Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chara reluctantly opens the door to Sans’ room.

Toriel had asked them to get him for her, and Chara knew choosing them to do it was most likely a ploy to get the two to interact for once. Chara wasn’t really fond of Sans. Through Frisk’s journey through the underground, they could only see ways Sans failed to fulfill his promise to Toriel. Chara had witnessed Frisk die to countless monsters, and started to regard Sans with scorn as he did nothing to help. “You haven’t died a single time,” my ass!

A prominent moment Chara faulted him for was the Undyne fight. He knew Undyne and didn’t do a thing to stop her, despite the fact she was filled with murderous intent for humans at the time. Chara could relate, but this was about Frisk. He only slept as they ran in fear from her, only good for stopping her for a moment. They can still remember the clanking of her armor behind them as they ran. He was too lazy to help a defenseless child, and that filled them with contempt.
It doesn’t even account for the time they went through the underground, ending all in their path. Sans had done next to nothing, they thought bitterly. He didn’t get his brother out, he didn’t help evacuate, he just planted himself in their path when it was all too late. Monsters from the Ruins, Snowdin, Waterfall, Hotland, and the Core, all dead in their path but now he chose to fight them. The golden light of the Judgement Hall is stark in their memory. Frisk , however, was very absent in that run. Very quiet, like they weren’t there, but they could feel the presence of them in their mind, being attached to their soul. Perhaps all of the LOVE the gained made them grow so distant.

Maybe Sans was scared, they sometimes ponder, but never try to think too deeply about it. They had been scared, too. They felt controlled, like they were no longer in charge of their actions. It felt as though it was not they themselves who killed them. It felt like there was only one option: FIGHT. It was fortunate that that feeling had left them shortly after Sans died. Maybe it was all their imagination? Either way, Chara and Frisk reset as soon as possible afterwards. They try not to think of that run too much.

Most of all though, Chara senses an underlying anger from the skeleton. He nearly never shows it. It only really manifested during That run, when he was pushed to the brink. That anger… scares them, though they wouldn’t admit it out loud. It makes them wary of him and his intentions.

Frisk, however, was more fond of the skeleton, trying to insist to Chara that he was a good person, and didn’t even try to kill them once after they reset. However, Chara figured the others were at least honest with Frisk, showing their true colors rather than pretending to be their friend. Perhaps it was unfair of Chara, they sometimes thought, but could never help the disdain they feel for the monster whenever they are forced to lay eyes on him.

Sans was lying face down on his “bed”. You can hardly call it such, being only a dirty mattress on the floor. He was snoring softly, but Chara knew that that was a ruse, knowing how uncomfortable the skeleton was with them.

“Hey, Sans, mom wants you.” They told Sans.
He turns over and props himself up on a skeletal elbow.
“Tori wants me? I better go before I get her goat.” He said in return.
Was that a pun? More likely than not. Chara’s mouth formed a strained smile.
“Don’t call her that.” They replied.
“Oh c’mon, it’s not so Tori-ble.”
Ah. Their grin grew wider.
“If you make one more stupid pun, I will literally stab you. Get out here.” Chara said, waiting at the door.
His near-permanent grin grew wider as well. “That’s not very knife of you, but I understand. You are always quite a Chara-cter.”
“Shut UP, that’s not how you pronounce my fucking name and you know it!”
This stupid skeleton always knew how to get under their skin and he never failed to take advantage of that fact.

“Woah kid. Watch the language, you’re gonna break Tori’s heart.”
Was that a reference to Toriel’s soul shattering in front of them? Probably. Grin still stretched across their face, they inhale deeply, and exit the room. They wait outside the door for a short while before Sans came out as well.
As he exited the room, Undyne, sitting next to Alphys on the couch, yelled up to him.
“THAT’S HIM. THAT’S THE PUPPET MASTER THAT CURSED MY DICK!!” Alphys snorted out her soda. Sans chuckled as Chara stifled a laugh behind their hand.
“Undyne, you will not use such language in front of my children!” Toriel admonished from the kitchen. She was cleaning up from baking one of her signature butterscotch cinnamon pies. Papyrus was helping as well, wanting to learn from the best.

“Yeah Undyne, my innocent ears can’t take it.” Sans says, leaning against the bannister.
“You don’t even have ears???”
“SANS HAS EARS.” Papyrus called, still in the kitchen.
“Yeah?? Where?” Undyne questioned, turning to him.
“IN HIS HEART.”
Sans put a hand over where his heart would be and said, “Yeah, its right ear.”
“SANS!!!!!” Papyrus audibly frowned as Toriel snorted. She always had a fondness for puns, which was fine as long as they weren’t his. Sans had been making an effort to make more puns, knowing how much Toriel enjoys them, to Papyrus’ dismay.

Sans and Chara made their way downstairs, Chara heading for the couch, and Toriel, to the kitchen.
“Whats up, T?” He asked Toriel.
“I was just cleaning up! I will be with you in a moment.” She finishes placing a bowl in a cabinet, and leaves the rest to the taller skeleton brother.
“We were all going to head to the beach today!. You were the only one not up. Do you think that you can take one of the children? Papyrus’ car can only fit so many.”
“Yeah sure thing.” The beach was only a short ride away, he figured he can manage the two rascals while the wait for the others to arrive.

Chara joined Undyne and Alphys on the couch. They were watching Mettaton wrap up his show. He, too, was joining them, taking Asgore with him, too. He was currently in his box form, but would most likely use his EX form later, since wheels and sand don’t mix so well.
Frisk exits the bathroom, hair in a small ponytail and adorned with a pink cat hair clip they got from said ghost-robot. They approached the three on the couch.
“Hey!! Chara, you stole my spot!” Frisk signed.
“Finders keepers.” Chara replied as they settled in deeper into the cushions.
“If you really Charabout them, you’d share.” Sans said, peeking into the living room once more.
“Stop pronouncing my name like that!!” Chara shouted indignantly.
Frisk covered their smile with their hands. It is going to be a long day.

Shortly after, Papyrus finished cleaning up the kitchen.
“THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALL READY TO GO!!” He cheered.
“Aw hell yeah! Come on, Alphy! Oh!!! But I call shotgun!!” Undyne exclaimed, throwing a fist into the air.
“Wh-who else is coming with us?” Alphys asked.
“I will be joining you as well. Chara, Frisk, which of you would like to join us in Papyrus’ car?” Toriel questioned, tilting her head slightly.
“ME!” Frisk signed faster than Chara could speak.
Chara turned to them desperately. “No, Frisk, please! I’ll die.” They plead. Frisk regarded them for a moment, before signing, “Then perish.” They turned and ran out the door to the car.
Feeling a presence suddenly close to them, Chara turned slowly. Sans stood behind them, with a shit-eating grin.
“Well kid, guess you’re with me.”
Their strained smile returned. “Oh. Wonderful.” They ground out.

As Chara stood there, filled with discomfort, Toriel approached Sans.
“Here is some money, perhaps you can buy some Nice Cream, if you would like! Remember, their favorite is chocolate.” Toriel smiled at him. He winked at her, and said, “Yeah I know. They never fail to chocobout it.”
Toriel hooted with laughter, before leaving the house with Undyne and Alphys following her. Papyrus stopped at the door for a moment before turning to his brother.
“PLEASE DON’T FALL ASLEEP IN THE OCEAN AND DRIFT AWAY BEFORE WE GET THERE. I WOULD BE VERY SAD.” Papyrus says before exiting the house, leaving Chara and Sans alone. Ugh.

“Ok, ok, get over here.” Sans motioned Chara over.
“Yeah just don’t touch me.” Chara approached Sans, and stood, uncomfortable with their closeness. They blinked, felt the world shift around, the world spinning on its axis, and stumbled. They landed in sand.
“Oops, forgot to mention. Its disorienting the first couple of times.” He grinned and winked.
“Yeah, thanks for nothing, buddy.” Chara muttered. “Teleporting isn’t even a bone related power, why do you have it anyway…” They mumbled, mostly to themself.

Welp. Now they were stuck with each other, until the others arrived by car, and Mettaton and Asgore by limo.

It went okay, for a while. Chara didn’t bother Sans and Sans didn’t bother Chara. They set up towels in the sand to lay on, or Chara did, while Sans lied down, okay with sand settling in between his bones. Chara set up a cute fish themed umbrella Asgore had bought them, covering the two in shade. Chara settled down on their towel and just watched the scene.
Having been stuck as a ghost following Frisk, they had grown quite used to just sitting and watching. They let themself get lost in the sunny scene. Onionsan waved at them from the ocean. They hesitantly waved back.

“Welp. I figure now is a good a time as any.” Sans said suddenly, startling Chara.
“What?”
“I have something I’ve been meaning to ask ya, kid.” Chara tilted their head in confusion. What could Sans of all people want to talk to them about.
“It about the last timeline.”
Ah. Of course. Of course he wants to know about that timeline, the attempted genocide of monsters, of everyone.
They plaster on yet another smile and fold their hands over each other. “What would you like to know, dear sweet friend of mine?” They ask sweetly.
“...Yeah. Why’d you do it, kid.”
“Haha! Yes that is the question, isn’t it? How do you know Frisk didn’t do it, huh?” They start to shake as guilt bubbles up from accusing their friend of this.
“Well for one thing, they didn’t sign a word. They’re behaviors were different. I felt an unfamiliarity, when before, after reset it was like meeting an old friend again.”
Chara wraps their arms around themself. “Maybe you don’t know Frisk as well as you think you do,” they tried.

“Kid, QUIT trying to blame them. It’s not very, uh, becoming of you.”
“It wasn’t ME, Sans!” Their voice begins to raise, their smile straining their cheeks.
His eye sockets narrow. “It might do you some good to start telling the truth.”
“But-but, I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t me. I wouldn’t do that to mom, to Undyne, to Papyrus!”

His smile turned strained as well when they mentioned his brother. Wrong move.
“Yeah. You’re not sounding very convincing.”
“I swear! There was this force, something I couldn’t see! It started all of it! Why-why would I kill my family?! I thought it was Frisk but now I don’t know anymore, but it’s gone and I don’t have to think about it ever again!” They turn to the side, hands clutching at their chest. Looking for a control on their soul that isn’t there anymore. Sweat starts to run down their face and neck as they grow more agitated.

“It’s over Sans, so let’s just forget about it! Isn’t that for the best?!” They cry, desperately.
“I don’t think so. How do I know you won’t do it again? How do I know you won’t tear it all away from us?” He accuses, pointing a bony finger at them.
“I can’t, Sans!” They turn back to him, eyes wild. “Every since I got a body again, FRISK has had the sole power of saving, of resets! Not me!” They flap their hands up and down.
“Fine. Then prove to me. Prove to me you weren’t the one who did it all.”
“I can’t! I don’t know anymore! I'm so scared, scared that I was the one who did it the whole time, that I made it all up! I can’t make it up to anyone, knowing that even if it wasn’t me, there was nothing I could do to stop it!” They turn away again, jerkily. “T-this is my punishment, isn’t it? For my stupid plan, for getting Asriel killed! I can never be forgiven for my sins! Haha!”

It felt as if everything was falling apart. They could feel invisible buttercups blooming in their chest, filling their throat. They were beginning to hyperventilate, and didn’t even notice Sans anymore, couldn’t see the regret on his features. They can’t stop laughing. They cover their eyes with their hands. It’s all too much. They don’t even notice as they start to bite their knuckles, looking for some semblance of control.

They don’t hear as Sans is calling their name. Is it their name? They can’t remember anymore. He calls again, but nobody heard.

Chara feels something touch their shoulder, and they spin wildly, swiping with a knife they don’t have.
Sans blips out of the way, hands held up in surrender. He looks concerned.
“Kid, sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. My bad.” He says, sitting back down.
They breath heavily, red eyes shining with unshed tears. They rub at the teeth marks on their hand.

“If you say you didn’t do it, I’ll believe you. I… won’t push it anymore, ok?” He tries to assure them.
They chuckle darkly. “You don’t have to be nice for my sake, Sans. I don’t deserve it.”

“Buddy, you were just a kid. You ARE just a kid. Maybe I don’t know the full story, but… I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. A bad person wouldn’t feel so bad or confused about something they might not have done.”
“Maybe, we… have more in common than I thought.” He says. Chara laughs at that. “No really, It seems we were both at the whims of something bigger, something beyond our control. I can’t fault you for that. Plus, hey, we're both pretty smiley.”

Chara scrubs at their face, smile starting to waver. “I… I don’t know Sans. You don’t need to change anything because you saw how much of a mess I am.”
“I was being stubborn. I wanted someone to hate, kid, you were just ‘lucky’ enough to be the person I chose to blame.”
“I… I’ll try to be less hard on you, too. I know you don’t deserve it. It’s just so hard not to fall into my anger, which I know isn’t an excuse but-”
“Hey, don’t sweat it, kid.” He assures them, scratching awkwardly at the back of his skull.
They stay quiet for a moment, watching the push and pull of the ocean.
“Want to get some Nice Cream with me, before the others arrive?” Sans finally asks, dusting sand off his shorts.
“...Okay.”
Their relationship still wasn’t perfect, but it was a start.

Chapter Text

Chara and Sans were just finished getting their Nice Creams when the others arrived at the beach. Chara got chocolate flavor, of course, and Sans got hot dog flavor which is frankly, disgusting. Undyne waved wildly in the distance, getting their attention. Alphys also offered a small wave. They crossed the beach and joined groups.

They stood by Toriel for a while, finishing their Nice Cream. They licked the chocolate off each hand.
“Oh Chara, you got chocolate all over your face! Let me get that for you.” She says, beginning to wipe it off of them.
“Moooooom, I can do that myself!”
“Don’t be silly, dear, this is what mothers are for!” She insisted, before pinching their rosy cheek gently. “Why don’t you spend time with one of your friends? You’ve had enough of this silly old lady day after day.” She smiled gently.

Chara looked around, spotting Sans still at the beach umbrella. Nope, had enough of that skeleton for today, thankyouverymuch! They spot Undyne and Alphys on the sea wall. Might as well spend time with those two, they figure.

Chara had always admired Undyne, from the time they first saw her. Not only does she have supremely badass armor, but she is the embodiment of a hero. She never gives up, and wants the best for all of monsterkind, and will stop at nothing to get that. But she is also passionate, and not afraid to fight for what, or who, she believes in. Not to mention, she plays fair, even to her enemies. Plus, she was honest with her feelings towards Frisk from the beginning, though it formed into a friendship in the end. She was wary of Chara when they first met, after Chara got a body again, but grew more warm towards them with time. Chara can’t blame her for her initial feelings, considering what the human race had done to her people. Chara can’t help but remember when she was transformed by the power of her own determination, into Undyne the Undying.

As Chara heads over to the pair, they hear Undyne and Alphys greet them with a “Hey punk!” and a “H-hi Chara!” respectively.
“So, want to spend time with your favorite couple?” Undyne shoots them a big grin, which Chara returns in full. They settle down next to Alphys, and lets them resume their conversation. They don’t listen at first, opting to just think to themself.

Chara’s thoughts can’t help but fall back to their previous run again. Although through sheer determination alone, she transformed herself, Undyne still fell to them. It felt like everything turned more grim after that point. “Truly great people emit a light that warms the hearts of those around them. When that light has been put out, a heavy shadow of despair descends.” Chara quotes in their head. The heroine’s life had been snuffed out by them. Chara wonders if they can ever tell her that they saw her die. Either way, Chara has the utmost respect for her, and could gush about this hero all day.

Chara zones back into the conversation.
“I don’t get why you hate Mew Mew 2 so much, I watched it and it wasn’t that bad???” Undyne questions her girlfriend, raising an eyebrow.
Alphys shoves her girlfriend gently. “What!? U-Undyne, this is the ultimate betrayal!!”
“I mean, I still prefer the first one, but this hatred seems really unfounded to me.”
“Actually I think Mew Mew 2 is the better one.” Chara bursts in.
Undyne can only watch with a smile as Alphys explodes, “What!? Chara, its trash! It completely ruins Mew Mew’s entire character arc!”
“Perhaps so, but the first one is just a rip off of The Lunar Sailor. The second one is-”
“Is not!!” Alphys throws her hands into the air.
“-really where the originality of the series begins to shine.” Chara continues. The humor of the first one may be better however, but the tension in the second is much more well executed. Furthermore, the animation quality improved, and the costumes are fun and cute.”
“Maybe so, b-but!!! The characters are really the heart of the series here, and Mew Mew 2 is just not up to par. The first shows a deeper side to each character, while still establishing each of their main traits.” Alphys counters, scooting forward.
“The first one’s story isn’t bad, but it's nothing special either.”
“WHAT!!!” Alphys squawks and jumps to her feet.

They continue like that for a while, going back and forth about the Mew Mew Kissy Cutie series, before moving on to other animes. Their conversations grow more and more heated. Undyne even joins in near the end, starting to match their passion.
“God! I can’t believe this!! Sorry, Undyne, I need to go to cool down. I’ve been meaning to talk to Sans, anyway. I’ll rejoin you in a little while.” Alphys stands up, and heads back towards Sans.
It takes a second before Chara grows embarrassed.
“S-sorry! I didn’t mean to take up your time with Alphys, much less get into arguments over anime with her!!” Chara stammers, waving their hands about.
“Nah, punk, don't stress about it! It’s nice seeing you so passionate about something, and I’m not smart enough to have an educated discussion with Alphys about it.” Undyne puts a hand on Chara’s shoulder, making them flinch.
“Ah, sorry, I’m kind of handsy, I forgot you don’t like being touched all that much.” She apologizes.
Chara puts on another smile, and says “It’s fine! And it’s fun talking with Alphys. Most other people aren’t so… zeroed in on their interests, like I am, I guess? I don’t know how else to explain it, I suppose.”
“No, I totally get that!! It’s hard to care about stuff if you don’t have a lot of interest in it. But once you do have an interest in it, you go all out, right?!” She gives another big grin to Chara. “Alphys is like that too.”
Chara’s eyes trail down Undyne’s form. They note various scars and red freckle-like spots on her shoulders. They spot a large scar trailing up her side, disappearing under her top. Undyne’s eyes follow their gaze.
“Oh, checking out my gnarly scars! Aren’t they cool?!” Her signature toothy grin spreads across her face once more.
“Yeah… I wish mine were cool too.” They loosley grab their arm.
“Punk, they ARE cool! You should be happy in your own skin!”
“Yeah but I-”
“It doesn’t matter how you got them! They’re apart of you, a reflection of you!! They show you’re strong! That you’re still here!”
Chara doesn’t know how to respond to that. They have never been proud of themself in much of any capacity, but they also never thought about it like that. Coming from Undyne of all people, maybe she’s right. However, they aren’t just going to change their thinking on the topic just like that. They’ll put some more thought into it. This aspect of their conversation seemed to be over, anyway.
They both turn and watch the beach. Alphys is with Frisk, piling sand onto Sans, turning him into a mermaid. Asgore is with Mettaton on some towels, chatting casually with each other, Mettaton occasionally posing dramatically. Papyrus is wading in the water with Toriel, talking animatedly. Sometimes this peace and happiness together on the surface makes Chara grow anxious, thinking it can’t possibly last, not with them around. Not with humans.

“You okay, punk?” Undyne asks, noticing a further shift in Chara’s expression.
“Yeah it’s just… How did you do it?”
“Do what?”
“Forget all humans have done to you.” Chara tilts their head forward, bangs covering their eyes.
“...I didn’t.”
Chara swivels to look at Undyne. “Huh??”
“I know you are supposed to ‘forgive and forget’, but how can I? After what humans did to monsters, I just can’t bear to. They doomed us to a life without sunlight, without stars, without so many wonders. They put us underground and intended to leave us that way. I know us monsters aren’t blameless, but…” She trails off.
She turns to Chara. “How do YOU cope with humans?”
“Haha! What makes you think I deal with it at all??”

Undyne is about to punch their shoulder lightly before catching herself. “Ngahhh!! Get healthy coping mechanisms, human!!” She laughs. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not like before. I know each human is a case by case basis, I can’t treat them all like one big anime villain. Frisk taught me that.”
“Yeah… They are pretty great, huh.” Chara smiles softly. “Frisk proved it to me too, that humans aren’t all bad. But it’s still hard to trust them. I don’t want to trust them. But at the very least, I don’t want to destroy them all anymore.”
“Hah! Me too.”

They turn back to the beach. Sans has fallen asleep, covered in sand shaped like a mermaid. Frisk is posing next to him as Alphys takes a picture. She stops and waves at the two. Undyne’s whole face brightens up, but she turns back to Chara.

“Y’know…” She starts.
“Hm?”
“You’re one of the good ones.”
“What?!”
“Of humans, I mean.” Undyne clarifies, adjusting her eyepatch a bit.
“I-I know what you meant!! It’s just-”
“What?? Are you gonna tell me I’m wrong?? Well you better start believing it punk, or I’m gonna make you train with Papyrus!” Undyne smiles wider.
“Haha, don’t threaten me with a good time.”
“In fact, y’know what?”
“What?” Chara tilts their head, bangs starting to fall in their face.
“You and me should train sometime.”
Chara is starstruck. “Really!?” They gasp.
“Yeah!!! I know Toriel has been teaching you magic, so I can teach you some tricks!”
“I… I would really like that actually.” Chara says softly.
“Yeah!! But for now, let’s go back and join the others!”
Chara nodded, and followed Undyne back to the beach.

Chapter Text

Undyne and Chara left the sea wall and headed back towards the ocean. Undyne rejoined her girlfriend, trying to further make a sand sculpture around Sans. Chara approached Mettaton and Asgore. Asgore gave them a little wave with his large hand as Mettaton sipped on a Starfait.

“Howdy, Chara! Mettaton has been telling me all about acting. It’s more complex than I had ever imagined.”
“Oh yes, acting and performing is difficult, but it’s definitely worth the trouble. You two should join me on TV sometime.” Mettaton gave a dazzling grin.

Chara joined the two on the towels, but unfortunately the shade of the umbrella couldn’t quite reach them. Mettaton’s tube-like arms reached over to pass them a pair of sunglasses.
“Thanks” They said, taking them from his gloved hand.

Frisk ran up the beach towards them, spraying sand in the air behind them. They reached for Asgore’s hand and began to tug him further down the beach.
Chara could see them sign, “Help us build a sand castle around Sans, it’s going to be great!” and pulled him away.

“...Well I guess it’s just you and me, darling.” Mettaton spoke, turning on his side to face them.
“I suppose so. Is there anything you would like to do?”
“I’m afraid there’s not much to be done on my part. Don’t want to get too much sand in my joints.” Mettaton sighs.
“Ah.” Chara sometimes forgot Mettaton was a robot when he was in his EX form. Alphys really outdone herself with his design and functions.

“You know, I don’t see much of you, Chara.” Mettaton rests his head on his hand.
“Well, I guess it’s a combination of you being a busy TV star and me not being much of a social butterfly.”
“That’s fair, but I wouldn’t mind spending more time with you, darling. I never really got to know you, at least as much as I know the others.”
“We have some things in common, too, when you think about it, so maybe that’s not such a bad idea. Mom wants me to stop isolating myself so much anyway.”
“Exactly! You need to step into your spotlight, darling!” He shifts onto his stomach, still propping his head up with his hands. He took another sip of his drink.
“Maybe not, I’m not one for too much attention.”
“That’s a shame. It seems we still have our differences after all.”
“Maybe.” Chara pauses for a moment, before speaking again, “Have I ever mentioned I am a fan of you? I’m not much for TV, but you are pretty admirable.” Chara admits.
“Oh?? Indulge me, how so?”.

“Oh, um, well for one you inspired the whole underground, being their only star and all, and kept them moving forward. You gave hope. Also, you aren’t afraid to take matters into your own hands and chase your dreams. Sure, in the end you decided you would delay your big debut, but that showed cared for your fans.”
“Thank you, you are sweet, Chara-darling. Always love to hear from a fan. From a friend.”

Bashful, Chara scratches the back of their head.
“You aren’t so bad yourself, too y’know. I know you’re hard on yourself, but you have some lovely attributes. You’re determined, you make an effort to be kind despite your wariness of others, and you have a lovely smile.”
Chara tugs at the hair in front of their ears. “Th-thanks. I don’t deserve it but it means a lot.”
Mettaton’s face becomes a bit serious. “You really need to work on that confidence, darling.”

“Yeah, well, how do you do it? Stay confident, and love yourself?” Chara asks, tugging harder at their hair.
“Well darling, it’s not easy. It’s a long journey, but with practice, like all things, it becomes easier. At some point, you need to stop wallowing in guilt and self-pity, you know? And you have to learn to forgive yourself sometimes. You have to realize you are treating yourself unfairly, and holding yourself to a higher standard than you do to others.” He emphasized. “It’s hard to change your way of thinking, but as you work at it, you’ll notice your progress, too. You need to realize your happiness is important too.” Mettaton continues, absentmindedly spinning the straw in his drink. “Another important part to remember is that you are going to make mistakes. You have to learn to accept it and move past it. I’m… not perfect myself. I screwed up with Alphys.” He begins to look lost in thought.
“I made fun of her, and ultimately betrayed her. I didn’t have to do what I did. I messed up with Blooky, too.” He comes back to himself. “Point is, you have to move past your mistakes but make an effort to improve yourself from them. Then you can start to become someone you are proud of.”
He runs his hands through is synthetic hair. Well, darling, I could go on and on about this, but that’s a start. Work at it; you’re worth it.”
“Thanks, I guess it's worth a try.” They say, not sure if they want to continue this conversation, or argue that they don't deserve to 'get better'.
“Anything for a fan.” He beams at them, and turns onto his back again.
Chara still isn’t sure if they deserve to forgive themself, much less love themself. Maybe for their friends, they’d be willing to try.

Chapter Text

They spent a few more hours at the beach that day. Chara, worn out from socializing, chose to stick to Toriel for the remaining time there. Nothing very eventful happened on their end, aside from Toriel talking to Asgore for a short while. It wasn’t anything serious, just a casual conversation. They still think she doesn’t like him very much, but is willing to try to improve their relationship.
Chara blames themself, for them splitting up. Who else's fault could it be? They are responsible for their own and Asriel’s death, which ultimately brought on everything else that tore their family apart. They were supposed to be the angel from the surface, who would save the underground, but they only brought it into further despair. If it weren’t for Frisk… would they ever have escaped?
They aren’t ready to tell Toriel the truth of their death, that it was a suicide. They’re unsure they ever will be. They hope one day they will work up the courage, because they believe both she and Asgore deserve to know. They ponder this dilemma as Sans warps them back to the house. They stumble again, despite being prepared for the strange feeling of teleporting this time around. Sans heads back up to his room, probably to sleep again. Chara decides that that’s a smart choice, feeling tired themself.
They were all staying over at the skeleton brother’s house for a few days, aside from Mettaton and Asgore, who could only put aside time for the excursion to the beach. Toriel, being the biggest, got the guest room, while Alphys and Undyne would take an inflatable mattress on the floor. Chara and Frisk would be sharing the couch.
Following Sans’ decision, they went on the couch and decided to sleep. They felt a blanket placed over them, but didn’t open their eyes to find out who was there. It was so tiring being alive again. They drifted off to sleep. They awoke a few times, to the sound of Alphys exclaiming directions as Frisk played a videogame beside their curled up form, before they drifted away again.
As they regained awareness again, they could only feel a strange stiffness throughout their body. They opened their eyes, surrounded by pure black. Chara looked down, unable to move, seeing red strings attached to their limbs. To their horror, they had a knife in their hand, glinting in the darkness. They looked up frantically, only to watch as each of their friends appeared in front of them.
Sans. Papyrus. Alphys. Undyne. Dad. Mom. They desperately strained against the strings, to no avail. The strings remained unbroken despite their best efforts. Each time a new person appeared, the strings pulled their limbs into motion, striking them all with the knife. Their friends, their family, turned to dust before their eyes. They could feel the dust cake their hands and face. They could feel it enter their lungs with each gasping breath. Was this all they do? Destroy anything good that enters their life?
The strings made them flip the knife around in their hand, aiming towards themself. It pulled back slightly, before quickly closing in on their chest.
They could only feel the point begin to break their skin before they woke up, gasping into the empty air. They looked around wildly, but it was just the house they fell asleep in, their friends asleep around them. The clock reads 1:37 AM.

Well. Most not all of them are still asleep. Frisk rubbed their bleary eyes, awakened from Chara’s sudden movement. They noticed Chara’s heavy breathing and tilted their head in concern.
“Are you okay?” They signed slowly.
“I-I’m fine. I…. just a bad dream.” They stammered quietly, mindful of the sleeping Undyne and Alphys.
“Oh. Maybe you should see mom? She always helps me with mine.”
“N-no.” They feel incredibly cold, and they aren’t sure why. They rub their arms, trying to generate some heat.
“Chara…” They wave their hand to bring Chara’s attention back to their signing. “She wants to help you, you know that, right?”
“I-I know, I just don’t want to be a burden, more than I already am, okay?” They huff air into their fingers, trying to warm them up.
“She would never see you as a burden, she-”
“Just drop it.” Chara raises their voice slightly, and Undyne shifts in her sleep. “Just go back to sleep, okay?” They murmur.
Frisk gives them a Look, but turns back onto their side. After a while, their breathing evens out again.
Chara bites their nails anxiously as they sit alone with the remnants of their dream. They didn’t doubt that that dream was a result of their talk about the merciless trek through the underground, last timeline, with Sans. They mulled over the talk with the short skeleton. They turn their hand to gnaw on their knuckles. Was it really not their fault? They could see it all, hear it all, feel it all. The dust, each weapon they took, the LOVE. It had felt so suddenly clear when they struck the second, killing blow on Sans. That had to be them right? It was them who did their creepy face at Flowey as they approached the Judgement Hall, it was them who walked through each of Papyrus’ puzzles, it was them who did it all, right? It had to be, and they could never forgive themself. They remember as they progressed how distant with their emotions they had become. They never want to feel that way again.
They taste copper, and realize they broke skin, biting their hand. They flap their hand in the air for a moment, pain suddenly returning to them. They slowly get up, trying not to wake Frisk. They step over Undyne’s outstretched arm, and walk towards the bathroom.

They close the bathroom door, and turn on the light. It blinds them, and they squeeze their eyes shut for a moment. Adjusting to the sudden change in lighting, they look at their injured hand.
“Hmm. It’s not so bad.” They say to themself.
They put their hand under the sink and run warm water over their knuckles. They unwrap and place a Hello Kitty band-aid over the wounded area. They reach for and use the vanilla scented soap that Frisk had given them as a gift last Christmas. Chara had always been fond of sweet smelling things. They inhale the sweet vanilla scent, and feel their shoulders relax.
Clutching the edges of the sink, they look into the mirror. They don’t recognize the person that looks back at them. Sure, they had their rosy cheeks, their dark brown hair, pale skin, but… They looked so tired. They don’t deserve to feel tired. They attempt a smile. It doesn’t reach their eyes. Whatever, they were never that connected to their appearance anyway.
Maybe Frisk was right. They can’t bear to be alone with themself any longer. They turn off the lights, and exit the bathroom. They tiptoe over to the guest room, light peeking out from underneath the door, and slip inside.

Toriel is sat up in her bed, book in hand. She looks up at Chara, and gives them a small smile.
“What are you doing up at this hour, my child?” She closes the book and sets it beside her.
Still feeling cold, they shiver, and take a few steps closer. They start to speak, their voice low. “I… had a bad dream. I don’t want to be alone with my thoughts right now.”
Toriel scooches up further in her bed, and opens the covers beside her.
“Take a seat, my child.”
Chara nervously crosses the room to the other side of the bed. They sit down and bring their knees to their chest.
“Would you like to talk about it?” She asks them gently.
“...No. Not really. Sorry.”
“No need to apologize. At times, you just do not want to talk.”
She smiles again, and she looks so much like her son, like Asriel. They think of what Flowey said, in the echo flowers. “She’ll find another kid, and instantly forget about you.” They shove their face into their knees. That’s what she did didn’t she? 6 times, and once more with Frisk. Did they even matter to her?

“Mom?” They mumble into their knees.
“I am sorry, I cannot hear you when you cover your face like that.”
They turn to face her, they eyesight blurring with tears. “Do I… Was I even your favorite?”
“Chara?”
“Do you even care for me? Or is it just out of obligation at this point?”
Her face morphs into an expression of sadness.
“Chara… I love you more than you can ever imagine. It is a pleasure to take care of you, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.”
“But-But that can’t be true. At some point, you’ll get sick of me, won’t you? I never stop messing up, I’m mean... I hurt people. It’s only a matter of time. It’s inevitable.” They shiver harder.
“Oh Chara…”
She leans in close, and despite their fear, they turn to face her.
Her eyes shine with love as she says, “There is nothing you can do that will ever make me stop loving you.” She holds the side of their face, and they let her.
They remember the flowers she tended, on their grave, throughout all the years they had been gone and know she is telling the truth.
They fall forward into a hug with her, they can’t help crying. They feel the soft silk of her nightgown against their face and stain it with snot and tears.
They are so thankful. Thankful for her giving them a home. Thankful for giving them food and clothes. Thankful for teaching them magic. Thankful for her accepting them despite their faults. They are so thankful for this mother they do not deserve.

They feel warm. They fall asleep in her room that night.

Chapter Text

The following morning, they wake up in Toriel’s bed. It is incredibly comfortable. They drift in and out of consciousness for a time, face pressed into the pillows. They were surrounded by the smell of Toriel, and they could practically feel her arms wrapped around them.
The door creaks open, and they poke their head out from under the covers. Toriel is holding the door open with her large hand, and asks “Won’t you please get up for breakfast?”
They roll out of bed, literally, with a thump.
“Toriel rushes over to their side. “Oh Chara, do not roll out of bed! I would hate for you to hit your head.” She offers a hand to help them up. They take it after a short moment of hesitation. Together with Toriel, they exit the room.
Sunlight streams in through the windows, and they can hear the TV playing one of Mettaton’s shows on a low volume. Frisk was on the couch with Undyne, picking the marshmallows out of their cereal. In the new lighting, Toriel notices the band-aid on Chara’s hand. She turns to them, a small frown starting to form.
Embarrassed, Chara tugs at the hem of their sweater. Ah, they forgot to change into pajamas. “It’s nothing to concern yourself over. Just a bad habit.”
Still, she takes their hand in hers, her paw pads brushing over the band-aid. They feel a small amount of magic wash over them, and they know it has been healed.
They remove the band-aid and thank her softly.
Toriel heads into the kitchen, passing Sans, Papyrus, and Alphys at the table. As she pulls out a bowl, spoon, and a box of cereal, Chara changes in the bathroom into a new set of clothes. They choose gray shorts and a black T-shirt advertising Mettaton’s show with Shyren. They pull on some knee high socks with the nonbinary pride flag in stripes at the top. Frisk has a matching pair, too. They brush the knots out of their hair, but despite this, their hair remains the mess it always is. They brush their teeth, blearily looking at themself in the mirror.
By the time they leave the bathroom, Toriel has set out a simple breakfast of cereal for them, with a glass of milk beside it. After a moment of hesitation, they dare to choose to sit next to Sans. If he has a problem with it, he doesn’t comment. In fact, he seems to barely be awake.
Toriel is looking at her schedule when she exclaims: “Ah! Chara, I know we typically do our magic lessons today, but it seems I have some errands to run.” She turns to Papyrus. “Papyrus, you have a strong control of your magic, would you mind teaching both Chara and Frisk today? They are excellent students, and should not cause you any trouble.”
Papyrus brightens. “OF COURSE!” Turning to Sans, he shakes the smaller brother’s shoulder. “SANS! I WILL BE THE ONE TO TEACH THE HUMANS MAGIC TODAY!”
“That’s great, bro. Do you know what aspect of magic you’ll teach ‘em?”
“....NO. BUT I WILL SOON! AFTER ALL, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, ALWAYS KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON AT LEAST A THIRD OF THE TIME!”
Chara isn’t sure if much will come of this lesson. They don’t mind too much, the lessons with Toriel are at a slow pace anyway. Papyrus DOES have excellent control of his magic. He never killed Frisk, even once, stopping before it could happen, and taking them to his shed. Chara isn’t entirely sure what they think of the tall skeleton. He was kind to all, but they got the feeling he wasn’t as naive as he made himself out to be, at least to his brother. Either way, they respected how he stuck to his values through thick and thin. They move their thoughts away from the last run.
He puts his gloved hands together and faces Chara with a smile. “WE WILL START AFTER BREAKFAST. AFTER ALL, IT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT MEAL OF THE DAY.”
They nod and continue to eat their cereal.

Once Frisk and Chara finish their breakfast, Papyrus ushers them to the front of the house. Toriel usually has them practice magic in a clearing in the woods nearby their house. On the short walk there, Frisk makes grabby hands at Papyrus, and he lifts them to carry on his shoulders. Chara trails behind the two. The dappled morning sunlight shines on them through the trees.
Chara realizes they probably should’ve worn pants, considering they were training and all. Frisk wasn’t wearing their normal striped sweater yesterday, so they went with their go-to outfit today. Including the aforementioned sweater, they were wearing some stained overalls with a big pocket in front, black pants, and worn boots. They had their short hair tied in a little ponytail, too.
Papyrus was not wearing his “battle body”. Since they left the underground, Toriel and Sans coaxed him into expanding his wardrobe. He still returns to the comfort of the old outfit, but he has many different outfits now. Today he was wearing a blue, ankle-length skirt with a floral pattern on it. He was still wearing boots, just not his typical red ones. He had a light pink, almost peach, blouse. His scarf was an important comfort object to him, Chara learned, so he was still wearing that.

Papyrus set Frisk down as they arrived in the clearing. He begins to speak in his usual loud and confident voice.
“ALRIGHT HUMANS! TODAY WE WILL LEARN ABOUT… ATTACKS THAT CHANGE THE COLOR OF YOUR SOUL! TORIEL CAN’T TEACH YOU THIS, SO I WILL STEP UP TO THE PLATE!”
Chara is… actually interested in this! Usually the lessons Toriel teaches them go at a slower pace, at Frisk’s request.
“WELL, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET’S GET STARTED!” Papyrus says, and initiates the fight. The world turns black and white, and their souls appear in front of them. Chara flinches, despite being warned. Monsters use FIGHTS for many things, sometimes just for expressing themselves with no fighting at all. Chara, however, can’t help but think of it as what it’s called. A fight. But Papyrus has great control, they reassure themselves, it will be fine.
“START BY SUMMONING YOUR WEAPON OF CHOICE!” Papyrus instructs. Chara and Frisk both have a fair amount of practice doing so, so they do as they are told. Chara summons a red dagger, while Frisk summons a long staff of the same color. Frisk’s weapon somewhat resembles the stick they fell into the underground with, but Chara just is more familiar with knives as opposed to a longer weapon. Papyrus summons a long bone, resembling a humerus, about the same size as he is.
“ALRIGHTY THEN!”
He swipes at them with the bone, still at enough of a distance that it wouldn’t hit them, but the effect is immediate. Their souls, and their weapons, too, turn a deep blue color. Their souls feel heavy, and fall to the floor.

Chara can distantly hear Papyrus say, “YOU’RE BLUE NOW.” but they have already begun their descent into panicking. The feeling was all to familiar. They instinctively put a wide grin across their face. They are thrown back into their fight with Sans. They fall to their knees, not feeling as the rough ground scrapes their knees. They see something approaching and swipe at it with their knife. Fabric tears, and Frisk falls onto their butt. Only their sweater was ripped, but they still scrabble backwards in the dirt. The blue around their soul dispels, and they too scrambled backwards as Sans approaches.
Wait. Sans isn’t that tall? They look up and meet the concerned, but still smiling, face of Papyrus. He’s sparing them. They look around frantically with wide eyes and regain awareness of their surroundings. This isn’t the Judgement Hall. Their eyes are still distant as Frisk moves to their knees, and leans forward slightly.
“We’re in the woods by mom’s house, and we’re just training with Papyrus. Everything is OK. Can you stand?”
They move to get to their feet and wince as they feel pain in their scraped knees as they unbend. Frisks eyebrows shoot up and they shuffle over. They look at the blood and sign, “I’m gonna run back and get you some band-aids.” They turn to Papyrus. “Please calm them down, okay?” They don’t wait for a response as the push themself to their feet and jog back towards the house. Chara feels far away as they watch them go.

“HUMAN?”
They feel themself turn to face him. He crouches down to speak to them. “EVERYTHING IS A-OK! AND YOU CAN TRUST THAT IT’S TRUE BECAUSE IT’S ME SAYING IT!”
Suddenly and for seemingly no reason, anger shoots through them, grounding them. “W-what do YOU know?” They stutter angrily. “You’re as naive and clueless as they come!” They point a shaking finger at him. “All you d-do is think everything is fine and everyone is good when it’s not and we’re all not! I’m not okay, Frisk is not okay, not even Sans is okay! Do you even know your own brother is depressed?”
“OF COURSE I DO, HUMAN. HOW WOULDN’T I?” That catches Chara off guard slightly. Papyrus folds his skirt under him and sits on his knees.
“B-but… you don’t act like it. You just have this worthless optimism, and assume everyone is good or okay.”
“SANS WOULDN’T WANT ME TO TREAT HIM DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE HE IS NOT DOING SO WELL. I JUST TRY TO BE A POSITIVE FORCE IN HIS LIFE. AND I KNOW NOT EVERYONE IS GOOD, I JUST BELIEVE EVERYONE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE GOOD. AND I CAN TELL YOU ARE TRYING VERY HARD TO BE GOOD.”
They feel ashamed for assuming Papyrus so clueless. Of course he isn’t. He’s an adult, he isn’t naive, he’s just overly optimistic. He even seems especially in tune to other’s feelings.
“S...Sorry.” They turn their head to the side.
“I KNOW YOU ARE STRESSED. I SHOULD HAVE WARNED YOU BEFORE TURNING YOU BLUE.”
“No, it’s my fault. It’s a FIGHT and you said what you would be teaching.”
“IT’S OKAY TO NOT BE OKAY HUMAN, BUT IT IS CERTAINLY NOT YOUR FAULT FOR HAVING FEELINGS.”
“And I’m sorry for bringing your brother up out of nowhere.” They apologize further. They were never good at this apology thing, they can only hope it seems sincere.
“YOU WERE JUST WORRIED BECAUSE YOU CARE ABOUT HIM.”
They hate to admit it, but it’s true. They have come to care about everyone Frisk had met throughout their journey. Even Sans, even if he scared them, or was annoying, and hated them.

“God, all I do is hurt people.” Chara covers their face with their hands. “I’m hardly human. I'm a demon.”
“ I’M NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH WHAT DEMONS DO AS YOU ARE, BUT PERHAPS DEMONS DON’T WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT HURTING OTHER PEOPLE I THINK MAYBE???”
“Maybe you’re right, but I’m hardly good.”
As they said that, Frisk came running back into the clearing. Out of their overall’s pocket, they pull out two large square band-aids. They offer them both to Chara. Chara takes them, and begins smoothing them over the scrapes.
“PERHAPS IT IS BEST WE CONTINUE THIS TRAINING ANOTHER TIME.”
Frisk nods vigorously. They pull Chara towards the path away from the clearing. Chara never minded when Frisk touched them, having shared a body with them. As they walk back, Papyrus leans down to Chara and whispers not-so-quietly, “WE’LL FINISH OUR CHAT ANOTHER TIME.”
They nod, and they spend the rest of the afternoon asleep.
That night, when they return to the couch from brushing their teeth, they find a sticky note on their pillow.
It reads “YOU CAN DO IT!!!” with a crudely drawn skeleton giving a thumbs up.

They smile, and stick it on the wall next to their bed.

Chapter Text

They slept in Toriel’s room again last night, having a harder week than usual. But today, Chara was in one of their “moods” as Frisk would say. As they exited Toriel’s room, Frisk waved at them, and started to sign, but Chara walked past without addressing them. Frisk frowned at Chara’s backed as they rummaged through the fridge.
“No chocolate.” They fell back into their habit of narrating when feeling like this, but had no one to narrate for except themself.
“Chocolate is not a breakfast food, my child.” Toriel comments behind them. They jump in surprise, before turning angry.
“I did not mean to startle y-” They interrupt her, storming past the large monster. They pass Alphys, who was heading out the door, and turn to walk the trail through the woods.
“O-oh Chara!” Alphys begins to say, before noticing they aren’t stopping to let her speak. She jogs up to catch up to them.
“I was j-just going for a walk, y-y’know! Undyne says I should get in the h-habit of exercising more often b-but!!’ She shakes her head and adjusts her glasses. “That is not what I wanted to t-talk about!”
“Chara continues walking, and Alphys continues to follow.
“I am not sure if you can tell. But. I am in no mood to speak.” Chara’s words were deliberate, slow, and clipped. When less angry, they are prone to acting overly polite, but with a more intense anger, they lash out more.
Alphys is taken aback at first. “Y-yes b-but… I think this is something you need to hear. You deserve to know.” This, at least, catches Chara’s interest and they pause their steps. Alphys wrings her hands together.
“I… I don’t know how else to put this, so I’ll just g-go straight to the point. I w-won’t sugar coat it.”
Chara tilts their head and smiles coldly as they interlace their fingers. “Do go on.”
“I think I know what happened to your brother. T-to Asriel.”
This catches Chara off guard, and it shows on their face, if only for a moment.
“My brother is dead.” This, they know isn’t true. When Frisk reached the True Lab, they had pieced it together, to their growing horror, who the Flower following them was. It was confirmed after he took the souls of everyone in the underground
“N-not exactly. Y-you see. A long time ago, I was asked by your father, by A-Asgore, to conduct a variety of experiments. It was r-related to soul power. Long s-story short, I needed a vessel, to host the soul power we needed to break the barrier. So I chose, a f-flower, from Asgore’s garden.”
Chara knew where this story was going. Still, they let her continue.
“I injected it with a power called Determination I isolated from the h-human souls. I thought the experiment h-had failed, but…” She trailed off, gathering her thoughts before continuing. “The flower disappeared. And when one showed up before the barrier was broken, I started t-thinking about it again. I realized. Asriel’s dust was on those flowers.”
“So.” Chara starts sharply. “You admit to bringing my brother back from death as a soulless abomination?”
“I-it wasn’t intentional! I didn’t know!” Alphys exclaims. Then she pauses, and takes a deep breath. “I-I’m sorry. That doesn’t matter, d-does it? Intentional or n-not, it still happened. I’m s-sorry.”
“I’m not the one that should be apologized to.” Chara says, and storms off, back towards the house, leaving Alphys alone on the trail.
Chara began stewing in their thoughts, in their anger. SHE did this to Asriel. As-Flowey, they correct themself, must be stuck in some sick hell, alive when he shouldn’t be, unable to feel. Alphys messed with things she should not have. They re-enter the house and slam the door. The slam the door of the bathroom, too, when they go inside. They hear Toriel reprimand them for doing so, but they ignore her and lock the door. Right now, they just wanted to be angry and alone. They sit against the bathtub and draw their knees against their chest. They and Flowey both, should be dead.
Frisk knocks on the door, but Chara yells and swears at them. They don’t knock again. After a moment, Chara realizes that they are doing it again, to their dismay, not being mindful enough of others and their feelings. They take a deep breath, and frown at themself in the bathroom mirror. They splash their face with some cold water, and turn around. They open the door a crack, and spot Frisk on the couch. They don’t seem too bothered by Chara’s outburst, but Chara approaches them anyway.
“Sorry” is the best they can manage, and hurry away, shoulders hunched, before Frisk can respond or even accept their apology.
As they escape they think of how they treated Alphys. They… might have been unfair. Sure, what Alphys did was wrong. However, it was brave of Alphys to admit to it, as much as she didn’t want to. She did face the consequences, they suppose, losing their job as Royal Scientist. She won’t mess with life like that ever again, they’re sure. And… they kind of remind Chara of themself. They both made mistakes, messed with people’s lives, Asriel’s life. Chara softens. They locate Alphys on the porch out back,
They hesitantly approach Alphys. She looks up at them, surprised.
“Thank you. For telling me. I already knew, but it’s appreciated.” They say crossing their arms anxiously.
“How did you-”
“It doesn’t matter and I won’t tell you. I’m sure you can figure it out, anyway.” They cut her off. “You’ll make it up to everyone for your mistakes, won’t you?”.
They both stay silent for a moment, before Alphys speaks up again. “And u-um. Thank you for coming back. And for giving me a chance. T-to make it up to you.”
“Yeah. I’m sure we can be friends, despite it too.”
Alphys perks up at that.
“Though you do have shitty taste in anime.”
Chara muffles a snicker at Alphys’ subsequent squawk.
Yeah. They can bear being friends with her. It’ll be fun teasing her, too.
She starts to lecture them about why her taste in anime is “superb, actually”. They start to hurry away because they actually don’t want to listen to this right now. But still...
They’re glad she’s around.