Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It's a quiet little Saturday morning.

There's nothing but the quiet sounds of nature echoing across the green expanse of Ebott Mountain as you sip at your warm drink, trying to soak up this peace while you still can.

You then feel a tug at your clothes and turn your head to face the culprit at hand, sending them an amused look before patting them on the head with a laugh.

"What is it, little buddy?" You ask, quirking a brow as you try your best to take in their signs. When your brow creases a tad out of confusion, they pause and try again, signing their words much more slowly for you.

"When can we leave, Nini?" is what they'd asked. Once they're done, they put down their hands and tilt their head at you, waiting for an answer.

Your lips form into an 'o' shape and you nod, brows furrowing as you avert your gaze from them.


It'd been about three days since you and Frisk started your journey to trek up the infamous Mountain called Ebott. Well, technically, you two haven't even started yet, not when you've just been staying with a college friend since said start.

When you'd been able to convince your family that Frisk could be entrusted into your care for a week or so, you had to promise not to end up doing something they considered 'reckless' and 'not well-thought-of'. And to be fair, you can understand why they'd think so.

For all your years of dealing with your young nibling, you always found yourself weak to their persuasions. Whether it be from their puppy dog eyes or their innate ability to convince you of something, you would always find yourself yielding to their requests. It's why Frisk even considers you their favorite relative.

( A title worth bragging about considering just how jealous your other relatives seem to be about this bond. )


Either way, that specific power of theirs was the main reason you two were even on this trek in the first place.

They had told you one night about this strange dream they had and how they needed to get to Ebott to help the child in their dreams. You didn't question it much at the time, shrugging it off as just a nightmare of sorts and helping the kid back to sleep, telling them you'll humor this idea more should it come up tomorrow when they're less disoriented.

Safe to say, there's a reason you ended up agreeing and getting your parents to agree with this. Albeit reluctantly.


Now here you two are, still borrowing your friend's cottage near Ebott Mountain all because this place was the closest rest stop you could get to without having to deal with mosquitos, pitching tents, and the barbed iron fencing surrounding the mountain's thick, lush forests.

Not that Frisk agreed with your Grade-A stalling. They pretty much kept asking you when you two could leave whenever they could, making sure you'd feel bad for wasting three days worth of possible mountain travel by moping the way kids usually do.

Plus, the kid's smarter than most would think. You're sure they already know just how long a hike up to Ebott's summit could get and didn't like how much you'd been keeping them in one spot.

Could they really blame you though? Six kids already went missing after going to this mountain and you weren't too keen on adding to that count.

But alas, you were a person of your word.

And even if there was a tinge of paranoia in the back of your mind, you trusted yourself enough to know Frisk would be safe with you on the journey.

You could always just use your flare gun if something goes wrong.

"Thanks for having us, Callum." The silver-haired man laughs, shaking his head at you fondly.

"No worries. I'm always happy to help an old friend."

You can see the small brunette child pout in the corner of your eye, their arms crossed and their foot tapping against the porch steps as they wait for you to be done with your social niceties. You playfully roll your eyes at the behavior and smile at your friend, he mirrors you and shakes his head once more.

"Alright, alright, I can see your nibling's impatience clear as day," said child puffs out a breath, averting their gaze to the floor. "Let me just set up a quick barrier and you two can be on your merry way."

At the mention of a barrier, Frisk's annoyance dissipates and they perk up almost immediately, making you let out a chuckle as they run up to Callum, practically pushing you back so they could get first dibs on the protection spell.

Callum doesn't seem to mind casting two separate ones though, his eyes shimmering with amusement as if the only reason he'd offered was to distract the kid from your attempts at making them give up on their quest to "Save the Ghost Child".

( Again, not that you don't quite believe them. But the idea of them doing such a thing has you freaking out about the possible connotations of why a damn ghost child is asking your young nibling to go to the mountain infamously known for its child disappearances.

Yeah. Not subtle. )

When you hear the familiar whisper of a spell passing Callum's lips, you pull yourself out of your thoughts and focus back on your little charge, watching the delight grow on their face as they feel the telltale warmth of protection magic seep through their body and SOUL. You laugh when you see them sneeze from a stray wisp of magic, swatting it away.

Once the silver-haired mage is done with his spell, the golden wisps of light dissipate and he motions for you to get close while Frisk steps aside, a giddy grin on their face.

With a sigh, you move closer to Callum and cross your arms, giving him an unamused look.

"You know I can handle myself, right?"

"I know..." He murmurs, letting his eyes flutter close for a moment as though reminiscing about your old excursions in the past before opening them once more to look you in the eye, letting you catch the worried glint shimmering in his dark eyes.

"But it doesn't hurt to have precautions though, you remember the old legends, right?" At the memory of those stories, you scrunch up your face.

"You seriously still believe our old professor? Didn't he go crazy at some point? It's why he got his teaching license revoked and everything."

"You're always so rude to him, you know?" He huffs, brows furrowing as he pouts at your words. "And please, he's the reason you even know how to use magic in the first place."

You grimace and suck in a breath through your teeth, moving your hand up to your face to pinch the bridge between your nose as you mutter indecipherable nonsense under your breath. You can already feel Frisk's stare digging into your back and you don't even know how you're gonna explain this later during your trip.

"Fine, fine. Make it quick, Culmer. " You watch as he winces, muttering under his breath about having made you mad again before doing the same thing he did with Frisk to you.

Admittedly, while it's been a long time since you last exposed yourself to magic not your own, you appreciate how Callum's protective spell feels close to a hug with how warm it is. You do find yourself shuddering at the familiar tingling sensation of magic latching onto your very being though.

Once he's done, he motions for you to wait for a moment before scuttling back into his home to fetch whatever it is he wants to give you. You merely quirk a brow at the man before stepping back, then turning to give your watching nibling a thumbs up, one they quickly mirror in spite of the prodding gaze they're sending you.

Well aware they're feeling a bit nosy, you poke out your tongue at them and sign 'later' to which they huff but inevitably nod.

"You'll really tell me later?" They ask, brows furrowing ever so slightly.

Your expression softens into one of fondness and you reply, an affectionate smile tugging at your lips. "Yes. I Promise."

As soon as the words are signed, the silver-haired menace you call a friend pops up in the vicinity once more, calling your name.

"... What is that in your hands, Cal?" You start, narrowing your gaze at the horridly conspicuous way he's holding something in his hands. He merely waves off your glare and motions for you to get closer with a tilt of his head.

"Just come here, Firestarter." You shoot the mage a glare at the unwanted nickname, disliking the cheeky grin he's NOT trying to hide as he outstretches said hands to, opening both of them to show you just what he had.

Scowling at the sight of a familiar gemstone necklace in his palms, your glare intensifies.

"I thought you threw that away, Culmer." There's a low warning tone in your voice, your arms crossing stubbornly over your chest as you silently refuse to take the necklace from him despite knowing what its purpose is. Callum chuckles softly.

"And all I'm saying is that I knew you'd need it in the future since you're.." his eyes flick towards the young brunette behind you before focusing right back onto you, grin faltering ever so slightly. "You're more susceptible, is all."

The way he words that has you pausing.

Callum Culmer, your old roommate and partner-in-crime while you'd been training magic in secret with your professor. He's the same mage who was just as obsessed as Professor Grimm with monster mythos and the alleged war between your two species, resulting in humanity's magic waning for the following generations and a species being long forgotten by the people.

The very same mage who, using the same tone of voice he used now, jokingly told you to watch over your nibling when he saw them during their fifth birthday party, telling you they're probably the Angel of Prophecy that they learned of in your professor's crumbling tomes.

And when you grew confused and went to ask what he meant by it, he merely smiled at your question, thanked you for the invite then left.

...

"... You're insane, Callum." Is what you say to him as you take the gemstone necklace and clasp it onto your neck once more, trying your best to wave off the discomfort you feel after remembering how weird he had been that day.

You knew your old college professor and Callum had the same offness about them that most people disliked, but you always thought that was because of their strange obsession with the Legends of Ebott and Monsters. They were always the nicest people to talk to, so it was definitely just them being eccentric.

Either way, you aren't gonna get into this right now. You'll just talk to him later, after finally fulfilling your promise to Frisk after days of sabotaging your mountain trek.

The silver-haired mage smiles, eyes crinkling with delight as he nods. You give him a nod of your own and turn on your heel, motioning for Frisk to go and get their stuff. The child immediately gets to it while you yoink your hiking bag off his porch and sling it onto your shoulders.

It doesn't take long before you feel a tug on your shirt, glancing down you see your brown-haired charge give you a thumbs up before letting go so they can turn around and show you their quaint bright red backpack, patting it with one hand while they grin widely up at you.

"Good job, kiddo. Now go and muck around the trail for a bit, just need to say something to your uncle here."

They shoot you another thumbs up before going off to play by the dirt trail leading to Callum's cottage, kicking at stones and silently cheering at themself for getting a few pebbles flying into the air.

Once you're certain they're out of hearing range, you turn back to Callum and give him a tired glare.

"I'm serious this time, Cal. You have to tell me what's gonna happen to them."

The mage averts his gaze, whispering your name in a near-pained tone, "I.. I know it's worrying, but it's just– you just know it's not that simple."

"... They'll be okay, right?"

Callum doesn't answer you, looking down at the ground with a guilty frown.

His words don't inspire any confidence in you, but fuck it, whatever.

Sighing, you grip the gemstone in one hand, feeling the magic pulsating from within the tiny, tiny stone.

"... Alright. Guess I can work with that."

"Stay safe!"

"We will!"

"And watch out for the deteriorated fencing at the summit!"

"We're not idiots, Callum!"

"You never know, Firestarter!"

"Shut up, Snowstorm! "

"H-hey!"

And with that, you and Frisk continue with your casual mountain trek, unaware of what awaits you in the forests surrounding Mt. Ebott.

In a surprising turn of events, it takes you two a questionable amount of hours before you finally get halfway up the mountain.

Frisk had been complaining all the way, making tiny noises of annoyance and huffing every time you told them, "No, we're not there yet."

Thankfully, the kid was able to find something else to entertain themself with and pretty much stopped bringing up how it's your fault you two haven't gotten to the summit yet. That does not, however, stop them from occasionally dragging you into quick skits where they have to 'fight' you to save multitudes of fantastical creatures.

When Frisk ends up smacking themself with the stick though, you made sure to slap a quick band-aid on their cheek by their request.


Sooner or later, you catch sight of the sun dipping into the horizon and coloring everything into a dim shade of orange. The sky is getting darker by the minute and you find your hackles raising at the faint sensation of pure magic prickling against your skin.

Guess the news reports hadn't been joking when they announced Mount Ebott as a magic hotspot.


A little bit of the tension in your shoulders eases though when you feel a child's hand smack against your leg and catch sight of Frisk giggling as they run off, poking their tongue out at you for a quick moment before disappearing through the trees.

You sigh and shake your head at them fondly, following the echo of their laughter. You should've guessed that Frisk would enjoy exploring Ebott's forest. They always loved going outside in nature– they were the reason why you ended up learning how to camp in the wilderness in the first place.


Reaching a clearing where the forest seems to grow even denser than before, you take note of the eerie silence around you. You can hear your feet crunching along the dried leaves underfoot, but it's like no other sounds exist anymore... Like the whole world has just turned mute.

And, honestly? It makes you uncomfortable.

But then, the silence is gone in an instant as Frisk jumps out of a bush to meet you, their appearance seemingly giving way to the quiet chirping of cicadas and the buzzing of all sorts of other insects.

Strange.


"Nini! You're taking too long!" They pout with a grin, sticking their tongue out. "Come on!"

The brunette doesn't hesitate as they grab your wrist and tug insistently dragging you to a specific spot in the clearing before motioning to your new necklace and then at you. Their hands move rapidly as they speak and you find your face softening at the sight of their expression brimming with excitement along with the familiar comfortable stance their body had taken once they realized it was just the two of you.

You're unable to decipher the seven-year-old's rambling, but you have a feeling you know what they're trying to talk to you about. And so, you just watch in amusement as they get the excitement out of their system, arms wiggling all the while.

"– are you going to tell me now!?"

You let out a laugh. "I'm pretty sure we need to set up camp first, bud."

The child pouts once again but then sighs, reluctantly getting up from their spot on the grass to start digging into their bag for their things. You shake your head at them fondly and do the same.

Soon enough, your impromptu camping spot ends up finished way quicker than you would've expected.

Then again, that distinct feeling of eyes digging into your back has you thinking that was on purpose.


Sighing, you turn to the brunette seated on their sleeping bag across from you.

"Alright, now that that's done," you say, stretching out your legs and wincing at the slight sting the movement brings, "what'd you want me to start with, buddy?"

Their grin suddenly stretches wider, a mischievous sparkle sparkling in their eyes and you immediately sense a hint of mischief coming from them before they even speak.


"'Firestarter'? Is that your mage name!? You're really a mage, Nini?!"

You roll your eyes playfully, already knowing where this is gonna go.

"You're going to make fun of me now, aren't you?"

They take a moment to blink before shaking their head vigorously, pointing at themselves and then at you before continuing with their lines of questioning, asking if the whole family are mages in disguise, if they could do magic themself, and so on.

Despite knowing the kid for a total of seven years, you find yourself slightly taken aback by their enthusiasm and the eagerness shown on their face. Sure they've always liked fantasy and the concept of magic, but magical practice wasn't really something openly accepted. Not when it's been a dwindling resource in people's eyes for the past centuries of humanity's existence.

And that isn't even adding the fact that magic doesn't seem to matter anymore to the masses ever since the advance of technology over the past few decades. To most people nowadays, being a mage was more of a fun way of dealing with a rare mutation in your human biology and nothing more.

Regardless, mages like Callum– and by extension, you– still exist to be part of the "rarities" of the world.


Still, though, it's good to know your nibling's too much of a magic fan to rat you out to their moms. Only the stars know what your sister would do to you if she found out about your "extracurricular" back in college.

"— wait, isn't learning magic illegal?! "

You can't help but laugh at the kid's boundless curiosity as well as the way their adorably excited smile drops as they realize just how fucked you would be should anyone find out about your magic shenanigans. But when panicked tears start to seep through their eyes, the amusement dissipates and you immediately try to explain your situation as much as you can to the child, sitting beside them and patting them on the head to calm them down.

"I promise I'm not gonna get criminalized for being a mage, kiddo." You say soothingly, brushing your hand through their hair. "It's just that magic that isn't... well, licensed per se isn't something the people in power like. Order and all that adult stuff is necessary, most would say."

The child seems to calm down a bit after hearing your reassurance, but you can see them still looking unsure over your explanation and you're not about to give them false hope about just how legal your unregistered mage ass is.

"I won't be jailed for being a mage if that's your issue," you quickly add, smiling reassuringly at them. "They'll just shove me onto an older mage to be their apprentice or something like that, bud."

There's still a crease between their brows. "Is that why you never use magic around Mom and Mama...?"

You nod, ruffling the children's hair gently as you respond, "Yeah, can't risk getting forced to register so I'm sorry about keeping it a secret from you, bud. But..." You pause for a few moments as you struggle to come up with something else to add.

"... This is just new, is all. I checked our family records with Professor Grimm once and the only trace of magic we could find in our family is from my dad's side. But even then, your mama and uncle don't have magic like I do."


When you catch sight of the kid's shoulders drooping, you call out their name and nudge them lightly.

"Hey," you begin gently. "Don't worry about the whole legal stuff, kiddo. Your Nini's tougher than nails and smarter than most chumps, I'll be fiiine."

And before they can even think of answering, you nudge the kid again, smiling widely at them as you continue.

"And hey! You might even have a chance to be like me, buddy!" They perk up considerably at this, their eyes lighting up brightly.

"Really?! That would be so cool- wait! You distracted me! What else kinda stuff is there about your magic, Nini?"

With your grin turning positively feral (and just maybe a touch smug) you reach towards your bag and pull out a bundle of folders and papers that you stuffed inside of it earlier today; you told Callum the paper stack was just for the fire just in case you wouldn't be able to get proper wood.

He didn't believe you, only giving you a look and begging you not to use any big fire spells or incantations with an infamous arsonist reputation such as your own.

You just smacked his shoulder in response.


"Well, you can learn why Callum calls me firestarter–" Frisk gasps, "– BUT! Just a reminder, kiddo. I'm only showing you this 'cause you're my cute little nibling, alright?"

The brunette just giggles and nods eagerly, making you chuckle and ruffle the child's soft, brown locks. Then you stand up, taking out one sheet from the bundle you brought and crumpling it up to a ball before throwing it up in the air.

"Ignite!" You yell, pointing your palms up towards the crumpled-up paper ball as a faint yet familiar tingling sensation streams through your arms. Flames shoot out of your fingertips and instantly consume the tiny ball until there's nothing left. You blow a few stray strands of hair off of your forehead before turning to Frisk with a grin.


( It's been a while since you did something like that. You forgot how nice using magic felt. )


The kid looks amazed, staring wide-eyed at you as they point to where the ball had just been and then at you, mouth gaping. They seem wordless after that display, clearly still not used to the sight magic. So, you sit back down beside them and offer your hand for them to satiate any other curiosities, watching with mild interest as they take it.

The kid is quick to have a look of alarm on their face when they feel how warm it is compared to their own hands.

"You're warm..." You chuckle at how surprised they sounded, nodding.

"Yeah, that tends to happen when anyone uses fire, kiddo." You reply softly, grinning at their wide-eyed expression before turning serious as you continue. "But I can admit that I'm partial to fire-type magic. It's always felt the easiest along with, well, combat magic."

The child nods their head at this, seemingly deep in thought, before letting go of your hand and putting on a soft smile on their face as they look up at you.

"Sorta explains why you're so passionate about a lot of things, Nini." You snort and shake your head at that comment, chuckling at their words nonetheless.


"Anyway, what else were you asking about? Was it about this? " You hold up the red gemstone on your necklace for them to see.

They just stare at the stone for a few seconds before they reach out, touching it carefully as they ask, "Why did it glow when you used magic?"

"It's a tool I got from my prof a few years back, it kinda acts like an amplifier or modifier. Whenever I have it on me, it helps regulate my magic output or something along that line." You reply simply, letting the kid poke and prod at the glowing ruby hanging from your neck, marveling at the bright crimson color of it.

They seem mesmerized by the gem, completely focused on it. Then they snap out of their daze, bringing their attention back to you.

"Why did you ask Uncle Callum to throw this away? It seems important." The kid asks curiously.

You let out another laugh.

"It is important, Frisk. The main issue though is that, like I said, this isn't just for helping with my magic. It's a tool – okay, you know what, let me just show you." You then stand back up, making sure to get as much space apart from Frisk as possible before you show them just what you mean.

Once you're at a good enough distance away from the kid, you lift your hand and place it onto the gemstone pendant. Immediately, a faint pink aura envelopes your hands and at the sight of that, you pull.


A wave of power flows from the gemstone to your fingers and then into your palms, materializing into a thin stream of pink mist that slowly spills down to your feet before solidifying and forming into a chain whip in your hands.

A grin tugs at your lips as you twirl the whip in your hand a few times, reveling in the familiar weight of it in your hands after years of not being able to see it again.


"You're so cool, Nini!" Frisk's voice drags you out of your reverie and you blink in surprise, snapping out of whatever daze you've gone into, and glance at the child.

They're starry-eyed at the sight of you wielding your magical weapon but then they pause, tilting their head and pursing their lips as they stare hard at your whip, brows furrowing as recognition pops up on their face.

"... Isn't that the whip Ghost Rider uses, Nini?"


You dispel your weapon and turn away from them.

"Let's stop talking about this, bud."

Darkness fully blankets the mountain as you and Frisk settle in your shared tent. You're double-checking everything in your bag while Frisk sets aside their plush next to their head along with the stick they had taken from earlier that day.

You have no clue how that stick survived this journey, but at least the kid found the perfect stick along the way.


Once you've checked through everything and made sure you hadn't lost any vital items, you finally lay atop your sleeping bag, pushing your pack by the wall of the tent and stretching your legs out in front of you.

For a few moments, all you hear is the sound of crickets and birds chirping outside of your tent, filling the otherwise silent night.


It's not very long until you hear the rustling of fabric from beside you, prompting you to turn to the kid as you speak. "Something wrong, kid?"

Frisk gives you a small smile as they shuffle out of their sleeping bag, sitting up to face you. They open their mouth and then close them again, hesitance on their face before they choose to instead sign to you.

"Do you think we'll find anything up here, Nini?" They ask, fiddling with their hands nervously after they finish.

Your gaze softens at their growing apprehension and you reach out for the kid's shaking hands, taking them into yours and giving them a reassuring squeeze before speaking.


"This trip isn't just about that dream. Is it, Frisk?"

The brunette looks up at you before they give a timid nod, avoiding your gaze as a twinge of guilt flashes on their features. You sigh and gently pull the child into you for a hug, patting their back comfortingly.

"Officer Hollis talks about them sometimes.. I just thought that since it's close to..." They trail off softly as their voice starts to crack, "I just wanna help, Nini..." Their head buries itself in your chest and you feel your heart break at the sight.

"Frisk, honey..." You say quietly, running your fingers through their hair to calm them down. You rub circles into their back to reassure them of your presence. "You're so sweet to want to help but it's..."


Your mind flashes back to the memory of a panicked auburn man still in his uniform knocking at your door, asking you if you'd seen his young sibling around earlier today, looking desperate for any form of good news while a tide of inexplicable emotions washed over him.

You remember hearing about him filing for a missing child report and how quiet the Brookfield apartment had become after the sudden loss. The other tenants would chatter and gossip sometimes, saying it was an inevitability for the kid to disappear with how often Hollis was at work. Some even found it to be a cruel twist of fate with how after having dug through the missing children cases of Mount Ebott, his ten-year-old sibling had gone and ended up as another count to those cold cases.

It was an unfortunate loss and with your family being so close to the Brookfields, you and everyone else ended up mourning the loss of the poor child just as much as Hollis had.


You sigh, waving away the distant memory as your thoughts return to Frisk.

"It's a complicated situation, buddy." You respond, pulling back slightly to meet the kid's eyes. "It's been five years, Frisk. You were two when Clover disappeared and..."

Five years of no leads or clues and no bodies led to Clover's case going just as cold as the other ones.


No one could ever retrieve any of their remains, no matter how much they scoured every piece of land the mountain had to offer.

It was a losing battle. No matter how much Hollis tried to keep his hopes intact, you saw said hope slowly die in his eyes whenever he'd pass you by the hall on his way to work. How his hazel eyes would look dimmer and emptier than the last time you saw him.

There was nothing he could do. Nothing anyone can do.


...

But you can't tell them that. Frisk is young, an optimist at all times, a child who loves more than anyone can understand (or even imagine). It wouldn't do them well to learn of the true depths of the tragedy that came with Mt. Ebott's unexplained disappearances. At least not now.

Instead, you offer them a small smile, squeezing their hands one last time before letting them go, leaving their palms to lay atop their lap as you lay back down on your sleeping bag, wanting nothing but to end the day already when you feel exhaustion settling in your bones. You can already hear their confusion, so before they can even say anything, you turn your head to face them and make a vague motion with your hands as you huff out.

"Alright, kid. If you're so fixated on this, then fine. We can keep a lookout for Clover on the way to the summit, okay?" They seem to perk up significantly at your words, nodding at the notion. "...But right now we should try and catch some sleep before we set off in the morning."

When you see Frisk's lips pull into a grin that doesn't strain at the edges, relief fills you at the sight of their worries dissipating even just for now. Then they yawn and you laugh, telling them to lay back down and cuddle up in their little cocoon bed before settling down yourself.


"Goodnight, Nini..." Frisk mumbles, their voice already sounding like it's growing drowsy as they drift off to sleep.

Despite the vague sense of dread settling in your stomach, you hum and whisper back to the kid, care and affection lacing your tone.

"Sweet dreams, Frisk..."

There's a warmth seeping through their fingers, a faint tingling sensation spreading across their arms. They feel themselves slowly waking up from a deep slumber and their eyes flutter open to reveal the same scenery they've seen countless times in their dreams.

There's a gentle breeze blowing through the field of flowers, stirring up their brown locks, brushing past the ends of their fringe as they crane their head to the side, staring curiously towards a figure standing a bit off in the distance.

It's a figure Frisk knows well. The same figure they'd often see during these dreams.


They always stay in the same place, facing away from Frisk and staring downwards at their hands, unmoving. Every time they end up here, all Frisk can think is how much they look like they're waiting.

And yet every time they've tried to approach the figure to make conversation, they would always turn to them, letting Frisk catch a short glimpse of green and yellow before they crumble into dust and seep into the ground below, forcing Frisk awake when they feel something pull at their ankles and tug.


This time though, it's like there's something different.


Their heart begins pounding as they move closer to the stagnant figure and the closer they get, the clearer the figure seems. Odd fuzzy shapes they couldn't see feel more solid and they could almost see a face amid the confusing blur atop them.

It looks like a distorted human face which looks unsettlingly similar to their own. The only difference was their pitch-black eyes and a cartoony creepy smile. Their expression is empty and their being themself feels devoid of life. It almost sends chills down Frisk's spine but they persevere. With fear coursing through their veins, they step forward carefully, outstretching a hand to the figure.

As soon as their hand touches what appears to be the person's shoulder, the figure turns around sharply, causing Frisk to yelp and take a step back. But when they take another look at the figure, they look like an entirely different person. Red eyes look upon them with a vague sense of curiosity, yet as the seconds tick, Frisk can see annoyance growing on their face as they come to a realization.

"You're not my brother." They say casually as if this situation isn't at all disorienting for both of them. Their face defaults back to an expression as blank as the previous being's face was, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"...N-no....?" Frisk replies hesitantly, feeling a wave of confusion wash over them as the mysterious figure continues staring at them with an unreadable expression.


They didn't expect they'd get to speak to the ghost this time. Frisk knew the ghost had been pushing them to get closer to Ebott for reasons they didn't mention, but they didn't know they'd have to speak to them fully instead of waiting for their vague advice or directions in these dreams.

They've gotten far too used to those barebone interactions to feel comfortable actually talking to them.


"Why are you here?" The ghost asks. A part of Frisk thinks that there's no need to answer any of their questions, not when they have no real knowledge of what they could say that wouldn't make the ghost angry or upset. But not answering would be rude, wouldn't it?

Frowning, Frisk gives an awkward shrug instead. But that doesn't seem to trigger any reaction, and so, Frisk resigns themself to speak.

"I..." They start to reply but then they hesitate, discomfort growing in their stomach at the thought of having to speak any more than they already have. Why couldn't things have stayed the same the closer they got to the mountain? Stupid magic mountain.


"... I was calling for my brother." The ghost starts, making Frisk pause their train of thought. "I don't know why you answered instead, but I'd rather you leave me alone now."

"But-"

They glare at Frisk, turning to keep their back to them. Frisk's frown deepens, uncertain over whether they truly mean such a thing or not when they'd been the one visiting them in their dreams. They reach their hands out again but this time, the ghost turns around and places a firm grip on their wrist.

"Leave. Me. Alone." The spirit hisses as they push Frisk's wrist back towards them, turning around once more and continuing walking further ahead in another direction, away from what they can see in this dreamscape.

"W-wait!" Frisk protests quickly, moving to grab the sleeve of their green and yellow sweater and trying to tug them back around, hoping that maybe they'd listen if they tried hard enough.

But the phantom pulls their arm free and keeps going.

Frisk sighs in frustration, running off to chase after them, wanting nothing more than to find some answers regarding what this vision had to do with anything. They continue following the ghost until the dream melds into something else entirely.

The field of yellow flowers had morphed into a cozy living room with an armchair next to a fireplace with a soft burning flame amidst the wood fed into the pit. The ghost child had seated themself atop the rug in front of the fire, a quiet sort of acceptance flashing on their face as their red eyes caught sight of Frisk once again.


"... You're not leaving, are you?" Frisk stills for a moment before nodding their head, slowly approaching the spirit and taking the seat next to them.

It's quiet for just a moment before Frisk murmurs to them.

"You asked me to save you..."


The ghost looks away, their expression seemingly remaining unchanged as they stare intently into the flames dancing in the hearth.

"Yeah. What about it?" They ask coolly, their voice low and strained like they have trouble keeping it steady.

"... What are you even waiting for?" Frisk asks, ignoring their question to ask their own, not wanting to continue the earlier topic after hearing the ghost's cold tone. "You said you were waiting for your brother, what... what else is there for you to wait for?"


The spirit doesn't answer and the two of them watch the fire dance across the burning logs as silence falls upon them.

"Our plan." The ghost cuts them off as they finally lift their head to meet Frisk's gaze, piercing red meeting soft amber.

"We had a plan to save our family, but Asriel.. He..." They shake their head, their brow furrowing in slight sadness. Frisk tilts their head, waiting patiently for them to continue.

"We were supposed to save them," Their voice cracks slightly on the last word and Frisk frowns deeply, concern washing over them. "Azzy hasn't even visited me once after what happened. Is he scared that I'm mad? That I.. That I hate him? Why else would he... If it wasn't, why wouldn't he... Why..?"

They trail off, their words slowly turning into a mess of incoherent thoughts as tears start to pool in their eyes. Their face starts to flush red as their chest tightens and their breath quickens into uneven pants. The ghost child's voice wavers more and more until they break apart into silent, incomprehensible sobs that wrack their entire body, their shoulders jerking as they sob and sniffle.

Frisk isn't sure what to do as they watch them cry softly and quietly into their lap, wondering what they should say. Should they tell them that things will be alright? That everything is going to work itself out? Should they give them some space? Should they comfort them?

They never get the chance to decide because just as suddenly as they start crying, they stop.


As they sit there silently, the child slowly lifts a hand to their face, wiping away the tears that keep falling. Frisk takes note of their lips quivering ever so faintly as they let out a shaky breath, but they manage to stop the tears flowing freely from their eyes as they face Frisk once more. Their breathing steadies out as they wipe the tears off their cheeks with a trembling hand once more.

"... I won't lie and say I didn't know I was already dead. So you don't need to exorcise me or whatever." The ghost says in an exhausted voice, staring right into Frisk's eyes as their tears continue to fall. "It's just.. I've been dead for so long but I- I just have so many regrets... It's.. it's so hard to feel at peace when- when everyone was counting on me– on us to be a beacon of hope that I.. couldn't bring myself to disappoint Mom and Dad."

They let out a small humorless laugh, shaking their head as they wipe their nose one last time on their sleeve and gently rest their hands against their knees.

"... Asriel could never bring himself to hurt anyone. I shouldn't have even tried convincing him otherwise, I..." They sigh heavily before lifting their gaze back to meet Frisk's, their expression still filled with pain.

"I made a mistake. One that Azzy and everyone else had to pay for in the end." They pause for a moment, their expression darkening. "... Guess he just doesn't want to see me then. Even in death."


"... How can I help you?" Frisk whispers, staring into their eyes pleadingly. Their heart feels like it's in tatters over how broken the other appears before them. Even if they were dead, even if they were gone, they still deserved better than this. They just look so...

When an image of an auburn-haired man flashes in their mind for a quick second, Frisk pushes away the thought and puts their focus on the being in front of them. Not the time...

The spirit blinks owlishly at them, an almost amused look shows on their face as they tilt their head to the side. "You're really adamant about this, huh?"


Frisk nods earnestly, outstretching their hand and placing it gently onto the other child's shoulder. "If I can help, I'd like to try.."

They tense briefly at the offer before they let out a tired sigh, lowering their head and closing their eyes. They seem to be contemplating their words.


Eventually, though, they open their eyes again, a faint smile appearing on their face as they raise a hand, lightly resting their palm against Frisk's own.

"You're a sweet kid. Nicer than most brats I've met... It almost makes me jealous." They say in a tone reminiscent of nostalgia, yet there's an undercurrent of bitterness beneath their words.

Frisk's mouth parts in response to that remark but the ghost child cuts them off once more with a light chuckle, closing their eyes once again as a comfortable silence settles between them.


"... What's your name?" They whisper after a few moments, prompting Frisk to tilt their head and smile before taking their hand and writing the letters of their name onto the ghost's palm.

"Frisk... That's a lovely name, partner." Their tone is genuine, as is the smile that appears on their features.


"My name is CHARA. Chara Dreemurr."

"Fuck, fuck, FUCK! "

Your heart feels like it's palpitating against your ribcage as you try your best to track down where your nibling had gone, a flashlight in hand. You don't know how you hadn't realized they were gone sooner, but considering the near-oppressive air you'd been stuck in for the past couple of minutes, you're not too surprised your nerves feel as frazzled as they do now.

Is this why Ebott's known for so many disappearances?


"FRISK!" You yell into the distance, hoping they're close enough to hear you and respond. "Kid, I promise I won't be mad! Just- just come back! Please!"

Your eyes scan the forest in both directions, hoping to spot any sign of them anywhere, anything, before turning back a few paces and checking for their soul once more.

You feel your heart sink when you notice that it's still not pulsing brightly like it usually does while you look for it. Wherever they are right now, it's blocking their connection with you.

But you're desperate. And desperate people tend to make stupid decisions, sometimes even stupid mistakes. But does that really matter in the long run?

You take a deep breath before taking hold of the flashlight, holding it tightly in hand, and heading to where you'd last felt their presence.


After a few seconds of walking and looking and calling out to their soul, checking for their essence, you find yourself at the mouth of a cave. You carefully step inside, your eyes widening at the unnatural abundance of flowers and plants wrapping around the cavern's walls and floor, you would've thought it was beautiful were it not for how worried you felt for your nibling.

You trudge on through the flowery cave, careful not to disturb any of the fauna that may have made their home in this place as you call out your nibling's name repeatedly.

Finally, after walking further and further in, you hear something that catches your attention and you feel nothing but relief as you shine a light on the vague outline of your seven-year-old nibling standing just across from you.

But that relief is short-lived as you see them take a step forward and–


Your heart stops.


Without even thinking twice you run, dropping your flashlight as you rush to where they just were, falling hard on your hands and knees when you reach the edge of the chasm, searching for your nibling.


There's no way.

There's no way this happened.


You promised.

You promised they'd be okay.



"FRISK!!" Your voice echoes throughout the cavern, echoing off of the rock walls as panic floods you. This couldn't have happened. No, no, you couldn't have let this happen. Not after promising–


"NINI! "


The shout takes you out of your panic and you crane your head towards the source. There, just below you, hanging on to one of the vines of the greenery spreading across the cave is your young nibling, their eyes blown wide and face drained of color, looking up at you with fear written all over their face.

"Nini! Help! I-i can't–!"

Their grip on the vine nearly slips as the soil it was part of starts to crumble. With your gaze locking onto them, you start scrambling forward, reaching out your hand to them as far as possible.

"I'm coming, kiddo, hold on–!"


Before you can even grab them, the vine breaks and Frisk falls.


Your body moves before your mind can catch up with your actions, launching yourself into the chasm below you just in time to catch them midair.

You can barely hear yourself think as you pull them onto your chest, hugging them tightly as you both fall into the abyss. The air whistles loudly by your ears, mixing along with your heartbeat pounding in your ears.


"We'll be okay," you murmur to Frisk, more so to reassure both of you rather than just them as you bury your face into the crook of their neck, "it's gonna be okay, we're gonna be fine, please just hold on…"

Your voice cracks and your body starts to shake as tears stream freely from your eyes, dampening the material of Frisk's sweater.


"... Everything's gonna be alright, honey. I promise, I promise..."

Frisk doesn't speak, only clutching onto you desperately in return.

Chapter Text

"You know what? You're not even worth the trouble, at this point."

"Maybe that other human would be better..."

"Nini?"

"You're so ANNOYING! You're just as bad as that Smiley Trashbag!"

"At least he lets me attack! You won't even let me get a hit in, you STUPID mage!"

"Nini? Are you okay..?"

"WHY CAN'T EITHER OF YOU JUST STAY DEAD?! "

"I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU—"

Something cold presses against your face and you snap out of your thoughts, finding your little brunette charge glaring at you with a pout on their face. You quirk a brow and the corner of your lips tug upwards in amusement while they pull away their glass from your face.

"What was that about, buddy?" You ask as you rub away at the condensation that spread across your cheek.

Frisk huffs, shooting you a glare.

"You weren't listening, were you?" You wince and then give them an apologetic look.

"Sorry, kiddo."

The kid throws their hands up in the air with an exaggerated groan before they sigh and look back at you, sending you the most "why are you like this" look they've sent you to date. You merely shrug, keeping a smile on your face.

"You can tell me everything from the start, promise I'm listening this time." They take a moment to scrutinize you, putting their hand to their chin as they look you up and down, looking for something specific. Once they seem to find it, they nod and move on from your little indiscretion, happily talking once more.

"Alright, so, goat mom told me..."

When you first wake up, it's to a burning sensation in your chest and prickles all across your whole body. It's less painful, more so... discomforting.  Wrong, in some ways.

You try to move your hands up to your chest to see what's wrong, but you can't. Your body doesn't seem to respond to your wishes, remaining stagnant across a cold surface you can't even open your eyes to look at.

It's cold here.

Why is it so cold?

Unfortunately, you don't get to find out why when you feel something break and shatter before the darkness claims you once again.

. . .

The second time you wake up, it's to the ramblings of a madman you can't quite make out through the noise in your head.

Their voices echo in the dark, almost similar to the thoughts that normally flit through your mind, unrelenting in their quests to be the center of attention and pushing against each other until they merge into an incomprehensible mess.

There's an underlying joy and anger to these voices as they speak, and while you find yourself curious as to why, you have a mission at hand.

Moving to your feet, you wander in this place you're in, trying your best not to panic at the inherent wrongness your gut feels about the nothingness that seems to surround you.

But that can't be. You can feel a floor underneath your feet, there's still something here if you're able to walk around, isn't there?

Whatever, you just–

You just have to find Frisk.

You're fine.

You're fine.

You just need to find Frisk.

. . .

Minutes. Hours. Days. You don't know how long you've been walking through this void. The only way you've been able to keep track was by counting as high as possible, but even then, you stopped at some point, having grown weary from the overlapping voices that still echo in your head. They were fine up until the sudden descent into madness the voices underwent the more distance you traveled.

You weren't sure if that was a good thing or not, but you continued onwards either way.

You still need to find Frisk, after all.

Sooner or later, you finally get the see something else in this dark plane.

There's a big flower with petals colored gold in the middle of the darkness, its petals drooping to the floor as though it was wilting.

Your whole being screams for you to stay away, but you can't help the curiosity that picks at your mind at the new presence within this void.

As you step closer to the only speck of color in this place, the choir of voices in your head sinks into a haunting silence and the earlier dread broiling in your stomach spreads throughout your whole body.

It's cold again.

The flower jolts, straightening up before it turns to face you, surprise showing on its face before it fades into an unpleasant look of anger as it finally seems to realize it isn't alone.

" ... Y O U. "

You stumble back, not having expected such a sight. Alarm bells ring in your head as a sense of danger starts to fill your being and you find yourself instinctively grabbing at your necklace only for your hands to grasp nothing.

What? But you swear it was right there–

The flower hisses your name as it crawls after you and you jump a bit at the sound of it. Thorny vines break through the floors where you're standing and latch onto your ankles. The thorns dig into your skin yet you strangely feel nothing even as rivulets of blood drip onto the vines and paint the dark with red.

The vines are rough as they drag you closer to their owner and soon enough, you find yourself stuck staring up at a hissing flower with a horrid glare on its face.

"I knew you humans were stubborn, but this is getting annoying. " It growls as it wraps its thornless vines across your neck, cutting off your airflow and making you choke. Your hands move to pull at the constraints, yet your struggle is to no avail.

Annoyance gives way to contemplation on the flower's face and through your blurring vision, you think you catch a curious glint in its beady eyes before it shrugs and looks at you with a smile you'd almost think was cute were it not for its following words.

"Maybe this time you'll actually stay gone, hm?"

You hear a CRACK and a SNAP before you're dragged back down into a familiar darkness.

"Toriel is.. She's okay with you two leaving for the capital? THE Capital? Like, the New Home Capital?" You sputter out, brows furrowing as you repeat the very words that came out of Frisk's mouth.

They nod vigorously, an excited smile plastered on their face as their legs swing back and forth on the chair they're on.

You quiet down, letting their news settle in your mind. What Frisk told you feels contradictory to Toriel's wishes of having you both stay here indefinitely for your safety.

You already argued otherwise with her on the grounds that you still needed to get Frisk back to their family no matter what, only giving in to her pleas when she offered to let you two stay while you gathered your bearings and figured out as much as you could about the Underground as it stands now.

Then again, maybe this was just a simple gesture of goodwill on Toriel's part.

She knew Frisk talked to you about feeling a tad stir-crazy after having the same monsters and purple ruins backdrop be their only form of visual stimuli, so she most likely decided against her usual jaunts across the barely populated city within the Ruins just to make the kid more... comfortable, per se.

It's sweet, but there's only one issue with this.

"How are you gonna stay non-public enemy number one outside the Ruins, kid?" Frisk puffs out a breath and rifles around their satchel, pulling out a dark cloak with a hood resembling the ones cartoony little reapers wear.

"Goat mama made this for me a few days ago!" They sound so proud about it as they put it on, letting the fabric drape atop their clothes. "She said she has one for you in her room if you change your mind about going out."

Toriel really is just as sweet as her cinnamon-butterscotch pies, isn't she?

"That's kind of her," you can't help the way your voice softens at the thought of the goat monster's unending generosity towards you two. "But I still hold to my decisions, kid."

"Toriel said you'll be safe, Nini. Not a lot of monsters can even sense mages, anyway."

You crinkle your nose at the thought of getting caught a few steps into Snowdin. "Yeah, nah. Too much of a risk while I don't know much, kid."

They make a face at you. "You're being a nerd again, Nini."

"And you're worse than your mom was in high school."

Instead of getting mad at you, Frisk just grins proudly and puffs out their chest.

"Yeah! 'Cause she's cool!"

The thought of your sister has you quiet down for a second before you shake your head lightly and laugh. The smile on your face is bittersweet as memories of you and your siblings flash in your head.

"... Yeah, she is." In spite of yourself, you can't help but sound wistful.

The kid quiets down just as you do.

The two of you stay seated by the table, letting nothing but the sound of the crackling fire and Toriel sweeping in the next room fill the space.

"... Do you think they've heard by now?"

"Probably..." You told them you'd only be at the mountain for a week or so of camping. And with your track record of keeping to your promises no matter the circumstance, it wouldn't be too farfetched to imagine your family already filed a missing persons report on you and Frisk.

"It's been more than just a week. I'd be surprised if they hadn't already done anything about our disappearance... If anything, Vivi's probably already hung up my portrait next to Uncle Silas..." The words come out with no prior thought in mind, only for you to stop short as you remember just who you're talking to.

You bite your tongue, a semblance of guilt flashing through your eyes as you cast a side glance at the child sitting beside you.

You want to say something, apologize even for sounding a tad uncaring about the situation when you're anything but. But before you can speak up, you catch their gaze moving to meet yours and you feel your heart pang at the sight of their guilty expression.

"Do you think..." They pause, shrinking into themself. "Do you think mom is gonna forgive me, Nini?"

A frown forms on their face as they think of their mother. Their hands rest atop their lap and they rip their gaze away from yours, desperate to avoid eye contact as they try to hide their growing tears.

A sigh slips past your lips.

"Frisk, honey..." You start, reaching a hand out slowly to gently brush your fingers through their hair, "There's nothing to forgive. Ending up underground wasn't and still isn't your fault."

They stare at the ground, looking completely dejected, and you feel nothing but sorrow and pity for them. "I know you think otherwise, but trust me when I say we were nothing but victims of circumstance, Frisk."

They don't answer and you sigh again, moving out of your seat so you can wrap your arms around the kid. Once they're in your embrace, you gently move their head to rest at the crook of your neck as you gently squeeze them into you, doing your best to offer any comfort to them.

For the longest time, neither of you says a word.

You don't know how long the silence lasts, but when you hear the distant sound of footsteps nearing where you are, you pull away and press your lips to the top of the kid's head.

"... Love you, Nini," Frisk whispers, sounding so fragile that it makes your heart shatter a little.

"Love you too, kiddo." You mutter, giving them another small smile before you stand up to your feet, dusting off your clothes and patting their head lightly one last time.

"Good luck in the Capital tomorrow, kiddo."

Frisk finds it in themself to muster a smile back up at you.

"Good luck with your own things, Nini."

. . .

You're nothing but flabbergasted at the brick of a phone in your hands. You heard of these things existing back in the day through some of your old history textbooks, but you don't think anyone but your great-grandparents were aware of the existence of these chunky things.

That isn't to say you're not ecstatic to have near-ancient tech on hand, you're actually pretty eager to be lugging around something this old when it helps you establish a proper timeline of events for the monsters in your head. Callum would be so damn jealous if he found out you–

...

... Fuck. Maybe you are a nerd.

"My number is already in the contacts list, dear." Toriel's gentle voice prods you out of your mind and you see her smiling at you in her usual kind smile.

Man, the amount of cavities you've gotten from just looking at this woman is insurmountable.

"You may call me any time you wish to check up on Frisk and I's journey." She pauses. "... or you can choose not to, I know how you can be at times." You smile and give her a mock salute all while you're shoving the two-pound phone down into your borrowed satchel.

"Will do, ma'am." It earns you another chuckle from her and the kid and the warmth of their laughter warms you to the core.

Toriel clears her throat and glances at the exit of the Ruins, giving you another one of her smiles as she vaguely motions toward them. "Well, we will be leaving now, dear. Please try not to get into too much trouble..."

You smile innocently up at the tall monster, nodding your head while your eyes dart between the two of them. Toriel seems uncertain while Frisk is snickering into their hands.

"I'll try to." And you will. Probably just not as much as she thinks. "But what's life without a little bit of trouble, Tori?"

Her mouth curves into an endeared smile, but you notice her shoulders droop slightly in begrudging acceptance. "I suppose that is the best I can ask for, yes," She smiles sadly before walking over to you and pulling you into a hug.

Another smaller hug comes from behind you and you make sure to wiggle out your arm from Toriel's embrace to pat the rascal's head gently.

"Stay safe, kiddo. Toriel." You mutter to them before pulling away and giving them both one last smile. Toriel mirrors your smile and nods her head before fully letting you go and holding Frisk's hand in her own.

"Bye, Nini!" The kid gives you a big wave despite the short distance between you two. A snort escapes you before you give both of them a thumbs up and step back as they both turn to open the exit doors.

Toriel keeps a hand on one of the doors and motions for Frisk to go first. The little brunette turns to you and grins, waving goodbye as they step into the snowy plains outside of these purple halls.

"Bye again, Nini! Love you!"

And then the two of them are out of sight, disappearing among the snowy terrain with each other.

The door slams to a close and the sound echoes through the empty halls. You stare at the doors, momentarily wondering just how long it might've been since the last time Toriel and the other monsters here were able to see the rest of the Underground.

The froggits, migosps, loox, just... everyone here.

None of them spoke of anything but the Ruins, and even if you'd ask, all they'd do is give you a sad smile and say that leaving has been nothing but a lost cause since the exit remains barred for years upon years.

...

Not wanting to go down that rabbit hole of a thought process, you turn on your heel and start to walk back to Toriel's home.

". . ."

Far too lost in thought, you weren't able to catch sight of the golden flower at the very top of the basement stairs, only ever realizing who was there when you felt the little bastard grab your ankle and tug.

With a yelp, your leg flies upward and you land harshly on your face with a loud smack. Your ears ring and stars dance in your vision as you lay there sprawled out on the cold ground.

"... Whoops." A familiar voice murmurs and exhaustion settles deep in your bones when you realize just who decided to drop for a visit.

You groan softly and prop yourself up with an arm, rubbing at the tender skin of your nose and hoping to whatever higher powers there are that the damn flower hadn't dislocated it or something. "... Flowey, what in the fuck do you want this time?"

Flowey lets out a mock gasp of offense paired with an exaggerated expression of hurt and disbelief. "I thought you liked me, Mage! And here I was, about to help you with your planning this time!"

After double-checking if your face suffered any significant injuries other than the stinging pain of blunt force trauma, you let out an aggravated sigh of relief and slowly sit up, keeping a hand on your sore nose. Your eyes scan the room for your poor satchel and take note of the spilled contents from within it, scowling at the thought of having to reorganize everything inside of it.

This flower is more of a damn brat than you would've wanted him to be, but this is still better than the times he kept trying to kill you.

"Okay, so, let's assume I do listen to you this time," you can't help the look of distaste you send him when he seems to perk up at the thought of you listening to him. He looks absolutely giddy at the prospect as if you had given him an unlimited supply of cookies or whatever the hell he wants. (SOULs, your mind helpfully supplies.)  "What are you going to tell me exactly, wise guy?"

Flowey tilts his head to the side slightly, his cheery look turning into one of surprise and curiosity. He hums thoughtfully, eyes closing before shrugging. "You actually want details this time, huh..? That easy?  Alrighty, then..."

He then shifts closer to you, eyes fluttering open as he grins like the cat that ate the canary. "You've done everything you can here, you've befriended every monster and you've read every single book in Toriel's little library."

You quirk a brow at Flowey, confused over where he's going with this but still willing to hear him say his piece.

"But, there's just... one thing left," he smiles in this enigmatic way as he looks at you. "You and that ghost are well acquainted, yeah?"

Your eyes narrow at Flowey, trying to figure out what Napstablook has to do with all of this. "Stalker, much?  But.. yeah, we are."

Flowey's smile doesn't waver. "Why don't you ask them if they know anything about the abandoned ruins? They'll be happy to help, I'm sure."

Confusion wracks your mind once more and you tilt your head at Flowey, quirking a brow. "... I'm sure I'm missing something here, but last time I checked, the only abandoned part of the Ruins was through that one corridor outside of Toriel's house— and that place isn't even abandoned abandoned."

The grin on the golden flower's face merely grows. "You'll see, Mage. You'll see."

Before you can even begin to form a response to his vague bullshit, Flowey disappears into the wood floor of Toriel's home. Leaving you alone, bewildered, and utterly baffled.

"Are you alright, dear?" Looking up at the being outstretching their hand to you, you meet the cherry-red eyes of a goat-like monster looking at you with concern.

Your mouth gapes like a fish out of water as your brain begins running a mile a minute. Memories of late nights dealing with Callum's obsession with monsters and their mythos along with artistic renditions of their royalty echo in your mind.

This goat person looks just like the way your professor and Callum described them.

You aren't sure what to feel about all of this.

On the one hand, you're a tad salty and almost embarrassed that you hadn't believed any of Callum and Professor Grimm's seemingly insane ramblings.

On the other, your mind is panicking over this, freaking out as much as it can since can't catch up to the reality that you're interacting with the monsters from the legends.

"... Uhm, are you okay, little one?" The goat lady tries once more, concern clear in her tone.

A few seconds pass by before you can string together a coherent enough sentence, but even then, you aren't thinking as the words start flitting out of your mouth.

"Are you an angel?" You find yourself asking her in hushed tones, your heart beating erratically against your chest.

The goat lady flushes red and laughs, holding the side of her face as she pats her cheeks, looking at you with thinly veiled amusement. "Quite the charmer, are you not?"

You don't know why the hell you spat that out and yet, you keep blabbering on, unable to stop even though Toriel doesn't seem to be too fussed about it. "Cause, I mean... you look like an angel. Like, a guardian angel, specifically. And like, you're also very, very pretty and— I'm just gonna... I'm gonna shut up now..."

To say you were embarrassed would be an understatement.

You can feel how your face begins to burn with warmth as the whole situation at hand catches up to you, not just in terms of the situation itself, but also from how awkward your sputtering towards this poor monster is making you feel.

You should apologize immediately or something. You can't be outright saying weird pick-up line thingies to someone you haven't even known for more than ten minutes yet.

"Oh, please do not be embarrassed. It is quite alright, dear," the goat woman assures you kindly before leaning forward and offering her paw to you, which you accept gratefully.

Once she pulls you to your feet and steadies you, she starts to introduce herself. "I am Toriel, the caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through here every day to see if anyone has fallen."

"Oh, that's nice, I—"

Then you're struck with a sudden realization.

You crane your head backward at the pile of flowers you had fallen on before looking back at Toriel, confusion and a dash of alarm written plainly across your features.

"Uh, Toriel, just—" your eyes scan the flower bed for any sign of the kid. "Did you– have you seen a kid about yay tall? Blue sweater with a purple stripe? Chocolate brown hair? Sorta beige, sorta tan skin?"

You're already starting to panic as the questions pour out of your mouth without regard for what kind of face you might be giving her as a result.

"No. No, I have not," Toriel responds, shaking her head. Her brow furrows slightly and your stomach sinks as she continues to speak. "You are the first human to fall here for a while, dear."

"B-but that's... that.." You bite back the lump in your throat as you shake your head, your hands trembling slightly.

"No, no, no– I can't– the kid doesn't even– they're only seven..! "

Toriel frowns deeply at your behavior. She places both of her paws onto your shoulders, gently guiding your attention away from the flowers back towards her.

"Maybe they had simply gotten past me, you need not worry, dear."

She gives you a kind smile, and despite your inner turmoil and fear for your little charge, you manage a tiny one in return.

"Now, why not come with me? We will try searching for them on the way to my home."

You nod weakly.

"Okay..."

You wander Toriel's home for a while, trying to find something to do before you inevitably go out to find Napstablook once more.

Even if Flowey implied you had to ask now, you weren't gonna be rushing the poor ghost. They liked having a few hours of alone time in the Ruins and even with your friendship, you weren't about to ruin that for them just because that brat wanted you to.

But yeah, speaking of Blooky, you can't help but think back to these past few weeks you've spent in the ruins.

Aside from the friendly old froggit you liked conversing with through the days, the shy ghost had slowly ended up becoming your friend after they'd found you settled in one of the leaf piles they frequented, laying down on the bed of reds and oranges with your eyes closed and humming a little tune they unconsciously repeated.

They said they used to visit the Ruins only on occasion. But after that incidental first meeting you had, you'd often find them settled on the ground with their headphones plugged into a modified vintage tape recorder.

Napstablook ended up letting you listen to their music after a few days of seeing you hesitate to engage with them, seemingly getting enough courage to tell you they didn't mind your presence. And at some point during your growing relationship, you told them you liked one of their tracks and they gave you a CD mix of everything as a friendly gift.

That is to say, Napstablook's visitation rate percentage pretty much upped to seventy-five after all that.

Other than the fun jam sessions you two would have though, Napstablook would occasionally tell you what the underground had to offer when you asked.

Sure, it was minimal information most of the time since they said they didn't go outside often and said they weren't too well-versed with every part of the Underground, but you genuinely didn't mind. They had some interesting insights you probably wouldn't have gotten from someone like Flowey or Toriel and that was enough for you.

That isn't even adding up to the whole "secret abandoned ruins" bullshit that Flowey told you to ask them about.

You guess Blooky is just chill like that.

Throwing a log of wood into the fireplace, you conjure a small flame at the tip of your index finger and light it up.

For a moment, your flames burn bright pink before settling into their normal shades of red and orange as the fire licks at the log, slowly engulfing it in flame. As you watch the fires burn into the wood, you recall when Toriel told you once that you didn't need to maintain your "duties to the fireplace" all too much, saying she could just let her own fire magic burn within the firebox so you wouldn't extend yourself more than you already have.

You argued it'd help you with getting used to your magic again and she gave up trying to fight you on it, having already seen how out of wack it was when you tried using it during magic cooking practice.

You had a theory the weird pockets of dense magic in the underground were the main reason for your magic going on the fritz. But other than the things you learned from your old professor, you didn't know much about human magic other than its scarcity in this century. So for all you know, the reason for its craziness was something else entirely.

Letting out a sigh, you run your fingers through your hair and tug at the strands while you move out of the living room and into the halls, taking a glance at the old grandfather clock Toriel had stationed to the side.

The faint tick-tock tick-tock echoes in the empty corridors along with your soft footfalls. The silence that permeates the air has you thinking back to Toriel and Frisk.

If Toriel and Blooky's firsthand information is correct, those two were probably halfway through Snowdin and were coming up to Waterfall by now.

And speaking of the traveling duo, a distinct ringtone sounds out from the phone Toriel gave you, prompting you to tug open your satchel to pull it out of the bag before bringing the phone to your ear as you walk into your room, taking this call as a sign to start getting ready for Flowey's "advised route to take".

"Nini!" Frisk's voice rings out in greeting, followed by faint laughter from Toriel in the background. "There's ice cream here and cinnamon rolls shaped like bunnies!"

Your lips curl upwards into an involuntary smile as you lean against the wall, humming in approval. "Nice. Make sure to save some for me, kiddo."

"I will! Anyway—"

The conversation eventually derails into one-sided chatter as Frisk tells you about the different monsters and sights they saw, along with how Snowdin's monsters didn't seem to recognize what they were, much to your and Toriel's relief.

While Frisk goes into detail about this flame person's bar and restaurant combo in the middle of town, you've already changed out of your house clothes and into the same outfit you had on when you first fell. Albeit with a few additional touches here and there.

Eventually, the talk is cut short as Toriel says they're in Royal Guard territory and she'll need to go the long way with the kid. You mutter a 'stay safe' to them and they hang up after bidding you goodbye. As soon as the call ends, you place your phone back into your bag, throw on one of Toriel's sweaters, and slip on your shoes before turning around to leave.

Weird manipulation Flowey's words may have been, you couldn't bring yourself to care much.

Besides his annoying bullet attacks and vines, he had no real power over you if you chose not to do what he might expect you to. So, realistically, you could just ignore him and go about with your life here until you had to move on with Frisk.

... But did you really want to miss a chance to find out something new about these Ruins?

...

Eh, whatever, you still had a friendly ghost to meet.

Safe.

You're both safe now.

That's what you tell them as you hold Frisk close to your chest, letting them listen to your heartbeat as they stifle their crying, not wanting to wake Toriel over "something so small."

You feel all out of sorts as you pat their head, softly singing a lullaby under your breath. You aren't sure what it is about what they said, but the fact that they were so panicked over the thought of a flower in their room made you wonder if it wasn't just you that remembers the handful of unsavory bullshit Flowey did to you and the kid.

Part of you hoped your nibling didn't know anything about those times you tried to find them only to see a flower using their soul against you. But with how they sputtered all sorts of things about him (or, at least, you think they mean him), you're sure they had to deal with Flowey in their iterations of reality.

You don't know what he did with Frisk exactly, but with the venom you remember him spitting at the both of you just earlier today, you like to think you have some idea.

Now, whether or not that will become the reason for your thinly veiled threats on his life in the future, you can't quite say.

When Frisk's breathing steadies, you pull away somewhat and glance at them, keeping your voice as gentle as possible as you ask. "Do you.. do you wanna talk about it?"

Frisk sniffles, burying their face in your shirt for a few moments before shaking their head lightly. "... No.. not yet.."

"Alright..." You press your cheek to their fluffy hair, closing your eyes as you breathe out a quiet sigh.

After a couple of minutes of quiet calmness, you feel Frisk shift ever so slightly, pulling themselves away from you and moving to sit atop their bed, rubbing at their eyes.

With a reassuring smile, you pat their head and mirror their actions, sitting beside them, glancing at their face to sure they're comfortable with your presence still. When there's no violent reaction of any sort on their end, you stay where you are.

"Want me to stay here tonight, hun?" You murmur gently, pushing down the instinctive habit of combing your fingers through their hair, not wanting to make them all the more frazzled.

"Is that okay..?" Frisk asks, their tone hopeful as they turn to look toward you.

You nod, smiling at them once more. "Of course, bud..."

Sleep comes easily to both of you by then.

. . .

It's been a week since you and Toriel agreed on your compromise. The goat woman kept to her word and let you two wander around the ruins without her, helping you gather as much information as you can about the underground so you can keep the kid and yourself safe once you leave.

Though you can't help but feel guilty whenever you catch her looking at you or Frisk forlornly. And maybe you didn't have to, but you ended up asking her for help with your magic.

You're sure Toriel saw this as an... olive branch of sorts between you two. After all, you had different ways of displaying your magic and you don't think any monster would be able to teach humans their magic. (All those bullet pattern greetings will be the death of you.)

But even then, she seemed happy to help.

(You still didn't understand much of green magic though. Not with how it's used for both cooking AND healing. Sure, it makes sense in your head, but for some reason, you just can't seem to do it the way Toriel can. She can manifest lemonade for star's sake and it makes you wonder if the law of conservation of mass and energy still exists in this world.

... It probably does. You're just salty about this.)

At some point, you don't know why exactly, but during one of Toriel's ventures to the store, you gave in to the temptation and ended up snooping through her room.

'Just in case'  your mind had rationalized as you turned her doorknob and slipped inside. After all, you needed as much information as you could glean, didn't you?

There wasn't much to see in her room other than a cactus, desk, and bookshelf amidst the usual things a bedroom would have. And with how neat the room was, it helped bring attention to the mess of a desk Toriel had and the journal sat atop of it.

Unable to help yourself, you end up sifting through Toriel's diary, trying to convince yourself she would've locked the door if she didn't want anyone snooping. And so, ignoring the way your conscience begs for you to stop while you still can, you start to read.

Though, the more you read, the more you realize just how depressing this woman's life had been through the years. (Or has it been decades? Centuries? ) 

There's nothing but lamentations of loneliness and grief in the first parts of her diary. And they're all tear-stained pages with a story of a mother in mourning, a wife drowning in guilt, and a queen torn between her duty and her morals.

You can't help but feel uncomfortable when you linger far too long on these entries. And that's not even adding the underlying guilt you keep pushing aside whenever you catch any mentions of her children, both of blood and not.
 

(You make sure to start skipping any entries that mention her children, unable to stomach the loss she mourns in these pages. 

Too personal. 

This was all too personal.)
 

Skipping ahead to the most recent entries, you take note of their short length and how they talk about you and Frisk. 

. . .

XX/XX/2XXX

The mage and I have come to an agreement. They said they will stay with me for however long it may take while they are busy gathering information about the Underground and its monsters.

In all honesty, part of me is a bit worried for what may be in store for the two humans. Especially the mage.

It has been a long time since I last encountered any human with magic such as theirs, but in spite of how long it has been, I can still sense they're a mage. Most monsters in this age may not be able to detect their mageblood, but for all I know, Asgore has added people in his guard who can.

But as the mage had stated, I cannot make decisions for them, and staying would not be good for them, their family, and the child, most of all.

I do not want either of them to feel trapped. Nor do I want to force them away from their own family.

But still, I worry.

-----

XX/XX/2XXX

The mage asked me if I could help them with their magic.

It was an interesting request. I am sure they know I cannot help them the way their human teachers would, but I like to think they asked because they wanted to spend time with me. That is what it feels like, at least, with the awkward way they worded their ask.

I have already written down any possible spells and various magic practices they could do in my planners. I may not remember much of my old friends' incantations, but I am sure I will be able to help more than they think I will.

I will write down my updates on their development in a later entry.

-----

XX/XX/2XXX

Is it strange to feel so attached to these humans when it has been nothing but three days?

This is not exactly a new experience, but I find myself getting scared at the thought of their eventual departure like with every other human from before. 

It pains me to admit that I care quite deeply for them after spending a few measly hours bonding with them through dinner and tea and banter of all sorts.

But I cannot help myself, they feel just like every other human that passed me by.

They are both so familiar to me that when the first time we met, it was as though I was meeting an old friend.

Perhaps it is wishful thinking on my part, but I hope one day, I will become just as important to them as they are to me.

The clock lets out a comforting ding-dong as the hour hits and you move out of your room, closing the door behind you. 

You quietly pass down the hall and move out of the house, saying your hellos to a small group of moldsmals coalescing near the tree outside Toriel's home. They wiggle back in greeting, making their cheery-sounding slime sounds and you smile at the sight.

Continuing through the Ruins, you make your way to the hangout spot you and Blooky had agreed upon, stopping short when you reach the earlier rooms in the ruins, its leaf piles neatly set as per usual.

As you enter the uppermost side room, you catch sight of the empty pedestal with its upturned candy bowl, letting out a huff of amusement when you see a note taped onto the bowl and your nibling's handwriting.

Picking up the bowl and its contents, you put it back atop the pedestal while quickly reading over their little message, chuckling at what you see.

Sorry!
I'll fix this when I get back. 
Promise! :D
   - Frisk

Shaking your head, you leave the note where it is and continue onward to your destination, pushing aside the vines against the 'wall' of the room and slipping through the small opening.

Entering the hidden room, Napstablook startles at your sudden appearance, their music player dropping from their hold and expression turning wide-eyed until they realize it's only you. They calm down significantly and then pick up their things once more, leaning back against the tree trunk they had been resting on while murmuring a quiet greeting to you.

You greet them back just as softly and sit beside them. "How long have you been here, Blooky?" You question as you take the pair of headphones they offer you and slip them on. 

They glance at the leaves underneath them, fiddling with their CD player. "oh.... it hasn't been long if that's what you're worried about......."

You raise a brow, lips twitching slightly. "Sooo, how's things been for you, Blooks?" You ask, turning your body towards Blooky to face them better.

They shrug lightly. "it's been... the usual......" They trail off for a moment, gaze turning to the side. "one thing happened though... one of my other cousins... they decided to go corporeal too........ or try to... i don't know...... they haven't called home in a while........" 

Nodding slowly, you take notice of the way they were avoiding looking you directly in the eye, deciding to continue messing with their tape recorder rather than anything else. Not wanting to dig into their familial issues any more than you already have, you clear your throat and st

"You rather not talk about them then?" You ask, giving them an out. 

"... if that's okay......"  Blooky mutters.

With a smile, you reassure them with a hint of laughter in your voice. "'Course it is. Now c'mon, you said you had a mix you wanted to show me?" 

Napstablook smiles shyly. You watch as their little ghost hand tap at their CD player's surface, seemingly checking something before putting in one of their mixes. 

As the familiar sounds of their endearingly "creepy" music ring through the headphones, you hum along, smiling and giving the ghost a thumbs up making them smile back at you.

In the corner of your eye, you catch movement in the distance. Subtly glancing around the area, you squint when you take note of the familiar golden petals popping out of the piles of orange and red. 

You try not to make a face as you see Flowey shooting you a dirty look. He doesn't say anything, though, you already know why he's here anyway.

(Part of you feels like forcing the flower to deal with you and Frisk staying for more than another week in these ruins, but Flowey is right about one thing and that's the amount of new information you're starting to run out of the longer you're here.

And, as far as you know, Flowey most likely wouldn't lead you to a trap. Not when he knows you can be just as spiteful as he can be.

Courtesy of you being the "best of friends" with him. Not that he agrees, but ah, c'est la vie.)

Sighing, you fight against the impulsive need to flip off the flower and turn your attention to your ghost friend, giving them a polite smile as you pull down your headphones. "Hey, Blooks, you know these ruins like the back of your hand at this point, right?"

They nod. You pause, waiting a moment before continuing. "You wouldn't happen to know about a secret abandoned part of the ruins, would you?"

Napstablook's eyes widen. They stare intently at you for several minutes and then nod once more. 

"there sort of is... i found it a while ago..." They tell you. "... though... there aren't a lot of monsters anymore...... but it still leads to snowdin... i think... if that's why you're asking..."

You smile softly, nodding in return before reaching out to wrap your arms around them as much as you can. Which isn't much, but you're sure Blooky appreciates the gesture with the way they start tearing up again.

"Thanks for that, Blooks. You're a great friend, you know." While the ghost sputters from their tears, you narrow your eyes at the flower who remains right where he was from the start. He's giving you this look of disgust as you hug Napstablook.

Flowey pokes his tongue out at you when he realizes your eyes are on him and you take this chance to flip him off.

. . .

It doesn't take you too long before you find the secret abandoned ruins Flowey was so stoked about. Sure, Flowey acted like he was the reason you found the place, but both of you know it was Napstablook who told you about the secret stairway by Toriel's balcony.

Weirdly enough, you don't know why, but once Napstablook left and you made your way to the hidden stairway, Flowey decided to follow you like a lost puppy, trailing behind you while you ventured through these new parts of the Ruins. 

Squinting through the dim lighting, you step forward onto the path leading to the next room and walk towards the door without sparing the flower behind you a glance. But before you can even push it open, one of his vines wraps around your wrist, pulling you back toward him and making you stop dead in your tracks.

You freeze, glaring down at the flower. "You really wanna test my patience, brat?" You hiss, voice dripping with annoyance.

Flowey rolls his eyes, mocking you under his breath before dropping your wrist with a sigh. "Look, we get it, you're a big, scary mage and all that. But you really gotta work on controlling your temper," he says. 

You give him a deadpan look. "Pot meet kettle."

He scoffs. "Wow, REALLY funny. Ha ha. I'm laughing." 

Then he flicks your forehead gently with a vine. You swat it away, shooting him a glare.

"I'm serious, mage." Flowey huffs, "You're waaay too strung up today and I don't wanna deal with another stupid reload or reset just 'cause you killed someone again." 

The words make you tense and you shudder as you feel the phantom sensation of dust painted on your hands, sticking on you like an eerie mirror to blood; you shake your head quickly, banishing the memory from your mind before looking down at the flower, narrowing your eyes at him. He only smiles, well aware he hit a nerve.

"... fine," you reply in defeat. "Fine. I'll calm down or whatever."

At that, Flowey's expression turns amused and satisfied. "Good."

The vine releases your wrist and the two of you fall silent for a moment before he pipes up again. "Sooo, you going or what...?

Rolling your eyes, you push down your irritation (for him, for the situation, for how stupidly compliant you are right now) before shrugging and replying. "Well, if you insist, best friend."

The flower gives you a look. "Just shut up and explore, Mage."

You gently pat down your capelet, pushing off any leftover snow that clings to it. Once you're certain there aren't any stray white flakes stuck on your clothes, you straighten your posture and begin to move, taking your time as you do.

Taking in a deep breath you remind yourself to relax, dismissing the bits of panic that eat at you when you think there's something in the dark corners of this old place, just barely visible through the dim torch lights.

Once you manage to push past that irrational fear, you continue onwards into the depths of these ruins.

Passing by the halls of your old home, you make your way to your makeshift storage area turned dog haven, humming softly as you push aside the cover of one of the crates and place your wicker basket into the space before closing it again, hoping the strange critter that used to gnaw on your corn maze would appreciate the new snacks you've left for it.

Turning to leave, you end up walking right into someone, letting out a yelp of surprise as you stumble backward, catching yourself against the crate. 

"Oh shit– sorry! Are you okay?" Your soul thrums, an instinctive fear taking hold of you—

(Your hands shake as you run your hand across the cut they made across your shoulder, fingers grazing against the stinging, fresh wound. 

Dust sticks to your fingers as you pull your hand away.)

— as you crane your head to look up, begging your mind to shut up and remember you're safe in this place no matter what it tells you.

But when your eyes meet the face of the person you bumped into, fear takes over your entire body, sending chills down every inch of it until every inch of your body tingles with unease and panic. You don't even realize it when you fall to the floor, legs far too weak to hold you up.

No, no, no no no nonono—

This can't be happening.

This can't be happening.

Not again.

Please not again.

Their mouth moves and you see them take a step closer towards you. (You swear their eyes glow as they look down at you.) Tears start to prick at the corner of your eyes and your throat burns with the urge to scream out for help. (But no one can hear you. Why can't anyone hear you?) You try to scramble away instead, not wanting them to reach you (and finish what they had started.)

But you can barely move your hands, let alone your feet.

And so you sob, squeezing your eyes close, refusing to look at this familiar stranger, refusing to acknowledge what might happen to you. (You're going to die. You're going to DIE.) Your soul thrums in your ears as you weep, praying to the Angel that this nightmare will end soon. 

Why did this have to happen now?

Why you?

Why is it always you?

Chapter Text

It takes you an awkward amount of time before the poor monster you ended up scaring calms down. 

You make sure to have some distance between you two while keeping in his line of sight, announcing what you're doing in a gentle voice and just remaining there in that same spot until you see any form of progression with his panic attack.

The one sign you eventually get about his state of being is when you see him slump back onto the crate behind him, running a hand across his face and muttering an apology to you as he continues to steady his breathing. 

His voice sounds rough, but other than that and the clear disorientation he may be dealing with after all that, he seems fine.

As fine as a guy coming from a panic attack can be.

After a few more moments of silence, the monster finally seems to muster up enough courage to look up at you. He clears his throat, glancing away for a moment before returning his gaze to your own.

"I..." he starts, sounding hesitant. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that, human." 

You blink, trying to ignore the slight itching in your hands as you rub your palms together nervously.

"It's alright, bud." You say awkwardly, trying to keep your tone light. "If anything, I should be the one apologizing. So, sorry about that. I didn't mean to scare you."

He nods, looking rather uncomfortable with the situation, but then his shoulders sag as he sighs. It almost looks like he's relieved.

"Yeah..." He mumbles. "You could've done much worse than stay with me during all that..."

That statement makes you pause. You slowly tilt your head as you study him, wondering if you heard wrong. But no, there's definitely something here that would be better dealt with in the hands of someone else entirely because you're not delusional enough to think you could help this guy on your own.

Clearing your throat, you take note of that and push it to the back of your head for future reference as you stand up and offer him a hand.

You make sure to crouch in front of him with a small smile, keeping your eyes leveled with his so he won't accidentally start panicking again. "Listen, bud. I know first impressions were a bit rough earlier, but I'd still like to get to know you better."

The monster stares at you bewildered. 

"I mean— IF it's okay with you." You tack on quickly, giving him a sheepish grin.

He hesitates for a moment, eyes fixating on your outstretched hand before he murmurs a quiet 'okay' under his breath and grasps your hand, allowing you to pull him up. 

When he's back on his feet, you catch the look of confusion and uncertainty he sends you and it almost makes you want to laugh, but instead you force yourself to smile politely. You can't be scaring off the poor thing with your... humaness or whatever.

"Sorry," you chuckle sheepishly. "For freaking you out and all." 

Then you give him your name, outstretching a hand for a formal handshake. "Glad to make your acquaintance."

He blinks, startled for a moment before reaching out with a nervous smile of his own to grasp your hand. "Dalv. It's.. it's nice to meet you too, I guess."

In the back of your head, you can't help but wonder why the hell Flowey wanted you to go here in the first place.

You tap at the metal of your lantern, watching as the flowers within it react to your touch with a soft glow, brightening the room considerably and curling into your own warmth as though searching for it. Cute.

... What did Frisk say this was again?

"They're fire lilies." You jump, snapping your head around to stare incredulously at the purple vampire who shuffles into the room, shaking off little bits of snow stuck to his coat before coming up next to you.

"Hey, Dalv." You casually greet, turning your attention back onto the lantern.

He awkwardly greets you back and— you don't know if he realizes it— in the corner of your eyes, you see him make a bit of a face when he says your name. You stifle the laugh that bubbles at your throat when you catch the little murmur he adds at the end about humans having weird names. 

"You can just call me whatever, Dalv." You think he flinches at your attention. "You can even call me 'Mage', a lot of monsters seem to like calling me that." 

You glance at him briefly, a grin plastered on your face. "Though I wouldn't recommend using it outside of the Ruins 'cause... y'know."

He looks down at the ground, fidgeting for a moment before clearing his throat and standing up straight. His arms are crossed and his shoulders tense.

"So... um.." He pauses, taking in a sharp inhale before saying in a strained voice, "Could I just ask you some questions...? I still don't know why you even came back here in the first place when..." He trails off.

You pause, placing down your nibling's gift atop the wooden floorboards and tilting your head to the side. "Go on."

There's a moment where you're both silent before you hear him shuffle his feet and clear his throat once more.

"Well, uh, how long have you been underground?" He asks, voice but a meek whisper.

You shrug, glancing down at your nails and picking at them. "... As far as I remember, it's been about.. let's say, a month or so since my nibling and I fell."

Another pause. He scratches the back of his neck with his free hand, before asking, "Then.. why haven't you two left yet? Humans don't tend to stay long in these Ruins."

You think about the question for a moment, humming quietly to yourself while thinking through his words.

"I need information." You finally say. "For all I know, I'd be skewered alive the instant I go out the Ruins, and hell if I'm leaving the kid to fend for themself."

You look over at Dalv who's expression is carefully neutral, still waiting for any further explanation. When he doesn't show signs of wanting to add to your previous statements, you continue with a huff.

"Remember how you reacted when I told you I had magic, Dalv? What do you think would happen if the Royal Guard found that out, hm?" Dalv cringes at the last comment. The memory of your admittance to him stings at the back of your mind and you can't help the slight bitterness that laces your tone. "So, you have to forgive me for using your old home here as a hideout. I can't be having the kid know I'm stressing my mind out here."

The logical part of your mind tells you to be the bigger person— to let go of the scathing comment Dalv made when you first told him of your magical abilities. It's not like he knows you. He was just going off of what he knew of mages, and as far as you've learned, they weren't the kindest bunch around.

And it's clear he has his issues with humans, so it's only reasonable he'd think so little of you when your only other meetings were him getting into a panic attack and your disastrous second meet.

...

Still though.

Would you really be you if you weren't at least a little bit petty?

... Maybe you should change the subject.

"So!" Your voice is a bit louder than you would've wanted it to and you cringe at how awkward that sounded. "Fire lilies? Is everything here named so literally or is that just the common name for these things?" You laugh, hoping your attempt at changing the topic will work and hopefully alleviate any lingering tension.

Dalv seems relieved over your attempt at starting a much simpler conversation and nods, eager to move past whatever underlying issues you have with one another.

"Yeah, a lot of our flora and fauna are named that way. The king isn't really... uh, creative."

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Take note. Sarcasm is ineffective. "Oh! Wait— I wrote down and drew a couple of my favorites actually. Here."

And then your days repeat after that.

You do nothing but "explore" the Ruins for the remaining week with Frisk following close by, saying hello to the monsters you encounter and taking a few hours of your day to hang out with Napstablook whenever he's around.

It's a waiting game at this point. You think Toriel can feel how restless you've become. But could she really blame you?

You've spent a near total of six weeks in the Ruins— six. It's been too long now, you know that. You've even started keeping Frisk close by to dissuade Flowey from pestering you about leaving sooner because you know you should be gone by now.

Everything's already been set and Toriel was even kind enough to get you a big enough backpack to shove all sorts of necessities in— Frisk even had a cute little sling bag. You have a whole journal littered with the information you were able to scrounge up on the Underground and its Royal Guard.

So why are you still here?

You feel a tug at your shirt.

You quickly plaster on a smile and crouch down to Frisk's height, ruffling their hair with a hum. "What's up kiddo?"

Frisk's smile seems to falter for a moment as it gives way to something close to concern. They open their mouth as if to speak, before closing it shut as they frown. Then, they point to you and fingerspell o and k.

"I'm fine, kid." The words are automatic, but when the small child looks unconvinced, you soften your gaze and give them an encouraging pat on the head as you continue talking. "I swear I'm doing okay, kiddo. Just busy thinking and all that, you know?"

The brunette furrows their brows and shakes their head, looking at you with disappointment before signing something else that has you pinching the bridge of your nose.

"No. No, no." You sigh. "You're not stupid, I'm not saying you are it's just..."

Frisk continues staring at you, obviously confused and frustrated. You run a hand through your messy locks, grimacing as they continue to watch your every movement closely.

After a few moments of silence on your end, they decide on signing something else and you roll your eyes. "You know, I'm starting to think your moms told you how to get to me..."

For a moment, you're given a reprieve when Frisk's lips tug into a smile before they remember what they're doing, furrowing their brows once more and puffing out their cheeks as they glare.

"Don't distract me, Nini." They sign. "Just tell me why you've been so weird this past week."

Taking in a deep breath, you try to figure out the best way to word everything without putting your own stress on a child. Stars know they've dealt with enough of that in the first few reality iterations either of you were in.

Sooner or later, you nod and clasp your hands together before turning to look at the kid.

"Okay, okay." You say, putting up both hands as you gesture in the air, trying to emphasize that you aren't trying to avoid the subject entirely. "I'll try to explain everything."

Frisk waits patiently as you gather your thoughts.

"When we first got here, I gotta admit, I wasn't thinking too hard about what could happen once we left the Ruins," you start. "But the longer we stayed and the more I learned, I.. sort of started getting scared?" Letting out a laugh, you rub the back of your neck before chuckling sheepishly. "I, uh.. I don't really like thinking what'd happen if I wasn't with you, little buddy. I'm just.. I don't want the guard to take me away from you, Frisk." 

Frisk blinks slowly and looks at you. They tilt their head slightly, looking at you curiously. 

"For someone who likes reading, you sure are dumb, Nini."

You wince at their blunt assessment, laughing weakly before clearing your throat. "I, uh... Fair. I guess—"

And then the child cuts you off by reaching forward and pulling you into a hug. You freeze for a moment, feeling surprised and unsure as they squeeze you tightly, burying their face in your chest. You stiffen at first, blinking in surprise before wrapping your arms around them, and returning the embrace. 

"Stop being a dummy, okay?" You snort softly at their bluntness and pat their back gently as you respond with an amused chuckle.

"I'll try to."

. . .

"You seem to have something on your mind, my child." A laugh bubbles out of your lips at Toriel's words. 

"You never call me that, Tori."  She raises an eyebrow playfully in response to your statement.

"I might never do so, but it certainly feels fitting for the situation, does it not?" And that has you clamming up, trying to find some sort of reply as you look down at the ground. A gentle paw taps your shoulder to get your attention. "Come now, child, talk with me." 

There's something about her tone that makes you hesitant to answer, but you relent anyway, guilt prickling against your skin as you do.

"I... I think it's time for us to go, Toriel." You mumble quietly, avoiding meeting her eyes.

The goat monster remains quiet for several moments before nodding in understanding. Her voice is soft and gentle as she says, "That is understandable. I had honestly been wondering when you were going to say such since it has been quite some time since your fall."

Your breathing hitches at the reminder and you bite your lip nervously, trying not to spout out the first thing that pops into your mind.

You're not daft enough to ask Toriel to come with you two to speak with the king. Not when you already know who she really is and why she was even in the Ruins in the first place. 

Besides, she had been kind enough to let you and Frisk stay with her for a month and a half with no issue. It would feel wrong to keep running her kindness into the ground just because you didn't like the uncertainty of the future.

So instead, you put on a smile and ask, "... Could we still call you once we leave?"

Toriel laughs and nods her head, cherry-red eyes twinkling with mirth. "Of course, dear. Of course."

. . .

The warmth of Toriel's hug still permeates through you as you wander around the corridor you and the kid found yourself in. You keep your grip on their hand firmly, hoping that this new passage is nothing but a path to Snowdin rather than a trap set up just for you and Frisk.

Frisk's hand squeezes yours slightly as they glance up at you with worry and fright. You return the look with a reassuring smile, before stepping forward and gently pulling them along.

"We'll be safe, kiddo," you mutter. "I promise."

Their body is still tense and their grip is still tight but they nod, murmuring a soft 'okay' before moving forward again.

The passage is silent save for the sound of your footsteps echoing throughout the corridor. Eventually, the hallway ends, and you step out into a room almost similar to the one you first met—

"There you are! I was wondering when you two would show." You stifle the groan that rises in your throat, shooting the golden flower a weary glare as he tilts his head to the side.

"Took you what? Nearly two months to leave? It's almost like you don't want to bring the kid home." He smiles slyly, his gaze flickering between you and Frisk with amusement dancing in his eyes.

When you feel Frisk hide behind you and grip tightly against your clothes, you shoot the yellow flower a venomous look, taking the time to crouch down and pick them up. Frisk hugs you tightly as you stand up, shoving their face into the crook of your neck to hide away from Flowey.

"Don't you have anything better to do, Flowey?" You snap, raising a brow at him, a warning in your tone.

He grins. 

"Don't do anything stupid, Mage! It'd be a shame to lose my favorite humans."

"..."

You don't think twice as you point toward him.

"Cast Fireball."

There was something inherently wrong about eating cold things in cold weather, and yet you can't bring yourself to care as you bite into the ice cream— nice cream, it's nice cream— Frisk desperately asked for you to get. It disappears as soon as you do, yet the taste of chocolate still lingers on your tongue even after it fizzles out in your mouth akin to cotton candy.

You listen to the kid chat with the Snowdin locals, speaking to each and every one of them with levels of familiarity you'd only see with your siblings and parents. Then again, they were always a friendly little squirt. 

You can hear their new friend talking about what they both have planned from where you are. The other skeleton is nowhere to be seen, but you can't be bothered to care when you remember the distrust he has for you. At least Frisk was spared the discomfort of those solo interactions all because they tunnel-visioned on gaining Papyrus's friendship.

This journey still has you on edge though. Especially with the information the brothers had on the Royal Guard and the King of Monsters himself.

"Pretty out of it, aren't you?" You jump and turn your head to face the purple rabbit monster who merely looks at you in amusement. You ignore the tingling sensation of your magic wanting to trickle out, leaning against the wooden wall next to you while taking another bite out of your nice cream. 

The monster glances over at you with a small smile. "You seem pretty bothered, hun. A stark difference from the charmer who came into my store."

You return her smile. "If you wanted me to tell you how pretty you are, you can just ask, QC."

She chuckles lightly at your comment, shaking her head before placing a paw on her cheek as she pretends to swoon. "How charming~!"

You roll your eyes good-naturedly, offering a genuine smile of your own. "Thanks, Quincy." You pause for a moment before adding thoughtfully, "You know a lot about Snowdin, right?"

The rabbit monster nods her head with a grin. "Sure I do! Hard not to when my family's everywhere and all."

You hesitate for a moment, not knowing what to say next. You had been planning to ask someone if they knew where Dalv lived. As tense as your friendship with Dalv was most of the time, he was kind enough to tell you he'd keep his doors open for you and your nibling if you ever found it necessary. Said he'd even try to talk to one of his friends who used to be in the Royal Guard to try and alleviate any concerns you may have had about them.

(Did that make you feel guilty for being a petty little bitch? Sort of. Would you ever let that incident go? Eventually.)

"Well," you begin, watching intently as the rabbit monster straightens up in interest, "would you maybe know where someone named Dalv lives?" She hums softly and tilts her head to the side curiously, looking thoughtful.

"Hmm..." She trails off, staring off into space. After several long seconds, she snaps her fingers, turning toward you with a bright smile. "Oh! I think I know who you're talkin' about! One of my cousins said he gave 'em corn as a gift." 

"He lives in the deeper parts of Snowdin, hun, so I'm afraid that's gonna take a while to reach if you want to get there by foot." You give her a grateful smile, making a mental note to visit her again soon. "If you want, I can just close up shop for a bit and help ya on your way."

"No, it's fine. I can probably find my way around, but thanks anyway, QC."  

She smiles kindly at you and turns her head towards the pair coming towards you two, "Looks like your companions are waiting for you." Your gaze follows hers and you spot Frisk and Papyrus standing a polite distance away from you and Quincy, patiently awaiting your arrival.

You glance back at Quincy and offer a sheepish smile. "Thanks for the help, Quin. See you later, okay?"

"Think nothing of it, hun. And yeah, I'll see ya."

You chuckle softly before turning away to meet up with the two goofballs. 

Once they're both sure you're done, they meet up with you halfway with a joyous call of your name before you find yourself getting smothered in a tight hug by a skeleton and a seven-year-old. 

"ME AND THE TINY HUMAN WERE WONDERING WHEN YOU'D BE FINISHED WITH YOUR CONVERSATION."

You laugh, slinging your arms around the taller monster and your nibling. "Yeah, I could see that, but weren't you two gonna go on your 'date' or whatever?" 

Papyrus pulls away and gives you a wide grin. "YES, WE WERE PLANNING TO! BUT THAT CAN WAIT A LITTLE BIT. THE TINY HUMAN SAID YOU WERE PLANNING TO DO SOMETHING IN SNOWDIN AND THEY WANTED TO HELP."

Craning your head to the little brunette at your legs, you catch their eye and shake your head fondly at them. They return your gesture with a smile.

"Papy told me he knows a lot about Snowdin," they sign to you, pulling away from your legs. "He can help us find where your friend lives, Nini!"

You wince internally. You forgot you told Frisk you'd try to check on Dalv later. "... It's fine, kiddo. Pretty sure I can find my way once I get to the deeper parts of Snowdin."

Frisk frowns, concern clear in their expression as they watch you for a moment before nodding reluctantly. They turn toward Papyrus, holding out their arm and beckoning for him to get closer.

You narrow your eyes at them suspiciously as you hear the hushed whisper of their voice in Papyrus' non-existent ear. Rolling your eyes at their snicker, you wait until they've pulled away to speak.

"... What did the little gremlin say, Papyrus?" You feel them smack your leg.

Papyrus' eyesockets shift upward for a moment, glancing at you before returning his gaze to the child. He opens his mouth, presumably to reply, before stopping abruptly, an uncertain look passing briefly across his features. When he finally speaks again, it's in a much quieter tone of voice than usual.

"... The Tiny Human Told Me You Have Been Worrying Greatly For Your Shared Safety In The Underground." He pauses, lowering his gaze. "They Say You Need To Visit A Friend To Confirm A Few Things About The Royal Guard, Mainly Because It Will Help Keep You And The Tiny Human Unharmed."

You bite the inside of your cheek as you nod. "It would help a lot if I got to talk to my friend's friend, yeah." Then you shoot the skeleton a reassuring smile. "But I'm not planning to stick around too long. Just gotta talk to them and then I'll leave. In and out."

Papyrus stares at you with squinted sockets. "THIS WON'T STOP ME FROM ACCOMPANYING YOU TO DEEPER SNOWDIN TERRITORY, OLDER HUMAN."

"Drats."

. . .

"AND HERE WE ARE!" Papyrus presents to you two with a flourish, a proud smile spreading across his face as he directs your attention to the snowy terrains.

"FROM WHAT I KNOW, NOT MANY OF THE SNOWDIN'S GUARDS ARE STATIONED HERE SINCE THIS PLACE DOESN'T HAVE MUCH FOOT TRAFFIC, UNLIKE SNOWDIN TOWN."

"Snowdin is perfect for you, isn't it, Papyrus?"

"GLAD YOU THINK THE SAME AS I, MUCH LARGER HUMAN."

The tall skeleton then turns on his heel, facing your brunette nibling.

"COME NOW, TINY HUMAN! WE MUST PARTAKE IN COURTSHIP BEFORE NIGHTFALL!" Papyrus then picks Frisk up and sets them on his shoulders, making the kid squeal in delight and hug his head. Papyrus doesn't seem too bothered with the hands atop his sockets though and continues to speak to you, a pleasant smile on his skeletal face. 

"CALL US IF YOU NEED ANYTHING, BIGGER HUMAN!"

You grin. "Will do, Captain."

"NOW..." Turning around, the skeleton monster points in the direction where you'd all just been. "ONWARDS!"

Waving them goodbye, you look around the area with mild interest. This part of Snowdin didn't seem particularly big, but maybe the smaller populace would be the reason for the sparse housing around this snowy terrain. A few trees dotted the surroundings and a path wound between some of them in front of you. 

There weren't many monsters where Papyrus dropped you off. Only a handful of them seemed to be around and, well, none of them looked like adults with a sense of direction but you never know with monsters.

And so, wanting to get this whole situation under wraps before anyone ratted you out to the guard, you go ahead and start asking the different monsters you see about Dalv.

. . .

It takes longer than you would have thought for you to get some headway on locating Dalv's house. 

For someone who didn't hesitate to talk your ear off about his friends and so many underground flora and fauna facts, you would've thought friends meant more than one or two. But apparently, the vampire was just as successful as you were with maintaining friendships.

Thanking the monsters who helped you with directions, you continue walking down the pathway. The wind whistles around your ears as you make your way through Snowdin, a gentle chill settling over your bones. Tugging the hood of your cloak on further over your head, you glance around for any other monsters you could ask for help when another voice speaks from behind you.

"Excuse me? Are you lost?" Jumping slightly, you spin around to face the monster, surprised you couldn't hear their approach.

You're met with an orange-furred fox monster with a head full of ginger hair tied up in a cute red bow holding a basket in her arms. For a split second, you see her eyes widen at the sight of you, a shimmer of fear glinting in the red hues. But it disappears just as quickly as it came and she gives you a friendly, disarming smile. "I couldn't help but notice you're having trouble finding your way here. So, I was wondering if you needed some help?"

Well, isn't this a weird coincidence?

You're almost inclined to refuse her offer of assistance just because of the timing and that momentary look in her eye, but clearly, your paranoia is unwarranted. Maybe it's from the constant past resets and reloads paired with your interactions with Flowey that's gotten you this worked up. Dalv already had to deal with the brunt of it all and he still had it in his heart, soul, whatever to help you. 

... Welp, better stop looking this gift mouth in the horse before she runs off.

Taking a deep breath, you force yourself to relax as you nod at the monster, giving her a polite smile. "Actually, yes. That would be wonderful."

Her smile settles into something more neutral, but no less friendly as she nods back at you before gesturing for you to speak. You take the chance and explain the whole situation at hand and familiarity seems to settle over her face as you mention the vampire. 

"You're not too far from where he's staying actually," the fox tells you with a small shrug. She then motions toward the path shadowed by pine trees, pointing a clawed finger at the path. "It's only a short walk from here."

"Huh... Thanks." That was the most painless interaction you had ever had with a monster who came up to you. Who knew you'd finally get a taste of an encounter without the encounter?

Before you can leave to go visit Dalv though, she clears her throat and your eyes find hers once more. The fox monster has a thoughtful look on her face as she tilts her head curiously at you. "So, what brings you to Dalv in the first place? I don't think he's ever mentioned you before."

You blink, momentarily confused, before smiling sheepishly. "Oh. Yeah... Well... There's this really important thing I need to talk about and he said I was free to visit, so..."

That wasn't at all a proper enough answer to make you look trustworthy!

The fox monster hums quietly, her ears twitching with each thoughtful hum. Her eyes flit downward, staring intently at the ground. After what feels like a minute, she blinks and looks back up at you with an unreadable look on her face.

"I'll join you then," she tells you, causing your brow to raise. "I'm sure Dalv won't mind if I show up a second time if I have one of his friends around."

You frown slightly at the suggestion, uncertain how to read this monster now that it feels like she's onto you or something of the like. She clearly doesn't trust you— which is understandable, but she can't possibly know what you are, can she?

The only reason the Snowdin Canine Unit even knew you and the kid were human was because of their captain's information. And it isn't like humans were well-known since so far, none of the monsters you've met even blinked an eye your way, calling you and Frisk funny-looking monsters instead. 

But in the end, all you do is take note of that info for later, shake your head, and wave her off with a practiced smile. "Sure. The more the merrier or whatever."

She nods once, taking a step towards the pathway, and returns your same smile with a toothy one of her own.

. . .

"So, where are you from?"

"The Capital."

"Really? Which part of it?"

"Somewhere close to the aquarium. Have an apartment and all the works."

"That's nice but how did you meet Dalv then? Other than the shows he has around the Honeydew Resort, he doesn't go out much."

"I just like exploring the Underground a lot. Eventually ended up bumping into him in the Dark Ruins and he talked my ear off about music, drawing, and flowers."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. You can even ask Dalv later if you don't believe me."

"Hm... Maybe I will."

. . .

You didn't think you'd ever be stuck in a tense interrogation conversation like this with anyone again after the one you had with your ex in your final year of high school. Stars know how much you wish you hadn't had a practical repeat of that day with someone else.

"Here we are." The relieved noise you made at her words was more sincere than any of the bullshit you spat out with her every question. You were beginning to get concerned that you were never going to find Dalv the longer you spent time together.

You don't even know each other's names after all that! What the hell???

Crossing your arms, you watch as the fox monster knocks on the ornate purple door and steps back, glancing at you briefly before turning her attention back to the door. You stay where you are, shifting from one foot to another as you both wait.

With a soft 'click', the door opens slowly and a familiar purple vampire comes into view, his expression lighting up with recognition upon seeing the fox woman. 

"Ceroba! You're back! Did you leave anything behind?" He asks, brows furrowing with concern. The fox monster— Ceroba. That's her name— shakes her head and motions towards you with a tilt of her head, murmuring something to him. Dalv follows her gesture, pausing when he sees you.

You hear him squeak out your name as his expression turns into one of mild shock, confusion, and then realization. His mouth falls open and a look of utter bewilderment flashes across his face as he takes in your appearance. You give him a little wave.

"Hey."

His eyes shift to look at Ceroba and then back at you, his lips forming a thin line before he lets a shaky exhale escape his mouth.

"... Why don't you two come in?" He says in an almost tired tone, ushering the two of you inside. 

Once you step foot into his home, all Dalv feels is dread and anxiety. It doesn't help that Ceroba apparently found you on your way here and chose to come with you. It would make a lot of this way harder than it's supposed to be.

He doesn't even know why he offered to help you in the first place. You two had the weirdest friendship going on, and while he does admit that you're a good person despite all your idiosyncrasies, you were still unpredictable like every other human he's met.

Not that he's met many, but the sentiment still applies, he thinks.

His mouth moves silently as he searches through his mind for an excuse to drag you away, or perhaps something to divert this awkwardness he could feel between all of you. His gaze flits between you and Ceroba, worry growing tenfold as he takes note of the growing tension between you two and the faint crackle of magic in the air.

Thankfully, like the angel she is, Martlet pops out from his kitchen to accidentally interrupt whatever is bound to happen with a pleasant grin on her face.

"Finally got your oven working, Dalv!" She chirps,  making him wince and turn his attention away from you and Ceroba. "You can just call me again if it starts going on the fritz, and—" 

"Martlet, good to see you." Ceroba greets, breaking through her sentence.

Martlet pauses and turns to face her to return the greeting only to stop as she sees you. Her smile quickly fades from her face, replaced with one of shock and fear as she gives a sharp inhale. 

"Aha... This... Is a bit awkward..." Martlet says awkwardly before scratching the back of her neck sheepishly, casting her gaze downward. "I didn't know today was gonna be the day I met you."

Dalv can see the way you furrow your brows at her words, confusion flickering behind your eyes at her comment. Ceroba seems to feel the same though, looking at him and the bird monster with squinted eyes, silently asking them what was happening. 

Dalv sighs loudly and sends Martlet a pleading look. Understanding the silent gesture, the bird nods her head and gives him as much of a thumbs-up as she can before facing you two with a smile.

"I'll try to explain everything! You two should get comfortable." And with that settled, Dalv turns on his heel and moves to his kitchen to get some tea ready.

. . .

Martlet tries to wrack her brain for a way to keep herself from agitating either you or Ceroba. But in all honesty, the mere idea of doing so felt like a losing battle with how tense the two of you seemed around the other. 

And so, all she can really do is hope you had enough self-control not to trigger an encounter yourself.

"Alright!" Martlet finally exclaims brightly, clapping her wings together as she turns to face both of you, "Let's get down to business!"

"First things first, we have to talk about the elephant in the room," her gaze then focuses on you and she sees you tug at the hood of your cloak, pulling it over your head to hide your face. She can't help the way her features soften at the sight.

She smiles reassuringly, calling your name as she makes a calming gesture towards you. "Don't worry, we already know what you are."

The response she gets is a small snort from you before you let out a quiet breath of relief, your hands moving up to tug off the hood completely. When it falls, your hair pops out, looking messy with several strands sticking out.

"Yeah, I figured you all knew. That fox lady kept glaring at me after I said I was trying to find Dalv." You huff, glancing over at Ceroba who shoots you a narrow glare.

Martlet nods, thanking you for not freaking out about it. Though, that didn't mean she wasn't surprised about you. Dalv may have asked her for a favor, telling her about you and what you were, but it's not like she actually expected you to be real. 

Nor did she really want you to be real.

"Okay, so," she says, clearing her throat as a nervous feeling settles inside of her chest, "Do I start at the beginning or should I summarize everything?"

You shrug. "Start anywhere I guess. I'm mostly here to figure out some stuff about the Royal Guard, anyway."

"Okay, well..." 

She doesn't hesitate to tell you about the Royal Guard and the whole situation at hand concerning them. You seemed to already have most of the basic knowledge of them down to a tee, only needing some further clarification on certain things and so on.

Then she tells you of her past association with the guard and how she was mostly on good terms with everyone. And because of that, Dalv had once asked her if she could help one of his friends out of a tight spot by helping them around the Underground. 

Said friend happened to be you.

"Since I'm still friends with a lot of them, they sorta slip information about their schedules and patrol routes to me," she states, taking a moment to thank Dalv as he places down numerous teacups onto his coffee table before continuing. "They only recently started being active again after you got here. They've most likely spread the news to the other guards by now."

You hum as you take a sip of your tea. Martlet can tell you've calmed down a significant amount by now after having listened to her speak, though there is still a noticeable stiffness in your posture.

Her eyes flick towards the fox seated in the loveseat in front of you. 

It was probably because of Ceroba.

Forcing out a laugh, Martlet looks over at the two of you and leans forward slightly.

"So, if that's everything for now, I'll be happy to—"

"You're a mage, aren't you?"

Martlet can hear herself scream in her mind when she hears those words fall from the fox woman's mouth. She watches in horror as you freeze, staring wide-eyed over at her. Ceroba, on the other hand, remains impassive as she takes a sip of her tea.

Dalv is quick to try and alleviate the situation, laughing nervously as he shuffles into your line of sight.

"Maybe we should all just breathe—"

"So what if I am?"

Dalv gives up immediately, slipping next to Martlet as you lean against the armrest of the chair, turning your gaze towards Ceroba.

Ceroba regards you carefully before letting out a soft sigh and giving you a pointed look. You shoot her a flat stare in return.

"If anyone caught wind of you being a mage, you won't be able to leave here alive." Ceroba says monotonously, lifting her teacup, "You're the one thing our people fear more than the usual human. You're dangerous."

The words seem to hit a nerve and Martlet finds herself shuddering as she sees a toothy grin stretch across your face. 

"I'm not here to hurt anyone if that's what you're so worried about, Cher." You reply in a calm tone, your tone bordering on threatening. "But I won't lie and say I'm not dangerous~" 

Martlet can almost taste the magic crackling in the air, but before anything else happens, Martlet steps forward, her voice raising an octave.

"Okay! Time out!" She yells, waving her arms to try and stop any impending disaster before it could even begin.

"Look, tensions seem to be high and I'm starting to see there's a bit of anger stewing here from both parties." She gestures between you and Ceroba. "But why don't we calm down a bit, hm? Arguing won't really solve anything."

You open your mouth to speak but before you can utter any words, Ceroba cuts in. 

"You're planning to accompany them through the Underground, Martlet." Ceroba stares at her dead in the eye while crossing her arms. "You can't possibly think you'll be able to get to the New Home without having Undyne on your trail. You'll be trialed for treason if anyone finds out."

Martlet winces and glances away from Ceroba to check on you. You've shrunk into yourself, a crease in between your brows as you glared at the floor. But all in all, it seems like the fight's already left you.

With a deep sigh, Martlet rubs her face with her hands.

"That is true, but I honestly doubt Undyne would be coming to skewer the human so soon," Martlet explains as she shakes her head. "Last I checked, the Snowdin Canine Unit hasn't filed a report on them. She's still unaware."

She turns her attention back to Ceroba, who still doesn't look convinced. "I know this whole guiding the human thing doesn't seem... safe exactly, but you know I'll be the best person for the job, Ceroba."

The fox monster stares at you for another long, silent moment before slowly shaking her head, muttering how dangerous it was to make promises you couldn't guarantee. However, the sternness in her words quickly fades as she turns to Martlet once more.

"Fine..." She finally relents, a frown etched upon her expression, "I trust you know what you're doing even if I disagree."

Relief floods through her body and her shoulders drop ever so slightly. Martlet then turns to face you with a significantly cheerier look on her face.
 
"Now then," she begins, drawing your attention to her, "You won't mind leaving now, do you?"

Chapter Text

You hear your name get called just as you're dusting off your cloak and tugging on your hood. Turning to face the voice, you quirk a brow as you catch sight of Dalv twiddling his thumbs as he comes up next to you, looking more and more anxious with each passing second.

But you stay patient, waiting for him to finally say his piece.

"I.. hey, so, I know we have our differences and you may not like me," you have to keep yourself from wincing at that. Another bout of guilt hitting you at the thought of Dalv knowingly interacting with you when you've been nothing but sore about something from weeks past.

The vampire scuffs his boots against the snowy ground and laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "But, uh, that.. none of that makes me consider you less of a friend. As— as dumb as that may sound."

You bite the inside of your cheek, unable to keep your face from scrunching up as memories of your interactions flit through your mind.

"Oh. That's..." The guilt, the guilt, the guilt—

A shaky sigh slips out of your lips and you press a hand to your mouth. You can barely muster up any of that pettiness you used to feel for the poor monster. The wretched feeling being easily overshadowed by your rational side smacking you by the side of your head, begging you to act appropriately now that your thoughts seem clearer.

You drop your hand and meet Dalv's gaze, giving the monster a shaky yet sincere smile. "That's kind of you, Dalv... Stars know I don't deserve it."

The vampire averts his gaze in an instant, an embarrassed flush dusting across his face as he squeaks, "Hah! Well, self-deprecation aside, I also wanted to say I.." He pauses, chewing on the bottom of his lip. "I'm.. I'm sorry for what I said when you told me you were a mage. That wasn't very.. nice of me."

For a moment, the sight before you is reminiscent of an old friend and your heart squeezes painfully at the thought. A small wave of nostalgia courses through you and you can't help but smile.

"It's all water under the bridge, bud." You pat his shoulder gently, huffing out an amused breath at the way he tenses from your touch. You pull away and shrug. "If anything, I'm sorry for acting like an ass with you all those times."

You can tell that Dalv isn't completely at ease, which is fair considering how harsh you remember yourself being, but he seems slightly more relaxed around you nonetheless.

"Besides..." You continue, smiling as your gaze meets his once more. Dalv doesn't look away this time. "If there's one good thing that came out of all this, it's getting to know you better."

"I.." the monster chuckles, "Yeah. I guess you're right."

Your lips curl upwards and he returns the gesture with a sheepish chuckle before the atmosphere shifts as you remember something.

A gasp flits out of you as a thought suddenly pops into your head. You quickly scramble for your bag much to Dalv's confusion, rummaging through the contents until your hand touches cold metal and you pull it out, the two-pound artifact resting snugly within your grasp.

You glance at Dalv, your features brightening as you hold up the object towards him, a wide grin settling on your face. He stares at the brick phone blankly for a moment before a look of horror flashes across his features.

Dalv wheezes out your name with a mix of exasperation and disbelief. You let loose a light laugh, shrugging as you turn your attention to the device.

"C'mere and tell me your digits, vampire boy." You snicker as you pull up the contacts list.

The purple monster looks at you incredulously while he stands there dumbfounded before taking in a deep breath and reaching into his pocket, pulling out his own phone with a grumble. You pause and take a moment to look at it, your curiosity flaring up.

Unlike your average human smartphone, you're pleasantly surprised at the sight of a lightweight flip phone in his hands. It has a quaint phone charm dangling off the side. You wonder briefly what the difference it has with human flip phones.

"It's—" Dalv starts, only to get cut off by a loud whistle from behind you two.

Dalv lets out a yelp and you nearly fall over when you feel a feathery arm sling around your shoulder, making you to gasp in surprise.

"Whoa! Whatcha doing lugging around that poor old dinosaur, Mage?" Ah, looks like your titular nickname has been making the rounds.

At least Martlet's being sweet about it.

"A friend gave it to me," you answer with a shrug, pushing off her arm from your shoulders. "It's still functional so it doesn't matter if it's old."

Martlet makes a noise of disagreement, face scrunching up in distaste. "No offense, Mage, but I don't even know if any of our numbers would get through to that..."

You narrow your eyes at her, silently calling out her bluff. While Toriel seemed to hold your grandparents' tech literacy, she did once mention how these phones were still being able to receive any calls or messages from any other monster's phone all because of the way it was built. Because of magic.

... But at the same time, you're a bit interested in where this bird is going with this.

And so, with a sigh and a slight tilt of the head, you huff, "I can hear you loud and clear, bird lady. But even then, how the hell am I gonna get a new phone?"

When you see Martlet's eyes glimmer with excitement and her feathers puff up, you realize you probably shouldn't have even asked in the first place.

And here you are now, holding one of the many "prototypes" Martlet had hidden in a box in her attic while she eagerly talks your ears off about the origins of every single one of them.

Something, something, Alphys. Something, something, she happily grabbed anything the scientist rejected and tinkered on them herself as practice. Something. something... You know the drill.

"So, what do you think!?" Martlet finishes with a cheery little chirrup, sounding almost breathless after her ramble as she gestures wildly at the box of phones before you.

You stay mum for awhile, carefully inspecting all of them, the gears in your head turning rapidly as you try to figure out a way to get out of this mandatory item acquisition. scene. Then it clicks.

Your eyes flick back up to meet Martlet's expectant gaze and you beam up at her.

"I'm keeping the dinosaur."

It's amusing how quickly her face falls in disappointment at your words. She pouts slightly for a minute before nodding slowly, muttering something along the lines of "that's understandable, but still...".

Rolling your eyes at her antics, you pick up one of the many phones and turn it over your hands, finding amusement in the blue and purple color scheme before turning back to the bird monster.

Waving around the flip phone in your hands, you let out an exaggerated sigh, "Fine, fine, I'm taking at least one of them. Will that make you happy, Martlet?"

Martlet perks up at this, smiling happily once again as she nods vigorously in agreement.

Zipping open your bag, you go to ask Martlet when you can all leave for Waterfall only to startle at the sound of the door creaking open.

"For someone on the chopping block, you sure are taking your time." Whipping your head around, you find Ceroba by the front door with her eyes narrowed and arms crossed. Your lips pull into a straight line and you put the the new phone in your pack before pushing yourself up off the wooden floor.

"We were about to leave, thank you very much." You quip as you make your way to her, meeting the fox monster by the doorway with a smirk.

Ceroba scoffs, pulling back into the porch and giving you an unimpressed stare. "Best to hurry then. Who knows what can happen if you dally any more than you already have."

You roll your eyes and turn your focus away from her to glance back at the bird monster as you exit the house. For a quick moment, you think you catch sight of exhaustion on Martlet's face while her gaze is fixated on you two.

Before you can ask what has her looking so weary, Ceroba clears her throat, drawing you all out of your thoughts. "No sense in standing around here and wasting more time, Martlet. Mage. I'll join you two up until the station."

"Oh..." You try not to make a face at that.

. . .

It's nothing but tense and silent between all three of you as you make your way through Snowdin. Occasionally, you would feel Ceroba's gaze dig into you, watching your every move with sharp, piercing eyes. You don't know what you should say so you choose not to say anything as you all walk onwards.

Martlet can't seem to handle the choking atmosphere though, eventually asking Ceroba why she'd been staring. To which the fox had given a non-answer that only ever worsened the air. Afterwards, Martlet simply decided to hover over you instead to avoid any other awkwardness.

Through this supposed-to-be short yet torturous journey back to Snowdin Town, you had to fight against the impulses that tugged at you whenever Ceroba gave you any more funny looks. While her distrust was fairly understandable just like Dalv's had been, you couldn't help the way her sharp looks made your hackles raise.

It's only with Martlet's constant reassuring whispers and the thought of Frisk that had you maintaining some semblance of composure.

Eventually you three reach the town square and your tension melts away at the sight of the sparse activity of the townspeople— townsmonsters? whatever.

"Okay, so, we should..." Martlet's voice trails off to your ears as your eyes slip past the kids in stripes who are busy playing ball. You smile at the sight and let your eyes wander once more, catching sight of a familiar pair of bunny monsters sitting down on a bench next to—

"Frisk!" You choke out, dread filling your system as you see their familiar head of brown hair and their shaking form.

Without thinking, you break off from Martlet and Ceroba, ignoring their shouts of confusion as you speed over to the two monsters. Skidding to a halt in front of them and heart beating a mile a minute, you nearly drop to your knees when you reach the bench.

Both Quincy and her sister, Cecilia, blink in surprise at your sudden presence, but soon their expressions soften at the sight of you. Your mouth feels dry and you can barely speak a word as you take in your shaking nibling who grips onto Quincy desperately.

You look at both of them with a silent question in your mind and all they can do is give you sad smiles. You swallow thickly and kneel down before them, uncaring of the way the snow beneath sticks to your pants, and wrap your arms around the shaking child as you hold them close to you.

"Hey, hey, it's okay... I'm here now, hun." you whisper softly as you stroke the back of their head soothingly, gently carding your fingers through their hair. Frisk leans into your touch, their shaking less prominent now.

Chewing the inside of your cheek, you shift your position as you go to stand up once more, bringing Frisk along with you. Their shaky grip on you tightens as you do so but they don't sound out a protest, hiding their face in your chest and shrinking in upon themselves.

You look over to the bunny sisters and see that they've also moved to stand, looking worriedly at Frisk. You fix your hold on them and quietly ask, "Do either of you.. know what happened?"

They share a forlorn gaze and shake their heads.

"We found the little darlin' all alone," Quincy begins, a crease beginning to etch between her brows. "Junior said they were unresponsive till my sis and I got here."

"They started crying when we talked to them," her sister continues on for her, wincing at the memory. "We tried to ask what was wrong, but..."

"Well, I'm sure y'know how that went." Quincy laughs humorlessly. "After that, we've just been keepin' a close eye on sugarcube here... Sorry we can't be more helpful, hun."

You hum thoughtfully as you glance towards the small child in your arms. They were clearly distressed but how was that possible? Last you remember of them was their hangout with Papyrus. And Frisk knew better than to wander off without you, didn't they?

...

With a sigh, you pat Frisk lightly, trying not to jostle them too much as you send the two monster siblings a grateful look. A treacherous part of you whispers what could have been should these two have known what you and Frisk were, but you quickly brush that paranoid thought aside.

That wasn't here or now. All that matters is that someone had chosen to take time out of their day to look after the kid despite having their own responsibilities and that meant more than enough to you.

You owe them both big time.

"Don't worry about it, you two. Thank you for everything. We really appreciate it." You nod at each of them, smiling appreciatively while shifting Frisk ever so slightly so that they were no longer digging into your chest uncomfortably.

There's still a hint of worry in the siblings' eyes, yet instead of pushing, they simply accept things as it is and mirror your smile.

"Think nothing of it, sweetie."

"Take care on your way back, hun."

Your smile widens and you nod gratefully once more before turning and saying your goodbyes to the bunny sisters. They echo the sentiment, waving goodbye and disappearing into their respective businesses, leaving you and Frisk paired together once again.

As soon as they're gone, you're quick to make your way through the dense forest of Snowdin Town, wanting a more secluded spot to properly speak to your little ward. While you'd gained the favor of the Snowdin Canine Unit, you'd prefer not to speak of your human-ness out in the open while you're able.

Once you reach more than a few meters away from town, you pause to take another second to breathe deeply and fix your hold on Frisk, taking a moment to look at them and take in their state.

They've long since stopped shivering in your hold and their grip on your clothes are loose, seemingly holding on for the sake of keeping their balance rather than grounding themself.

Scanning the forest, you shuffle over to a big rock with a patch of snow on top and haphazardly shove it all off with a boot before sitting down. You ignore the soft cries of your mind at the sensation of chilled stone on your behind, paying more attention to the child in your arms as you once more shift your hold and put them on your lap instead.

Frisk goes to hide from you as soon as they're settled. You catch a glimpse of a scowl across their lips as their mussed up hair shadows their face and their hands proceed to fully hide it all from view.

Your features soften at the sight and you can't help the way your voice drips with concern as you go to ask, "Frisk? What's wrong, hun? What happened?"

The brunette squirms in your lap and mumbles something into their hands, a quiet sniffling following right after. You don't push in spite of the part of you that wishes to know now,  only staying quiet as you wait for them to feel comfortable telling you.

It takes a while before Frisk eventually calms down and settles into you, leaning the side of their face into your torso and pressing their ear into your chest to listen to the beat of your heart as they quietly tell you about setting off on their own after their playdate with Papyrus.

You have to bite your tongue at the scolding remark that first pops up in your head, reminding yourself to wait for the kid to finish telling you everything before you start spouting anything out.

Frisk's voice is shaky as they tell you how they didn't think it'd lead into anything bad. that they'd only been following one of their new friends and they hadn't expected that Captain Undyne would try to skewer them— their only saving grace was the grass they ended up hiding in with said friend. And yet unlike their friend, Frisk felt nothing but a strike of fear in their heart at the memory of the captain looming over the cliff side with a spear made of magic in her hand.

Anger shoots through you and amplifies your magic. You can feel its telltale tingling at your palms but you try rein yourself in all the same, not wanting to scare Frisk any more than they already were. instead, you force yourself to take in a deep breath and calm down.

You cradle them to your chest and repeat that they're alright. That they're safe in your arms and you won't let anything bad happen to them.

When you hear a cough from behind you, you're back on high alert. Pulling Frisk back in your arms and jumping out of your makeshift seat, you make sure Frisk's face is hidden by pressing them to your shoulder all while swiftly turning on your heel to face your opponent. Your free hand crackles with magic as you send a harsh glare at whoever decided to stalk you two into the woods. ready for whatever they may send you.

Only to falter in your defensive stance as you take in the sight of blues and oranges slipping out from the woodwork.

"Did you two follow me?" You spout in disbelief, uncertain whether to glower at them for invading your private conversation with Frisk or be relieved it wasn't another monster that found you and the kid talking about Captain Undyne and being hunted down.

Both Martlet and Ceroba hold similarly wide-eyed looks as they glance back and forth between you and Frisk.

"I didn't think there'd be two of you!" Martlet winces at her volume, quickly slapping a wing to her beak while squeaking out an apology your way.

You quirk a brow at her words, unsure just what she's getting at with her tone. "Pretty sure I mentioned it..." You huff, shifting Frisk around in your hold. "Why'd you think I needed a guide in the first place?"

"This makes things a bit more complicated..." When Ceroba speaks, you feel Frisk perk up in your hold. You hiss out their name when they turn their head to check on who you were speaking to, but before you can say anything else, they gasp and start shaking you.

"Nini! That's the fox lady that helped me find your present!"

... Huh???

"I– what?" If you wracked your mind hard enough, you catch a memory of Frisk mentioning a kind monster who helped them pick out a gift for you, but they had rambled on and on about it that you don't think they ever even mentioned how they actually helped, just that they thought they were cool and nice.

Thankfully, Ceroba seems to take it upon herself to remember much more clearly as she pinches the spot between her eyes, unwanted recognition having flashed in her eyes in the split second you glanced at her in the corner of your eye.

"... you've gotta be kidding me."

While Ceroba stews in her emotional turmoil and Martlet tries to ease her as much as she can, you put Frisk back down on the snowy floors and catch them up to speed. Rifling in your satchel, you take out the prototype flip phone Martlet gave you and give it to them, they happily take it with a squeal of delight.

A fond smile plays at your lips while you watch Frisk mess about the phone, pressing all sorts of buttons and seemingly going through their contacts.

"I don't know if it'll be safe going down the route in Waterfall..." Martlet says, pulling you out of your momentary daze as she shuffles closer towards you. You cab almost see the way her brows knit together. "Captain Undyne definitely knows of you humans now."

"She can't possibly be around the entrance of Waterfall though, right?" You say, fiddling with the strap of your bag. "She'd most likely go under the assumption that Frisk went off on their own through Waterfall."

A humorless laugh spills from Ceroba, her gaze almost unkind as she regards you. "And what? You'll gamble with your lives just because you think that?"

"I've always been the gambling type." You joke, not thinking much about her hostility. There's a soft tug at your pants and you gently place a hand atop Frisk's head, quietly comforting the kid as they hide behind you, not quite comfortable at the change in the air.

"You have a child with you." Ceroba sounds out in disbelief, eyes widening at your seemingly nonchalant attitude towards this situation. The cheeky smile on your face falters and you furrow your brows, a frown pulling at your lips.

You didn't realize she'd take your joke that seriously. Shouldn't it be obvious you cared?

"I know that—" and you do.  You really, really do. As if there was anyone here that cared more about the kid than you,  "—but unless either of you have any other bright ideas, I don't see there being any other place to go to that isn't gonna lead to the Captain tailing us."

"But–!" Ceroba turns her head to face Martlet and outstretches an arm towards you, disbelief all across her face. "Martlet, tell them they can't do that. Not when they have a kid."

Your gazes all shift towards the blue feathered bird monster who had quieted down during another one of your spats with Ceroba. Martlet shifts from one foot to another as she thinks, a sour look showing right on her face before she sighs in resignation.

"... You're right." She admits, not quite meeting your eyes.

Ceroba sputters. "Martlet, you can't be serious."

"They're right, Ceroba." Martlet repeats with a firmer tone, brows furrowing as she glares at the snow by her feet. "As dangerous as this is, I can't really offer any good alternatives that won't be as bad."

The bird monster then lets out a tired breath and rubs her temples, her eyes fluttering to a close as she huffs. "It would be nice to use the travel stations, but you and I both know the guard might be on high alert now that the Captain knows."

Then she snaps out of her funk, eyes wide and flicking from you and Ceroba before settling on Frisk who continues to cling to you. An awkward, lopsided smile pulls at her face and she moves her gaze to Ceroba once more, waving a wing back and forth as though trying to give no mind to her previous statement. "But, hey! It's okay! I'm sure me and the mage can hold our own."

"... Angel above— fine." The fox grits out, glaring momentarily at Martlet before glancing to you and Frisk. The harsh look on her face wanes when she focuses on Frisk though, her face softening into one of quiet acceptance and a sort of motherly affection.

But perhaps that was all but a trick of the light with how she looks at you, eyes sharp and still full of distrust.

"I'm coming with you."

You gape at her. "Wait, what—"

"I may be skeptical of you, Mage. But even then, I can't in good conscience let a child like yours deal with the Captain of the Royal Guard." she huffs, crossing her arms and averting her gaze.

... Huh, maybe Ceroba isn't as bad as she makes herself out to be.

Martlet blinks owlishly, opening and closing her beak before shaking her head and laughing sheepishly. "Oh! Well, the more the merrier!"

Waterfall is significantly quieter and darker than Snowdin and the Ruins. Though, the faint glow of the crystals and flowers that are scattered across the marsh help light the way.

You feel tempted to call Toriel to tell her what's happened so far, fingers twitching against your satchel as your group continue onwards.

But considering what's at stake, you make a note to yourself to do so later on instead. You're sure she would love to hear about the shenanigans you and the kid have been up to ever since you left and you wouldn't want to worry the old lady's heart by not checking in.

"This feels all too peaceful." You speak up as you pass by a field of flowers, accidentally bumping into them and hearing the echoes of your voice and different other voices saying all sorts of things.

"You're just paranoid! We've been fine so far." Martlet reassures, easily solving another one of the puzzles obstructing your way with the help of your nibling. The two take a moment to share a high-five before snickering to each other.

"I agree with the mage." Ceroba pipes up, coming up next to you. Her eyes meet yours and they twinkle with some form of understanding. "Captain Undyne has definitely caught wind of our location by now."

"Oh, you two. Lighten up for the kiddo now, will ya?" Frisk, the traitor that they are, plays along with the bird monster and gives you both a sad look that has you huffing out an exasperated breath.

"Frisk... You know I—"

Without warning, Ceroba clasps a hand across your mouth and pulls you down with her into the grass close by, hissing at Martlet and Frisk to do the same before shutting her mouth indefinitely. Quickly, the bird monster takes your nibling into her arms and joins you two in your little grassy hideaway.

There's a confused look on Martlet's face but before she can even open her beak to ask, the loud clinking of armor has your heart still.

It's a foreboding noise. The way the Captain of the Guard moves slowly through the marsh, silent outside of the soft crunching of moss underfoot and the noisy armor on her being. She passes by your little hiding spot, pausing for a moment as though she knew where you were.

When she cranes her head to look into the grass, it almost feels like she meets your eyes. Your breath hitches slightly as you catch sight of a faint yellow glow through the shadow of her helmet, heart nearly giving out as she spends a good chunk of her time hovering over the spot where you all are.

For a second, you think you're doomed and you tighten your grip around Ceroba's sleeve.

But then she leaves.

...

Once you're all certain she's gone, Ceroba lets go of you and you all move out of the thick grass, dusting yourselves off and plucking away any loose grass bits and moss that may have found their way into your clothes.

Placing a hand atop your chest, you listen to the way your heart still thrums and furrow your brows at a stray thought that passes through your mind. Shaking your head, you turn to Frisk and find Martlet quietly comforting them and you feel the beginnings of a smile tug at your lips.

"You doing okay, hun?" Frisk cranes their head up to look you and sends you a shaky smile, nodding their head. You scan their face for any lies and find none. Good.

An amused huff slips past your lips and you go to meet Ceroba's gaze, who looks nothing short of relieved over the circumstances.

Sighing, Ceroba dusts off her clothes and scans the room for your next closest exit. "Alright, we best be on our way before the captain gets back."

You're about to agree with the sentiment only to pause, tuning out Martlet's voice to pay attention to the faint hum in the air that has you a tad on edge. Turning your head to and fro, you ignore it when you hear someone xall your name, desperate to find the source of the noise.

Clicking your tongue, you furrow your brows and turn to face the three as you ask, "Hey, does anybody else hear—"

SWISH!

You feel your blood run cold as sharp cyan spears embed themselves into the cavern wall close to your very being, forcibly separating you and Ceroba from Martlet and Frisk.

You and the others share a fearful look, and before you know it, Ceroba's hands are gripping your arm and pulling you along with her while Martlet quickly picks up your nibling and shoots off into the distance with a frightened squawk.

"We'll meet up later, okay?!" Her voice sounds so far away with how loud your heart thrums in your ears.

"We will!" Ceroba answers for you, dragging you through the mouth of a cave(?) and picking up her pace. The fox hisses at you to come to your senses when you nearly stumble over loose stone, you snip back at her, mentioning your inability to fucking see anything in the dark and she shuts up immediately, quietly helping you maneuver through the dark instead.

While you can't bring yourself to say you liked Ceroba any time soon, you do admit it's kind of her to act as your guardian, swearing under her breath whenever you two reach a dead end amidst the dim cavern and trying her best to act as the rational one between you two.

You jump when you hear her call your name. Flicking your gaze to her, you find a reassuring look draped across her face in the dim shroomy light. Cyan bathing her orange fur and red eyes which look far softer than they normally are.

"Don't worry, we're almost out..." she whispers to you in a way you know is merely comfort, and yet you accept it anyway, trudging forwards along with her.

As the both of you shuffle through a narrow hall in the maze, a muffled yet somehow still loud "DAMN IT!" comes from the armored captain, most likely realizing her trap hadn't properly worked as she planned. But she doesn't waste a second thinking about it as you hear the telltale sound of armor echoing around the cave maze.

"STOP HIDING BEHIND INNOCENT MONSTERS AND FACE ME LIKE A TRUE WARRIOR, HUMAN!"

You jump at the booming voice that shakes the walls of this small maze, eyes widening into saucers as your ears ring harshly at the volume.

Hearing that taunt, you almost find yourself wanting to see just what she means by "facing her". If not for the sake of ending this far too long of a cat and mouse chase, then maybe just for curiosity.

Unfortunately for you, Ceroba has other plans as she curses and speeds up even more, dragging you through even more twists and turns while occasionally tapping at the glowing mushrooms scattered across this strange maze for your own comfort.

Though when you two reach yet another dead end, Ceroba makes a noise of frustration and you flinch as you feel her claws dig into the flesh of your arm.

"We're at the exit..! I know we are, so why the hell—"

"Shit— Ceroba!" You grab her wrist and squeeze, tugging at it in hopes she'll loosen up her hold across your arm before she punctured the skin. She jolts at the sound of your voice and winces as she realizes what's wrong. Ceroba is quick to let go, apologizing at the sight of indents on your skin.

You shake your head and wave it off, far too concerned about your current issue at hand to bother with something small as this.

Right as you're about to speak, Undyne's voice once more shakes the maze you're in and you steel your gaze and grip at Ceroba's arms, adamant as you tell her, "Ceroba, look, how about I just fight—"

"Are you INSANE?! " She hisses, red eyes narrowing at you. "She could kill you!"

"And what else do you propose we do, huh?" You hiss back, mirroring her glare. "We'll end up bumping into her eventually at this point, why not speed that up?" A quiet, more rational part of you begs you to listen to the fox monster, yet you find yourself continuing onward. "Plus, it's not like she's hunting you, Ceroba. She probably thinks I've manipulated you into helping me or something."

"We don't need to do anything like that." She huffs, pulling her limbs out of your hold. The irritation and apprehension she holds is palpable, bleeding into her body and voice, "I know we're by the exit, I just don't know what the conditions are for opening it."

"I'm telling you—"

"And I'm telling you that such a thing is unnecessary." As Ceroba pokes at the wall and drags her feet across the ground for hidden switches, she puffs out a breath in annoyance and murmurs, "With how adamant you are to sacrifice yourself, it's almost like you don't have a child to care for..."

You feel a spike of anger rush through your system.

"What makes you think I'm not thinking about Frisk when I'm choosing what to do?" 

A humorless laugh comes from her. "The fact that you aren't taking into account their own feelings, first of all."

"You—!"

Your words are cut off as the ground shakes and then stops. A pleasant chime rings across the air and you jump when the stone beside you slams down. Before you can even ask what the hell just happened, Ceroba grasps your arm once more and tugs you into the newly opened path and runs.

Your anger is long forgotten as you squint through the darkness, trying your best to follow Ceroba through the inky blackness of your surroundings.

Chapter Text

Excitement riddles the brunette as they catch sight of the snowy little town and its monsters, their mind immediately going to Christmas when they see a decorated tree in the middle of it all. 

They hear goat mom laugh when they practically run towards the first building there, pointing to it with a barely contained squeal. When she nods, they slip into the shop, their excitement spilling onto their features once more as they rush inside, giggling at the bell that rings as they do. 

When they enter, they're met by a friendly face who perks up at the sight of them. An affectionate grin spreads on her face and she leans forward on her desk to meet their eyes properly. 

"Well, hello there, sugar. Welcome to my shop," she coos. "How can I help a cute little thing like you?"

Their eyes scan the bunny monster's wares with curiosity, taking notice of some things that caught their attention before looking up to the lady curiously. There's a faint ring of the bell behind them and they feel the familiar presence of Toriel as she pats their head gently, murmuring an encouraging "Go on, my child," to them. 

Humming, they scan the wares once more then pause, tilting their head as they try to figure out what's what within the containers.

"... what are those?" They whisper to her as they point to the bunny-shaped pastries, furrowing their brows at the strange familiarity of them.

The bunny monster beams, grabbing one of them with a pair of tongs and showing it to them proudly. "These are my signature pastries! They're little cinnamon buns shaped like bunnies– cinnabunnies, for short." Frisk lets out a gasp and claps, making the shop owner laugh softly.

They purse their lips, turning to glance at Toriel. "Goat mama, can we... buy one? Maybe more?"

Toriel chuckles, patting their head again before nodding. "Yes, my child. Go pick out a handful of them, I'm sure your Nini will appreciate getting one later."

With a wide smile, Frisk turns back to the bunny woman whispering to her just how many they want, making Toriel laugh quietly again at their cuteness.

Toriel pulls them aside, shushing them as they wade through the field of glowing flowers. The flowers echo her quiet shushing and despite the tenseness of the situation, Frisk can't help but think back to you.

You would probably like this place. You always had a strange affinity for flowers.

It's almost funny how your magic seems to contradict your love for them.

. . .

Flowers. You liked flowers. They should get you something like that.

That same line of thought repeats in the child's mind as they sift through the different shelves of magical knickknacks and doodads galore. 

Thankfully, the monsters seem to leave them alone even without their hood on, unaware of their human origins and treating them like they would any other child— it was because of the stripes, they think. That's what the monster kid at Snowdin said.

And yet, knowing they'd be okay even if they spoke to any of the monsters here didn't help with the anxiety of asking an adult for help getting something from a high shelf.

Toriel was busy bargaining for snails (what?) and all sorts of other adult things they didn't care much to remember, so they couldn't really drag her here just for something so little.

They were a big kid now. They should be able to figure out something like this for themselves.

They bite their tongue, thinking of any possible solution as they stare hard at the fiery lantern up on the highest shelf. 

Part of their brain tells them you wouldn't mind if all they got you were the little snacks they told you about throughout their trip to New Home. But at the same time, they couldn't just give you that! 

They had to give you something else entirely. A gift they could get to show you their full appreciation. You'd been so hard at work trying to understand this place just so the both of you could get through the Underground as safely as possible. They feel bad not doing anything to show you they appreciate you. 

And that's not even adding up the memories they have of you in the other timelines. You'd done so much for them already! Shouldn't they at least pay you back a little bit for all of it? Even with something like this?

"Frisk, come on. Aren't you being a bit stubborn, here?" They wave away the ghost, poking their tongue out at them as they grab the shelf in front of them, testing its integrity before pulling themselves up.

"Pretty sure your Nini just likes seeing you safe. That's the best present you can give them, really."

"It has to be this, Chara." They huff, shooting a glare at the apparition. "It's perfect for Nini."

Chara sighs in defeat, shaking their head. "Whatever, at least you SAVED before being stupid."

The seven-year-old ignores the ghost's comment, instead focusing on the task at hand. They continue to climb up the shelves before they reach close to the top.

Their fingers fumble around on the top shelf for the pretty fire-flower lantern that caught their eye, their hands feeling cold against the metal lantern. 

Just as they grab hold of it though, they feel their foot slip and let out a yelp as they lose their balance and grip on the shelves, falling back towards the ground below. 

But before they can feel the familiar sensation of their skull caving in and their soul breaking once more, they land on something fluffy and soft. A small squeak escapes their mouth as they look up and catch sight of the fuzzy monster with wide eyes.

Oranges and reds fill their vision and they can't help but gasp as they take in the appearance of the monster that caught them. 

"Kitsune..." They murmur under their breath with a barely contained smile, hands trembling with glee as they think back to their mothers' favorite shows.

"Haven't your parents ever told you not to climb up things like that?" The fox monster huffs, gently placing them back to the ground once she's sure they've recovered, taking the little lantern from their hands and holding it up carefully as she scans them up and down.

(They could've sworn her eyes widened for a moment, but the change in expression is gone in an instant.)

"Are you okay?" She asks.

Frisk snaps out of their little daze and smiles at her sheepishly, nodding their head. The fox's ears flick slightly, a soft chuckle escaping her lips.

She then walks over to the rack they had climbed on and exchanges the lantern they got with a different one that seems to burn significantly brighter.

"Here." She hands them the new lantern with a gentle smile, "It's always better to get the newer stock. They tend to have livelier flowers and—"

"Ma! I've got everything, where are you?" A voice calls out from somewhere inside the store and the fox lets out a startled noise, her ears twitching at the sound.

She glances over her shoulder and then back at Frisk, giving them a small smile before walking away, waving goodbye. "Stay safe, will you?" 

And then she's gone, leaving Frisk standing there with their gift for you in hand.

"You're a lucky human, aren't you?" Chara says softly from beside them, making them jump. "You always seem to have someone to bail you out of everything."

Frisk rolls their eyes at their phantom friend, shaking their head as they walk towards the counter. "You're just fishing for compliments again."

"Hey! If anyone deserves them, it's me!" Chara argues with a huff, crossing their arms and pouting as they grumble under their breath about Frisk being ungrateful.

Rolling their eyes once more, the child makes their way toward the aisle Toriel was last wandering in and stands beside the goat monster once more, tugging at her cloak and looking up at her with a grin when her gaze flicks away from the assortment of food and onto them.

"I found something, goat mama," they say softly, wiggling the hand that holds onto the lantern. Toriel perks up at the sight of the lantern and kneels, taking it into her hands and inspecting it closely.

She looks at them curiously before reaching out with her free hand, petting their hair with a smile. "Yet another gift for your Nini?"

They puff out their cheeks, feeling defensive over their growing pile of gifts for you. Though, they don't need to voice out their feelings, since Toriel seems to understand them completely.

"This is very sweet of you, dear. I am going to have to bar you from getting any more presents though,"  She chuckles, ruffling their hair lightly before standing back up, smiling fondly down at them.

Frisk huffs at the thought of not being able to buy any more knickknacks for you, but at the same time, they're happy Toriel is alright with what they found. It means they have something extra to give you once they get back.

And it's a practical gift too, so you have to keep it.

As their groceries and the rest of their stuff get checked at the counter, Frisk's gaze wanders to the outside of the store.

New Home brims with life and the buildings burn bright with colorful lights; monster children run around playing games in the street and the much older monsters walk around with one another laughing as they share stories with one another.

It's almost nice, in a way. It's like they were looking at a mirror of their own home.

...

But, at the same time, they can tell something isn't quite right with the scene before them. 

Before they start to think too hard about why that is, their thoughts come to a full stop as they see the same orange fox monster walking through the streets. They grin and move to try and wave at her until their eyes catch something else entirely.

Their throat tightens and their eyes widen.

It's almost like the world stops turning on its axis and time freezes. They stand there with their jaw slack and eyes fixed on someone who eerily looks human.

Light brown hair pulled up in a short ponytail, warm sand-colored skin with angel kisses scattered all over, and a diagonal scar coming up from the side of their jaw. Their appearance scratches at a part of their mind, telling them of the strange familiarity they feel for the human, yet that's not what they focus on.

What their mind fixates on instead is that there's a human in the Underground.

In New Home.  

But why?

How?

"Frisk?"

Frisk blinks slowly, taking their attention off of the human for a moment to see Toriel staring back at them, concern shining in her red eyes.

"Is everything okay, little one?" She asks, worry clear in her voice.

They open their mouth, wanting to point out what they saw before choosing not to, biting their tongue and just nodding, forcing a bright smile onto their face as they send her a thumbs up.

Toriel furrows their brows slightly at this action but decides against pushing the matter, murmuring an "Alright..." under her breath before facing the cashier once more.

Frisk then turns to look at the human once more, only to see the bustling street they'd been watching just earlier. There's no sign of them having been there either.

They blink and scan the streets. Then they blink again, brows furrowing as they see no human around.

Were they just imagining all that? 

"No," Chara murmurs next to them. "You weren't."

Chapter Text

- Frisk and Reader both fall underground with Reader having jumped after Frisk and basically leaving all their stuff up top for any search parties to find.

- The loop starts the instant they drop onto Chara's grave, but the two only ever start to wake a few hours after their fall, with Frisk waking first.

- For the first few loops, Frisk was unable to find Reader due to Flowey spawn camping them. Unfortunately for Flowey, this was before he realized he couldn't mess with his saves anymore after you two fell.

- The first time he killed you, Flowey absorbed your soul and tried to kill Frisk only for the timeline to reset when they die and for him to realize, "Oh, this isn't my save anymore."

- But he was like "fuck it, we ball" and kept spawn camping you.

- Frisk had a tendency to reset the instant they die or realize you're not around because he took you, so at some point, Flowey got so tired over this damn headache that he stopped trying to take your soul. Maybe killing *the kid* would be easier.

- False. You're just as much of a pain in the ass as the kid is, maybe even more so Smiley Trashbag's level with how stubborn you are and just how easy it is for you to default to violence with him. Not that he can blame you, he *did* kill that kid. But still, would it kill you not to scorch him on the spot this often? Damn human mages.

- And somehow, killing you both just automatically results in a reset, so it's not like Flowey can just be rid of you two any time he wishes. It's almost like he's dealing with a worse version of Clover for rune's sake.

- It *is* a bit weird how you both seem to be able to control the timeline in spite of you two being, well, *two* humans. You both seem to equally have the memories of the past timelines like him too, something not even Smiley could do. Do all humans just have this ability? Could Clover have easily taken his control if they had enough will to? That kid had the potential.

- Honestly, at this point, Flowey is just grateful you two don't seem to eager to talk about those resets and other timelines to each other, only keeping your guards up around him more and more rather than openly trying to talk about those weirdly vivid pieces of deja vu you two have.

- After realizing he can't just kill you two and get away with it since he has no more powers over the timeline, he resigns to the good boy act, something that leads to a magical dagger piercing through one of his petals.

- Okay, so, good boy act is a no go. You're both way more aware than anyone else Flowey has talked to and considering just how often he's killed both of them, he's not too surprised that their souls remember his treachery.

- And so, instead of all that, in the few minutes that lead up to both of you waking, Flowey made sure to force Toriel to hurry up with her visit to Chara's grave so he could at least try to do something starting there.

# Ruins Arc

- The same old, same old shit happens with the old goat and her love for kids, though she does seem a tad surprised at the sight of you being way older than Frisk, she still calls you "her child". The words bring a sour taste to Flowey's mouth and he isn't too sure why but fuck if he'll start thinking.

- Either way, for a while, a similar path Clover went through goes on. Thankfully, you're more reasonable about this and realize that there's nothing for you nor Frisk here– Frisk has a family and you're an adult who can make their own decisions, staying with her just because you're afraid is dumb.

- But so is jumping ahead into danger. And so, you end up compromising with Toriel, promising you and Frisk will stay here for a while until you're certain you can protect both of you and possibly avoid the fate she's assuming you'll end up in.

- There's a quiet moment where the first night in the ruins, Frisk basically ends up crying and apologizing since it's "all their fault" you're in this mess. You reassure them it's not their fault and that it's all just a weird coincidence– fate, even, your mind helpfully supplies as you think back to Callum.

- You're gonna beat his ass when you get back.

- Toriel already clocked you were a mage it seems, but this poor old goat is far too used to worrying over all the humans that fell that it's a hard habit to break even when you seem like you'd be able to protect yourself. Either way, Toriel happily helps you two with whatever is necessary while you two stay here.

- You end up busying yourself with figuring out Underground's lore, Monster Lore, a map of the whole underground, etcetera. You and Frisk also end up getting to know the locals and befriending most of them and hearing whispers of all sorts of things that they happily tell you all about. It pays to be friends when you get the tea on everything.

- At some point, you even find out there's an abandoned part of the ruins, which makes sense since Toriel said this was the first ever place monsters were stuck in when they'd been banished into the earth. You always wondered why it was so small here when it was officially the first Home they had.

- You leave Frisk to Toriel while you explore, telling Frisk to stay and help Toriel with grocery shopping instead, well-aware the kid needed some form of normalcy and maybe seeing Underground's capital would keep them from being so guilty over everything. Plus, they'll be safe with Toriel, she'd been teaching you how to try glamor so Frisk would be safe with the double disguise.

- As Frisk and Toriel shuffle around the Capital, you delve into the abandoned ruins, unaware of the golden flower following you around as you take note of the corn maize and other sorts of things.

- It's empty, which is to be expected, and yet not much dust seems to be around this place. A surprise considering Toriel said this was all abandoned. Sure, there's debris, but other than that you don't—

- Your senses go haywire when you feel a presence in the room and without thinking, you summon your whip and hit close to the being, earning a frightened yelp before you're pulled into an encounter and your soul jumps out. You remember Toriel, Flowey, and every book you've borrowed telling you your soul is indicative of your humanity with it's pink sheen and glow, but come on, you're no coward.

- If someone wanted your soul so bad, they'd have to pry it out of your cold, dead hands.

- Unfortunately, your partially-due-to-cabin-fever viciousness somewhat dissipates as you finally take note of the monster in front of you. He's just a little purple guy who's dressed like Dracula from Hotel Transylvania– or, well, generic vampire clothes. He doesn't look like he wants to hurt you, if anything, it looks like he might cry if you kept intimidating him. Almost like he's dragged himself into a panic at the mere sight of you.

- "W-wait! I'm sorry! I promise I'm not about to hurt you!"

- Your soul is still wary in spite of this, so you interrogate him; asking him what the hell he's doing in these parts of the ruins when they're abandoned, what his name is, what he is, if he's aware what you are, all the works. He gets slowly relaxed during the whole questioning and eventually, you end the encounter and Dalv is fully relieved to know you aren't gonna slash at him with your very intimidating whip.

- You basically get to know Dalv for the meanwhile and tell him about yourself, making him promise not to tell anyone about you. He tries to ask why and is about to tell you that it'll be fine and that his own friends don't want to hurt humans but decides against admitting to it. You were the one that engaged first and Dalv doesn't think any of them would take kindly to a human who almost shoved him into a panic attack, and so, this interaction remains unknown.

- Frisk and Toriel are back and Frisk tells you about how fun the capital was and how they got you a gift for being the best Auncle ever. A fire lily like flower that feels just as hot as actual fire– it explains why it's in a magic container and why it's glowing like the embers of a roaring flame. Though, they don't mention the chance encounter they had with someone that looked awfully human and had the exact same name as the child Officer Hollis lost. Maybe it was just a trick of the light, yeah, it was definitely just that.

- You eventually have no other information you can glean from Toriel, the books she has, and the abandoned Ruins. When you ask Toriel if there's anything else you can look into, she looks sheepish when she explains that she used to borrow books from Snowdin but after a bit of an incident with the kids using the books as target practice for their magic, they banned borrowing books and only let you read within the premises. "Fair, kids will be kids." "I'm not like them!" "Yeah, 'cause you're a nerd like your mom, kiddo." "(gasp)! I'm telling on you once we get home!"

- ... Guess it's time to make a visit to a certain flower patch.

- In the background, we have Flowey who's just crying out of frustration over how long you two have been staying with Toriel. But as *impatient* as Flowey is, he's not gonna deal with you ripping him apart again all because he wanted to speed things up. You're terrifyingly perceptive when you want to be and absolutely sadistic considering you don't even *aim* for him properly, knowingly hitting somewhere just near him but close enough to *bruise* part of his flower body.

- But whatever, he can't force you into anything nor can he get anywhere close Frisk. You somehow convinced the kid to keep close to Toriel and/or you so you'd avoid *him.* You're *so* going down first when he absorbs the damn souls.

- You meet up with Flowey while Frisk and Toriel go off to wander into the Capital for a few things since it's close to some kind of monster holiday. You decided to stay behind just so you and that damned flower can talk, Toriel and Frisk are a bit disheartened and you promise to come with next time.

- You have to restrain yourself from mauling that flower when you see the near smug grin he has on his face when you show up. The two of you end up talking and Flowey reiterates the same shit Toriel did, telling you that you'll have to go out and "face the music" eventually and how he can't wait to see you lose hope as you realize just how inevitable your fates are.

- You scorch his petals again out of annoyance before telling him to fuck off. Once you're back home, you clean up a bit, find out something you feel you shouldn't have (oof, Tori childless damn) before going stir-crazy again and dipping back into the abandoned ruins, partially wishing for Dalv to come back as you wait for Frisk and Toriel.

- There's nothing though and so, you're quick to scramble around for something to write on and leave it by the entrance of the corn maze, hoping Dalv would see it before you present the option of fully leaving to Toriel.

- When the two get back, you all help with Toriel in terms of cooking and she sort of tries helping direct you how to imbue magic into the physical ingredients so monsters would be able to consume it. While Frisk naps in the other room and you two wait for both the Vegan Shepard's Pie and Chocolate Cake to chill, you talk to Toriel and straightforwardly ask if this is her children's death anniversary. She nearly drops her mug.

- She basically tells you the tale of her kids and why her husband, the King, declared war and basically made it so the underground remains unsafe for humans. She reiterates to you how every child that was with her always left, whether out of their own desire to leave or because of other things entirely.

- She's tried so hard to keep them from having to deal with the results of the declaration of war, but it just kept happening. The longest time she's ever had humans over were with you and Frisk, and that's only because Frisk trusts your judgement rather than truly wanting to stay.

- You say nothing, only moving to Toriel's side and patting her back. Maybe you two can stay a few more days, just to ease Toriel into the finality of the decision to leave and explore the underground.

- She calms down, apologizes and tells you she won't hold it against either of you should you leave now and you tell her you two can afford staying a few more days, just to make the most of your time together with the poor woman. Frisk then wakes up and you all have a bite to eat and Toriel goes off with a slice of the cake and pie and leaves you two together. You tell Frisk the plan and they agree, asking you to join the next grocery run so you can see the underground before you start your adventure.

- In the handful of days you stayed, you make sure to make a visit to the abandoned ruins once more and surprisingly enough, you find Dalv there, awkwardly pulling at his poofy shirt and muttering to himself about how much of a bad idea this is. You being the menace you are, give him a quick scare before apologizing and thanking him for meeting with you, he ends up asking why you wanted to see him and you ask him if he'll be alright helping you and your nibling around snowdin.

- Eventually, the day comes and Toriel has to let you go, she does so without fuss, making you promise that both of you will stay safe and even giving you a damn ALLOWANCE to go. And with that, she lets you two go out of the ruins with one last hug.

- Somehow, the instant you step through the doors together, you're thrown into a long corridor and you have to talk to Flowey again.

- "You're both *so* annoying, you know? At the very least, you've shaken up the blandness of the underground. Then again, I do wonder how long it'll take before your dear auncle breaks and takes a monster's life out of sheer *desperation* to keep *you* safe."

- Frisk is uneasy over this interaction while you're just pissed off at Flowey for trying to break Frisk's resolve by trying to paint you as a hurtful being. You're impulsive and maybe a bit of an asshole if you tried, but you're not gonna fucking *murder* someone this easy. "It's on sight the next time I see you, weed."

- And so, one last fireball throw for the road, you two continue onward where Snowdin awaits.

# Snowdin Arc (Martlet, Ceroba, Bones, and More?)

- Fast forward a bit, you're buying cinnabunnies and hot chocolate from a shop in Snowdin while Frisk messes around with the Royal Guard they've befriended through your trip. You've yet to visit Dalv so you made sure to get him something from the shops too before asking the Shopkeep– Quincy, she said her name was while her sister was Cecile–for directions for the deeper parts of Snowdin. She, unfortunately, doesn't know and tells you the skeleton brothers would probably be able to help. (insert a moment where Reader flirts with QC and she just calls them sweetheart or hun moving forward.)

- And so, you and Frisk fight Papyrus and gain him as a friend. At least, you think so because Frisk ended up being enamored with Papyrus and said they planned to go on a friend date. You just let it be since they're both goofballs and eventually ask Papyrus if he could help you locate someone in the deeper parts of the underground.

- He happily helps you and when you ask if you and Frisk have any way to possibly avoid the captain of the guard, he hesitates before telling you he'll try to convince her not to hurt either of you and should you feel inclined to, he can always try to get you two off her tracks.

- And so, he helps you down to the deeper parts of Snowdin and then gasps because oh dear, his date with Frisk! Oh no! and drags your kid with him to where they're having their little play date.

- You wander around this new part of Snowdin, telling Flowey to fuck off when you catch him showing up to ask if you need help, asking people for directions to where Dalv lives. Eventually, you end up encountering Ceroba who was on her way to Dalv with the *CORN* of the week.

- She's absolutely flabbergasted because you're human but she quickly waves it off and tries not to seem suspicious to you since you feel *significantly* different compared to Clover.

- She has no clue why you're trying to find Dalv but she can't sense any ill intent so she decides "fuck it" and helps you. You're quiet, stuck in your thoughts and Ceroba's absolutely anxious so she ends up asking you questions like "are you new here?" "are you friends with Dalv?" "what brings you to snowdin?" "are you from the capital?" you know, normal questions she'd ask a monster so you wouldn't think she knows.

- You're very amicable and tell her about you and Frisk, how you and your nibling are actually trying to get a whole audience with the king since you were planning to fix a few of your... *living* conditions. Ceroba fucking dies and goes EXTRA "fuck it" and starts dragging you. You're confused but she tells you that it's best you two go somewhere no wandering eyes and listening ears and you shut up, blindly trusting the fox lady.

- She shoves you into Dalv's house and the poor guy jumps at the loud slam of the door and Martlet just stares in surprise mid-swing with her hammer as she fixes Dalv's desk and chair.

- "Team Meeting, *now.* " Ceroba hisses as she moves you to the middle of the loveseat Dalv had in the corner, telling you they just need to talk for a bit and they do, with you just hearing everything they're saying.

- They talk about what they're gonna do with you and how fucking *horrid* it is that there's *two* humans that fell in the underground, Ceroba, the pragmatic girlboss she is mutters how they could probably give the two to Asgore and Martlet and Dalv immediately go NO. You're just :0 while they talk and eventually squeeze yourself in because what the fuck, they're talking about your LIVES here.

- "Look, excuse me for butting in, but these are our damn *LIVES* you're talking about. And while I'd forgive the whole murder talk when it comes to me, I'd prefer you keep my fucking *kid* out of this."

- Dalv and Martlet apologize while Ceroba just looks at you, almost staring right through you before going; "You're a mage, aren't you?"

- ...

- "So what if I am?" "If anyone caught wind of you being a mage, you won't be able to leave here *alive.* You're the one thing our people fear more than the usual human. You're *dangerous.* " ... "I'm not here to hurt anyone, if that's what you're so worried about, lady. But I won't lie and say I'm not *dangerous.* " "Oookay, look, tensions seem to be high and I'm starting to think there's a bit of anger stewing here. Why don't we calm down a tad, hm?"

- You huff and turn back to Dalv, gaze softening and asking if he's still okay with possibly helping you figure out how to avoid said captain of the guard with your nibling. Dalv presents Martlet who comes to the realization *you're* who Dalv was talking about and decides she might as well help keep you and your nibling away from the royal guards.

- When Dalv goes to tell you his number since you asked and he wasn't able to give it, Martlet mourns the sight of the brick phone in your hands and drags you to her house just so you can get a better replacement because CHRIST is that OLD godDAMN. You sputter and tell her it's fine but she tells you it's okay since she used to work with the Royal Scientist and she gave her a lot of old prototypes for new Cellphones that Martlet keeps around because she's a hoarder.

- Ceroba clearly doesn't like you though, she's always pretty apprehensive around you but you've decided it was probably because she didn't know you and was just basing off the whole barrier thing that the past mages did to their people. Toriel already told you about this being a possibility so you're just gonna deal with it even if her side eyes are annoying.

- You're on your way back to the upper parts of Snowdin with Martlet (guide) and Ceroba (wants to keep an eye on you) on your tail but you get jumped by your one and only nibling who bursts into tears and apologizes because they kind of went ahead and checked out Waterfall while you were busy, and nearly got skewered by Undyne.

- You feel your magic crackle under your skin and nearly choke you but you calm down when they hug you and you just sigh, telling them it's okay as long as they didn't get hurt. Ceroba, though, seems to recognize Frisk and once the kid is done crying into your coat, they seem to recognize her too.

- "It's the fox lady, Nini! The one I told you I met in the capital with Goat Mama!" "... Huh. Is she now?"

- Wonderful, Ceroba thinks. It's the fucking kid Clover decided to help. Good to know they turned out to be fucking human related to a mage. GREAT. GOOD. THANKS.

- While Ceroba stews in her "why is this my life" emotional turmoil and Martlet tries to ease her as much as she can, you and Frisk catch up and you give them a semi-upgraded flip phone and they help with adding a few numbers and you do the same.

- The straight shoot from Waterfall to Hotland is a no go, so now Martlet and Ceroba pretty much have to take you and Frisk on a detour to The Dunes. Great.

# Waterfall-Dunes Arc (AKA the goofgoofy flirting section and Adoptive Sibling Reunion)

- Not Great. *Somehow*, Undyne was able to catch wind of where you all are while you're on the way to the Dunes while going through a more obscure path through waterfall.

- She got really pissed off since she thought you were mind controlling Ceroba and Martlet into committing treason. You're near tempted to fight her like she prods you (something Undyne comments on how you're less of a coward than the twerp with you) before both you and Frisk both picked up by the two women and whisked away.

- Undyne gives chase but considering the bulky armor she has on and the fact that Martlet and Ceroba are terrifyingly athletic and speedy, you all end up losing her once you get to a part of Waterfall where the lights turn out and scramble into different pathways.

- "Hmph. I could've handled her..." "Do you have a ***DEATH WISH, MAGE?!*** "

- Here's Ceroba who just fucking wants to strangle you because you're either stupid or purposely pissing her off– either way, Martlet admits that she probably has some clue how to get the two somewhere safe that *isn't* Hotland (the place where some of the other royal guards reside and literally where Mettaton is) but that it'll probably be a bumpy ride.

- And so, you guys backtrack to Snowdin, say hi to Papyrus <3 and Dalv before you get to see the Fun River Ride with a Better Boat/Raft and Ceroba goes and asks if it's even safe because the last time Martlet talked about this "boat ride" it ended in a catastrophe, Martlet's words.

- "It's fine! Me and Moray tested it out just last week. It holds up well, promise." "... If we die, I'm blaming you."

- Cue new boat and the same boat ride with Clover except it's like Splash Mountain from Disney with that one drop into the mines. Martlet then proceeds to ask you a survey on the whole DIY water trip (Moray helped) and you and Frisk give her a 10/10 while Ceroba has to squeeze out the water from her fur.

- At this point, Ceroba ends up slipping away from your group to go and speak with Star and the gang to alert them about the new humans so the dunesfolk won't be too surprised over your appearances. Martlet just happily acts as your guide, telling you and Frisk about the stuff and why there's grass around a sand place.

- *Un*fortunately, once Ceroba is out and you guys are wandering around oasis valley where all the greens have spread and pretty much makes up the whole Oasis at this point, you're all jumped by the Royal Guard within the Dunes. They have orders to apprehend the humans and Martlet should they ever see her.

- "AHHHH, IM SO SORRY, I FORGOT THEY WERE STATIONED TO BE HERE TODAY!!!"

- Part of you thinks it's funny two monsters that look like a Jackal and a Fennec Fox are working together to turn you and Frisk into statistics, Jackals are known to be those poor guys' predators but maybe it's different when you're monsters?

- Either way, Martlet is quickly taken care of and you're left trying to protect your kid while the monsters in the area panic and scatter to hide while you're having your fight. You didn't even know encounters could have Four people in them, nor did you know they could *be fucking cheats and disregard the honorable turn based system!*

- That's so damn rude! Even Flowey cared about the turn system!

- You're getting more and more annoyed by these bastards and this blasted fantasy they're having over handing you two over and being heralded as Heros better than Undyne but considering you have the kid around, you need to be setting up an example and you're pretty sure trying to hit with the intent to *hurt them* *gravely* wouldn't be such a good example.

- Unfortunately, all bets are off when you're tricked by the jackal's feint (Bandit, you think his name is) and the fox (Scout, as far as you heard) takes *your fucking kid and* ***threatens*** *you with their life so you back down.*

- Oh no. Oh no, no, no. They wanna play like that? Then guess you'll fucking *play.*

- You know they're trying to find a way to get you to stop and with your attachment to Frisk, it's just logical to think you'd give in if they'd been threatened. But they don't know *you* nor do they seem to know just how fucked some humans are. Doesn't help that their pride is too high that they can't even think of running away and recuperating instead, not when they still need your souls and reek of desperation.

- And so, it's Nerf or Nothing.

- Summoning your whip, you cast an incantation and let your hands and the chain burn with your fire magic and smile.

- "Sorry to burst your bubble, but you two've never met a human like ***me.*** "

- You basically become the average Undertale battle in a fangame. You're mostly trying to intimidate them since you're well aware how easy it'd be for you to hit them and basically commit atrocious murder, but you're also pretty pissed off over them even trying to threaten Frisk and making the kid cry so it's only fair you scare them just as much as they tried to scare you.

- And please, even if you did hit them, they *probably* wouldn't perish! You're just *mad*, it's not like you actually *want* to hurt them, right?

- Deciding you're not worth the effort at this point, the Jackal finally runs away, leaving his shocked partner with you like a coward. The fox lets go of the kid and pretty much begs you to spare them because honestly they didn't really care all that much and it was Bandit that was and and and– you just shrug them off, telling them "lmao, was just scaring you, blud." before you end the encounter without a second thought and chase after the Jackal.

- But before you could even reach him to very softly threaten him not to tell on you and Frisk or else you'll hunt him down, you feel something wrap around your waist before you're pulled back indefinitely and smack onto the ground. Your anger still coils around your very being so you end up almost hissing at the person who kept you from doing so only to pause as a wave of... calm? serenity? passes through you by the mere sight of him.

- oh my fucking god it's a fuckin cowBOY bAaabyyyy

- "... Where have you been all my life?" "'scuse me?"

- You snap out of the daze you'd gotten yourself into and huff, telling him to ignore that since you'd just been thinking outloud and before he can even try to continue that road of question, you ask him what the big deal is with restraining you since letting the bastard go would probably be bad for both you and your kid.

- Thankfully, Star already had that covered and the feisty four were already on about it.

- You're thrown into Gay Baby Jail for a bit while Frisk remains outside of the bars due to them not having done anything and the four gave them a Trauma Blanket, how sweet <3.

- Starlo apologizes and explains that they need to do this because some of the monsters ran off and got scared of you so he'll need to explain to the dunes folk that you're just... uh, rabid, or whatever– just, he needs to explain that everything's been handled while the REAL sheriff is just gonna be busy with you.

- Wait– REAL sheriff?

- "... Clover?" "Sib?"

- Starlo leaves you all to it and Frisk basically gets front row seats to your reunion with the first kid you ever dealt with in your entire life. You two end up talking and eventually you have to pick at Clover since you can sense their brother is a sensitive subject, something they don't seem too fond of thinking about for one reason or another. They tell you they'll talk about it later, when you're Not in jail for being a menace.

- Clover sets you free and tells you not to cause any trouble for everyone's sake, especially Frisk's. (You make sure to scare the two royal guards sulking in the next cell just for the funny tho, Frisk and Clover scold you for it.)

- You and Frisk assimilate quickly into this situation while Clover keeps you close, walking you around outside of town while Starlo's busy easing the people to your presence after that fight you had that scared some of them.

- You get to learn about Clover and how they'd survived all five years here without causing much of a stir and why they're still alive in the first place when there's the whole soul thing and possible treason over housing an enemy. Something they've (the monsters) done twice/thrice by now.

- It's unfortunate how your presence would definitely make the Wild East a hotspot for curious monsters who'd heard of the rumors after the fight. Thankfully though, you don't think Undyne would be able to get here because of the heat– Moray is a surprise though but they just wave it off, something about being used to it.

- So, for the meanwhile, you all stay at the wild east for a bit just to recuperate and make a whole ass plan with Clover to get through without complicating things. Frisk is definitely part of the plan too and they make very important suggestions like what you're gonna eat for dinner, real.

- Clover happily tells you Star would definitely have no issues housing you guys– err, if they don't mind housing with literally everyone though. But uh! Good news! The couch they sleep on is a reclining bed and the gang found a mattress + they own many blankets and pillows so there's no issues here!

- Frisk and Clover pretty much hang out, with Clover dragging away the four since they could sense their own apprehension towards you (and wants you to not deal with that when they know Starlo and Ceroba def don't feel too positive over you based on the way they seem to look at you rn) *and* coz Clover never really got to know Frisk and vice versa, so here you are, left with doing the adult things and having to talk to Starlo, Ceroba, and Martlet.

- Before that though, you pussy out a bit and call Toriel– it doesn't go through, unfortunately. You wish you knew why. And then you ring up Dalv to tell him what happened just so you can avoid having to talk to 2/3 people who watched your fight. And it just so happens that word apparently gets around this place since someone at the Honeydew Inn (awh man) was gossiping about you and Dalv caught wind so, uh, *awkward*.

- Welp, guess you have no way of avoiding your fate. It's time to deal with whatever face Ceroba and Martlet might make at you.

- when you go into the bar/saloon, everything immediately quiets down and you scream internally at the embarrassment it brings. but thank GOD Starlo goes off and waves at you from the end of the bar, calling you (more so going, "Hey, human!") and motioning for you to join the three of them.

- the ambience quickly comes back and you're ever so grateful to the Starboy for the out and make sure he knows as you slump against the counter with an embarrassed groan.

- "Oh my god, everyone fucking knows what happened, don't they?" "Well, I *did* have to make an announcement about you and the lil' guy, so..." "Fuck, I need a drink."

- the bartender is nice and you're incredibly happy to know MONSTER ALCOHOL exists, hell yeah– it's just a bit depressing that you don't get to savor the bitter burn in your throat because it literally just disappears when you start drinking. but whatever, it gives you *a* buzz so that's fine by you.

- "So, are we, uhm... about earlier?" Martlet tries, a bit apprehensive over touching you since she pulls away her wing when she moves to put it on your shoulder, choosing to instead keep her hands to herself. "I know I was busy being tied up and all but.. What.. what *was* that?"

- "What was what?" you play the fool and you can almost feel ceroba's stare dig into you as you drink. Star remains impassive but you can feel his own stare on you as this tense conversation goes on.

- "You.. you're a *mage*. You're not..." "Yes, we've already established that." "But– but the mages in the stories aren't.. They're dangerous, sure, but you're not– you aren't supposed to feel like *that.* " "... Like what?"

- "You were primed to *hurt*, partner." "... And what of it, Sheriff?" "You could've killed someone with all that intent." "You *stopped* me, didn't you?" "It wasn't just what you were doin' that could've killed that guard. Your soul was *reekin'* angry intent, pretty much coiling all around your body."

- "I don't know how much you know 'bout monsters, but even if you weren't actively thinkin' you wanted to hurt him. All that anger? That still could'a done him in."

- "It was terrifying. You didn't even *look* like you were yourself."

- "... Huh."

- FUCK bro........ these bitches got you reevaluating yourself n shit.

- Night turns (or, at least, you think it does since everyone's started going home) and Martlet leaves, saying her goodbyes to Clover, Frisk, and you (albeit awkwardly) and Ceroba does the same, giving you a *look* and a remark that sounds awfully like a threat before going back to her home.

- That leaves you all to Star leading you to their little home in the Wild East and *god* can you feel the way the four's eyes dig into you. They're all amicable with the kids but you can *taste* how tense they are around you in spite of the smiles they have on their faces. (Or, well, Moray's. Ed has RBF while Ace and Mooch have their mouths covered.)

- Doesn't help that the only reason Starlo was holding your shoulder was to *make sure* you wouldn't be trouble. You're not a dumbass, you can read between the damn lines and you know none of them trust you after what happened at the oasis.

- Clover seems more aware over it while Frisk is a bit confused over the weirdness between adults, only ever shrugging it off when you say it's fine and Clover reassures them that yes, it's fine.

- The other four end up helping distract the kid, with Ed staying behind for a few seconds until Starlo "dismisses" him with a nod of the head. The big guy hesitates but does eventually leave you and Star by the doorway and you're *pretty* sure he just did this to get you alone when he alerts everyone he'll be talking with you for a bit, grownup stuff and all that before dragging you someplace else in the town.

- You just let him and when he's sure he's out of *anyone's* earshot, he lets go of you and takes a few steps away from you as he faces you. That friendly smile on his face feels so fake when you can see his left hand resting against his gun holster and lasso.

- And so, you do what humanity seems to love doing and that's flirt with danger.

- "You know, Sheriff.. If you really wanted to get me alone, you could've asked." you can tell he's still a bit dumbfounded over your passes but quickly dismisses it with a chuckle. "Real flattered and all, but you know why I brought you here, mage."

- you roll your eyes and place your hands on your hips, giving him a cheeky grin. "Alright, no playing then. Go do your whole shovel talk, Starboy. I'll be listening. *Maybe*."

- he rolls his eyes too, muttering something under his breath about you before steeling himself and speaking.

- "You know we can't trust you, right?" "Sure, you got a kid that needs protecting and I get that. But if you're gonna be stumblin' around the underground acting the way you did at Oasis Valley... Well, I don't think I'll be able to let you go, partner."

- "You know, Sheriff... You're cute when you're protective." "Dagnabbit– could you take this seriously?!" "Snrk–! Sorry, sorry! Couldn't help myself."

- Serious mode time has you offering him to make a pact of sorts. A whole physical promise; mage style, so he won't freak out about the possibility of you going against a verbal agreement. Starlo hesitates because "damn that's wild, I would've been okay with a normal verbal agreement" and you go "oh c'mon it'll be fun you pussy!" and he does eventually agree.

- You get to sorta hold hands with Starlo (handshake only :( ) while you two come to an agreement only for him to flinch out of your hold with a loud fucking "OW WHAT THE FUCK?!" and you're standing there flabbergasted as he goes off on your ass for not even warning him.

- "Usually! It's polite to tell someone you're making a whole agreement with whether or not YOUR HANDSHAKE WILL HURT AFTERWARDS!!!" "... Your accent was fake?? DDD:" he looks at you incredelously "of course it was fake. why would..?" "OUGHHHHHH :notlikethis:"

- Bro stops owing and oofing and finally takes off his glove and you aren't weird about the sight of his naked hands so kudos to you– but yeah Starlo takes off the glove on his left hand and sees your little symbol tagged onto the skin of his wrist like a branding iron before shimmering in pink and turning into a slightly darker shade of yellow that contrasts his skin. he looks at that shit confused and then at you and then at his hand and goes "EXPLAIN?"

- you do him one better and roll up your own sleeve to show him a matching tattoo, yours doesn't color like his though and stays faintly aglow with pink against your skin.

- "Awh, now we match. <3" "THIS DOESN'T EXPLAIN ANYTHING???"

- you do eventually explain to him it's just your brand, something to make sure everything's set in stone via your own magic so he can be sure you're being a good little mage. it's like a weird shock collar and it burns if you do a stupid. it also acts as a weird internal compass to where you are since it's laced entirely with your essence in a way.

- "... Human magic users seem like weirdos." "Oh, hun, you haven't even seen *shit.* "

- now, the shovel talk is done so you and Starlo go back so it can be snork mimimimi time for both of you and when you guys are at the doorstep, Star has you stop and you're mostly confused because he looks weirdly guilty now somehow? what? what happened during your walk lmao???

- "Look, I know I was a bit hard on you earlier and while it may be understandable, I still want to say I'm sorry." that voice mixed with his cowboy outfit has you lagging a bit, it doesn't sound right but you'll get used to it, you think. plus, he's being sincere so you can't be complaining.

- "I'm sure you're a lovely human and all, you have to be to have Clover and the kid like you this much." "You.. I'm sure you'll be able to get everyone to see that."

- you can't help the cheeky little smile that tugs at your face. "That what?" you hum, leaning closer towards him.

- "That you're..." as if realizing you've gone back to teasing him, he huffs and pushes your face away as he moves to open the door of his home. "That you ain't as bad as a lot of us fear you are, partner."

- "Awh! And here I was, already getting used to hearing your real voice..." "You'll hafta try harder to get me to drop the accent around ya, mage." "I do like a challenge."

- sleep surprisingly comes easily especially when you have two sweet babies next to you in a sofa bed you're pretty sure was about 350 bucks when you checked Amazon. (who the fuck throws away a near 400 buck sofa? damn.)

- though, even if you got some good snort mimimis in, you eventually find yourself waking up in cold sweat, heart palpitating as you sift through those horrid memories in your head.

- a discomforting flash of your nibling's unmoving body. an image of the captain of the Royal guard melting while you stare her down, she laughs as she embraces death, telling you Asgore would be your downfall before turning into dust, you feel nothing but vindicated at the sight. another of Undyne and her spears at your tail and a red soul in your grasp as you run through Waterfall, desperate to get away from the fish woman as angry tears fall from your eyes, but you can't *deal* with her now, not when there's consequences after. there's another where you're alone, no soul in hand and your phone destroyed after your fight with Undyne. you won and she went back to lick at her wounds after you were able to lose her around hotland. you scorch the damn flower when he shows up again to mock you for leaving the kid and making them cry after your promises to your sister of taking care of them. it's easy to get to the castle though, surprisingly enough. a slow day, the person at the counter states.

- another flash and here you are with a goat monster that resembles Toriel, there's a sad look in his eyes as he stares at you and sees the dust on your hands and tears in your eyes. there's a strange sort of familiarity in his eyes as he takes you in and you hear him apologize before you two fight. when you die, you hear someone whisper in your ear, "maybe you'll finally learn to take my advice, hm?"

- ... fucking weird dream amirite haha......

- you're far too frazzled to fall back asleep, so, with as much care as you can, you make sure you don't wake up the kids and *especially* the five other monsters here as you scuttle on outwards, wanting nothing but to get a nice breath of air.

- ... Fuck it's so bright out DAMN.

- shuffling around till you get somewhere dark enough to feel like you have a normal circadian rhythm, you pull off your borrowed poncho from Dalv and plop onto the sand with it as your makeshift seat. you only get a few moments of quiet though before someone familiar shows up with that cheeky bastard face of his :D

- "finally willing to listen to me, mage?" "God, it sounds more of a slur than usual when *you* say it..." "Huh?" "Nothing."

- Flowey goes off then and recounts what you did, telling you not to worry and that everything really did happen and that you shouldn't be so stupid as to go off alone with *no plan* next time. and better yet, maybe *don't* attack the captain of the royal guard when she knows where your kid is?

- "... Alright, so, let's say I *am* humoring you. What the hell do you think I should do, smart ass?" and lo and behold, you get Flowey's creepy little smile as he tilts his head.

- "Frisk would be a liability, and I'm sure you don't want Clover joining in after what you dealt with. So go alone, get a few basic stuff for the journey, play *nice*, and ***get rid of that phone.*** "

- "... You're asking a lot for someone who's in arson range." Flowey just smiles. "And you're not very smart with your *promises*, are you?" "What? What do you–"

- and just to give you a heart attack, you *swear* a gunshot pops off just a few meters from where your feet are and you can't help but curse as you get up and pick up your poncho, looking at Starlo with a mix of shock and dread.

- "WHAT THE FUCK, SHERIFF!?!!? THAT WAS CLOSE TO MY FOOT, YOU ASSHOLE!!!"

- "Yer overreactin', these are just bb pellets." "Bro." "I mean, sure, they're *made* of magic but–" " ***BRO.*** " "Alright, alright, no more tryin' to scare ya. Sheesh..."

- "... Sure was funny to see someone so tough jump from such a small thing, though." "I'm going to feed you your gun, Star." "Was just jokin'! Look, puttin' it away now!"

- it's an automatic assumption when he turns his heel that you need to follow, though, it is interesting when neither of you move to go back to his place and instead continue on past the town entrance.

- "Wait, but this isn't.." "'m just gonna be bringin' you somewhere that'll calm your nerves." " *Why?* " Starlo shrugs, you can't see his face from where you're standing. "Just thought you might need it, what with the whole cryin' in your sleep thing."

- (Starlo wasn't sleeping after you passed out, he couldn't sleep properly since he was still a bit nervous having you, a strange and terrifyingly magical human, around his family. Added with that paranoia is how distracted he is over your magic in his system. You were so damn warm, what? When your magic isn't hostile, it almost feels as warm and comforting as Ceroba's— man now he's just being weird. Why is he comparing you to her? Damn.)

- (... Wait, who's crying? Stardad senses tingling, he gets up and checks if the kids are fine and they are but it turns out *you're* the one crying. He feels a bit awkward now since he isn't sure what to do since you're asleep, so he just sorta... takes one of his BILLIONS of blankets and drapes one of the more comfy and big ones across you and the kids and just sits there and sings a little lullaby he usually does for Clover when they're having a nightmare. You end up calming down somewhat and he decides that's the end of that and goes back to bed.)

- (After that display, the paranoia he feels about you kind of calms down and turns into something like pity? or something like that. You're probably just a troubled individual who hides their feelings by being the way you are– damn, you're like that One Guy in Clover's movies. Nice– oh fuck, wait, are you moving? Shit. He needs to follow but he can't be suspicious– oh wait, your magic symbol, it acts like a compass right? Cool.)

- oh my god you fucking *cried????* WHILE YOU WERE STAYING AT SOMEONE ELSE'S PLACE? *FUCK*, that's so ***CRINGE***.......

- "Ah.. fuck, sorry if I woke you up or anyone else with all that." "Awh, don't worry 'bout it! There ain't anythin' wrong with that anywho, we all deal with heavy stuff sometimes." "I'd argue otherwise, but whatever you say, Sheriff Star."

- It's a bit of a trek, but you don't mind. There's the occasional nocturnal monster that shuffles outside, finishing up some chores or even doing some shit and even waving at Star while you two go where ever it is he's leading you to.

- At some point, you get to a downhill section of the sandy dunes and he doesn't even hesitate to grab a hold of your hand and drag you to this door at the side of the wall before opening it and showing you a... cave? of sorts with all sorts of knickknacks and goodies around.

- It looks... familiar, somehow.

- "Clover ended up takin' this whole place as theirs after a guy blew up the side of it. Said they wanted their own little space to call theirs outside of the Wild East." Star lets you in and you quietly observe all the different bits and bobs around, trying your best to see why it feels so familiar.

- "They didn't say much of what they were basin' this hideout on, but all of us knew what it was buildin' up to." "They'd always talk about how they had a lil' readin' nook they'd borrow from one of their siblings up top. That they had these "bean bag" things they sat on, along with shelves of books they'd read back to back and even a cute constellation-based wind chime they listened to whenever they got the chance."

- "It took a while to scrounge everything up, but the look on their face was worth all the visits to the dump. Martlet even helped make a whole door so the kid wouldn't get to deal with unwanted strangers!"

- "... I didn't realize that place meant a lot to them." "Hm?" "... Thank you for bringing me here, Star. It.. Somehow it helps."

- "Oh yeah, heh, reminds me... I haven't told you yet, but my name ain't exactly Star." "It's, uh... (clears throat, looks away slightly embarrassed) It's Starlo." your gaze softens.

- "... Well then, thank you, Starlo. I appreciate this a lot more than you'd think."

- he smiles. "You're welcome."

- the next day, both of you make sure to avoid each other because you're both adults who definitely aren't embarrassed over the vague intimacy there was yesterday night while you two interacted. literally everyone can tell there's some weird shit up though but whatever.

- Martlet was there to visit and say hi and tell you all about the royal guard routes rn and that Undyne is still on the hunt but still hasn't had any reports on the humans in the Dunes so that's good. Star had apparently went off to help his family with the Four going off to help them and Moray going to their own family with Martlet offering to drop them off.

- in the meanwhile, since you promised Starlo you'd be a good boy and prove you're trustworthy, you tell Frisk you're both gonna have to stay a while again while you both figure some stuff out on what to do on the way to Asgore and how to get to him without having to deal with anyone ruining that plan.

- "And to befriend the other monsters?" "... I guess? Though that's more of a fun side quest, little buddy." "Yes!!"

- one thing you didn't expect to deal with are Frisk and Clover making sure you actually *do* try to befriend someone when you're busy getting supplies ready for your trip to New Home with your kid.

- You definitely didn't realize you'd end up sort of friends with the bartender at the Saloon named Dina. Not that she's not very fun, but you being friends with someone who can dispense alcohol probably isn't good for you and your impulsive ass.

- And so, while you plan shit at the bar with or without Frisk and Clover, you get to befriend Dina and find out lore about most of the monsters here. Barkeeps truly are a web of info, how wonderful.

- You're also not gonna lie and say you aren't interested in the info she has of Star and Ceroba, something Dina finds amusing when you'd asked. She does mention Ceroba doesn't seem to trust you all too much, but that's more so because she's protective over the little family she ended up getting after Clover happened. She doesn't like to gossip, but she can admit that it's nice to see Ceroba getting less and less dependent on the saloon for the past few years.

- Then there's also the question of does Ceroba not like you because you're a threat to her family (literal), or does Ceroba not like you because you're a *threat* to her family (clover likes you and has a past with you)? Dina laughs your wonder off, gives you a pat on the shoulder and tells you it might be best if you actually *talk* to the fox woman instead of theorizing at her bar.

- Welp, with no Starlo and Feisty Four around and Clover busying themself with hanging out with Frisk and telling you "It's not like we'll get into trouble, Sib! I promise Frisk'll be fine." (unbeknownst to you, Clover gave in to Frisk's prodding and they both went back to snowdin, met MK and then frisk yet *again* convinced them to go to waterfall with MK so they could see Undyne, something Clover was definitely against but Frisk pretty much just dragged them. we get the bridge scene, MK protects Frisk and Clover ), you might as well.

- ... After all, the last time you tried to run off didn't end too good.

- But when you get to Ceroba's you decide against it and just go off. You're being dumb. As if Ceroba'll talk to you amicably when she doesn't trust you and you can't be bothered to deal with that. If she doesn't like you, then she doesn't and you're not gonna force the issue.

- And so, with that ignored, you decide it's high time you listen to Flowey. Sure, he's a damn sociopath, but he's right. You can't bring Frisk to somewhere they can get even more hurt, you'd rather make them cry than get them killed again.

- Flowey is annoying and god you regret even trying to let him help because fuck does he piss you off when he acts like a fakeass who actually wants to help. This bitch killed you more times than you can count and you're pretty sure he's only smiles around you because it pissed you off.

- The flower helps you around the Dunes and where you can go to get back to waterfall. He tells you you can't ask Travel Whale to bring you there because it'll be evidence of a trail and last time you did that, *sure* it was fast but Undyne or Frisk just sniffed you out easily.

- You eventually get to the moist marsh and Flowey goes on ahead to help you get around Undyne and as you wander, you eventually find a cute little aclove filled with echo flowers before getting jumpscared by Starlo shooting at your feet and you automatically drag yourself into an encounter, not knowing who the FUCK just did that only to pause when you see star with no hat and different clothes entirely, he's wearing glasses and *overalls*, not a button shirt and pants. you have to admit though, that gun does NOT mesh well with his farmboy nerdass fit.

- "Where do you think you're going?" it's a weird feeling seeing him so serious when he doesn't even have his hat for intimidation factor. and adding to that is how easily he dropped his accent and the crease in his brows. you can barely see the way his eyes narrow at your form.

- "I'm going to Asgore. What else?" "Clearly, you're forgetting about our deal, partner." "Yeah, sure I *left* the dunes but I promised I wouldn't hurt another monster so I'm not. Just leave me be, Starlo." "... There's something else to this, isn't there?"

- "What, you're an armchair psychologist now? Last I checked, you were nothing but a damn farmboy." "Okay, I can see why you're upset, but do you mind tellin' me how I could help with that?" "... *Star*." He calls your name back, shooting you a stern gaze.

- "Look, I don't care if you wanna insult me for caring enough to wanna chase after you when you left with no warning, but you gotta think about how this'll affect the kids." "Frisk will be *fine.* You're acting like–" "Frisk will NOT be fine, ya damn idiot!"

- "I don't know why you think a dang seven year old would be able to think anything *but* how their *one* guardian ***abandoned*** them. You think I *want* this kid scarred all because you're being goddamn stupid?" "You think I'm gonna let ya *hurt* them just 'cause you wanna be goin' off to act like you're making a damn noble sacrifice by throwin' yourself to Asgore's feet?"

- "The hell is your problem, Star?!" "You're the dang adult in this situation but you're actin' like a damn *kid* with this dumb angsty ***bullshit*** you're cookin' up!"

- "And why is that, huh? Why are you bein' this damn stupid?"

- "... I– fuck, fine! You want to know why I wanna do this on my own? Fine! Sure!" "I'm going off on my own because I made a promise to my sister that her kid will be okay! I *have* to make sure Frisk *survives* this trip or else that means I'm a– that I'm– I don't want her to look at me like ***he*** did because I'm not– I'm– I'm *better* now so I can't just– *eugh!* ***FUCK***—"

- you end up breaking down in front of Starlo and the encounter ends, you're silently sobbing and you can't help but apologize to him while laughing, saying you're usually not this much of a mess and that you're more or less put together but it's just– there's something in the air or whatever.

- Starlo doesn't even say anything, only dropping by next to you and pulling you into hug.

- you end up crying into him during all this and he's nothing but quiet and warm comfort and *god* you actually don't mind it if you end up falling in love with this man. he's fucking wonderful.

- "... Thanks, Starlo." "Anytime, darlin'."

- He gets up and outstretches a hand to you, smiling at you cutely. "Now c'mon, we should get back to our kids before they worry."

- As you go to hold his hand, you don't even get to register the horror on Star's face and the pain of something embedding itself into your body before your soul breaks and you wake up to the sight of Ceroba's house and the bright colors of the Dunes.

- ...

- That... You lost *all that? In that one* ***fucking*** *instant?*

- ... The worst part is that Starlo wouldn't even know what happened while you have to deal with the new spread of affection you hold for him all because of what happened.

- ... Fuck. Whatever. You're just gonna... move on and talk to Ceroba. Yeah. That's what you were doing, right? Before you chickened out at first? Yeah.

- And so, that brings you to here. Ceroba and you sitting seiza around the kotatsu and drinking tea with an unrelenting tense air between you two.

- "... What brings you here, mage?" damn, it really is a slur, huh? at least Starlo seems to use it 'cause he has no proper nickname for you. sadge.

- "Can't I just be a curious?" "I don't see why you can't be, but why does it matter when you won't be staying long?" "... Geez, cold much?"

- You two quiet down again, only paying attention to your tea and not saying much. Ceroba breaks the silence again.

- "They talked about you a lot when they were younger. Always mentioning a *sibling* they weren't directly related to, along with their blood brother... They spoke fondly of them and their family throughout their journey."

- "... After they brought me to a realization all those years ago, they.. they told us they were willing to *sacrifice* themselves to be used as a way to break the barrier. It was a noble choice, one that I would've been *fine* with were it not for.."

- "It was just.. They were *ten*, they didn't– they *shouldn't* have had to feel like they needed to fix the adults' problems all because they had a way to do so. They had a *family* waiting for them on the surface, people who'd *mourn* them if they fully disappeared. And I didn't..."

- "... Maybe it was selfish, but I wasn't about to lose another child just to keep fanning the flames on everyone's dying hopes."

- "It took *years* before the fifth soul fell. It was a pleasant surprise when Clover fell almost a year after they had." "Hoping a seventh would fall so soon after they'd sacrifice themself would be wishful thinking and I told them just that."

- "... Truthfully, getting reminded of their brother and you was the only way to have them fully hesitate on their decisions."

- "... Why are you telling me this?"

- it's almost jarring hearing Ceroba call you by your name. "... These children care about you, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't do anything to ruin that."

- "... Starting to sound like you know something, Ceroba." "Starlo.. may have told me he heard you talking to someone a few days ago. Said you might be planning to go off on this journey without anyone else."

- "And? Wouldn't you prefer I go off on my own instead of getting the kids or someone else involved?" "... I don't know if you realized yet, but it's clear you need Frisk more than Frisk needs you." "I– That's not–" "You may be older than them, but that doesn't mean they can't think on their own. You'd be surprised how smart these kids can be at their ages."

- "... Undyne would kill them." "And I'm not telling you to listen to *every* suggestion they give, I'm just saying it might help if you heard them out. Talk them through their ideas and figure out a.. a compromise of some sorts." "... With my luck, they'd probably suggest me to flirt with the captain of the guard." "Pfft– *why?* Is that a special skill set of yours, mage?" "I'll have you know, people called me a damn casanova in college!" "Mhm, I can see it." "... Somehow, it feels like you don't believe me." "Oh no, I definitely do see it. Please, regale me of stories that prove you were everyone's dream darling." "Now you're just bullying me, Cher..."

- Somehow, you end up on friendly terms with Ceroba after that. Good for you!

- You two end up going back to Wild East together, mainly because Ceroba planned to make a pit stop to Clover to check up on them, though, the instant you pass through the entrance, you get jumped by your kids hugging you and suspiciously telling you they were definitely only in the Wild East and definitely didn't do anything bad, and before either you or Ceroba called them out on their bold faced lies, they drag you two to the middle of town where the four are playing... Are they *gambling?*

- "Are you teaching the kids to play *Poker?* " "Damn, is that a bet pile..?"

- Ceroba would've definitely had these four on blast (she had mom vibes) were it not for you slinging an arm around her and telling her maybe you should listen to the kids and win back their honor or some shit.

- "You just want to play Poker, don't you?" "I mean, don't *you?* "

- Ceroba and you (a two in one team) end up playing poker against the four while Frisk and Clover cheer on.

- "What in rune's name are you all doing?" "Hey, Starlo. Wanna join? The mage and I've already squeezed out every G from these guys so it's not as fun anymore." "Hell yeah! Gambling champions right here!" (you and Ceroba high five) "... You two were supposed to be good influences." "Influence this, Starboy. Straight flush, baby!"

- Safe to say, the day after you and Ceroba were pretty much friends, everything's been much calmer around the Dunes somehow. Monsters actually wave at *you* now, greeting you and asking about your day and even talking to you. Maybe it's because Ceroba's well known here and befriending her pretty much made you 50/50 with everyone.

- At some point, you *think* you ended up befriending the feisty four after you taught them the beauty of beer pong and for some reason bet to arm wrestle them all on one of the Friday parties set this week that you and Cher were in charge of planning (as offered by Clover and Star because it'll "prove" something. Moray and Ed readily admit that the two just ran out of ideas.) The kids were back at home since this was an Adults Only Party. They were sad but you and Ceroba promised to get them mocktails and have your own small party at Starlo's if they were good.

- Clover was in charge of keeping Frisk distracted for the few hours you'd be getting high or something and did adult party stuff. You and Cher made sure they had their all-nighter going off with multitudes of DVDs on hand ("Holy shi– stars, is that *Shrek? KUNG FU PANDA?* " "Yes." "NICE!"), food ready for preheating that Stardad put in separate containers all labelled for ease just earlier (you gave Ceroba a look when you saw it and she shared it), and a pillow fort built by none other than YOU.

- They are living their best life. good for them.

- party wise, you're an hour or two into the party and you and Ceroba end up feeling bad about demolishing Starlo when he decided to join in the whole beer pong game and arm wrestling out of pure curiosity. You and Ceroba can't help but laugh though while you two apologize to him.

- "You could've went easier on him, Cher." "Says the one who nearly threw him to the floor after Ed said go." "I didn't think he'd be so casual about it! We're betting for a reason!"

- Speaking of the party though, Starlo eventually seemed to get antsy or something and dragged you away from Ceroba (who you were happily conversing with along with Dina and leaning against– you made sure she'd be okay with the touch beforehand though) and to the side (oh look, literal wallflower monsters, nice) to talk to you.

- He pretty much said he was happy you were settling in fine and that the town's been way more lively after your addition but also, it's pretty interesting how you and Ceroba got so close, he didn't realize you two gotten so close these past few days, haha, that's nice. you two are so close now. what, what happened to make you two so close anyway? if you don't mind him asking haha.

- you have to pause and wave away the buzz in your head as you recognize that twinge of annoyance on his smiling face. a wide grin spreads across your lips as you realize just what's up. "... Starlo, are you *jealous?* "

- the reaction is immediate and he sputters and you just laugh before deciding, oh yeah, gotta drag his ass out to have a heart to heart talk. and so, you wrap a hand around his and drag him off, passing by Ceroba, cheekily telling her that if she needs you or Star, she shouldn't because you'll be busy sucking faces with her darling little farm boy, Ceroba just rolls her eyes at you and pushes your shoulder, telling you to have fun and not to wear him out too much before you fully drag the now flustered Starboy outside the saloon.

- Once you've gotten him away from the party, you lean against the wall of the wild east entrance and motion for him to start as you cross your arms. "A'ight, what's the story here, Sheriff?"

- Hesitantly, Starlo gives you the whole lowdown and how even if it's been years, he admits that he still sort of likes Ceroba and taking care of Clover together sort of added to that flame? Sure, Clover calls most of them family, with Martlet and Dalv being more of "big siblings" in their eyes, but getting introduced as their dad and Ceroba as their mom kinda (Nueron Activation Meme)-d his ass.

- "Huh... Have you told her yet?" "I.. Hasn't that chance already passed? Sure, she's not grievin' anymore but it feels.. selfish? I don't.. I don't want to have her deal with *that* along with everything else." "So, you're gonna keep suffering in silence then?" "..."

- You sigh and pull out a cig pack from your pockets, when you light it though, it seems like the scent pulls Star out of his reverie as he looks at you in shock and goes. "Isn't that bad for humans?"

- You laugh. "Well, usually it is. No clue what *monster* cigs can do to my lungs, but I'm hoping it won't be worse!" "How did you even get a hold of those?" "Oh, Ceroba gave me a pack." "Wha– *when?* " "Uhhh... Just this morning? It was after I picked her up with the kids." "I... Ceroba *smokes?* " "Mmm, don't think she does it too often. Or at least, she makes sure not to do it around you guys."

- Casting a glance at the star boy, you realize he looks a tad distraught and you can't help but feel bad. tipping up his hat, you lean over and try to reassure him with a soft smile, "Starlo, I'm sure she just didn't want to worry you. I did the same thing with my family– I only ever stopped when my sis had a kid on the way. And I gotta admit, it's a bit hard to go cold turkey on that stuff. Possible, but *hard*."

- "..." You huff and take his hat away, ignoring his little 'hey' of protest as you put it on, enjoying the adorable flush of teal against his yellow cheeks and the way his brows furrow at you. The nerd glasses he has on is a *pleasant* little surprise. He's way cuter than you thought he'd be.

- "Come on, chin up, pretty boy." You've gotten so used to being touchy with Ceroba you don't even think too hard about it when you push his chin up to look at you. "You can't be moping about not knowing *every* secret Ceroba has. Even *I* keep some of stuff from my friends." That high of Starlo letting you touch his face doesn't last though since he eventually pulls away to slowly sit down, back against the wall of the entrance as he huffs. "... Maybe it was inevitable. Neither of us are kids anymore, so it makes sense she wouldn't tell me *everything*, and it's not like she owes me an explanation for everything she does..."

- "... Man, Star, you're bumming me out here, buddy." Star sighs and takes his hat from your hands when you offer it, squeezing it in between his hands like a stressball. "Sorry... It's probably just the booze getting to my head."

- ... Damn, okay the air's actually depressing, you should do something about it.

- "Out of topic, but maybe I should start calling you Sunshine or Sunflower." "What– why?" "Oh, I don't know, maybe 'cause you remind me of those things?" "... How? I don't even look like either of those." "Mm, yeah, but you *feel* like them. You're always so bright and warm, and you make everyone's days better in your own special way– it's almost like you're a bundle of hope and joy anyone would *love* to bring home, you know. I know *I* would." "(clicks tongue) ... Flatterer." your gaze softens towards him unbeknownst to the baby boy "Is it really flattery if it's true..?"

- "And is it *really* true if it's coming from you?" "Awh, rude! I'm being genuine here and you're shooting me down?" "How would I even know you're being sincere when Dina's started calling you the Town Flirt?" *Oh my god, she was serious? What the fuck? Goddamnit Dina.* "What can I do to convince you then, Sheriff?"

- "Don't know, you'll have to figure it out on your own." his smile is playful. you grin back. "I do like a challenge."

- Putting your cig out, you push back up to your feet.

- "... We should probably get back to the party before Ceroba thinks I was being serious." Starlo slowly follows suit, dusting off his pants. "Maybe..."

- "... Or *maybe* I can show you this place I found while we were running around Waterfall." "... You can't be serious." ";D"

- In spite of his protests, Starlo doesn't really stop you from making bad decisions and lets you drag his ass out to Waterfall so you can show him a room you remember in the back of your reset memories of Waterfall.

- You have a good time telling him how Undyne thought you and Frisk had been mind controlling Martlet and Ceroba into helping you two. Which eventually led into a chase where Ceroba ended up picking you up and running like a trackstar.

- Starlo just gives you an unimpressed look (that looks very prominent now that he's forgone his hat through this whole trip) and you look at him innocently.

- "You're mentioning all this on purpose, aren't you? The only issue is that I can't tell *why.* " "... ok gotta admit, I wanted a subtle way to tell you I'm gonna have to carry you around this part of Waterfall before we get to the place but I realized there's no subtle way to bring it up." "... You *have* to or you *want* to?" "... Can't it be both???"

- You have no clue how but you convinced Starlo and now you're pretty much carrying a surprisingly lightweight farmer boy in your arms.

- "You know, I expected you to be a bit heavier, Star." "(gives you a narrow eyed look) And what's *that* supposed to mean..?" "I, uh, honestly? You sorta weigh like a potted succulent, but I expected you'd be heavy like a sack of potatoes." " *Excuse me?* " "... You sound offended somehow." "I–!"

- You get an impromptu magic lesson from Starlo because of that. The whole their whole body is made up of magic and shit so it explains why he isn't as heavy as you'd expect him to be. But honestly, you're just busy thinking about his tits and if your headcanons about that are real or not because a farmboy can't *possibly* be a Twink like him. He HAS to have *some* muscle, cake, or tiddies.

- "(talking about how their physical bodies aren't exactly physical like yours and shit)" "... Damn, so no farmboy tits?" "... *What?* "

- You eventually get to that place you were talking about and it's by one of the incredibly quieter parts of Waterfall, there's the faint noise of the running river along with the occasional cricket songs. You make sure to place Starlo down gently on a *non*-moist part of the marsh and let him take in the sights.

- It's dark as hell and the shadows would feel all encompassing if it weren't for the bioluminescence of both the echo flowers and the creatures in the rivers. It's enough light to let you two see the crystals emdedded into the ceiling of the room.

- "It's... different here." "Yeah, but it's nice too." "... Yeah."

- You two just vibe there for a bit, letting yourselves lose yourselves into the sounds of nature. This lasts for a while till Starlo starts to talk.

- "Ceroba and I've been friends for a *long* while. We knew each other since we were kids." "Between us, she would always be the one with the ideas or even something to do while I'd just be happy to be included..." "Looking back, I remember feeling like I'd always be following her till the end of time. And I was sure she'd keep holding my hand and never let go, making sure I'd always be close by."

- "The thought that it'd just be me and her against the world? It meant everything to me. And somewhere along the way, I figured that I probably liked her a whole lot more than I liked Ed and all my other friends."

- "But eh, you know how it is..."

- "Getting older, we.. I don't know, you could say that we sorta started... *drifting*, in a way."

- "It's like one day, I woke up and.. and it felt like Ceroba was somewhere I couldn't reach. Like she'd gotten up to a place I couldn't get to easily. It.. It felt a lot like I lost her even if I still had her around..."

- "But I still held hope that I'd be able to catch up. That I'd get up and join her soon enough once I figured myself out and all that." "I told myself, 'she'd wait for me, wouldn't she? She always did'."

- "And then... Chujin showed up."

- "I was.. happy for her, I guess. She was finally growing up like she wanted. She was having all the experiences she always hoped to have and a monster who'd treat her right. And I was just happy *she* was happy..."

- "... But I'd be lying if I said that was *all* I felt."

- "I.. I was able to hold up a bit to give my congrats to her and her guy, but I'd been a mess for the most part. Couldn't even bring myself to get up and eat, had to have my family force something in my system." "It took a *while* before I came to terms with everything. And I mean it when I say it took a ***while***."

- "I'd finally been functional after a whole week or two of mourning a relationship I never even had, but the grief over that was still sorta around. And *maybe* that added to the negative bias I had towards Chujin– didn't help that he had this weird annoyance with my interest in human western media for one reason or another. But I made sure Ceroba wouldn't see any of that bad stuff. I didn't want to be ruining anything when the guy made her glow in a way I never saw before."

- "And before I knew it, the two were getting married and having a kid together while I was *still* that old nerd Ceroba met when she was younger. Years passed and yet there I was, still being nothing but her childhood friend who couldn't bring himself to step out his bubble."

- "... To tell you the truth, all this cowboy stuff? This was.. this was all just to distract myself over.. I don't know, Ceroba? Growing up? *Everything?* " "... There were a lotta things I was trying to avoid by acting like North Star. Sure, it helped my family's farm indirectly and had even brought some of the Dunesfolk some joy in their lives but it was still just a big ole distraction back then."

- "... Clover, Ceroba, and the Four helped me figure everything out though. Nowadays, the only reason I even put this whole getup on is for the whole Wild East Sheriff bit– and, well, *sometimes* just to intimidate\*.\* " (not so subtly looks at you to gauge your expression and you nearly laugh)

- "... If you're asking me if I got intimated by Sheriff Star when we first met, let me remind you that my first reaction was to *flirt* with you, Starlo." "... Dang."

- "Either way, I'm... well, I'm grateful Ceroba still hasn't given up on me after all these years, she's the best friend I could ever ask for, really..."

- "Honestly? I can see why you like her. It's hard not to fall for someone that knows you and shares history with you." "But at the same time, doesn't it hurt being around her?"

- "... Sure it does."

- "... Did you ever try getting her out of your head by meeting someone else? Date around and all that."

- "Of course I have, but it's not like the underground's teeming with monsters who genuinely like human media the way I do or even don't mind all *this*. And I know I got my gang and all, but they ain't really datemate material in my head."

- "... Well, if you ever want a rebound or something, I'd be happy to offer my services, Sunshine." "... And this is why I can't ever take you seriously." "Excuse *you!* I meant every word, Star!" "Yeah? Then prove it."

- Bold words for a monster in Rizzler Range.

- "... Alright then." "Eh? What are you–"

- Starboy's first mistake is letting himself unveiled in front of you and your unspoken rizz ass.

- You gently plop down the echo flower crown (you were making it quietly while he was talking) atop his head and pull back with a smile, one of your hands trailing down from his head to the side of his face, with your thumb gently caressing his cheek as you softly whisper, "The blues suit you, Sunflower..."

- You stay like that for a beat or so, but Star doesn't even get to say anything towards that since you immediately get up afterwarde, stretching out your limbs and cursing your blood flow before helping him up. "Come on, we've probably overstayed our welcome by now."

- And overstayed you did, because the instant you two were by the pathway to Travel Whale, you get intercepted by a familiar spear that has you pushing aside Starlo and telling him to go. Not that he listens because of course he doesn't.

- "W-wait, but–" "I'm not gonna hurt her, if that's what you're worried about, Star." "What the– ***No!*** It's *you* I'm worried about, dagnabbit! What do you think the kids'll think if you don't get back to the Dunes in one piece?!" "Well, good thing I'm a *dangerous* mage, huh?"

- And without warning, you push him back and summon a pillar of flames that keeps him away from the little fighting arena you and Undyne set up for each other.

- "Not running anymore, *Mage?* " You shrug, giving her an easy grin. "I don't have anyone to keep me from facing you, so..."

- And with that, a fight ensues.

- We then snap back to our first Starlo pov in the outline.

- we get to see star as he panics over the huge possibility of you perishing to the captain of the guard while also him being angry at you for earlier because HOW DARE you rizz him up like that and then throw yourself to the dogs HOW IS HE GONNA FIGURE OUT HIS FEELINGS *AND* RIZZ YOU UP AS REVENGE IF YOURE **DEAD** HUH?

- and so, knowing he needs to do the one thing he can, he goes to get the cavalry (goes back home to get everyone).

- oh you better fucking hope you aren't dead when he gets back reader, because he'll be So DAMN Mad if you DIED without even asking him out on a date after that whole display. It's only fair if you did you damn WEIRDO.

- Sure, part of him is a bit conflicted since he still likes Ceroba but at the same time, would it be so bad to try? You seem interested as far as he can see and he'd be lying if he said you weren't some sort of attractive. That's not even adding up how he sees just how much you affected Clover (it explains why they're also very feral and nearly drank acid one time when they were doing a science project) and the whole town with your fucked up person energy.

- Ceroba even *likes* you. That's a feat in of itself.

- (NEW CHAPTER AFTER THAT BECAUSE IT SHOULD END ON ANGRY STARLO.)

- sharp cut to your fight with Undyne as you dodge another one of her magic spears. she had ended up keeping you stagnant in one spot but it hasn't stopped you yet, she asked for a fight and you were gonna give her one. you were being extra careful not to actually hurt her though, only attacking her because she was *asking* for it.

- "You know, you're not half-bad for a *human* if you can keep up with me." "And you ain't bad yourself, fish face!" "At least you aren't like that *brat* that tricked me instead of facing me fair and square!" "Uh, which brat we talkin' 'bout here and *when?* " "The smaller human! They thought they could get away from me and– well, they *did* but they tricked me, so *clearly*, they're not a seasoned warrior like you are, are they, mage?" "Uhhhh– no comment. Cast fireball." "HEY! WATCH IT!"

- a few more minutes of petty fireballs in midst of your whip cracks, she looks almost like she's straining already– you guess it's from how heavy her armor is, but at the same time, you may just be depleting her magic reserves— but it's probably the former.

- "You know, you aren't looking too good, Captain! You *really* want to keep doing this? (genuine)" "Hah! Of course I do! You're—" (undyne's phone rings) "Shit– give me a minute here–"

- Turns out Papyrus called Undyne based on her mentioning a "paps" and "i'm busy" and "that was *now?* " and with a loud groan, Undyne huffs out a "FINE" and ends the call.

- the fish monster turns to face you, a glare on her face. "You're lucky it's my friend's lesson day today or else you'd be toast, mage."

- "Cool, cool, so can I leave?" "HAH! No. As if I'd leave the enemy of monsters out and about when I have them right here!"

- You then proceed to get carried to her home (you just let it be since she's significantly more calmer than the undynes in your memory... wonder why) where she then traps you in a cage of magic spears. You look at her offended while she drinks tea and waits for papyrus.

- In the few minutes you guys were stuck with each other, Undyne was weirdly amicable and when you asked why she tells you she's not a damn *savage* and while humans suck ass, you don't seem too bad all because you put up a good fight and respected her strength.

- and for being just as badass of a warrior as her, you get some fun drinks in your little spear cage.

- "... I know I got tea, but I gotta ask, what the hell is that yellow stuff on your counter?" "It's.. soda." "... You don't seem to like that too much, so why do you even have that?" "(awkward, flustered cough) anYway!"

- "So, I'm a *warrior* like you?" "Yeah! You're just like those humans in Alphys' human history books– except not as cool as some of them, but eh." "... I, uh, *cool*? What kind of cool you talkin' 'bout?" "You know, all the shiny ribbons and glitter and lights you're supposed to have when you use your magic. Reminds me, your weapon isn't even as big as yourself! Why'd you guys ever change that? You already suck, why suck more!?" "... It's a dagger. It's *supposed* to be small, Undyne." "... You're definitely one of the more subtle humans then. I still don't get why you'd forgo all those cool swords, but I *guess* I can respect it."

- Before you can even ask what the hell kinda human history she's even talking about, there's a knock on the door and in your peripherals you see Frisk holding a... golden bone with a ribbon? What?

- "UNDYNE! I AM HERE FOR OUR COOKING LESSON!" "I ALSO MET SOMEONE ALONG THE WAY! *AND* THEY HAVE A *GIIIFT*!"

- Undyne malding rn.

- after some goofy shenanigans where Paps somehow got Undyne to be a host to your nibling (she freed you in the process because papyrus mentioned how RUDE that is and you sat back because you somehow convinced Paps you two *are* friends, warrior friends, and she already hosted you very good– you just ignore the conflicted look on Undyne's face when you said that) in spite of her not holding as much respect for them since they're a kid who hugs more than smacks, you end up hearing someone by the broken window calling out for you while the two are wilding during the cooking lesson.

- vibing by the window, you don't even get to say "hey" to the trio who got your attention before you're dragged outside through the window, surprisingly uninjured as Starlo looks at you like >:( but you're far too busy feeling a tad hot under the collar over just how easy it is for him to carry you when he weighs like a damn succulent. SHEEEEEEESH get you a man like he. GOTDAMN

- "What in the stars were you thinking?! What if the Captain killed you?!" "... *Fuck*." "Is that really all you have to say for yourself?" "You got some *real* nice upper body strength, Sunflower." "... Why do I even bother with you?"

- "Look you two, this is cute and all–" "Sib! Stop flirting with Stardad! We need to get Frisk out of there!" "Yes, like Clover said. Priorities, *Mage.* " "A'ight, a'ight. Don't get your knickers in a twist, damn." You're a bit disappointed to have to get out of his hold, but like Ceroba said, priorities folks—

- ***BOOM!***

- D: ... her house just fucking exploded.

- "HOLY SHIT, FRISK?!?!?!?!!"

- It's a damn miracle when Undyne and Frisk bust out of her house with soot on their faces and coughing, but while Frisk immediately runs to you, Undyne stays quietly staring at her burning house.

- awh, fuck... you feel weirdly bad? it's not like she's *actually* threatening, if anything you already know you can beat her– and considering the whole thing with paps and how, in a twisted way, this is literally the only way they can be free and she thinks it's better if she kills you two before Asgore does, you just... you don't know but it just sort of??? cancels out your issues with her. and now you pretty much arsoned her house by accident because Frisk probably did something chaotic so it only feels right to feel guilty about this because you're not really a saintly role model.

- "Shit– Undyne, I know you're trying to kill us and all but I could probably help dampen the fires if you–" "My damn house is in shambles... I wasn't able to befriend a damn twerp. And *somehow* both the damn humans managed to topple me. *Me!* " (You'd argue otherwise since she never really got smacked down on your end and you don't know if frisk actually somehow got her fucked up but she's really fired up rn so you don't really know if that's a good idea to mention, she might just think you're pitying her.)

- "I don't care if you two are my house guests anymore! Come at me! One final rematch! All out on both sides! It's the only way I can regain my lost pride!"

- Frisk's resolve seems to strengthen and they nod and move to face off Undyne, you quickly decide to follow. You might as well.

- "Fine. Let's see just how tough you are, Captain Undyne."

- You get partially cut off when you get tugged back to your spot where Starlo's just looking at you like you're crazy. Which, fair, the only time he's seen you attack someone is when you nearly killed that one monster with how angry you were.

- You puff out an amused breath and pat his arm gently. "You gotta trust me, Star. I promised, didn't I?" "I... But it's not that, it's just.." "... Awh, Star. You get so cute when you're worried." "Ugh! I give up! Go and make your bad decisions already, dang it! Far be it for me to *care!* "

- So amused over this, you gently twist around and take his left-hand and press a kiss at the back of it.

- "Thank you for worrying about me, Sunflower. I'll make it up to you soon enough." (Ceroba and Clover going :0 in the background at the mere sight of your rizz.)

- And then you let go and let your soul get dragged into the encounter.

- There's Undyne looking at you like "what the hell" and Frisk who's giving you a thumbs up and cheeky little grin.

- "... Somehow, it pisses me off that you had time to flirt when I was demanding a *rematch*." "Don't be such a sourpuss, 'dyne! Now c'mon!"

- Spear of Justice: Reprise.

- Frisk and you pretty much do an impromptu little team attack that does nothing but... heal????? Undyne, much to everyone's confusion. ("That's allowed???" Clover is so confused.)

- "... I can't believe you guys really *are* weenies." "I thought the mage was just bluffing when they were "attacking" me earlier too, but no, you *both* just can't muster up any intent to hurt me." "... Heh, you know what? Guess I don't wanna hurt you guys too, either. Now c'mere!" (Impromptu hug, ow your ribs hnshgsggs)

- "... So, does that mean we're friends friends now?" "'Course you damn losers! And hey, listen, I.. Since you're both humans, it's inevitable for either of you– both of you even– to end up fighting Asgore. But knowing him... He probably doesn't want to in the first place."

- your mind flashes back to the memory of your fight with Asgore and you can't help but shudder. Undyne's hug tightens. "Look, I'm sure you two can talk to him and persuade him to let you guys go home. I can always just wait for some mean humans to fall down here and take THEIR souls! And then when that's all said and done, you and your mage friend can meet up with me and spar like we did today!"

- "That makes sense right? Fuhuhu! Now go on, kid, your other friends are waiting for you!"

- Frisk is quickly let go but you know you and Undyne still need to talk based on the way you can feel her stare dig into you. Glancing at her, you catch sight of the furrow in her brow as she looks at you with this conflicted expression.

- "... Listen, Mage. I can tell that kid doesn't have any bad bone in their body, and while I can make believe they'd be able to get through Asgore and the barrier, I don't... I don't think *you'll* be able to leave that easily." "... We already lost the sixth soul a few years back, so Asgore is.. He's *kind* but I'm telling you now that one of you won't be able to get past him. I'm sorry."

- ...

- "... Thanks for the heads-up, Undyne." "You're welcome, Mage."

- "Anyway, that was fun! We've gotta hang out again sometime– err.. just, somewhere else, I guess. Heh." "In the meantime, I'll just be hanging with Papyrus. So if you nerds need me, just drop by Snowdin, okay!?"

- "See ya later, punks!"

- Immediately after Undyne goes off, you all let out a massive sigh of relief. "... Thank the damn STARS she didn't realize Clover was human too or else we'd have a really wack situation on hand."

- "Now that that's settled..." You shrink at Ceroba's gaze. "AGAIN. DO YOU HAVE A DAMN DEATH WISH, MAGE?!?!?!!"

- You get scolded by Ceroba (with Starlo acting as an echo) for acting recklessly and making everyone worried and nearly making Star cry ("Yeah– wait, no!") in the process when he asked for help saving you.

- You guys eventually go back home, most of you tired but happy over the situation. After all, the captain of the royal guard pretty much approved of your existence, so no more issues other than the travel to hotland.

- In the meanwhile, you and Ceroba bond again with Alcohol and smokes now that Star and the kids are passed the fuck out and while it starts with you guys talking about how you even got Undyne to like *you* and the whole soul shit, she eventually segues it into talking about your thing for Starlo.

- for some reason, you feel a bit defensive and just go "Yeah, maybe I do like him. Why? You jealous, Ceroba?" "Come on," she huffs out your name. "Be serious, please?"

- "... Yeah. He's nice, I guess." " *Just* nice?" "Well, the kids like him, he's pretty protective of his family and friends– he still thinks of the dunesfolk as his own even if he admitted he's Sheriff in name now. He.. He's just nice, attractive too, I guess. I dunno, his nerd emoji looking ass just does something for me, Cher."

- "Mm, that's sweet. I can see why you like him." (Wow. Hilarious. Ceroba repeating your same line to Starlo earlier. Literature.) "You know, if you want Starlo to actually think you're serious about him, you may need to stop teasing him. I'm sure you think it's cute, and maybe it is, but a monster can only take so much." "I *know* that, but come on, Cher. Does it really matter if he likes someone else? Like, I know he's flirty back, but that's surface level shit since he's got someone else in mind."

- "... You don't have to be vague with me about this 'someone else', Mage. I already know." "(looks at her wide-eyed) You– you *know?* Why haven't you talked to him about it?" "... It's.. complicated? I guess. He's sweet but, I'm.. Well, I'm sure you've heard of my late husband already."

- "I admit that I humored the idea of being together with Star when we'd been younger. But when you get older, you just start wanting certain things and... Well, I realized Starlo wasn't what I wanted at the time." "Oh..." "Meeting Chujin Ketsukane was the best moment of my life, and then I had Kanako and it was like everything slotted into place." "I was so happy..."

- "Then, somewhere along the lines, I.. I lost both of them." You just quietly comfort her, not even speaking and pushing a glass of water Dina readied towards her. "It broke me, I suppose. I ended up embracing a handful of vices and Starlo was.. He made sure to be close by, like the sweetheart he is."

- "... I'm still broken up over a lot of things, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't healing. Ever since Clover's arrival, everything's felt... less painful, in a way. The reality check they gave me all those years ago helped let me live in the moment and, well..."

- "With Starlo always wearing his soul on his sleeve, it was inevitable I'd figure things out in a span of five years... Clover didn't help his case either."

- "..." Well isn't this wild.

- "Ah– but don't take this as me trying to dissuade you. If anything, I'm happy someone thinks of him like you do..." "But do you?" "Hm?" "Do you think about him like I do after you found out?" "..."

- When Ceroba takes too long to answer and you start feeling bad for putting her on the spot, so you nudge her instead and laugh. "We can always share, you know? I'm sure he won't mind\~"

- That seems to do it since Ceroba slips out of whatever train of thought she'd been on to let out a snort that she quickly tries to hide with the clearing of her throat. You laugh and grin at her.

- "I'm serious, Cher! Why are you laughing?" "Pffft– I'm sorry, it's just– do you even hear yourself?" "I still have two ears, so yes. Definitely." "Ah, why was I so worried about you in the first place? You're nothing but a nerd like him." "(gasp) That's so rude! I'm gonna tell Star you called him a *nerd* when I get back home." "Oh no, whatever shall I do?"

- "Want an outside opinion? You two should go on and git. We don't want the Feisty *Seven* findin' you two boozehounds surrounded by bottles in the early morn'." "Alright, Dina. We'll get out of your hair." "Thanks Dina, you're a doll. We're ever so grateful for your kindness." "You *should* be. I bust my ass for you two everytime you decide you wanna drink every bottle in my pub..." "We love you too, Dina!"

- After a quick drop off to her house and a shared hug that Ceroba says you probably needed, you mosey back to your shared home with Star and the gang and find a familiar young brunette sitting by the porch, quiet contemplation on their face.

- "Frisk? Honey, why are you outside?" *"... Woke up from a nightmare."* That's all you need to hear really.

- Sitting down with them, you outstretch a hand to them, silently asking if they were comfortable with touch. When they shake their head, you mutter a quiet okay and put your hand down and simply stay seated beside them.

- "... You wanna talk about it?" ... *"Do you ever feel like you're having deja vu with things, Nini?"* "Depends. Sure, I've felt like I was reliving things before.. but I have a feeling that's not what you mean, Frisk."

- *"* ... I dreamt about you and Undyne." ... "You.. you died. You just fell and you didn't– y-you looked **wrong.** And I–i wasn't able to *help* you, even– I wanted to– I–" "Kid. *Kid*, come on, *breathe.* In and out, okay? Like Mama Ysa used to teach you. In... Out... In..."

- You do the breathing exercises and the 54321 panic attack technique with Frisk and they do calm down eventually, but they don't seem to keen over reliving whatever memory they have of that dream and you don't really want to find out either but you have an idea what it might've been.

- after making sure they're okay with touch, you carry them inside and are greeted by the familiar sight of the Feisty Four all asleep with Starlo being a surprise guest on your shared sofa bed with Clover and Frisk. You don't even have to ask outloud to get the answer as to why Star was sound asleep and hugging Clover so tightly.

- "Clover had a nightmare too..." ... "Mister Star didn't wanna leave us till we were okay, so he decided to stay with us. But I wanted to wait for you to get back, so I slipped out of his hug."

- damn. hot person behavior alert. wee woo wee woo.

- "That's sweet of him. Did he comfort you okay?" "Mhm, he's good. I like him, Nini." "That's nice. I like him too."

- ... Man. Where the fuck are you gonna sleep when Starlo got his fat ass in the middle of the damn sofa bed???

- Far too tired to agree with yourself or complain about any future bone hurting due to stubbornly not wanting to sleep in his bed and simply slip into the space beside him, making sure Frisk has enough space to feel comfortable before you drift off on your own.

- You're far too exhausted to even humor the thought of joking about this being the closest you'll get to sleeping with him, but you do file that thought away for later teasings just in case.

- ...

- You wake up to arms tightly wrapped around your waist and a whole lot of giggling, groggily opening your eyes, you see Frisk, Moray and Mooch looking at you with these smug grins while Ed and Ace are just at the edges of your peripherals with unamused looks on their faces towards the three before they call out that they're getting breakfast, the three wave them off and they leave. From what you can see, Clover is still asleep it seems like.

- "... The fuck you guys looking at?" you hoarse out, brain still fuzzy and waking up. Mooch goes >:3c as she speaks. "You want help getting out of that hold, buddy?"

- Moray meanwhile helpfully supplies you a reason why mooch said that, "sorry, but star's a deep sleeper *and* a bit of a clinger. if you wanna get up, you're not gonna be able to without any outside help."

- "huh, neat. (closes eyes) snork mimimimi..." "Of course you'd wanna make the most of this, Nini." "With how often they stare at Star, I'm not surprised." "(opens eyes just to glare at the three) excuse you, I *admire*. I don't *stare*." "... You're a weird human."

- Moray tries again. "You *sure* you don't want any help getting out?" You wave them off. "It's fine, I don't mind. Star deserves some beauty sleep after the heart attacks I gave him." Mooch shrugs and leaves the two. "Suit yourself! I'm gonna meet up with Ed and Ace, see ya there Moray, lil' guy!"

- And so, they eventually leave you be, with Frisk telling you they'll save you breakfast before they trail over with Moray, holding their hand all baby while you let yourself suffer the fate of being Starlo's pillow probably because Clover smacked him off of them.

- ... You close your eyes for a few minutes, just listening to the quiet sound of Starlo and Clover sleeping. But before you can pass out, there's shuffling and you're eventually met by a drowsy Clover sitting up and rubbing their face.

- "Morning, bud." They startle a bit, not having expected to hear your voice probably. They end up looking at you amused when they realize what the situation is though.

- "You didn't ask for help to get out?" "Ehh, it's not *so* bad. I'm not hungry yet, anyway." "Snrk– sorry, that's my bad. I think pushing him off in the middle of the night made him change targets."

- "Anyway, *you* may not mind, but we all know *he* will. So I might as well wake stardad up, y'know?" "Yeah, you do you, kiddo."

- And so, you're here vibing while you watch Clover try to wake Star up while he's cuddling into your back. He grumbles at the first few attempts, only wrapping his arms around you even tighter. Clover tries again, shaking him while they laugh, telling him that it's not even *them* he's hugging.

- After a few more shaking and tries, Star eventually rouses from his sleep and murmurs a good morning to Clover. It takes a second or two before you feel him tense up behind you, arms locking up as a squeak comes from him.

- "Morning, Sunflower. Have a nice rest?" He's quiet for a few moments and then you eventually feel him squish his face into your back as he blankly goes, "We ain't talking about this later."

- "I mean, I'd agree but I'm pretty sure everyone saw us, Star. Kinda hard to miss seeing your friend cuddling up with the mage on the sofa bed." "Please stop talking..."

- After a few more minutes of Star trying to recuperate so he won't just get embarrassed when he sees your face (in spite of pretty much just still hugging you through that time but you aren't complaining), he eventually pulls away and scooches over to hide his face in his hands as he leans his elbows against his knees with a loud groan. Clover comforts him with a gentle pat on the shoulder.

- "It's okay, Pa. Everyone already knows you're swagless and a cringefail." "WHAT DOES THAT EVEN ***MEAN???*** " You try not to laugh in the background.

- Breakfast is had, and while you have everyone around, Clover decides its high time to make a whole plan on how to get you and Frisk through Hotland as quickly as possible. Many of them admits not a lot of them have ever went to Hotland, but as far as Martlet has said, The Royal Scientist had been changing things up a lot ever since her robot had went up the charts as underground's only celebrity.

- "That rectangle's the only reason I even *got* a TV. Not a lot of the dunesfolk really watch the guy, but I admit, he's as interestin' as the human stuff he keeps promoting." "It's *slander* is what it is." "Stardad's just mad Mettaton ruined monster perception over western media." "Not like I ain't *wrong.* "

- Either way, you all talk about the way to Hotland and Ceroba ends up mentioning Steamworks only to backtrack as Clover reminds her of Axis and how he won't recognize Frisk or you if you ever go through everything and Clover doesn't want to chance anything happening to you two should you go with Steamworks.

- Plus, the place had fallen into disrepair after these years and they (Clover and Ceroba) all had to move Axis and his trash GF to somewhere less precarious.

- And so, this leaves you all with Hotland as the next option, and possibly Alphys as an ally. So, you call up Martlet to get some insight since Clover says she worked as a technical "bodyguard" for a while due to having been posted close to the Lab.

- You then proceed to get told about the hidden cameras throughout waterfall and snowdin that she *just* remembered existed and that Alphys probably already knows of you and Frisk so uh, oops.

- But hey! Turns out Alphys hasn't ratted you two out, so maybe this is a win?

- And with that, Hotland is a go!

- ... Except for one teeny thing.

- Starlo, admittedly, still wanted to talk to you after that whole *moment* you two had at waterfall because hey, he uh, sorta wants to try something with you and you *offered,* right? So this is alright, right?

- But before he can even ask you about it, he chickens out once you start paying attention and just tells you he can escort you and Frisk to Hotland with the gang as one final shebang before you two leave to speak to the King. He'll even throw a smaller impromptu goodbye party in your two's honor before you all leave later on. (you guys seem to want to *go* already and this is the only way he can elongate his time with you)

- He ignores the way Clover, Ceroba and the Feisty Four burn holes into his head since they realized he was gonna try confessing *something* but immediately lost Gay Chicken without you even knowing. Sad.

- You're a bit suspicious over how he was wording it, but you just shrug it off and thank him, calling him a sweetheart and telling him you're grateful to have met him and the others. then you wink and whisper to him, "mostly grateful that the stars led me to you, wink wonk".

- ... Why must you tease him like this? You're horrible. He hates you.

- You quickly apologize while laughing, telling him he doesn't have to take that seriously if he doesn't want to, but that you're sincere in saying you're definitely grateful that this journey led you to him.

- ... You're so fucking cheesy, what????

- The party eventually happens and you do a fun round to talk to everyone, you talk to the feisty four;

**Ed** mentions something about star and asks if you're really serious about him and you tell him you are, but you don't want to promise anything other than an allusion to a date since you aren't sure what'll happen when you meet King Asgore, Ed accepts that answer and tells you he thinks you're not too "shabby" of a human.

**Ace** has nothing much to say other than he hopes you aren't playing Star and that he wishes you a good journey once they drop you off in hotland.

**Mooch** complains about still not being able to drink but then shrugs it off and tells you to bring the king hell if he doesn't let you and Frisk stay with them 'cause clover has never been this giddy before and she appreciates the change.

**Moray** meanwhile asks you about star too and if you actually plan on going through with all your flirting and you admit that you aren't even sure if you'll be okay, so you'll just see because if you're lucky, then yes. you, in turn, ask about Martlet and they flush and squeak that the bird woman actually did ask her to play at the honeydew resort and that they're gonna have a quick date after her set. you wish them luck in their dating endeavors and they tell you they hope Asgore goes easy on you two.

- When you go to talk to Clover, they're nearly in tears when you ask them if they're enjoying the party. They hug you tight and say all their thank yous and has you promise you'll be okay along with Frisk since they don't know what they'd do if they lost their other family. You just hug them back for a while, making sure they could feel your warmth and promising that you'll be okay. Not that you know you will, but the kid deserves hope, even if they're 15 by now and god knows you were jaded as hell in your teens.

- You then talk to Ceroba and Starlo, leaning against the bar and thanking Dina when she automatically slides you a drink. Adult Talk Time.

- "Sooo, how ya likin' the party?" "Awhh, you're back to your accent again..." "You really like Nerdlo over North Star, huh?" "C-ceroba! Come on! You haven't called me that since Gradeschool!" "Might as well bring it back." She nudges you as she snickers, "You might as well know *this* part of his lore if you plan to date him. Datemate rules and all that." "Fair. I was already planning on meeting his parents anyway." "HUH?"

- Is it just Starlo or does it feel like you're four dimensions ahead of him? Did you two already *agree* on a date in the future somewhere around the days after that whole run in with Undyne? Are you and Ceroba just joking again? Or is this just your subtle way of saying you were gonna go on a date with him?

- ... Why must this be so complicated and why must you two find amusement in his suffering?

- While you and Ceroba snicker at his well-deserved confusion, Dina just rolls her eyes at you two and tells Star not to worry because from the little time she's gotten to know you, she knows you're– at the very least– smitten with him one way or another.

- You choke on your poor bloody mary and look at Dina with a mock look of betrayal. Then Ceroba adds her own comments on how you actually got flustered when she implied you had a big fat crush on Star during one of your talks and you look at her devastated.

- "E tu, Cher?" she shrugs "He had to know at some point. Might as well be now." you see her trying to hide a smirk while she takes a swig of her drink, "Datemate rules and all that." "You *suck.* "

- "Oh..." You straighten up once you hear Star start functioning again. There's the familiar teal blush on his face and you want to just squeeze him till he pops only to cry inside when he looks at you with a dumb little hopeful smile on his face.

- "So, s'that offer at Waterfall still valid?" you can't help but smirk. "Well, maybe not for a *rebound,* but a date? That's doable." you try not to sob when his grin grows and he excuses himself for a bit just so he can turn around and fistpump ("he's such a dork" "exactly") before looking back at you and Ceroba with that usual North Star persona swagger.

- "You know, I'm not even surprised you fell for me, darlin'." Oh? That's *new.* Really bold, this one is. You two haven't even gone on a date yet and he's *already* pulling out the Dating Pet names (your own don't apply, you're shameless <3). "I *do* tend ta occupy sixty percent of someone's mind after they meet me."

- "... You really are cringefail." he looks absolutely devastated.

- "CLOVER. YER SIB JUST CALLED ME ONE OF THOSE WORDS YOU USE!" "What? Boyfailure?" "WHY ARE YOU TWO LIKE THIS?!"

- excitement dies down and the party is over. your supplies are set, you have a map, your phones are doing fine, the gang's all ready, and the goodbyes have been said.

- it's time to go to Hotland, gang.

- on the way, you make sure to hang back a bit since you want some serenity. everyone recognizes that and stays in their bubbles but later on, star eventually hangs back with you to talk.

- you end up apologizing to him as you tell him you may not be able to go on a date just yet considering (motions to the journey) everything happening. Star is a bit sad about it, but he tells you he didn't expect you to put off this whole thing just to play patty cake with him since this was clearly important to you and Frisk. He's willing to be the one to wait and he doesn't mind.

- You think it's sweet and nudge him, telling him he's sweet once more and that you'll make sure to call him every time just so he knows you're still okay and in one piece for your future date. he laughs and thanks you for being considerate before giving you everyone's numbers at this point.

- he tells you that in spite of clover having a phone, they more or less just use *his* phone most of the time so you shouldn't be too surprised if it's clover that picks up the line when you call. you thank him for all the numbers and tell him you'll call them whenever it feels right and he's happy with that.

- you all end up by the cutoff point where hotland starts and hugs are had and you may or may not end up stealing Starlo's hat along with an almost kiss (you made sure to barely graze your lips at the edges of his own) before going off on your journey with a smirk.

- "That was half a kiss, you'll get the other half when I get back. That's enough incentive for me to get back to you, right?" "You're a damn tease, you know that?" "Only for you, Sunflower~"

- donned with his hat, Frisk's trust in you, and your trusty phone, whip, and dimensional satchel clover helped you get, you two go off into the lava pits of hotland. ready for the next adventure the underground has in store.

# Hotland, Steamworks and CORE

- "It's so damn HOT in this HOT ASS place."

- you and Frisk eventually took off your much thicker clothes, shoving them into the satchel and basically going off half naked, both in your slowly getting drenched tank tops.

- "They really weren't lying about *hot* were they?"

- you and Frisk eventually reach the lab with not much happening.

- "Oh, what the hell? Is that *us?* What in God's name?"

- you're pretty freaked out because while you know martlet said alphys already knew because of the cameras, you still don't like having *confirmation* that someone working under the king (the guy who wants to take your souls) had been watching you for so long.

- "O-oh! Y-y-you're here?! Already!?"

- ... Oh my god, she's so teeny? And anxious? It almost reminds you of your younger brother when you were in elementary. A baby, he was, yet he was just as horrid as you had been at the time.

- Shenanigans ensue, the killer robot is... oh, what, Dina wasn't joking when she said he was a literal rectangle? Wild– either way, he's suspiciously kind to you all because the shocks didn't really *feel* feel painful. more like it stings like when you plug something into an outlet with sweaty hands and pull away because you felt pain. yeah, that kind. unpleasant but not too bad.

- also why is Alphys making shapes with her hands, what? Frisk can't even see it, they're too focused on actually answering the quiz they don't even realize Alphys is... giving the correct answers? ... Hm.

- number, get. phone, upgraded. Alphys ended up commenting how they looked familiar and when you explained she actually brightened up a bit at the mention of Martlet, wondering how she is and you telling her Alphys might as well talk to her only for the scientist to freeze and decide against it before upgrading *both* your phones. wild.

- holy shit, extra storage? HOLY SHIT? UNDERGROUND INTERNET???? ... oh my god does Starlo have a monster facebook— "ALPHYS WHATS THE SOCIAL MEDIA HERE" "h-huh? oh, i-it's undernet." "THANK YOU."

- you then proceed to call Starlo and bother him about everyone's undernet names so you can assault them with live posts about yourself and Frisk while you're all going through it.

- Starlo tells you he saw you and Frisk on Dina's tv and everyone squished together to watch what the hell was happening. he then asks if that's gonna be a regular occurance and you just shrug, admitting you aren't sure but that he should keep an eye out just in case you two do and Starlo makes that his whole ass mission.

- funny username made. friends' usernames got. friend requests sent. future boyfail bf spoken to. all is good in the world...

- its only uphill from here!

- you then proceed to deal with the usual hotland shenanigans: matchmake a gay bunny and gay dragon <3, take part of multiple shows with Mettaton where your suspicions towards him and alphys just add up completely, talk to your friends about how hot hotland is, all the fun things.

- and then you two deal with a spider named fucking MUFFET who apologizes after the spiders in the ruins and dunes pretty much sends her a transcript about your purchases to them (you really liked the cider... in spite of all the spider bits) before you deal with... a play? wait METTATON YOU DONT KNOW HOW TO WALTZ??????

- anyway, extra suspicious shit in the form of Alphys because why didn't Mettaton just torch you two like he said? like you're grateful but he literally waited till Alphys called and hijacked the flamethrowers. weird shit all in all.

- on the way to the next shenanigan– e e e e e

- oh my god, it's Sans Undertale :skull:

- you trust Sans with Frisk but give him a shovel talk just in case before letting him go off with the kid, you explore everything, learn stuff and do the fun little side quests before asking everyone how to get to the castle. the elevator is still in use though, so unfortunately, you can't use it just yet.

- in the meanwhile, you just give Starlo a final call of sorts. he ends up getting everyone into the call to say their "see you laters" and "good lucks". Ceroba seems more pessimistic than they are and you understand it, but she still says she hopes she'll get to see you and Frisk again soon before giving the phone to Clover who seems more than just conflicted over all of this, asking if you *really* need to go, that you two can just stay there with them and the others, that you don't need to take this chance.

- You tell them that even if you did, you'll most likely regret *not* trying *something*. And you promised the kid you two'll get through this, and you two *will*, one way or another.

- "... Can I really not convince you, Sib?" "I kinda made up my mind after Undyne told me Asgore might not let me leave alive." "... I'm gonna miss you if you go." "I'm gonna miss you and Frisk too, buddy."

- the phone eventually gets back into star's hands and he sounds a bit hesitant to talk after that whole segment with Clover, quietly repeating Clover's question of whether or not you and Frisk could just stay there with him and the kid. your gaze softens and you can't help but joke.

- "Are you asking me to move in with you, Starlo?" "Well, sorta. But that's the gist of it, yeah." "We aren't even married yet, silly."

- he sputters out your name in embarrassment, partially angry and flustered as he goes, "Stop that!"

- "... I'd love to, Sunflower." "... But?" "But I need to do this for Frisk. And hey, if we're lucky, the kid'll get back home without an issue and you guys would be one soul closer to freedom." "... We haven't even gone on our date yet." "... Sorry, Star. I didn't.. I wasn't trying to–"

- "Could we change our promise?" "I.. *what?* " "Your magic seal or whatever, the promise we made after I told you I couldn't trust you." "... I mean, hypothetically, I can do that. Terms for magic deals and promises can be negotiable depending on the magic user—" "Then I wanna change it." "But–" "I want you to promise me you and the kid'll get back to me– to *us*– in one piece. That you won't be doin' some dumb martyr shit all 'cause you feel like that'll solve your issues with muckin' up a promise you made to your sister."

- something clicks in your mind. "... How do you know about that?" because he shouldn't. that timeline was loaded over. he shouldn't know about your breakdown admission. "I... huh, I ain't sure, but it.. it felt right to say."

- you can't take it. you're just a little guy who feels so damn smitten for him you just can't. how can you when he's so sweet even when you two haven't even known each other for this long? how the FUCK do you feel this down abysmal about him? you just can't. you can't!

- "I promise the kid and I will get back to you in one piece, Starlo. I'll make sure of it." "... Good. I wouldn't know what I'd do if the human I like-liked just up and disappeared on me." "Pfft– God, it's horrid how much I love you, Starlo."

- "??????" "Ah, wait, I didn't—

- *click!*

- ........... bro did he just hang up?

- ...

- ... oh my god he did.

- you don't know if you should be offended, depressed, or amused.

- *"Is your call done?"* "I.. I think so?" you're so crying inside "Is your date with sans done?" "Mhm. He was mean though, so I haggled three 'dogs from him." "Nice."

- You end up carrying Frisk into your arms since they asked and were tired so you decided fuck it. In the meanwhile you tell them about your side quests where you ended up getting something called a hush puppy and they seem to be happy about that.

- You two were vibing in the MTT shop where Frisk befriended a 19 year old catboy and you were busy taking pictures of the shit they bought, live posting as you ask how the fuck to eat the goddamn burger and if you'll die from how much sugar the glitter drink shit has.

- then you jump as your phone rings and immediately answer the call when you see it's Star, wanting to apologize for going way too fast and saying I love you so early in your practically nonexistent relationship only to deal with star screaming his apologies.

- ."DARLIN'! IM SORRY!!! I DIDNT MEAN TA END THE CALL I JUST DIDNT EXPECT ALL THAT SO I ENDED UP BREAKIN MY PHONE!!" "oh my god" "I'm usin' clover's phone right now, we already called up Martlet cause she knows a good phone mechanic— but that ain't important!"

- "You! YOU SAID THE—" you did not know a grown monster was capable of such squeaky noises of embarrassment. "Yer serious?! No takebacks? No– no jokin' or teasin' or what not?" "Pretty sure I've made it clear I was serious about you when I literally changed our deal terms, Sunflower." "Oh yeah, heh..." you can hear him giggling before he stifles it and goes back to talking normally, you can almost see the teal on his face.

- "I just– If it ain't too weird, could you, uh, could you say it again? ... Please?" "... Star, I can't say it again. That'll be a hit to my street cred." "Please, like you got any. You walk around with a kid carried on your hip." "Fine, fine."

- "... I love you, Starlo." you're dying, he sounds so cute squealing on his side. "Oh, now you *hafta* get back here once you're done with the castle. I ain't takin' your *maybes*, you hear?" "Of course, Sunflower. Whatever you say."

- Meanwhile here's Ceroba, Clover, the Feisty Four, and Dina just looking at Star as he kicks his legs and giggles and shit at what youre saying. Good for him.

- you two talk a bit more, you tell him that you're probably not gonna be able to call since the signal cuts off in the core but you'll be back soon enough. <3

- Core time. Core time. Core time.

- It's time of Mettaton EX's debut. Death by Glamour time.

- Funny haha segment where Clover soyjacks when Frisk's soul turns into a shooty shoot because THEIR soul does the shooty shoot and THEY taught Frisk that look look everyone!!!

- anyway, fight end, emotions are done, it's time to see ***the King.***

# The End

- While walking across the corridors of the castle where you could see the overview of New Home, The Capital right in front of you. Sure, you were able to have glimpses of New Home before, but it's different now that you're at the castle itself rather than just grocery shopping with Toriel.

- You two get to see a replica of Toriel's house yet Grayscale, and so, you're off to find the keys. Finding out certain things from the monsters as you two walk around to figure out just how to get to Asgore, learning of the story of Asriel and Chara from the Monsters instead of just Toriel.

- It remains to be as tragic as you remember.

- You and Frisk eventually get close to the throne room and without any more hesitation, you go in to meet the King of All Monsters, Asgore Dreemurr.

- it's... discomfortingly peaceful. you hear the tweeting of birds and you feel sunlight on your skin. you two are close to the surface and Asgore is...

- when he finishes watering his flowers, he turns and it's almost like he saw a ghost and you can see the way he seems to shake as his eyes focus on you and Frisk. a painful familiarity that gives way to quiet realization and then acceptance.

- "... Could I interest you two in some tea, perhaps?"

- he's stalling, but he quickly seems to realize that won't work as he sighs and gives you two a shaky smile.

- "... Alright. Let us get this over with then."

- He's just as polite and kind as you remember him being, just a tad shakier and more frazzled for one reason or another. You honestly don't know why.

- He eventually gives you two this spiel where he's willing for you two to leave, something you weren't able to get when you first fought him which is interesting to say the least. Is it because there's two of you and that means if he wins, he'll be able to break the barrier and continue the war? Possibly.

- The usual song and dance, you and Frisk try to convince Asgore that you could NOT do this? You know? Maybe you guys can figure out some other way to break the barrier because, in all honesty, you're (only you) willing to get experimented on since you're a mage and stuff.

- But Asgore doesn't listen so you and Frisk just decide that the only way really is to fight him.

- At some point, in the middle of the fight, Clover shows up and joins into the encounter much to everyone's surprise, but Asgore doesn't let up and you guess conversation is for later once you get through to this old man.

- Asgore is down and he ends up letting out a sad laugh before speaking his piece. He's just a sad, sad man who, while he cares for his people, probably feels the burden of the crown after his sudden declaration of war that inevitably ruined his relationship with his wife while he'd been stuck in his grief over the loss of his children.

- "I.. Asgore, look, it's.. We can try figuring out how to break the barrier without getting any more blood or dust on our hands. Alphys can help, right?" "I.. I suppose. It.. it will be nice to finally put an end to this."

- and an end to this there is as Asgore is hit by a familiar little flower who grins at you three.

- "Hiyya! Miss me?"

- And here we have the neutral End where you get killed by Flowey since you tried to protect the kids and Frisk and Clover are the ones that persist during the Photoshop Flowey fight. With Clover acting as Frisk's "Attack".

- You act just like Clover does in UTY Neutral Run and act as Frisk's support to dwindle down Flowey's HP and eventually help the souls rebel by rallying up while Flowey just keeps trying to absorb your ass. Clover makes sure Frisk is okay through all this.

- Frisk is then alone with Clover and Flowey. Clover almost grants Flowey's wishes of death because He *killed* you, someone both of them cared about so much, until Frisk stops them, shaking their head and instead choosing to spare Flowey, eventually scaring him off with their kindness.

- And there they are, alone together and unable to go back due to the barrier blocking the underground. The only way is through the door to the surface that only opened up due to the gap the souls and you had opened up in the barrier.

- "... I need to Load." "What?" "I can't.. I can't lose Nini. They.. They shouldn't have to– t-they promised to Mr. Star they'll be back, that we'll be okay– I have to– w-we need to—" "Woah, woah! Frisk, *breathe*, buddy."

- "... Okay, now what's this about a *Load?* Like.." "Like videogames. The save system. My last save was before Asgore's fight, before..." "... Alright. I trust you, lil' buddy. Bring back big sib for me, okay?" "Okay."

- A load is done, but the transition takes longer than usual as Frisk stays amidst a familiar void with... Flowey?

- Flowey, surprisingly, looks contemplative and weirdly genuine as he tells Frisk that maybe it'd be best if you two should be better friends with Alphys. When Frisk asks how, Flowey gives them a smile and tells them to visit Undyne before saying his goodbyes.

- They blink and they're back in the corridor before the throne room with you. You seem disoriented and almost surprised before it eases into something more familiar, but when you look at them, Frisk swears they see realization in your eyes.

- "Hey, kiddo? You've been staring at me for a bit, what is it?" *"Can we go visit Undyne? Maybe even do a victory lap through the underground?"* "... Sure buddy."

- You don't fight it, your memories of being merged with flowey and burning out till you disappears are still vivid to you. You also find yourself feeling... bad? for Flowey. It's... He's fucking depressing? You don't know which memories were real or not, but the echoes of his voice desperately crying out for a mom and dad? Him sobbing and the slow crawl to insanity he dealt with? The heavy regret as he wonders what he did?

- Like, you don't know but you're a bit of a Flowey Sympathizer now? Is that weird?

- Anyway, you two eventually do the whole victory lap, with both of you going to Undyne's place first because Frisk seemed adamant about it. They talk to Undyne while you go and send Ceroba (since you can't trust Star not to be waiting for you on Clover's phone) and Dalv a message, asking them if you can meet with them somewhere around snowdin close to Martlet's place if possible.

- In the meanwhile, Frisk tells you they plan to hang out with Alphys later so they can't stay to help you fully with the date but they'll make sure to call throughout the hang out so you don't worry. You end up giving in and telling them it's fine and you ask when they're going to hotland. they shrug and tell you it'll be a quick trip with the river person, so they'll just be here to help with the date.

- and so, this marks the start of your pre-planning for your date with Starlo.

- ... Fuck, you have no idea what you're doing.

- "it's just a first date, stop overthinking it." Ceroba tells you, flicking your forehead. "You're worrying too much about making it extravagant, aren't you?" "I mean, hah, it's kinda.. hard not to?" She huffs out your name in that motherly tone that sounds almost like affectionate scolding. "You just need to make sure Starlo and you have a good time. Preferably do something that'll nurture that connection between you two."

- "It just feels so cheesy asking him if wants to go on an ice skating date.. Would he even *want* to go to Snowdin for that?" "Again, you're overthinking this, Mage. Starlo's a romantic, he'll enjoy it, I promise."

- you more or less end up setting everything up with Martlet, making sure the ice lake wasn't populated by monsters that you could bother while setting up, setting up some fencing and so on so forth.

- Dalv gets you those flowers he told you about that looked similar to lilies and Frisk was the one who borrowed the dimensional satchel so they could borrow clothes from Undyne (and by Undyne, they mean Papyrus, she just apart took shit from Paps' closet and threw it into your dimensional satchel after Frisk explained it'd be a date in Snowdin).

- Clover and Ceroba, meanwhile, were in charge of going to Starlo to make sure he doesn't visit the dunes out of the blue because *someone* let it slip that you were back and the dunesfolk *definitely* know what you and Star will be doing.

- But thankfully, he's still busy working on the farm as far as you know, but you can never be too sure and you aren't chancing him getting spoiled about this when he can literally sense WHERE you are.

- Ceroba and Martlet also ended up letting you borrow some stuff for both the "asking out" outfit and the "ice skating" outfit, and maybe they even got a bit too excited and started telling you they *need* to be there for the second and third date so they can do this again because unlike Clover, you actually have a reason for them to pretty much use you like a paper doll.

- Eitherway, papyrus has good taste and you're grateful that the skeleton likes clothes of this caliber. You don't have any clue why he even has those sexy pirate button ups, a straight up leotard, a comfy ass winter coat with faux fur and specifically *two* pairs of ice skates– did he know? is papyrus just *that* cool? man, this guy's amazing.

- With that, everything is set other than the whole asking out thing with Starlo. And so, you're off to ask out a damn farmer boy.

- You end up at Starlo's parents farm, feeling a tad nervous as you roll up there with a bouquet of Snowdin Lilies (Frost Lilies, that's what you think Martlet said) and a get up that's straight fire and a new hairstyle Ceroba was adamant she had to do before she left because DATE.

- The Feisty Five + Ceroba immediately notice you since they're all facing the entrance (you think Mooch says "holy shit" while Moray nudges her and you think Ace muffles Clover's gasp while Ceroba just nods sagely) while Starlo's reading off a list in front of them. You've never seen monsters so shocked before that you feel almost embarrassed to have shown up all spiffied up, but you push through it and silently step closer to Star who remains distracted.

- "And then we got– (looks up and sees everyone so shocked) Guys? What are– what are we lookin' at here? What's so interestin'—" his voice dies in his throat when he turns and sees you all gussied up with a bouquet of flowers and clearly just as flustered as he feels with how much your eyes dart to anywhere that isn't him.

- Him whispering your name in question does nothing but make the warmth on your face grow hotter, and so, you let out a nervous laugh and finally look at his face to see just how bad his teal flush had gotten.

- "Hey, Sunflower." you shift your hold on the flowers, "You miss me?"

- before you even know it, he's thrown aside your flowers and you end up feeling his arms wrapping around your waist as he dips you and asks if he may kiss you and when you sputter out a yes he kisses you straight on the lips.

- "STAR??!???!?!?!!"

- Moray soyjack moment before she sends Martlet an update where Martlet celebrates with a ***LETS FUCKING GOOOOO***.

- Ceroba is the one that picks up the flowers because that's just a total waste and she doesn't trust you two not to be distracted over each other to remember the beautifully made bouquet until you're finished fawning and halfway out the dunes.

-you two eventually pull away and you're just "woah" while Starlo has his usual dumb grin on his face and a very pretty dusting of teal across his cheeks.

- "You promised me the other half of a kiss, didn't you, darlin'?"

- he's so fucking Wifey you're gonna fucking *explode*.

- ...

- you awkwardly sit in the sofa of Starlo's house with the frost lilies in hand while his whole family (bar Solomon because he apparently wanted to help his kid get his date clothes ready along with Clover) seems very interested to know just why they hadn't heard of you aside from the little whispers around town about some human that caught Star's fancy.

- you apologize that you were late to inform them (and we're late to meet with them in general) but you kind of just wanted to surprise Star since you promised a date once your affairs were in order and you just couldn't help yourself.

- Crestina looks like she's about to cry and Orion just looks surprised but happy that his brother finally lost his No-Bitch-itis. Good for him.

- Star eventually comes down and you're a bit confused why he doesn't have his glasses on but all in all, he's very cute in his fit. you already explained the date was in snowdin so it looks like Star, his dad, and Clover made sure to bring an overcoat and snowshoes (clover is carrying them.

- "Why aren't you wearing your glasses, hun?" "Well, it, uh.. It kinda clashes? I don't mind though." "Don't you need them?" "Yeah, but–" "Then keep them on, Sunflower. This is a date and I want you to be comfortable."

- "Plus, you're already plenty attractive in your glasses, Starlo." "... fine, fine, I'm puttin' them back on. Just for you, darlin'." "Thank you, Sunflower\~"

- ... fuck wait you forgot his family was there + Clover.

- Both of you flush as you realize that and see the shocked yet very pleased looks on his family's faces, Solomon eventually breaks the silence by giving Star a rough pat on the back as he gives his dad laugh.

- "This one's a keeper, son! Make sure they don't get away from ya now, it'd be a shame to lose such a gem." "Got it, Pa. Now could we just..?" "Have fun, kiddos!" "We will!" you hear your name get called and you look back to see Crestina, "Take care of our baby boy, ya hear?!" "I will!" "Good luck on your date, Stardad! Nonny!" "Thank you, Clover!"

- ... Oh my god they're already calling you Nonny. they're getting ready for the establishment of your relationship with fucking Starlo. that damn bastard child (affectionate).

- ...

- (how am I gonna incorporate the True Lab segment here, you may ask? Well what other way is there bro?)

- near the end of your date with Starlo, you're about to bring him back to his parents after a few hours of you two just being soft (it was mostly just talking about what could be and possibly planning what the next date would have and what either of you would be comfortable with and what labels you'd have and so on, so forth. just seeing expectations and stuff like that because I'm aroace as hell and I like imagining that, should I ever go into a relationship, i get to get this whole conversation with them and they'll in turn respect my boundaries) and learning how to ice skate together, playing in the snow, and overall just being utter goofballs and taking advantage of the cold so both of you could warm each other up.

- Starlo: My hands are cold.

Reader: Here, let me hold them.

Starlo: My lips are cold too.

Reader: (covers Starlo's mouth with their hand)

- but while you two are on the way back to the dunes, holding hands and shit, Frisk calls you and you would've expected it to be chill since they said they were hanging out with Alphys after you went to the dunes but when they tell you about the quiet and empty lab and the note Alphys left, you tell them you'll be right there.

- Starlo, of course, overhears this because you specifically put that shit on speaker because Starlo probably would've liked hearing Frisk babble about their day. But now he's *also* worried.

- "You sure you don't want me to bring you back home?" "Darlin', Frisk is practically my kid too at this point. I wouldn't be able to sleep after hearin' all that." "Alright."

- You eventually bump into Ceroba and Clover who were also on their way to Hotland so you all pretty much meet up with Frisk at the Lab.

- with your gang all set, you all go down the elevator and enter the True Lab.

- the elevator breaks and you're all hurtling to what feels like your doom before it stops abruptly and the doors open to a dark and grimy place and a colorful puzzle to solve.

- (we uh... yeah Ceroba's here for the Kanako subplot, yeah, sorry.)

- the lab fucks you all up, especially that freaky singing that has Ceroba and Starlo on the edge more than any of you, all because they say it's "so familiar".

- the amalgamates did freak most of you out at first (psychological horror tag moment) but after you opened up the room with the beds, Ceroba had a near breakdown after seeing her daughter all goopy and merged with a cherry blossom tree in the next room that you'd all been able to open, the existence of the amalgamates just gets worse as a thought process lmao.

- Ceroba is incapacitated as she hugs her daughter and sobs and Starlo stays right by her side, keeping her grounded instead of letting her spiral. he honestly asked you if it was okay if he could do that and you had to look at him like "bro? *yes???* why the hell would it not be?" and he just stayed by that room while you, Frisk, and clover went off to find the remaining keys.

- you get to learn of Alphys' experiments with determination and learn of why the amalgamates exist along with the young Dreemurrs fates and how they had their deaths (or at least, one of their deaths) planned and the birth of Flowey.

- it's all fucked. this lab is fucked up. is that why Alphys hid this away for so long? the illegality of this experimentation along with the unforseen consequences that led to it? you... don't know how to feel about this. you're not as close to Alphys as Frisk is, and while you understand the anxiety she may have had over telling everyone the truth of the matter, there's also the amalgamates to consider and how it pretty much ruined these people's lives in spite of them having fallen down.... but again, it's not like Alphys *knew* what would happen.

- all in all, it's a real depressing situation and you can only imagine what Ceroba feels right now.

- The kids... The kids to be taking this well though. Sure, they're probably learning the horrors of what it's like to go to the extremes when you're stuck between a rock and a hard place, but even then, it's like they... understand? In a way.

- the amalgamates are learned of and Alphys gets to face the truth openly now, she lets Ceroba yell at her but ultimately it's less anger and more of the built up grief she had already tried to wash away just slamming back into her system. she finally somewhat accepted her daughter had already been gone, but seeing her again pretty much fucked her up.

- Alphys can't do anything but apologize, but she only ever says it once Ceroba is done lashing out at her and far too emotionally exhausted and having Kanako calm her down. Ceroba sighs and apologizes too, saying she can't forgive Alphys but is, in some way, grateful that she was able to see her daughter again.

- Alphys basically admits to everything and tells you all what happened in a concise manner, saying that Frisk and her friends helped make her realize things and now she's ready to come clean.

- The amalgamates are free now, at least.

- None of you move for a bit, worried over Ceroba. You're tempted to get close and comfort her all the same but you don't know the full story, do you?

- And yet, Ceroba motions for you and everyone else to get close either way, she has this smile on her face as you kneel down beside her to meet Kanako eye to eye. Frisk and Clover follow in suit, smiling kindly at the amalgamate fox.

- "Kanako, I'd like you to meet..."

- Ceroba introduces you all to her kid. Introducing Clover with a jokey tone where she mentions Kanako always wanted a sibling and that Clover could be that, if she wanted. Then there's Frisk, they're a friend who had helped Ceroba find her again. And then you, she tells Kanako you're a nice mage that came underground with Frisk that she considers a close friend.

- Kanako is a sweetheart, that's something you quickly realize and by god does it make something in all three of you burn.

- These monsters deserve their freedom. They really, really do.

- And so, it's time to see Asgore once more.

- after asking Starlo and Ceroba if they wanted to stay behind and them rejecting the offer since they want to at least see you guys off before you get to the castle, you all move to shuffle into the elevator only for the elevator to immediately lock as soon as you, Frisk, and Clover end up inside of it.

- "Shit–"

- Thanks, Flowey. You goddamn sociopath.

- ...

- the elevators are all barred with vines and the only place you can get to is Asgore's throne room. None of you have any idea what Flowey wants from you all when last time didn't work so well for him but if this is where he's forcing you to go, might as well.

- You all go to meet Asgore, surprising him with the sight of Clover and hearing him pause as he asks if Clover was the one soul Martlet had lost and they nod.

- "Asgore, we don't have to do this. There has to be another way." "... I'm sorry."

- But before he can even swing his trident and truly start your encounter, cast fireball happens and you all just have to stand there shocked at the sight of Toriel(!?!?!!!) showing up and calling her ex-husband pathetic.

- And then, a whole stream of monsters all come in, much to you, Frisk, and Clover's goddamn surprise.

- It doesn't come as much of a surprise when Starlo and Ceroba (+Kanako in her arms) end up there, it *is* surprising to see Dalv and Martlet though.

- But honestly you were more so distracted by the sight of Starlo since he literally burst through the doors like: "NONE OF Y'ALL TOUCH MY KIDS AND FUTURE SPOUSE *("HUH??????")* OR SO HELP ME—" "Star, calm down. They're right there." "Oh."

- Shit's all good but you have this tiny inkling of dread in you. It's too clean, too convenient. You know how Starlo and Ceroba got here and it was because they were with you, but how did Dalv and Martlet get here? None of you three never contacted them.

- And then Papyrus says something about a flower and it all clicks to place.

- Clover and Frisk are left alone while you and everyone else gets tied up in Flowey's vines, stuck watching Flowey tease these two as you're all struggling against his binds.

- "Flowey! What the hell are you planning?!" "Oh, I'm *glad* you asked."

- Clover tries their best to protect Frisk, but considering Flowey's taste for being dramatic and an asshole, they pretty much make sure Clover stays down, telling them that if they're a good little human, he'll be happy to give them a front seat to the death of everyone they love. After all, that's what friends are for, right?

- The whole true pacifist shit shows up and while it still feels fine and dandy, you *know* something has to go wrong right now. Flowey wanted the souls, you remember that, he wanted *seven* for something and decided Clover could be a safety net for what he plans.

- And then your soul gets absorbed again, the sensation of it is almost familiar at this point. Your body falls into the arms of a fifteen years old and you see them shuffle backwards, making sure to keep you safe before they both disappear from your eyes, getting eaten into the void around them and Frisk.

- They're somewhere safe. Time has long since paused as soon as Flowey became Asriel. You see Frisk and yet you don't at the same time. But you know Frisk, Clover, and You will be safe.

- A cacophony of whispers, wishes, dreams and an echo of emotions wash over you before you find yourself slipping and the dark takes you in full.

- ...

- "But maybe you can save something else?"

- Remind | Promise | Hug

- " *I'm a disappointment, aren't I..?* "

- * You remind them of the friends they've made and how much they care about them and you.

- " *Please... Don't leave me. I'll be better, I promise.* "

- * You promise to them you'll both be okay. Just like they promised to you when you both fell.

- " *I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry–*"

- * You hug them, making sure they feel all the warmth and love you hold for them.

- "Woah! Uh, don't mind all that, kid. That's all in the past, I've grown from that now." "Now c'mon! You got a lotta folks to save, bud!"

- ...

- When you wake up, it's to a sobbing Starlo, Clover and Frisk, and multiple other worried monsters.

- "... Damn guys, you look like someone just died."

- You are not immune to tight and warm group hugs.

- ...

- Frisk and Clover tell you all about what they found out and how the barrier is actually broken and so on, so forth and they're actually planning to do a bit of a victory lap. "A real one, this time." Frisk tells you.

- You follow along for a bit, helping the kids drop off Ceroba, Kanako and Starlo at the Dunes for them to spread the news before following along with the journey, re-meeting every monster you encountered and so on so forth.

- It doesn't take long before you three are alone in the ruins. All of you end up talking about something only implied rather than explicitly said and the resets are finally forefront of your thoughts. The kids explain to you they felt the same. Clover even admits to having killed a lot of monsters on their first run, but after they got to the surface, they couldn't help the way they got wracked with guilt as the realization trickled into their ten year old mind.

- And then they reset, and the powers were back to Flowey who barely even seemed to remember that run.

- Frisk and you explain the same thing, though, you don't think Frisk ever done anything as bad as you had when you were the one in control. It also looks like Frisk is the one that has a hold on the power now after what happened with Asriel. they seem to have complete control now instead of the partial control both of you shared through the 3/4 legs of the journey.

- You do very vividly remember being stuck inside Flowey's mind, sharing a body that held so many horrible memories that you couldn't even parse. You also ended with seeing just who Chara was and you can't help but joke that maybe that was the ghost child Frisk saw in their dreams.

- They admit that yes, it was and that they remember them thanking them before asking for Frisk to take care of their family. Especially Asriel– or, Flowey, Chara corrected themself. Then they disappeared.

- You all end up at the very start of the journey, Asriel staring down at the bed of flowers with quiet contemplation.

- Clover and Frisk move to talk to him and you let the kids be for a while before eventually moving to hug them all once they all quiet down.

- You don't think you'll ever forgive Flowey for all the shit he did, but you, at the very least, know better about him and Asriel now. Maybe not having power at his flowery petals and a rowdy family like yours would calm him down.

- Yeah... That's a nice thought, isn't it?

- ...

- ... "Come on, you two. It's time to go home."

- With one last hug goodbye to the goat child, you make a quiet promise to the ghost child that you'll all come back for Flowey as soon as everything settles, promising that while the flower may not have been the *best* friend your kids could ever have, the weed deserved to see the surface like every other monster underground.

- and with that, you all leave the ruins, hearts lighter and excitement brimming in your veins.

# New Beginnings - Epilogue Chapters

- It's been a few days since the barrier broke and you've been assigned the "Royal Ambassador of the Monsters" in spite of frisk having been the savior. The kid openly stated they don't mind since if they *were* the ambassador, they'd have to do all these adult things like meetings and bureaucracy. Blegh.

- You've finally gotten away from your duties, but that doesn't mean you aren't done with your damn work. And by work, you mean helping Clover's found family pack and figuring out where they'll be settling.

- You already talked with the mayor and she was okay with the whole temporary housing stuff for the monsters at the bottom of Ebott and she already made the calls and what not to help with that. The residential district and so on so forth is gonna be expanded and since there's also the forests close to the mountain, some monsters could choose to set their permanent homes there if they want to.

- Most of your town is surprisingly monster friendly– which, in all honesty, is probably because of the sudden magic boost the broken barrier caused. All that build up of magic underground just snapped reality back to it's Mage era somehow. Scientists would probably riot and historians are sobbing.

- You all pretty much made international news and Hollis and your family probably broke multiple traffic violations when the news came out and you were the main spokesperson.

- Frisk was able to convince Undyne and Papyrus to join your team in charge of setting up the temp housing around Ebott and honestly, watching these two uproot trees and flatten the ground with the human workers sort of ended up scaring all of you because what the hell is that strength? How were you ever able to beat Undyne in those other timelines if she's that buff? Damn.

- Either way, most of the friends you made during the journey happily wanted to go out and see the surface world. You made sure to double-check with them if it really was alright for them to stay just by the mountain and they double agreed so you just shrugged it off. Ceroba stayed back along with Dalv for personal reasons and you couldn't blame them, telling them you'll give the news once these are all settled.

- (just fun setup with Reader where they talk to their friends and apologize to Star for being unable to take him on a date considering the tensions between your species, he just holds your hand and kisses the back of it, telling you it's okay and he doesn't mind as long as you promise to make up for lost time. you smack his shoulder and snort, telling him he's gotten way bolder and you almost miss it when he was embarrassed with all the flirting.)

- ...

- It takes a month or two before everything settles enough. Tourism was cut so the monsters won't have to deal with freaky humans who want to learn about them/despise them and want to do heinous shit and just freaks in general.

- But hey! it's finally officially moving day and Starlo is pretty much moving in with your dumbass because you offered without thinking too much of it since it felt like it was efficient and also useful because the gold to money exchange rate goes wild and while technically every monster is loaded and possibly gonna crash the market, the residential areas are still being fixed up for most of the other monsters.

- Callum pretty much visited a whole lot and got to know most of the monsters that wanted to see what the surface may have in store and even offered lodging in his cabin should anyone wish. You teased him about being a lonely hermit in the woods and he got mad at you.

- You did have to talk to him about possibly having Starlo's family and maybe even Ceroba close by to his cabin when the whole moving stuff is underway because the Ketsukanes are more or less solitary and Starlo's family happen to be farmers who apparently still want to maintain the farming business even on the surface. Good for your town's agriculture at least.

- But yeah, your town does have the Mage CIA and it's called the Magus Society. They're just normal parts of life that Callum never bothered to tell you about because you were registered or initiated and considering what happened with the monsters, everyone now know they exist and that that one instance of the fusion between Chara and Asriel happening was actually filed as a cryptid situation and was apparently used as an SCP oc. Good for the creatives but uhhhhhhhhhh... *yeah.*

- Asgore was eventually brought to trial (the news of five children's deaths spread like wildfire, many advocated for one side or the other but it was the general consensus that Asgore was no longer allowed to be King of the Monsters) after admittance of his murders of the five children. but the most human law could do was ask him to step down as a king and basically get stripped of his status as a royal and this basically turned the monster sovereign into a diplomacy type thing. You and Toriel occasionally end up in a meeting together for these since you two are the heads of the whole thing after all this (the monsters have yet to get a president of some sorts so you and Toriel are acting leaders), Asgore's still allowed in the meetings as a third party advisor though.

- But other than all that, everything's been mostly peachy. Most are still hesitant to leave, but that's okay. You still have Flowey at the back of your mind and you do remember to visit him with or without Frisk to tell him about what's up so far. It's still too messy up top to bring him up, but you already have a good idea on how but that depends on just how comfy he is with being in a garden of other flowers.

- You make sure to have time with Star through the months leading up to the move since HELL if you're neglecting his cute ass after he pretty much acts like the most love stricken bastard you've ever had the pleasure of knowing. You love him sm.

- You go on quick dates like walks through the forest, him showing you his favorite spots in the underground that aren't in the dunes. and when the monsters were allowed out and about the city, you made sure to treat him to that one cafe your sister-in-law likes raving about (yes, you made sure he'd end up being able to consume the human food by experimenting multiple times with Martlet and Dalv to see if your knowledge from Toriel holds up on shit *you* don't cook.), and even showed him the local aquarium when you were free for a day.

- but yeah, moving day and you have enough self control not to smack Star's ass whenever the opportunity presents itself only to get shocked by Star smacking your ass this one time you had bent over on your counter while complaining about being tired.

- You will *never* get used to him being way bolder with you, damn.

- either way, your boyfriend moving over definitely garnered plenty of damn interest, especially when Hollis pretty much knew Starlo with how often Clover had them visit the Starboy during hollis' off duty days. Frisk and Clover convinced everyone he was wonderful and your parents were beyond overjoyed to have a new member of the family.

- Your siblings bullied you though, something something, nerds never having been your taste, didn't you always like the emos and so on, does this mean you're already planning your marriage because you've never been this smitten for someone the opposite of your type.

- You and Jules basically end up bullying each other and your sister tries her best to comfort Star on that you and Jules are always like this but are actually quite close since he looked really confused.

- Your sister and sister-in-law basically were very sweet to him and your parents asked him the usual "person that is dating my child" questions and everyone just ignored you and Jules roughhousing like you were eight. Clover and Frisk helped answer some questions for Star though when he got a bit confused over some of them. but eventually your parents have a general consensus over him and end asking to see his hands, confused but willing to see this all through, star does.

- "Mmm, that's nice to know." you and Jules pause in your roughhousing and look at your dad, confused as hell as you see him and mom holding star's hands. "Mama? Papa? What are you plotting..?" "... I think I might know a good jeweler for you two. Hey hun, you think we'll be able to get a custom done for these two anytime soon?" "I'M NOT GETTING MARRIED THIS SOON, MAMA????????"

- fun times all around.

- the other bits would just be what if scenarios like poly reader/starlo/ceroba both Triad and V. Chujin Revival AU, necromancy style thru Callum and he's so full of conflicted disdain that you were the reason he lives but also, you and your nibling helped his family so he feels indebted and Ceroba is friends with you and their daughter is also not as goopy as before.