reason to trust me. I was nobody. Just a problematic child who quite literally fell out of the sky."

She let the silence linger, waiting if Gaster would say anything. But Gaster wouldn't. He just kept staring at the carpet beneath his feet, with folded arms. Chara could read from his expression her words made the necessary impact.

"Just don't forget this. You are not responsible for every wrong that happened in your life. Sometimes... life is just cruel."

Before she could say anything else, Papyrus exitted from the kitchen. He probably hasn't overheard anything, but it seemed like he did hear Chara and Gaster having a more private conversation. But he did not say anything about it, he just acted natural. "WELL, I SHALL GO TO SLEEP NOW TOO!! GOOD NIGHT GASTER, HUMAN CHARA!" With that, he headed upstairs. Chara, assuming Gaster was probably not going to say more, stood up from the couch.

"I will... go back to the shed now."

That seemed to snap Gaster out of whatever train of thought he had. "I should-"

Chara shook her head. "No, it's alright. You need to sleep too. I can keep it under control if anything happens." In light of how silent the Player has been, Chara did not even worry about them suddenly showing up tonight.

"I suppose. If you are sure."

"I am."

"And I... Thank you." Gaster said, right as Chara was about to exit the door. She looked back at him and managed to give him a faint smile. "Of course. You are welcome." As the door closed behind her, Gaster let out a long sigh, before heading upstairs to his and Sans's room.

Even when he was lying in bed, Chara's words were still echoing in his head.

Just don't forget this. You are not responsible for every wrong that happened in your life. Sometimes... life is just cruel.

"I know you are right. It is just hard to accept reality. It is easier to blame myself and make me think it was my fault things have gone so wrong..."

Chapter Text

It was another day in the Underground. Things were still heated due to recent events and Captain Undyne's sudden absence, which almost nobody knew details of. There was reasonably a lot of concern for the safety of monsters because of that, but with the massacre at a halt for three days now, things were slowly starting to go back to normal as people tried their best to uncover what really happened while trying to find the one responsible for it all.

It was certainly not looking good for Frisk. But he just needed to gather enough confidence to go back and fix his wrongdoings. Or rather, The Player's wrongdoings. Then, he would not let something like this happen again. He will fix it and he will make it up to everyone he's unintentionally hurt.

Gaster, Sans and Papyrus were now down at the lab. They decided to come down after monsters have been sent home from evacuation. For now, everyone is still quarantined and not allowed to leave their homes until safety was completely ensured. Mettaton was right now on his charging station, for he was up and running watching over monsters in the lab for several days.

It was difficult especially for Gaster to trust Frisk enough to leave him to be home alone, not to mention it was even more difficult for Sans and Papyrus to come down here in spite of the traumatic memories within these walls.

But this time was a different and unusual case.

"THEIR HAND IS SO COLD..." Papyrus said quietly, standing next to the operating table where a familiar human was lying. Kale. Still there, in coma. Hardly any sign showed they would regain consciousness. They have been asleep for ten long years after all. Even if they did wake up, who knows what state they will be in after being blacked out for so long. "DO YOU THINK THEY'RE STILL ALIVE?" Papyrus looked at Sans and Gaster. His voice slightly trembled as he worded the terrifying question. Sans nor Gaster did not respond. They both had their own answers to give, but it would not be the answer Papyrus would want to hear.

"T-They are still... uh... n-not any better." Alphys carefully said. "I-I am not sure but- m-maybe they'll get better!" She tried to smile which turned rather wry.

"It is uncertain if they will get better." Gaster said, managing to word his own thoughts on this more lightly. Papyrus backed away from the operating table, standing next to Sans. As terrible as it was to admit it, part of him agreed with Gaster. It would take a miracle for Kale to wake up.

"they really went so far for us huh... they made such a difference for all of us." Sans said with darkened eyes. His tone sounded very bittersweet, but there was more melancholy in there than joy.

"It's... incredible, really. O-One human had so much impact on s-so... so many monsters." Alphys nodded in agreement. Gaster was the first one to turn away from the operating table and sit on the bed a few steps away. Sans and Papyrus followed him with their gaze.

"'sup G?" Sans took a closer step on him. The doctor looked like there were a lot of thoughts swarming in his head. He was staring at the floor, arms folded. Sans, Papyrus and Alphys all had their eyes pinned on him.

"I... I never would have thought I will have such experience with a human out of all creatures." He said quietly. "They... had a positive influence on me. I admit. Which... I did not think a human could ever accomplish." He spoke slowly. As if it was hard to put his thoughts into words. Or, he was just struggling with admitting such things. "Humans only harmed me in my entire life. But this child..." He looked at Kale somberly. "They are very different than the average human."

"That's good to hear Gaster." Alphys managed to give a genuine smile this time around. "I-I know you ah... that every monster always had problems with Humans. B-But I-I also think they c-could be better than we'd think. T-This only proves that."

"... Yes, perhaps." Gaster nodded. "Perhaps we still have chance at a peaceful life with humans." He looked away into the distance. His expression did not show, but for everyone present it was obvious this statement was rather just wishful thinking. For Alphys especially it was no secret how worried Gaster was for Asgore's life. Whether he'd absorb the seven souls or be defeated by the human, it would not go well either way. In a way, Alphys shared his concern, too.

"I'M GLAD TOO." Papyrus nodded. "I REALLY THINK KALE WAS VERY SPECIAL AND A GREAT FRIEND!!"

"they really were." Sans said with a nostalgic smile. Then he turned his eyes towards Gaster on the bed. "which reminds me... what about frisk? how do you feel about him G?" Sans asked, sitting next to him. Immediately, he realized this was an extremely delicate question and probably not right to ask in the moment. "sorry i mean-"

"You know I can't answer that right here and now. You know why as well." Gaster whispered so only Sans would hear. Sans gave a seamless nod. "Anyhow," Gaster stood up from the bed and Sans quickly followed his movements. "I believe it is time for us to get going."

"O-Oh yes, o-of course." Alphys nodded. "D-Do you uh... n-need anything or-"

Gaster took the question into consideration. "... Perhaps that bag of marshmallows, if they are still here." He said half quiet. Not quiet enough for Sans to not hear, however.

"marshmallows? don't tell me you have a favorite midnight snack as well, gaster? i'm never gonna let you live that down." He chuckled, grinning mischievously.

"Ugh yes, thank you Sans." Gaster said with a groan, slightly annoyed. This would be another think Sans would endlessly pull pranks on him with, no doubt about it.

"YOU ARE BOTH HAVING UNHEALTHY SNACKS LATE AT NIGHT... I'M GOING TO CHANGE YOUR DIETS SO YOU WILL ONLY EAT THE MOST HEALTHY FOODS FOR AT LEAST A WEEK!!" Papyrus exclaimed firmly, giving Gaster and Sans both a glare that turned out to be less disappointed and more lighthearted.

"oh no, whatever shall i do." Sans shrugged with faked fear. Alphys couldn't help but giggle at the ridiculousness of the situation. "A-Anyway, h-here you go Gaster." She said with amusement that she did not even try to hide as she handed Gaster a big bag of marshmallows. Gaster attempted to stuff the whole thing into the inner pocket of his jacket which was not very successful, so he had no choice but to carry it in his hand. Where Sans can see it and tease him about it, for sure.

"I BETTER NOT CATCH YOU HAVING TOO MANY OF THEM!" Papyrus warned, looking at the alarmingly large bag.

"Yes." Gaster mumbled, clearly disconcerted He even got slightly flustered, which he tried to hide by staring intently at the floor.

"and now you're all embarrassed too." Sans's grin grew even wider. Gaster cleared his throat, trying to regain his usual demeanor. "Anyway, as blithesome as this is, we should really be going now. Goodbye Alphys."

"BYE, DR. ALPHYS!!"

Sans just silently waved at her and she waved back at all of them. "Yes, thanks for your visit! Stay safe!"

After the three entered the elevator, Gaster looked at Sans. "I will answer your question once we get home."

It did not take long for the skeletons to return home. Sans and Papyrus sat on the couch while Gaster stood by the kitchen doorway after putting away the bag of marshmallows. Nobody said a word at first. But then Sans brought up the same question asked in the lab.

"so... how do you feel about this kid, gaster?" He asked quietly, looking up at Gaster. Papyrus looked at him as well. His expression was showing curiosity mixed with anticipation. Papyrus still had some level of trust and faith in Frisk, especially after Chara shared so much with them about what he's going through. Which Gaster and Sans were still skeptical of, however. Gaster closed his eye and looked away.

"I would kill him if I could." His tone was almost a whisper. It was burning with suppressed distaste. It was clear as daylight, Gaster despised Frisk. "But as much as I want to, I do not have a right to do that." He reopened his eye, burying his hands in his pockets. His gaze was pinned on the ceiling now.

Sans scoffed. "really? that's your excuse? 'you don't have a right'? gaster this kid-"

Gaster shot his gaze at Sans. "I know what he did Sans. I am well aware." There was a lot of unintended animosity in his response. He inaudibly exhaled to calm himself. "Regardless, only the King and the Royal Guard have jurisdiction over humans. Residents do not have a right to harm them."

"even when we were assaulted?" Sans's eyes turned dark. Gaster did not respond, only let out a barely audible, displeased hum. Papyrus opened his mouth to speak, but closed it seconds later. He wanted to remark how technically, Frisk was under the influence of somebody else. But knowing how little Sans and Gaster believed that the Player really exists, he realized it is probably wiser for him to not say that. So instead, he spoke about something else that has been weighing on his mind for a few days now.

"DO YOU THINK UNDYNE..." He paused. He couldn't finish the sentence the way he originally intended to. It was too painful. Instead, he quickly rephrased. "I MEAN- I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM HER IN DAYS BUT... SHE'S FINE, RIGHT?"

"she's strong, bro. one kid couldn't have taken her down." Sans hastily reassured him. "she's probably just busy keeping people safe from more danger."

"GASTER?" Papyrus looked at the afforementioned. The scientist felt a drop in his nonexistent stomach. If he wasn't a skeleton, he'd surely have gone paler in this moment. "YOU WERE EVACUATING MONSTERS WITH ALPHYS, RIGHT? DID YOU HEAR ANYTHING FROM UNDYE? I'M REALLY WORRIED ABOUT HER..."

Gaster swallowed. What on Earth was he supposed to respond to this? There is no way he could tell Papyrus that Undyne is most likely dead. Not after all the distress he's faced in these last couple of days. This would just further break him. Nay, there is a possibility it won't just break him, but it will depress him, causing him to quit his position as a sentry. Leading him to further live his life with no purpose, no goal, no passion, no-

"hey... you good, doc? you uh... zoned out for a moment there." Sans snapped Gaster out of his panicked thoughts.

"A-Ah I..." Gaster cleared his throat. He didn't realize he forgot to spoke for several minutes.

"JUST PLEASE TELL ME UNDYNE IS ALRIGHT..." Papyrus said quietly, turning to look down at the navy colored carpet beneath his feet.

"Papyrus, I-"

Suddenly, there was the sound of quickly running footsteps and a door slamming shut. Gaster quickly rushed to the door and looked outside. Sans and Papyrus followed him, standing behind him by the door. There were small footsteps left in the snow and there was a tiny blue dot in the distance, growing smaller and smaller. A tiny blue dot that looked a lot like Frisk.

Frisk did not stop running until he reached a very deep point in the woods. Nobody will find him here, surely. Unless... they followed his footsteps. Which, the odds were high Papyrus, Gaster or Sans would do that if they heard him. Frisk could only cross his fingers Papyrus would come to get him out of the three. He was the only one who did not desire to murder him on the spot.

* Frisk, you need to calm down. Breathe. Running away won't change anything you have to go back-

"I can't just go back! You heard how they were talking about Undyne! If I go back, they're gonna question me and I won't be able to lie and if I tell them what happened Gaster is gonna kill me!" Frisk collapsed in the snow, burrying his face in his hands, taking shaky breaths.

* Then you can just Reset and all this will be wiped out. 

"But I... what they'll remember? Or-or-or what if I mess up or the Player comes back and"

* Frisk you need to BREATHE! You are not going to be able to make any rational decisions in this state.

Suddenly the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted the conversation. Frisk stared in the distance, into the dark mysterious the forest around him. That's it. It's over. Gaster must have come after him to finish him, it had to be-

The figure who approached from the darkness was one who Frisk completely did not expect. It was chubby bear wearing ridiculous looking clothing painted red and orange.

"R... Roman? What are you doing here...?" Frisk was almost afraid to speak to him. Roman was the first person the Player tried to make Frisk murder. Which only brought him even more unpleasant memories.

"Oh uhh... hey uh..." Roman rubbed the back of his furry head awkwardly.

"... Frisk." The human quickly came to the bear child's aid.

"Right, right... Frisk." Roman nodded. He curiously tilted his head, placing a finger on his chin. "What are you doing here?"

"I asked first." Frisk knew this was an extremely rude response, but he'd rather not tell Roman he ran into the woods, trying to escape Gaster while fighting off a panic attack.

"I was just wandering here." Roman gave the simple answer with a shrug.

"Yeah right..." Frisk looked away sourly, hugging his knees. Roman most likely came here by Papyrus's request to drag him back to the house so Gaster can see him, Frisk thought.

* Don't you think you're being slightly paranoid, Frisk?

'Hey!' 

"Okay, okay, there is... a bit more to it than that." Roman admitted. He sat next to Frisk in the snow on the root of a tree. "I honestly came here to escape my dad. I was just wondering around Papyrus and I's sentry spots until I spotted your footsteps and followed out of curiosity."

"Your dad?" Frisk looked at Roman straightening up, eyes sprakling with sudden curiosity.

"I wanted to go see Papyrus, since... I think you know what's been happening lately, right?" Roman looked at Frisk, too. But the question made Frisk look away anxiously. He only gave a quick nod. Luckily, Roman did not seem to put the pieces together for now.

"Yeah my dad started yelling at me that nobody is supposed to leave their house right now. Also that Papyrus is just generally a complete buffoon and I shouldn't even spend more time with him anyway."

"That's just rude!" The words slipped from Frisk's mouth with a little more aggression than he intended. "Sorry, I mean-!"

"No, no don't worry. I understand. He's... often not very nice. He says a lot of harsh thing to me. Likewise about Papyrus." Roman rubbed his arm. "He thinks there is no way I could become a true Royal Guard."

"No way. That's not true at all." Frisk narrowed his eyes sympathetically. "You shouldn't listen to him. I mean, I thought your traps will get me killed." Frisk gave a fake chuckle.

What he just said was not a complete lie, one of Roman's traps did get him killed. He quickly spoke up again though, before Roman had any time to respond to what he just said. "Point is you definitely got the talent and the potential. You shouldn't let your dad bring you down. What does he know about being a Royal Guard anyway?"

"Heh... yeah... yeah, you're so right! I'm gonna prove myself to him! I know it!" Roman smiled brightly, looking into Frisk's eyes. "I just need to not give up."

"Yeah, totally." Frisk managed a smile too.

"Thanks Frisk." Frisk suddenly held out a hand for Roman to shake. Roman was slightly puzzled for a few moments before taking Frisk's hand. "Is this a human thing...?"

"You could say that." The boy chuckled.

"Well it's uh... nice to meet you- again- or... What do humans say in moments like this?" Despite the awkwardness of all this, Roman was still smiling.

"Something like that, yes." Frisk nodded. Suddenly Roman's smile faded.

"Sorry about what happened back then when we first met. Me trying to kill you and you..." He furrowed his brows with some concern. "I don't even know... what happened to you back there? It looked like you were fighting off some kind of tauntrum."

"Ah... don't worry about that. I'm fine now." Frisk made up a swift lie. He was not fine for a long while now, but he did not want Roman to be concerned for him.

"Well... that's good then. I'm glad you're okay." The bear child quickly stood up, wiping the snow off his clothes. "Anyway, I should be going home now. My dad is going to get so mad at me if he finds out I snuck out. So... I better hurry back before he gets to find out."

"Sure, see you Roman."

"Bye Frisk!" Roman waved, dashing off and disappearing into the darkness. For a while, there was nothing but the gentle rustling of the snowy wind. Frisk only just realized he was freezing out here. He breathed out and rubbed his hands together in a poor attempt to warm up.

* ... So Frisk? Do you feel like going back yet? I can tell you're calmer already.

"I... don't think so. I'm fine here."

* Frisk. You're gonna freeze to death if you stay out here. 

Frisk did not answer. Chara sighed.

* Look I can talk to Gaster if it comes down to it. 

"... And you really think he is going to listen."

* I can try, it if will calm you down. You can't go back anyway until you calm down. You can't focus. 

"I guess..." Frisk stood up. Just as he did, he heard noises coming from somewhere in the distance. The crunching of snow became louder and louder until...

"i think he's this way. the footsteps are still here."

No. No, no, no. Not now. Please let it just be Sans, that is still better than-

It only took a second for all of Frisk's hopes to be melted away like all the snow around them. Gaster and Sans were standing in front of him in the darkness of the woods. It just couldn't have been Papyrus, could it? This had to be difficult, it had to be the two people who despised him.

"There you are." Gaster folded his arms. "Let us get straight to the point, I think it is clear there is something you are trying to hide. Are you trying to run away from taking

responsibility? Or is this a trick to fool us into sympathizing with you, only for you to stab us in the back?"

It was so clear, Gaster saw right through him. Frisk felt like running away again, but his legs were not giving in. He just stood there, completely helpless to say anything in his defense. So he ended up collapsing on the snow again and turning his back to the two skeletons.

"No. Not now. Any time but now, leave me alone." Frisk struggled to keep his voice steady.

"It only takes one straw and I will stop showing you mercy." Gaster's usual antagonistic behaviour was not helping the situation at all. Even Sans seemed to realize that as he gave the older skeleton a reluctant look.

"gaster, i get you're mad but i don't think this is the right approach. he's not gonna listen like this."

"I'm through with this human!"

"i know, i get it! but we are not gonna-" Sans sighed, turning his attention to Frisk. "look kid, just-" He tried to approach Frisk but the human boy pushed him away.

"No! Don't touch me! I told you leave me alone!"

"... nice going gaster." Sans folded his arms. "now we'll never get a word out of him. maybe papyrus should have come instead."

"I am not letting him endanger himself like that."

"With all due respect, neither of you are going about this correctly. Frisk included."

Frisk spoke with a voice that was not his own. Seemed both skeletons were taken aback by Chara's sudden interferance. "Ugh- Chara don't just drag me out like that it feels weird..."

* Right, my apologies. But I am serious, you need to calm down. All of you...

"look how about we just... all calm down and leave any negative emotions for when we get home."

"It is certainly interesting how quick you were to change your demanour towards him." Gaster grumbled.

"i mean, gaster we are clearly not getting anywhere like this." Sans was starting to lose patience. As much as he agreed with everything Sans thought about Frisk, this was not the right way to go if they want to accomplish anything.

"Fine... let's just go." Frisk stood up from the snow. He was not happy about it, but the faster they get home the faster he will be rid of these two. He knew that Gaster and Sans will not be treating him any better as long as he behaves like with them. But he did not care right now at the moment. The last thing he needed was these two stirring even more anxiety with him. There was no other words spoken between the three as they headed home. Frisk tried his very best to keep his distance.

The walk back was tense and quiet. Papyrus was waiting in the living room for Gaster, Sans and Frisk's return and was relieved to see they made it back alright.

"AH YOU'RE ALL OKAY!! YOU MADE IT BACK!!" He smiled. Gaster and Sans entered the living room, while Frisk stood around in the doorway. Despite feeling extremely cold, he did not feel like stepping foot in the house. The tension remained, Papyrus's smile faded away soon as well. He was just standing in the middle of the living room, Sans sat on the couch and Gaster was leaning next to a wall with folded arms.

With a heavy heart, Frisk considered to speak words that he wanted to speak for a long time. But he did not know if they would come out genuine, considering the conflicting emotions he felt especially for Gaster and Sans. But... regardless. He would Reset soon. He should do this.

"... I am sorry."

The words coming out of his mouth were unexpected for everyone present. Frisk expected for someone to say something, but the silence lingered. In fact, Gaster looked like he thought there was something wrong with his hearing, Papyrus was surprised and Sans just seemed conflicted, whether Frisk was just trying to make them drop their guard.

"I am sorry. I... I genuinely am. Chara already filled you guys in what happened. I was being puppeteered around all this time. All these things I did... I did not really do them. I was just forced to do it all." Frisk swallowed. These words were lingering on the back of his mind ever since Chara first talked with the skeletons. Considering the rocky relationship he overall had with them, it was difficult to be earnest with this apology. But regardless, he shall try his best at it.

Frisk went on once he made sure he can continue to speak without his throat tightening up. "But I know you do not have any reason to believe it. Furthermore, I know you really do not believe it." He looked at Gaster and Sans while speaking that sentence. "That is why I want to apologize. I know you still hate me for what I was forced to do and even though I did not do it, what I did was never my intention and I would have long stopped if I had any control over my own body... I still feel terrible for what I did. All I want now, is to just right my wrongs."

The silence felt like it was dragging on forever. Papyrus looked like there was a lot of things he intended to say, but did not dare to pour his thoughts into words. Gaster looked just as spiteful as he always did when Frisk was breathing the same air as him. So, Sans was the one who ended up breaking the silence first.

"how are you intending to fix things huh?" His eyes were dark. Frisk closed his eyes, let out an inaudible breath and reopened them, looking at the shorter skeleton. "It's... I don't think I can explain what I will do but- please, I know this sounds crazy coming from me and you are all thinking I'm tricking you but just please... just this once. Trust me." Sans looked away. Gaster refused to make eyecontact and Papyrus was conflicted. "I will never ask anything from any of you ever again." Frisk added to the lingering silence.

Papyrus stood up, walked over to him by the door and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "I BELIEVE YOU HUMAN FRISK. I BELIEVE YOU CAN MAKE THINGS RIGHT, HOWEVER YOU WILL DO IT." Papyrus gave Frisk a bright smile, which filled Frisk's soul with a certain warmness that he hasn't felt in years. Sans sighed and walked to Papyrus's side, with his hands buried in his hoodie pockets. "i guess... papyrus really sees something in you kid. so ... i'll trust my brother's judgement." Sans did something Frisk did not expect.

He winked at him. Was this a sign of trust? Was Sans really giving him a chance? Why were they suddenly all so... accepting? So understanding? Was an apology really all it took?

"what do you say gaster?" All eyes were pinned on the doctor. "Hmph..." He turned away. The sudden warmness in Frisk's soul was vanquished in an instant. Of course, it would not be so simple. Gaster will hate him forever, Frisk was convinced. When Gaster ended up walking over to the three, he gave Frisk a very bitter look which made Frisk suddenly wish he could sink into the ground. "I am keeping a close eye on you. That is all I will say." Gaster said firmly.

Frisk nodded. "I'll take that..." He said, his voice very small.

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING? AREN'T YOU GETTING COLD?" Papyrus asked Frisk with slight concern. For Frisk started backing away outside the door.

"No, no, it's okay. I'll uh... see you soon."

"take care kiddo." Sans said suddenly. Frisk just gave him a nod and he disappeared out of sight. He ran into the shed and sat on the dirty floor.

Well... he won over Sans and Papyrus. That was good enough. They would forget all of this anyway. That is what Chara said. He will fix all this. Perhaps he can even make amends with Gaster. Even if the odds for that are very low.

"Are you absolutely sure I will get all the way back there."

* Yes. Absolutely. I do not know why they did not force you to save before but... don't worry. You can fix everything. 

Frisk nodded. "Alright... then... I guess it's time go back."

* Good luck Frisk.

Frisk closed his eyes and focused as hard as he could. He imagined himself at the exact location he was before fighting Undyne. The only thing that was in his mind right now...

Go back.

Go back and fix it. 

Fix my mistakes. 

I will make everything right. 

Sans suddenly felt like he woke up from a particularly terrible dream. At first, he did not even know where he was. He blinked. He felt something soft under him. Looking around, he could see he was in the living room. He was sitting on the couch. Gaster was sitting at the living room table. Papyrus must have been in his bedroom.

"... Are you alright, Sans?" The older skeleton spoke up. "You look strange..."

"uh... yeah... yeah, i'm okay G. i just-" Sans looked around the room one more time, rubbing his forehead. "i felt like i just forgot something... something really important."

Gaster furrowed his brows, rubbing his chin. "Now that you say... I feel like that too. Did- did we do our work-"

"... uh... we have no work today, G."

"Right, right... I ... I was going to see Alphys, no?"

"i... think so?"

"I better..." Gaster stood up, but then he searched around his pockets. "No wait, my phone. I remember I lost my phone-"

"... gaster." Sans said quietly. "your phone is on the table."

Gaster darted his eye toward the table. Indeeed, the blue cell phone was lying right there. "Ah... of course, of course. Gosh, my mind feels all over the place today."

"no worries, i feel it too." Sans mumbled, burrying his hands in his pockets and leaning back in his seat.

"Anyway... I will be back later."

"sure, see ya G." Sans waved at him as Gaster exitted out the door.

Chapter Text

Even several minutes after Gaster was gone, Sans was still left feeling strange. He couldn't even remember what he was doing this entire day. No matter how hard he tried to think back, it just wouldn't come to him. Was he really this tired? Or... was he just in a fever dream, about to wake up?

Still on the couch, Sans closed his eyes and tried his best to remember... but nothing. All that came to his mind were splits of images, or bits of phrases and sentences. But he did not even recognize any of them, they just flashed so fast.

Flash of deep woods...

'... nice going gaster.'

Flash of an argument...

'i hate you.'

Flash of a fight...

'guess you like to do things the hard way.'

When Sans reopened his eyes, he had to blink several times to snap himself out of it. It all just felt so strange. All these bits of things that he was remembering, they all felt so familiar. But he couldn't even tell where from. He couldn't remember the full context of all this. It made no sense. Just thinking about it made his skull feel like it was splitting into two. Sans rubbed his forehead, wobbly standing up from the couch. All this remembering things that seemed to never happen suddenly made him feel really dizzy. Perhaps a cup of water will make him feel better.

Sans trudged over to the kitchen, got a cup of water and leaned on the sink, taking his time with the drink. His eyes drifted over to the stove and the oven. A slight smirk made it's way across his round, skeletal face. 'remember when the kid and papyrus burnt the spaghetti. the sprinklers turned on, we had to clean the whole house and...' Suddenly, his brows furrowed. That strange feeling crept up on him again. 'wait... why am i remembering this? this... didn't really happen, did it?' He rubbed the back of his skull as he set the empty glass cup down on the counter. 'i can't even remember... it's all so fuzzy.'

Maybe... maybe he really was, just strangely tired today. More so than usual. Perhaps he just slept through the whole day and that's why he can't remember what happened today. He does put a lot of effort into work in the CORE, even when Gaster assures him he really doesn't need to do that. Perhaps he just overworked himself this time, to a more critical degree. If he asked Papyrus, surely he could refresh his memory. Explain things. Then all this weird, fuzzy feeling will finally leave him and then, he can relax.

After getting a better hold of himself, Sans went upstairs and to Papyrus's bedroom. Papyrus was sitting on his bed, fiddling with his phone. Papyrus's room in question was quite eccentric, to say the least. His bed was not just a simple bed, but a bed that resembled a racing car. There were also action figures, children's books, flaming carpet and other sorts of decorations. Papyrus's style was certainly unique. Which just made him even cooler as a person, Sans always thought.

Sans quietly cleared his throat, trying to sound natural as he entered the bedroom. "uhhh hey bro, whatcha doin?" He asked, pinning his eyes on Papyrus's cell phone.

"HI SANS!!" He smiled. However the smile quickly faded when he looked back on his phone.

"I'M TRYING TO CALL UNDYNE, BUT SHE'S NOT ANSWERING ME... THAT'S JUST NOT LIKE HER!!"

"i mean, she's probably busy." Sans shrugged, burying his hands in his oversized hoodie pockets. "didn't you go see her today actually?" The shorter skeleton caught on the thought suddenly.

"AH, RIGHT... RIGHT, I DID." Papyrus nodded with sudden realization. Considering his unclear tone of voice, Sans suspected Papyrus also suffered from a sudden short term memory loss. For whatever reason. Either all three of them woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, or something was seriously wrong here that they were not realizing.

"you're uh... feeling pretty fuzz too, huh?" Sans asked the question that he did not really want to ask Papyrus. But it's not like he could really help it.

"YES..." Papyrus nodded with slight concern. "I FEEL LIKE I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER WHAT I DID TODAY..."

"yeah same. i thought i was just zonked out all day or something, but it seems to be both of us. wonder why..." Sans mused. Papyrus rubbed his neck.

"NOT SURE. IT'S STRANGE. YOU KNOW, CONSIDERING HOW MUCH YOU AND GASTER OVERWORK..." He said that sentence with a little bit of reproach in his voice. "... I ALWAYS TEND TO HAVE THE BEST MEMORY OUT OF THREE OF US!"

"i know." Sans nodded. "it really is... weird. something's off."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SANS?" Papyrus raised a brow. Sans looked into his eyes solemnly, his tone serious. "i mean... all three of us suddenly getting a short term memory loss out of the blue? that's not something that happens every other day know. not to mention..." Sans paused. He was unsure if he should really be mentioning this to Papyrus. He did not want to cause his brother even more concern. But Papyrus inquired after several moments of silence. "NOT TO MENTION WHAT?"

Sans sighed inaudibly, turning his head away from Papyrus and staring intently at the bedroom wall, trying to remain calm and unbothered. "not to mention i'm suddenly getting flashes of memories of stuff that never even happened." Strangely, his words were followed by silence. Which was then followed by a set of words that Sans did not really expect. Nor did he want to hear this from Papyrus, out of all the possible responses he could have given.

"ME TOO, ACTUALLY..." Papyrus stared at the blanket of his bed.

"huh?" Sans shot his gaze at him, confused but also worried by what Papyrus just said.

"I SUDDENLY FEEL LIKE I FORGOT A LOT OF THINGS ABOUT FRISK AND UNDYNE, AND GASTER AND YOU AND..." Papyrus spurted with one breath. Sans took a step closer to him.

"hey, hey, slow down paps."

Suddenly, Papyrus jumped off his bed. "YOU KNOW, I'M GOING TO GO SEE UNDYNE!! MAYBE SEE HUMAN FRISK TOO, WHILE I'M AT IT!! JUST TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE ALRIGHT, YES THAT SHOULD BE FINE!!" Papyrus was practically forcing a smile on his face as he dashed out of the room.

"wait what-" But before Sans could utter his first word of bewilderment, Papyrus was already gone. Another distant slam indicated that he already left out the front door as well. "oh, hell, i'm not letting him run off like that." Sans quickly jogged out of the house and into the snowy, cold day. "papyrus! come back!" He ran where he presumed Papyrus must have disappeared to.

Gaster was feeling quite strange on his way to Alphys. Like he suddenly forgot everything and yet, remembered some things, only to realize those kinds of things never even happened to begin with. For instance, he felt like there was something about that new human child. But he doesn't particularly remember even seeing him any time today. Right now, it felt like his memory was a net full of holes and everything was just falling through it. Just the sheer thought made him feel exhausted. He was not exactly feeling bright right now to begin with. One look at Gaster would tell everyone, he was very tired.

That weariness further showed when Gaster realized it has been at least a few minutes since the elevator opened, yet he was still there, leaning to the wall. Arms folded and eye closed. It would definitely not be a pleasant experience if he ended up falling asleep in this elevator. Gaster blinked a few times in a poor attempt to make the fatigue vanish. He only hoped talking to Alphys would take his mind off of this sudden memory problem he is struggling with.

Everything was rather normal. Nothing unusual seemed to be happening. Mettaton was hooked on his charging station, that human Kale did not seem to show any signs of waking up yet. It was all normal until Alphys looked at Gaster with particular confusion, tilted her head.

"U-Uh... Gaster? D-Did you uh... forget something or...?"

If it wasn't for the equally infuriating and tiring situation, Gaster could almost let out a breathless chuckle. What a way to phrase a question. "Well... I do feel like I suddenly forgot a lot of things, as a matter of fact." He grumbled, closing his eye for a moment. He opened his mouth to go on, but Alphys interrupted.

"Y-Yeah I uh... I can really believe that. S-Since uh..." Alphys looked away, fidgeting with her clawed fingers before looking back at Gaster with a nervous, crooked smile. "Y-You've come down here today already..." There was a slight tinge of worry in Alphys's tone.

Suddenly, Gaster remembered. Of course. He visited Alphys first thing in the morning. How could he forget something that only happened a few hours ago? Gaster rubbed his forehead. "Of... Of course. I... I am sorry, you must be terribly preoccupied and here I am disturbing that, for no other reason than my horrible memory."

Alphys let out a nervous chuckle, sweat already rolling down her scaly forehead, the anxiety swelling up inside of her like usual. "N-No, I'm not uh- d-doing much... s-so don't worry about disturbing me ehehe... A-As a matter of fact!" Alphys seemed to have gotten back on her train of through as she walked over to the several monitors that were set up near her computer. "I-I've just been m-mostly watching the human." Another crooked smile crept on Alphys's face, exposing her large buck teeth. Gaster furrowed his brow looking at the screens.

That human.

If he was honest with himself, he wasn't particularly approving of Alphys being seemingly so fond of such a dangerous and untrustworthy human.

But then suddenly Gaster caught up to his own thoughts. Why was he... where was he getting this feeling from? He couldn't recall a particular instance when Frisk was outright aggressive. Or dangerous. Yet... this feeling was so strong in him. Alarmingly so. He felt like Frisk specifically just couldn't be trusted, but what made him say so, he was unsure. But he knew he had to trust his gut. If he got a feeling like that, it was usually not without reason.

He seemed to have zoned out for a while as Alphys was looking at him with overwhelming concern. "G-Gaster...? Are you alright?"

"Fine... I am fine." Gaster quickly nodded. If he was honest, all these feelings and non-memories that he was getting made him feel like his skull was going to split in half. Dull pain in his forehead gently warned him that he might be get a migraine soon.

"L-Look uh... I... uh... I-I get how it is. I-I suddenly feel like I'm getting uh... u-unusally forgetful as well." Alphys looked around the room, for no other purpose than to avoid eyecontact. Meanwhile Gaster gently rubbed his aching forehead. "I-I mean uh... I-I can't really remember what we were talking about this morning?" If she had hoped that Gaster would be calmer if she told him that, that was a critically false assamption. In fact, Gaster just ended up looking confused and slightly more concerned. "Really?"

Alphys didn't respond for some seconds, trying to come up with something that may relax Gaster. After all, she did not think much of this sudden forgetfullness. She got it a lot. It is not the first time she does something in the morning that she would forget, just a mere few hours later. As for Gaster, he looked very exhausted. Probably some lack of sleep was cauring him stress. That's what Alphys pinned down from his strange behaviour.

"L-Look maybe I could..." Alphys turned her back on Gaster and walked over to the charging Mettaton. Gaster took a few steps closer, too. Mettaton's screen blinked a few times as he started turning on, his arms and wheeled leg growing out moments later. "H-Hey Mettaton!" Alphys waved at her with a smile. "I know you were charging b-but uh... I-I wanna ask you something really fast."

Mettaton's screen blinked again a few times before he turned to see the two monsters standing before him. Mettaton in his huge rectangular form was very tall. Even taller than Gaster, which was no small feat. Alphys could barely reach up to what you could assume was his waist, which was certainly a little awkward at times. "HELLO, ALPHYS DARLING!" His booming robotic voice sounded. If he had a face, surely he'd be smiling. Didn't seem like he particularly minded, being disturbed from what was essentially a nap for him. "WHAT IS IT DO YOU NEED?" Gaster didn't interrupt, he just watched what Alphys was trying to do.

"S-So uhhh... I-I know your memory chips are always perfect. Y-You never have trouble remembering things o-or keeping a lot of things in mind at once." Alphys cleared her throat, especially loud, probably just as an indication to herself that she should get to the point. "A-Anyway uh... w-with that in mind..." Alphys glanced briefly at Gaster before looking back at Mettaton. "I-Is there uhh... a-anything particularly important that I may have forgotten? A-Anything at all?"

"HMMM..." Mettaton placed a gloved hand on his buttons. Once again, if he had an actual face you could assume that's where his chin would be. "YOU CERTAINLY WAS VERY EXCITED TO SEE THE HUMAN FIGHT UNDYNE!"

Gaster raised a brow, looking at Alphys. It took approximately two seconds for the lizard monster's face to became as red as a strawberry. She tried to clear her throat again which ended up as rather a coughing fit, which then became hysterical chuckling that sounded more like choking before Alphys finally got a hold of herself. "Y-Y-Y-Yes- I-I-I uuh t-thank you Mettaton, y-y-you a-a-are right b-b-but uhh- a-anything else???"

Mettaton took a few more seconds to think, before he shrugged. "NOTHING IN PARTICULAR THAT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT. YOU AND DR. GASTER HAVE SOME DEADLINES BUT YOU STILL HAVE A FEW DAYS TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE."

"Y-Yeah! I-I thought so, j-just wanted to make sure. T-Thanks Mettaton!"

"MY PLEASURE, DARLING!" In a flash, Mettaton was back to charging. Alphys turned back to look at Gaster. "S-See, it's nothing really. W-Whatever it is that you feel like you forgot. I-I don't think it's r-really much of a-anything to worry about."

Gaster rubbed his chin. But no matter how hard he tried to think, there was just nothing. Nothing but messy thoughts and fuzzy memories. "Perhaps you're right." He sighed, closing his eye.

"Y-You look tired, Gaster. Y-You should rest! I-It is our day off, after all!" She smiled and this time, it was not crooked, but a whole, encouraging smile.

Gaster rubbed the back of his head. "I suppose... thank you anyway, Alphys. I shall go now."

"N-No problem! Y-You're welcome Gaster! Bye!"

Once again, there was that feeling like something was pulling him backwards, but this time even more disorienting than the last. Even if he could open his eyes, he would not want to. For if he did, either he would instantly throw up or his eyes would pop out of their sockets. One of the two. After the nausiating feeling stopped, he landed on the rocky ground with a thud, which caused a sudden excruciating throbbing in his spine. When he finally managed to open his eyes, he didn't throw up, nor did his eyes really pop out.

* You holding up alright? Partner? 

"... I think I'm never getting used to this." Frisk rubbed every inch of his body when he felt sore pain, then he sat up on the dirty ground and looked around. He was back in the murky caverns. The sounds of rushing water filled the entire place. Frisk suddenly felt like he just woke up from a terrible dream. But deep down he knew, what went down these past days was sadly, harsh reality. Not any dream or fantasy. "I'm... really back here?" Even Frisk's throat felt strangely sore as he spoke.

* Yes. This is before everything turned out... 

Chara ended up not finishing that sentence, but it wasn't really neccessary either. "And are you really sure that they forgot everything?"

* They should have forgotten, yes. 

There was a moment of silence. "... 'Should have'...?" Frisk felt a sudden tinge of fear. Chara just sighed.

* Look Frisk, you have to remember you just removed some severe memories from their minds. It... may not be very easy to erase that with a simple reset. They may get... dejavu-ish feelings. Or they may still remember a thing or two. 

"And you didn't tell me this before?!" Frisk raised his voice, starting to panic. The last thing he wanted was for Gaster to try and kill him, if he even manages to get past Undyne. Chara sighed again, but this time it sounded a lot more like a groan than just a simple sigh.

* Yes, because if I would have, you would have freaked out just like this and you wouldn't have gone back. You would have just ran into the woods again, struggling with more panic attacks. 

As much as Frisk wanted to protest, he had to admit Chara had a point. However, he was still not happy about it. He just folded his arms and proceeded to look relatively displeased.

* In any case, it would be wise to move on. Sitting on the ground won't do much good.

Frisk quickly got over the mild annoyance and stood up, dusting off his black pants. It was then he observed his hands and clothing were clean from monster dust. It made Frisk feel a sense of relief. Even if he was already aware he managed to come back, seeing physical proof of that was well, it was a nice feeling, too. But before he would walk forward to the cliffside, where he'd ultimately face off against Undyne a second time, he suddenly remembered something. "What about... them?"

* I am... not sure, honestly. I haven't heard from them for several days and... I can't lie, it doesn't give me a good feeling at all. 

"Should I... expect them to intervine again?" Frisk quietly asked, fidgeting with his fingers out of anxiety and fear.

* Considering their stubborness? Yes. But also, considering their slyness? No. I know this is not very supportive, but it's honestly a fifty-fifty Frisk. Just be ready for anything. 

Frisk nodded in understandment. He let out a long exhale, readying himself for what was about to come. Walking further down the cavern, he soon spotted Undyne standing atop a cliff. Just waiting for him. Honestly seeing her alive and well made the feeling of relief resonate within Frisk even more. That is until Undyne spoke up and Frisk remembered what was about to happen.

Undyne's armor shined atop the cliff as she stared down at Frisk. "Seven. Seven Human souls and our King Asgore will become a god. Then, he will shatter the Barrier and take back the Surface from humanity, giving them a taste of the suffering our kind had to endure."

As much as he would have liked to speak up, Frisk deemed it to be wiser to stay quiet this time around.

* Remember. Just try to survive and find an opening. 

'Sounds easy enough...' Frisk swallowed.

"But first... as you are one of the mere few who made it this far, I think you deserve to know the tragic tale of our people." Undyne looked away. There was silence for a while and then...

"... Heh... no. You know what." The moment she looked back at Frisk, no one could have prepared the human boy for what was going to happen next. "SCREW IT!!" Undyne howled into the darkness. "WHY SHOULD WE EVEN WASTE TIME, GETTING INTO ALL THAT CRAP WHEN YOU ARE GONNA DIE ANYWAY!!? NGGGAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Undyne landed in front of Frisk, tossing her helmet aside and revealing her blue scaly face, pointy yellow teeth, and long red hair that fluttered in the wind.

Here we go.

Undyne threw a spear in front of Frisk, which made the human back away as he took that as a direct attack, not Undyne straight up offering him a weapon. Which... why was she doing that again??

"Come ON, don't be a wimp!" Undyne grinned with a murderous shine in her one healthy eye. "It's gonna be so much more fun if we have a fair fight!"

Frisk picked the spear up from the ground and it was in that moment he realized he was shaking from head to toe. As much as he wanted to remain calm and reassure himself that this would all end fine, it felt like nothing more than blindly trying to convince himself. Undyne's enthusiasm however only became stronger and stronger. As if they were not about to have a literal clash of life and death. "That's more like it! Now... SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT HUMAN!!" Undyne immediately hurled a spear towards Frisk, which Frisk managed to dodge. However, he did not come out of the landing so great and ended up landing with his face in the dirt, rendering him vulnerable for further attacks.

Which surely came, after he managed to stand up there were three other spears lunging forward to tear his soul out of his body. Frisk ducked, dodging two spears and blocking the last one. If the adrenaline wasn't rushing through him, these moves probably would have been a lot harder to pull off.

* Undyne the head of the Royal Guard stands before you. Just try to think of a way to get out of this one without hurting her, or getting yourself killed.

Undyne carefully watched every one of Frisk's movements. She looked surprisingly impressed. Maybe Frisk could make it out of this after all. "Heh, not bad! I guess you got some guts in you after all! But don't let your guard down JUST YET!!"

Spears came launching from both of Frisk's sides. Without thinking, Frisk slid on the ground, bruising his left arm of the sharp rocks. While he was still on the ground, another spear slammed down just inches away from his shoulder. Frisk rolled on the ground and saw all the spears raining down at him. Already out of breath and with no other idea on what to do, he held the blue energy spear in his hands closely to his face and hoped that would be enough to protect himself.

A spear hit his leg, another hit his elbow, making him drop the spear he was holding in his hand. He was forced to open his eyes and see a thick blue line launching down toward him. A think blue line that was in fact countless spears. Frisk tried to reach for the spear he dropped, but another spear landed down, grazing his fingers. Frisk managed to stand up and just tried to run, but his injured leg made him trip. He once again landed face first into the dirt, blood dripping down his nose and the liquid suddenly filling his mouth. Undyne was blocking the way into the next cavern, watching Frisk and relentlessly sending storms of spears toward him.

"Ugh! Come on, stop rolling around in the mud and GET UP!!" Even despite her frustration, she rubbed her chin, furrowing her brows. "Still though, you are lasting quite long. Most humans would have died by now." Undyne took a step closer to Frisk, who was still lying on the rocky ground, grasping his bleeding leg. "Perhaps you still have some fight left in you... let's see how you deal with THIS!!"

From the corner of his eye, Frisk saw yellow spears flying towards him. He ducked his head to avoid them from hitting him, only seconds after he did that, he saw the spears changing direction and charging at him once again. Frisk got up, running and almost tumbling down the dark abyss on the sidelines. He squeezed his eyes shut as he ducked down to avoid the yellow spears hitting him, then as if it was out of instinct, he blocked other spears raining toward him without even looking. When he could finally open his eyes and see where he was, he realized he was standing at the edge of the cliff, Undyne standing opposite him on the other side of the cliff edge.

She no longer said anything to Frisk, however, she just nonstop sent more and more spears towards Frisk, which the biy tried his best to avoid and block. However, he wasn't sure how long he could keep this up. He started feeling dizzy from how out of breath he was. His arms felt incredibly sore, not to mention his bleeding wounds were fiery with pain.

As Frisk once again fell to the ground just before the opening to the rest of the cavern with Undyne right behind him. Then Frisk heard a voice that he never would have imagined he would hear in this moment.

"U-UNDYNE, PLEASE STOP THIS!!"

"PAPYRUS??! WHAT HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!!" Undyne turned around so swiftly that it startled Frisk more than the skeleton's sudden appearance. Because in fact, Papyrus *was* just standing a few feet away from Undyne. Why he came here, how he even got here, it all was questionable. If Frisk didn't know Papyrus, he woulda assume he was completely out of his mind to walk in on a scene like this. Undyne seemed especially infuriated with him showing up.

"I WAS JUST... WORRIED ABOUT YOU!!" Papyrus smiled nervously and it might be the first time Frisk ever saw him actually sweat. "A-AND FRISK, TOO!!" Undyne was not at all convinced by Papyrus's words and it really showed as her expression got more and more angry. "PLEASE JUST... UNDYNE THERE IS NO NEED TO FIGHT! FRISK SHOWED ME THAT HE IS KIND!! THAT HE WOULDN'T REALLY HURT ANYONE! MAYBE... NOT ALL HUMANS DESERVE TO BE KILLED!"

"Enough of this! Papyrus leave! NOW! Let me deal with this!"

"BUT PLEASE, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!!"

"I know precisely what I'm doing! Freeing monsterkind by getting the last soul!"

* ... Frisk. This might be a good moment to get out of here. 

Of course. Right. Of course! He had an opening, Undyne wasn't even paying attention to him. In that moment, Frisk ignored the pain, ignored the weariness, just ignored everything and ran as fast as his injured legs could carry him. Even while running, Frisk's mind was racing. What was Papyrus thinking, coming to stand up to Undyne like this? Coming to... save him like this? Was it a pure coincidence it happened this way, or did he plan this all along? Maybe he would have saved him in the last timeline, too if Frisk could have just...

Frisk was snapped out of his train of thought as he heard armor clanking behind him and the sound becoming louder and louder. He didn't even want to look behind, he just picked up the pace. The sound alone was enough to confirm thta Papyrus wasn't able to hold up Undyne for too long. Frisk blocked out everything. The exhaustion, the pain, the sounds, the breathlessness. He just kept running. As if his life depended on it. Because it did. Everything stands or falls for this moment. He just has to... get far enough.

But... Undyne was catching up. He almost couldn't see from the weariness. He felt like his lungs were going to pop, like a balloon. He couldn't even help it, he had to slow down. He had to stop. He had to breathe. He rested his hands on his knees, hanging his head and taking deep breaths that made his chest hurt. Until, he suddenly noticed something. Or rather, the lack of something. There was no more armor clanking following him.

Frisk finally looked over his shoulder, but then a moment later what he saw made him completely turn around. Undyne was there behind him, completely out of breath an exhausted, standing at the end of the bridge. Only now did Frisk notice the place they were standing at was red, fiery, hot...

"Armor is... so hot..." She breathed. She tried to take another sluggish step in her overheated, heavy armor. "But I can't... give up... I gotta..." But before she could utter another word, or take another step, she collapsed on the bridge. Frisk was just left standing there, completely baffled. He didn't even know what to do. Moments ago, he was convinced Undyne would catch up to him and finish him, but now...

His mouth and nose were bleeding. His injured leg and arm was swollen, burning with pain. He was barely even standing on his feet. He had every reason to just run and not look back until he finds safety. Therefore, he could never explain to himself or anyone what drove him to do what he did next. Frisk limped over to the nearby water cooler and then over to Undyne, holding the cup of water for a few moments. As if he was questioning if he should do it.

* Undyne looks dry. Do you want to give her the water?

Whatever may happen after this, Frisk will take it. Whatever it is. Because... regardless of what happens, he is doing the right thing. He poured the cup of water on Undyne's face. Few moments later she blinked a few times and stood up. Looking around, it did not take her long to put the pieces together and realize what just happened. However, she did not say anything. She just took a long look at Frisk, before she walked off. Frisk could still hear the clanking of her armor even minutes after she was gone.

Frisk sighed and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He probably never felt this exhausted before in his entire life. He just felt like collapsing right then and there, but then...

"... heya." Sans walked up to him. Frisk did a double take. Is he hallucinating from the pain, or was Sans really here. "no worries, you didn't pass out yet." Sans said to his silence, seemingly reading his expression.

"What- what are you doing here??"

Sans looked away, his hands buried in his hoodie pockets, as usual. "y'know... papyrus is smart enough to not try to talk undyne out of killing a human, right as she is about to do the thing. but seems like the human in question had quite the impact on him. get what i'm sayin'?"

"Wait so Papyrus-"

"at first he was just worried for her. and for you, too. we were both getting this whole dejavu-ish feeling today." Frisk felt his stomach drop as Sans said that, but he kept his mouth shut and his expression indifferent enough, or at least he hoped. Good thing Sans was right now staring at the orange dirt beneath their feet, not at Frisk's face. "papyrus wanted to meet up with undyne. i went after him. then we found the two of you... doing your thing. papyrus then suddenly got this crazy idea that i should sneak away into hotland and get you, while she distracts undyne so you can escape."

Frisk did not even know what to say. He took his time to process every little word that Sans said. Papyrus really risked his relationship with Undyne, so he could save his life. He really got that attached to him, in the short time that they've known each other, from Frisk solving dangerous puzzles to then being invited over to lunch. Gaster still despised him, he was sure. Sans seemed to dislike him too and even though he probably doesn't remember much of what happened before, he still came out here and decided to help him, even despite it all.

"... Thank you, Sans."

Sans shrugged. "meh don't mention it. i'd feel guilty if i let papyrus's buddy die after he's got so attached to you. he really cares about you a lot, y'know." Frisk couldn't help but smile. Probably for the first time in days. "which reminds me... i happened to see what you just did and not gonna lie... you earned my respect, kid."

"Really?" Frisk raised a brow.

"yeah." Sans nodded. He seemed genuine, too. Which was of course very surprising for Frisk. "i saw you just standing there. i was completely convinced you'd just run off and not give a damn. but you actually helped undyne, even though there was the possibility she was gonna pummel you as soon as she got up. paps will be grateful to know what you did, too." The smile Sans gave Frisk now was an honest one. The first honest smile Frisk has seen from Sans that was directed at him and only him. Not Chara, just... him. "now c'mon. gotta get you home before you pass out or something. don't think i could carry you."

"Yeah... right." Frisk nodded. He was then reminded just how much pain he felt in every inch of his body.

Him and Sans took the riverboat back to Snowdin. Papyrus and Gaster were already waiting for them. As soon as Frisk entered the house it became rather obvious to him that Gaster was also informed of this whole stunt that Papyrus pulled and he wasn't exactly thrilled by it, either. Papyrus however, was glad to see Frisk alright, if severely injured. They let Frisk rest on the couch to recover from his heated battle as Sans explained to both Gaster and Papyrus have the human helped Undyne. Papyrus was, as expected grateful for Frisk for helping his friend. However, it was obvious that Gaster was not going to be swayed by something as simple as that, even if it meant a lot for Papyrus.

No, he will keep a very close eye on Frisk, and one false move was going to be enough for Gaster to lose any and all tolerance he has for this child. While Frisk was grateful for Sans and Papyrus helping him, Gaster's continous sour attitude was not a great sign to him already.

And to make matters even worse...

It's alright, keep playing your little games all you want Frisk. I will return when my time has come. Do not worry, I have big, BIG plans for this whole world...

Alphys was organizing and packing things up for the night, readying to leave the lab under Mettaton's supervision. It was dark, quiet. Just normal, really. The lab was not always the most pleasant place to be during the evenings. At least, it's enviroment got rather unfriendly during this covet of the night. Made Alphys wonder, even, how did Gaster fare all alone down here with nothing but two little skeleton children, that were at one point his experiments.

As Alphys was ready to turn on Mettaton's 2nd form, so he can keep an eye on the lab overnight while nobody is hear, she suddenly heard a quiet groan from somewhere. Or at least, she thought she did. She shrugged it off, thinking she was just getting tired and was hearing things, but then the groan was louder, followed by shuffling. Alphys turned around, furrowing her eyes with confusion as to what was making this noise.

Then...

Suddenly...

Lying on the operating table, Kale Nova opened their eyes.

Chapter Text

Alphys could not believe what she was seeing. In fact, she believed she was not even seeing right. It couldn't have been more than just her eyes tricking her in the pitch darkness. But then, the human blinked more. Then they slowly sat up, rubbing the back of their head. Alphys put her hands in front of her mouth in shock, her eyes widening. "... Oh my god..." She whispered. She quickly rushed to the operating table. "Oh my god! Y-You're- y-you're alive! Y-You actually woke up! Y-you-"

"Uhhh... I-I guess I did...?" Kale's voice sounded a little deeper. More strained and frail. This really was somebody who just woke up from a ten year coma. They looked pale and malnourished despite being technically a twenty-four years old adult now. Judging by their foggy expression, they might have suffered some degree of amnesia as well. One look at them told Alphys she should take it slow with them.

"H-How are you feeling?" Alphys asked quietly, stepping a little closer to them. Kale was resting their back against the wall, stretching their arms and fingers. "Sore..." The word came out. "And... kinda fuzzy."

"Do you... uh..." Remember me, Alphys was going to ask, but that might have been too big of a step. "D-Do you remember a-anything at all?"

"Erm..." Kale rubbed their forehead, slowly turning their head around the dark lab. "I don't remember much of anything. Just... bits and pieces." Now that Alphys got a better look at their face, she could see Kale's eyes were pale white. But probably due to the traitlessness, they did not suffer any blindness. Their hair also got longer and messier. Not to mention they were wearing nothing but their red-brown sleeved shirt, which was probably too small for them now and some white scrubs that possibly Alphys put on them some long time ago. "Where am I right now?" They asked, still in that foggy voice.

"You're in Dr. Gaster's lab." She looked away for a moment, fiddling with her fingers. "O-Or w-well technically it's our lab but- uh n-nevermind, not important." Alphys just hoped mentioning Gaster would reawaken some memories in the back of Kale's mind. They have been through a lot with the three skeletons, after all.

It did seem like the name was familiar for them. "Dr... Gaster?" They furrowed their brows, tilting their head as they looked at Alphys.

"Y-Yes, do you remember?" Alphys nodded with a smile.

"I... think..." They said slowly. They tried to recall something, anything that could solidify the familiarity of the name.

"Y-You know he is the uh... R-Royal Scientist." Alphys tried to come to their aid. "H-He kept you down here a long time ago. T-Then y-you also met his uh... his kids, Sans and Papyrus."

"Sans... and Papyrus..." They rubbed their chin, staring thoughtfully at the floor.

"Do you... r-remember? A-Anything?" Alphys asked them after a few minutes of silence. "It's starting to come back, but... I don't know." Kale rubbed their neck.

"I-It's okay, take your time. I-I can give you some space if you need."

Kale nodded slowly. "Yes, thank you."

Alphys left the office and walked a few steps into the hallway, far enough to not disturb or disgruntle Kale. She just had to call Gaster.

"I still can't believe he went this far for that human..." Gaster mumbled with a facepalm.

"come on gaster just... ease up on the kid. he almost died today." Papyrus was in the kitchen making dinner meanwhile Gaster was sitting at the living room table, Sans leaning to the wall next to him. Frisk was asleep right now on the couch. He has been asleep for a few hours now. Not surprising as well, considering his incident with Undyne today. "besides, he could have just left undyne to die there, in the heat, to save his own skin. but he helped her, even if there was the chance that she'd kill him on the spot if he did." Gaster folded his arms and looked away. "a malicious human would not do something like that and you know it too."

"But you don't know that-" Gaster shot his gaze at Sans, only for the latter to interrupt his protests.

"but you know it gaster." Sans said firmly, giving Gaster a hardened look.

Gaster closed his eye, only grumbling for a little while before responding. "I still do not trust íhim. Something just does not seem right with him."

"and why are you so convinced about that?" Sans folded his arms as well.

"... I suppose you could say... dejavu."

Sans still did not look convinced. "And you are sure that it's that? Are you sure it's not just... paranoia?"

"It's not!" Gaster slammed a hand down on the table. "I'm just trying to look out for you." He stood up, looking into Sans's eyes all the way through that.

"we can look after ourselves gaster..." Sans looked away, so he wouldn't have to look into the older skeleton's eyes.

"You two don't know what humans are like. You only met one human that just so happened to be harmless." Gaster's tone hardened. There was more and more burning hatred in there, the more he spoke. "But not all of them are like that. What if this one is just trying to fool you? Earn your trust, just so he can stab you in the back unexpectedly?"

Sans raised a brow. For a few seconds, he even considered if it would be wise to say what had just come to his mind in this moment. But in the end, he decided that he will not repress any thoughts on this argument, no matter how unsympathetic they might sound. "you know gaster, humans changed a lot since the war."

In his expression alone, Sans could see Gaster was absolutely not prepared for this response. "I... hmph..." He turned his back on Sans with folded arms, staring into the kitchen now where Papyrus was making dinner. "You have no idea what you are talking about." He said quietly, it almost sounded like a whisper.

Sans's eyes widened for a solid second, before he scoffed. "i am sorry mr. humanity sucks, i may not know humans as well as you do, but i know better to not judge them based on what happened like two hundred freaking years ago!"

"You don't know. What you are talking about, Sans!" Gaster grabbed Sans's shoulder roughly, a gesture that took Sans completely by surprise. It felt... very uncomfortable, more than it should. Gaster's behavior right now, it... invoked some very unpleasant memories in him.

"don't... touch me." Sans wrapped a hand around Gaster's wrist, in an attempt to get him to let go of his shoulder.

"UHH... DINNER'S READY..." Papyrus said quietly, switching looks between Gaster and Sans. "PLEASE, DON'T FIGHT..." He said the last part even more quiet. Gaster and Sans were both looking at Papyrus, then they looked at each other. Gaster let go of Sans and turned away from him.

Sans also turned away from Gaster, rubbing his aching shoulder. Papyrus walked to them. "COME ON, PLEASE... YOU KNOW I HATE SEEING BOTH OF YOU LIKE THIS..."

"i'll apologize if he apologizes first." Sans mumbled, not even looking at Gaster.

"Well I will only apologize if you do so, first." Gaster said in a cold tone, that was very rare to hear from him these days. Papyrus sighed. "COME ON, NOW YOU ARE JUST BEING PLAIN CHILDISH! BOTH OF YOU!!"

"whatever..." Sans just stormed into the kitchen, roughly pulling out a chair and sitting down. Some mac and cheese was for dinner.

"GASTER..." Papyrus gently put a hand on his shoulder. A lot more gently than Gaster just did with Sans. The aforementioned would not say anything. It was only his phone ringing that made him temporarily forget about the situation. Papyrus took a step back as Gaster dug out his cell phone from his pocket.

"Yes, Alphys? What is it?"

Alphys sounded either very excited, or very nervous, Gaster couldn't tell, however she talked very fast right now. "O-Oh my gosh- G-Gaster you have to come down to the lab!"

Gaster furrowed his brows. "Couldn't it wait until the morning? It is getting late..." Well it was only 7 pm, but still does not change the fact that it was not like Alphys to call Gaster over at such an hour. She was already well on her way home by this hour.

"N-No! T-This one can't! Y-You have to come! Bring Sans and Papyrus too!" Gaster was honestly very curious what made Alphys elevated. The only time he could recall her speaking such way, was when the topic was either about anime, or some stunning project Gaster and her have been working on.

"Alright, well... I suppose." Gaster sighed. "We will come. See you soon Alphys."

"Y-Yes, see you!"

Gaster hung up, then he walked into the kitchen with Papyrus following him. Sans already almost ate his entire plate of macaroni and cheese. "Come on, we have to go see Alphys." Gaster directed the sentence at the two. Papyrus looked interested, however Sans still looked angry.

"i'm not going."

"Yes, you are." Gaster's response came in a very displeased tone, which granted, will not change Sans's mind.

"i am not going, leave me alone." Sans was not looking at either skeletons while speaking. His eye sockets were pitch black. Gaster could already see he went a little too far with what he just did to Sans moments ago. But then again, he was still angry at Sans for acting like he knows everything about something so severe and traumatizing as the war. Of course Gaster would get angry at him.

The scientist took a step closer to the shorter skeleton. "Alright, I am sorry for what I just did, now please-" Gaster put a hand on Sans's shoulder, but he shoved his hand away. "i don't care anymore. leave me alone, gaster." Sans got up from his seat, leaving his plate of macaroni and cheese unfinished. He was half way up the stair when Papyrus went after him.

Sans was turning his back on Papyrus with slumped shoulders. "PLEASE SANS... DO IT FOR ME? MAYBE IT IS SOMETHING IMPORTANT! DR. ALPHYS AND GASTER NEVER ASK US TO COME DOWN TO THE LAB!" He tried convincing his brother. Sans sighed quietly and shrugged.

"okay, fine. i guess." He came downstairs, with Papyrus behind him. The latter looked quite pleased that he managed to change Sans's mind. "but you, don't talk to me right now. don't even look at me." He directed at Gaster.

Gaster raised a brow in surprise. Whatever did he do that made Sans talk to him such way now? "... Sans-"

"what did i just say."

Gaster sighed, deciding to just go along with it. Perhaps later Sans would be more open to an apology from him, when he calmed down. "Alright, fine... let's just go." Gaster took the lead, as the three exit the house, immediately feeling the cold, frozen air of Snowdin, under the night sky. Gaster could only hope Frisk wouldn't thrash the house while they are away, if he happens to wake up.

"I-I'm turning on the lights, alright?"

"Uh... sure." Kale nodded. Alphys flipped the light switch near Gaster's computer and immediately, the entire lab was lit up. Kale squeezed their eyes shut. "Okay, ow-"

"Y-Yeah s-sorry! Uhhh j-just give it a bit, then your eyes will adjust..." Alphys giggled nervously. "C-Can you stand up at all?"

"Well..." Kale hopped off the operating table, but as soon as they were about to take a step forward, they tripped, falling face first on the stone floor. "I think not." They mumbled into the ground.

"A-Ah it's okay just uh- s-sit..." Alphys helped them on the bed.

"My legs feel dead."

"Y-Yeah, well..." Alphys fidgeted. From the distance, there came a little 'ding', indicating an elevator arriving. "A-Ah they're here- o-okay I'll be right back! Stay here!" Alphys shot a smile at Kale and quickly rushed to the hall. Gaster, Sans and Papyrus were approaching, Sans still not very pleased with Gaster after what went down in the living room. "Y-You made it, good..."

"So what is this about, Alphys?" Gaster asked with some confusion.

"I-I think it's just better if you see for yourselves..." She led the three down the hall.

"IS IT SOMETHING BAD?" Papyrus asked with some concern. Alphys shook her head. "N-N-No, no, no, nothing bad just..." They reached the office soon, then... they all saw.

Kale was sitting right there on the bed, dangling their legs, probably in an attempt to wake them up from the numbness. Gaster, Sans and Papyrus blinked, one after another. Seemed neither of them really knew what to say, nor did they know how to react to what they were seeing, really.

"They uh... h-have a little a-amnesia... they might not immediately remember you..." Alphys carefully said in the shocked silence.

"amnesia?" Sans furrowed his brows.

"IS IT PERMANENT?" Papyrus was worried.

"N-No, I don't think so. I-I mentioned you guys to them a bit and th-that seemed to ring some bells."

"This is... unexpected." Gaster mumbled.

"... Very." Alphys nodded in agreement. "J-Just... ah, I know y-you'd love to tell them a lot of things but.. t-take it slow. They are still adjusting." This was mostly directed at Sans and Papyrus.

"of course." Sans nodded.

The four monsters took a step closer to Kale, drawing their attention to themselves. "Oh..." Kale ran their gaze through the three skeletons. "Uhh th-these are the monsters I mentioned to you. D-Dr. Gaster, Sans and Papyrus." Alphys said to Kale. "You uh... a-are really good friends."

"We are?" Kale tilted their head.

"ah jeez..." Sans rubbed the back of his skull.

"THEY REALLY DON'T REMEMBER... ANYTHING?" Papyrus frowned.

"A-As I said they... h-have a bit of amnesia..."

"I am sure they just need time." Gaster assured the two. Kale stood up from the bed and took a few baby steps, approaching the trio, before they finally felt confident enough to take bigger steps. Alphys stood aside from the group a little, to give them their own space. She knew the skeletons had a very deep connection to this human. "Well uh..." Kale started timidly. "Hi."

"HI." Papyrus smiled, waving at them. Kale did not say anything else. Their eyes still lingered on the trio for a while.

"So... Dr. Gaster..." They said, pointing at the royal scientist.

"Yes, that's me." Gaster nodded.

"Papyrus..."

"YES, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!! NYEH HEH HEH!"

"And... Sans."

"yep."

Kale smiled, the first smile that crossed their face since they woke up, however awkward it looked. "You guys are familiar but... I'm not sure I remember much more beyond that."

"How much do you remember?" Gaster inquired.

Kale rubbed their head thoughtfully. "Just... little bits. I-I'm sure it will come to me later... maybe."

"It's alright, take your time."

Sans's question came next. "what uh... what's the last thing you remember?"

Kale placed a hand on their chest. "My... soul. Hurting. And a lot of blackness." Their words were followed by momentary silence. "... that checks out, considering what happened."

"I HAVE AN IDEA!!" Papyrus perked up, spotting the colored Rubik's cube on Gaster's desk. "HERE, HUMAN KALE, DO YOU REMEMBER THIS?" Papyrus handed them the cube. However, Kale did not seem interested in the cube, but rather something else. They took Papyrus's left hand. "UUHH..." Papyrus didn't know what to make of the gesture, until Kale asked.

"Didn't you have a plate in your hand?" They looked at Sans. "Sans, too?"

"A-AH... WELL..." Papyrus was not prepared for this question. He slowly withdrew his left hand, rubbing the back of it uncomfortably. Sans just looked away, not saying a word. The silence turned very uncomfortable.

"I removed their plates." Gaster spoke up. "A little while after you... after your... incident." He tried his best to pick the right words. That statement seemed to give Kale a whole surge of memories. "Wait... I remember you... did some really bad experiments on them, didn't you?" Gaster swallowed, looking away. This entire situation was growing more and more uncomfortable. Kale seemed to notice the effects their words had on the three. "Ah I- I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make this so awkward..."

Gaster shook his head. "No, it's alright... you are right." Gaster said, closing his eye. You could tell he was still ashamed of it all, despite it happening ten whole years ago. "I... did do some horrible things to these two. Which is something I deeply regret now."

"M-Maybe uh... y-you guys should go home and... c-catch up on things then. I-It's getting late." Perhaps Alphys just wanted to cut the uncomfortable moment, regardless she was right about it being late.

"Yes, that is true." Gaster nodded.

"CAN I TAKE THIS HOME?" Papyrus asked him, holding up the cube. "Of course, I can just bring it back tomorrow."

"W-Well then uh... I-I guess I'll see you all later, good night!" Alphys smiled at the group as they were about to leave.

"Good night, Alphys."

Helping Kale getting adjusted to walking again, the human and the three skeletons slowly made their way back to Snowdin.

Kale did some thinking during the time of the four walking home and a lot of memories were starting to come back to them. Namely most of what happened in the lab and their relationship with Gaster, Sans and Papyrus. Which was a good sign. By the time the group returned home, Frisk woke up and was eating a plate of mac and cheese at the dinner table.

"oh, heya kid." Sans noticed him. Frisk was still not looking great, he was no longer bleeding but he was wounded in a lot of spots.

"Hi, Sans..." Frisk looked at him from the kitchen, managing a smile.

"I definitely don't remember this place." Kale looked around the house.

"Yes, well you haven't been here yet. This is our home." Gaster said.

"ARE YOU ALRIGHT, HUMAN FRISK?" Papyrus entered the kitchen. Frisk stood up from the chair. "Well... I guess I'm better than I was." He was more concerned however, with the new human, rather than Papyrus's question. Kale also noticed them. The two humans stood in the kitchen doorway in front of each other, the three skeletons standing around them.

"Uhhh hello, don't remember you." Kale said.

"I... don't think we met. I'm Frisk."

"Well, I'm Kale. Nice to meet you." Kale took a better look on Frisk. "What happened to you?" They furrowed their brows.

"Oh that's... nothing. Don't want to talk about it." Frisk rubbed his arm.

"Right, sorry."

"anyway uhh... frisk, how bout you give us a bit of private time with kale? we uh... have a lot to talk about."

"YES INDEED!" Papyrus agreed. "WE COULD EXPLAIN ABOUT IT TO YOU LATER, BUT FOR NOW... MAYBE YOU WANNA GO UP TO MY ROOM?"

Given the sudden appearance of the new human and how they did not look good great either, Frisk did not need to think too hard to figure out there was something going on that he wasn't aware of. Besides, he was still tired after yesterday. "Sure, then. Good night guys." Frisk went upstairs, to Papyrus's room and after that there was just silence, with Kale and the skeletons standing around in the living room.

"uuhhh actually, i'm not feeling super well either, so i'm just gonna..." Sans backed away, towards the stairs.

"SANS? DON'T YOU WANT TO-"

"sorry bro, sorry kale but ... not feeling great right now. i'm just gonna take a nap." Sans went upstairs, closing the bedroom door behind him.

"SANS!"

Gaster sighed. He already suspected what this was about. "I'll go talk to him..." He went upstairs after Sans. Kale was just left confused. "Is... he alright?"

Papyrus's shoulders dropped, but then he quickly gave Kale a small smile. "DON'T WORRY, HUMAN KALE... SANS IS JUST NOT IN A GOOD MOOD TODAY. DO YOU WANT SOME DINNER? YOU MUST BE HUNGRY!!"

"I really am." Kale rubbed their growling stomach.

"WELL, YOU CAN HAVE MINE! I ONLY MADE FOR FOUR OF US, BUT I'M NOT REALLY HUNGRY, SO IT'S ALRIGHT!!"

Gaster stood in front of Sans's bedroom door and knocked gently. "Sans?"

"go away gaster."

Gaster quietly exhaled. "Sans, if this is still about earlier-"

"go away! don't talk to me!"

Gaster still did not understand, why was Sans suddenly so angry with him? What did he do to trigger such a reaction in him? "Please, Sans I just want to talk..." There was no response for quite a few seconds. "... fine. whatever." Sans grumbled on the other side of the door. Gaster slowly opened the door. Sans was lying on his bed, in his white t-shirt. He took his hoodie off. His face was buried in his pillow.

"... Sans?" Gaster approached his bed. "Can you please tell me what's wrong?"

"you're the smart guy. figure it out." Sans voice was muffled by the pillow. Gaster sighed inaudibly. He would have greatly appreciated if Sans stopped being so difficult. But still, he buried away his frustrations for once. His tone remained gentle. He asked the only question he could think of that probably came close to the question Sans expected. "Did I hurt you?"

However Sans did not seem pleased with this question. He just scoffed mockingly into his pillow. "yeah, what do you think moron?"

Sans never talked to him before such a way. It surprised Gaster. He was also confounded as to why Sans was affected so heavily by just a minor argument. Before he said anything else, he quickly thought back on the conversation in his head a few times. Then... it hit him. In his sudden anger, he grabbed Sans's shoulder perhaps a little harder than he intended. Which must have...

"... Did I scare you?" Gaster's asked quietly, keeping his tone very gentle.

Sans finally rolled on his bed, looking at Gaster. Seems like he was fighting back a lot of emotions that would make him seem vulnerable in this situation. He curled into a ball on his bed. He no longer needed to respond. Gaster already realized the answer was most likely yes. He sat on Sans's bed. He wanted to put a hand on Sans's shoulder, but then withdrew his hand half way through the gesture. He couldn't even look at Sans. "Sans... I did not mean to grab you so roughly like that, I just got angry."

"it reminded me a lot of how you used to be. back then." Sans said with darkened eyes, his voice unusually hoarse. Gaster felt a certain pressure suddenly fill his chest. He could barely even keep his voice steady. "I... I'm so sorry Sans, I did not even think-"

"i guess i shouldn't have mentioned the war." Sans fiddled with his grey hoodie that was set on the bed.

"... Well... yes, that is indeed what made me... lose my head. But... don't apologize. I am not really angry at you, I am angry at-"

"frisk. i know. look, can you... not just give him a chance?" Sans finally looked into Gaster's eyes, his sockets turning back to normal.

"I am worried for you, Sans." Gaster looked back at him. "You and Papyrus as well. That human... I am just not sure about him."

"hey..." Sans put a small hand on Gaster's shoulder. The gesture was unexpected for the older skeleton, as Sans did not want Gaster to touch him a little while ago. "you trust me, don't you?"

"Of course. Of course I do."

"then... trust me on this one. if anything happens, i'll be there for papyrus. we can take care of ourselves."

Gaster's shoulders slumped. "I know, I know... you are not children anymore." He nodded tiredly. "I just..." Gaster gently put a hand on Sans's skull. Something he never really did. It caught Sans off guard. "You are my whole world. You and your brother. I could never forgive myself if something happened to either of you right under my nose."

"... we'll be fine, gaster." Sans mumbled. He wasn't sure if he felt emotional by this moment, or just plain uncomfortable. Gaster withdrew his hand from Sans skull. "I know, you will. I just..." At a loss of words to express all his overwhelming thoughts, Gaster pulled Sans into a gentle hug. "I love you. More than anything in the world, I love you and Papyrus."

"i... i love you too, G..." Sans slowly returned Gaster's embrace. "i'm sorry i was being a jerk today."

"No, no don't apologize. I am sorry for how I acted."

They stayed like that for a while, until Sans pulled away a few minutes later. "anyway this is all real mushy but now... kale needs us more." Sans smiled. That smile alone told Gaster, Sans was very happy to see the human alive and well. After they returned to the living room, the rest of the evening was spent with talking to Kale, reminding them about all that's happened in the lab, the good, the bad, telling them how much has happened ever since they fell in coma. That helped them in remembering a lot of things that they forgot about.

Overall, it equally great and unbelievable that somehow Kale managed to wake up tonight. Even when all hope for it seemed lost. Sans and Papyrus were very happy to have their best friend back.

And Gaster couldn't lie to himself...

He was happy, too.

"Ten years...? I've really been gone that long?"

"yeah... you've missed out on a lot."

"And somehow, you woke up. You are here. That is all that really matters now."

Gaster, Sans, Papyrus, Frisk and Kale were all having breakfast the next morning. This morning, it was ham and eggs. Earlier the morning, Papyrus healed some of Frisk's injuries, so now the younger human just looked mildly injured rather than severely wounded.

There was still a lot of talking happening with Kale, as they had a lot of both new and old information to process after their coma. The brothers also informed Frisk of who Kale is, briefly without mentioning any of the lab events. So all Frisk really knows now is that Kale is a human who Gaster, Sans and Papyrus met ten years ago, but they eventually fell in a deep coma due to a tragic accident, leading up to yesterday, when they successfully woke up.

Obliging by Sans's request, Gaster decided to finally ease up on Frisk. But in this particular sense, Gaster pretty much ignored Frisk and pretended he wasn't even present in the room. Which, in all honesty, Frisk was willing to take any day, over Gaster's constant threats and obvious bitterness for him.

"BUT ANYWAY..." Papyrus said, as he was nearly finished with his breakfast. "TODAY I HAVE A VERY SPECIAL ACTIVITY PLANNED FOR THE TWO HUMANS!!"

"Me?" Kale asked as if there was a third human present in the room, meanwhile Frisk looked at Papyrus with surprise and not only Frisk, Gaster and Sans were surprised and a little confused, too.

"YES, YOU HUMAN KALE AND HUMAN FRISK, TOO!!"

"Uhhh what are we doing?" Frisk asked a little warily. Papyrus finished his breakfast before he gave a response, standing up from his chair and straightening up. "TODAY, ROMAN, HUMAN KALE, HUMAN FRISK AND I WILL VISIT UNDYNE!!"

"Oh hell no, I'm not going to see her." Frisk folded his arms. "She's gonna crush me as soon as she sees me!"

"I KNOW, I KNOW IT SOUNDS BAD..." Papyrus shared in Frisk's concern. "BUT DON'T WORRY, I HAVE A PERFECT PLAN  TO MAKE YOU GREAT FRIENDS!!"

Frisk honestly doubted that. Not that he didn't think Papyrus was a great friend, but getting Undyne to become friends with him was like getting a vicious wolf to cuddle a lamb.

"... Who ah... who was Undyne again? I don't remember her much..." Kale interjected.

"head of the royal guard, papyrus's boss and friend." Sans gave the brief explanation, his mouth half full with ham.

"I do not think this will go well, Papyrus." Gaster quietly gave his own opinion on the matter. Sans agreed. "yeah, especially with how undyne is."

Papyrus however was adamant about this. "NONSENSE!! NOBODY CAN RESIST THE PAPYRUS ENERGY!!"

Gaster sighed, accepting that Papyrus was not going to be persuaded. "Just... take care of yourselves. And do not force this, if it does not work."

"I KNOW, I KNOW, BUT DON'T WORRY GASTER!! IT WILL BE GREAT!! I THOUGHT ABOUT IT ALL NIGHT!" That statement made Frisk question how much sleep Papyrus got. There was no more talking happening until everyone was finished up with breakfast. Papyrus already waited Kale and Frisk in the living room.

Sans and Gaster did not even try to argue with Papyrus further, about how badly this could backfire. Besides, they needed to head to work. Papyrus seemed confident enough about this.

"HAVE A NICE DAY AT WORK!! SEE YOU ON THE EVENING!!" Papyrus opened the door for Gaster and Sans as they were about to leave. Gaster stopped in the doorway with Sans next to him, looking over the trio. Both of them were already wearing their white lab coats. "Alright... take care of yourselves..."

"don't die." Sans winked at the two humans.

"... Yes, well. We will be back on the evening."

"Bye, Sans, bye Gaster!" Kale waved. Frisk also waved at the two as they disappeared into the snowy horizon. "WELL, HUMANS!! ARE YOU READY THEN?"

"Even if I wasn't, you'd still drag me around to this anyway." Frisk remarked with a shrug.

"Okay uhhh Frisk seems really not up to this, so... should I be worried?"

"WELL, I ADMIT, UNDYNE CAN BE A LITTLE EXTREME..." Papyrus admitted without much of sugarcoating. "BUT I PROMISE, YOU CAN TRUST ME!! EVERYTHING IS PLANNED!! I EVEN TALKED IT OUT WITH ROMAN... WHICH... ENDED WITH HIS FATHER GETTING MAD AT ME- BUT!! POINT IS!! WE ARE GONNA HAVE A GREAT TIME!!"

"Well, if you are sure, I trust you." Kale smiled.

"NYEH, HEH, HEH!! GOOD!! DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST FRISK, THOUGH THAT HE IS NOT AS ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THIS, HE... DID NOT HAVE THE BEST TIME WITH UNDYNE YESTERDAY..."

"Yeah, I get it."

"HOWEVER, ENOUGH TALK!!" Papyrus led the two humans outside and after about two minutes of walking, they reached Roman's house. Papyrus knocked on the door.

"Man, I remember this town..." Kale mused. "It's a cute place."

"What does it even feel like to uh... wake up from such a long coma?" Frisk asked them. Kale gave him a gentle smile. "Fuzzy." That single word was their only response and somehow Frisk understood everything from that. Moments later, Roman opened the door. He looked at Kale and Frisk, his eyes lingering on Kale. "So uh... you are Papyrus's new friend?"

"Well I have been around for a while, so you could call me old-new friend." Kale joked. "But, yes my name is Kale. And you are Roman?"

"That's me." The bear monster smiled at them.

"Papyrus told me you are his intern. That sounds pretty cool, you know."

"Oh it is!" It was only now, Roman remembered Frisk was there and he wasn't looking in good shape, either. "Also uh... what happened with you, Frisk."

Undyne happened, Frisk wanted to say, but he wasn't sure if Papyrus filled Roman in about his encounter with Undyne, so he decided to say something else. "Nothing I just had a little... rough day yesterday. But I'll be okay."

"ANYHOO!!" Papyrus cleared his throat. "NOW THAT WE ALL GREETED EACH OTHER ARE WE READY TO GO? WE HAVE A HANGOUT!!"

"Well I am ready!" Roman grinned. Kale seemed confident enough and Frisk just gave Papyrus a slightly apprehensive thumbs up. He trusted Papyrus enough to believe he wouldn't let Undyne skewer him on first sight. "Dad, I'm leaving!" Without even waiting for any response, Roman closed the door and the group were off to Waterfall.

After about a twenty minute walk, Papyrus, Roman, Kale and Frisk were standing in front on Undyne's house. Papyrus was standing front, with Roman Kale and Frisk standing behind him. "ALRIGHT, SO FIRST JUST LET ME DO THE TALKING." Papyrus looked over his shoulder at the trio. "IF EVERYTHING GOES ACCORDING TO PLAN, YOU SHOULD HAVE A REAL NICE TIME WITH UNDYNE!!"

The three all nodded and Papyrus knocked on the door. Undyne opened moments later. Undyne was just wearing a black tank top, with blue jeans. Pretty casual outfit compared to the ten pound armor. "Hi Papyrus-" It only took her about one second to notice the three standing behind Papyrus. She was not even particularly bothered by Roman, but... "... Okay what the hell? Why did you bring him?" She looked at Frisk, then at Kale. "And when the heck did you find another human anyway??"

"WELL... UH... I JUST THOUGHT I'D BRING THEM ALONG!! I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE OKAY!"

"Papyrus..." Undyne sighed. But in the end, she decided not to argue. She had no idea where Papyrus got that other human from, but she already failed capturing Frisk and it was not unusual that Roman came over for training as well. "Fine, if they just sit in the corner and pretend to not even be there, then I can probably ignore them. Just come on in."

Papyrus went inside, the other three followed him along. Undyne still kept her eyes on the humans, a little displeased before turning to look back at Roman and Papyrus. "So... shall we begin?"

"OH!! I JUST REMEMBERED!!" Papyrus looked at Roman briefly. "WE LEFT SOME IMPORTANT EQUIPMENT AT HOME!! REMEMBER, ROMAN?"

"Uh- what-" Papyrus gently elbowed him. Then Roman realized. "Ooohh... oh yeah, I remember now! We better run home and quickly get it!"

"THAT'S RIGHT!! YOU THREE HAVE FUN IN THE MEANTIME!!" Papyrus flipped out Undyne's window, leaving silence in his wake. Everyone stared at the window speechlessly. "I'll... just take the door..." Roman gave a nervous chuckle, quickly rushing outside.

There was still silence lingering between Undyne and the two humans. The two humans in question still kept their gaze on that window. "That was a pretty impressive flip." Kale commented.

"It was." Frisk nodded in agreement.

"Okay what the hell are you two doing here?" Undyne quickly abandoned the friendly tone. "And who are you anyway?" She walked up to Kale, poking their shoulder.

"Ow-" Kale rubbed their shoulder. "Well ... I can give you a full explanation or just a short version." They gave her a crooked smile. Frisk stared between the two, slightly wary. "I don't need to hear your life's story, just get to the point."

"Well okay. I'm a human who just woke up from a ten year coma." Kale said bluntly. Undyne, for a few moments didn't even know how to respond to that.

"Ten years?! And nobody even knew about you??" She groaned, not even trying to wrap her head around it. "Anyway... why are you two here again?"

"Well... Papyrus wanted us to hang out, so we can make friends." Kale mumbled.

"Which does sound impossible, I agree with you." Frisk said before Undyne could have any chance to respond. But then Undyne started... laughing. Her laugh turned hysterical. Frisk for a moment debated that what he just said was very hilarious to her, until she spoke up again. "FRIENDS?! He really think I'm gonna be friends with HUMANS? PAH! Don't make me laugh!"

"I- I mean... we could always-" Kale started, but Undyne interrupted them.

"Listen here punks. You humans are the reason monsters are trapped down here to begin with. If I'd have gotten this little freak's soul, we would already be free." Frisk opened his mouth to respond, but Undyne interrupted before he could even get a word out. "I WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND! Now get the hell out of my house!"

"Welp, we tried." Frisk said approximately two seconds later, turning to leave.

"Wait Frisk-" Kale tried to stop them, but before either of them could take another step outside, Papyrus appeared in the window. "DANG!! WHAT A SHAME! I REALLY THOUGHT UNDYNE WOULD BE FRIENDS WITH YOU TWO... BUT I GUESS I OVERESTIMATED HER. SHE IS JUST NOT UP FOR THE CHALLENGE."

"WHAT?! Challenge??" Undyne's eyes widened as she shot her gaze at the window. But Papyrus was already gone. "Darnit, Papyrus! You really think I can't be friends with a couple wimpy losers like them?" Frisk was very displeased with Undyne calling them such names, but still, he turned around, interested on how this will end up. Papyrus really had all this planned from the start, it seems. "I'LL SHOW HIM!!" Undyne turned towards the two. Kale looked confused and Frisk looked... slightly alarmed. "Listen up, punks! We are not just going to be friends. We're gonna be BESTIES! I'll show Papyrus that I could become friends with some human brats like you any day!" In a matter of seconds, Undyne cleared her throat and forced on a smile. "So why don't you sit down at the table?"

Frisk and Kale looked at each other. "I dunno if I'm signed up to this." Frisk mumbled. Kale seemed open however, now that Papyrus showed to have won Undyne over. "Come on Frisk, it'll be fun!"

Frisk sighed. "Okay, fine..." Frisk and Kale sat down by the table. "Hope it's comfortable enough!" Undyne looked at the two, still with that forced smile. "I'll get you something to drink." She walked to the fridge and put a variety of drinks on the counter. "What would you guys like?" Frisk only took one step, to pick something to drink, but then a blue energy spear came flying at the two of them, smashing the table. Kale fell off their chair and Frisk froze, leading him to stand in an awkward position. "DON'T GET UP!! YOU'RE THE GUEST! SIT DOWN AND ENJOY YOURSELF!" Frisk and Kale just stared at the spear with widened eyes. After Undyne managed to calm down, she smiled again although now a little more nervously. "I mean... just point at what you'd like with the spear!"

The two humans looked at each other. "... All yours. I'm not touching that thing." Frisk said, worried that just merely touching the spear would burn through his skin and bones. Kale grabbed the spear carefully, it was a lot heavier than it looked and pointed at the tea box. "Maybe just some tea..." They smiled crookedly.

"Tea huh? Coming right up!" Undyne took two random flavors of tea and got them ready. "It will take a little bit for the water to boil." The three of them just waited a few minutes. Frisk honestly couldn't decide if he was having fun or not. Undyne felt extremely unpredictable. She did just throw a spear at him and Kale moments ago. But Kale seemed to be enjoying themselves, regardless of how bizarre all this was. Soon the tea was ready. Undyne handed Kale and Frisk their cups, then she sat down as well.

Kale took a sip first, only to immediately set down the cup. "Ouch- hot-"

"Ah, yeah careful. But how is it though?" Undyne asked.

"It's good. Just... hot, hehe..."

"Heh, I know! Nothing but the best for my dear friends!" Undyne beamed. Frisk carefully took a sip of his tea and he had to admit, it really was pretty good. Undyne surely knew how to make tea. "You know..." Undyne said, her elbow propped up. "It's kinda weird Papyrus was so determined to get me to be friends with you two." Kale and Frisk both looked at her curiously as she said that. "Then again, after going through so much to save your skin, I shouldn't expect less..." She said while looking at Frisk.

"Yeah, Papyrus... can be like that." Kale nodded. He remembered those times when he continuously, persistently believed Gaster was always a good person, despite all the torture the scientist put him and his brother through. In the end, he was right, too. Undyne sighed. "I honestly don't know if I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard."

"Really?" Frisk asked, surprised, setting down his tea for a moment

"Yeah, I mean don't get me wrong, he is a super strong fighter but it's just..." Undyne fumbled with her words, trying to say her thoughts in the best way that would not be disrespectful or hurtful to Papyrus. "He's too innocent and too nice!" She pressed out after a moment. "I mean, he was supposed to capture you kid..." She looked at Frisk again. "But he became friends with you instead. Then he brought another human with him." She looked at Kale now, before staring somberly at the table. "I could consider letting that Roman kid in the guard, but then that wouldn't be fair to Papyrus, knowing he taught him everything... I could never really send Papyrus to fight humans. He'd get ripped to shreds." Frisk honestly wouldn't have even doubted that. Considering he was willing to die, back when the Player attacked him and Sans. "I told this to his dad and brother as well..."

"Wait- wait, Sans and Dr. Gaster knew you were not going to let Papyrus in the Royal Guard?" Kale asked with a bit of surprise.

"Yeah, they've known for a while now." Undyne shrugged.

"Yet they keep support him?" Frisk was a little confused. Why would they let Papyrus believe he will one day make a great Royal Guard, if they know he will never truly get a position?

"I mean they still love him a lot. If they were upfront with Papyrus, it would crush his soul." Kale commented. "Not to mention, he is good at what he does. His puzzles and traps are pretty smart. Just... not lethal for humans, I guess." Kale chuckled.

"I suppose that's true..." Frisk mused thoughtfully. Probably, the reason why Sans and Gaster were still supporting what he did, was out of love. And perhaps a part of them did adore Papyrus's wacky puzzle maker side. He was gonna take another sip of his tea, when he noticed the cup was empty. So was Kale's.

"Oops, sorry guys I talked for so long. I'll get you some tea." She stood up, but then she stopped in her tracks with a sudden realization. "Wait... Papyrus... he was supposed to have his cooking lesson today! Which means... if I give you his lesson right now... then we will be the best of friends you could ever imagine!!" Undyne knocked all the boxes and bottles off the counter. They all fell on the floor, the impact making a lot of noise.

"Oh boy..." Frisk mumbled under his breath. Things once again turned back to chaotic move. Undyne grabbed both humans by their shirts and dragged them to the counter. "Come on, we're making some spaghetti!"

"Spaghetti?" Kale tried to remain calm in the situation, but what was a pleasant and friendly conversation turned completely around.

"Yeah! Let's make the sauce first!" Undyne threw some vegetables on the counter in front of Frisk and Kale. "COME ON!! Pound on them! Crush them! Show no mercy! Who goes first?!"

"Uhh... I-I guess I'll go." Kale volunteered. They pounded on the counter, smashing a tomato. Undyne seemed pleased with that attempt. "HELL YEAH! That's how you do it! Now you, come on!" Undyne lightly punched Frisk's shoulder in a friendly manner. "Okay-" Frisk pounded on the counter at full force, causing another tomato to fall off the counter, splattering on the floor. "Heh, not bad bucko! Now my turn!" The rest of the vegetables were smeared on the wall as Undyne smashed them at full force, as hard as she could.

"Oops..." Kale could barely keep themselves from laughing at this point. The whole situation was just so ridiculous. Frisk couldn't lie, he was having fun, too. This entire scenario was wild, chaotic and messy, but fun. Undyne just gave the two a gentle smile. "We can scrape this in a bowl later... But now!" She dragged them over to the stove, getting a box of noodles ready.

"Let's prepare the pasta! You, just put them in the pot." She handed Frisk the box. Frisk opened it up and shook the noodles out of the box fiercely, getting noodles not just in the pot but on the counter and the floor as well.

"Nice one Frisk..." Kale giggled. Undyne seemed really into it as well.

"YEAH!! That's how it's done! Now you other human!" She looked at Kale. "TURN UP THE HEAT!! Hold nothing back! The hotter it is, the better!"

"I'm not sure that's-" Kale tried to protest, but Undyne was way too turned on by all this to think rationally. "JUST DO IT ALREADY!"

"Well uh- okay then!" Kale started cranking the stove hotter, hotter, hotter and even hotter, so hot that they could almost feel the pot burning their face.

"Wait isn't that too hot-" Frisk spoke up. Kale backed away to see that the entire pot was on fire now, the metal and the noodles in it slowly melting into an unrecognizable, burnt pile of mess. Undyne blinked. "Hey, let's get outta here before this thing explodes."

"Agreed." Frisk nodded. He was the first to rush out the front door with Undyne and Kale closely behind him. As soon as they reached outside, they could see that Undyne's house already went up in flames. Roman and Papyrus quickly rushed to their side. They've been watching this whole time?

The group just awkwardly watched as Undyne's house slowly burnt to the ground.

"Well, it looks like you had fun." Roman commented.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU FINALLY BURNT DOWN YOUR HOUSE UNDYNE!" Frisk wasn't really sure if Papyrus should sound as impressed by this as he was. Like the cooking lessons were deliberately only for this purpose and nothing else.

"Hey these punks, they can cook!" Undyne looked at Kale and Frisk, impressed. "Not gonna lie, this was fun!"

"You know what, what the heck it was." Frisk smiled. As apprehensive as he was about this a couple hours earlier, he had to admit, he had a good time.

"Yeah, I enjoyed this too." Kale smiled as well, then looked at Undyne's burning house. "Even though..."

"Eh, don't worry 'bout it, it was bound to happen eventually." Undyne waved a hand. Roman slowly backed away from the group. "Anyway, I best be going home. My dad will get mad if I get back too late. So bye guys!"

"BYE ROMAN!!" Papyrus waved at the bear child, before looking back at his three other friends. "SPEAKING OF WHICH, WE SHOULD PROBABLY HEAD HOME AS WELL! GASTER AND SANS SHOULD ARRIVE SOON!"

"See, Papyrus I withstood your challenge! I can befriend some wimpy humans any day!"

"Okay, seriously though I'm not a wimpy human!"

"Just go with it Frisk..."

The door opened as Gaster and Sans entered the living room. Papyrus was making dinner, this time making sure the house won't catch on fire with it, while Undyne, Frisk and Kale were sitting on the couch. They were still full of energy after the exciting hangout today.

"Hey guys!" Kale waved at the two.

"... so i assume the hangouts went well?" Sans noticed Undyne sitting there while Gaster hung their coats on the coat rack.

"We burnt the house." Frisk casually remarked, as if it was a natural thing for a house to go up in flames in a hangout.

Gaster was so surprised by this comment, that he even forgot about ignoring Frisk's presence altogether. "Come again?"

"The cooking lesson went wrong." Undyne added.

"UNDYNE SOMEHOW ONLY JUST BURNT DOWN HER OWN HOUSE AFTER SEVERAL DISASTROUS COOKING ATTEMPTS!!" Papyrus called out from the kitchen.

"wait- wait- back up, you actually burnt down your house??" Sans was on the verge of breaking into laughter. Gaster did not find it all that funny, though. Regardless, Undyne seemed relatively calmed about it. "Yep. Guess I'll just hang with you guys for a while." She shrugged.

"I am not sure we will have enough room for all of you..." Gaster looked over everyone present. His house was probably never this crowded since he first moved in here decades ago.

"I can't just sleep on the carpet or anything. Give me a blanket and I'll be fine." Kale shrugged.

"I THINK UNDYNE AND HUMAN FRISK COULD STAY IN MY ROOM!! IT'S BIG ENOUGH FOR THEM! THEY COULD SLEEP ON SOME PILLOWS AND BLANKETS!"

"I guess I'll take the couch then." Kale said.

"Well, alright... that can work."

A few minutes later, Papyrus's appetizing dinner for no less than six people was ready. He's never had to make dinner for this many people and Frisk and Kale had to eat on the couch, due to there not being enough chairs at the dinner table. But they were talking about the time Undyne had with the two humans.

"Undyne tried to kill us with a spear..." Frisk commented from the living room couch.

"Hey, I missed." Undyne's response came. "I destroyed the table though."

"That poor, poor table." Kale chuckled.

"so this was a hangout involving a lot of near death experiences, huh?" Sans was not even trying to hide his amusement about all this, meanwhile Gaster... well Gaster had no idea what to think of it. While all this seemed very in line with Undyne's behavior, he did not know whether to find it amusing or irresponsible for someone in her 30s. "Also, Papyrus's training seemed to pay off." Undyne said.

"YES!! I FINALLY SUCCESSFULLY JUMPED OUT THE WINDOW!!" Gaster lightly coughed into his plate of food. The image of Papyrus jumping out a window was just way too ridiculous.

"proud of you, bro." Sans grinned.

Overall, they all had a pleasant day. Even Frisk had to admit, the hangout with Undyne was a lot of fun. It felt like the terrible events of the last timeline happened years ago. The massacre of Waterfall, the fight with Sans and Papyrus, Chara taking control for him for some days, for once, he really felt like it was all behind him. Truly, nothing could possibly go wrong after all this.

'are you sure this isn't just a poor excuse, cause you're still afraid of asgore absorbing all the souls?'

The fork slipped out of Gaster's hand. Sans knew, he might have been twisting the knife with this remark, but for once, he did not care. If Gaster was going to make impulsive decisions and put people in danger due to that out of fear, then Sans will absolutely have a thing or two to say about that.

'You don't understand...' Sans could sense the repressed frustration in the scientist's voice. So that's how it was going to be. Gaster still tought that Sans was just nothing but a foolish child who had no idea of how things worked in the Underground? Yes, Sans understood the risks, but those risks were worth taking, because the other scenario would be letting a genocider human loose. 

'i'm pretty sure i could recall quite a few instances when you were clearly not in your right mind and were doing impulsive crap!'

'That- was different, I wasn't-'

'then i think i see the problem!' Gaster was once again trying to save himself and avoid accountability. He was acting so... selfish. 'it's always about whatever you want, whatever you need! you would never stop even for a damn moment to think about others!' Sans was growing angrier the further this argument escalated. 'this is exactly why i never forgave you! you are just as selfish as you have always been! i hate you!'

I Hate You