Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Chara?” Asriel asked, whispering so that his parents couldn’t hear. “Chara? Can you hear me?” He grabbed her hand to keep his own from shaking. “I don’t like this plan anymore, Chara. Please, wake up.” Her hands were warm and slick with sweat. She didn’t respond. “I know I said I’d never doubt you, but…” tears began to fall from Asriel’s face, “but I don’t want to hurt anyone, Chara. I don’t think I can. Please, just… wake up and we’ll figure out something else. Please?”

“I do not understand, Asgore,” Toriel whispered in the hallway. Asriel overheard her. “No matter how much green magic I flood her system with, the illness comes back in full force. It is like I am not affecting the source of the disease at all. If we cannot figure something out soon, I…” Asgore wrapped his arm around Toriel as she tried to hold back tears. An idea clicked in Asriel’s brain.

“I think she ate something bad,” Asriel said quickly. His parents turned around to look at him. “She ate something just before she got sick. Maybe the bad food keeps hurting her.”

Toriel walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Asriel, why did you not mention this before?”

The prince glanced away. “...I didn’t think it was important.”

Toriel immediately marched away. “Asgore, bring me a bucket,” she commanded, and the king rushed off as well. Toriel returned with a small bottle of some liquid medicine and Asgore with a metal pail. “Sit her up,” Toriel said, and Asgore propped Chara up with his hands. Carefully, the queen tilted Chara’s head back and opened her mouth.

“Mom, what are you doing?” Asriel asked.

“If the toxin is indeed in her stomach, this should help her expunge the poison from her body,” Toriel said, using a dropper to trickle a few drips of dark fluid down the human’s throat. Asgore held out the bucket, and a few seconds later, Chara vomited up a thick, yellowish paste. Toriel resumed using her green magic.

After a few long moments, Toriel looked up at Asgore with tears in her eyes. “It worked, Gorey,” she said. “Her fever is breaking.”

Asgore sighed with relief and sat next to Asriel on the other bed in the room. “Son, you may have just saved your sister’s life.” Asriel smiled and nuzzled into his father’s side, giving Chara a concerned glance. She was going to be furious with him when she woke up.

...That was a price he was willing to pay.

“You two should go get some rest,” Toriel said. “It has been a long night so far.”

“No no, sweetheart,” Asgore said, walking over to her and rubbing her back. “You must be exhausted from expending so much magic. I may not be as proficient in healing as you, but… if her condition has stabilized, I should be able to take it from here. We can take shifts! But for now you and Asriel deserve some sleep.”

“Oh, alright,” Toriel sighed, letting Asgore replace her healing hands with his own over Chara’s unconscious form. “Come along, Asriel. It is far past your bedtime.”

“Mom,” Asriel groaned as his mother led him away to his parent’s bedroom. She turned off the lights and they both snuggled into the covers.

Chara was still unconscious the next morning - Toriel was there with her; apparently Asriel had slept through his parents changing shifts. Luckily, the human looked much better than she had the night before; her skin wasn’t nearly as flushed and her breathing was deeper and slower. She looked like she was asleep, rather than dying.

“Good morning, my child,” Toriel smiled as Asriel walked in the room. Asriel could see the fatigue on her face as Asgore walked towards the kitchen to make breakfast for everyone.

Asriel knelt by the bed beside her. “You should go and take a nap, Mom. I can keep healing her for a little bit! I’ve been getting better with my green magic.”

Toriel looked like she was about to refuse, but she sighed when she saw her son’s puppy-dog eyes. “...I suppose it is alright, since her health has improved so drastically. Please be careful, though. And notify me immediately if anything changes, understand?”

“I promise, Mom,” Asriel said, grabbing Chara’s hand and flooding a little green magic into her body. Toriel smiled at him and walked into the living room, intending to take a nap on the couch while her husband cooked.

A few moments later, Chara rolled her head on her pillow and blinked open her eyes.

Asriel gasped. “Chara?”

Chara looked around the room drowsily, then back to Asriel. “...flowers,” she slurred.

Asriel’s eyes widened. “Um, no… nobody brought you flowers,” he said, trying to deflect from what he knew she was really asking for.

“No… need more flowers,” Chara said, her voice barely audible. “Before Dad’n… Mom come back.”

“Mom! Dad! She woke up, come look!” Asriel shouted, completely ignoring her. Their parents rushed into the room immediately.

Toriel walked forward and scooped Chara up in her arms. “Oh, my child! Thank the stars you are alright! We were so worried,” she said, nuzzling into the girl’s shoulder. Chara blinked, confused, as Asgore hugged both her and Toriel. Asriel joined in, too.

“I knew you would pull through,” Asgore said, stroking her hair. “You’ve always been so strong, daughter.”

Asriel didn’t say anything, merely reveling in the fact that his family remained whole. And trying desperately to ignore the fact he’d almost helped break it apart.

Toriel laid Chara back on the bed. “Here, my child, you should continue to rest. You have been through an ordeal. Are you feeling nauseous at all? Do you think you could eat something?”

Chara nodded her head groggily. “Alright,” Toriel said. “I will return with breakfast shortly. Come, Asriel, we should let your sister rest now.”

Chara grabbed Asriel’s hand weakly as their parents exited the room. “Flowers,” she said, more insistently this time. Asriel looked away and left, following his parents into the kitchen.

It took a few days for the princess to recover, but news traveled fast and the kingdom was abuzz with hope and relief. By the time the king and queen were prepared to leave her alone, she could once again take care of herself, even if she was still a bit weak.

Asriel watched his parents address the kingdom on the television, but he eventually got bored of hearing things he already knew in fancy grown-up speech. He looked around the house for Chara, before finding her in Asgore’s flower garden. She was picking… buttercups.

“What are you doing?” Asriel said, walking up to her in a panic.

“Clearly the dose wasn’t strong enough,” Chara mumbled under her breath, continuing to pluck flowers. “I’ll double it this time. Maybe I can find some other stuff to put in it this time, too. I think Dad has some--”

“What?! No, no more flowers!” Asriel said, grabbing them out of her hands.

Chara gave him an unamused glare. “Asriel, we’ve been through this a hundred times. We have to do this for the monsters to be free. Don’t worry about the humans, they aren’t worth--”

“No,” Asriel said firmly. “I don’t - I just can’t, Chara, I can’t lose you! The barrier isn’t worth you .”

Chara rolled her eyes. “I’d still be with you, remember? With my soul, you could--”

“I don’t care,” Asriel said, dropping the flowers to the ground and hugging her tightly. “I couldn’t hug you if you were just a soul-thing in my head.”

“You could always hug my dead body,” Chara said, one of her creepy smiles making its way onto her face.

“Stop being creepy, Chara!” Asriel said, and Chara chuckled a little. “But… it’s not only that. I don’t want to kill anyone, Chara. I know you say the humans are all really bad, but… I still don’t want to hurt them. There has to be a better way.”

Chara looked away from him. “Then you’re not only a crybaby, you’re also a naive fool. The monsters will never have their happy ending as long as the humans are alive. They’ll see to that personally.”

Asriel hugged her a little tighter. “I don’t believe that,” he said. “After all, you’re a human, and you’re good! You just want to help everyone.” Chara snorted, and Asriel chose to ignore it. “Please, Chara. We’ll think of something else, okay? Now… can you promise me no more flowers? At least for a little while?”

Unfortunately, Asriel caught her with those stupid, irresistible puppy-dog eyes of his. She sighed. “Fine.”

“I love you, Chara,” Asriel told her, nuzzling into her shoulder.

“Ugh, I love you too, you crybaby,” she said. “Now get off, you’re getting me wet.”

Chapter Text

“Happy Birthday, Chara!” Asriel said as he tackle-hugged the human on her bed.

“Gah! Get OFF, you crazy goat!” She shoved him away and he tumbled into the pile of stuffed animals between her bed and the wall. Asriel just giggled. “You know I don’t like surprises. And it’s not my birthday, anyway.”

Asriel sat up among the pile of plushies. “That’s because you still won’t tell us when your birthday is! So we’re just going to celebrate it on the day you fell down here until you tell us.”

Chara rolled her eyes. “Fine. My birthday’s on February thirtieth. Now go away and don’t mention it again until then.”

“But we already missed it, it’s March! We just have to give you a late… hey, there’s no such thing as February thirtieth!”

“Exactly,” Chara smirked.

“Tell me your real birthday,” Asriel demanded.

“Fine. February twenty-ninth. Now you can only celebrate it once every four years.”

“Chara,” Asriel groaned, flopping back into the stuffed animals. “We’re gonna celebrate it today anyway, since you won’t give me a straight answer. I don’t care what you say, everyone should have a birthday party!”

“Do what you want,” Chara rolled her eyes again, slipping out of bed. “It’s not like you’d stop if I asked you to, anyway.”

“You’re right, I wouldn’t,” Asriel smiled proudly. “Oh! I almost forgot, I finished your presents! Come on, come on,” he said, leaping over the bed and dragging Chara to the dresser. He pulled out two small, white boxes wrapped in red ribbon.

“So that’s what those were,” Chara said.

“Wait - you saw them?!” Asriel asked.

“You aren’t half as good at hiding things as you think you are,” Chara teased.

“You didn’t peek, did you?” Asriel asked.

“No,” Chara sighed. “I was going to, but I was preoccupied with planning… things. Just give me my damn presents already.”

“Don’t let Mom and Dad catch you talking like that!” Asriel scolded.

Chara just rolled her eyes again and undid the ribbon on her first gift. She opened the box to reveal a small dagger - the blade was shiny and recently refurbished, but the handle contained the same old worn black leather she’d held in her hands so many times.

“How did you…” Chara trailed off, looking at her own reflection on the blade’s surface.

“Dad and I fixed it with our fire magic!” Asriel beamed. “I know you were really upset when it broke after your fall, so… I thought I’d put it back together for you.”

Chara brushed her fingers along the edge of the blade. “...Thank you,” she said.

“Mhm! But, um… Mom says she’s going to keep it until you’re older. She says it’s not safe for a kid to have a knife like that.” Chara gave him a very, very unamused glare. “Hey, talk to Mom, not me! But, uh, anyway… go ahead and open the other one.”

Chara reluctantly put the knife back in the box and opened the other one to pull out a gold, heart-shaped locket. The tip of the heart was pointing upward. “It’s upside-down, dum-dum,” Chara said, deadpan.

“It is not!” Asriel pouted. “That’s what a monster soul looks like. At least, I think it is. Mom helped me make it! So, a monster soul for you and…” he pulled a matching locked from under his green sweater, with the tip facing down, “a human soul for me! See, now we’re a perfect match!” Chara just stared down at her own locket with an unreadable expression on her face.  “...What’s the matter? Don’t you like it?” Asriel asked.

“No,” Chara said, and an incredibly hurt expression appeared on Asriel’s face. “I love it,” Chara said, reaching forward slowly to give the goat monster a hug. She buried her face in his neck.

“Don’t do that!” Asriel groaned, exasperated.

“What? Hug you?” Chara said mischievously, trying hide her tears. Asriel noticed, but he pretended that he didn’t for her sake.

“What? No, DO hug me! You don’t get enough hugs,” Asriel said, wrapping his arms around her. They stood there silently for a long moment.

“I don’t know my birthday,” Chara whispered, and Asriel pulled away, confused.

“Huh? How do you not…”

“I just don’t,” she said bitterly, slipping the locket over her head. “That’s why I don’t like celebrating it, okay? So can we just… call this my ‘Found Day’ or something?” She looked away.

Asriel gave her a sad, sad look. “...Sure. We can call it whatever you want,” he said. “Uh, hey! I think your cake should be done by now,” he said, trying to change the topic. “Come on, I’m starving!”

Chara followed Asriel out into the kitchen, where Asgore and Toriel were waiting with a giant chocolate cake. “Happy Birthday, dear,” Toriel smiled, setting the cake on the table. Chara’s eyes followed it like a starving dog. “I made your favorite! Triple-chocolate giant molten lava cake, with added chocolate chips and chocolate frosting.”

Chara immediately sat down at the table and unfolded her napkin onto her lap. “What is everyone else having?”

“We made a second one,” Asgore chuckled, pulling out a second enormous cake from behind his back.

“Again, I ask: What is everyone else having?” Chara said.

Everyone shared a laugh as Toriel began serving up cake - giving Chara a particularly generous helping - and they all began chowing down.

“Is it to your liking?” Toriel asked, amused, as Chara continued shoving gooey chocolate mess into her mouth.

“Can’t talk, must eat,” she said through a mouthful of cake.

Toriel frowned at her. “Chara, manners,” she warned.

The human gulped down her current mouthful and looked away, embarrassed. “Thank you, Mom, it’s great,” she said before shoveling more chocolate past her lips.

“You are welcome, my child,” Toriel said. “I have never met anyone that likes chocolate as much as you do.”

“That just means there’s more for me,” Chara said, finishing her entire plate before anyone else had taken so much as two bites.

“Well, I am glad you enjoyed it,” Toriel said. “Asriel gave you your presents, I assume?”

“Mhm,” Chara said, using her napkin to wipe her chocolate-stained lips.

“Very good. Now, I would like you to give me the knife for safekeeping, Chara,” Toriel said. “Honestly, I did not approve of it being repaired in the first place,” she said, giving Asgore a glare. He shied away sheepishly.

Chara’s neutral face returned. “I’d much prefer you’d allow me to keep it,” Chara said, gripping the handle tightly from where it resided in her pocket.

Toriel sighed. “Chara, a knife is very dangerous, especially for a child. I do not feel comfortable with you having it, it would be far too easy for you accidentally hurt yourself or someone else.”

Chara looked straight at Toriel. “Miss Toriel,” she said, dead calm. “I am very proficient with using this knife. It isn’t dangerous unless I want it to be. There won’t be any sort of accidents. This is the one thing I still have from the surface, and I’d very much appreciate it if you’d allow me to keep it.”

Toriel blinked in surprise at the sudden seriousness and maturity on her daughter’s face. “Chara… I do not know. I still do not think a child should have such a thing.”

“Sometimes a child needs such a thing,” Chara said under her breath. She looked back up at Toriel. “Please. If something happens, I’ll let you keep it. But I’ve carried this thing around for years. I don’t think you have the right to take something I’ve had longer than I’ve known you.”

Toriel looked just slightly wounded by the comment. “...Very well. But please, my child, be extremely cautious with it,” she said.

“I will,” Chara said. “Thank you for the cake. May I be excused?”

“Yes,” Toriel said quietly, and Chara left the room. Toriel glanced at her husband, who put an arm around her shoulders.

“She doesn’t want us to call it her birthday,” Asriel said after a little while.

“What?” Toriel said, confused.

“She wants us to call it her ‘Found Day’ or something like that. She doesn’t know when her real birthday is and it makes her upset, I think,” Asriel told them.

Asgore and Toriel shared a look. “Alright,” she sighed.

“I wish she would open up to us,” Asgore said. “She has been particularly sullen since her mysterious illness. And having a knife at so young an age, and now this… it is difficult to help her through her problems if we do not know what they are.”

“I think it’ll get better, if we give her time,” Asriel said, looking out at the direction Chara had left. “We can get through to her. Eventually.”

Chapter Text

Chara stared at her own reflection in the knife in her lap as she sat in front of the barrier. She could just barely see a few rays of sunlight trickling through. The sun was nice, she supposed, but she didn’t really miss it all that much. It wasn’t valuable enough for her to want to go back. At all.

She sighed loudly, looking around to make sure she was alone, before sliding the knife into the scabbard Toriel had made for it and walking up to the barrier. She pushed on it with her hands - it wasn’t a wall per se, but more a force. It came in waves. She could walk a few steps toward the surface if she wished, but eventually a new wave of magic would come in and shove her backwards again.

It was almost funny, how gentle it was. There was no physical form to take her anger out on, no glass wall to beat until her hands bled. Just a little push that no one could overcome no matter how hard they tried.

The few rays of sunlight went out suddenly as something obscured them; Chara’s eyes widened as she sidestepped and something came rolling out of the sloped tunnel to land on the lone patch of grass in the room.

It was a child - a little younger than Chara, perhaps - chubby and male, with short brown hair and a dusting of freckles on his pinkish, scuffed-up face. He was unconscious as far as Chara could tell, but breathing. She stared at him for a little while.

It had been years since she’d seen another human. She’d almost forgotten what they looked like, outside of the face that stared back at her from the mirror. It was almost funny. She’d been sitting there, frustrated that she had nothing to take her frustrations with humanity out on, and one just fell right into her lap.

Chara could just say the fall killed him. It would be so easy. Just one soul, and one of the monsters could leave the Underground and find a way to break the barrier. Quick, simple, effortless…

Chara pulled out her knife and walked forward.

“Oh my stars,” a voice said off to Chara’s left. It was Asriel’s. She immediately put her knife away as he rushed over. “What happened?”

“He just fell down here,” Chara said, frustrated. Asriel had nothing if not timing.

“Come on, we should get him to Mom and Dad,” Asriel said, putting his hands under the boy’s shoulders. Chara reluctantly grabbed his feet and began dragging him inside the house.

“Mom! Dad!” Asriel called out as he began heading for his and Chara’s shared room.

“Yes, dear, what is - oh, my!” Toriel rushed out of the kitchen and picked the boy up in her arms. She headed into the bedroom and laid him down on one of the beds before letting her hands glow with green magic.

“Children, please go wait in the living room with your father,” Toriel said as Asgore came down the hall.

“Chara found another human!” Asriel said as he approached. The king’s eyes widened.

“What?” Asgore peeked into the room, where Toriel motioned for him to take the kids. “Come along, now,” he said, ushering Asriel and Chara away.

“I can’t believe you found another human!” Asriel said excitedly as he sat down on the couch next to Chara. “You must be so excited!”

“Yeah. Exited,” Chara said, looking away.

“He’s going to be okay, right dad?” Asriel asked.

“Your mother is an excellent healer,” Asgore said, rubbing his son’s back. “I am sure he will be fine.” Asgore looked towards the bedroom and stood up. “Stay here,” he said, moving to join Toriel.

The king and queen remained in the room for a good thirty minutes while Chara and Asriel sat in uncomfortable silence. A few minutes into it the children could hear a bunch of shouting followed by muffled voices. Toriel and Asgore exited the room as quietly as possible once the talking died down and the children immediately jumped up.

“What happened? Is the human okay?” Asriel asked.

“Our guest’s name is Andy,” Toriel said quietly, “and yes, he will be alright. He is resting currently. Andy has been through an ordeal and is very scared and confused right now, so I must ask you to leave him be for the time being, Asriel. We want him to feel comfortable.”

“Okay,” Asriel said, nodding. “What about Chara?”

“It may actually be a good idea for Chara to meet him once he wakes up again. It would not hurt for him to see a recognizable face right now, so that he knows he will be safe with us.” Chara’s frown deepened, but no one seemed to notice. “I am going to start on dinner. I will tell you when I am close; Chara, it will be your job to wake Andy up. Alright?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Chara said under her breath. Toriel and Asgore walked into the kitchen, leaving Chara alone with Asriel.

“Hey… are you okay?” Asriel asked, sitting down by her. “I thought you’d be, you know… happier about this. Now you have another human to talk to about… human stuff!”

“I have nothing I want to talk about with a human,” Chara said harshly, and Asriel was a little taken aback.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. “I just thought… you know, you don’t like to talk about the stuff that happened before you fell into the Underground. So I thought, maybe, it was because it was human stuff and you didn’t want to talk to us about it. So maybe this other human could be good to… you know, get some stuff off your chest.”

“If I had anything I wanted off of my chest, that human is the last person I’d go to,” Chara said. “If I had anything to get off my chest, I’d be him,” she said, quietly enough that Asriel couldn’t hear it that time.

“Wake up,” Chara said, poking Andy in the arm. He jolted awake, clutching at the covers as he blinked his sleepy eyes.

“O-Oh. Hi,” Andy said shyly. “You must be the human they told me about. I’m An—”

“I already know your name,” Chara snapped.

“Oh, um… sorry?” Andy replied. “So… how long have you been—”

“You can save your questions for dinner,” Chara said, cutting him off again. “I get to ask them right now. Why are you here?” she asked.

Andy looked more than a little flustered as he sat up on the bed. “I was just on a hiking trip with my mom, and I fell down here,” Andy said. “It was an accid—”

“Don’t lie to me,” Chara said, leaning in threateningly. Andy leaned back. “You don’t go on a hiking trip to a mountain people never return from.”

“It’s just a myth,” Andy said. “Well, we thought it was, at least.”

Chara glared at him menacingly, and Andy leaned away further. “Fine. Keep your secrets. We have nothing but time down here,” Chara said.

“It’s not a secr—”

“My parents are going to give you a rundown of the house rules pretty soon, but there’s one rule I’m going to add to that list first,” Chara said. “Every one of those monsters out there is worth more than your ugly butt will ever be. If you give one of them so much as a papercut …” Chara pulled at her knife and pointed it straight at Andy’s nose. Andy’s face blanched stark white. “I will personally gouge out your eyes. Understand?”

Andy nodded, eyes fixed on the tip of the knife. Chara put it away.

“Good. Now hurry up, dinner’s ready. It’s rude to keep people waiting,” Chara said. Andy got out of bed, still pale, as Chara walked towards the door. “And Andy? This conversation never happened,” she said, leaving him alone.

Asriel was waiting for Andy outside his room patiently. He waved shyly as the human came out of the door. “Howdy!” Asriel said quietly, trying to be as non-threatening as possible. Andy waved back.

“My name is Asriel Dreemurr,” Asriel said. “It’s nice to meet you.” He stuck out his hand.

Andy reached out and shook it, but not before glancing at Chara. She was watching him with an unnerving amount of intensity.

“Hey, do you like butterscotch-cinnamon pie?” Asriel asked as they all began walking towards the dinner table.

Andy’s eyes lit up a little. “I've never tried it, but it sounds amazing!”

“It tastes amazing,” Asriel said, eyes lighting up as well. “My mom’s the best cook in the entire Underground. Trust me, you’re going to love it.” Andy and Asriel smiled at each other as Chara sat down at the table, watching Andy like a hawk the entire time.

“Hello again, Andy,” Toriel said, smiling from across the table. Andy gave her a little wave. “I do hope butterscotch-cinnamon is alright. I am afraid I forgot to ask you earlier.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” Andy said, beginning to sweat when he saw the only open seat was next to Chara. He sat down reluctantly, and the monsters all tried to put on their best smiles, assuming they were the source of his discomfort. “Thank you for having me over for dinner.”

“Our pleasure,” Asgore chuckled.

“Do not worry, child. You may stay here with us for the time being until we figure out what to do about your current predicament. We have already asked for a third bed to be brought up into the children’s room for you,” Toriel said.

“Oh, that’s… very nice of you,” Andy said, glancing at Chara again. Her eyes hadn’t left him.

“It is alright, son,” Asgore said. “I know you are a little nervous right now, but given time, I think you’ll find monsters are nothing to be afraid of.”

Andy nodded and took a bite of his pie. It wasn’t the monsters he was afraid of.

Chapter Text

Andy had a lot of trouble sleeping. His temporary bed had been placed right next to Asriel’s, and Andy swore he could feel Chara’s eyes on him from across the room the entire night. The image of her holding that knife to his nose plagued what little sleep he got with nightmares. It was ironic that he’d fallen into an underground cavern filled with monsters only to be afraid of the single human that lived down here. A child, no less - she seemed to be about the same age as him.

Toriel eventually knocked on the door and cracked it open, dashing whatever hopes Andy had for a good night’s rest. “Rise and shine, dears,” she said sweetly. Andy sat up in bed and waved weakly, and Chara followed. She seemed similarly sleep-deprived. Asriel mumbled something inaudible into his pillow.

Toriel just chuckled, amused. “Asriel. Sweetie. It is time to wake up,” she said.

“I’m up, I’m awake,” Asriel mumbled sleepily. He still didn’t open his eyes.

Toriel looked at Andy. “Did you sleep well, my child?” she asked.

Andy made a quick glance at Chara. “Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Thank you for letting me stay the night.”

“Of course,” Toriel said. “Now, go ahead and get ready, you three. Breakfast will be ready soon.

Andy’s face lit up. “Oh, can I help?” he asked.

“Oh, there is no need, dear. You are our guest. There is no need to tax yourself.”

“I really love cooking, though,” Andy said. “I make some mean scrambled eggs.”

Toriel laughed aloud. “Well, if you truly do want to help, how could I refuse? Wash up and meet me in the kitchen,” she said.

“Yes, ma’am!” Andy said, rushing out of the room. He was both excited to cook and relieved to be away from Chara.

Chara was far from ecstatic that Andy was cooking breakfast with her mother, but she had to admit… he did make some mean scrambled eggs.

“These eggs are absolutely delicious!” Toriel complimented them. “I have never been able to get them so fluffy. You must tell me your secret,” she said.

“The key is the milk and whisking it for a really long time,” Andy said. “It makes it super light. My mom taught me that.”

“Well, your mother has raised quite the little chef,” Toriel smiled. “Don’t you agree, Chara?”

“...The eggs aren’t bad,” Chara admitted.

“Are you kidding? These are the best eggs I’ve ever had!” Asriel said, and Andy started blushing under all the praise. “I want to eat these every day.”

“I’ll make sure to teach your mom the recipe before I leave,” Andy smiled, and everyone else’s smiles dropped a little.

“Yes, well…” Asgore said, not sure where to begin.

“My husband and I will have a conversation with you about that later,” Toriel said. The atmosphere in the room was suddenly very somber.

“Okay,” Andy said a little confused.

“But first, why don’t we give you a little tour of the kingdom?” Asgore offered, trying to lighten the mood a little. “I am sure the other monsters would love to meet you. Only if you are feeling up to it, of course.”

“Sure,” Andy smiled, unsure why everyone seemed serious all of a sudden.

Andy came back from his little escapade with Asgore just in time to help with dinner. Considering he didn’t look remotely upset, Asgore must not have broken the news about the barrier to him.

Andy and Toriel disappeared into the kitchen once again to cook something up - Asriel offered to come in and help, as did Chara just so she could keep an eye on their ‘guest,’ but Andy insisted he wanted to make dessert a surprise. So, the siblings were left to wait at the dinner table impatiently while dinner was prepared.

Toriel appeared with the main dish - her famous snail pie. Asriel loved it, Asgore loved it, and Chara pretended to love it even though the smell made her want to gag. She served everyone a slice as Andy walked in carefully balancing five plates of some kind of pudding-thing.

“It’s flan,” Andy smiled proudly, setting the plates down. “I’ve been working on the recipe for a while now. Still not perfect, I don’t think, so criticism is welcome, but I think I—”

Chara jumped out of her chair as she looked down at the plate. It and the flan on top of it had been scattered with yellow flower petals. Specifically, buttercups - a plant Chara knew very, very intimately. Chara glared at Andy, absolutely livid.

“I knew it,” she growled, and Andy immediately went pale. “You’re trying to poison us, you dirty little—”

“Chara!” Toriel shouted, appalled. Chara ignored her.

“I-I don’t know what y-you’re—”

“The buttercups! They’re poisonous!” Chara shouted.

“I d-didn’t know, they’re just a garnish! You don’t actually eat—”

“How dare you, I’m going to—”

“CHARA DREEMURR!” Toriel shouted over the both of them, leaving the room dead silent. “Hallway. Now. ” Toriel grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away while Asgore went over to comfort Andy, who’d begun crying quietly.

“What on earth has gotten into you?” Toriel asked in a harsh whisper once they were out of earshot.

“You know what those stupid flowers did to Dad! I wasn’t just going to let him—”

“I watched him make that dessert, Chara,” Toriel said. “And he put a great amount of effort into it, I might add. The petals were just for decoration. There was absolutely no reason for you to fly off the handle like that!”

“You don’t understand him like I do. He’s just looking for a way to—”

“Chara. You met him yesterday. You do not understand him. And he is not the villain here, he’s the victim. Listen.” Neither of them spoke for a moment and they could hear a muffled conversation from the kitchen.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know—”

“Hush now, hush little one. You did nothing wrong. Chara was out of line, you do not need to…”

Andy continued crying while offering apologies. Toriel gave Chara a stern look. “Andy is a scared little boy whom I am going to have to tell he might never go home to his family in a few hours,” she said. “I do not understand where all this imagined malcontent is coming from - I thought you would be overjoyed to have another human to talk to down here! Now you are going to go in there and apologize, and you will say nothing but nice things to him for the remainder of the night or so help me I will ground you for a month. Understand?”

Chara looked at the ground. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now come along,” Toriel said.

Asgore had finally gotten Andy to calm down, and the human was sitting in a chair sullenly. His tear-stained face went pale again as Chara entered the room.

“I’m sorry for my outburst,” Chara said, sitting back down. “I’ve just had bad experiences with buttercups in the past and I overreacted. I appreciate all the effort you put into making dessert.” Chara glanced at Toriel, who nodded approvingly.

“Thanks,” Andy said half-heartedly. The rest of dinner was mostly silent.

“And then, I shoot stars out of my hands like this!” Asriel said, explaining all of the cool moves he planned on doing when he was older in an effort to cheer Andy up. He managed to get a smile from the human as Chara peeked out around the corner. She refused to leave Asriel alone with him.

“That sounds really cool,” Andy said.

“Right?! But then, I—” Asriel made a dramatic sweeping gesture before realizing he was too close to the stairs. He stumbled and began to fall backwards, flailing his arms in an attempt to keep his balance.

“Look out!” Andy shouted, reaching forward and grabbing Asriel’s hand. He pulled him back up with a little difficulty before grabbing his own arm in pain. He’d scratched it along the corner of the banister in his attempt to save Asriel.

“Woah, are you okay?” Asriel asked.

“...Yeah. Yeah, it’s fine. It’s just a scratch,” Andy said.

“Here, let me heal it,” Asriel said, taking his arm gently and passing a green-glowing paw over it.

“Woah,” Andy said, staring at the healed skin with amazement.

“Magic is cool, right?” Asriel asked.

“I feel… weird,” Andy said, placing a hand over his chest.

“Hey, I didn’t know humans’ eyes changed colors!” Asriel said, face lighting up with excitement. “Chara’s been holding out on me!”

“Huh?” Andy said. “No they don’t.”

“But they’re, like… green now. As in, glowy green,” Asriel said. “Mom? Dad? Andy’s eyes are glowing!”

Chara scurried out of sight as her parents walked into the room, not wanting to be found stalking Andy. She sighed to herself. Maybe Andy wasn’t out to hurt her family after all.

...She supposed she owed him another apology. Later. For now, she left for her quiet spot to go and think.

Chapter Text

Asriel sat down next to Chara on her bed. “Um… hi,” Asriel said awkwardly, watching the tips of his toes as he fidgeted. “Sorry Mom yelled at you.”

“It’s fine,” Chara said, laying down and rolling to face towards the wall.

“Is it okay if I ask you something?” Asriel asked.

“You just did,” Chara said with a half smirk, looking up at him.

Asriel sighed dramatically. “You know what I meant!” Chara just shrugged, and Asriel’s face softened a little. “Why don’t you like Andy? He seems really nice, and he’s a really good cook, and—”

“He’s a human, Asriel,” Chara said. “They’re inherently bad. It’s just not something you understand.”

“But… that’s not right,” Asriel said. “You can’t just be born bad. I mean, I’m sure there are mean humans but there have to be nice ones, too! I mean, look at you! You’re a human.”

“Yep. That I am,” Chara said darkly. Asriel looked even more confused.

“Chara… you’re not a bad person,” Asriel said. “You know that, right?”

“All humans are bad people, Asriel,” Chara said, not a shred of doubt in her voice. “You just can’t see it yet.”

“ You’re not a bad person,” Asriel repeated, yanking Chara up to sit next to him and putting his hands square on her shoulders. “You can be a little… overzealous sometimes, maybe, but you’re not a bad person.”

Chara just looked away, and Asriel removed his hands from her shoulders and twiddled his thumbs nervously. “...Chara? I… I know you don’t like talking about it, but… I feel like I have to at least try to ask this. Did you… what… what happened to you on the surface to make you think like that?”

Chara gave the wall a thousand-yard stare for a few moments. Just as Asriel was about to give up and leave her alone, she said, “Up there, you’re either a dog or a rat.”

“...What?”

“Some people hate you. ‘Ugh, get that gutter trash away from me! Kick it to the curb, it’s disgusting!’ Other people? ‘Aw, look at the poor girl. Do you wanna cwust of bwead? Here, girl! Here!’” Asriel felt his heart break a little, and he felt an urge to put his hand on Chara’s and tell her it was all going to be okay. But he didn’t want to interrupt her. “Spite and pity, Asriel, those are the baselines of human emotion. I got used to the spite. But I always hated their pity,” she said.

“Chara…” Asriel didn’t want to bring it up directly, but… he wanted so desperately to understand. “Did… did your parents die, and you grew up on the streets?”

Chara laughed out loud, and Asriel was a little taken aback. “Died? Oh, no. My mother left me on a park bench as soon as I was old enough to steal apples from a fruit stand. You know how Mom and Dad always tell us not to do drugs, Azzy? She was the perfect example of what happens when you do.”

Chara’s face went bitter. “Never met my father. My mother only knew him for one night. It wasn’t even the first time it happened, no, I was her third mistake.”

Asriel wrapped his arms around Chara’s shoulders in a tight hug. “You aren’t a mistake,” he said, on the verge of crying at this point. “So maybe your human mom wasn’t very good. That just means you had to come down here to find your real family.” Chara didn’t respond for a little while.

“It wasn’t just the life I had, you know,” she said quietly, neither resisting the hug nor returning it. “No matter who they are, they all treat each other the same way. Spite and pity. If someone isn’t exactly like you, you hate them. It’s the way humans work.”

“They can’t all be like that,” Asriel said.

“They are. I mean, look at me! I’m sitting here whining to you about how much I hate them all.” Chara looked down at her own hands. “We’re all the same.”

“That’s not—”

“Asriel,” Chara said, cutting him off. “Have you forgotten the fact that they started a war, killed half of you, and then locked you under a mountain?”

Asriel smiled a little. “...I think they were just scared,” he said. It was a topic he thought about a lot, actually, and that was the conclusion he’d come to.

“How could they be scared of you? Look at you!” Chara shouted. “You’re never anything but nice and clearly the humans are already a million times stronger. They just like destroying everything around them.”

“You were scared of me the first time we met,” Asriel said, smiling sheepishly.

Chara looked away. “That’s… you just surprised me.”

Asriel just continued to smile knowingly. “I don’t think people act like that because they’re born that way. I think… that sort of thing has to be learned,” Asriel said. “So… if they can learn to be mean, then… I think they can learn to be good, too. They just need someone to teach them.” Chara didn’t answer, and Asriel sighed. “Just… give Andy a chance to prove you wrong, okay? For me?”

Chara sighed and gave him a half-hearted smile. “Fine. For you.”

Andy sat in the corner of Asgore’s garden, face buried in his huddled-up knees as he cried silently. Chara peeked around the corner to make sure he was alone and sat down beside him without saying a word. Andy took no notice of her.

“They told you about the barrier,” Chara surmised. Andy didn’t respond.

They both just sat there silently for a while before Andy finally said something. “Why do you hate me?”

Chara sighed and leaned back against the wall. “I don’t hate you. I just don’t trust you. There’s a difference.”

“You hate me,” Andy said. Chara didn’t say anything this time. “Was it hard for you, too? Knowing you’re never gonna see your family again?” His voice was muffled, because he still hadn’t removed his face from his knees. The fabric of his pants was wet with tears.

“I didn’t have a human family,” Chara said, not hesitating in the slightest. “So no. It wasn’t hard for me.”

Andy looked at her, and Chara was surprised to find compassion in his eyes rather than pity. It was something she only really remembered the monsters doing. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That’s really sad.”

Chara waved her hand dismissively, trying to mask her surprise. “I’m sorry for threatening to gouge your eyes out. That was a bit dramatic. Just… don’t do anything malicious and you don’t have to worry about me.” Andy nodded slowly.

“I’m a sorcerer, apparently,” he chuckled, though there was no mirth to it. “Your parents are going to teach me how to use green magic.”

“That’s exciting,” Chara said, making a weak attempt to lighten the atmosphere. “Green magic is good. Nonviolent. I think it’s based off of Kindness?”

“That’s what they told me,” Andy said. The air went silent again for a while.

“My feelings toward you aren’t personal,” Chara said, looking at her fingernails. “I hate humanity, not you. Whatever your agenda is, it doesn’t appear to involve my family, so. I’ll coexist with you.”

“I don’t have an agenda,” Andy said. He sounded tired.

“Every human does,” Chara said.

“Then what’s yours?” Andy looked over at her, face showing an exhaustion beyond his years.

Chara thought for a moment, thinking of how to phrase her words. “I want everyone to get what they deserve,” she said.

Andy didn’t seem all that satisfied by the vague answer, but he wasn’t in the mood to pry more. “I just want to see my mom again,” Andy whispered, voice cracking. “Is that ‘agenda’ really so threatening?”

Chara’s expression darkened a little. “That would depend on what you’re willing to do for it,” she said. She subconsciously slid her hand around the handle of the knife, kept in her boot. It made her feel safer. More in control.

“I’m not going to hurt anyone,” Andy said quietly. “I’m not that kind of person.”

“That’s what they all say,” Chara said, fiddling with the fabric of her sweater. “No one up there really means it, though. They’re all hypocrites.”

Andy looked back at her again, almost knowingly. “Maybe a few of them are like that, but… I think most people try to be nice,” he said.

“You’re naive,” Chara scoffed.

“Or maybe you’ve only seen the worst humanity has to offer,” Andy said, voice still low as if he didn’t want to disturb the flowers.

“We’ll agree to disagree,” Chara sighed, standing up slowly. “Mom’s probably going to start on dinner soon. Do you want to help?” she asked.

“I kinda just want to be alone right now,” Andy said, huddling back up in the corner. Chara gave him a silent nod and left the room.

Chapter Text

“Children,” Asgore called down the hallway. Andy, Asriel, and Chara poked their heads out of their shared room. “We have some guests! Come say hello.”

They all walked into the living room to find Asgore and Toriel chatting with a tall, regal-looking skeleton in a black lab coat. Two other skeletons were sitting on the couch - the older-looking one was playing peek-a-boo with the other, who appeared to be a toddler.

“Chara, Asriel, you remember Doctor Gaster, do you not?” Toriel asked, gesturing to the tallest one.

“Prince Asriel,” Gaster said, smiling and dipping his head politely. “Princess Chara,” he repeated, a little colder.

“It’s nice to see you again, Doctor Gaster!” Asriel said. Chara just smiled and returned the little head-nod.

“And this is Andy,” Asgore said, gesturing to him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Andy said, smiling.

“The pleasure is mine, I assure you,” Gaster said, similarly just a little cold. He glanced over at the other two skeletons. “These are my younger brothers, Sans and Papyrus,” he said.

“hey,” the older one waved. “say hi, papyrus!”

Sans picked up Papyrus’ wrists and waved them around a little. “HAI!” Papyrus said, before returning his attention to Sans.

“It is so exciting that the Core is finally complete,” Asgore said, patting Gaster on the back. “Tell me, old friend, what will your next big project be?”

“Well, if you really want to know,” Gaster said, feigning disinterest even though it was very clear he was excited to talk about whatever he was about to explain. “Now that the Underground finally has a sustainable energy supply, I will be turning my attention towards the barrier. It will be an arduous project, of course, but I believe I have theoretical evidence of the possibility of making a functioning time machine.”

“A time machine?” Toriel said, covering her mouth with her hand. “Is that truly possible?”

“I believe so,” Gaster said. “Just imagine the possibilities, my Queen! We could prevent the war and the barrier from being created in the first place.”

Asgore made a quick glance at Asriel and Chara. “That would… alter our lives as they are now, correct?” he asked.

“Well… yes,” Gaster said. “I’m sure there will be less invasive applications for the device, of course. It was just an example. Regardless, I really should get back to work. Although I greatly enjoy our visits as always, your Majesties,” he said with a bow. Both Toriel and Asgore gave Gaster a hug.

“Until next time, old friend,” Asgore said.

“Sans, Papyrus, come along,” Gaster said, walking towards the door.

“g, i think i lost pap,” Sans said. Papyrus was hiding behind Sans, giggling. “i just can’t find him.”

“Hmm…” Gaster said, smiling a little. “Sans, you have to be more responsible. If he doesn’t turn up in the next five seconds, you’re going to be in a lot of trouble. One… Two…”

“NONONO!” Papyrus said, running out from behind Sans. “NO TROUBLE! NO TROUBLE, I SORRY!” Papyrus wrapped his tiny arms around Sans’ waist in a tight hug.

“aw, it’s okay, buddy,” Sans said, rubbing Papyrus’ back before picking him up and putting him on his shoulders. “come on, let’s go get some spaghetti, yeah?”

“GETTI!” Papyrus cheered, before covering Sans’ eye sockets playfully. Sans staggered around a little and pretended to almost fall over before finally walking out the door after Gaster.

“BYE!” Papyrus waved as Toriel shut the door gently.

“He seemed more like their dad than their brother,” Andy said, watching the skeletons walk away from the window.

“They are actually half-brothers,” Asgore said. “They have different mothers. Gaster took over their care a year or two ago for… various reasons.”

“Oh,” Andy said, watching them go. “They seem really nice.”

“We will have to arrange a playdate for all of you sometime,” Asgore smiled.

When Chara had first fallen into the Underground, the kingdom had been skeptical of her. It took her a while to even begin trusting the monsters, and even when she started to, she had never been the most outgoing or friendly person. She kept to herself, mostly, and the rest of the monsters weren’t really sure what to think of her.

Over time, though, they warmed up to her just as she warmed up to them. It took time, but eventually her relationship with the Dreemurrs gave the kingdom hope for a future of peace with the humans.

Andy, however, was an instant hit with the people. He was endlessly friendly, outgoing, and charming, and it was a matter of weeks before the whole kingdom fell in love with him. If Chara had given people hope, Andy made them excited for the future. Peace, it seemed, was almost a guarantee to them.

Chara would be lying if she said she didn’t admire his optimism, but the situation put her just a little bit on edge. Her opinions on humanity hadn’t really changed - Andy made her challenge her blanket generalizations of them, maybe, but she was still almost certain that any meeting between the humans and monsters would end up bloody. She was willing to accept that there might be exceptions (and that Andy might be one of them), but she felt like it was cruel to get everyone’s hopes up.

Andy and Asriel got along famously, and eventually the relationship between Chara and him was upgraded from ‘truce’ to ‘mutually pleasant.’ They weren’t the best of friends, by any means, but they got along.

Andy loved cooking with Toriel, of course, but interestingly enough he seemed to spend more time with Asgore. He liked joining in with Asriel playing catch and doing ‘boy stuff,’ so to speak.

Andy and Sans became fast friends. It wasn’t long before the skeleton had utterly ruined his sense of humor (although thankfully Andy himself seemed to have trouble coming up with puns. Chara had more than enough of them whenever Sans came over to hang out). Papyrus was utterly adorable though, Chara had to admit. She usually ended up stealing him to goof around with while Sans, Asriel, and Andy had their little big boys’ club.

Nothing official really happened, but it wasn’t long before the monsters began referring to him endearingly as ‘Prince Andy’ or the ‘Green Prince.’ He was a prodigy with green magic, and he devoted himself very thoroughly to his studies in it.

Andy took his role in the kingdom very seriously. He went around and got to know as many people as possible, usually following Asgore around on his walks around the kingdom. He started dressing in green, embracing the little moniker people had given him. He even convinced Chara to come out more often, and she gradually grew to like visiting the rest of the monsters occasionally.

Gaster began work on his time machine, though he kept a very close eye on Chara and Andy whenever they were in the same room. Chara knew skeletons had long lifespans and that Gaster was fairly old, so she assumed he’d had some bad experience with humans before the barrier was created.

Honestly, she appreciated his cynicism. Her parents were far too trusting for their own good, she knew, so she was glad someone in a high-ranking position like the Royal Scientist was a bit more wary. Ironically, even though he tended to act fairly cold towards her, Chara grew to like Gaster. He was analytical, intelligent, and kept to himself. He almost reminded her of herself, in a way.

Chara had never seen the Underground so lively and full of hope in the next year or two that followed. Everyone went about their days peacefully, generally just ignoring their growing overpopulation problem and acting as if their freedom was an eventual certainty. She wished they would be more careful, but… she liked seeing them happy.

“Hey, Chara,” Andy waved, sitting next to her in the garden outside of the house.

“hey, princess,” Sans said, sitting down next to Andy with Papyrus in tow.

“What do you two want?” Chara sighed, rolling her eyes playfully. She’d had enough time contemplating, she supposed.

“nothin’ much. just wanted tibia good pal and keep you company,” Sans winked. Chara and Papyrus both groaned as Andy snickered.

“You’re both insufferable,” Chara scoffed.

“YEAH, YOU BOTH INSUFFABLE,” Papyrus said.

“oh, don’t you worry. i’ll corrupt both of you yet, just like i got green over here to join me on the dark side,” Sans chuckled. “and your little goat brother, too.”

“You leave Asriel out of this,” Chara said, but she couldn’t help but smile. “We’ll stop him, won’t we, Papyrus?”

“YEAH, WE STOP YOU!” Papyrus said, pointing his finger at Sans.

“Better sleep with one eye open, Andy,” Chara said, smiling.

“Don’t you start that whole creepy schtick again,” Andy said.

“New hairstyle?” she asked him.

Andy brushed at the green streak in his hair self-consciously. “Uh… yeah. Thought I’d try it out to match my whole green motif.” He adjusted the green polo he was wearing. “Though I’m starting to feel kinda like a leprechaun.” Chara and Andy both shared a chuckle.

“what’s a leprechaun?” Sans asked.

“A short little imp that likes to hoard money. So you, basically, but with ketchup,” Chara said.

“aw, you’re tryna look like me? i’m flattered,” Sans told Andy. “though if you really wanna look like me we can just shave your head and shine it up.”

“I think I’ll let you pull off the bald look,” Andy chuckled. “So Chara, what were you—”

Andy was cut off by the sound of a dull thud coming from the other side of the garden. They rushed over to find…

Another human.

Chapter Text

“You’re lucky you didn’t tear your spinal cord, with the way you fell,” Andy said. The Underground’s newest human - he said his name was Landon - laid on a bed while Andy healed his battered body. He had longish brown hair and very pale skin, with hazel-colored eyes covered with a pair of thick, round glasses. He wore a set of sturdy boots and khakis, a grey button-up shirt and blue sweater vest, with the outfit being completed by a little red bow-tie. Asgore and Toriel were out for the day, so Andy and the Dreemurr siblings would have to deal with this themselves. Asriel waited outside so as not to spook Landon.

“I should have been more cautious,” Landon said. “It had recently precipitated and the rock surface I was examining was more slippery than I had initially anticipated.”

“Wow, you uh… have quite the vocabulary, don’t you, little guy?” Andy smiled, moving his green-glowing hands from Landon’s back to his bruised arms.

“...I’m short for my age. I doubt I’m much younger than you. Please don’t patronize me,” Landon said flatly.

“Oh. Sorry,” Andy said awkwardly.

Landon looked at the wall. “I still wouldn’t believe you about magic being real if I weren’t currently experiencing its effects first hand.”

“It took a bit of adjustment for me, too,” Andy chuckled. “Does that feel better?”

Landon stretched his limbs experimentally. “...Yes. Thank you.” He got out of the bed. “Tell me, how did you discover magic? Is it something that can be taught? If so, I would be greatly interested in learning your craft.”

Andy rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I learned I had the ability after being exposed to green monster magic for the first time - that’s when my eyes turned green like this. I don’t think just anyone can learn it, though, you have to have a natural talent for it.”

“Pity,” Landon sighed. “...did you say monster magic?”

Chara and Andy shared a look. “...Yes. You are currently in the Kingdom of Monsters,” Andy said. “But don’t worry! They aren’t, um… like our typical concept of monsters. They’re friendly.”

Landon just blinked at him, and Chara rolled her eyes. “Azzy, get in here,” she called through the door.

“Hi!” Asriel said, wearing a bright smile as he entered the room. “I’m prince Asriel Dreemurr. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He stayed on the other side of the room so as not to appear threatening.

“This is a lot to digest for one day,” Landon said. “...perhaps I’m hallucinating after a severe concussion. Or maybe I’ve developed paranoid schizophrenia,” he said.

“You’re just as sane as the rest of us,” Chara said. “At least, as far as I can tell. You’re not hallucinating.”

“Probably not,” Landon admitted, “but it’s a possibility I should consider. However, in the event that I am indeed lucid,” he walked over to Asriel and shook his hand, “my name is Landon Bartholomew Montgomery, and the pleasure is mine.”

“You’re taking this all really well,” Asriel said. “Better than these two, at least,” he teased.

“I believe it is important to act rationally in foreign situations. Your government is a form of monarchy, then?” Landon said.

“Yep. My parents are the King and Queen. They should be back by tonight, so you can meet them then and talk about where you’ll be staying,” Asriel said.

“Actually, it would probably best for me to let my parents know I am unharmed before anything else,” Landon said.

“Yes… about that,” Andy sighed.

“We’ll let you handle this,” Chara said. “Azzy and I are supposed to visit Snowdin today. We’ll see you tonight.”

Asriel and Chara left the room. “Sooooo? What do think about him?” Asriel asked.

“I don’t trust him,” Chara said.

Asriel rolled his eyes. “You don’t trust anybody,” he said. “You’ve known him for five minutes, Chara, you can’t possibly know him.”

“I prefer to trust my instincts,” Chara said. “First impressions are powerful. He’s way too chill about this whole thing - maybe he’s a descendant of the wizards who created the barrier and they sent him to check up on you. ”

“Your first impressions of people also tend to be biased,” Asriel said. “At least get to know him for a week or two before you decide you don’t like him. And if the wizards were still around, don’t you think they would send a grown-up?”

“Maybe,” Chara said. “But there’s still something about him I don’t like.”

“...he does kinda seem like a know-it-all,” Asriel admitted. “But that doesn’t make him a bad person.”

“We’ll see,” Chara said.

Landon continued to surprise Chara with just how well he was taking being stuck down here. He didn’t seem overtly dangerous, just… extremely curious. Almost every sentence that came out of his mouth was a question about magic or monsters or life in the Underground. Honestly, it was a little annoying, but that was probably because Chara didn’t have the patience to sit there and answer everything.

Though, everyone else did seem a little off-put by the constant stream of questions, too. Everyone tried to be patient, of course, but Landon’s personality was… just a little abrasive. He had a tendency to be just a little more honest than he needed to be. Everyone else called him blunt, but Chara just called called him arrogant.

...Maybe that was what she didn’t like about him. From his finely-tailored little blue sweater-vest down to the way he spoke, Chara knew he was from an upper class family. Out of all of humanity, she had a special hatred for the rich. They pretended to be good, magnanimous people in public and then went home to swim in their giant pools of money while people like her starved on the streets. And then they acted like it was her fault she’d been given that position in society. Those hypocrites never had to work for a single thing in their lives. But, there she went again with her blanket generalizations.

...She still didn’t like him, though.

“May I try something?” Landon asked Asriel, shaking Chara from her thoughts.

“Uh… sure?” Landon reached out and petted one of Asriel’s ears, and the prince gave him an unamused glare. “...why?”

“They’re softer than I expected,” Landon said, smirking just the tiniest bit.

“What is it with humans and my ears? They’re just ears ,” Asriel groaned.

“Asriel, when will you accept the fact that you’re adorable?” Chara teased, petting Asriel’s other ear. Asriel smacked her hands away.

“Stop that! I am not cute, I’m cool!” Asriel struck a pose with his hands on his hips.

“I mean… can’t you be cool and cute?” Andy chuckled.

“No, he can’t. He’s just cute,” Chara said. She patted the top of Asriel’s head. “Right, Landon?”

“Your hypothesis appears to be correct,” he said.

“Ugghhh, you’re all awful!” Asriel groaned, walking away.

...Alright. Maybe Landon wasn’t that bad.

“My apologies for the poor first impression,” Landon said to Chara. He’d managed to get her alone for a moment, which she’d been avoiding all day. “I realize my social skills leave something to be desired. It’s… something I’ve been working on for a while now, but I haven’t made much progress.”

Chara looked over at him, mildly surprised. “...your first impression was fine,” she said.

“I find that hard to believe, considering you seem to have a rather low opinion of me,” Landon said. “Would you mind telling me what I did to make you dislike me?”

“I don’t dislike you,” Chara sighed. This conversation seemed very familiar, all of a sudden. “I just don’t trust you. There’s a difference.”

“...a wise policy,” Landon nodded.

“What does that mean?” Chara said, finding the phrase vaguely threatening.

“It wouldn’t be wise to trust a stranger after knowing him only for a single day. I don’t trust any of you either, though I do try to be respectful,” Landon said.

“...me, maybe. There’s no reason to distrust the monsters, though. They’re good people,” Chara said.

“I’ve only known them for a day,” Landon said. “For all I know, you could be under some sort of magical manipulation. Or perhaps you have Stockholm syndrome.”

“You can’t use magic for mind control,” Chara said, “and I am not brainwashed.”

“Most probably. But it is a possibility, just as it is a possibility that the monsters are all as well-intentioned as you believe them to be. I prefer to review all the information at my disposal before coming to conclusions about people.”

Chara gave a half-hearted laugh. “You’re smart. I’ll give you that. I’ll reserve my judgement of you until I know you a little better,” she said.

“I would appreciate that, Chara,” Landon said. “Now tell me… do you know your mother’s recipe for Butterscotch-Cinnamon pie? It was, admittedly, incredible.”

Chara smiled. “You’d have to ask Andy for that. He’s the chef in the family.” Chara paused.

Huh. She’d said family.

Chapter Text

“Are you all ready yet?” Landon asked, tapping his foot impatiently and picking lint off his sweater-vest. He was waiting by the door, anxiously checking over his own clothes as if he were going on a date. Chara had to admit, when he wasn’t putting on his whole super-mature act and actually acted his age… he was actually pretty adorable. Not that she’d ever tell him that.

“Yes, yes, I believe we are ready,” Asgore chuckled, and Landon opened the door and started walking. He was making a weak attempt to hide it, but it was obvious he was excited out of his mind. Chara couldn’t help but smile a little as she, Asriel, Asgore, and Andy all followed him towards the Hotland lab.

“Gaster! It is wonderful to see you,” Asgore said as the skeleton opened the door. “I cannot wait to see what you have been up to.”

“Of course, your Majesty,” Gaster said with a little bow. His smile faded just a little when he looked past Asgore’s oversized robes. “I… see you brought the children,” he said.

Asgore looked behind him. “Oh, yes! Our newest addition was very interested in your work, so I thought it would be both a nice little outing for us along with a lovely chance for you to meet each other. Landon?”

Asgore stepped aside as Landon walked forward. “Doctor Gaster,” he said, extending his hand, “Landon Bartholomew Montgomery, at your service.”

“...A pleasure,” Gaster said, shaking his hand gingerly. He looked back at Asgore. “Are you ready to begin?”

Asgore nodded, and Gaster led them inside. The halls were abuzz with monsters in lab coats, all rushing around like ants in a nest. Most of the rooms were made of glass, and Gaster pointed out what experiments were taking place in each as Landon furiously wrote down notes in his notebook.

“...and this is the control room for the Core,” Gaster said, gesturing towards a particularly impressive-looking room with lots of control panels and blinky dials. Half a dozen scientists were in the process of monitoring various devices around the room. “We monitor everything from power output to generator heat levels, all to assure utmost safety and efficiency.”

They continued walking, with Gaster attending to yet another flurry of questions from Landon. Luckily, he actually seemed fine with answering them; grateful, even. Clearly he was as surprised with the boy’s intelligence as everyone else was. Chara knew Gaster had a bit of an ego, so she supposed he appreciated talking about his work with someone that had a genuine interest in it.

“And, last but not least,” Gaster said, opening a room at the end of the hallway. This one had steel walls instead of glass, and it was protected by an impressive-looking vault door. “Welcome to my latest work in progress - the Temporal-Dimensional Analysis and Transposition Device. Or, in layman’s terms… the time machine.”

Chara was fairly certain that if Landon’s jaw could have dropped to the floor, it would have. For once, he seemed to be at a loss for words.

Andy’s eyes widened a little as he entered the room. “...Sans?”

Chara looked over to find the short skeleton standing by a row of computers in an oversized white lab coat and a pair of giant, dorky round glasses.

“surprise,” Sans chuckled. “g put me on as an assistant physicist. pretty spiffy, right?” He tugged on the edges of the lab coat as if it were a suit jacket and put on a dopey brag-face.

“Sans, that’s amazing! ” Andy said, walking over and giving him a big hug. Sans awkwardly returned it. “I know this was your dream job. Gah, this is so exciting! I’m so happy for you.”

“heh. thanks, pal. i got g to thank, though, he’s the reason i’m here,” Sans said, smiling at the Royal Scientist.

“Nonsense,” Gaster said. “You and I both know I don’t hand out favors to family members. You are here because you have a unique aptitude for quantum physics and I value your input on this particular project.”

“aw, stop, g,” Sans chuckled. “you’re gonna make me blush.”

Gaster smirked a little. “If I wanted to make you blush, I’d mention that little conversation I found you having with your brother’s stuffed animals about how cool you are last night.”

Sans’ face turned a light blue. “i… i have no clue what you’re talking about.”

Everyone in the room shared a laugh at Sans’ expense, and he looked at the ground shyly.

Andy just slung an arm around his shoulder, smiling ear to ear. “Well, for the record, I think you’re pretty cool.” Sans just kept blushing, embarrassed by all the attention.

Someone new pushed open the doors - it was a yellow-lizard monster, carrying a drink tray of coffees. “U-Um, I brought the c-coffee you asked for, Doctor woah—!” She tripped over the front of her lab-coat and started to topple towards the floor.

Sans teleported directly in front of her, catching the drinks in one hand and her under the shoulder with the other. “careful,” he said. “can’t have you falling for me first day on the job.” He gave her a goofy wink.

“S-Sorry, so sorry!” she said, picking herself up and dusting herself off quickly. Her face was bright red with embarrassment.

“My intern, Miss Alphys,” Gaster said, gesturing towards her.

Alphys looked around and blushed even harder when she realized she was surrounded by important people. “U-um… hi,” she said, a little starstruck.

Asgore gave her a little wave and looked over at one of the computer terminals. It was covered in a long stream of numbers. “What is this?” he asked Gaster.

Gaster glanced at the monitor. “Oh, just some calculations I’ve been doing,” Gaster said. “I’m afraid they’re likely too technical to be of interest to you.”

“You might want to adjust the calculations for the auxiliary supports,” Alphys said, and everyone looked at her. “If they aren’t moved back by at least five degrees, the kickback is going to put too much strain on the floor and…” her face turned bright red again, “...and I’m correcting Doctor Gaster and I’m just an intern I’m going to get people more toffee I MEAN COFFEE BYE!” She practically sprinted out of the room, leaving everyone just a little confused. Gaster gave the computer a curious look and sat down before tapping at the keyboard a few times.

He glanced back at the door, seemingly a little awed. “...I’m afraid that’s all for the tour today. I have some work that needs attending to - Sans? Would you show our guests out?”

“sure thing, g,” Sans said, walking everyone out of the room.

“So, Sans,” Asgore said, “You must be one of the youngest scientists here. You should be very proud.”

“uh… the youngest scientist, actually,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “but yeah, i’m really happy here. honestly, i’m more of an assistant while g teaches me and everything, but… you know. it’s still pretty awesome.”

“We must have you over for dinner tonight to celebrate!” Asgore suggested.

“Oooo, yes! I’ll bake a congratulations cake for you and everything,” Andy said.

Sans blushed a little again. “aw shucks, guys, you don’t… i don’t think…”

“I think I found a way to put ketchup in the filling,” Andy said enticingly.

“...well, i don’t think i can turn you down now,” Sans chuckled.

Chara gave Andy a disgusted look. “Hey, don’t knock it ‘till you try it. It’ll be good, I swear,” he said.

“Andy’s cooking is always good,” Asriel said, giving him a pat on the back. “See you for dinner, Sans?” They reached the exit of the building.

“sure thing. can i bring paps along?” Sans asked.

“Of course,” Asgore smiled. “We will see you later, Sans. Good luck!”

Everyone began walking back to new home, and Chara noticed Landon lagging behind a little. She let the others go on ahead and walked back to him. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, and it was then that she noticed there were a few tears dripping down his face.

“Hey,” she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You okay?”

Landon looked up at her, a little surprised. “Yes, sorry, I’m… I’m fine,” he said, wiping at his eyes hurriedly. “Sorry, I… you didn’t need to see that.”

“It’s fine,” she said. “What’s on your mind?”

Landon glanced back at the lab. “...My parents used to take me on trips all over the world to different scientific institutions, just like that one. They…” he sighed. “I’m sorry. I just… I miss them.”

“Don’t apologize,” Chara said. “You have emotions. Don’t apologize for having emotions,” she said.

“It’s just… I know it’s not appropriate to cry in public,” Landon said quietly.

“Screw appropriate,” Chara said with all seriousness. Landon looked up at her. “That’s a bunch of rich-person nonsense they try to stuff into your head to make you dead inside like the rest of them. You’d be a sociopath if you didn’t feel anything about being stuck down here.”

Landon gave her a dry little laugh. “You’re rather judgemental, you know?” he said. “But I suppose you’re right. Though, I’ve been told that you never cried over the surface. Isn’t there anything - any one you miss?”

Chara thought for a moment. She was about to say no, but… something came to mind. Besides, she didn’t want to give Landon licence to call her a sociopath. “...There was this old woman named Sarah that lived in my town,” she said. “And she baked cookies literally all the time. Some days, when I couldn’t find anything to eat…” she looked at the ground, a little ashamed. “Sometimes I’d go to her house and she’d give me a cookie and a smile and a pat on the head. One night, a little after I first came here, I had a nightmare and I woke up hungry. I was a little dazed, so I walked out on the street looking for her house. And then I realized she wasn’t there, and I cried a little.”

Landon didn’t speak for a long moment. “I’m so sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be. That was a long time ago,” she said. “Come on, let’s catch up with the others.”

“You know, for how little faith you seem to have in humanity,” Landon said, picking up the pace a little, “you seem to have known good people all throughout your life.”

Chara looked back at him. “You don’t know me,” she said.

Landon just gave her a little smile. “But I do know you a little better.”

Chapter Text

Landon sat in Gaster’s office, the Royal Scientist sitting patiently at his desk as he waited for his second guest to arrive. It was then that Alphys burst into the room frantically.

“I-I am so sorry, D-Doctor Gaster, I was running e-errands and I lost track of time and—”

“Worry not, Miss Alphys,” Gaster said. “Please, have a seat.”

“Y-Yes, sir.” Alphys awkwardly hopped into the chair next to Landon, avoiding eye contact with both other people in the room.

Gaster turned his attention to Landon. “First, you. At the behest of King Asgore and Queen Toriel, I would like to offer you an internship at the Royal Science Division. The position recently opened up and you have, admittedly, shown a great aptitude for the field. Young as you may be, I believe a mind such as yours could be an invaluable asset to my division and the world at large someday.”

Landon’s eyes lit up behind his glasses. “Sir, it… it would be an honor,” he said. “I gladly accept your generous offer.”

Gaster gave him an approving nod. He turned to Alphys to see that she was shaking a little.

“I-I’m…” she was having trouble keeping her voice steady, “I-I’m being fired, aren’t I?” she asked. Tears started to roll down her face. She seemed absolutely heartbroken, though not surprised.

“To the contrary, Miss Alphys,” Gaster said. “I am offering you a promotion.”

Alphys looked up at him, shocked. “W-What?”

“Your suggestion on the auxiliary supports turned out to be extremely helpful. Recall all those papers I had you complete recently - they were not mere busywork, Miss Alphys, but tests. You passed them with flying colors.”

“I-I…” Alphys was barely able to speak, she was so flabbergasted. “Y-You must be mistaken,” she said. “I-I’m not… you don’t w-want… I c-can’t—”

“Miss Alphys,” Gaster said. “Your lack of self-confidence is entirely unfounded. While I excel at the theoretical side of the sciences, I sometimes struggle with its practical applications. I have been fortunate in the past to have been accompanied by several brilliant engineers that have brought my visions to reality, but I am afraid my most ambitious project to date continues to throw even them for a loop. You have a natural talent for engineering that is hitherto unseen, from my perspective. If cultivated properly, I believe you could become the most brilliant engineer the Underground has ever seen.”

“I…” Alphys looked up at him. “You’re… y-you’re serious?”

“I never joke about such matters. Your talents are wasted on a mere internship.” Gaster glanced at his watch. “You are, of course, inexperienced and there is still much you need to learn. However, I believe there is no better way to learn than with hands-on experience. So, Miss Alphys - do you accept the position?”

“I-I… yes! Y-Yes, absolutely, I… thank you, thank y-you so much!”

“You’ve only yourself to thank, Miss Alphys. I do not offer such positions lightly.” He glanced at his watch again. “I expect both of you here at eight a.m. tomorrow, sharp. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have somewhere to be.” He walked out of the room, and Landon followed. As soon as everyone was out of earshot, Alphys let loose an ecstatic fangirl scream.

Landon and Alphys arrived early the next morning to find Sans waiting at the building. “hey guys,” he said, waving, “congrats al, by the way!”

“O-Oh, Sans! I d-didn’t, u-um, I didn’t know you would b-be here for this,” Alphys stuttered. She blushed a little.

“yeah, i’m not quite a real scientist yet, either. g’s been showin’ me the ropes until i’m ready for the actual science. guess that makes us classmates or somethin’, right?” Sans said.

“U-Um, y-yeah, right,” Alphys said, getting more and more flustered. Landon and Sans both gave her a confused look.

“and what about you, kid?” Sans said, shifting the conversation away from Alphys, seeing she was uncomfortable with the attention. “barely a week down here and you’re already the talk of the whole lab.” Sans reached over and mussed up Landon’s hair, and the human smacked his hands away before trying to straighten it out again.

“Do not do that,” Landon said, and Sans chuckled and raised his hands apologetically as Gaster walked out of the building.

“Ah,” he said, “I see you’re all on time. Excellent. Follow me, please.” Everyone followed Gaster inside.

The lab didn’t officially open until nine, so the corridors were mostly empty this time of day. The only person around was a lone janitor - he was a spider-monster with six arms for a total of eight limbs, and each one was doing a different job. He simultaneously swept, mopped, and dried the floor and had a feather duster at the ready in one of his other hands.

“Boo!” The three of them suddenly found themselves ensnared in some sort of magic from behind as a little spider girl dropped down from the ceiling behind them, giggling.

“aaaahhhh!” Sans screamed. It was clear he wasn’t actually scared but was rather obliging the little girl.

“AAAAHHHH!” Alphys screamed. She nearly fell over backwards. Landon said nothing, instead standing frozen in place as he blinked, confused.

The janitor walked over to them. “Muffet, how many times have I told you not to scare the scientists?”

“But papa, it’s fuuuunnnn,” Muffet whined.

“I don’t care if it’s fun. What if they were carrying samples or something and you made them drop them? It’s hard enough keeping this place clean without adding your mess to it,” the janitor said. “Now drop your purple magic.”

“Nuh uh! They only get out if they pay me,” Muffet said.

The janitor pinched the bridge of his nose, exasperated. “I swear, you’ve picked up your father’s obsession with money,” he sighed. “Drop the magic now or you’re grounded.” Muffet released her hold sulkily, and the janitor turned to Gaster. “I’m very sorry, Doctor, my husband’s away visiting his parents for the weekend and I couldn’t find a babysitter for her.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gaster smiled. “I am aware of how challenging they are at her age. In fact, why don’t you just take the day off? I think we’ll survive one day without you.”

“Oh, thank you very much, sir,” the janitor said.

“Of course. Take care,” Gaster said. He turned his attention to Landon. “Are you alright? You seem a bit rattled.”

“I feel… strange,” he said.

Gaster walked over to him and looked at Landon’s face. His eyes widened a little. “...So you are a mage, after all. Violet. How curious.”

“I am?” Landon asked.

“It would appear so.” Gaster seemed tense all of a sudden. “I believe a crash course on magic is in order then. We wouldn’t want any accidents from a mage that does not know how to control himself. Sans, I believe you know where I left the material I was going to have Alphys and yourself review today. Would you see to that for me?”

“...sure thing, g,” Sans said. His mood seemed a little off as well, though not in the same way Gaster’s was. “come on al, it’s this way.”

“O-Okay,” Alphys said, looking at Landon and Gaster one last time before following Sans.

“Andy?” Asgore peeked around the corner to see Andy sitting in the garden.

“Oh, hi Asgore,” Andy said, wiping at his eyes quickly. It was clear he’d been crying.

“Are you alright?” Asgore asked, sitting down next to him.

“...Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking about my mom,” Andy said.

“Ah,” Asgore said. “It is not a crime to miss her, you know. No one expects you to just forget her.”

“I know,” Andy sighed. “It’s just… I do miss her. But I’m more worried about her, to be honest.”

“Oh?”

“I… I always had this irrational fear that she’d leave me,” Andy said quietly. “And then I went and left her. I hope she doesn’t think that I ran away, or… something like that.”

“You did not leave her by choice,” Asgore reminded him. “You cannot blame yourself for that.”

“I know, I know.”

“Why did you fear she would leave you? It does not sound like something she would do, from all you have told me about her,” Asgore said.

“Like I said, it was irrational,” Andy said. He looked at something off in the distance. “My dad, he… he ran out on us when I was two. So it’s just been me and her for as long as I can remember. I guess I was afraid she’d do the same thing. Not that she’d given me any reason to think that or anything, it’s just… it was hard growing up without a dad.”

“I understand,” Asgore said, rubbing Andy’s back. Andy looked away again.

“You know, I… I really appreciate how welcome you’ve made me feel. And I like Toriel a lot, and I love cooking with her and everything, but… she’s not my mom. My mom’s still up there somewhere.”

“I know,” Asgore said. “We never expected anything different.”

Andy looked at the tips of his shoes. “But, um… it… it’s been nice, being around you, too,” he said. “I never really had a father figure, so… you know… I…” Andy sighed. “I’ve wished for a dad my whole life and now that I’m here, you…”

Asgore smiled and pulled Andy into a hug. “I’ve considered you my son for a while now,” Asgore said, “and it has been a joy to have you around, as well. I am just glad I could be there for you.”

Andy hugged him back. “...Thanks, dad,” he said quietly, muffled by Asgore’s thick fur.

Some soft sound started to resonate in the air - it was a faint hum, that gradually grew in volume. It started to vibrate in Andy’s chest, and then… there was a little click and it stopped.

“What was that?” Andy asked, looking around for the source.

Asgore chuckled, smiling brightly. “It appears we are soulmates,” he said.

Andy blinked. “Wait, what?”

Asgore laughed some more. “You humans have so many misconceptions about that term. A ‘soulmate’ is not necessarily romantic - it can be of a platonic nature, or of siblings, or of parents and their children,” he explained. “It is just a unique resonance between the soul of a monster and the soul of a human.”

“So… two monsters can’t be soulmates?” Andy asked.

“Not that I have seen, no. It is the way our souls are constructed - humans generate magic and monsters consume it. It is as if you were a key and I was a lock, and we just so happen to fit together. Our magic is a perfect match in that way.”

Andy chuckled a little himself. “That’s… really interesting. So… what does… being soulmates, you know… mean?”

Asgore smiled. “The monster and the human must have a very close relationship for the link to happen, so I suppose it is proof of the bond we share,” he said. “Otherwise, I am not quite sure. Such a thing has not happened for a very long time. I have heard old stories of soulmates being able to perform special magic together, but I cannot say for certain.”

“I guess we could play around with it?” Andy asked.

Asgore draped an arm over Andy’s shoulder, pulling him close. “Sure thing, son.”

Chapter Text

“THIS IS BOOOORING,” Papyrus whined. “CAN WE DO SOME PUZZLES NOW?”

Chara narrowed her eyes, unamused. “It hasn’t even been five minutes since we started our small puzzle break. You need to learn some patience.”

“BUT TAKING BREAKS IS LAZY! I DON’T WANNA BE LIKE SANS!”

“aw, c’mon. that just killed me, bro,” Sans said as he walked into the room.

“FINALLY, YOU’RE BACK!” Papyrus said.

“Oh, so you complain about him when you’re with me, but I’m not entertaining enough for you when Sans comes to pick you up. Fickle child,” Chara said.

“YOU’RE FUN WHEN YOU DO PUZZLES WITH ME!” Papyrus said.

“You need to find some variety in your hobbies,” Chara sighed. Landon walked into the room. “How goes the internship?”

“...Gaster is a very serious man. His training program has been very… rigorous. That said, I feel I am up to the challenge,” Landon answered.

“I’m sure,” Chara said, standing up from her game of Go Fish. She got a good look at Sans - she was taller than him now, though just about everyone was excluding Papyrus. Papyrus was having a string of growth spurts lately, though, so even that might not last long.

She was surprised to find dark circles under the skeleton’s eyesockets, and he was slouching even more than usual. Something was wrong.

Andy walked into the room. “Hey, Sans! Finally off work?”

“yeah. i think i’m gonna run paps home and grab a nap.”

“NO! NO NAPPING, YOU LAZYBONES!” Papyrus said, stomping his foot.

“alright, alright, you’re right. the house ain’t gonna clean itself, and g sure ain’t gonna help,” Sans sighed. He visibly deflated a little.

Chara gave Andy a look, which he returned. He thought something was off as well, apparently.

“Maybe you could make yourself useful and help your brother clean tonight, Papyrus,” Chara suggested.

“huh? no, no, he’s just a kid. he doesn’t need to—”

“Sans, he’s going to have to learn some responsibility at some point. You practically run that household all by yourself, with Gaster being at the lab all hours of the day,” Chara said.

“it’s… it’s fine, princess, really,” Sans said. Stubborn bonehead.

“YEAH, I DON’T WANNA CLEAN ! I HAVE PUZZLES TO DO!” Papyrus said. Sans gestured to him and shrugged.

Chara put her hands on her hips and turned to Papyrus. “No, I’m putting my foot down on this one. You’ve been acting like a spoiled brat lately, Papyrus, and helping Sans clean the house is the least you can do for all he does for you,” Chara said.

“I AM NOT A SPOILED BRAT! AND HE DOESN’T DO ANYTHING!” Papyrus whined.

“Oh really? Who gets you dressed and ready for school? Who cooks all your meals for you? Who works ridiculous hours at a lab all day and then spends every spare moment he can entertaining you? Who, apparently, does all the cleaning at your house?” Chara said. Everyone in the room gave her a surprised look.

“BUT… BUT… PUZZLES!”

“There’s more to life than puzzles, Papyrus,” Chara said. “Now you’re cleaning tonight or the next time I babysit you, we aren’t doing any of them. Understand?”

“...FINE,” Papyrus said, pouting. He walked out of the room.

“that, uh… that was a little harsh,” Sans said. “...i didn’t know you liked me that much.”

Chara rolled her eyes. “I don’t,” she said. “But he actually has someone that cares about him and is trying hard to raise him, and he’s being ungrateful. Sometimes you’ve gotta give kids a slap on the wrist when they’re out of line, or they never learn. And you enabling him constantly is not helping, you know,” she added.

“i don’t… enable him…” Sans said, blushing a little. Chara just raised her eyebrows at him.

Andy turned his attention to Sans. “Seriously, though… you aren’t looking that good, man.”

“geez, what’s with the insults today? first papyrus, now you,” Sans said.

Andy rolled his eyes. “You know what I meant. Are you okay?”

Sans glanced away. “i’m fine, really. g’s just been putting me through the ringer at the lab lately. says i’m almost ready to join the team for his time machine project.”

“Well, that’s… that’s great Sans, but… it’s not just today. You’ve looked exhausted for like, two weeks now, and I barely see you anymore. You know you can talk to me, right?” Andy said.

“sure i do. really, it’s nothin’ though. i’ve just had a little trouble sleeping lately, is all. probably just excited to be so close, you know?” Sans said.

“...if you say so,” Andy sighed. “Come here for a minute.” Sans walked over to him curiously, and Andy put his hands on either side of the skeleton’s head. They glowed green for a little while.

“wow. i had no idea you could do that with green magic,” Sans said. “i don’t even feel tired anymore.”

“It’s something new I’ve been working on ever since I found out Asgore was my soulmate,” Andy shrugged. “Consider it a pick-me-up. Take care of yourself, Sans, alright?”

“i will, i will, ya big softie,” Sans said, giving him a playful punch in the arm. “i’ll see you guys around.”

Chara watched him leave suspiciously. “Landon, you don’t happen to have Sans’ schedule memorized by any chance, do you?” she asked after he was gone.

“...I believe so. Why?”

“...No reason in particular. Do you think you could write it down for me?” she asked. Landon gave her a curious look, but complied anyway. She looked it over as Andy went to the kitchen to start on dinner.

It was just as she thought. Sans’ work schedule conflicted with Andy’s at almost every hour of the day. She decided to take a little trip to the Hotland lab.

“Doctor Gaster,” she said, knocking on his office door.

“Yes, what is it? If you do not mind, I am rather busy right now and I do not have time for—”

“Well, I was hoping you could make a little time for me, considering I’m the princess,” Chara said. She very rarely pulled rank on someone, but she wasn’t in the mood to deal with Gaster’s games and avoidance tactics.

“...of course, your Highness,” he said stiffly. Chara sat down across from him at the desk.

“You’re trying to keep Sans away from Andy,” Chara said bluntly, and Gaster’s eyesockets widened a little.

“That’s preposterous,” he said.

“And yet the new schedule you have Sans on seems to be revolved around doing just that,” Chara said, putting the piece of paper Landon had given her on the desk. “Those hours aren’t even practical, Gaster.”

“With all do respect, your Highness , I don’t think my brother’s schedule is any of your business,” Gaster said. “Besides, I didn’t think you had such a vested interest in Sans.”

“I do now that Papyrus spends half his time at my house with Sans gone working these ridiculous hours, and since he’s close friends with my brother,” Chara said. There - she’d said it out loud. Brother. She could accept that Andy was part of the family.

“Papyrus has been staying with…? Never mind. Princess Chara, I must ask that you please attend to your own affairs,” Gaster said.

“This isn’t healthy for Sans,” Chara said firmly. “He refuses to admit it, but he’s exhausted. You’re so caught up in your work that it’s become his responsibility to run your household. He doesn’t need you driving him into the ground with this —” Chara said, shaking the piece of paper in his face, “on top of all that.”

“It is for his health that I have put him on this schedule!” Gaster snapped, snatching it out of her hand.

“...you think Andy’s going to hurt him,” Chara surmised. “Why? Andy’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, as loath as I am to admit it. He’s not threatening.”

“His very existence is threatening,” Gaster said. “As long as even one of your kind exists, we are—” Gaster shut his mouth immediately. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “You have no idea what you are capable of, do you?”

Chara raised her eyebrows a little. “Oh, I know exactly what we’re capable of, trust me,” she said. “But Andy isn’t one of those people.”

Gaster chuckled. “You know nothing of what I speak,” he said, more to himself than to her. “You’ve never seen villages reduced to ash. Air so thick with dust that one could suffocate on it. Smiles so wide that they don’t seem to belong on the faces that wear them.” Gaster’s eyes darkened with some frightful memory.

Chara nodded to herself. “I wish I could say I was surprised,” she said. “...I’ve always appreciated your skepticism, you know.”

“What?”

“My parents mean well, but they are naive. If and when the monsters return to the surface, they won’t find open arms waiting for them. Or, if they do… well. They should run the other way,” Chara said. “Someone needs to be cautious. However: I think Andy’s proven where his loyalties lie at this point. Stop punishing Sans for your own paranoia,” she finished.

Gaster looked like he was about to argue, but he just sighed again instead. “...Very well. I will… reassess Sans’ work schedule. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of work to get done,” he said.

“Glad to hear it. Good night, Doctor Gaster.” She got up and left.

“Good night, Princess.”

Chapter Text

“Well, I’m glad Gaster got Sans off that crazy schedule,” Asriel said to Andy. They were in the garden, watering flowers while Asgore was away in some important meeting with Gaster and the captain of the Royal Guard, Gerson. Andy had already finished his half, and was sitting on one of the new benches Asgore had put in. With how much he continued to expand it, it might as well become a public park sometime in the future. Andy would have to bring up that idea with him; Asgore would probably love it. Though hopefully he’d let Andy name it.

“...Yeah,” Andy sighed, mind circling back to his best friend. It almost felt like Sans was avoiding him; probably because Andy brought up his health just about every time they talked. He didn’t want to be a nuisance, but Sans had a habit of taking care of everyone else while neglecting his own needs.

“What’s wrong? I thought you’ve been getting to see him more,” Asriel said.

“I have. It’s just… his health doesn’t seem to have improved. I mean, he assures me that he’s getting a full eight hours of sleep every night, but every time I talk to him he just seems drained and I don’t know why. And the stubborn bonehead won’t give me any answer other than ‘I’m fine, don’t worry about it.’ It’s frustrating.”

“That does sound like a problem,” Asriel said, emptying his watering can. “I think you just need to be patient. You and Sans really care about each other, you know? He’ll open up to someone eventually - if it’s not you, then it’ll be Papyrus or Gaster. Just give it time.”

“...If you say so,” Andy sighed. Asriel was good at giving advice - though that was probably to be expected, given his parents.

Andy looked at the flowers on the ground - Asgore sure was a fan of gold, for some reason. The dappled light trickling through the barrier onto them was always lovely, though.

...Except, there wasn’t any light right now. It looked almost like a shadow. Andy looked up towards the barrier.

“...Stars above, someone’s falling!” he shouted, rushing towards the shadow’s source.

“Wait, really?!” Asriel ran after him.

The shadow grew and grew, and Andy readied himself, counting backwards from three in his head. It was just a little ironic; the figure looked almost graceful as they fell. Three… two… one…

He unleashed his green magic, and the falling person froze in mid-air, pinned in place. It was a girl in a pink ballerina uniform, with dark brown skin and her tightly curled hair pulled up into a bun. Her eyes were tightly closed and she was hugging herself tightly, preparing for an impact that never came.

She opened her eyes slowly, seeing that she was suspended a foot or two above the ground by some mysterious green force. Then she looked at Andy, holding out his hand with green energy pouring off of it, and she immediately screamed.

“Whoa, whoa, it’s okay!” Andy said, rushing over to her and setting her down. “It’s alright, I won’t hurt you. My name’s Andy.” The girl was a few years younger than him, and she looked around the room frantically like a cornered animal.

“Hey, uh…” Andy began, looking for a way to distract her and calm her down. “That’s, um… that’s a really nice costume! Do you do ballet?”

The girl looked up at him. “Y… Yes…” she said.

“Wow! I’ve always loved ballet. The dances are so beautiful,” Andy smiled. He stood a respectful few feet away, not wanting to make her feel trapped.

The girl took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. “Thanks,” she said quietly. “Um… thank you. For saving me. I’m Olivia.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Olivia,” Andy said, still smiling.

Olivia looked past Andy to see Asriel standing there, and her eyes widened. “...Oh my god. What is that?!” She took a few steps backward.

“Whoa, whoa, hold on!” Andy said. “That’s just Asriel. He’s my, uh, adopted brother. Don’t worry, he’s harmless. Couldn’t hurt a fly, even if he wanted to.”

“Hey!” Asriel said indignantly.

“Now is not the time, Azzy,” Andy said under his breath. Olivia still looked wary.

Asriel approached slowly, hands up in a non-threatening manner. “Hey, um… do you like rainbows?” he asked.

“I… I guess,” Olivia said.

“Here, watch this!” Asriel grinned. He pointed his palm up towards the barrier and shot a colorful laser. It burst against the barrier into an array of multicolored sparkles. Olivia giggled a little bit.

“Would you like to come inside, Olivia? We can explain stuff to you over some tea, if you’d like,” Andy suggested.

“...Okay,” Olivia said, following them inside. “Where… where am I right now?”

“You’re in the Underground, in the Kingdom of Monsters,” Andy said.

“M...Monsters?”

“Friendly monsters! Trust me, you’re going to love it here,” Asriel assured her.

Landon took a bite of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich before glancing at the doorway, where Alphys was standing nervously. He sighed internally and swallowed.

“Can I help you with something, Alphys?” he asked.

“Oh! U-Um, I mean, I know you’re o-on break right now and I-I didn’t want to bother you or anything because I know that I-I’d probably just a-annoy you because I just annoy everyone b-but I really need to run this thing b-by someone and I-I’m too nervous to talk to any of the o-other scientists in the building and it’s probably a horrible i-idea anyway and you know what I’ll j-just leave and quit interrupting your lunch and—”

“Bring it here,” Landon said, beckoning with his hand. Alphys’ eyes lit up a little.

“R-Really? Oh, thank you so much, I-I just really needed to talk to someone about this a-and you don’t have to if you don’t want to but I really a-appreciate—”

“My lunch ends in fifteen minutes. Don’t dawdle,” Landon said. He took another bite of his sandwich.

“R-Right. Sorry,” Alphys said, sitting down next to him and opening her laptop. “S-So, u-um, Gaster wanted me to do some big engineering p-project as a sort of proof-of-concept type thing before he p-puts me on his time machine project, so, u-um, I came up with sort of a two part project but I’m not sure if it’s good enough.” She pulled up some sort of schematics and began to explain them, her nerves slowly beginning to ease up as she dove into her element. Landon watched in awe, his sandwich forgotten.

Alphys explained to him a plan for a set of underground radio towers that would be able to run an Underground-wide television network - and televisions were a technology that, as of yet, held no purpose down here. She explained that using spare parts from the Waterfall dump, she would be able to provide televisions to most interested households at little to no cost. It was an ambitious project, but the science seemed completely sound. Landon had to admit it - he was impressed.

“What was the second part?” Landon asked.

“O-Oh, right. U-Um, see, I have this friend that’s a ghost and he’s been looking for a b-body for a while now, s-so, um…” she pulled up another set of schematics, this time for a robot. “I thought, since he w-wants to be an entertainer and we won’t be able to access human television down here, I’d build him this body and he could be o-our television channel! He’s, um, agreed to do a variety of stuff - n-news, singing, cooking, you name it! S-So, um… what do you think?”

“...You’re planning to set up a form of infrastructure that took humans innumerable years to develop fully in a matter of weeks,” Landon said.

“Y-Yeah, I know it was a stupid idea and I-I don’t even know why I’m here, Gaster didn’t—”

“Alphys,” Landon said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “This is incredible,” he said, gesturing to the computer. “I can’t think of a better way to impress Doctor Gaster. You should certainly use this. To be perfectly honest, Miss Alphys… it’s almost frightening what wonders you might be capable of creating if you had any significant amount of self-confidence.”

“Y...You really think so?” Alphys asked.

“Yes,” Landon said. He checked his watch. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work. Do keep me updated on your progress.”

Chapter Text

“So, what do you think about Olivia?” Asriel asked.

“...I’ll reserve my judgement of her until I’ve known her for at least a week,” Chara said.

“I think that’s progress!” Asriel said. “See? Sometimes you just have to have a little faith in people. They won’t let you down.” Chara sat down on her bed and beckoned Asriel over, a sudden seriousness entering the room. Asriel’s smile faded a little.

“Asriel, I need you to understand something,” Chara said. “I get that you’re optimistic and that you always see the best in people. I understand that’s who you are and you know that’s what I admire about you.”

“...But?”

“I’m trying to be a little less… hostile. Trying not to assume everyone I meet is out to use me or manipulate me. Hence why I haven’t threatened the new girl yet,” Chara said.

“...Okay, we might need to have a talk about threatening—”

“Don’t interrupt me. Maybe she’s just some innocent victim that fell down a hole, but it’s also possible that she has malicious intentions. Do you understand what I’m saying? I just want you to be a little more cautious sometimes. Just because not all humans are bad does not mean that there aren’t bad humans. There are people out there that are going to take advantage of your naivety, Asriel, and that’s a fact. I just don’t want you to get duped by them.”

Asriel’s eyes softened a little. “...Chara,” he sighed. “I just don’t think… hmm. What brought this on all of a sudden?”

Chara looked away. “...Today’s the day that my mother left me,” she said. An overwhelming sadness passed over Asriel’s face. Chara looked him straight in the eyes. “You have no idea just how important you are to me. I’d never be able to forgive myself if you got hurt by something or someone. I wish I could make you promise that you’d never interact with another human again, but… that’s not realistic. I’m not going to ask you to stop trusting people. But… I just want you to at least be aware of the possibility that sometimes people want to hurt you. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“...Yeah. I think I do,” Asriel answered. “I’ll try to be careful.”

“Good.” Chara leaned in and gave him a tight hug, leaving Asriel a little surprised. Chara almost never initiated hugs herself. “I love you, Asriel Dreemurr,” she said. “More than anything else in this world. And I know I don’t tell you that enough. But it’s true.”

“Aw geez, Chara, you’re gonna make me cry,” Asriel said, hugging her back. “I love you, too.”

“U-u-um, h-hi everyone,” Alphys said into the mic. A small crowd was assembled in front of the makeshift stage on the lab’s ground floor, including Gaster, Sans, Papyrus, Landon, Andy, Olivia, Asgore, Toriel, and a handful of other monsters.

“U-Um, as you all p-probably know, um, I recently installed some r-radio infrastructure around the U-Underground and, u-uh, I’m providing free televisions t-to everyone here today! U-Um, and some other people too, mostly um… n-nevermind. U-Um, since we d-don’t have any established channels or n-networks down here, I-I, um, I-I mean my friend or um I g-guess acquaintance I mean we know each other pretty well b-but—”

A giant metal box appeared from behind the curtains, rolling in on one wheel and holding a mic. “Thank you for that thrilling introduction, Alphys! I’ll take it from here.” He shooed Alphys off the stage and she took a seat next to Gaster, face red with embarrassment.

“Good evening, beauties and gentlebeauties! My name is Mettaton, and as my dear friend Alphys was saying, I will be providing content for your viewing pleasure on the Underground’s premier television network, MTT!”

“That’s n-not what it’s—”

“Hush, darling. I’m having a moment,” Mettaton said. “As I was saying, I will be providing a wide array of shows and entertainment 24/7 starting at midnight tonight! Just what kind of entertainment? I’m glad you asked! Informative tutorials on cooking, makeup, hand-washing, and more? Of Course! Daily news to keep you updated on the state of the Underground and the hottest MTT-related gossip? Essential! Action, adventure, drama? You betcha! Romance? ….ABSOLUTELY!”

A blizzard of confetti rained down from the ceiling and onto the small audience’s heads. “Now, I have a thrilling show in store for my esteemed studio audience tonight, so let’s not wait any longer! Our first segment is a grand story of two star-crossed lovers, kept apart by the tides of fate - and while I am completely capable of performing the entire act myself, I assure you… you!” Mettaton pointed at Olivia. “Yes, you! Human girl in the lovely ballet attire. Please join me onstage!”

Olivia walked up next to him shyly and he slung his arm around her shoulders. He leaned in close with the mic. “Would you mind giving the audience your name, darling?”

“Um… I’m Olivia,” she said quietly.

“Absolutely beautiful! Welcome to the Underground, Olivia. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but from your outfit I suspect that you may have a little experience with dance, yeeeeees?~”

“I do ballet, yes,” Olivia said.

“How perfect! Now, it’s easier to dance with a partner, so just follow along while I read all the lines and sing all the songs and essentially do everything else, and when I give you the cue, we shall dance! Simple enough?” Olivia nodded her head.

“Excellent! Then without further ado, I present to you… Beauty and the Machine!”

Mettaton’s show was very long and extremely overdramatic, but it did end up giving the entire thing a certain charm. Olivia was actually featured very little, but when the dance scene came, she performed the role flawlessly. Everyone could see her almost light up when she came on stage, and even Mettaton took a step back to really let her shine. The whole audience cheered as Mettaton set her down from their final lift and ushered her off the stage, readying himself for another soliloquy.

After the show ended, Gaster pulled Alphys aside. “Well, Miss Alphys, your project was a massive success. Entertainment choices aside,” he glanced back at Mettaton and frowned a little, “Your ‘tower’ network seems to be running flawlessly and you’ve provided a service that can be enjoyed across the Underground for generations to come. Your robotics work is also, admittedly, astounding. I believe you have a bright future ahead of you.” He handed her an ID card. “Your access card to the TDATD lab. You begin tomorrow.”

Alphys’ face lit up. “I-I… I can’t tell you how much this m-means to me, Doctor Gaster! Thank you so much. F-For everything.”

“You make an excellent pupil, Miss Alphys. You have only yourself to thank. Remember, bright and early tomorrow: I don’t tolerate tardiness.”

“Y-Yes, Doctor,” Alphys said, still grinning ear to ear.

On the other side of the lab, Andy was jogging to catch up to Sans. “Hey! You’re not going anywhere,” he said.

Sans turned around. “aw, c’mon man, i really have to—”

“Why are you avoiding me?” Andy asked.

“i…i’m not avoiding…” Andy finally caught up and Sans looked away, trying to hide his face. Andy saw the dark circles under his eyesockets anyway.

“Sans,” Andy said, trying to catch his breath.

“alright, so i got to bed late last night and i wanted to run home for a nap while g watches paps for once. happy? unless you wanna give me one of those little pick-me-ups,” Sans said.

“My green magic is not a substitute for actual sleep,” Andy said. “I know I’ve been bugging you about it lately, but I’m just really worried about you. You look like you haven’t slept in a week.” Sans looked down at the ground. “...Stars above, it hasn’t actually been a week, has it?”

“not… not quite, but…” Sans sighed. “fine, you win. let’s go discuss this somewhere a little more private though, yeah?” Sans grabbed Andy’s hand and they teleported into Sans’ bedroom. They both sat down on the unmade bed.

“i don’t even know where to start,” Sans sighed. “it’s not just the long hours at the lab. i get to bed on time and everything, but once i’m laying down… i just can’t fall asleep. i dunno, maybe i need meds or something.”

“Is there any specific reason you can’t fall asleep?” Andy asked. He’d studied a lot about monster physiology over the last few years, and he knew that is was extremely rare for monsters to get persistent physical disorders like humans did. A monster’s body was a manifestation of its soul, so anything resembling a disorder was almost always a manifestation of some sort of emotional trauma that usually went away over time - assuming proper treatment, of course.

“...you’ll think i’m crazy,” Sans said.

“Try me.”

Sans sighed, resting his skull in his hands. “it’s the time machine,” he said. “i dunno. every time i’m around the dang thing, i just feel so… uneasy. i’ve just got an awful feeling about it, andy, and it follows me around everywhere. all i can think about anymore is that stupid hunk of metal and that something’s wrong with it but i have no idea what. stars, i think i’m losing my mind.”

“You’re not crazy,” Andy assured him. “Have you told Gaster about any of this?”

“of course not,” Sans said. “this is his life’s work. what am i supposed to say? ‘hey, g, don’t wanna bother you but that machine that you’ve put tons of time into and is probably gonna be the greatest scientific breakthrough ever kinda gives me the heebie jeebies, so we should shut the project down.’ i don’t think so.”

“Well something has to change,” Andy said. “Sans, your max HP is gonna drop from all this stress if you aren’t careful. We’ve gone way past the point of ‘not healthy’ here. You’re gonna bleed yourself dry.” Sans just shrugged, not able to offer a solution. Andy sighed. “I’ll work on something, okay? For now, come here.” Sans leaned back against Andy’s chest gratefully as the human poured green magic into either side of his skull. He felt the fatigue dull, if not completely go away.

“...how about I stay the night,” Andy suggested. “See if that helps you sleep better.”

“...sure,” Sans said. “i think i got a spare sleeping bag in my closet somewhere. you sure you wouldn’t rather head home?”

“I’m sure,” Andy said. “I’m spending the day in Snowdin tomorrow, anyway.”

Sans rummaged through his mess of a closet and pulled a sleeping bag out for Andy, then flicked the lights off with his blue magic. “night, andy.”

“Good night, Sans.”

...Sans actually slept pretty well that night.

Chapter Text

“Olivia, darling!” Mettaton wheeled over to her from his ‘studio space’ in the Hotland lab. “ Beautiful performance the other night - you have my gratitude. Can I help you with something - an autograph, perhaps?~”

“Um, not right now,” Olivia said. “I didn’t bring anything to sign. I actually wanted to—”

“Why, that’s no trouble at all, darling! I’ll just sign your forehead.” Mettaton pulled out a black marker from somewhere.

“No thank you!” Olivia said, taking a step backwards.

“Oh, alright. Here, then - a signed photograph from my premier. Do enjoy it!” Mettaton handed her the photo. “Well, I am a very busy star, darling, so I’m afraid I must bid you adieu. Toodles!”

“Wait!” Olivia said. “I wanted to talk to you about getting a show on your channel. I want to dance for everyone,” she said.

“Oh, I’m afraid that just isn’t possible, darling. If I were to give you a whole show, well… how do I put this? There would be too much you and not enough me. You’re fabulous, darling, but if people don’t get constant quenching of their thirst for gorgeous robots, there would be a riot. I’m sorry. I’d love to have you in a cameo sometime, though! I’ll have my people call your people. Goodbye, darling!”

“Now hold on just a - ugh!” Mettaton had left the room before she could get another word in. She tapped her foot, annoyed. She’d dealt with plenty of narcissists in her time, but this robot was on an entirely different level. If she was going to be stuck down here forever away from her papa, she was going to put on a brave face and make the most of it. No tin can was going to stop her. She started walking towards Alphys’ new office and knocked on the door.

“O-Oh! U-Um, come in!” Olivia walked in to find that Alphys’ new desk was already a mess of paperwork, empty containers of ramen, and anime merchandise. She sat down in the chair in front of her desk.

“C-Can, I, um, h-help you with something?” Alphys asked, sweating a little.

“Yes. I’d like you to make me a channel on your TV network,” Olivia said.

“H-Huh? Channel…? I-I, um, y-you might want to t-talk to Mettaton about that, h-he’s, um b-better at planning stuff like that than me,” Alphys said.

“I already did. He refused to give me anything,” Olivia said.

“O-Oh.”

“Those radio towers can carry multiple stations, right? We should have more than one option for people. It can’t be that hard to set up another frequency, right?”

“W-Well, um… i-in theory, no, b-but I should really talk with M-Mettaton before I—”

“Alphys,” Olivia said, standing up and leaning across the desk to look at her. “You don’t owe anyone any favors. This should be a free, accessible service for everyone on both sides, shouldn’t it? I’ve already been thinking up different ideas to get other people on my channel, too. Some competition is healthy, right? And not only that, but you’ll be making my dreams come true on top of it all. What do you say? Please? Pretty please?”

“U-Um… w-well, u-um, I d-don’t need to be in the time machine room - u-uh, I mean TDATD room - for an hour or so, s-so u-um, I guess I could set up a f-frequency for you; u-um, I think there’s a spare room you c-can use for broadcasting but I d-don’t really have time to set that up for you s-so—”

“I can handle the rest, Alphys. Don’t worry,” Olivia said. Look out, world - because Olivia Freedman just got her big break. No one can stop me now!

Andy, Asriel, and Chara sat together in the living room after a mysterious summons from the king and queen. They had no idea what was going on, but it didn’t sound like bad news, at the very least. Then, Asgore and Toriel walked into the room, holding hands and smiling brightly.

“We are going to make a formal announcement tomorrow, but… we wanted you three to know first,” Toriel said, sitting down. Asgore hovered close to her at an almost uncomfortably close distance, taking a seat next to her. Toriel looked at him and smiled, and then turned back to the children.

“I am pregnant,” Toriel said, voice cracking just a little as tears started to fall down her face. “You are going to have a new sibling.” Asgore hugged her shoulders and she laughed a little, wiping at her eyes.

“This was not planned, but still, we are very happy,” Asgore said, tearing up a little himself.

“Stars above, that’s amazing!” Asriel said, jumping up and rushing over to his parents. “I can’t believe it! I… wow!”

Andy smiled widely as well and went over to Asgore, giving him a big hug. “I’m so happy for you two. Congratulations!”

Chara couldn’t help but smile, too. Just seeing the delight on her family’s faces - it was enough to lift the weight she carried on her shoulders entirely, if only a few moments.

“I couldn’t be happier for you,” she said. “You deserve this. Congratulations.”

“Come over here, Chara!” Asriel laughed, hugging his mom. He was catching up to her in height, and his horns had grown long enough that they began to curl backwards like those of a ram. He really was growing up.

“You know I don’t do group hugs,” Chara said, crossing her arms.

“Well, this is a special occasion. This one’s mandatory,” Asriel said.

Chara sighed and rolled her eyes before walking over to the rest of her family. Asriel and Andy grabbed her arms and yanked her into the center of a giant, furry, bone-crushing hug.

“Ugh, I get it - I love the four of you, too. Now let go of me,” Chara said.

“Just four?” Andy asked.

Chara rolled her eyes again. “And I love you too, tiny unborn fetus sibling,” she said to Toriel’s stomach. “Now all of you get off of me or I’ll never be able to get the smell of goat and cooking supplies out of these clothes.”

“Hey, Sans!” Andy said, jogging to catch up to the skeleton on his way home from the lab. “Did you hear the news?”

“huh? what news?” Sans asked. Andy’s smile faded a little when he noticed Sans still looked worse for wear.

“Hm? Oh, right.” Andy put it out of his mind for the moment. They’d have time to talk about that later. “Queen Toriel is pregnant. She and Asgore are having another child.”

“whoa, really? that’s awesome!” Sans said, and his smile was genuine. “that palace of yours is getting pretty crowded, huh?”

“I guess so,” Andy chuckled. His smile faded once again when he looked at Sans. “Hey… are you doing okay?”

Sans’ expression soured, as if he had just remembered something unsavory. “...if i’m being honest? no. not really. g’s planning a test of the time machine next week.”

“...So soon?” Andy asked.

“yup. al is a real miracle worker - she can whip up machine parts in a few minutes, now that she’s working full-time. pieces i thought might take years to figure out just click in her head somehow and she knows exactly how to make ‘em. honestly, it’s a little scary. that girl’s three times as smart as anyone gives her credit for, including herself.”

“It’s not making resting any easier, I’m guessing,” Andy sighed.

Sans stared off into middle distance. “it’s a mistake,” Sans said. “and that’s not just the paranoia talking, i swear. g’s getting too excited about this - we haven’t double checked our work enough, we’re cutting corners… he seems so confident that he’s got everything right, but…”

“Have you talked to him about that, at least?” Andy asked. A bit of nervousness began to crawl into his bones, as well. What kind of disaster could a failed time machine cause if one didn’t use due caution?

“i can’t get a single word through that thick skull of his,” Sans said, running a hand over his head in frustration. “green, something bad’s gonna happen next week. i’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. i just… i don’t know what,” he said. “...and i don’t think i could stop it if i tried.”

“You can’t think like that,” Andy said. “I’ll come with you for the test if you want.”

“no!” Sans said. Andy’s eyes widened a little at his sudden intensity. Sans looked away, embarrassed. “i just… i don’t want anything to happen with you around. with anyone around.”

“Then I’ll go with you to talk to Gaster about this,” Andy said. “And if that doesn’t work I’ll go over his head and talk to Asgore. You’re not in this alone, Sans - you can always ask me for help about anything. Okay?”

“...yeah. okay,” Sans sighed.

“...You want me to come over again? I’ve got this awesome new chicken recipe I wanted to try. There’s ketchup in the glaze,” Andy said.

“you had me at ketchup,” Sans chuckled. He felt himself relax a little bit, even if it was only for a moment. It felt like he might be holding his breath for the next week.

Chapter Text

“g, i’m begging you. don’t do this,” Sans whispered, grabbing Gaster’s sleeve and pulling him aside. If anything, Gaster seemed even more determined to go on with the test as scheduled after Andy had talked to him. They’d gone to Asgore and Toriel about it as well, but the king and queen had too much faith in their old friend and not enough experience in the scientific fields to realize the implications of what Gaster was doing.

“Sans, we’ve been over this. I have complete faith in the abilities of my team - this is going to work. Have a little faith in yourself! I’m beginning to think you’ve picked up Alphys’ lack of confidence,” Gaster said dismissively.

“it has nothing to do with faith, g - you’re cutting corners and that’s not okay,” Sans said.

“I have done no such thing,” Gaster scoffed.

Sans rubbed at the space between his eyesockets in frustration. “stars above, g, we haven’t even run any theoretical scenarios yet! do you know how many things could go wrong with a frickin’ time machine?”

“Of course I’ve run scenarios, Sans. Do you really think I’m that careless?” Gaster said.

“oh, really? who double-checked them? who triple -checked them? how many did you run? did you account for tsc infractions, all possible brane configurations, reactionary measures for—”

“Sans, this is all rather unnecessary,” Gaster said, cutting him off. “I was extremely thorough in my calculations, I assure you. Now if you’ll excuse me, my esteemed guests have arrived.” Asgore and Toriel waved from behind a glass wall, sitting next to Andy and Landon. Sans’ soul skipped a beat - Andy wasn’t supposed to be here. He turned back to Gaster.

“we aren’t done here,” Sans said.

“Yes, we are,” Gaster said sharply. “I do not appreciate your constant undermining of my authority, Sans! I have tolerated your constant infractions because you are my kin, but let me make something clear to you - I am the Royal Scientist. I am the director of this project. If you continue interfering, I will remove you.”

“you… you wouldn’t—”

“I would. Now go to your station and prepare for the test. This is the last I want to hear of this.” Gaster walked off to greet the king and queen.

Sans prepared to argue again,  but Gaster’s threat stopped him. He’d wanted this job for as long as he could remember. Did he really want to lose it in a fight with Gaster of all people?

...Gaster was one of the smartest people in the world. It would be fine. Sans went to his station.

“Ladies, gentlemen, esteemed guests,” Gaster greeted his small audience. Olivia walked into the room at that moment, and Gaster frowned a little. “Ah, Miss Freedman. I wasn’t aware you would be joining us today.”

“I thought I’d come in person so I could do a special report on your project on my new talk show. I’d love to have you on after the test,” Olivia said, wearing her best smile.

Gaster prepared to refuse, but he stopped himself. “...Perhaps some press coverage might be appropriate on this occasion. I accept,” Gaster said. “Now, as I was saying - you are all about to bear witness to the greatest scientific breakthrough of all time. The past, the present, the future, the surface, the cosmos themselves - all will be available to us through my Temporal-Dimensional Analysis and Transposition Device. Or, in simplistic terms - my time machine.”

Gaster smiled and walked into the lab room, snapping a pair of goggles over his eyesockets. Asgore, Toriel, and Landon all leaned forward in their seats, incredibly excited, and Olivia pulled out a pad of paper to take notes on.

Andy played with his hands nervously. He trusted Sans’ judgement, and the more he watched, the more it felt like Gaster really was letting his pride spiral out of control. He locked eyes with Sans for a moment and could almost feel the skeleton begging him to leave.

He wasn’t going anywhere.

“Is everything functioning within acceptable parameters, Miss Alphys?” Gaster asked, fiddling with some sort of control panel on the machine itself. Other than the complicated mess of wires, pipes, and machine parts filling up the back of the room, it was shaped like a circular gate.

“U-Um… y-yes, everything is in, u-um, I mean, w-within the parameters you set, D-Doctor Gaster,” Alphys said.

“Excellent. Sans, please initiate the test,” Gaster said. The Royal Scientist stood directly in front of the machine.

“...g, maybe you shouldn’t stand so close,” Sans said quietly.

Gaster glared at him. “I am perfectly safe right where I am.”

Sans sighed and hesitated for a moment, glancing back at Andy. The human could only give him a sympathetic glance through the glass.

“...stations, check in,” Sans said.

“Station Alpha, check.”

“S-Station Beta, check.”

“Station Gamma, check.”

“Station Delta, check.”

“Station Epsilon, check.”

“...station omega, check. initiating tdatd test.” Sans punched in a code on the keyboard in front of him and stuck a key into a nearby slot. The machine whirred to life, and a tiny ball of light appeared in the center of the gate. It started to grow.

A nearly manic smile stretched across Gaster’s face as he saw the portal begin to take shape. A small medieval village came into view, filled with monsters bustling through the streets. One could see a couple of skeletons and their young child through the gate as if looking through the surface of a still pond. Gaster reached out to touch it.

“W-Wait… abort! Abort!” Alphys shouted from behind the machine.

Gaster’s head snapped towards her. “What is it?!”

“W-We’re overloading the dimensional stabili - AAAHHHH!” Alphys screamed as one of the machine parts exploded and she was thrown against the wall by a burst of electricity.

“al!” Sans teleported to her side, grabbing her and teleporting her to the back of the room. The observers all jumped out of their seats and rushed into the room to help.

Gaster’s eyesockets widened in horror as the portal turned jet black, and the air in the room grew completely still for a moment. Then, with a sound almost like a gunshot, the portal began to grow again and pieces of the machine were torn apart and sucked into it.

Gaster fell into the void headfirst.

“gaster!” Both of Sans’ eyes glowed blue and yellow as he reached out with his hand, pulling Gaster and the rest of the nearby crew out and away from the void with his blue magic. Andy ran towards Alphys while Sans froze the others in the doorway, not letting them into the room. Olivia’s eyes flared a deep indigo and she staggered, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of magic in her system.

Sans looked down, confused, as he began to float off of the ground; Andy almost fell to his knees, his body suddenly becoming several times heavier. The anomaly was disrupting the gravity in the room.

Sans’ blue magic went out as he was thrown violently into the ceiling with a sickening crack. It left a red stain as he was thrown back at the floor, and his right eye flickered out as he moaned in pain, trying to regain his bearings.

Landon acted immediately - a row of purple lines appeared in the middle of the room and the remaining scientists grabbed hold, sticking to it like a web. He began to back away from the gravity distortions while concentrating on his magic.

Andy finally reached the wounded monsters and dragged Sans into his lap before pinning himself, Sans, and Alphys in place with his green magic as another gust of distorted gravity rolled over them. The right side of the skeleton’s skull was cracked and dripping blood. Sans looked up at him, completely dazed and rattling from fear.

“Hey, I got you. You’re gonna be okay,” Andy told him, holding the side of Sans’ skull gently and pumping green magic in it. Sans’ right eye flickered back to life and he grabbed Andy’s free hand, trying to calm his panic.

Sans looked into the hole in reality Gaster had fallen into to see the scientist disappearing into the eternal nothingness there. He reached out with his magic again weakly, trying to grab him, but he was too dazed for it to work properly. Desperate, he looked over at Olivia and her newly blue eyes.

“hey! you gotta help him!” he pleaded, looking straight at her.

“I… I don’t know how!” Olivia said.

“just… just reach out and grab him,” Sans said.

Terrified but resolute, Olivia dashed into the room and grabbed onto one of Landon’s purple-magic lines. Then she reached out toward the void with her hand and concentrated as hard as she could. Gaster glowed blue.

Letting out a sound equatable to a war cry, Olivia drew back her arm and slowly dragged Gaster towards her until he too was stuck on Landon’s magic. The scientist stood there blankly, unmoving.

“g, what the heck are you doing? close it!” Sans shouted. Gaster didn’t respond, so Sans looked at Olivia. “just… crush it,” Sans told her. “the thing should plug itself - i’ll help. on three - one… two… three!”

Sans and Olivia reached out with their blue magic, crying out with exertion, and the portal began to shrink. Soon, it collapsed in on itself and closed entirely, and everyone in the room finally let go of the breath they had been holding. Andy switched to healing Alphys as he looked around the room. It looked like everyone was alive.

Chapter Text

“how are you holding up, g?” Sans asked quietly, peeking around the doorframe into Gaster’s room. It had been several days since the incident, and the royal scientist had spent most of his time sitting at his desk, staring blankly at the wall. Sans understood what had happened was traumatic - he’d gone through enough himself - but it was really starting to concern him.

“...I could ask the same of you,” Gaster said slowly, not even bothering to turn around.

“...i’m actually sick of laying around and doing nothing for once,” Sans joked. “andy’s a pretty strict doctor.” Sans waited there awkwardly for Gaster to respond.

“...I called in a few guests I wish to meet with today,” Gaster said, ignoring Sans’ original question. “In private. Perhaps you should go spend some time with the human.”

“...he’s hardly left our house the last few days,” Sans said.

“As your caregiver, not as your friend. Some time out of the house with him might be beneficial,” Gaster said.

Sans’ eyesockets widened a little. “i, uh… are you sure, g? normally you tell me that i spend too much time with him and that i should take my job a bit more seriously.”

“It is important to reassess what is most meaningful in our lives from time to time. You should go.”

“...if you’re sure,” Sans said, still worried. He walked out of the room, but for once he didn’t actually feel like talking to Andy. It wasn’t that he was sick of being around him because of his constant hovering in the recent days; he was just feeling a little confused.

Sans had the wherewithal to admit that he’d had a little crush on Andy for a while. But it really was just that - a little crush. Sans thought he was handsome and it meant a lot to him that Andy was always looking out for his health when he did an admittedly poor job of doing it himself.

But the lab incident had changed things. For a brief moment after his skull had been cracked against the ceiling and Andy had rescued him, Sans’ dazed mind had honestly thought he’d been scooped up by an angel. He hadn’t had time to reflect on it in the heat of the moment, but now that he looked back on it… being held in those big, soft arms, feeling the warmth coming off of him, seeing all the deep care and concern on his face…

The thought made his soul flutter a little. And after just how thoroughly Andy had been taking care of him the last few days, Sans didn’t think it was crazy that Andy might feel the same way on some level. So it had definitely gone past the point of “little crush” by now.

Sans teleported to Waterfall after grabbing an umbrella and sat down in the room with the view of the castle. He needed some time to think through this.

…

“D-Doctor Gaster?” Alphys knocked on the door tentatively.

“Come in,” Gaster said, his voice monotone. “How goes your recovery?”

“O-Oh, u-um, I’m fine,” Alphys said. “I, u-um, it wasn’t that b-bad, so, u-um, yeah.”

Gaster nodded to himself slowly. He pulled an envelope out of his desk and stared at it, before stuffing it into his pocket and turning to her. “I’ve prepared all the arrangements. It will be official starting next Monday.”

“U-Um… what will be official?” Alphys asked.

“You will be the new Royal Scientist,” Gaster said.

Alphys stood there for a few moments, completely stunned. “W-W-Wait… what?! N-No, you can’t r-retire, I… I’m not q-qualified to… you c-can’t—”

“Alphys.”

“I-I’m the last p-person that could… you c-can’t—”

“Alphys.”

“I c-can’t lead the whole royal s-science division! I can’t—”

“MISS ALPHYS!” Gaster finally raised his voice, and Alphys shrank back. “Miss Alphys,” he repeated, softer. “I am old and tired. Even if I were of the mind to continue my work, my recovery will last much longer than yours, if it ever ends at all. I am no longer fit for the position. There is nothing you or anyone else can do to change my mind on this matter.”

“I… even if that’s true, I-I’m not… I’m the last person y-you should consider,” Alphys said.

Gaster looked her dead in the eyes, and Alphys was taken aback by his intensity. “You are the single most intelligent engineer to ever grace the face of this earth. If your confidence matched your ability, you would have already made wonders I could scarcely dream of,” he said. “You have a great desire to help people. You wish to make them happy, even if you do not believe yourself adequate for this purpose. And, most of all - in the darkest of hours, when all hope has been lost and souls crumble from despair, you will be the people’s last chance salvation.”

“I… what? I-I don’t understand,” Alphys said.

“...Hopefully such dreadful things never come to pass,” Gaster said, staring through Alphys and into some inscrutable distance beyond.

“What… I-I… w-what about Sans? Why not make him Royal Scientist?” Alphys asked, trying to ignore Gaster’s cryptic statement from before.

“...he would never get any work done,” Gaster said with a chuckle, and Alphys breathed a little. At least he was feeling well enough for a joke. “Now take your leave, if you would be so kind. I am expecting another guest.”

“I-I… O...Okay. Goodbye, Doctor G-Gaster,” Alphys said, leaving the room a bit stunned. She needed time to process this.

“One last thing,” Gaster called after her. “You are an engineer. Your talent lies with machines. Do not dabble outside of your expertise - it may prove… dangerous.” Alphys gave him a curious look. “Goodbye… Doctor Alphys.”

…

“I was told you wanted to see me?” Chara asked, walking into Gaster’s room. He sat in a swivel chair facing away from her, holding a mug of coffee.

He turned around slowly. “Yes.”

Chara sat down across from him. “...What did you want to talk about?”

He stared at her for an uncomfortably long moment. “In truth, I do not know.” Chara narrowed her eyes, confused. Gaster reached into the pocket of his lab coat and handed her some kind of letter. “My letter of resignation, for delivery to the king. I am retiring as Royal Scientist.”

Chara gave him a flat look. “One failure, and you retire,” she said. “That’s a little dramatic, even for you.”

Gaster turned away and stared at the wall for what seemed like forever. Just as Chara prepared to get up and leave, he spoke again. “Hubris is a sin.”

“...What?”

“It was not a ‘failure,’ Princess. Had Alphys not been adept with electrical magic, the shock from the machine would have killed her instantaneously. Were it not for Landon’s aid, my entire team - the team that trusted my work - would have been lost. Were it not for the immediate medical attention Andy gave Sans - my own brother. The man I helped raise. The man I was supposed to protect with my life - would have been permanently crippled if not outright killed. And if not for Olivia… well. The girl forestalled my final judgement.”

“...It was that serious,” Chara said. All she heard was that there was a major accident.

Gaster turned to look at her once more, and Chara almost backed away from the sheer intensity in his eyes. “I opened a portal to hell,” Gaster said, and Chara could feel that he meant every word.

“I don’t understand,” Chara said. She was starting to feel very uncomfortable.

“For the moment I was in that place - that void - I saw things. Glimpses of things ought not to be seen by mortals such as myself. I saw death itself, I saw worlds turned to ash. I thought to play god, but when I walked into the domain of gods like the arrogant fool I am… I will not begin to explain the experience to you. It is far beyond the scope of words.” He stared off into middle distance. “I can’t begin to fathom it myself.”

“Gaster,” Chara said, acutely uncomfortable now, “Do you need some help? Maybe I should get Sans, he—”

“No,” Gaster said, reaching out at lightning speed to grab her wrist. She sat back down, staring at him the entire time. He was still staring at nothing. “Have you ever thought about a world where everything is exactly the same… except you don’t exist? Everything functions perfectly without you.” He gave a dark chuckle, and Chara began to feel claustrophobic. “The thought terrifies me.”

He looked back at Chara. “I know what you are capable of, girl. Eyes crimson like blood. You know of what I speak. Here I thought to become a god, and yet one was before me the entire time.”

Chara stood up immediately. This was far beyond uncomfortable. Gaster just kept talking though. “I always wrote off love as a power reserved for fairy tales, you know. But now - oh, now I see. Love is the hair’s breadth between salvation and damnation.”

Chara started walking towards the door, but Gaster just kept talking. “I saw demons, Chara. Demons with your name. Those capable of the greatest good are also capable of the greatest evils. Do not forget yourself, child. There is nothing more dangerous than a god that has lost herself.”

Chapter Text

Sans took a deep breath and tried to get the bones in his hands to stop rattling together from them shaking so much. This was fine. Everything was going to be fine.

Stars above, he was so nervous. He just wanted to go crawl back into bed and pretend he didn’t exist.

geez, get it together, man, he told himself. What was the worst that could happen? He drowned out all the little voices telling him about all of the ridiculous worst-case scenarios they’d concocted with his own humming and walked toward the royal gardens.

He froze at the entrance as he saw Andy’s boots, the rest of the human hidden behind a corner as he toiled over a bed of fresh soil. Sans checked himself over one last time. He’d swapped out his running shorts with a pair of slacks and had put on a blue blazer in lieu of his beloved jacket of the same color. The t-shirt underneath had been ironed thoroughly - he didn’t want to look pretentious by going with an all-out suit - and every inch of visible bone had been polished to an almost mirror-like shine. Ugh, he’d done too much. This was stupid. He was going to go home, change out of these ridiculous clothes, and try again in a decade or so.

“Hey, Sans! How are you feeling?” Andy asked, sitting back on his heels as he tried to wipe some of the dirt off of his hands. Sans froze and plastered on a painfully nervous smile as he held his hands behind his back, all the while repeating the mantra of stupid stupid stupid in his head.

“Wow, don’t you look handsome?” Andy smiled, standing up and wiping sweat off of his forehead with the back of his arm. Sans blushed electric blue, much to his own mortification.  “What’s the occasion?”

“uhhhh… hiiiii there, buddy,” Sans said, voice straining. He groaned internally at his own acting. “i just came to see the royal king - uh, i mean the gardener of royal - uh i meant the flower garden I MEAN WHAT NO FLOWERS FLOWERS ARE WEIRD WHY WOULD YOU WANT FLOWERS?”

Andy frowned a little, confused. “Uh… are you okay?”

“pssh, of course i’m fine,” Sans said unconvincingly. “you doctored me up pretty good I MEAN you’re a good - you doctor - uhhhhhh i mean gaster’s a doctor but not like a doctor doctor he has a doctor… in… science…”

“...Right,” Andy blinked, growing more concerned. “You want me to have a quick look at your skull? Make sure you aren’t having any secondary effects from the blunt-force trauma?”

“uhhhh i mean, you can if you want to, but um, i’m fable… flabber… fantafiiiine i’m fine,” Sans croaked.

Why wasn’t the earth swallowing him whole?

Andy’s face grew yet more concerned and Sans sighed. He needed to just say it. He pulled out a bouquet of blue and green flowers out from behind his back and managed to blush even harder.

“look, uh…” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, trying to hide his face behind the bouquet. “we’ve been friends for a real long time now. and i love hanging out with you and ruining your sense of humor and all that, but… the truth is, ever since the whole lab thing, i can’t stop thinking about you. i just keep wondering what would have happened if you hadn’t been there, or if i… you know. if i’d never gotten to tell you that…”

Sans sighed again. “i really like you, okay? you’re sweet, and funny, and handsome, and… i was wondering… if you’d go on a date with me?” He peeked out from behind the flowers.

Andy was blushing lobster-red, mouth moving in an attempt to respond and yet no sound came out. He almost looked petrified. Suddenly Sans didn’t feel so bad for being nervous.

“I… Y… B-But… but you’re a guy,” Andy managed to stutter out, before shutting his mouth like a vice. Now it was Sans’ turn to be confused.

“what… what does that have to do with anything?” he asked.

“N-Nothing!” Andy panicked. “Th-That’s totally fine that you - I just… I’m not…”

Sans walked over to him slowly, trying to figure out what was going on. Maybe Andy was just flustered like Sans had been and had his foot in his mouth, but this seemed more… internalized somehow. “i don’t understand. do you have a problem with me… being a guy?”

“Of course not!” Andy said. “I know those kinds of relationships are normal down here. It’s fine. You’re fine.”

Sans was trying to put the pieces together, but the human wasn’t giving him much to go off of. “kinds of… ‘down here’?... what are you saying? are guys just… not supposed to date on the surface?”

Andy sighed and made his way over to one of the nearby benches, huddling his knees up. Sans followed him. “It’s not… ugh. You’re not allowed to marry someone that’s the same gender as you up there. Even implying that you might be attracted to another guy can get you… it’s just frowned upon.”

Sans frowned. “you’re kidding, right?” he asked. Andy looked away. “but that’s… that’s so arbitrary. who even came up with that rule? why?”

“It’s just been that way for thousands of years,” Andy said quietly. “And I don’t have a problem with it, at all. I just…”

An incredible sorrow came over Sans’ face. “did you… get in trouble for liking another guy or something?”

“...Not directly,” Andy said. “I just got bullied a bit sometimes. People called me… they have a lot derogatory names up there for people they think are gay. So I always denied it. I dunno, I was pretty young back then anyway. I didn’t really know…” he trailed off.

Sans was, honestly, appalled. He’d heard of a lot of stupid human rules and customs, but this… he didn’t even know how to start. For monsters, gender was a trivial detail - something you’d tack on in a description like “has dark hair.” They didn’t have a words for what kind of gender your partner was; you just loved them. That’s all there was to it. They fact that someone would bully Andy of all people over something like that was just…

“Besides,” Andy said, barely above a whisper, “you don’t want to date me anyway. You deserve someone that’s not fat and ugly and…” He trailed off.

Now that comment just made Sans feel like he’d been stabbed. “don’t do that,” he said.

“You know it’s true,” Andy said. “I’m like, a good hundred pounds overweight, I sweat literally all the time, I eat like a pig, nothing I wear actually looks good on me—”

“you don’t actually believe any of that, do you?” Sans asked, his voice cracking just a little. Andy just buried his face in his knees in shame.

Sans set the bouquet down on the bench, whatever date plans he had forgotten. There were far more pressing matters at hand. “no. nuh-uh. this ain’t gonna fly,” Sans said, turning towards him. “look at me.” Andy glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “please tell me you know how amazing you are. stars above, green, you’re the nicest person on the face of the planet! you make people smile just by walking in the room. you know everyone in the underground by name, and what their favorite color is, and what all their hopes for the future are. and don’t even get me started on your cooking - there is no better food to be found anywhere, and i’ve had the queen’s.”

Andy finally looked over at him, eyes damp and red. Sans smiled at him a little and grabbed his hand gently. “so anyone that gives a damn about what you look like’s way too shallow to waste time on. but even if it did matter, i… i don’t know how you don’t think you’re handsome,” Sans said. “you’re so soft, and warm… your laugh is so rich and deep… those spots across your nose, whaddya call ‘em? freckles? gosh, those are just so cute… and, the way you smile when you’re being shy, or… how your eyes sparkle when you’re excited…”

Andy was blushing again, and Sans reigned himself in before he could get any more gushy. “anyway. i don’t even care if this is something you want,” Sans said, laying the flowers beside Andy and hopping off of the bench, “the most amazing human on the planet’s not allowed to feel that way. you’ve… you’ve taken such good care of me for the last year, when i really needed it. So if you ever need me, whether it’s just as a friend or… something else… you know where to find me.”

Andy watched Sans go before picking up the bouquet and giving it a sniff. He frowned as a thick red paste squelched out around his fingers. Then he started laughing hysterically in spite of himself, tears starting to roll down his face.

That dork had filled the bottom of the bouquet with ketchup.

Chapter Text

Andy looked into the mirror, messing with his hair for the millionth time. It was hard to tell what Sans saw in him - as chipper and outgoing as he tried to be out in public, he didn’t really like the person on the other side of the mirror very much.

But for some reason, Sans liked him enough that he asked him out on a date - heck, he’d gotten so nervous about it that Andy had been afraid he was having something akin to an aneurism. Sans, of all people; the dorky prankster that always had a suave comeback for everything, had a notorious gift for hiding what he was really feeling. His best friend.

He felt so guilty for his feelings at first - he got sick to his stomach every time his heart fluttered at the skeleton’s goofy laugh, or when he felt blood rushing to his face after he got so much as a hug or a playful punch on the shoulder. He’d convinced himself that Sans would be disgusted if he ever found out.

And then Sans had started talking about how cute his freckles were or how he loved the way Andy’s eyes sparkled when he was excited, and the excuses he’d internalized were no longer valid. His fears were irrational, he knew, but they were still there. And now, Sans was waiting back in Snowdin for an answer. He wanted to be with Andy.

He looked down at the bouquet of flowers - they had wilted by now. It turned out that ketchup wasn’t a great replacement for water. But it still made his chest feel warm, and Andy knew what he had to do. He made the trek to Snowdin and knocked on Sans’ door.

“...hey,” Sans said quietly as he opened it. Andy could see the nerves on his face. “you doin’ okay?”

“Yeah,” Andy answered, even that simple word nearly catching in his throat. He forced it out anyway.

“you wanna come inside?” Sans asked.

“Actually…” Andy said. His mouth felt dry. “I was wondering… if that date was still available?” He pulled a fresh bouquet of golden flowers out from behind his back, face still red as a beet.

Sans gave him a shy little smile, and it looked as though a weight had been lifted off his chest. “...yeah. it sure is. grillby’s?” He took the bouquet.

Squelch.

Mustard dripped out around Sans’ fingers as he grabbed the flowers, and he stared at his hand in disbelief. Then he started laughing hysterically.

“how dare you,” Sans said, nearly doubled over. “first of all, that’s my prank, and second why would you use mustard?”

Andy joined in the laughter as Sans hugged him with his clean arm. He leaned his head on Andy’s shoulder.

“...Thanks for taking care of me when I needed it,” Andy said after their laughter died down.

“anytime you need me,” Sans told him, grabbing his free hand. They started walking towards Grillby’s.

Chara stared into her mirror hard enough to bore holes in it - more specifically, at her own eyes. Brown eyes. She had brown eyes. Whatever Gaster had been mumbling about red ones, it clearly didn’t apply to her.

So why did the reflection in her dreams always have those blasted crimson orbs sitting where her eyes should be? Even before Gaster had brought it up, her dream-self always had red eyes. She hadn’t given it much thought before, but now it consumed every second of free time she had. What did all of it mean?

And every second she wasn’t thinking about those eyes, her mind was drawn to the lab. A portal to hell, were Gaster’s exact words. Just what exactly had he seen? It was starting to drive her crazy.

“Are you coming to bed or not?” Olivia called from the bedroom. The king and queen had long since added a separate room for the boys to stay in.

“...I’ll be right there,” Chara said, finally tearing her gaze away from the mirror. This was starting to become an obsession, she knew. She needed to get a grip on herself.

Chara bid Olivia goodnight, crawled underneath the blankets, and forced her eyes shut. It took her a while to fall asleep. She didn’t find any solace in her dreams.

This isn’t what it looks like, a voice said. Just a voice - Chara couldn’t see anything. It sounded like Asriel, but older. Deeper. His voice boomed without him really trying.

There was a background clamor there, too. It was a mix of angry voices and steel scraping against itself and the flicker of flames. Wait - we don’t need to do this, Asriel said. Let’s just talk. We don’t have to fight.

Then there was a flash of pain. Chara wanted to scream, but she had no voice, no body, nothing. She heard Asriel shout. G-Gah! W-Wait, please! We don’t have to hurt each other! I-I’m not going to hurt you!

Whatever nameless force Asriel was speaking to, whatever was hurting her brother, it wasn’t listening. More pain. Chara thought she heard the sound of paws running on bare stone. It seemed to last forever.

And then, out of the darkness, her brother appeared - not the one she lived with now, but the smaller, chubbier one whose horns could barely be seen above his fur. The one that had helped her off of the ground after her fall.

“I knew this was a bad idea,” Asriel said with a chuckle. He didn’t seem upset. “...I’m sorry, Chara. I wasn’t… strong enough…”

Asriel crumbled into dust, and then there was a flash of red eyes.

“ASRIEL!” Chara screamed, sitting bolt upright in bed. She clutched at her nightshirt, trying to remember how to breathe. Her vision was blurry, tears welling up unbidden in her eyes. She didn’t notice when Olivia ran over to her, asking her if she was okay. She didn’t hear the door swing open or the boys running into the room after her, or her parents a moment later. Her first acknowledgement of the rest of the world was when she grabbed Asriel’s hand after he pushed himself to the front of the group.

“Chara? Chara, it’s okay,” Asriel said, trying to calm her down. She was gripping his hand so hard he was afraid she might break some of his fingers. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m here. Whatever it was, it was just a nightmare. You’re safe,” Asriel said.

Chara glanced around the room, wild-eyed, at all of the concerned faces surrounding her. Her frantic breathing finally began to calm down.

“That’s it,” Asriel smiled. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“...Like you said, it was just a nightmare,” Chara said, finally regaining her composure.

“...Chara—”

“Excuse me,” Chara said, pushing past everyone to the bathroom. Her clothes were soaked with sweat. She locked the door and splashed some cold water on her face before looking into the mirror.

Brown eyes. She had brown eyes.

Toriel didn’t really sleep all that well the rest of the night. She wasn’t stupid - Chara hadn’t been resting well this entire week, she knew, and this mysterious night terror was only the latest symptom. And yet, her daughter remained as closed-off as ever and Toriel remained in the dark about what was really going on with her.

She didn’t take it personally, of course. She knew what it was like to be scarred - how many of her old friends had their own night terrors after the war? She may have been sheltered as a princess, but she wasn’t naive. Even her husband still woke up in a cold sweat some nights.

Most of Toriel’s friends had long since passed - there were certain prices one had to pay for never aging - and yet the aftershocks of that ancient conflict still seemed to persist. The worst part, though, was that she had been almost certain that Chara had been healing, and now it seemed as if someone or something had torn open old wounds.

Toriel’s patience was legendary, but now she felt the ticking of the clock more keenly than ever. Boss monster children were rare, and it was almost unheard of for a family to have more than one. She was aging twice as fast now, and for the first time Toriel had to face the fact that she and Asgore would not be around to help Chara forever. Something needed to be done, once and for all.

Toriel was pulled from her melancholy thoughts by the sound of someone sniffling and shuffling across the floor. She got up immediately and headed towards the sound to find a fifth human.

It was a little girl - easily the youngest one Toriel had met so far - covered in dirt and bruises and cradling what appeared to be a broken wrist. She had straight blonde hair with a red ribbon in it, a striking contrast against her pale complexion; she wore a torn, pastel pink skirt and a baby-blue fall jacket over a red shirt.

“H-Hello?” The girl called out, clearly scared and in pain. Toriel approached her slowly.

“Hello, dear,” she said, and the girl immediately stumbled backwards upon spotting her. “Do not be afraid, my child. My name is Toriel. Are you hurt, my dear?”

The girl looked up at her, afraid. She gave a slight nod. “Y-Yes.”

“I am so sorry, my child. Here, let me tend to your wounds. I will not harm you.” The girl walked over slowly and Toriel put her hands on her shoulders gently, leading her inside. “What is your name, dear?”

“Charlotte,” the girl answered.

“Do not worry, Charlotte. You are safe now,” Toriel told her. It would appear talking to Chara would have to wait.

Chapter Text

Toriel sat down next to Charlotte on the couch, grunting with exertion as she leaned back to give room for her very pregnant stomach. The girl had been fairly quiet ever since she arrived, and Toriel wanted the chance to check up on her since Asgore had left the house momentarily. She loved the man, but him telling her she needed to be resting every time she got up to stretch her legs was becoming annoying very quickly.

“How are you settling in, dear?” she asked Charlotte, putting a hand on her back gently.

“...You’re all very nice,” Charlotte said quietly.

“Why, thank you,” Toriel said. “But it is the least we can do.”

“This place is nice, too,” Charlotte said. “It’s quieter, even with all the people that live in the house.”

“Oh? Did you live in a big city?” Toriel asked.

“...No. My mom and dad fight a lot,” Charlotte said. “I usually just pretend I don’t hear them. But this time it was really bad, and… and my dad took me to my auntie’s house, and then mom came and they started fighting again, and… and I didn’t want to hear it anymore so I ran away, and… and now I’m…” She sniffled, burying her face in her knees.

“Oh, sweetie,” Toriel said, on the verge of tears herself. She wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulders and Charlotte clung to her tightly. “I am so sorry. No child should have to go through any of that.” Toriel rubbed her back slowly, debating whether or not she was going to bring up the topic she believed Charlotte might really be thinking about.

“Sometimes parents will fight with each other,” Toriel said, and Charlotte looked up at her. “And sometimes those disagreements drive people apart. But there is one thing I am sure your parents agreed on.”

“What?” Charlotte asked.

“That they love you very much,” Toriel said quietly. “I know that you are very special to them. Why, just look at you! Who could not love such a sweet, beautiful child?”

Charlotte giggled a little through her tears. “...Thank you,” she said quietly. “Is it really okay for me to stay here?”

“Of course, my child,” Toriel smiled. “We are happy to… have you…” Toriel winced, grabbing her swollen stomach.

“A-Are you okay?” Charlotte asked.

“My child… could you please do something for me? Go and find Asgore and tell him to come home right away,” Toriel said, standing up with great effort.

“What’s wrong?” Charlotte asked, scared.

“The baby is coming,” Toriel said, making her way towards the bedroom. “Andy! Are you at home?” she called out. Charlotte ran out of the door.

“Yeah, what do you… oh. Oh stars, the baby - hold on, let me help you,” Andy said, walking over to her quickly.

The peace and quiet Charlotte had claimed to enjoy vanished immediately as soon as Asgore entered the household in a panicked frenzy. He practically sprinted back to the bedroom, and the rest of the royal family gradually trickled in to wait outside the door. Everyone and their brother showed up outside of the castle, waiting to hear the news.

Some of the royal family was more excited than the others. Asriel was ecstatic, chattering excitedly to everyone else; Andy and Olivia kept a little more calm, but they were also rather chipper. Landon lacked most outward emotion as per usual.

Chara, though, paced back and forth through the hallway as if she was trying to wear a hole in the floor. She was nervous. What if something went wrong? What if the baby was stillborn - how would that affect Toriel? Asgore? Any of them? What if there were complications and Toriel died?

...it was irrational thinking, she knew. The benefit of having a body made completely of magic was that it was very unlikely for something to just randomly go wrong with it like a human’s could. Toriel would be fine. It was just in Chara’s nature to prepare for the worst.

Her heart started beating out of her chest when the door creaked open slowly and Asgore poked his head out. There were tear stains on his fur, but he was smiling.

“We will go a few at a time, so we do not excite Toriel too much. She is very tired,” Asgore said. “Asriel, Chara… would you like to meet your new sister?”

“Yes!” Asriel shouted, and Chara clamped her hands over her brother’s mouth.

“We’re trying not to excite her,” Chara said.

“Sorry,” Asriel whispered through the vice-grip, following his father inside.

Toriel laid under the blankets, cradling the tiny boss monster in her arms gently. She smiled warmly, even though she looked exhausted.

“Asriel, Chara,” Asgore said, sitting next to his wife on the bed, “this is Togore.”

Chara almost sighed out loud. Of course Asgore would give her that name. The poor baby was doomed from the start. Asriel approached her first, tears starting to roll down his face as well. Toriel laid Togore in his arms gently.

“H-Hi, there,” Asriel said, choking up a little. “I’m your big brother, Asriel. It’s nice to meet you, Togore. We’re, u-uh… we’re gonna be best friends, just you wait and see!” Togore giggled and wiggled her little body, reaching out with her tiny limbs. Monster babies were very, very sensitive to the emotions of people around them, positive and negative. “Golly, she’s so… she’s s-so… so perfect,” Asriel said, sniffling. “H-Here, Chara, take her, I… I got something in my eye.”

“Sure you do, crybaby,” Chara said, trying to sound smug. It didn’t come off as well as it usually did. She took Togore in her arms, looking down at her.

She was so, so tiny. Her eyes were closed - she probably wouldn’t even open them for a few days - and her tiny little paws wobbled around in the air as if there was something there for her to catch. She had white fur, soft like a rabbit’s, and floppy ears just like her parents, though there were no horns to speak of on her head yet. Somehow, she smelled like lavender and linen and goose down.

“...Hi. My name’s Chara,” Chara said, voice even. She held the baby in one arm and caressed the side of her head with her free hand; Togore nuzzled into it like a cat. Then she grabbed one of Chara’s fingers with her minuscule paws and stuck it in her toothless mouth, nibbling on it a few times with her gums before starting to suck on it like a bottle.

“..You’re crying,” Asriel said, almost shocked.

“I am not—” a teardrop fell down onto the lilac blanket Togore was swaddled in. “You know what? Fine, yes, I’m crying. She’s the most beautiful, precious creature on the face of this earth and I love her,” Chara said, voice no longer steady in the slightest. Everyone in the room laughed a little.

“That smile suits you, my child,” Toriel said.

For once, Chara didn’t protest. She just held the baby closer to her chest, all of her troubles blissfully gone for a moment.

Andy also cried when he was let into the room, and so did Olivia. Landon was apparently afraid of young children and it took a large amount of coaxing to get him to hold her; but he softened up after a few moments. Charlotte just waited patiently in the living room until everyone else had left, and Asgore came over to her.

“Would you like to meet the baby, Charlotte?” he asked. Charlotte followed him and sat down on the bed next to Toriel, who laid the baby in her small arms. Charlotte smiled.

“She’s beautiful,” Charlotte said, rocking the baby back and forth a little.

“Thank you, dear,” Toriel said, clearly exhausted.

“You’re very lucky, Togore,” Charlotte said. “You were born into a very nice family. They all love you very much.” Togore gave a little baby laugh and managed to grab a lock of Charlotte’s hair to put into her mouth.

Toriel gave her a tired smile and wrapped an arm around the both of them. “As long as you remain here, my child, you are part of that family as well. There is plenty of room for both of you here.”

Charlotte leaned into the hug, still cradling the baby. She’d always wanted a sister.

Chapter Text

“YOU.” Mettaton slammed open the door to Olivia’s studio dramatically with a camera crew behind him and wheeled in front of her.

“Do you mind?” Olivia said. “We’re filming right now.”

“Yes, yes, well this is far more important than whatever drivel you’re trying to put together. This needs to be taken care of immediately,” Mettaton said. If the robot had hair, Olivia was certain he’d be flipping it diva-style.

Olivia glared at him before looking over and the confused child on her film set. “Go ahead and take five, MK. We’re going to have to reshoot that scene,” Olivia said.

“Sure thing, dude,” MK nodded, dashing off towards the table of refreshments. The armless monster tripped on a cord along the way.

“This better not take long,” Olivia said. “I have to get this shoot done tonight.”

“Oh, don’t you talk to me about taking too long,” Mettaton scoffed. “Do you know how busy I am, being a star? I am taking time out of my impossibly booked schedule to come reprimand you. Do you have any idea how inconvenient that is for me?”

Olivia was very unamused. “If it’s so inconvenient for you, feel free to come by another time. The exit’s right there.”

“So ungrateful!” Mettaton said, putting a hand over his… chest? As if he’d been offended. “Luckily for you, I am a very gracious robot. Now - we need to talk about your channel, darling.”

Olivia smirked just the tiniest bit. “What about my channel?” she asked innocently. “It wouldn’t be that I have higher overall ratings than you, would it?”

Olivia could almost feel Mettaton giving her a death glare, though he didn’t actually have eyes. “Yes, that. It’s an absolute travesty,” he said. “As I said before, however, I am an incredibly gracious robot. So, out of the goodness of my heart, I would like to buy out your channel for, let’s say… three-hundred G? Shocking, I know, but I think there might be something worthwhile amongst all that mindless schlock you put on the air.”

“How dare you!” Olivia shouted, standing up from her director’s chair. “The only thing you ever put on TV is closeups of your flat, metal face! I actually give the people quality entertainment - and I don’t mind sharing the spotlight, either. You’re nothing more than an attention-seeking brat.”

Mettaton gasped loudly. “I can’t believe you’re so vicious!” he said. “And how dare you talk about my appearance when your parents clearly never even taught you how to dress properly. I mean, just look at that tutu. It’s positively hideous.”

Olivia’s face went deathly stern, and Mettaton wheeled backwards a little.

“ First,” Olivia said. “This outfit is the last thing my papa gave me before I fell down here. You have no right, you soulless box of bolts. Second, I’m doing better than you. You can’t buy me out, I can buy you out - not that there’s anything worth salvaging on your sorry excuse for a channel. I have been more than reasonable. I have tried to share the spotlight with you. But you know what? I don’t think the Underground is big enough for a star and a narcissistic quack like you. I am going to destroy you.”

Mettaton regained his composure and leaned in a little. “And I’m going to wipe you off the face of the earth. Prepare for war, little girl.” He held the pose for a few seconds before backing away again. “...Aaaaand that’s a wrap. Did you get everything? Now make sure to cut it down to just the part where she threatened me,” he said.

Olivia’s eyes widened. “So you’re taking my words out of context now?”

“It’s called the press, darling,” Mettaton said.

“Well, two can play at that game,” Olivia said, pressing a button on her camera. It had still been recording this entire time, and the entire conversation had been put on audio.

“May the best robot win,” Mettaton said, turning around dramatically and leaving the room.

MK peeked out from behind Olivia’s chair. “Yo… that was intense. Do you want me to come back later, or…?”

“No. Get back on set,” Olivia said, just a little angry. “We have work to do.”

Chara washed her face in the bathroom sink, looking at her reflection. Brown eyes.

That was the only positive thing there was to look at, though. There were dark circles underneath those eyes, her skin was pale and sweaty, and her entire face radiated exhaustion. She hadn’t slept well in days.

She had tried talking to Gaster again, but the man had nothing to offer but cryptic riddles. If anything he was getting worse instead of better. She was fairly certain she’d walked in on him talking to himself - or maybe some imaginary friend. Sans had been just as evasive as ever, but Chara could tell he was worried about the former Royal Scientist.

There was only one place left Chara could think of to look for answers. She headed towards Hotland.

“Burning the midnight oil, doctor?” Chara asked, walking into Alphys’ office.

“AH! O-Oh, u-um, Princess Chara! S-Sorry, you just, um, surprised me,” Alphys said. She set her tools down on her workbench.

“New project?” Chara asked, walking up to her and looking at the messy array of parts laying around the room. It looked like she was working on some sort of human-like robot with a hot pink chest.

“Oh, y-yeah,” Alphys said, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “M-Mettaton asked me to build him a new body. One with a lot more, u-um, specific features?” she said. “He said something about a h-hostile takeover of the airwaves. U-Um, can I help you with something?”

“Oh, I just came here to… sate my curiosity about something,” Chara said. “Where was that time machine room again?”

Alphys’ eyes widened. “O-Oh… u-um… I mean, i-it’s in the vault room at the end of the hall, but, u-um… I-I’m the only one that is allowed inside. The, u-um, last request Doctor Gaster made before stepping down was that the room n-never be opened again.”

“Is that so?” Chara said. She reached into the pocket of Alphys’ lab coat covertly and pulled out her lab ID. All those years of pickpocketing on the surface were paying off. “In that case, I won’t waste any more of your time. Don’t work too hard.”

“Y-You too,” Alphys said, picking her tools back up. Chara headed towards the vault. Welcome, Doctor Alphys! =^w^= the screen said as she entered the room.

It was dark in here - the lights didn’t appear to be working. The charred debris of what at one point must have been a very impressive machine was scattered around the laboratory. In the center of the wreckage, there was a barely perceptible red glow. Against her better judgement, Chara approached it.

It looked like… a small rip. A tear in space, leaking a bloody red light into the room. It was a color she knew all too well. She shouldn’t be here.

...but she also felt drawn to it somehow. Something pulled her towards it. She reached out and touched it with one finger.

The world flickered around her, and suddenly she wasn’t in the Hotland lab but the hall outside of the throne room. Sans was standing there, eyelights gone from his skull. Chara rushed over to him.

“Sans? Sans, what’s going on?” Something was horribly wrong. The skeleton was shaking, his breathing quick and heavy. He looked terrified. He was clutching something in the pocket of his jacket.

“Sans?” Chara waved her hand in front of him. It was like he didn’t even realize she was there.

And then, all at once, the shaking stopped. His eyelights flickered back to life and he put on a cheesy grin. Chara turned around to see a young human boy in a striped sweater approaching. She took a few steps backward, her eyes widening. The boy was holding a knife, and there was some transparent figure behind him.

...it was Chara, with a face-splitting grin plastered on her face.

And her eyes were glowing red.

“hmm. that expression,” Sans said. He sounded… resigned. “that’s the expression of someone that’s died thrice in a row. ...hey, what comes after ‘thrice,’ anyway?” His eyes flickered out again, this time radiating menace. “wanna help me find out?”

Before Chara could figure out what was going on, Sans unleashed a deafening barrage of magic. She ducked behind one of the pillars for cover, completely shocked. She had no idea the punny skeleton was capable of that. The human must have been vaporized.

...And yet there he stood, nearly unscathed. He dashed at Sans with his knife, and the skeleton teleported out of the way.

This couldn’t be real. Chara was just having another nightmare. She ran out of the hallway, screaming for anyone who could hear her. She was only greeted with the echo of her own voice.

It was swelteringly hot, all of a sudden. The Underground didn’t have any weather variation, so why did it feel like she was in Hotland instead of the empty streets of New Home?

The vision around her flickered away and she found herself running straight for one of the ledges overlooking Hotland’s massive lava lake. She tried to skid to a halt…

...and toppled straight over the edge.

Chapter Text

Chara’s eyes flew open and she sat bolt upright. She looked around frantically - she was back in her room, safe and sound in her bed. She got up, soaked with sweat. The last thing she remembered was hurtling towards the lava, and then…

That must have been one vivid nightmare. She walked into the bathroom, deciding a bath might be a good way to soothe her shot nerves.

And then she screamed, grabbing a nearby hairbrush and throwing it at her reflection in the mirror. She had red eyes. She had red eyes.

The mirror shattered, filling up the sink with shards of broken glass and casting itself across the floor in a million tiny pieces. Chara leaned back against the wall, trying to catch her breath. She grabbed a shard out of the sink to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.

Her eyes were most definitely red. Dimly glowing blood red, just like the whatever-it-was she’d found in the vault room. Just like the eyes of whatever demonic thing borrowing her face she’d seen in the hall where Sans had been fighting that child.

Chara absentmindedly grabbed a paper bag out from under the sink and began stuffing the remains of the mirror into it, eventually leaving the room to grab a broom and a pair of shoes. No one was home to hear her little outburst, apparently. That made her even more nervous.

Unfortunately (or was it fortunate?), Asriel decided to come home right as Chara prepared to leave to find either Gaster or Sans and ask them what the heck had happened.

“Woah,” Asriel said, looking worried. Chara looked down at her hands, covered in a dozen nicks and scratches from her picking up broken glass with her bare hands, and hid them behind her back. Asriel then looked at the large bag filled with mirror shards. “What the heck happened?”

“...I tripped and broke my mirror,” Chara said. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“If you say so,” Asriel said, clearly still worried. “So how did you… wait. Chara. Your eyes are red!”

“Really?” Chara said, looking away.

“That’s - who - stars above, Chara, you finally have magic! That’s so exciting!” Asriel’s eyes lit up.

“Right. Exciting,” Chara said.

“Chara, you have red magic. Do you know how rare that stuff is?” Asriel asked. “We literally just learned about it in class. They say it’s so rare that there’s, like, almost never more than one person alive at a time that can use it.”

“Who knew,” Chara said, trying to escape the conversation. She didn’t want to be around anyone - especially not Asriel - until she figured out what this was.

“But… how did it activate?” Asriel asked. “With everyone else, they had to be exposed to the magic first. Does someone else in the Underground have red magic?” It was clear that her brother wasn’t going to allow her to leave that easily.

“I don’t know, I just woke up like this. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to—”

“Chara, there has to be more to it than that. Did you meet anyone before you fell asleep? Were you doing anything weird, or—”

“I DON’T KNOW!” Chara shouted, silencing him. “I need to go. Just - stop asking, okay?”

Chara pushed her way past him and Asriel watched her leave, worried. Asriel knew her pretty well, and it was obvious to him that there was something very, very wrong; which made it all the more frustrating that she wouldn’t tell him. Maybe she needed some space now, but Asriel wasn’t about to let her avoid talking about this entirely.

“Your old house looks just like your new house, but purple!” Charlotte said as Toriel gave her a tour of their old home in the Ruins. Toriel laid her now-sleeping baby in the nearby crib, closing the door gently as she prepared to show Charlotte around the rest of the house.

Toriel chuckled. “I suppose it is. Asgore is not the most… creative of people,” she said. Charlotte looked at the floor for a moment, a wave of melancholy suddenly coming over her. Toriel sat down in her old armchair, looking over her. “What is it, my child? What is wrong?”

Charlotte glanced over at the fireplace Toriel had lit. “Even… even if he’s not very creative… do you still love him?” she asked.

“O...Of course I do,” Toriel said, just a little surprised. “What kind of a question is that, little one?”

Charlotte still wouldn’t look at her. “Your family is so nice. I don’t want you to…” She trailed off.

“Oh, sweetie,” Toriel sighed, pulling Charlotte into her lap. “You do not have to worry about Asgore and I. We have no intention of separating,” she said. “...I know that your family is not as… cohesive as you may have liked, but I want you to know that you are safe here with us. You have not been a part of this family for very long, but everyone already loves you very much.”

Charlotte nodded, hugging Toriel tightly. “...Can I stay with you?” she asked quietly.

“What do you mean, my child?” Toriel asked. “You are already living with us.”

“I don’t want to go back home,” Charlotte said, “even if I could. I just want to stay here with you.”

Toriel looked away, trying to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. “...if that is what you wish, my dear,” she said. “If we ever did return to the surface, we would need to let your parents know that you are safe. But I already think of you as my own daughter. You will always have a home with me.”

“I love you, mom,” Charlotte said, burying her face in Toriel’s neck.

“I love you too, dear,” Toriel said, hugging her back.

Hummmmmmmmmmmmm.

Click!

Toriel giggled to herself, surprised. She never would have believed that she could soulbond with a person she’d met only a few short months ago. Perhaps some things simply were meant to be.

“Thank you all so much for coming tonight!” Olivia said from her microphone. The audience cheered - there was a fair-sized crowd here tonight. “Now, I have a big lineup of incredibly talented people here for you tonight, but if you all don’t mind I’d love to show you all a new piece I’ve been working on.”

Olivia clapped her hands and the lights dimmed. She took her starting pose.

Sans, Andy, and Papyrus had front-row seats, all gathered around a table. Dinner would be arriving shortly.

Papyrus sighed loudly as Sans leaned into Andy’s side, the human’s arm around his shoulders. Sans gave his brother a warning glare.

“hey, we’re here to support olivia, alright? i took you to mettaton’s last three shows,” Sans said. His brother had become utterly obsessed with the robotic star as he entered his teenage years, and despite his best efforts to understand Sans just could not see what Papyrus saw in his “entertainment.”

“BUT METTATON SAYS SHE’S SO BORIIING,” Papyrus whined. “AND DO I HAVE TO SIT WITH YOU TWO? YOU’RE SO GROSS.”

“we barely even hold hands, papyrus,” Sans said. “and be respectful. she puts a lot of work into these shows.”

Papyrus humphed loudly and turned his attention to the stage, where Olivia had begun her performance. Almost instantly, he was transfixed. Sans smiled a little bit as he watched his brother stare up in awe at the ballet.

“IS SHE AN ANGEL?” Papyrus asked, more to himself than anyone else. Of course, his lack of an indoor voice meant Sans could hear him clearly. The older brother nearly choked on his drink.

Papyrus looked over at Sans, mortified. “WHAT?! I DIDN’T SAY ANYTHING!”

Sans regained his composure as Olivia’s set ended and she left the stage to send the next act out. He was grinning like a madman. “oh, you definitely said something,” Sans chuckled. “looks like somebody’s got a cruuuush~”

“I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH I LOVE NOTHING AND NO ONE GOODBYE!” Papyrus sprinted out of the room, leaving Sans to double over laughing.

“...You’re going to torment him now, aren’t you?” Andy asked.

“with how much he teases me for dating you? i’m going to milk this for all it’s worth,” Sans said.

“You’re just mad at him because he’s taller than you now,” Andy smirked.

“it’s not fair! he’s my baby brother, i shouldn’t have to look up at him,” Sans groaned. “besides, he’s been nothing but bratty for the past few months.”

“You know what they say about teenagers,” Andy said, rubbing Sans’ shoulders. “It’s just his rebellious phase. It’ll pass, you’ll see.”

Sans leaned back into Andy’s side, sighing contentedly. “whatever you say, angel.” Andy rolled his eyes, blushing a little as the next act went on.

Sans smiled a little to himself; Andy was so cute when he blushed. He also blushed really easily, which made it even more fun.

...he didn’t really realize how it happened, but suddenly the human’s face was just a few inches from his own. Sans felt his soul flutter a little and he put his hand on the side of Andy’s face. “...can i?” he asked, barely above a whisper.

Andy gave him a little smile in response, and Sans closed his eyes and leaned forward. He felt Andy’s arms wrap around him, pulling him closer.

They broke the kiss and stared into each other’s eyes for a few moments before bursting out into giggles.

“stars above, that was so awkward,” Sans laughed, burying his face in Andy’s neck. “i’m sorry, but lips are weird!”

“yeah, well you’re like kissing a wall,” Andy said through his laughter.

“...we’ll work on it,” Sans said, getting comfortable again against Andy’s chest.

“Yeah,” Andy smiled, kissing the top of Sans’ head. Now it was the skeleton’s turn to blush.

Chapter Text

To say Olivia had been frazzled as of late was an understatement. She was running on all cylinders, grinding day and night to get everything done for her media war on Mettaton. She was almost never found in the Dreemurr household anymore, except to catch a few hours of sleep in between recording shifts or dealing with the latest problem within her crew.

She had to admit, though - there was a certain rush it gave her.

She would be remiss, of course, not to mention just how much work her crew was doing, too. There were so many talented actors and artists in the Underground that just didn’t have an outlet to share their gifts with the world before Alphys installed the television system, and it was a genuine honor to get to work with all of them.

Olivia speed-walked out of her studio to go fetch her third cup of coffee for the day - the caffeine was starting to fry her nerves, but it was necessary for the moment - and passed by someone sitting on the side of the street, face huddled up in his knees and a lit cigarette in one hand. He looked like he’d just had the most awful day of his life.

Olivia really didn’t have time for this. But…

“Hey,” she said, smiling a little. “Are you okay?”

The monster looked up at her and his eyes immediately widened. “Uh… sorry, but my boss is gonna kill me for even being within five feet of you. I gotta go,” he said, standing up and preparing to run off.

“Now hold on just a minute,” Olivia said, stomping her foot. The monster flinched and turned around slowly, his cat-like ears drooping a little. “Do you work for Mettaton?”

“...Please don’t involve me in your whole media war thing,” he said, almost begging.

“That’s not what I meant,” Olivia sighed. “I just… you seem really upset. There has to be a reason…” Olivia looked at the name tag on his shirt - it said ‘Felix,’ but it was crossed out with black marker and replaced with ‘Burgerpants.’ “Right, Felix?”

“Huh?” Felix looked down at his name tag, surprised. “Heh, no one’s… called me by my real name in forever.”

“...Do you prefer the other one?” Olivia asked.

“Are you kidding me? Ever since the whole burger incident no one will let me live it down! Mettaton even wrote a song about it! And that’s in addition to the one about how bad I am at my job.” Felix threw his MTT-Brand Glamorous Glitter Cap to the ground. “...God, just look at me. I’m sixteen years old and I’ve already wasted my entire life.”

“Now that’s absolutely ridiculous,” Olivia said. “You have not wasted your whole life. You still have so much of it ahead of you!”

“Yeah, like I’m gonna get another opportunity in the acting world,” Burgerpants snorted. “I’m just going to be Mettaton’s pack animal for eternity!” He threw up his hands and made an expression Olivia was fairly certain she was not anatomically capable of.

“...Make your own opportunities,” Olivia said, standing a little taller. “Come work for me. I’d love to see what kind of part you’d fit in. I am casting for a few new shows.”

“Y...You’re… you’re serious?” Felix asked. “Not, like, an intern or something but… an actual actor?”

“I’m a pretty good scout for talent,” Olivia winked. “You’re wasted on being an errand boy.”

“I… oh thank you thank you THANK YOU!” Felix nearly tackled her with a bone-crushing hug and started sobbing into her shoulder. Well, if she ever needed someone to cry hysterically in a scene, she knew who to come to.

“...You aren’t even watching the show, are you?” Andy chuckled. Sans was curled up in Andy’s lap on the couch, head tucked under the human’s chin and swaddled up in the throw blanket they were sharing.

“...’mtooslppy,” Sans mumbled into Andy’s chest.

“You’ve been awake for, like, six hours.”

“i know, ‘sawful,” Sans half-chuckled. He nuzzled into Andy a little more. “not my fault humans are all giant, heated, walking pillows.”

Andy raised an eyebrow, chuckling himself. “You do realize that there are plenty of monsters out there that are soft and warm-blooded, right?”

“...not like you,” Sans said. Andy smiled and wrapped his arms around Sans and the skeleton started to snore gently.

Both of them jolted when the door swung open suddenly to reveal Chara, wearing a pair of sunglasses for some reason. Sans groaned audibly.

“and i was just falling asleep,” he lamented.

“I need to talk to Gaster. Now,” Chara said.

“is it important?” Sans asked.

“Would I be here if it wasn’t? Look, just tell me where he is.”

“...no, no,” Sans sighed, untangling himself from the blanket. “i should… warn him that he has visitors. just give me a sec.”

Sans walked back to Gaster’s room and knocked on the door gently. Gaster was, as always, sitting at his desk and staring at the wall. A growing stack of sketchbooks sat on one side of him - he never let Sans anywhere near them.

“hey… g?” Sans asked, approaching him. “chara came here to—”

Gaster spun around suddenly, grabbing Sans’ shoulders and pulling him down to eye level. “It was never your fault,” he said, with such intensity that Sans felt his magic flaring up on reflex.

“gaster, what…?”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Gaster said again. “You must let go and live your life.”

“g, you’re scaring me,” Sans said. “i don’t understand. what’s not my fault?”

Sans yelped as Gaster yanked him down even more, grabbing the sides of his skull in his hands. “You deserve to be happy, Sans,” he said.

“i never said i didn’t,” Sans said, his concern growing.

Gaster looked confused for a moment, and then his expression shifted as if a switch had been thrown. “Sans,” he said, suddenly much less grim. “It is good to see you.”

“g, i’ve been here for…” Sans sighed, taking Gaster’s hands off his face gently and holding them in his own. “g. i’ve been trying to give you some space while you sort through all this stuff, but… g, please, just tell me what’s wrong. we’re family, i want to help you.”

Gaster just smiled. “You bear the burden of knowledge far too often, Sans,” he said, calm as could be. “Not this time. This time, I will bear it for you, and you will be free. It is the least price I can pay for my sins.”

“g, i… there’s no sins, g. i just… i don’t understand what you’re saying. just help me understand, and i can help you get better—”

“My condition will not improve,” Gaster said abruptly. He said it as a fact, an absolute certainty. “...But that is alright. Because you are with me,” he said, grabbing Sans’ shoulders once again. “I am not alone. And that means everything.”

“you were never gonna be alone, g,” Sans said, on the verge of tears. He wanted to help Gaster so badly, but he just didn’t know how.

“I know you do not understand,” Gaster said. “But you must trust me. Perhaps I will not always know you are there. But you must always know that I love you - deeply.” Gaster pulled him into a tight hug, before staring off into the doorway. “...Now send in the princess. There is much we must discuss.”

Sans sighed, looking over Gaster’s face. “...okay,” he said. He walked outside, where Chara was waiting. “go easy on him, alright?” he asked. Chara made no indication that she heard him, walking into the room and closing the door.

“How did you know?” she asked, tearing off her sunglasses to reveal her red eyes.

Gaster stared through her, his grim expression returning. “...It was always a possibility.”

“I have had enough of your riddles!” Chara growled, marching over to him. “ What is this?” she said, pointing to her eyes. “How did it happen? What was that bizarre illusion-thing in the lab?”

“You are a Red Mage,” Gaster said. “You have the power to transcend death, the power to go back through space and time to any point you may desire. The gold glimmers you have undoubtedly seen - such are points available for you to emerge from.” Chara blinked. Time travel? That was her power? “As for the lab, child - you saw no illusion. It was a reality.”

“None of that ever happened,” Chara said.

“ A reality,” Gaster said. “Not your reality. Countless choices, countless worlds. All are possible, all exist. You, though - you have the power to unmake those choices, those worlds. The universe is at your mercy, goddess.”

“That’s not - I would never use it like that,”  Chara said.

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. The choice remains.” Gaster turned back to his desk, and Chara peeked over his shoulder.

There was an open sketchbook. On the latest page was Sans, curled up and crying into his knees, covered in oil stains as he sat near some sort of ruined machine. The sketch was rough, but detailed.

“Why would you draw something like that?” Chara asked him.

“...I must never forget,” Gaster answered.

Frustrated but sensing he wouldn’t give her any more answers, Chara left. Whatever this red magic was - she decided then and there that she would never use it. She wasn’t a goddess, despite what Gaster said. Nothing could make her play with the lives of the people she loved like that.

Chapter Text

Chara revealing that she had red magic created a bit more buzz around the kingdom than the other humans had, and she’d expected that. Rumors circulated around, though gratefully they seemed to be more out of curiosity than out of fear. No one seemed to even have an inkling as to what red magic did - stories of the wizards that had created the barrier had long become exaggerated and inaccurate, and there were no monsters within memory that could use it either. Only Gaster seemed to know its true power, and he never said anything about it to anyone.

That was fine with Chara. The less people knew about her “gift,” the better. If people knew, they’d be afraid of her. They should be afraid of her. For anyone to have that much power was unnatural. Hence why she would never use it.

Chara nearly fell over backward at the huge shout of “SURPRISE!” as she opened the door to the palace. “...Why?” she asked, waiting for her ears to stop ringing.

“Happy Found Day!” Asriel said, hugging her tightly. Chara sighed.

“I told you all that I don’t like it when you make a big deal about this,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“We know,” Asgore chuckled, walking over to her. “That is why we have decided to make a few… adjustments.”

“We are declaring today a kingdom-wide annual holiday,” Toriel explained, “to celebrate a future of peace between humans and monsters. Today is Unity Day - and it only feels appropriate to celebrate it on the day the first human came to join us underground.”

“May you and the other humans that have become so large a part of our lives lead us to a brighter future,” Asgore smiled.

“Oh you guys,” Chara sighed, looking away embarrassed. She was smiling, though. “...That’s perfect. Thank you.”

Asgore picked her up in a giant hug. “We are just so proud of you, Chara. We know that growing up has not been easy for you but you’ve become such a strong, beautiful young woman and your mother and I just love you very much and…” Asgore sniffed a little, holding back tears.

“Dad, please don’t start crying,” Chara said.

Toriel came and hugged her from behind, further exacerbating the situation. “We are sorry, my child, we just…”

“Group hug!” Asriel shouted. Before Chara could protest she found herself being smothered in the center of a ridiculously large group hug. “We should make this a Unity Day tradition!” Asriel suggested.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT,” Chara mumbled into a mouthful of Asgore’s fur.

The Dreemurrs had arranged a rather extensive dinner party to celebrate the first Unity Day, and Chara found herself seated around a comically large circular table overflowing with a potluck-style feast spearheaded by Andy and Toriel. The best thing was indisputably the giant triple-chocolate molten lava cake at the center, which Chara practically devoured all by herself.

After she had stuffed herself with all the chocolate her body could handle, Chara took the time to look around the people that were gathered at the table. Charlotte had wedged herself in between Asgore and Toriel, who both had one arm around her lovingly as they chatted with other people around the table. Asgore in particular was talking with Gaster, who was sitting right next to him and smiling softly as he listed to the king talk. He seemed at peace.

Asriel was currently in charge of watching Togore and was playing peek-a-boo with his own ears, which the baby found hilarious to no end. Andy and Sans sat next to each other, of course, being the gross, mushy, lovey-dovey couple they always were. Papyrus’ growth spurt seemed almost endless - he rivaled Asgore in height now and certainly had passed Chara up. Luckily his growth in height also seemed to be coupled with a growth in maturity, as he no longer sulked by himself on the fringes of the room but rather engaged in friendly conversations with a pleasant smile. Interestingly, he seemed to be avoiding eye contact with Olivia completely, and Chara had a decent hunch as to why. She smiled to herself.

Olivia was sitting next to a handful of monsters she’d brought from her recording studio, and it seemed the group of them were having a fairly spirited conversation. She looked right at home. Landon and Alphys sat off to one corner, no doubt talking about some nerdy in-depth topic that would go completely over Chara’s head.

“Chara?” It was Charlotte, holding Togore who she’d apparently stolen from Asriel. “Do you want to hold her? My arms are getting tired.”

Chara smiled and took the baby, and Charlotte pulled up a chair next to her. Togore laughed giddily, no doubt enjoying all the attention. She grabbed one of Chara’s fingers and started nibbling on it.

“Am I just a snack to you?” Chara asked, nose-nuzzling the little goat. Togore responded by nibbling on Chara’s nose. “...Well, at least you’re honest.” Smiling, Chara took Togore’s floppy ears and pulled them in front of her eyes. Togore made a gasping-face as the world disappeared. “Peek-a-boo,” Chara said, uncovering her eyes. Togore laughed again.

Chara looked around once again. Once, she had believed that humans were all just inherently cruel, selfish creatures. When Andy came, she was willing to accept that there might be exceptions.

But four other humans had fallen now, and all of them seemed to have found their niche in the Underground. She’d scored 4-0, seemingly, and from her original perspective, that was an astronomical coincidence.

...Now, though. Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence. Maybe, just maybe, humans weren’t inherently evil. Maybe she’d only met the worst of them on the surface. Maybe these people - this family - was more representative of humans than she cared to admit. Maybe she was narrow-minded in her own way.

She would always have her reservations. But maybe… maybe there really was a chance for humans and monsters to live in peace someday.

Chara was pulled from her thoughts as Charlotte started tickling the baby’s toes, making her jerk around in Chara’s arms. Chara smiled at Charlotte. “You make a good big sister,” she said, and Charlotte beamed ear to ear. Then Chara glanced over at Sans and Andy, and a sly grin crept onto her face. “...You want to see something funny?” Chara asked Charlotte. Smiling, Chara got up and walked over to Andy.

“...Darn, my shoe came untied,” Chara said. “Do you mind holding her for a second?”

Andy took Togore from Chara and rocked her back and forth in his arms. “Someone’s getting bigger pretty fast,” Andy chuckled. Togore laughed again and Sans leaned over on Andy’s shoulder to tickle her tummy.

“she’s so cute,” Sans said. Chara grinned even more.

“You two are such naturals at this,” Chara said. “Probably won’t be long until you two have your own little toddler running around.”

Both Sans and Andy’s eyes widened. “What? W-We’re not--”

“uh, i don’t think--”

“You, um, you have the wrong--”

Chara and everyone else at the table burst out into laughter as they both started blushing heavily. Chara took Togore back.

“There is no need to be embarrassed, you two,” Toriel said, hiding her own fit of laughter behind her hand.

“Indeed. I already think of you as my son-in-law, Sans,” Asgore chimed in, winking. Sans just sank into his hoodie as Andy played with his hands, avoiding eye contact with everybody.

Everyone had a good laugh at their expense, but the jovial atmosphere was interrupted by a loud battle cry of “FIGHT ME!” coming from the doorway. It was a young-ish fish woman - roughly Papyrus’ age, maybe - holding a spear and looking straight at Asgore.

“Can I… help you?” Asgore asked.

“My name is Undyne, and I’m the strongest monster in the entire Underground! And I’m here to prove it - by beating the king! Now FIGHT ME!”

She threw the spear at Asgore’s face. He sidestepped and caught it before it could embed itself in the wall. “Little one, this is very unnecessary—”

“I’M NOT LITTLE!” Undyne shouted, throwing several more spears. Asgore dodged or caught all of them.

“Can we please at least take this to the courtyard?” Asgore asked, though Undyne seemed to have no intention of listening. He maneuvered around her to get outside, and everyone crowded into the doorway to watch.

Asgore summoned his trident, but he only ever used it to block or deflect Undyne’s wild spear throws. Undyne eventually got tired of constantly missing and rushed into melee range with a war cry; Asgore once again either blocked her strikes with his trident or gracefully leaped out of the way.

“Come on, you coward!” Undyne growled, frustrated. “Why won’t you fight back?!”

“There is no reason to fight, little one,” Asgore answered.

The battle went on for a while longer before it became clear Undyne was getting exhausted. She eventually fell to her knees, barely able to breathe. She just sat there, completely embarrassed, until Asgore came over and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Um… excuse me,” he said, “but would you like to know how to beat me?”

Undyne looked up at him, a little confused. “...Yes,” she said.

Asgore smiled at her. “Warrior training, bright and early tomorrow morning. For now, go get some rest.”

Undyne blinked. “O… Okay,” she said. She got up. “Um… thank you.”

“The pleasure is mine,” Asgore smiled.

Everyone turned around as some sort of loud crash resounded behind them.

Chapter Text

Asgore entered the barrier room first, looking around. There, staggering to his feet, was another human; muscular and tall, he was probably as old as Andy was. He had short, black hair held back by a bandana and a pair of faded pink gloves whose fingers had been snipped off. He wore a sweaty red tank-top and a pair of ripped jeans; his tawny, beige skin was discolored around his knees from a dozen fading scrapes and bruises. His dark, monolidded eyes flicked around the room in panic.

“It is alright, son,” Asgore said, approaching slowly. “You do not—”

“OH MY GOD WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!” The human grabbed one of Asgore’s long gardening rakes and slammed it into the king, square in the chest. Asgore stumbled backward, his eyes wide. That had taken out a significant chunk of his HP.

“Everyone get back!” Asgore shouted behind him, trying to get the crowd behind him out of harm’s way. He summoned his trident again, blocking a second strike from the human. “Son, I understand that you’re scared, but I need you to calm down before you—”

The human looked around the room frantically, looking for an exit. The only one seemed to be where Asgore was standing. He drowned out Asgore’s words with a battle cry and rushed at him, shoving him backwards as he tried to find a way out.

The crowd hadn’t listened to Asgore about getting back, and the king nearly crushed Papyrus against the wall as he tried to regain his footing. Asgore looked around at all the terrified faces around him - if he didn’t do something, someone could get seriously injured.

“I do not want to hurt you, son, but if I have to, I will,” Asgore said, giving the human one final warning. He showed no signs of stopping. With a determined sigh, Asgore swung his trident. It flashed blue, then orange, then blue.

Asgore connected all three times, the human completely unaware of how to dodge the attack properly, and Asgore hoped it would be enough to get the human to stop long enough for him to explain.

That didn’t seem to be the case; the human’s eyes flared a bright orange, and his next strike sent Asgore flying down the hallway to crash into the wall with a deafening boom.

“Dad!” Andy rushed over to him, hands glowing green. Sans followed him, dragging a dazed Papyrus behind. Andy looked up at his boyfriend, clearly worried for his father’s safety. “We need to get him out of here, immediately,” he said. Sans nodded and grabbed Andy’s hand, and the four of them disappeared.

“What’s happening to me?! Where am I?! Will someone tell me what the HELL is going on?!” The human looked around, panting like a cornered animal. He was surrounded by monsters and people with glowing eyes, and an intense rush of energy had just flooded his system. He had no idea what was going on. He ran down the hallway and everyone rushed to get away from him.

A wall of blue bones appeared in front of him as Gaster raised his hand, completely calm. The human staggered backwards a little, temporarily stopped, but then prepared to bash through them. Still unfazed, Gaster turned his gaze to Charlotte, who stood paralyzed with fear. He shot a blue bone straight at her.

It passed through her harmlessly, but her eyes flared a bright cyan. It broke whatever spell she had been under and she ran over to Toriel, clinging to her dress. The queen backed away, bringing Alphys with her.

The human threw the rake at Gaster and the skeleton also flew into the wall, unconscious. The human ran into the dining room, where Asriel, Landon, and Olivia were waiting with the baby. Their eyes widened as they saw him.

Rushing blindly, he kicked the table and sent it flying towards them. It hit Landon and Asriel head-on, but Olivia leapt high into the air with Togore in her arms. The human panicked when he saw that the girl could apparently fly and threw a chair at her, trying to escape before she came back down.

Olivia looked around frantically as the chair came at her. She spotted Chara running into the room behind the human and threw Togore at her as the chair hit her and she fell back to the ground. Chara caught the baby in her arms; she was scream-crying loudly.

The human’s escape was blocked by a spear in front of him; he fell to the ground as a different chair smacked him in the face and he was confronted with some sort of talking fish.

“HEY, PUNK! Try picking on someone your own size!” Undyne shouted, charging him. She sent him crashing onto the broken table, shards of ceramic piercing his clothes and cutting in to his skin. Terrified, he ran back the way he’d come. Chara was directly in his way; he prepared to shove her out of it.

Without a second thought, Chara switched to holding Togore with one arm, pulled her knife out of her boot, and thrusted forward with it before the human could reach her. It sank straight into his shoulder and he screamed in pain, staggering backward.

“ENOUGH!” Toriel appeared in the doorway with Charlotte still clinging to her clothes, horrified by the scene before her. She moved to toss a fireball.

Instead of a fireball, a roaring inferno of icy blue flames erupted from her fingertips. It engulfed the whole room, and Chara got down on the ground, shielding Togore with her body. The flames, she found, didn’t hurt if she didn’t move, and the rampaging human came to the same conclusion. He stood still, shaking.

Toriel looked around, shocked by her own power. She glanced at Charlotte and her newly-glowing eyes, taking a moment to steady her nerves. “Guards!” she called, though they were probably already on their way. A platoon of armored soldiers appeared as the flames began to die down a little, surrounding the human and pointing their weapons at him. “Restrain this human and bring him to the New Home Jail. And make sure to give him the cell with reinforced bars, please.” Toriel then slid to the ground, trying to process everything that had happened.

Chara was still curled around Togore protectively, though she sensed the immediate danger had passed. Togore was still crying at the top of her lungs.

“Shh,” Chara comforted her, stroking her fur gently. Togore looked up at her with her big, watery eyes. “Shh,” she said again. “It’s okay, shh. I won’t let them hurt you, I promise. I’ll keep you safe, I promise. Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay.”

Chara started at the flames dancing around her, at the ruined Unity Day feast, at the unconscious members of her family strewn about the room like discarded toys. The irony was so crystal clear, Chara couldn’t interpret it any other way than as a very blatant omen. She had to fight back the urge to laugh.

Such a fool she’d been for thinking they could ever have peace.

“Shh,” Chara repeated. “You’re okay. I promise you - as long as I’m alive, the humans won’t harm one hair on your head. I’ll protect you. I promise.”

Hummmmmmmmmmmmm.

Click!

Chapter Text

A quiet dread fell over the kingdom in the following weeks. Andy had relegated Asgore to bedrest for what amounted to a shattered ribcage, and he spent most of his time tending to a myriad of sprains, bruises, and broken bones until he’d expended most of of his magic. Sans stayed with him most of the time, making sure he didn’t overwork himself.

Toriel tried her best to keep the kingdom calm, but it was proving ineffective. With the king so injured that he couldn’t even address the kingdom himself and the rest of the royal family trying to hide injuries of varying severity, rumors spread like wildfire. Some said that Asgore was dead or dying; some of the more outlandish ones even implicated the other humans in a plot to assassinate the Dreemurrs.

Rumors about the rogue human abounded as well. Some said he single-handedly almost defeated the entire Dreemurr family and the Royal Guard together. Some said he could knock down an entire building with his bare hands, and he was biding his time before his inevitable escape. People didn’t go outside; they locked themselves in their homes except when absolutely necessary.

The most potent rumor, perhaps, was of the Prophecy. For so long, most had believed that one of the humans that had fallen down was the Angel, and that they would someday find a way to destroy the barrier. But this new human had prompted an alternate interpretation - an Angel of Death that would lay waste to the Underground until no one remained. The fact that the disaster had occurred on Unity Day of all days certainly seemed to speak to some kind of ill omen. Some people were beginning to demand Toriel dispose of the human, which she refused to do.

Chara, since she was relatively unharmed and Toriel was so busy, was put in charge of Togore. The eldest princess secluded herself from the world, and people hardly ever saw her or the baby boss monster. Chara would have been fine that way - just her and Togore, where she knew her new soulmate would be safe - except that the baby had taken ill. She wasn’t eating properly, she cried more than she should, and when she wasn’t crying she was asleep.

So, Chara went to the one person that seemed entirely unchanged - Gaster. He was at his desk as always, sketching. Chara walked over to him, a sleeping Togore in her arms.

“You knew this was all going to happen, didn’t you?” she accused.

“...It was a possibility,” Gaster replied.

“Can you speak in anything other than riddles?” Chara growled, before remembering that wasn’t going to be helpful. She sighed. “You gave Charlotte cyan magic so that Toriel could stop him,” she said. “You had to know that would work, right?”

“Of all of the actions I could have done at that moment, that particular one was most likely to have a favorable outcome,” Gaster said.

“That - ugh. Nevermind. Do you know what’s wrong with her?” Chara asked, holding out Togore.

Gaster glanced at the baby. “Illness in monsters is most often the result of some sort of emotional imbalance,” Gaster said.

“Yeah, she got traumatized by the psycho sitting in jail right now. How do I fix it?”

Gaster sighed. “The experience was most likely frightening, yes, but she is too young to really comprehend what happened. Monster infants are extremely sensitive to the emotional states of those around her - it probably isn’t her, it’s everyone else.”

“...So you’re saying I should take her somewhere else for the time being?” Chara asked. “Like the Ruins?”

“You are most likely part of the problem, princess,” Gaster said. “Being your soulmate means that she is most sensitive to your emotions out of everyone. It might be spending so much time alone with you in your current state that has brought on this sickness.”

“How dare you,” Chara said. “I’ll have you know that I’m perfectly fine. Better than ever, actually.”

“So you say,” Gaster said. He turned back to his desk. “Hatred is among the most potent poisons known to monsterkind, princess,” he said. “Be wary how much you harbor.”

Chara glared at the back of his head before glancing at the sketch he was currently in the middle of. It was a human girl about Olivia’s age, and one Chara didn’t recognize; she had sun-tanned skin and wore a cowgirl outfit complete with a wide-brimmed hat, boots with spurs on them, and straw-blonde pigtails. What stood out most to Chara, however, were her face - she looked scared, tears falling from her eyes - and the pistol she was pointing at something off the page.

“Who is that?” Chara asked.

“...You’ll meet her soon enough,” Gaster said cryptically.

“What does that mean?” Chara said. Gaster didn’t answer her, fully engrossed in his work. A sudden feeling of dread coming over her, Chara made for the castle.

“Th-there, um… I think that should do it,” Alphys said. “These s-sensors should, u-um, detect any human soul s-signatures anywhere in the underground. U-Um, excluding the ones from the humans that are already here, I mean, I-I made sure the sensors, u-um, exclude them.”

Undyne just stared at her blankly and Alphys blushed a little. “U-Um, sorry, this is all probably r-really boring‒”

“What? No, this is super cool! I always knew the Royal Scientist had to be, like, super smart,” Undyne said. “You’re the youngest one the kingdom’s ever had too, right?”

“Well, I-I mean, there’s only b-been two of us‒”

“Still! I wish I was good at sciency stuff,” Undyne said. She thought for a little bit. “Actually, nah. We’re all different for a reason, right? So I’ll handle the warrior stuff and you do the sciency stuff.”

“S-Sure thing,” Alphys said, laughing nervously.

“So… that new human is pretty strong, huh?” Undyne asked. “Do you think humans can use swords? How big of a sword do you think he could use?”

“W-Well, I don’t think I could - u-um, I mean - n-nevermind. You know, i-if you’re interested in human h-history, I have this thing c-called anime - there’s plenty of swords in that, u-um, and‒”

“Wait - are they giant swords?”

“S-Some of them, yeah. U-uh, there’s this‒”

“I KNEW HUMANS USED GIANT SWORDS!” Undyne shouted. “Come on, I wanna go see this anime stuff right now!”

“W-Well, I mean, they a-aren’t actually, u-um, I mean, that i-is, they aren’t q-quite… um…” Alphys looked at Undyne’s beaming face. “U-Um… nevermind. Let me just turn this o-on real quick and then you can come over to my place! Let’s… u-um…” Alphys stared at the device in her hand. It started beeping as soon as she turned it on.

“What’s wrong?” Undyne asked.

“I-I must have made a mistake somewhere,” Alphys said. “I-It’s saying there’s already a s-seventh human down here. But the o-odds of that happening so soon are‒”

She stopped as Chara marched into the room and towards the Barrier - she’d put Togore back in her crib. Alphys and Undyne followed her.

Sure enough, she was there - the girl in the cowgirl outfit, brushing dust off of her knees. She looked up at Chara.

“Hey,” she said. She had a thick country accent. “So there are people down ‘ere. I’m looking for someone - ‘bout six foot, Asian, muscly. Tank top, blue jeans - seen anyone like that ‘round ‘ere?”

Chara didn’t answer her, circling her menacingly. The girl frowned, and then looked at Alphys and Undyne. Her eyes went wide.

“What in the Sam Hill are those things?!” she shouted, pulling her pistol out of its holster and firing it at them. The recoil sent her staggering backward.

“Look out!” Alphys shouted, tackling Undyne to the ground. The bullet grazed Undyne’s skin, barely missing her eye.

Chara wasted no time, dashing forward with her knife in hand. The girl finally noticed Chara’s red eyes and her expression became even more fearful. She prepared to fire her gun again.

“HEY!” Undyne shouted, throwing a spear from the ground. The girl screamed as it pierced into her leg and she fell to the ground. The gun fired wide, missing Chara as she ducked and ricocheting off the stonework. Terrified, the girl pointed the gun at Undyne and fired again.

Alphys held out her hands in panic and a flurry of yellow bullets flew from them, destroying the bullet in midair. A few of the shots reached the human, peppering her skin like sparks. Her eyes flared gold, and she made a few more blind shots with her gun as she tried to back away from her assailants.

The gun was a revolver - it held six bullets. Chara counted the shots until she reached six and dashed in again. The girl kept firing, though - bolts of yellow energy like laser shots were coming out, fueled by her magic. Chara rushed through them all even as she felt her HP start to drop dangerously.

The girl screamed as Chara slashed the gun out of her hand and pinned her to the wall by her throat. She tried to wrench Chara’s hand away, tears streaming from her face, but Chara was older and stronger than her. Chara slammed the blunt end of her knife in to the girl’s head with a crack and she fell to the ground, unconscious.

Chara stood there, panting, as Undyne and Alphys stared at her. Alphys flinched as Chara turned her red gaze towards them.

“Call the Guard to take her away,” Chara said, her voice dark and strained. “I have to go check on the baby.”

Alphys and Undyne watched her go until she was gone from sight. “Hey, uh… thanks for saving me,” Undyne said, getting up and offering Alphys a hand. “That shot almost went through my eye.”

“H-Hm? O-Oh, that was n-nothing, I just… u-um…”

“No, really. Thanks. ...We still on to go see that anime stuff?”

Alphys turned away as she started blushing heavily. “U-Um, y-yeah, if you want to! Right this w-way.”

Chapter Text

“Togore,” Chara said, exasperated. “Please drink your milk. Please.”

Togore did nothing but cry, kicking at the bottle in Chara’s hands. Her fur looked dull and unhealthy, and a constant stream of tears had matted it down in a strip by her eyes. Chara was exhausted from staying up with her all night. She wasn’t getting better; she was getting worse. It was frustrating to say the least, but Chara wasn’t scared until she checked Togore’s stats.

Her max HP had dropped. And considering she was a baby, she didn’t have much to start with. Chara set Togore in her crib and walked into her parents’ room, where Asgore laid in bed with Sans and Andy at his side. She blinked when she realized the sheets were on fire - a low green smolder covered her father. Luckily it didn’t seem to be consuming the sheets.

“I wish I would have thought of this sooner,” Asgore said. His voice was strained. “My healing magic is much more potent with you around, son. Now you can stop doting on me and go get some rest.”

“You sure you’re okay for now?” Andy asked. Asgore nodded.

“i’ll go ahead and go home then, let you get some real sleep,” Sans said, standing up.

“It’s, uh… actually easier for me to just crash on the couch with you. If that’s okay,” Andy said, blushing a little.

“...yeah. ‘course that’s okay.”

Andy finally noticed Chara. “Did you need something?” he asked her.

Chara motioned for him to leave the room, so he and Sans left Asgore alone and closed the door. “I need you to heal Togore,” she said.

“What happened to her?”

“I don’t know. Her max HP was 3 yesterday and now it’s only 2.5.”

Andy glanced at Sans, a look of dread coming over his face. “Chara… I can’t overheal her. If her max HP is down, there’s no magic that can fix it. Something’s seriously wrong with her.”

“There has to be something you can do,” Chara said.

Andy sighed. “...Just leave her with me for the rest of the day. I’ll do what I can,” he said.

“babe, you need to sleep,” Sans said. “you’ve been working yourself to the bone lately.”

“I know,” Andy sighed, “but this is important. You of all people know how dangerous max HP loss is to someone with low HP.”

“i’ll help you out then,” Sans said, walking towards Togore’s crib. “go and take a day off, chara, we got this.”

Chara nodded and walked towards the front door; Toriel opened it as she approached, coming inside. She put on a weary smile when she saw her daughter.

“How is it out there?” Chara asked.

“I have spent all day quashing rumors that we are being invaded by the surface,” Toriel sighed. “I was hoping to keep the arrival of the second human a secret for a little while to avoid further panic, but I am afraid I have not been successful. But, that is my burden to bear, not yours. How is Togore?”

Chara glanced away. “Sans and Andy are taking care of her for the day,” she said.

“I see,” Toriel said. She sat down in her reading chair slowly. Something hit Chara then, some sort of realization. She never thought about it before, but now - looking at her weary mother, Toriel seemed so… tired. Old.

“I’m going out for some air,” Chara said, some dark mood coming over her. “I’ll see you later, mom.”

“My child, wait—”

Toriel sighed as Chara shut the door behind her.

“...I see you’re awake finally,” the boy with the orange eyes said from his corner of the prison cell. The girl in the bunk blinked her eyes open slowly, reaching up to her head to find gauze had been wrapped around it. She jolted when she saw the glow of the boy’s eyes.

“You’re another one of them freakin’ glowy-eyed demons!” She said, backing up as far as the walls of the prison would allow.

“...So are you,” the boy said. “Yours are yellow.”

“...What in tarnation?” The girl said, holding her hand up to her eyes to see the glow. The boy was right.

“Welcome to the club,” the boy said dryly. “Name’s James. What’s yours?”

“...Courtney,” she said.

“So, Courtney, why’d you climb Mount Ebott?” James asked.

“...I was lookin’ for you,” she said.

James raised an eyebrow. “And why would you be looking for me?”

Courtney glanced away. “You went missin’ a few weeks ago. I thought if I could find you, it’d prove I could…” She trailed off.

“Prove what?”

“Prove I could be a police officer someday,” she said. “All them dumb boys in my class keep tellin’ me it’s a stupid idea ‘cause I’m a girl. So I thought if I took the revolver outta my pop’s gun cabinet and rescued you I’d prove ‘em wrong. ...I’m so stupid.”

“...I get feeling like you have something to prove,” James said. “That’s why I ran away from home. Sick of feeling like I’m never good enough for my parents. ...And by the way, don’t those kids know we already have plenty of female police officers?”

“Not in my hometown,” Courtney said. “It’s a big boys’ club. Guess it don’t matter now, though, does it? ‘Cause now we’re both stuck under this godforsaken mountain with a buncha monsters that are gonna do who knows what with us an’—”

“It’s not the monsters you should be worried about,” Chara said, walking into the room.

“...You’re the one that stabbed me,” James said, backing away from her.

“And the one that almost bashed my skull in!” Courtney added.

“Trust me, if I wanted to bash your skull in, your head wouldn’t be attached to your shoulders right now,” Chara said.

“Look, you’re like us - why are you with those beasts out there?” James asked.

“ Beasts?” Chara said, stepping closer to the bars. “Those beasts raised me. In fact, muscles over here almost killed my dad, and seriously hurt the rest of my family. You threw a chair at a freaking baby,” she growled.

“I… I didn’t realize it was a kid,” James said.

“ She is my baby sister. And now she’s sick because of you two. I swear, if anything bad happens to her I’ll kill both of you myself and there will be no one that can save you.”

Chara couldn’t help but smile a little at how the color drained from their faces. It was satisfying somehow.

“That’s not fair,” Courtney said. “We didn’t even do nothin’, you can’t just—”

“You didn’t do anything?” Chara growled, slamming her palms against the bars. Both of the humans inside flinched. “You almost shot someone. But that’s just like a human, isn’t it, thinking you can just hurt a bunch of people and that’ll solve everything, right? Do you think you think you’re a hero, little girl? You think hurting people is funny?”

“It’s not like that,” Courtney said, tears starting to well up in her eyes. “I-I was scared, I didn’t know what they were, I—”

“Oh, right, because that excuses everything,” Chara laughed. “It’s okay to kill people as long as I have an excuse, right? So if I come in this cell and stab you both to death, that’s okay because I can just say it was to keep everyone safe, right? How would you like that?”

“What do you want from us?!” James shouted, backed into the opposite corner.

“I want my family to be safe,” Chara said. “And I don’t think that’s going to happen while you’re alive. You should both be burning in hell.”

“We didn’t know what was happening!” James said. “It isn’t our fault!”

“...I guess it isn’t,” Chara said. “I mean, it’s impossible to tame a wild beast, right? I guess the violence is just bred into the genes.” Chara pulled her knife out and pointed it at them. “If you put so much as one toe out of line, I will kill you. Understand? If I had it my way, you’d both already be dead. The only thing keeping you alive is the fact that the monsters are all too stupid and naive to realize that the humans will never let them have peace because murder is just in their blood.”

Chara turned around and stormed home.

Chara washed her face in the sink, trying to calm her emotions. She was just so angry. She didn’t realize just how angry she was until she confronted James and Courtney, but now that she was here, it just wouldn’t go away. She stared at her red eyes in her new mirror.

Chara jumped backwards when her reflection smiled back at her at her creepily. The reflection just kept smiling, kept staring, as Chara tried to figure out what the heck was happening.

“You’re just in my head,” she said.

“Of course I’m in your head,” the reflection giggled. “I’m you.” Chara glanced at the door, looking for an escape route. “She isn’t safe, you know,” the mirror said, glancing toward where Togore was sleeping. “She’ll never be safe as long as those humans are alive.”

“...Not my decision,” Chara said.

“Yes, it is,” the reflection said, getting closer to the glass. “You have the knife. Go to them now, kill them. They deserve it.”

“...You’re that demon I saw in the lab, aren’t you?” Chara asked. The mirror smiled. “You’re worse than they are! I want nothing to do with you. Get out of my head.”

“I am you,” the reflection laughed. “Don’t act so high-and-mighty. You know I’m right.”

“You’re a murderer!” Chara shouted.

“We both are,” the mirror smiled.

“I haven’t killed anyone,” Chara said, the cold steel of the knife in her boot against her skin suddenly giving her chills. “...and I’m not about to start now. Not unless they try to hurt someone else first.”

“They already have!” the mirror said. “Besides, as you said - murder’s in our blood. Right?”

Chara’s chest felt heavy. She couldn’t breathe. She forced open the door and slammed in behind her, telling herself it was all just in her head.

“Chara?” It was Asriel. “Are you okay?”

“...I’m fine,” Chara said. “I was just… thinking.”

Asriel sat on the bed across from her. “What about?”

Chara stood there silently for a long moment, trying to straighten out her chaotic thoughts. She glanced up at Asriel. “You should go talk to the humans,” she said. “I don’t think they were really trying to hurt anyone. If you can convince them to not freak out, we can let them out sooner.”

Asriel blinked. “I… didn’t think you would want to let them out,” he said.

“...The kingdom isn’t handling this well,” Chara said. “The sooner we can prove this was all a giant misunderstanding, the better off we’ll be.”

Asriel smiled at her, standing up. “Okay. I’ll go right now.” He walked over to Chara and hugged her. “I’m so proud of you, Chara. I knew you could have some faith in humanity someday.”

Chara glanced back at the bathroom as Asriel walked away. “...Right. Faith.”

Chapter Text

“Hi Papyrus,” Olivia said, walking down the hallway towards him. “Were you looking for me?”

Papyrus startled as she spoke, clutching a piece of paper to his chest. “OH! OLIVIA! HOW UNEXPECTED TO FIND YOU IN THIS PLACE EVEN THOUGH I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU HERE BECAUSE YOU’RE ALMOST ALWAYS IN THE STUDIO, NYEH HEH HEH!”

“Um… right,” Olivia said, slightly suspicious. “Did you need something?”

“Papyrus, Darling~” Mettaton said, walking down from another adjoining corridor. “How lovely to see you! What do you have there?”

“He was talking to me, Mettaton,” Olivia said, giving the robot a mild glare. She glanced at the piece of paper in Papyrus’ hands. “Aw, were you wanting an autograph?”

“Oh don’t be ridiculous,” Merton scoffed. Papyrus turned towards him. “If anyone is going to be giving autographs, it’s me. Let me see that, darling.”

“Could you please keep your grubby metal fingers out of other people’s private conversations?” Olivia said. Papyrus turned back towards her. “Ignore him, Papyrus. Were you interested in a tour of the Studio? I’d be happy to give you one.”

“Free tickets to my next live show and a two-week supply of MTT-Brand Glitter Glue,” Mettaton said, wrapping an arm around Papyrus’ shoulders.

“Bribery? Is nothing beneath you?”

“And just what were you doing then, hmm?”

“Being a good host! I’ve had it up to here with—”

“WOULD YOU BOTH STOP IT?!” Papyrus shouted, stomping his foot in exasperation. Both Olivia and Mettaton stopped. “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU TWO! JUST LOOK AT YOURSELVES, FIGHTING OVER GETTING TO SIGN YOUR NAME ON A PIECE OF PAPER. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!”

Olivia took a deep breath and sighed to herself, but Mettaton just scoffed. Papyrus sighed dramatically. “I CAME HERE FOR BOTH OF YOUR AUTOGRAPHS,” he continued, “BUT I THINK I’VE FOUND SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT THAT NEEDS TAKING CARE OF. YOU TWO NEED TO LEARN TO COEXIST PEACEFULLY AND THERE IS NO BETTER MEDIATOR TO HELP YOU WORK OUT YOUR DIFFERENCES THAN I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!”

“I’ve already tried to coexist with him, Papyrus,” Olivia said. “But his ego takes up the entire stage.”

“Well, that’s rude,” Mettaton said. “That’s not it at all. I just refuse to share the stage equally with someone that’s clearly inferior to me.”

Olivia’s eyes widened. “ Excuse me?!”

“ENOUGH!” Papyrus shouted. “CLEARLY SIMPLY TALKING ISN’T GOING TO GET US ANYWHERE, SO WE WILL HAVE TO RESORT TO MORE DRASTIC MEASURES.”

“And what would those be, darling?” Mettaton asked.

“WE MUST CHANNEL YOUR ADVERSARIAL RELATIONSHIP INTO SOMETHING COLLABORATIVE! IN OTHER WORDS… YOUR STUDIOS SHOULD PUT ON A SHOW TOGETHER!”

Mettaton and Olivia looked at each other. “Absolutely not,” the both said in unison.

Papyrus squinted at them, unamused. Then an idea popped into his head. His smile turned sly. “YES, YES, I SUPPOSE YOU’RE RIGHT. I MEAN, JUST THINK OF ALL THE PEOPLE YOU’D HAVE TO ACCOMODATE. BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU, ALMOST THE ENTIRE UNDERGROUND WOULD COME TO WATCH. FAR TOO MUCH HASSLE. WE SHOULD THINK OF SOMETHING ELSE.”

“Almost… everyone…?” Mettaton said. Olivia squinted at him. “Why, Papyrus, beautiful, don’t be so quick to dismiss such an incredible idea. I for one think it’s a lovely opportunity to show the Underground what we both can do. That is, unless my compatriot here is too scared of making a fool out of herself, hmm?”

“Bring it, bolt-brains,” Olivia said.

“EXCELLENT! THEN I’LL LEAVE YOU TWO TO WORK OUT THE DETAILS! I’M GREAT AT THIS!” Papyrus skipped away, beaming. Olivia and Mettaton locked eyes in a death stare.

“This is going to be a competition, right?” Olivia asked once Papyrus was out of earshot.

“But of course, darling. What do you take me for? Each studio gets five performances that will be scored out of twenty by an independent panel of judges. The one with the highest score at the end of the night wins,” Mettaton said.

“If we’re doing a competition, then there needs to be a prize other than bragging rights,” Olivia said.

“Oh, but of course. The winner gets sole airing rights in the Underground. The loser has to pack up their studio and leave - forever. Does that sound fair?”

Olivia smiled. “You’re on. You might want to start packing.”

“Oh, I’d be happy to help you move out, darling,” Mettaton chuckled. “But for now I have preparations to see to. I’ll see you on the night of the competition, darling~”

“THIS IS THE MOST EXCITING THING THAT’S EVER HAPPENED IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!” Papyrus squealed. Sans smiled from where he sat next to him, leaning against Andy. The lights in the auditorium began to dim as Courtney walked through the nearby entrance, playing with her hands nervously. Papyrus glanced at her.

“L-Looks like all the seats are full, hah. Guess I should just go back an’—”

“OH, DON’T WORRY, HUMAN! THERE’S AN OPEN SEAT RIGHT NEXT TO ME!” Papyrus waived to her.

“uh… no there’s not, paps,” Sans said. Papyrus picked Sans up and set him on Andy’s lap. “...um???”

“OH PLEASE, BROTHER. DON’T ACT LIKE YOU DON’T ALREADY DO IT CONSTANTLY WHENEVER YOU TWO ARE AROUND EACH OTHER,” Papyrus said. Sans’ face turned deep blue and Andy’s went lobster red. Papyrus patted the now-empty seat next to him and Courtney reluctantly walked over. She crossed her arms in front of herself and tilted her hat down in front of her face as if trying to hide the fact she was there.

“YOU LOOK GLUM, HUMAN,” Papyrus said. “I ASSURE YOU, THESE TWO ARE THE MOST AMAZING PERFORMERS IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

“No, that’s not - I just don’ think I should be here. I don’... ugh. Never mind.” Courtney sank in on herself some more. Her whole body was tense, like she was two seconds away from exploding.

“IF THERE’S SOMETHING TROUBLING YOU, YOU CAN TELL ME! I AM AN EXCELLENT CONFIDANT,” Papyrus said.

Courtney gave him a doubtful glare considering his ear-numbing voice, but it was clear she needed to talk to someone. She sighed. “I jus’... ugh. Tarnation, I’m such a mess. I came down ‘ere to prove I could protect people an’ I damn near killed someone. An’ even without that blasted gun, now I have weird laser-powers that I’ve got no clue how to control an’... what… what if I hurt someone? W-What if I…” She pulled her hat down further to hide that she was tearing up. “I shouldn’t have this magic stuff. I-I can’t be trusted with it. I don’… don’ deserve…”

“OH, HUMAN,” Papyrus said. He pulled Courtney into a hug and she squeaked, surprised. She didn’t even know this guy’s name. “YOU DIDN’T MEAN TO ENDANGER ANYONE. I AM SURE THE SITUATION WAS OUT OF YOUR CONTROL. WHY, EVEN THE ADDRESS THE KING AND QUEEN GAVE SAID AS MUCH! THERE’S NO POINT IN BERATING YOURSELF LIKE THIS.”

“B...But what if I—”

“SHH. IT’S OKAY,” Papyrus said. “IF YOU’RE WORRIED ABOUT CONTROLLING YOUR MAGIC, THAT’S THE EASY PART! ANYONE IN THE UNDERGROUND WOULD BE HAPPY TO TEACH YOU. IN FACT, I’M GOING TO TRAIN WITH SOMEONE NAMED UNDYNE AND DO SPARRING AND STUFF SO WE CAN GET INTO THE ROYAL GUARD - THEY’RE THE BEST AT PROTECTING PEOPLE! YOU SHOULD COME AND JOIN US, WE COULD ALL TRAIN TOGETHER!”

Courtney blinked at him. “You’d… you’d do that?”

“OF COURSE I WOULD!” Papyrus said. “IT’S DECIDED THEN! TOMORROW MORNING WE’LL ALL MEET UP AT UNDYNE’S PLACE! HERE, YOU CAN HAVE THE FLYER SHE PUT UP. I ALREADY MEMORIZED THE ADDRESS.”

Courtney looked at it. It was crudely drawn and the penmanship was atrocious, but she could at least make out the gist of it. Some sort of sparring club for people who wanted to be in the Royal Guard. Courtney smiled to herself. It wasn’t the police department, but… she was stuck here, anyway. This might be the way to redeem herself - by protecting the monsters from people that actually wanted to hurt them.

“Thank you,” Courtney said. “The name’s Courtney, by the way. I didn’t catch yours.”

“PAPYRUS,” Papyrus said. He gasped as Olivia and Mettaton stepped out onto the stage. “IT’S STARTING! EVERYONE, SHHHHH!!!”

“Welcome, citizens of the Kingdom of Monsters!” Mettaton called out to the crowd. Everyone cheered wildly. “Welcome to the first annual Underground Superstar Deathmatch of the Ages!”

“DEATHMATCH?” Papyrus said, scratching his head.

“Today,” Olivia said, taking the microphone, “One of us will prove once and for all who the better performer is. The winner gets all of the loser’s airtime - for good.”

“A panel of four judges will score each of our five performances out of five - each will be of a greatly different style to showcase all our talents. The person with the most points out of one hundred at the end of the night will be crowned the Superstar of the Underground!” The crowd went wild again.

“We’ll begin the night with a coin toss to see who performs first,” Olivia said.

Mettaton fired a comically oversized coin into the air. Olivia smiled as it landed.

“Get off my stage,” she whispered.

Papyrus’ face sunk. This was not what he had in mind.

Chapter Text

“There you are, punk,” Undyne said, plopping down into an empty seat next to James in the back of the theater.

“I don’t want any trouble with you,” James said, taking a defensive posture.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to kick your ass,” Undyne said. She chuckled a little to diffuse the tension but it didn’t alleviate much.

“In your dreams, Sharky,” James said. He turned his attention to the stage. “...I know this is a big deal down here or whatever, but live concerts really just aren’t my thing.”

“Me neither,” Undyne said. Olivia seemed alright from what little Undyne knew about her, but something about that melodramatic metal box rubbed her the wrong way. Of course, that same box had probably gotten Alphys those front row seats - Undyne knew she should have gotten here earlier.

...Not that she wanted to sit next to Alphys for any particular reason or anything. She just had a question about one of the animes they’d binged together recently. Or a few dozen of them.

“Why are you here if you don’t care about this stuff, then?” James asked.

“I dunno, honestly. Why are you here?”

James shrugged. “I kinda feel obligated to be social or whatever to show I’m not a mon— um, a bad guy,” he said.

“No one’d ask you to come to something you didn’t want to see,” Undyne said. “We just don’t like having tables thrown at us.”

“Yeah, well I don’t like—” James cut himself off with a sigh, as if trying to break a bad habit. “...Nevermind. It’s whatever.”

Undyne gave him a sympathetic glance - she could tell he was the kind of person that thrived on his own confidence and being forced to swallow his pride and admit he’d done wrong must have been taking a toll. It seemed the Dreemurrs had a talent for giving people a dose of humility; not that that was a bad thing. An idea popped into her head.

“You wanna skip the show with me?” Undyne asked.

“And do what?”

“Spar, dummy!” Undyne said, punching James on the shoulder. “Asgore promised to give me warrior training, but he’s been laid up for forever now.” James looked away. “...Sorry, I didn’t mean to… ugh, I need to stop trying to do this stupid feelsy sensitive stuff. You wanna be my punching bag or not?”

“Psh. You say that like it’s not gonna be me throwing you back in whatever river you’re from, Fishbait,” James said, a hint of a smile on his face.

“Alright, tough guy, let’s see if you can put your money where your mouth is,” Undyne said. “Come on, let’s ditch this place and let the movie stars have their dance-off.”

Undyne led James back to her front yard, moving her training dummy out of the way and clearing a space for them to spar. “Alright, rules are pretty basic. No magic and no trying to actually hurt each other. Pretty much everything else is fair game, I guess. We’ll take turns defending and attacking. Sound good?”

“Sure,” James said, taking a defensive stance. “Ladies first.”

Undyne grinned and came at him with the loudest battle roar she could muster, leaping into the air and coming down at him with both fists. James sidestepped and her fits smashed into the stonework; she came at him with an uppercut and he bent backwards out of the way.

Slightly frustrated that her big attacks weren’t landing, Undyne next launched a flurry of rapid punches and kicks. James dodged what he could but it soon became clear he was going to have to block. Whatever he was doing wasn’t effective, however, because each punch he tried to block sent his arms flying out wide and earned him a bunch of hits straight to the chest. He ended up on the ground with Undyne’s foot on his chest.

“My round,” Undyne smirked.

“Geez,” James said, massaging his chest as he stood up. “Okay, fine. My turn.” He squared up again, this time launching a series of quick jabs out. Undyne blocked them expertly, throwing James off a little bit - he kept feinting to try and get her to dodge into his attacks, but she just didn’t dodge. Eventually he just focused on trying to blitz through her defenses, and it started to work: her blocks were getting slower and slower. He landed one hit on her stomach and tripped her with a second and she was on the ground.

“Ugh! Why could I beat you last time but not this one?” Undyne said, dusting herself off.

“...I guess we both need to work on the defending part of it,” James said. “I couldn’t block your strikes to save my life but you didn’t even try to dodge me. You just stood there and let me hit you until you got exhausted. You gotta conserve your energy.”

“...Huh. I guess I didn’t think of it like that,” Undyne said. “And the blocking thing? You gotta redirect the force, not try to counter it. Your punches were really good, though. Who taught you?”

“I went to a boxing class here and there,” James said.

“What’s boxing?”

“You don’t know what boxing is?” James asked. “It’s a fighting sport. Mostly punching.”

“That sounds so cool!” Undyne said. “Can you like, make a living on that up there?”

“It’s not easy, but yeah,” James said. Something in his expression soured.

“Is that what you were gonna try and do?” Undyne asked.

“...That’s what I wanted, yeah. Not that my parents ever gave a damn about what I wanted to do.”

Undyne’s face sombered, too. “Well… why not?”

“They just kinda gave up on me after my brother was born,” he said, shrugging. “He was smart, liked school, didn’t have all my… issues. I was just the embarrassment, their stupid dyslexic son that would rather go do sports than sitting inside all day trying to force a bunch of useless crap into my head that I didn’t even care about in the first place. They spent every single day comparing me to Mike - you should study harder like Mike, son, you shouldn’t spend so much time on frivolous things because Mike doesn’t, if you just tried like Mike does maybe you’d actually be good for something.” James had his arms crossed in front of himself, his whole posture tense.

“Dude… that’s really messed up,” Undyne said. “What a crummy bunch of parents. And dyslexia doesn’t make you stupid, dude. If you weren’t performing as well as they wanted to they should’ve gotten you the resources you needed to it, on top of actually supporting what you wanted to do with your life. Sounds like it was their fault, not your brother’s.”

“It was. Mike’s a good kid. He was always good to me. Even tried to defend me sometimes when mom and dad got on my case.”

Something clicked in Undyne’s head. “...You ran away, didn’t you?”

“...Yeah.”

“What about Mike?” Undyne asked.

James gave a hollow laugh. “...Mike’ll be fine. He never needed me like I needed him. Couldn’t go back even if I wanted to anyway.”

“Dude, I’m sure that’s not true. The first part, I mean. He wouldn’t stick up for you against his own parents if he didn’t care about you,” Undyne said. James sniffed loudly and took in a shaky breath. “...You okay, man?”

“Yeah,” James said, though his voice said otherwise. “You just… you really, uh… did a number on me. Pretty sure I’m gonna have a black eye tomorrow, my eye’s watering.”

“...Yeah. Sorry about that,” Undyne said. She hadn’t stuck anywhere near his face.

“Anyway, uh… punches,” James said.

“Right. Punches,” Undyne smiled, squaring up again.

Olivia returned from backstage with a very different outfit than she usually wore. She had a lime green crop top, giant gold-hoop earrings, and blue jeans - the only thing she kept the same was that her hair was still pulled back in a bun. A giant entourage of monsters wearing similar neon-colored clothing followed her, fanning out behind her on the stage. The tiniest of smirks found its way onto Olivia’s face.

The music dropped and Olivia and her team exploded into an aggressive hip-hop routine, a far cry from the graceful ballet she usually did. She performed with no less passion, however, every step coming out fierce and powerful. Olivia was the lead dancer, of course, but halfway through the performance she backflipped to the back of the stage and gave her associates a turn in the spotlight. Some of them showed off ridiculous flips and aerial stunts, others coordinated breakdancing, and the rest flocked into thrilling dance formations one after the other. Olivia was back out in front as the routine drew to a close, and the entire crowd erupted with applause.

The dance crew waved at the audience as they made their way off of the stage and Mettaton wheeled out onto it. A cloud of smoke enveloped the room.

“Beauties and Gentlebeauties~” Mettaton called out from the stage. The smoke obscured him entirely. “Who’s ready for a real performance?” Part of the crowd cheered. “Well you’re in luck, darlings, for tonight - to honor this special occasion - I’ve prepared something truly special. For after tonight, you will have a new and improved Mettaton, king of the airwaves!”

Something happened on the stage - it sounded vaguely like an explosion - and the smoke began to clear. “Beauties and Gentlebeauties, I present to you - Death by Glamour!”

A set of giant fans blew the rest of the smoke away and the entire audience gasped at once. Mettaton’s boxy robotic form had been replaced by a humanoid one - one with dark hair, a hot pink chest and heels, and a glass stomach that held what appeared to be his soul. The music started.

Mettaton blitzed into a disco routine, hitting moves at superhuman speeds. The crowd went absolutely insane, jumping out of their seats and waving their arms wildly to the beat. By the time the number ended everyone was half-deaf and half-drowned in glitter.

“Round 1 is complete!” A judge announced over the speakers. “All scores will remain secret until the end of the competition. Mettaton will begin Round 2.”

As the stage crew began sweeping up the literal mounds of glitter on the floor, Mettaton went backstage to change clothes. He came out a few minutes later with an audacious costume on - one half of it was a magenta-colored suit and the other was an elegant ice-blue gown. He turned his side to the audience so only one half of the costume was visible at once and launched into a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque soliloquy, spinning around in place quickly whenever he needed to switch characters..

It was excessively melodramatic and more than a little cheesy at times - the audience laughed more than once even though it was intended to be a serious, romantic piece. Olivia smiled a little bit as she and her partner for the next act prepared offstage.

The act ended with much more meager applause than his first had and Mettaton reluctantly exited the stage. Olivia walked out onto the stage in nice-casual clothes and took a seat at a table for two. Then she picked up a menu as if waiting for a date.

Felix, dressed in a ridiculously fancy suit, strutted out onto the stage in the sassiest, over-the-top manner he could manage. He took a seat across from Olivia, immediately pulled out a pocket mirror, and started looking at himself in it.

“Burgerpants?! You quit and went to HER?!” Mettaton gasped from offstage. Felix and Olivia, true professionals, didn’t react at all.

“Um… are you my date?” Olivia asked.

“I do believe so, darling~” Felix said. “How lucky for you, hm hm.”

“...Definitely,” Olivia said. “So, um… why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”

“Oh, I’m so glad you asked, darling,” Felix said, immediately launching into a very long monologue about how fabulous and amazing he was. Olivia left halfway through without him noticing. “But that’s quite enough about me, darling,” Felix said. “What about… darling? Where did you go?”

The stage went dark for a few moments and Olivia was back at the table reading the menu by herself. Felix, this time in a sloppy t-shirt and jeans, rushed onto the stage.

“So sorry I’m late!” he said. “I got sidetracked with a work thing and then there was this other-- nevermind. Um, hi.”

“Hi,” Olivia said, smiling. “So, what do--”

“Oh, just one second,” Felix said taking out his phone. He started texting someone. Then he put the phone to his ear and started talking to someone. The entire date went by and Olivia barely got a word in edgewise.

“Ugh, I’m so sorry about all that. Now where were - shoot, I’m late for an appointment, I need to go! Sorry!” He ran off the stage.

Olivia sighed and pulled out her phone. “Looks like I have a number to delete.” The crowd laughed.

The stage reset again and Felix came out in work clothes. He sat down, looking fidgety.

“Hello,” Olivia said. “Are you my date tonight?”

“Yeah. Sorry I’m such a mess, I just got off work and didn’t have time to go home and change.”

“That’s completely understandable,” Olivia said. “Working overtime?”

“Ugh, don’t get me started,” Felix moaned. “I don’t even sleep anymore. I swear, if my nerves get anymore frayed I’m going to explode.”

“Well let me see if I can help you relax a bit tonight, then,” Olivia smiled.

The rest of the date went swimmingly, Felix talking about how he wanted to become an actor and giving Olivia equal time to speak about her dancing aspirations. They seemed to lose track of time.

“Well, I should probably let you get some sleep,” Olivia said. “Same time next week?”

Felix blinked, just a little surprised. “Uh… sure, yeah! I’d really love that.”

Olivia’s next act was a solo ballet performance, done in the same outfit she’d arrived in (although Toriel had altered it significantly so it would still fit her). Mettaton did a game show where he was both the host and the contestant and got every question right; he then put on a one-man fashion show, coming out with an enormous array of clothes of all kinds. That one earned him a huge round of applause. Olivia’s fourth performance was a cooking show with Queen Toriel - it was her famous triple-chocolate molten lava cake, and she’d baked enough ahead of time that the entire audience got to sample a small piece. Needless to say it was a hit.

Olivia stood backstage as the stage was reset with the newest addition to her studio. She smiled at her. “Is my secret weapon ready?” Olivia asked.

“I… I-I changed my mind, I can’t do this,” the monster said. Her name was Shyren.

“Hey,” Olivia said, looking her in the eyes. “Yes, you can. You’re going to knock this out of the park, Shyren. They’re going to love you.”

Shyren shook her head. “I-I can’t… there’s so many people out there. I-I’m not Shyra. I’m not as good as my sister was, I’m not any good at all, I just…”

“Look at me,” Olivia said. “I know you miss her. But she’s right here with you, and she’s gonna be out there with you, too,” she said. “You have the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard. Shyra would want you to share your gift with the world! You can do this. It’s time.”

“O...Okay. I’ll… I’ll try.”

Shyren drifted out onto the stage slowly, stopping in front of the microphone. A piano began to play, soft and melancholy; then, the most beautiful, ephemeral voice filled the room.

“~Time stood still for a while,

Your hand was holding mine.

The stars that shined in your eyes,

And don’t let them go by…”

The audience was completely silent, utterly entranced. Slowly, the rest of Olivia’s studio walked out onto the stage behind her, dressed in all black and each holding a candle or an instrument that they began to play.

“...And I’ll be waiting for the light,

That guides us through the worst of nights.

And I’ll be waiting for a sign,

You’re coming back, and you have found your path~”

They all jumped into a chorus of voices, swelling with emotion as they began to wave their candles back and forth. The audience found glowsticks under their seats and began waving them around as well as everyone was pulled into the song. Tears began to roll down faces, in the audience and on the stage alike. Shyren closed her eyes, enraptured by the moment completely.

She returned to the chorus and everyone in the Underground sang with her. And then, as softly as she began, the music faded away. It was silent for a moment.

The applause built slowly, but it grew into a deafening roar. Everyone stood up as Shyren started to cry. Olivia walked up to her and hugged her, and everyone on the stage took a final bow. It was silent as Mettaton stepped onto the stage.

“Well, that was certainly depressing,” Mettaton said, trying to pull everyone’s attention back to him. The remark earned him more than a few angry glares. He snapped his fingers and launched into a peppy, superfluous pop song. The applause he received for it was weak at best; some people were still emotional over Shyren’s song.

“Well, folks, looks like all ten performances are over,” one of the judges said. “Both teams did amazing work out there - you should be proud of yourselves. Unfortunately, there can be only one winner. We’ll announce the scores.”

Olivia and Mettaton stepped out onto the stage as the audience murmured in anticipation.

“Mettaton - your overall score out of 100 was…” the judge paused for dramatic effect, “76!”

The crowd cheered. Olivia took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“Olivia - your overall score… was… 94! Congratulations, Olivia is the winner of the competition!”

The crowd screamed in delight, jumping to their feet and applauding. Olivia opened her eyes, letting out a shaky sigh of relief. She waved to the crowd with both hands and blew kisses to them, getting emotional. Mettaton stood perfectly still, too stunned to move.

After what seemed like forever, Olivia turned to him and stuck out her hand. “You did good out there,” she said. “You were a worthy opponent. Maybe we can work out--”

Mettaton backed away from her, a sudden flood of tears falling from his eyes. He looked around in horror, as if waking up from a nightmare, and then ran off the stage sobbing.

“Mettaton! Mettaton, wait!” Olivia called after him. But he was already gone. She felt a pang of guilt in her heart. It was a small one, but it was still there.

...She needed to talk to him.

Chapter Text

For someone as flamboyant and easy-to-spot as Mettaton, he was very difficult to find when he was avoiding people. Olivia was a busy person, but she’d spent every spare moment she had trying to find and talk to the robot and so far it had proved fruitless. Luckily, she’d gotten some directions from a new friend and she had an idea where to find him today.

She stepped across the row of bridge blossoms to find a small, hidden nook with a bench, on which sat Mettaton. She sat down next to him. Mettaton said nothing.

“I’ve been looking for you for forever, you know,” Olivia said.

“Yes, well. Forgive me for not wanting to listen to you gloat about destroying the one and only dream I’ve ever had in one fell swoop. How rude of me.”

Olivia took a deep breath. She really, really did try to be civil with him. “That’s not fair,” she said, just slightly sharper than she meant to.

“Oh?”

“Do you really think that you’re the only person that has a dream? That matters? Are you really that delusional and self-important?” Olivia said.

“You don’t know anything,” Mettaton said. “I put everything I had out there. I… I created that persona, those acts, this body to finally feel like… who I was meant to be. And he…” he turned away, burying his face in his knees. “...He wasn’t good enough. I’ve never been good enough. I’m not upset because I lost. I’m upset because everything I am, every dream I’ve ever had… all amounted to nothing.”

“I never wanted any of this, Mettaton,” Olivia said. “But you backed me into a corner trying to keep me from my dreams. None of this was necessary. I wouldn’t have had to wrestle the stage out from under you if you would have just shared it.”

“...You’re right,” Mettaton said. “I know you’re right. I just… the spotlight! It’s intoxicating in a way I can’t begin to explain. When I’m there, under the lights… I can’t think of anything else. Don’t you feel that way? Don’t you want to have the stage all to yourself?”

“Sure, I feel like that sometimes,” Olivia said. “But I also know what it’s like to be on the other side looking in. Even just trying to get into things like school plays was impossible for me. I always ‘didn’t look the part,’ or ‘wasn’t quite what they were looking for.’ And even if I didn’t have to deal with all the bigoted and narrow-minded people I had in my hometown, the surface really does have a surplus of people that want to make a living off of their creative talents. There are so many actors and writers and musicians that just… never see the light of day.

“So… that’s why I ran my studio the way I did,” Olivia continued. “Because down here… there wasn’t a surplus. There was room for all those people on the stage, and… I was in a position to make all their dreams come true. Up on the surface, that doesn’t happen very often - people compete, step on each other’s toes all the time. But if you get that rare opportunity to help someone else without jeopardizing your own goals… don’t you think it’s our responsibility to take it?”

“I’ve never… I’ve never thought about things that way,” Mettaton said.

“I don’t take pleasure in destroying other people’s dreams, Mettaton,” Olivia said. “But when someone else threatens mine, or the dreams of the people I’m trying to help? You can be darn well sure I’m going to fight.”

“Yes, well. Perhaps if I’d realized that sooner, darling, we could have shared the spotlight. But it’s a little late for that now.” Mettaton gave her a defeated smile.

“...I need to talk to you about that, too,” Olivia said. “But right now there’s someone else you need to speak to.”

Mettaton watched her quizzically as she left and someone else floated over to the bench. It was Napstablook.

Mettaton’s metal heart skipped a beat. “B… Blooky?”

“...oh, you… know who i am… wow…” Napstablook said, hovering in the air awkwardly. “i’m a really big fan… um…”

Mettaton blinked his eyes, slightly confused. “Blooky, darling, what are you going on about? It’s… it’s me!”

“um… i don’t… i’m sorry, i don’t know what you’re talking about,” Napstablook said.

“...You aren’t being serious right now,” Mettaton said. “Blooky, it’s me! It’s Hapstablook! You really… didn’t know?”

“...oh… well… i guess… all of the music did sound like you, and… maybe… maybe i kinda knew, but…” They avoided eye contact with Mettaton, choosing instead to stare at the ground. “i just thought, well… you just didn’t want anything to do with me… since, you know… you left without saying anything, and… you got a new body, and… and changed your name, and… never talked to me again…”

Mettaton closed his eyes, letting the words sink in. Phrased like that… he really did sound like a horrible person, didn’t he?

“Oh, Blooky… no, no, that wasn’t it at all! I just… I…” For once Mettaton found himself at a loss for words. He couldn’t just say he forgot about them.

“it’s okay…” Napstablook said. “i understand… you wouldn’t… why would anyone...”

“No! Don’t do that,” Mettaton said. “It wasn’t you. It was never you. It was… always about me, and what I wanted.” He nodded to himself in understanding. “I never thought about what you felt, what anyone else felt. ...And that’s my failure.”

“n-no, no… you don’t have to—”

“No. I was selfish, and I hurt you. You, who for the longest time were the only person who believed in my dreams. The only person who could get me out of the house every once in a while. I must say… I’m ashamed. I’m so, so sorry, darling. You deserved better, Blooky.”

Napstablook finally sat down next to him silently. “...oh… well...um…”

“Could you ever forgive me, darling?” Mettaton asked.

“um… well, sure…” Napstablook said.

Mettaton chuckled to himself. “You really are too good for this world, Blooky. We should go talk to Olivia about getting you a music show on her channel! You’d be a perfect fit up there.”

“oh no, i couldn’t… i don’t… i’m not good enough to do that,” Napstablook said.

“That’s ridiculous,” Mettaton scoffed. “If you had been up there with me there was no possible way I could have lost. It was my own fault. But just because I squandered my own shot at stardom doesn’t mean we can’t get you yours. It will be absolutely fabulous!”

“Who says you’ve squandered anything?” Olivia said, peering around the corner. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I don’t need you to move out of the studio if you’ve learned your lesson - let’s just share the stage. Okay?”

“I… oh, darling, THANK YOU!” Mettaton screamed. His robotic arms extended, grabbing her by the shoulders and dragging her into a tight hug. “Oh, I promise you won’t regret this! Together, we’ll give the Underground the entertainment it deserves!”

“...You’re welcome,” Olivia grunted. “Please let go now, this is painful.” She straightened her clothes as he let go. “I’ll be honest - I don’t like everything you do on the stage, but you do put your heart into it.”

“As loath as I am to admit it, I feel the same way,” Mettaton said. “There was no room for complacency with you around, darling. You pushed me to be the best I could be out there. You know… I think it’s quite healthy for an entertainer to have a rival to push them.”

“As long as that rivalry remains friendly,” Olivia said.

“Of course. You know something, darling? I think we could be great friends.”

Hummmmmmmmmmmmm.

Click!

Olivia blinked. “No. There’s no way.”

“...You’re my soulmate?!” Mettaton said.

“How?!” Olivia said, mildly horrified.

“Our rivalry!” Mettaton shouted, jumping to his feet. “We push each other! Invigorate each other! Bring each other back down to earth when the other is out of line! It’s perfect! Poetic, even! Olivia, do you realize what this means?!”

“...Not really?”

“It was destiny for us to meet on the stage! Just think of the things we can do together! The dreams we can bring to life!” Mettaton shook Olivia by the shoulders violently before picking her up over his head and dashing across the bridge blossoms. “Come along, Blooky! There is talent all around us just waiting to be discovered! We must find it, all of it, and give everyone their chance to shine!”

“...okay…” Napstablook said, following behind slowly.

“Put me down!” Olivia shouted, completely befuddled.

“There’s no time for that! Think of the dreams, you silly girl, dreams just waiting to come true! We’ve wasted enough time already!” Mettaton laughed giddily as he ran toward Hotland, Napstablook hovering quietly behind.

“Incoming on the right!” Courtney shouted. Papyrus pulled up a wall of bones to block the incoming barrage of kicks and punches from James, and Courtney fired a few dozen energy shots from her empty pistol to destroy the wave of spears coming towards her.

James tried to bust through the wall, but Papyrus was repairing it faster than James could tear it down. Similarly, Courtney was shooting down Undyne’s spears just as fast as she was throwing them.

“Hey Undyne!” James called. “You wanna try that Wallbreaker move?”

“You know it, punk!” Undyne called back, leaping high into the air and landing next to him. Moving quickly, she picked James up by the torso and held him like a battering ram. He held his fists forward, which started to glow orange, and Undyne tossed him at Papyrus’ bone wall with a loud battle roar.

Papyrus fell to the ground among the shards of his bone wall, down for the count. James and Undyne smirked at Courtney.

“Better give up now, punk,” Undyne said.

“I ain’t done yet!” Courtney said. She aimed her gun at James as he got to his feet, and a flurry of yellow shots slammed into him. Surprised, James tried to dodge and block, but Courtney followed his movements and rendered his defenses completely inert. He collapsed to the ground, groaning.

“You’ve gotten to be quite the sharpshooter, I’ll give you that,” Undyne said. She sprinted towards Courtney, throwing spears to cover her approach. Soon she was within melee range, and with a few quick strikes, Courtney was on the ground.

“HA! I win again!” Undyne said. The others picked themselves up off of the ground.

“I swear I don’t get no better at close range no matter how long I practice,” Courtney grumbled, stowing her gun and massaging her arms.

“THAT ISN’T TRUE AT ALL, COURTNEY!” Papyrus said. “WHY, YOU LASTED AT LEAST TWICE AS LONG AGAINST UNDYNE THIS TIME AS YOU DID LAST TIME!”

“Yeah, a whole extra five seconds,” Courtney said, rolling her eyes.

“Hey, quit beating yourself up about it,” Undyne said. “You gotta remember that once we get into the Royal Guard we’ll be fighting as a unit. You’re the sniper - you’re supposed to stay out of range and help keep an eye on the battle from a tactical view. If someone gets close enough to you that you need to go hand-to-hand, the rest of us aren’t doing our jobs.”

“Yeah,” James said. “Not to say you shouldn’t know how to defend yourself up close - which you really have been improving on, I promise. But you also gotta factor in that the rest of us all outsize and/or outweigh you. Just play to your strengths. Seriously, I don’t think anyone stands a chance against the four of us. Not to be mushy or anything, but… you guys really rock at this. I’m really happy I get to do this with you guys.”

“Aw, you big softie,” Undyne chuckled, grabbing James in a headlock and giving him a very aggressive noogie. “He’s right, though. We’re unstoppable! It’s only a matter of time until they let us in the Royal Guard.”

“...Indeed,” a voice said from around the corner, slightly amused. The four turned around to see Asgore and the current Royal Guard captain, Gerson. Asgore smiled at them.

“You four’ve been workin’ real hard lately, eh?” Gerson said, leaning on his hammer like a cane.

Undyne’s eyes practically lit up. “U-Um, yes! Yes, sir! Yes Sir Gerson, sir!”

“Gerson’s just fine,” Gerson said. “You wanna tell ‘em or me, King Fluffybuns?”

“I’ll do the honor if you don’t mind, old friend,” Asgore smiled. “You see, a large part of the Royal Guard is getting close to retirement age, including our dear captain here. We are looking for some fresh blood for the guard, and… well, we think you all would fit in quite nicely.”

“ARE YOU SERIOUS?!” Papyrus said.

“Yup. It’s about time we got some youngun’s in there. There is one order of business we need to attend to, though,” Gerson said. “Since I’m gonna be retiring here in a few months, I gotta start trainin’ the new captain. The other guards that are stayin’, they uh… well, let’s say they don’t exactly have the leadership qualities I’m looking for. So - which of you thinks they should get the job?”

Courtney, James, and Papyrus all gave each other a quick glance before saying all together, “Undyne.”

Undyne looked at them, surprised. “Aw… guys, you don’t…”

“Come on, everyone knows you want this more than anything, Undyne,” James said.

“There’s no doubt you’re the strongest one here, too,” Courtney added.

“AND YOU MAKE AN EXCELLENT LEADER! YOU BRING OUT EVERYONE’S BEST ON THE BATTLEFIELD! YOU’LL BE THE BEST CAPTAIN, UNDYNE!”

“I think we have our answer,” Asgore chuckled. “The ceremony will be at ten a.m. on Saturday at the palace. Formal attire, please.” He and Gerson walked off to leave the new guards to celebrate.

“We… we did it,” Undyne said disbelievingly.

“Hell yeah we did!” James said, walking over to her. “Now get over here, Sharkface. You earned this, sister.” He wrapped Undyne in a giant, crushing bear hug.

“You aren’t doing so bad yourself, Muscles,” Undyne said, retaliating by lifting James into the air as she returned the hug. “I think you found right where you belong.”

Papyrus walked over to Courtney, who’d begun to tear up a little. “Sorry, sorry,” Courtney said, wiping her eyes. “I just… I’m real happy that they… that I get to… tarnation, I can’t talk right right now.”

Papyrus wrapped her up in a hug as well. “I’M SO PROUD OF YOU,” he said. “OF ALL OF US! WE’RE GOING TO MAKE THE UNDERGROUND THE SAFEST, BESTEST PLACE TO LIVE IN THE WHOLE WORLD!”

“...Yeah,” Courtney said, hugging him back. “That’ll work.”

Hummmmm-Hummmmmm.

Click-Click!

“...Woah,” James said, pulling away. “This feels… really…”

“No freaking way,” Undyne said. “This. Is. So. Cool!”

“THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!!!!!” Papyrus screamed, picking Courtney up and spinning her around in cirles.

Undyne glanced towards her house. “I gotta try something,” she said, running over to one of the walls. Her eyes flashed orange like James’ did and she jabbed her fingers into the stone floor - it cracked. The others looked on in awe as she started laughing, slowing ripping her entire house out of the ground and holding it above her head. She gave the others a crazy grin. “I AM THE STRONGEST THING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!”

“...Okay, I have some concerns now,” James said, staring at the house with a mild expression of fear.

“Chaaaraaaa…”

Chara groaned and smothered her own face with a pillow. “Go away,” she said.

Chara’s reflection - that was what she’d taken to calling it - had been following her everywhere for months now. Always trying to convince her that the other humans were dangerous, that Chara needed to kill them. She’d worked very hard on ignoring her, especially since James and Courtney had turned out to be decent people after all; but there was only so much she could take. She barely got any sleep anymore, and she spent most of her time alone to prevent everyone else from thinking she was crazy.

Togore’s condition had stabilized, at the very least. Chara had a feeling it was because Toriel and Asgore had resumed taking care of her, but her own waning health was still affecting her soulmate.

“Chara,” the voice said again.

“What do you want now?” Chara sighed, forcing her eyes shut even though she knew it wouldn’t help.

“Come on now. Surely you’ve realized it by now,” the voice said.

“You know, I really haven’t,” Chara growled. “Courtney and James haven’t done anything suspicious since they got out of jail. They’re safe as far as I’m concerned.”

“Even if that were true,” the voice insisted, “there’s something else you’re missing.”

“Mm?”

“You can break the barrier, Chara,” the voice said. “There are seven humans down here now. You should kill them, Chara. Kill all of them!”

“Right, and then kill myself. Already tried that once. Didn’t go very well.”

“Asriel won’t ruin everything this time,” the voice said. “Asgore will use the souls when he realizes you’re all dead. He’ll destroy all of them.”

“You know, I really don’t think he would,” Chara said.

“Of course he would. You don’t know him like I do. The knife, Chara - there’s a reason you’ve kept it all this time. Use it. Use it now! Kill them all!”

Chara screamed in frustration, throwing her pillow across the room. This had to stop.

A thought found its way into her sleep-deprived mind. Clenching her jaw determinedly, she got out of bed and started walking towards the skeletons’ house.

Chapter Text

“g,” Sans said, trying to keep his breathing steady. He was on the verge of a breakdown. “g. please. please talk to me. g - why would you draw me like that? what did i do? are… are you mad at me? do you… is this my fault?”

Gaster spun around in his chair and grabbed Sans’ shoulders roughly. “ No. It’s never your fault. Never.”

Gaster’s fingers dug into Sans’ bones painfully and Sans attempted to pry them off. He fought back a wave of tears. “then why—”

Gaster’s eyes suddenly flared with magic and he summoned a ring of blasters. “Behind you,” he said.

Sans whipped around to see Chara standing in the doorway. He summoned his own blasters to counter Gaster’s as Gaster fired at her.

“g, stop! it’s just chara!”

Gaster stopped, staring at the bewildered human intensely. The blasters disappeared. “Wrong Chara.” He turned around to his desk again.

“there’s only one—” Sans sighed, deciding not to argue. He looked at Chara. “ this is why he isn’t supposed to have unannounced visitors! why are you—” Sans narrowed his eyes suspiciously, glancing between Gaster and Chara. He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him.

“do you know what’s going on with him?” Sans asked, nearly hysterical.

“I don’t really think it’s my place to—”

Sans grabbed her shoulders. “ please. if you know something, please tell me. nothing is helping, not even andy can figure out what’s wrong. some days he’s almost normal. some days, he’s locked in that room all day long scrawling all over those damned notebooks, he doesn’t eat unless i remind him to… chara, some days i’m not even sure he knows who i am. it’s terrifying. i need you to tell me what you know, i am begging you.” Tears started rolling down his face.

Chara sighed. “He… saw something when he fell into the void,” she said.

“ what did he see?”

“Possibilities,” Chara said, shrugging. “I don’t understand it myself. I think he saw glimpses of the past, or the future, or… alternate realities.”

“so you’re saying… those drawings… he saw that happen to me?”

“I don’t know which drawing you’re referring to,” Chara said. “But that’s probably what it was. If you want my opinion…” she sighed. “I think, in some alternate world, the time machine caused a lot more damage. Maybe Gaster never made it out of the void there, and you blamed yourself or something. I think he has trouble knowing which version of reality he’s in sometimes.”

Sans leaned back against the wall. “stars above,” he said, his voice shaking.

“But,” Chara said, “he also doesn’t want you to worry about whatever he’s seeing because he knows it’s not real; as far as we’re concerned, anyway. He really just wants you to be happy, maybe because… he knows you weren’t in some other universe.”

“...what am i supposed to do?” Sans asked helplessly.

“...Just be there. Live your life, be happy. I think that’s really all he wants - you to be happy.”

Sans sighed. “...i need to get some sleep,” he said. “try and get him to go to bed whenever you’re done talking, okay?”

Chara nodded and entered Gaster’s room. Gaster placed a notebook on the enormous pile next to him and Chara picked it up to flip through it. She had an idea why Sans was so upset now.

On every page was a picture of Sans - standing with a shocked expression on his face, his ribs slashed open and leaking red. The image was exactly the same every time, almost as if it had been traced.

“...I feel like this is a little overkill,” Chara said, more than a little creeped out. “Isn’t one of these enough?”

“It has happened many times,” Gaster said. “It is a key event.”

“Key event to wha— nevermind. Are you going to use your fortune-teller mumbo-jumbo and tell me why I’m here?”

“...Did you know that the human view of ‘ghosts’ actually has some merit?” Gaster said. “Because human souls linger after death, sometimes they can leave a psychic imprint of sorts behind. They can cause ‘hauntings,’ or ‘possessions.’ These are, of course, a completely separate entity from ghost monsters.”

“Are you saying this thing in my head is a ghost?” Chara said.

“She is, after all, an alternate version of you,” Gaster said. “You would be very easy for her to imprint on. She must have latched onto you right before you gained your red magic.”

“How do I get rid of her?” Chara asked.

“Each phantom has a specific reason for lingering. ‘Unfinished business’ if you will. You must either resolve it, or make its resolution impossible. In your particular case I would not recommend the former.”

“How do I make it impossible to kill the humans?” Chara asked.

“You ask the wrong question,” Gaster said. “This particular phantom is tied to a different world. You are not the original host, as it were. You need to remove her from the initial host.”

“...The kid in the judgement hall,” Chara surmised. “Can I even get back there?”

“...I might be able to navigate for you.” Gaster stood up, grabbing the notebook from Chara’s hands. “Come. We must go to the lab.”

“...You’re being rather helpful for once,” Chara said, slightly suspicious.

“...There are infinite realities, princess. I cannot save him every time. But perhaps, if I could just save him once - it might ease my conscience a little.”

“...There’s the cryptic part,” Chara sighed.

Chara followed Gaster into the Hotland lab and then into the time machine room. The tear in space remained. Gaster offered Chara his hand. She took it, and Gaster reached out to touch the rip.

She was in the judgement hall again - the scene was familiar. Sans was fighting the human child, and the phantom hovered in the background. Only the ghost seemed to notice Chara and Gaster appear.

“You shouldn’t be here,” the ghost said.

Chara ignored her and watched the kid closely. The way he moved was almost robotic - like a puppet. There was no actual effort in his movements; it was like he was being pulled around by something.

“He doesn’t want to do this, does he?” Chara asked the ghost.

“It’s too late for that now,” the phantom said. “It all must be purged.”

“ Why?” Chara asked. “Why are you trying to kill Sans? What did he ever do to you?”

The ghost smiled and walked towards the castle basement, beckoning for her to follow. Gaster merely stood in place and watched the battle rage on. Chara followed the ghost to the basement, where she found a row of coffins.

“What is this?” Chara asked.

“Read them.”

Chara felt her heart freeze for a moment as she looked at the names. Chara. James. Courtney. Andy. Charlotte. Olivia. Landon.

“No,” she said. “Why… how…”

“It was Asgore,” the ghost said. “He had them all killed.”

“No,” Chara shook her head. “You’re lying.”

“Our plan failed,” Chara said. “Asriel died when he used my soul to get to the surface.”

“No.”

“Asgore declared war on humanity. He began collecting human souls in order to become a god and destroy the surface.”

“Stop talking!”

“Toriel fled to the Ruins like a coward. Undyne tried to kill us on sight - she didn’t even give it a second thought. Alphys used the human souls to experiment on dying monsters and it melted them all into horrible amalgamations. Sans was too broken and pathetic to even keep me from killing Papyrus. And the humans all died like the dogs they are - after taking their fair share of monsters with them.”

“What are you?!” Chara screamed. “You are not me. This… none of them are like this. They’re all good people, they—”

“I used to think it was just the humans that were irredeemable, you know,” the phantom said. “But I see my error now. They’re all rotten inside, every last one. Monsters, humans - they’re all the same. None of them deserve to walk this earth. They need to be removed, like the cancer they are. You know I’m right. We must erase them.”

“NO!” Chara shouted, pulling out her knife. “No. I refuse to believe that. The people I love aren’t evil. You’re the problem. You aren’t actually a person, you’re just… you’re just all the hate I had back then, left behind to keep poisoning everything.” Chara looked at the knife in her hands. She hesitated for a moment before throwing it to the ground. “I will never let myself become you.” Chara marched back up the stairs.

“...What are you doing?” the phantom asked. The battle above seemed to have come to a standstill.

“c’mon, buddy,” Sans said, talking to the human. “do you remember me? please, if you’re listening… let’s forget all this, okay? just lay down your weapon, and… well, my job will be a lot easier.”

Chara walked to the human and put her hands on his shoulders. He blinked, as if finally realizing Chara was there. His eyes were bright red.

“You know they’re good people, don’t you?” Chara asked. The human stared at her.

“What are you doing?” the phantom asked.

“You can undo all this, can’t you? You have the same powers I do.” Chara smiled at him. “They deserve a better ending than this. Everyone does. Go back. Fix this.”

“Stop that,” the phantom said.

“...We’re all capable of good and evil,” Chara said. “It’s all up to what we choose. Make a better choice than she did.”

The human started breathing heavily, and his hand began to shake.

“No,” the ghost said. “No!”

His hand glowed, and suddenly both Frisk and Sans disappeared as if they had never been there in the first place. The ghost glared daggers at Chara.

“You’re a fool,” she said. “They’ll disappoint you every time. Just you wait.” She began to fade away.

“Let’s go,” Chara said to Gaster.

Gaster tore a page out of the notebook and crumpled it up before throwing it on the ground. He smiled a little before offering her his hand again.

Chapter Text

Gaster parted ways with Chara and headed back home as soon as they were back in the Hotland lab, in a much better mood than he had been previously. Chara walked home to the palace and decided to take a stroll through the garden, wanting to be alone with her thoughts.

She sighed as she looked at the large rows of buttercups waving in the thin breeze that managed to trickle through the barrier. They were almost like the golden flowers she’d loved so much as a little girl, but not quite. These ones had a more sinister tint to them somehow. She thought back to that day so long ago that she and Asriel had tried to enact her ill-conceived plan. That seemed like the Chara she’d fought in the judgement hall. The question was… was that Chara still a part of her? Deep down somewhere, did she still believe what that phantom had told her on some level?

A break in the seamless rows of yellow flowers caught Chara’s attention and she walked over. Her heart caught in her throat and she screamed, covering her mouth.

There was a human boy lying face-up in the flowers, with longish brown hair and a blue-and-purple striped sweater. The same boy she’d just seen in the other world. Chara took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves.

Asriel ran out into the garden. “Chara?! What happened, is everything— oh.” He knelt down next to the boy, checking his pulse. “Looks like he’s okay. We should still get him inside, though. What, did he almost fall on top of you or something?”

“...No,” Chara said. “He just… startled me.”

Asriel picked the boy up in his arms gently and carried him to the bedroom, and Chara followed. The prince left to go get some first aid supplies, and Chara sat next to the boy on the bed. He blinked his eyes open slowly. They were bright scarlet, like Chara’s.

“...Where…?” The boy’s voice was dry and mousy, as if it hadn’t been used in a long time.

“...You’re at the bottom of Mount Ebott. In the Kingdom of Monsters,” Chara said. “I know that’s a lot to take in. But…”

“...I believe you,” the boy said.

Chara raised an eyebrow. “...Usually it takes a little longer than that. What’s your name, kid?”

“...Frisk.”

“Frisk?” Chara laughed. “What kind of parent names— um. Sorry. That was rude. Ignore me.”

Frisk said nothing, sitting up and huddling himself into a small ball. His knees were scuffed up and his skin had been darkly tanned by the sun. Upon closer inspection, his shoes were worn almost beyond use, his socks were riddled with holes, his shorts were too small for him, and his sweater was too large. Chara’s smile faded.

Asriel returned with a damp cloth and some band-aids, hovering at the door. “Um… hey, little fella. Don’t be scared, I’m just… here to help.”

Frisk looked at him with a curious expression, but still said nothing. Curious himself, Asriel knelt down in front of him and started cleaning him up. “I heard your name was Frisk. Am I right?” Frisk nodded, and Asriel smiled. “Frisk. That’s a nice name.” He put a bandaid on Frisk’s knee and stepped back. “There. That should do the trick.”

Frisk dangled his feet off the bed and looked at his legs, smiling. He looked up at Asriel.

“Oh, my name’s Asriel, by the way,” Asriel said. “And this is my sister Chara. Welcome to the Underground!”

“You seem… nice,” Frisk said, voice still somewhat hoarse. Asriel and Chara glanced at each other.

“Hey, uh… are you hungry? There’s still some of my mom’s butterscotch-cinnamon pie in the freezer. I can warm it up for you,” Asriel offered. Frisk nodded and hopped to his feet to follow Asriel to the kitchen. He sat and the table and Chara did the same while Asriel got the pie.

“...Are you from Ebott town?” Chara asked Frisk, a sudden sadness coming over her. She dropped her voice so that Asriel wouldn’t hear. Frisk nodded. “...Are your parents…?” Frisk shook his head. Chara sighed. “...I’m sorry. Mine were too.”

Frisk stared into Chara’s eyes deeply, almost as if he was searching her soul. She blinked, getting slightly uncomfortable. Asriel returned with the pie, and both he and Chara were shocked when Frisk wrapped his arms around Asriel’s middle in a tight hug.

“A-Ah… um… you’re welcome, Frisk,” Asriel said, giving him an awkward pat on the back and glancing at Chara. Frisk then took the pie and began scarfing it down.

Soon the entire royal family had been introduced to Frisk, and Toriel planned to announce his arrival to the kingdom the following morning. He was friendly to every new face introduced to him; smiling and shaking hands, if timidly. He seemed to cling to Asriel like a lifeline, one hand always entwined with the goat prince’s or hanging off of his sleeve. Something started nagging at the back of Chara’s mind as the day progressed, and it wasn’t her usual paranoia either. It was something she couldn’t place. Confusion? Envy? Shame?

Gradually her thoughts became more clear, and she found a moment in which she could grab Frisk away from everyone else for a few seconds. She took him back to her room and he hopped up on her bed, staring at her intently once again. Chara didn’t want to be so blunt, but there was nothing else she could think of to say.

“...Your parents left you on the street, didn’t they?” Chara asked. Frisk shrunk into his sweater a little. “The villagers treated you like dirt, didn’t they?” Frisk shrank further, his mouth disappearing below his collar. Chara wiped at her eyes, trying to keep a composed face. She looked Frisk in the eyes, as intently as she could manage. She needed to know something.

“When you met everyone else… you didn’t even flinch. You greeted each and every human without a hint of reservation or fear or suspicion or…” She closed her eyes. “...How? Weren’t you even a little concerned that they might be lying, or trying to trick you, or… or…”

She looked at Frisk again and he shook his head. Chara shook hers as well. “How? How can you possibly… don’t you hate them? Even… even just a little, for everything they’ve done to you? Don’t you at least mistrust them, or… or…”

Frisk shook his head again, and Chara found herself at a loss. “I think… people can be just as good as they can be bad,” Frisk said. “I think if someone showed them a better way, most people would choose to be better. So… I choose to have faith in them. I choose to give them all the benefit of the doubt.”

Chara stared into Frisk’s eyes, looking for any hint that he was lying, that he was unsure, searching desperately for some glimmer of doubt. But she found nothing other than a resolute conviction there. Determination. He believed, with every fiber of his being, that he was right. Why did that make Chara so uncomfortable?

“...Sorry for pestering you. I’ll leave you be.” Chara got up to leave, even as Frisk reached out a hand towards her to stop her. He watched her go, sitting on the bed. Asriel watched as Chara came out of the room in a hurry and walked inside himself, slightly worried.

“Hey, pal,” Asriel said, sitting next to Frisk. “Chara didn’t scare you, did she?” Frisk shook his head. “That’s good. What’s wrong? You seem kinda down.” Frisk leaned his head on Asriel’s shoulder and Asriel put an arm around him, still a little apprehensive. “...Missing your family?” Asriel asked.

Frisk shook his head. “...This is just new. And Chara is sad. I don’t want her to be sad.”

Asriel chuckled to himself. “You just fell down a mountain into a castle full of monsters and you’re worried about my sister’s feelings. You’re a good kid, Frisk. We’re happy to have you down here, for what it’s worth.” Frisk clung to Asriel’s sleeve.

“...Are you sure that’s all that’s on your mind, Frisk?” Asriel looked down at his arm to see that Frisk’s knuckles had turned white from gripping the fabric so tightly.

Frisk said nothing, merely nuzzling against Asriel instead. “...You’re nice to me,” he said after a while, barely above a whisper.

“...Of course I am,” Asriel said. “Why wouldn’t… I…” He trailed off, remembering more than one conversation he’d had with Chara over the years. He started tearing up and pulled Frisk into a tight hug. “You’re gonna love it down here, Frisk. It’s beautiful, the people are really nice, you’re gonna make tons of new friends…”

Asriel sighed as Frisk hugged him back. “...You’re gonna be alright now. I promise.”

Chapter Text

Since Toriel and Asgore had finally run out of spare rooms in the palace and needed another one constructed, Frisk stayed in Asriel’s room for the night. Asriel watched him fall asleep, thoughts racing and heart heavy. He’d done the same with Chara when she’d first fallen, unable to fall asleep himself until he knew she was resting peacefully. It almost gave him a sense of déjà vu, how similar it felt. It hadn’t been that way with any of the others; but with Frisk and Chara, Asriel could almost feel the pain they carried. He just wanted to make them happy. It took him a while to drift off, but eventually he was able to find a tentative sleep.

It was broken by the sound of Frisk rolling around fitfully in his bed. He’d kicked the blankets off and had his pillow wrapped in a deathgrip, and his face was screwed up in some sort of fearful expression. Asriel padded over to him and shook his shoulder.

“Frisk? Frisk, are you okay?”

Frisk woke up with a start, hyperventilating as they looked up at Asriel.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay! It was just a nightmare. You’re—”

Asriel’s words caught in his throat as Frisk grabbed him in a tight hug, crying into his chest softly. Asriel tucked him under his chin and rubbed his back.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s okay.” He picked Frisk up and walked into the kitchen slowly, setting him down in a chair once his crying had slowed down. Frisk watched him intently as Asriel went to the fridge, poured a glass of milk, and heated it up gently with his fire magic. He sat back down next to Frisk and offered the glass.

“Here. This always helps Chara,” Asriel said. Frisk took it and let it warm his clammy hands for a few moments before sipping from it. “...Do you want to talk about it?” Asriel asked.

Frisk shook his head. Asriel sighed. “Okay,” he said. “If you want to… just let me know.”

“...Are you happy?” Frisk asked all of a sudden, after chugging down the rest of his milk.

“Um… sure I am,” Asriel said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Frisk just shrugged ambiguously, setting his empty glass down on the table. “I just want you to be. So I’m glad that you are.”

“Heh. You’re a goofy kid sometimes, Frisk,” Asriel chuckled. “...Are you sure you don’t want to talk about your nightmare? Is there something wrong, something you’re scared of right now...?”

Frisk shook his head again. “This place… makes me really happy.”

Asriel smiled a little. “Oh yeah? Why’s that? ...It’s mom’s pie, isn’t it?”

They both had a laugh at that. “Just because… I knew I was right,” Frisk said.

Asriel looked at him closely. “Right… about what?”

“That there was a place with good people out there somewhere,” Frisk said. “I knew they could be good if they tried. And you proved it.”

“Yeah… you and I think a lot alike, Frisk,” Asriel said. “I think even the worst person can be good, if they just try. And I think most people want to be good. I just think… some people don’t quite know how, is all.”

“So we have to show them how to be good,” Frisk said.

“Exactly,” Asriel said, smiling. “...You’re wise beyond your years, Frisk. I think the world would be a better place if we had a lot more people like you.”

“Can… can you promise me something?” Frisk asked timidly.

“Sure, Frisk. Promise what?”

“Promise me you’ll stay happy,” he said.

“Frisk… why are you so fixated on me being happy?” Asriel asked.

Frisk looked away. “Because… not everyone gets a chance to be happy like you are right now. I just… want you to stay this way.”

Asriel laid his hand on Frisk’s. “...Okay. I’ll promise you on one condition. You have to promise to be happy, too. It doesn’t have to be all the time, but… I feel like that’s only fair. Deal?”

Frisk nodded and leaned against Asriel’s side. “And… we’ll find a way to make Chara happy too.”

Asriel smiled to himself a little. “...I don’t think she needs as much help as you think she does, buddy. Let’s have a little faith in her, yeah?”

Asriel sat there and stroked Frisk’s back until he fell asleep against his side. Then he picked him up and tucked him back into bed.

Frisk woke up early the next morning and snuck out to sit among the buttercups he’d fallen into, watching the hypnotic glow of the barrier in front of him. A faint glimmer of dawn managed to filter inside the garden, tinging the yellow flowers slightly pink. Chara sat down next to him and Frisk immediately leaned against her side. She put an arm around his shoulders.

“Are you still sad?” Frisk asked quietly.

“...You shouldn’t be worried about my feelings right now, kid. You’re the one who just fell down a mountain. I’ve had years to adjust.” Chara looked up at the light. “I used to come here to watch the dawn all the time too, you know.”

“Why did you stop?” Frisk asked.

Chara sighed, wondering the same thing herself. “...Everything I need is down here, I suppose. No point wishing after something I don’t really need or care about.”

“But the monsters want to see the sun, don’t they?” Frisk asked.

“Yeah… they do. I’m not sure if that’s really possible, though. Even if it were, the humans would still…” Chara glanced at Frisk and sighed again.

“...You hate them, don’t you?” Frisk asked. He said it more as a statement than a question.

“I… don’t know anymore,” Chara said. “I did. I did for most of my life. And… I will never excuse the way they treated me. The way they treated each other, they way they treated my friends, my family. But… one by one… the humans that fell here? They changed my mind. They can’t be inherently bad like I always thought they were. There’s no way we could have just gotten lucky seven times in a row.”

“They aren’t,” Frisk said. “They make choices. Sometimes they make bad ones. But sometimes they make good ones too.”

“I still don’t understand how you can have so much faith in them,” Chara said. “After everything they did. Didn’t it scar you?”

Frisk fiddled with their sleeves. “Maybe. But if I don’t have faith in them… it’s hard to have hope in anything.”

Chara nodded to herself. “I always blamed my choices on them. I was mean sometimes. I have a problem trusting people. I scare people. I always told myself that I was the way I was because of the things that happened to me. But you… you turned that on its head. That’s why I’m sad, I guess.”

“I’m sorry,” Frisk whispered.

“No. It’s not your fault,” Chara said. “I always thought… that if I met someone that had been through the exact same things I’d been through - someone like you - they’d be exactly like me. That’s how I justified it to myself. But you? You’ve been through the same things as me, but you’re nothing at all like me. You’re so peaceful and kind and quiet, and I’m just bitter and jaded. And I realize… that’s been my choice all along. I made myself this. And it’s…” Chara looked down at her fingers. “Disheartening.”

“But that also means you can choose to be something else,” Frisk said.

“...Maybe. But I’m not sure I’m strong enough for that.”

“It isn’t easy. But… you can do it. I know you can.” Frisk smiled at her.

“Frisk… I need you to be honest with me for a moment. Have we met before? Have you and Asriel met before?” Chara looked him in the eyes.

Frisk shook his head. “I… saw you both once. In a dream.”

“A dream?”

Frisk nodded. “I’m just glad you’re both happy here.”

Chara tilted her head. “Were we… not happy in the dream?”

“...I couldn’t save either of you,” Frisk whispered.

Chara felt something in her soul untighten. Some last lock clicking open. She hugged Frisk to her chest slowly. “...Well you don’t need to save either of us here. We’re going to be fine.” Frisk hugged her back tightly and Chara stroked his hair. “I’ll never forget what they did to me. To us. But… I’m gonna choose to have faith from now on. Faith that they can be better.”

Chara smiled to herself as teardrops fell from her eyes.

She felt free.

Chapter Text

It was less than a week later that Asgore and Toriel announced a mysterious gala, seemingly out of nowhere. The king and queen weren’t known for throwing parties for no reason, so it instantly created a buzz throughout the kingdom. Neither Toriel nor Asgore gave any hint to what was going on, not even to the rest of the royal family.

The day finally came - technically only a handful of people were invited, but basically every other person in the underground came and threw a festival just outside on the streets of New Home - and the guests arrived in a very wide array of attire, none of them knowing what exactly they should be wearing. Toriel had cooked a veritable feast for everyone and insisted that they all just relax and enjoy themselves for the time being. Things were slightly awkward at first but soon everyone settled into a comfortable chatter.

Sans sat at a table by himself, absentmindedly twiddling his thumbs as he looked around for his date. Papyrus was off chatting enthusiastically to anyone who had ears (or some equivalent of them), so until Andy showed up he didn’t really have anything to do. There were pranks he could pull, he supposed, but for some reason he felt jittery today. Like something big was about to happen.

Meanwhile Andy stood hidden in a corner with Asgore, trying and failing to keep himself from hyperventilating. “I-I can’t do this. Dad, I can’t do this,” Andy said, his knuckles starting to turn white from how hard his fists were clenched.

“Andy. Andy, listen to me, it is going to be okay,” Asgore said, putting his hands on the human’s shoulders.

“W-What if… I can’t… what if he—”

“Andy,” Asgore said gently, putting his hands on the sides of Andy’s face and kneeling down so he was at eye-level. “You can do this. You deserve this. Have a little bit of faith in yourself, son.”

Andy took in a shaky breath. “O… Okay. Okay. ...Thanks, Dad. Love you.”

“I love you too, son,” Asgore said, pulling Andy into a tight bear hug. “Now do not waste any more time. Go. Go!” He grinned as Andy walked away and watched silently from the corner.

Sans smiled as he finally saw Andy approaching him. “oh, hey, babe. i was starting to think… something…” He looked at Andy’s face and his smile immediately dropped. “woah, hey, did something happen? are you okay?”

Welp. This was off to a great start.

“N-No, nothing’s wrong! I’m fine. Very… fine… um, I mean - not like, I’m talking about - it’s not the body image thing again, I swear, I j-just… uhhhh…” Andy took a deep breath, trying to steady his rapidly-fraying nerves. “I just… needed to talk to you about something.”

Now the nerves appeared on Sans face. “that’s, uh… never a fun way to start a conversation,” he said, putting a weak smile back on.

“I-It’s nothing like that!” Andy said, waving his hands. “I just, um. That’s not… what I mean is…” He sighed, lowering his voice. “Stars, this is a train wreck. I just need to come out and say it. So…”

They both stood there in silence for a moment, Sans trying to hide the soft rattling sound he was making and trying to hold back tears while Andy averted his eyes completely. Andy took one more deep breath and got down on one knee, pulling out a small box from his pocket. Sans’ expression changed from one of fear to one of complete shock.

Andy opened the box to reveal a small ring of braided silver, with a clear blue sapphire in the middle. “S-Sans…” he said, his voice barely working, “Will you marry me?” Tears started rolling out of Sans’ eyesockets and any words he might have wanted to say were thoroughly lodged in his throat. Andy finally risked a glance up at him. “S… Sans?”

“...y… y-yes, i’ll marry you!” Sans finally said, bursting into hysterical crying-laughter. He held out his hand and Andy shakily put the ring on his finger before Sans fell to his knees and hugged Andy tightly, trying to stop crying. “i thought you were breaking up with me,” he said, burying his face in the human’s shoulder.

Andy hugged him back, starting to cry-laugh himself. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, I’m so sorry,” he giggled. He cupped the side of Sans face with his hand as the room filled up with applause, everyone’s eyes on them now. Sans leaned forward and kissed him, reaching back and carding his fingers through Andy’s hair slowly.

They both pulled away, blushing heavily as they realized they had the room’s attention. Andy chuckled nervously. “...We’ve gotten a lot better at that, haven’t we?”

“darn right we have,” Sans said, holding both of Andy’s hands in his own. “...i think i could use some punch right now.”

“Yeah. Punch sounds like a good idea,” Andy said, getting up and looping an arm around Sans’ shoulders as they walked off toward the buffet.

Charlotte giggled as she ran away from Togore, who had her claws out and was attempting to act scary. Togore began to chase her around the room until she tripped on her dress and fell flat on her nose. She started to cry and Charlotte rushed over.

“Oh no, are you okay? Come on, come on, it’s okay,” Charlotte said, picking Togore up off of the ground and holding her close. Chara and Toriel walked over.

“What happened?” Chara asked, taking Togore from Charlotte gently.

“Owie,” Togore sniffled.

“Is she okay?” Charlotte asked, worried.

“Do you need sissy to kiss it and make it feel better?” Chara asked. Togore nodded, rubbing her eye, and Chara kissed her on the nose. “See? All better.” Togore giggled and hugged her.

“I’m sorry,” Charlotte said, fiddling with the ends of her jacket.

“Oh, do not be so silly, my dear,” Toriel said, rubbing Charlotte’s back. “She is a toddler. These things happen. Thank you for being a good big sister and playing with her for us.” Charlotte smiled and Toriel pulled her into a quick hug. “Now, would you like to help me finish making up the last of the desserts?”

“Yes, please,” Charlotte said. She and Toriel walked off.

Asriel and Frisk walked up to them as Chara got herself a small bowl of applesauce, poured some chocolate syrup in, and gave Togore a spoonful.

“Chocolate? Really, Chara?” Asriel laughed.

“Well someone else around here needs to develop good taste,” Chara said.

Asriel put on a fake regal-voice. “But my dear sister, chocolate syrup will never help groom her into a proper lady,” he said.

“Proper lady? I’d never allow it,” Chara smirked. “She’s gonna be a rascal like me. Isn’t that right, Togey?”

“Wasca!” Togore laughed, pointing at Asriel.

“Mm hm. You tell that silly goat who’s boss around here,” Chara laughed.

“Tsk tsk,” Asriel sighed. “She’s a terrible influence. Hey, Frisk, do you wanna see something cool?” Frisk nodded and Asriel waved goodbye as he led Frisk out into the garden. It was dark out by now. Smiling, Asriel pointed upward and a star shot out of his hand, exploding into a rainbow of sparkles in the air. Frisk smiled brightly as he watched them flitter downward.

“Pretty cool, right?” Asriel said, shooting another one. “I was trying to mimic human fireworks and this is what I came up with. Does this sorta work?”

Frisk nodded vigorously, clinging to Asriel’s arm. Asriel sat down on a bench and Frisk crawled into his lap, facing the barrier.

Asriel leaned down a little. “You know, sometimes, on really clear nights - I think I can almost see a star or two peeking through the barrier. What do you think?”

Frisk squinted at the soft, pulsating light. “...I don’t know. You’ve… never seen a real star, have you?”

“...Nope. I’d like to someday, though,” Asriel said.

“You’ll see them someday,” Frisk said.

Asriel chuckled a little. “Oh yeah?”

“You will. I promise.” He leaned back against Asriel’s chest sleepily. “...I love you, big brother.”

Asriel wrapped his arms around Frisk, enjoying the break from the noise inside. He sighed contentedly. “...I love you too, Frisk.”

Hummmmmmmm.

Click!

“Stop being a wuss,” James said, leaning against the wall next to Undyne.

“I’m not being a wuss! I just… don’t care about her like that,” Undyne said.

“Don’t care, my butt. She’s literally all you talk about anymore, dude,” James said.

“That’s not true!”

“Hey, punk, we gotta watch this new anime that Alphys got me,” James said, mimicking her voice. “James, look at this dress. Don’t you think Alphys would look sooooo cute in it? Also why the heck do you ask me about dresses?”

“Wh— I do not— Ugh! You’re reading into it too much! I don’t like Alphys, okay?!” Undyne crossed her arms and shrank against the wall. James smirked a little.

“Oh yeah? Then I guess you’d have no problem with me asking her out then,” James said, playing his trump card.

“...What?”

“Yeah. I think she’s cute. In fact, I’m gonna go ask her out right now.” He smirked and started walking towards Alphys, who was chatting with Gaster in the corner.

“WHAT?!” Undyne tackled James to the ground, grabbing him from behind in a chokehold.

“Yup… you totally don’t like her,” James wheezed, rolling over and trying to get out of Undyne’s pin. She kept him down.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Undyne growled.

“Then woman up already and do it yourself!” James laughed, trying to gasp for air.

“FINE! I WILL!” Undyne let him go and stomped off towards Alphys. Courtney walked over to James.

“...You okay, partner?” Courtney asked. James didn’t get up from the floor, merely giving her a thumbs-up.

“...Worth it,” he said.

“ALPHYS!” Undyne shouted, marching towards her. Alphys screamed and spilled her punch all over Gaster, who merely raised an eyebrow.

“W-What d-d-did I do?!” Alphys said.

Undyne’s face went bright red. James tried unsuccessfully to stifle his laughter from the floor and she shot him a death glare. “Um… nothing! You didn’t do anything!” Undyne said. Sans brushed by her, holding Andy’s hand, and leaned up to whisper something to her.

“don’t flounder now, fish brain,” he said. Undyne growled at him and her face went even more red.

“U-Um… Undyne? A-Are… you okay?”

Undyne turned back to Alphys. “Um, yeah! I’m fine, I’m great! I just… wanted to ask you a question. If that’s okay.” She put on a painfully awkward smile and James started hitting the floor with his fist as he laughed silently.

“U-Uh… sure?”

“I… um… I wanted to ask… um… if… you…” Undyne opened and closed her fists a few times, trying to force the words out of her mouth. “Ummmmm… Ithinkyou’rereallycuteandsmartandfunnyandIwanttotakeyououtonadatesometime!”

Alphys dropped her punch glass on the floor and it shattered. “Wh...y...I...Huh???”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to!” Undyne said.

“N-N-No, no, I do, I d-do!” Alphys stuttered out.

“R...Really?”

“U-Um… yeah?”

“...YES!” Undyne shouted, picking Alphys up and holding her over her head. “I AM THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THIS WHOLE DAMN ROOM, YOU ALL HEAR ME?!”

Courtney laid down next to James on the floor. “It’s about time, too.”

“I’ll say,” James chuckled. “Now… are you gonna ask the numbskull out?”

“Wh… I have no idea what you think you’re talkin’ ‘bout,” Courtney said.

“...Do I need to ask Papyrus out, too? Because I am 100% straight but I totally will if I have to,” James said.

“James. Drop it,” Courtney said. “...He don’t like me that way.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“He likes lil’ miss ballerina over there,” Courtney said, nodding to Olivia. “Told me ‘imself.” She sighed. “It’s jus’ a lil’ crush, J. I’ll live.”

Papyrus laid down next to the two of them. “WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT AND WHY ARE WE ON THE FLOOR?”

Courtney put a smile on her face. “We were just talkin’ about since your brother’s gettin’ married, it’s about time you started datin’ someone, yeah?” James gave Courtney a sad look, but nodded.

“W...WHAT? DATING?! B-BUT… WHO COULD POSSIBLY MEET THE INCREDIBLY HIGH STANDARDS OF I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS?”

“...Twinkle toes over there might be a start,” Courtney said, gesturing to Olivia.

“OLIVIA?! WELL, I MEAN… SHE IS, UM… VERY…” Papyrus looked over at the stage, where Olivia, Mettaton, and Napstablook were talking about something.

Courtney smacked him on the hip. “Well what’re ya waitin’ for ya goofy goober? Get lost and ask her out!”

“UM… WELL… OKAY, I’LL DO IT! THANK YOU, COURTNEY! YOU ARE AN EXCELLENT WING-WOMAN!” Papyrus got off of the floor and dashed over to the stage. James looked at Courtney.

“...That was pretty damn big of you,” James said.

“Gotta look out for ma soulmate,” Courtney sighed.

James crossed his arms behind his head and looked up at the ceiling for a while. “Hey. How about I take you out to dinner sometime?”

Courtney raised an eyebrow at him. “...Excuse me?”

“Just try it out, you know? No strings attached. If it works, it works, if it doesn’t, we can just pretend nothing ever happened. It might be good to take your mind off the whole thing, you know?” James looked at her.

Courtney squinted at him, trying to tell if this was a prank. She sighed. “...Alright. I’ll try it out for one dinner.”

“Gotta keep my squadmates happy,” James said. He got up off the floor and offered Courtney a hand.

“There’s nothing wrong with pink, you just use too much pink,” Olivia said, talking to Mettaton. “It doesn’t hurt to have a little variation in your color schemes.”

“You can’t talk to me about color schemes, darling,” Mettaton said, gesturing to her ballet gear.

“You know very well that this is from the surface, you dummy,” Olivia said. “Besides. I can dance circles around you no matter what I’m wearing.”

“Is that a challenge I smell?” Mettaton said, smirking.

“Maybe it is,” Olivia said, smirking back.

“um… guys?” Napstablook said, their eyes flicking back and forth between the two. “please don’t start fighting...”

“Fighting? Don’t be ridiculous, Blooky. This will just be a friendly little dance-off… to the death!”

“NO, Mettaton,” Olivia groaned.

“But darling, just think of the drama!”

“HELLO MISS OLIVIA! HELLO, METTATON!” Papyrus waltzed into the conversation.

“Papyrus, darling! Please tell Olivia here that a dancing deathmatch is a perfectly healthy and sufficiently dramatic way of expressing a friendly rivalry,” Mettaton said.

“UM, I WOULD LOVE TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, METTATON, BUT I MUST ASK OLIVIA SOMETHING FIRST!” Papyrus looked at her and made a throat-clearing noise. “UM… OLIVIA! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU OUT ON A DATE! UM… PLEASE?”

Olivia blinked, before letting out a little giggle. “Oh, Papyrus… I’m so flattered.”

“I KNOW, NYEH HEH HEH!”

Olivia smiled and thought about it for a second. “...You know what, Papyrus? That sounds nice. I’d love to go on a date sometime.”

“REALLY?! OH, THAT’S WONDERFUL! I’M SO EXCITED TO—”

“May we have everyone’s attention, please?” Asgore’s voice rang out from a microphone. Everyone turned to look at him and Toriel.

“I am sure you are all wondering why we decided to throw this particular gala,” Toriel said. “In truth… we have two reasons.”

“The first reason,” Asgore said, “Is that, while we have considered all the humans in this room our children for quite some time, nothing official was ever done. So… just so all formalities are out of the way… We, King Asgore and Queen Toriel, formally name the eight of you Princes and Princesses of the Kingdom of Monsters.”

There was a loud round of applause in the room before Toriel held up her hand to silence it. “The second reason… is slightly more somber.” She looked at Asgore and grabbed his hand. “Asriel… will you please come forward?” Hushed whispers circulated through the room as Asriel came to stand in front of his parents, confused.

Toriel smiled at him and then looked out to address the crowd. “King Asgore and I are retiring.” There was a collective gasp in the room and Toriel held up her hand for silence once again. “We have thought long and hard about this decision, and decided that it is now the right time for us to step aside and let a new generation lead us into the future. Asriel… as our eldest child… we abdicate the throne to you.”

Asgore pulled out a crown from behind his back and Asriel felt tears prick up in his eyes. “Mom… Dad… I…”

“You will be an incredible ruler, my son,” Asgore said, bowing his head. “Do you accept this crown?”

“W-Well… if… if you’re really sure, then… yes. I do,” Asriel said.

Asgore smiled and set the crown on Asriel’s head gently before taking a knee before him. “All hail King Asriel.”

The room repeated Asgore’s action and phrase. Asriel looked around, blushing. “Aw shucks, guys, you don’t need to…” He trailed off, sighing.

Asgore put a hand on Asriel’s back. “It is time for you to address your people, son,” he said, gesturing to the door.

Asriel nodded to himself and looked around the room. He frowned a little. “...Has anyone seen Landon?”

“H-He, um, s-said he was closing up the lab for the night,” Alphys said.

As if summoned, Landon burst through the doors, red in the face and panting. Toriel rushed over to him.

“My child, is everything alright?” she asked.

Landon nodded, trying to catch his breath. He looked at Toriel and then at the rest of the room. “I did it,” he said.

“Did what, my child?”

“I found it. A way to break the barrier.”

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

“It’s quite simple, really,” Landon said, gesturing to an enormous rolling whiteboard covered in complex equations that very few people in the room could understand. “We’ve been so focused on coming up with a power source with enough magical energy to brute-force our way through the barrier that we neglected to look for more subtle solutions.”

“Landon, dear,” Toriel said, looking around at all the blank and confused faces in the room around her. “Would you mind explaining your idea in… simpler words for the people here that are less scientifically inclined?”

Landon blinked. “Ah… yes. My apologies. You see, the barrier is made of energy, and energy is found in specific wavelengths. Does that concept make sense?” Everyone nodded. “The key to breaking the barrier is matching that frequency correctly - think of an opera singer shattering a glass with her voice. The reason we haven’t been able to break it yet is because the barrier actually has seven distinct frequencies that shift to protect each other when attacked. On top of this, the frequencies are extremely high and normal monster magic has little to no hope of matching those frequencies.”

“So… if we cannot match these frequencies with monster magic, what can we use?” Asgore looked at Landon, doing a surprisingly good job of keeping up.

“Ah - normal monster magic,” Landon said. “I did a little bit of research on Asgore’s green fire magic while he was… ahem, recovering. It’s magical frequency is much higher than normal monster magic. With some fine-tuning it could easily match one of the barrier’s frequencies.”

“S-So… you’re saying that several m-monsters using soulbond e-enhanced magic c-could… destroy the barrier on their own?” Alphys said.

“Exactly,” Landon said. “The only problem is that we only have six such monsters at the moment. We would need to find—”

“Um, actually - not to interrupt you, Landon - but I think Frisk and I have that covered.” Asriel looked down at Frisk, who was sitting in his lap, and both of them smiled.

“...Then we could break it tonight if we wanted,” Landon said.

The room immediately went abuzz with chatter. Asriel looked around. “Um… could I have everyone’s attention? Please? ...Um. Guys?” His quiet voice failed to garner him any attention.

Chara rolled her eyes at him and whistled loudly. “Hey! The King’s talking! Everybody shut up!”

The room went silent and everyone looked at Asriel. He went a little red in the face and cleared his throat. “Um… as King… I feel like tonight is the right time to break the barrier. Everyone’s gathered outside for the festival, and… well. Some of us here have family they’ve been separated from for too long. There’s so many of us that have never seen the sun or the stars. It’s time. Tonight just… feels right, you know?”

“...I understand what you mean, Asriel,” Toriel said. “But I would advise caution. This is a very large decision. Our first introduction to the humans will be especially important.”

“...An ambassador,” Gaster said, piping in. Everyone looked at him. “We need a human ambassador. A middle ground that will maintain our interests without appearing potentially threatening. A member of the Royal Family. I nominate Princess Chara.”

Chara blinked, surprised. “Me? Why me?” She looked directly at Gaster and he gave her one of his mysterious all-knowing looks. She narrowed her eyes a little but said nothing else.

“I second that motion,” Asriel said. “I officially appoint Chara as our ambassador. Um, assuming she’ll accept the position?”

Everyone turned to Chara and she thought for a moment, glancing back at Gaster. “...Fine. I accept on the condition that only a small party will go up after the barrier is broken. All of us streaming onto the surface at once is bound to look like an army. It won’t end well.”

“You’re probably right,” Undyne said. “Half of the Royal Guard will stay here to keep everyone in line and the others will go as an escort for the ambassador.”

“Then all that’s left is breaking the barrier itself,” Landon said. “I have all the equipment prepared. Do we want to proceed now, or…?”

“Yes,” Asriel said. “...Let’s do this.”

Landon led everyone to the barrier, holding a laptop connected to some kind of sensor. “We’ll need to attune everyone to the proper frequencies, one at a time. Would you like to try first, Your Majesty?”

“Aw geez, Landon, no need to be so formal about it. But okay.” A small ball of flame appeared in his hand and he concentrated; after a few moments, it shifted from glittering white to an intense scarlet. Landon pointed his probe at the flame.

“...Dim it just slightly,” he said. The flame flickered a little. “Good, hold it there and prepare to throw. We’ll all have to do this at once.”

One by one, Landon helped each monster attune to the correct frequency. Toriel and Asgore formed spheres of flame similar to Asriel’s in pale cyan and bright green, Undyne created an orange spear to throw, Mettaton prepared a royal-blue laser beam,  and Papyrus created a yellow bone to attack with. Chara picked Togore up in her arms and looked at her face.

“Hey, Togey,” Chara said. “You remember the magic we’ve been practicing?” Togore nodded slowly and held her hands in front of herself, her face scrunching up in concentration. She squinted and a tiny candle-like flame poofed into existence, glimmering white. She giggled and looked up at Chara proudly.

“That’s it,” Chara said, smiling. “Now, we’re gonna try something a bit different this time, okay? Focus on me. You know what my magic feels like, right?” Togore nodded again and closed her eyes. “Now I want you to pour that feeling into your magic. Focus really hard.” Togore scrunched up her face again, trying even harder. The flame flickered out for a moment only to return a rich crimson. She kept her eyes closed, all her focus concentrated on the flame. Landon gave Chara a thumbs-up.

Chara smiled and faced Togore towards the barrier, taking a deep breath. “You’re doing amazing, sis. Now. I’m gonna count to three, and on three - you’re gonna throw that flame right ahead of us, okay? Can you do that?” Togore nodded, eyes still shut in concentration. Chara looked at everyone else as they readied their magic.

“One.” The room grew silent in anticipation.

“Two.” The air seemed to crackle with hope and with fate.

“Three!”

Like a window shattering in a hurricane, the steady pulse of the barrier grew erratic and unstable. Then, all at once, it shattered into thousands of pieces, scattering over the room. Everyone ducked and covered their faces, but the shards dissolved into mist as they hit skin and fur and bone. The air grew still, like that of a dew-covered morning. The alabaster light of the barrier was replaced with the pink-orange glow of a rising sun.

Chara stared out at the world above. A world she’d left behind so long ago. Togore stared with her, clutching Chara’s hand with both of her own. Chara set her back down on the ground gently, still holding her hand.

“...Ambassador? I… leave this in your hands now. What do we do?” Asriel looked at her.

Chara looked down at Togore and then at Frisk. She smiled and took Frisk’s hand in her free one and he held on. “Us three are going. Undyne and James can trail behind, out of immediate sight. Do not reveal yourselves unless I signal you. Understood?”

Everyone nodded, a strange quiet still permeating the air as Chara grabbed an old sword to defend herself and disappeared into the sunlight. Chara set her sights on the silhouette of Ebott Town in the distance and began marching.

Chara almost felt a sense of déjà vu as a crowd gathered around her at the edge of town, whispering among themselves and pointing at her. She has a monster with her! they said. Look at her eyes! they said. The barrier must have broken! We’re in danger!

The humans formed a half-circle around her, their postures growing threatening. Chara stood her ground, looking them all in the eyes before glancing down at Frisk. He smiled up at her.

“People of Ebott Town,” she began. “You are scared of me because you do not know me. I don’t fault you for that - it’s human nature, after all.” The chatter died down to a murmur, all eyes on her.

“I have experienced firsthand what humans are capable of. You are all capable of being selfish. Ignorant. Bigoted. Cruel. Destructive. Evil. When I was young, you hurt me. You hurt people I care about. You locked an innocent race away from the sun and the stars. You have done terrible things.” She pulled out her sword as slowly as possible and the humans around her took a few steps back. She looked them all in the eye, one by one, and then back down to Frisk.

“You are capable of terrible things,” she said again. “I used to believe that’s all there was to humanity. But I realize now, that even though you are capable terrible things… that you are also capable of bravery. Justice. Kindness. Patience. Integrity. Perseverance.” She smiled to herself a little. “...Determination.”

“I choose to believe that you can be better,” she said. “That you are capable of as much good as you are evil. I choose to believe that you will all choose a better path, if you are given one. So that’s what I’m here to do. We’ve had enough senseless war. Enough fighting, enough cruelty, enough death.” With one swift motion she planted her sword in the ground.

“So. Let’s talk.”

Chapter Text

She ran all the way there. All the way across the woods surrounding Ebott Town. All the way up the mountain. He was a grown man now, so different from the little boy she’d lost so long ago. But she knew at once it was him.

“...Andy?”

Tears instantly started rolling down Andy’s face as his mother ran up to him and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back, both of them crying openly. She stroked his hair softly.

“My little boy…” She sniffed loudly, pulling away to look at him. “...You’ve grown into such a fine young man.”

“I missed you, Mom,” Andy said, his eyes red from crying but a bright smile on his face.

“I missed you too,” she said. She glanced over Andy’s shoulder to a small skeleton standing a few yards away, watching them. “Is that one of the…”

Andy looked back at Sans, who walked over slowly. Andy looked at his mother and bit his lip, looking for the words. He grabbed Sans’ hand. “...Yeah. Mom… this is… this is my fiancé. His name is Sans.” He looked at her eyes. They did nothing but brighten, more tears welling up. She knelt down to the ground and pulled Sans into a hug as well.

“Welcome to the family, Sans,” she said.

“heh… nice to meet you too.”

Sans walked over to Gaster, who was laying on a hillside and looking up at the clouds drifting by overhead lazily. He laid down next to him.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? So many favorable outcomes.” Gaster smiled.

“oh yeah?” Sans looked at him.

“There is now a 97.683% chance of what I would consider a ‘happy ending’ now that we are here,” Gaster said. “I wonder which one we shall experience.”

“...that’s pretty optimistic, g,” Sans said, smiling. “i like it.”

Papyrus laid down next to them. “WHAT ARE WE DOING? YOU TWO HAD BETTER NOT BE SLACKING OFF ON OUR FIRST DAY ON THE SURFACE!”

“hey. cloud-watching is an important surface experience i want to have and you will not rush me,” Sans said.

“OH. WELL. I SUPPOSE THAT COUNTS AS DOING SOMETHING, THEN.” Papyrus stared up at the clouds as well. “...CAN I WATCH THEM TOO?”

“...heh. ‘course you can, paps.”

 “Can you go any faster?”

Mike sat in the back of the car, foot tapping against the floor in aggravation.

“Stop being so impatient,” his mother said. “We raised you better than that.”

Mike kept his frustrated comments behind his teeth as he waited silently for the car to roll to a stop in front of his brother. He tore off his seatbelt and rushed outside towards him, only to be blocked by his parents.

“...James,” his father said, voice flat.

“...Father,” James said, mimicking him.

“...So this is where you’ve been all this time. Gallivanting around with a bunch of monsters, of all places,” he said.

“Do you know how irresponsible that was?” his mother chimed in. “You are such an ungrateful child. Here we are, having to waste our time and resources looking for you and you turn out to be fine. You should be ashamed of yourself, James.”

“...Are you serious?” Mike walked up to his parents and looked at them indignantly.

“Michael, it was not your turn to speak,” his father warned. “Your mother and I are—”

“No. No, your oldest son goes missing for how long again? And the first thing you do is lecture him.” Mike marched off towards James and wrapped him in a tight hug, tears pricking up at the corners of his eyes. “I missed you so much. And I’m glad that you’re safe.”

“Michael! Get back here this instant!”

“I missed you too, little brother,” James said, ignoring his mother and ruffling Mike’s hair.

“Were you really underground with the monsters this whole time?” Mike asked.

“Heck yeah. They’re awesome. You wanna meet some?” James nodded his head over to a cluster of monsters chatting beneath the shade of a tall pine tree.

“Yes!” Mike said, beaming.

“MICHAEL CHANG!” Mike turned around to look at his father. “Get over here. Now.”

Mike looked at James, who slung an arm around Mike’s shoulders. Then he looked back at his parents. “Screw you,” he said. “I have some catching up to do with my brother.”

James and Mike both held up their middle fingers for their parents to see as they walked away.

Courtney had to admit - she was more of a Western fan, but this armor looked pretty darn sweet. She walked around the edge of Ebott Town, drinking in the scenery.

“No way… Courtney?”

Courtney glanced over to see none other than Tommy Wilson, local bully bent on convincing her she’d never amount to anything. She smiled to herself.

“Hello, Tommy,” she said.

“...We all thought you died or something. What’s with the getup?”

Courtney smiled to herself. “Well I’m part of the Underground’s Royal Guard, Tommy. Gotta look the part or people won’t know I’m around to keep ‘em safe.”

Tommy broke out into a fit of laughter. “You? A guard? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

Courtney looked up at the crane currently doing construction on a nearby building, her intuition telling her something was wrong. A cable holding up an I-beam screeched and snapped, sending the beam tumbling towards them. She stepped forward as Tommy looked up at it, frozen in fear.

Holding up her fingers like guns, Courtney fired a barrage of energy bullets up at the beam. Tommy looked at her speechless as it disintegrated, leaving nothing but iron dust to rain down on them. Courtney smiled to herself and patted Tommy on the shoulder.

“Nice seein’ ya, Tommy. Stay safe, now.”

 Charlotte stood nervously under the tree, fiddling with the ribbon in her hair and then at the hem of her dress. Almost at the same time, two cars rolled up in front of her. A man stepped out of one, and a woman from the other. They both looked at her, and then at each other. Then they both ran up to her and hugged her tightly at the same time.

“You’re okay,” her mother said, starting to cry. “My baby girl’s okay!”

“We looked everywhere for you,” her father said, crying as well. “I missed you so much, sweetheart.”

“You both… missed me?” Charlotte asked, her voice small.

Her parents looked at each other. “Of course we did,” her mother said.

“We love you so much, Charlotte. Both of us. I’m sorry if either of us ever made you think we didn’t.”

Charlotte hugged them back.

 “...Mother? Father?”

Landon’s parents rushed up to him and hugged him tightly, fawning over him and crying. He hugged them back, wiping tears from under his glasses.

“Are you alright, love? Did they treat you well?” His mother looked at him, trying to hold back her tears.

“Better than well,” Landon said. “I got to study with some of the greatest scientific minds in the world, Mother. And… and I truly got to make a difference. It’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

“...A difference? What do you mean?” His father looked at him, curious.

“...I’m the one that determined how to break the barrier, Father. It’s the single most significant event to happen in centuries. And so much good is going to come of it. I know it.”

 Olivia ran into her father’s arms and he spun her around in the air, both of them laughing and crying at the same time.

“I did it,” Olivia said, trying to get a sentence through her tears.

“Did what, honey, did what?” He continued holding her.

“I made it big,” she giggled, wiping her eyes. “I’m… I’m the biggest star in the whole Underground.”

“Second-biggest,” Mettaton said, piping in. Both Olivia and her father looked at him.

“...You are NOT recording this,” Olivia said.

“Darling, this is the most real emotion anyone has ever seen! You can’t expect me to believe that… you…”

The death glare both humans gave him was enough to make Mettaton immediately turn around and leave.

 Chara sat down on the picnic blanket with Togore and Frisk, Toriel pouring glasses of juice while Asgore and Asriel divided out slices of butterscotch-cinnamon pie. She smiled up at the sun.

She said she hadn’t missed it, but… seeing the light it cast down on her family? How it seemed to make their eyes sparkle?

...Maybe she had missed it after all.