Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Human? I have a question!” Papyrus twirled a fork of spaghetti across the table, seemingly pondering whatever question he was about to ask. Frisk was opposite him, fiddling with their own fork. After the first year underground, this is where they decided to stay, occasionally swapping between the two skeleton’s house and Toriel’s. As fun as it was, about the only thing Papyrus could cook (that Frisk could actually eat) was okay spaghetti, which was a bit of a downside.

“What’s up?”
“What is…what’s the sun like? I’ve heard so much about it from some of the older monsters, but…is it really that good?”
“Mmm, the sun’s pretty good, yeah! It’s…it’s bright, and warm, and…red. It’s red, pretty–wait, no, it’s yellow. I think.”
“Is it yellow or red?”
“It’s…I don’t. I don’t remember? I think it was…”
“Human?”
“The sun was…how could I forget the SUN..?”
“Human?”

“HUMAN?!”

Papyrus' voice jolted Frisk back to reality, back from the memory that had spurred in their mind the moment they reached the surface and gazed upon…the sun. There it was, just as they dreamt of for the first few nights since falling underground, and just as they remembered. They wouldn’t forget the sun, it’s the sun…they just had an active imagination was all.

“I-I’m here, Papyrus.”
“Where is ‘here?’ Me and Sans are looking for you right now!”

Their eyes twitched towards the phone, their SOUL begging not to be away from the sun’s light any longer. Just a minute , they told themselves. Papyrus started calling just before they entered the King’s throne room, so it probably didn’t take long for Al-Alp–... Her , to tell him what was going on. Or, more likely, just part of it, knowing her. Why, Why, WHY did they have to listen to that stupid, fucking flower?!

“Hey kiddo, ya’ still with us?”

Sans’ voice interrupted their internal lament, just as Papyrus’ did moments ago. It seemed that on the surface, every little thing was taking away their focus. It was all just…so much. The smell of grass, the burning gaze of the sun, even crickets chirping were just tearing their brain to pieces. But they were alive, and that’s all that mattered to Sans’ question. Maybe they should just…be patient .

“Barely.” They replied, voice shaken from either their own recollection or the surface’s many sounds and smells. Probably both.

“Hey, there's the kid I know. If my suspicions are correct, I can’t believe you got past The Hall of Judgement without me. Is that right kid?”

They could practically hear Sans wink on the other line, with a wide, all-knowing grin plastered on his face. Frisk usually loved that sort of thing…but they just couldn’t stand thinking of it right now.

“Y-Yeah.”
“Listen, I know what you’re thinking right now kid, that you feel like you have to fight Asgore, that you–”
“NO! Y-You don’t know what I’m thinking!” They lashed out, digging their heels into the soft mud right outside the barrier. “A-At least…you better not.”
“Frisk..?” He used their name this time. “Frisk, did you…see something you weren’t supposed to?”

…He knew? N-No, he was just, he was just good at guessing. That had to be it, it had to be. Sans wouldn’t lie about that kind of stuff, even if he always clearly knew more than he was letting on. Even if he antagonized Flowey when no one else but themselves would. Even if he would seem to always send a text when Frisk loaded a save. Oh Angel.

“Sans.” They couldn’t appreciate the sun right now, not like they had mere minutes ago. That experience was tainted for them. “Please…please tell me you don’t…”

He stayed silent. They could even hear Papyrus asking him what was wrong, for a clue-in on the conversation. It was ironic how oblivious he was.

“Kid, please, we can talk. I’m sure what you saw was bad, but why go running right into Asgore’s arms?” Frisk, along with this comment, just realized what Sans said somewhat before this.
“Y-You…you still think I’m there.”
“Frisk?” Papyrus this time. “Sans said you were past The Judgement Hall, so you’re nearing the throne room, correct?”

That was one thing Sans didn’t know, apparently. Frisk, feeling the moment of ever so slight superiority, looked back at the sun. At least, what was left of it as it began to set. The blue sky far above darkening, but the parts where it touched the sun changed to hues of purple and red. It looked like something out of a picture book, something someone would imagine if told about the sun, having never experienced it before. And…it really was everything it was chalked up to be. They thought two years without wouldn’t be enough to really bring out their emotions, but every spear of light and change in colour started to bring them to tears. The two on the phone were practically yelling at this point, trying to grab their attention, but they didn’t care much. They just felt so much…apathy. All their emotions were focused on the sun right now, on the surface, on the silver stars in the sky. That’s all that concerned them at the moment, it’s warmth, it’s light, it’s kindness . Until another voice joined the phone. One grainy and intense, yet still harboring fond memories.

“FRISK!! I heard you’re going to fight the king, and as much as I love fighting, I don’t think you should! He’s really strong, you know, and…and we still need to train more!” Undyne was always shit at saying her emotions in a way that didn’t involve sharp objects, but Frisk could tell what she was really trying to say. Don’t fight the king, you’ll die, and I don’t want you to die! It almost seemed selfish of her. Of course, Frisk never felt the desire to leave the underground until today, why would they? But…who was she to stop them if they really wanted to?

Well, not like she could at this point anyways.

“Undyne, I…I already made my decision.”
“Frisk, you…no, you can change it! You’re still talking to us, that means you haven’t fought him yet! So you can–”
“Undyne, please, I don’t…I don’t think you understand.” It was the crescendo of the sun’s descent for the day, just like all other stars, it shines brightest when it's coming to its end. And, also like all others, its end would make way for new stars, to begin the cycle one more. How poetic. “I’ve already decided to fight Asgore. And I already have .”

It was getting hard to breathe, now that the once living dust heard its true name. It's like it wanted to climb into their throat, choke them, take them out as a last ditch effort of revenge. But he’s just dust now. He’s just…

“I’m so sorry Undyne.” She really looked up to him. Most monsters did, but Undyne especially. She loved his dedication, his bravery , his perseverance . He didn’t fight with monsterkind, he fought for monsterkind. Asgore was self-sacrificial, but he was also strong enough that he wouldn’t need to sacrifice himself. All-in-all, he was the perfect example of a monster, and the perfect example of everything Frisk wasn’t .

“Kid, what did you do ?”

Frisk forgot he was there. Papyrus was probably listening too. Man, he also loved the king a lot, didn’t he? They turned away from the phone again, back to the sky. Normally, holding his dust, Frisk would’ve spread it across the entrance, at least allowing him to see the outside world one last time…but it didn’t want to go. It stuck to them, to their hair, to Sans’ jacket, and to the dagger they clenched in their right hand. It turned their once deep brown hair pale at the tips, as if they bleached it. They just wanted to get it off, get it all off! They tried pulling at their clothes and hair, and wiping them over and over, but it just wouldn’t come off. Or, if it did, it would now stick to their hands, and spread to every other part of their body like a virus. What did those books say about dust again?! They were spread over their favourite thing, and stuck to it. What, was a human SOUL all Asgore cared about?!

Though, it wasn’t all Asgore’s dust. Some of it came from the remains of that demonic, fucking… thing , they fought. It's probably stuck to them because they were just his favourite playtoy, what a FUCKING child! There weren’t many sounds coming from the phone now, since they were probably just running in a somber silence after they finally figured out what Frisk had done. All that was left were echoing footsteps and breaths–echoing? That could only mean…The Hall. They were close now. It’s not like they could cross over the Barrier, but…Frisk didn’t want to be there when they chastised them.

As much as he was a warrior, Asgore was a kind man, he could’ve been reasoned with, they’d probably argue. In fact, the MERCY option reappeared just as he began to die, but they didn’t–they didn’t trust it. They didn’t trust anyone underground anymore, no matter how many years they spent down there! Not Sans, not Asgore, especially not HER. He would probably just shatter it once more as they went to choose it, then surprise attack them! It doesn’t matter how much integrity he must’ve had, these were his PEOPLE. He’s killed plenty of children before, why stop today? S-So of course they had to click FIGHT, it was only logical! And either way, Flower would’ve come in and finished the job, just like he tried to. 

“G-Guys?” The 5 pairs of footsteps ceased, one of them even skidding across the floors of The Hall. No one spoke up. “...I’m…I’m sorry.”
“Human, I’m sure whatever you did is not too important! I think you're over the barrier, correct?” Can’t believe he managed to piece that together. “Come back through, we can all talk about this!”
“Y-Yeah! Or maybe punch our feelings out! Something fun! Just to, you know…talk!”
“Exactly! Frisk–” 

A new voice this time. Not new, no, all too familiar, but new to this ‘conversation’. A voice that had already tried to reason with them once before, not long before now. A voice that Frisk absolutely despised. Whatever she said, they tuned it out, both their hands shaking and their jaw clenched. It took a few moments of silence before Frisk found exactly what to say, exactly what kind of justice she deserved .

“…Go to Hell Alphys.”

Click!

If there was only one real monster down there, it was her.

“Wow! That was cruuueeeelll, even for me !” A horrible, shrill laughter pierced the almost calming silence of the night before them. A noise, just like the others, that had occupied Frisk’s mind for far too long. Too many days and too many nights were spent thinking about that damn flower.
“I don’t think anyone can usurp your demented mind, Flowey. Pat yourself on the back–oh wait, you don’t have arms.” Even if the comment existed purely to taunt him, it was crafted from lies, and the lie wasn’t about his lack of arms.
“You don’t really think that, do you?” Frisk turned, looking at the torn, stabbed, and shot flower practically kneeling before them. Despite his state however, he still held that stupid, horrid grin. Unlike most monsters, whatever Hell Flowey crawled out of made it so that each piece of him that was torn off wilted and turned to dust. As much, oh as much as they wanted to kill him, he didn’t deserve death. They watched his face transform. “I-I think this face makes me a little worse, d-doesn’t it?” He mimicked Alphys’ voice perfectly.

“It…that’s not the point. What do you want?”

He laughed that horrible, shrill laugh.

“Oh no, you’re not changing the subject that easily! Admit it, one of your closest friends has been lying to you this whole time! Hm, I wonder who else has been telling little fibs here and there–the shorter skeleton’s always been a little sketchy don’t you thi–”

Not even letting him get another word in, Frisk lunged for his stem/throat, crushing whatever semblance of a windpipe the thing might’ve had. They might have agreed with him, Frisk internally admitted, but he doesn’t deserve to talk about their family that way. In fact, he doesn’t even deserve to utter another breath , Frisk thought as he watched him cough out his last.

“D-Do it. I told you, Frisk– cough cough –it’s kill or be killed. Prove me right .”

…Angel above, did they hate this damn flower. They slowly loosened their grip, trying to hold back tears from their eyes. Were they doing this out of… kindness ? No, no, he doesn’t get a second chance. Only, for something so weak and pitiful as he is now…it may have been a selfish reason, but whatever was the worst outcome for Flowey, that’s the one they wanted to take.

“What–What are you doing?”
“Letting you live, against my better judgement.” Frisk tried to smirk, tried to show some control over the situation, but just couldn’t. They didn’t feel like a winner; only like someone who didn’t lose. “If I don’t kill you here and now, you’ll just reform, like all the other–” Their mouth couldn’t choke out the words. “The other experiments. And knowing I’m the only reason you’re alive?” His once vile face was now not unlike a pleading child’s. “That’s a fate worse than death for you.”
“No…no No NO NO NO NO NO! NO! YOU CAN’T! I’ll…HA! HAHA! I’LL KILL EVERYONE YOU LOVE THEN! GO AHEAD, LET ME LIVE!”

Did that threat even matter to the–wait, no, no they shouldn’t even be thinking that. Of course such a threat mattered, despite what everyone… hid from them, they still loved their family. But that’s not why this threat shouldn’t phase them.

“You wouldn’t. If anything, it’d just make you bored. And it’s not like you can reset now…for once in your life…your choices matter.”
“…” Flowey didn’t respond. Instead, his face cowered once more, and his black pupils dilated. “You…you’ll be back. I know you will–”
“You don’t know ANYTHING! Why should I believe you?!” Frisk was tired of everyone acting like they knew what they were doing. Like…Like they knew what was best for everyone, what secrets they hid no one else should know, it was just so selfish .
“Because I do know, Frisk .” He spat out their name. “I know what you’ll do, what you’ve done, and most of all; I. Know. You .”

Before Frisk could yell their frustrations at him once more, Flowey popped back into their ground, through the gap in their hands Frisk left for them.

“Of course that fucker had to get the last word in…” They muttered under their breath, only slightly above the volume of their buzzing phone. But, that volume would slowly increase, more and more and more. Not literally, but its impact on Frisk’s head was louder than anything else around them. Just the constant buzzing , it’s shaking in their pocket, it was so loud, too loud .

They ripped it out; Papyrus, of course, but there were missed calls from the others as well, even Toriel, who they probably filled in. Sans too, who never uses his phone, called once. He could just teleport around, so it wasn’t necessary. No, no, they should stop thinking about them. They should forget all their little traits and quirks they had come to love, because what was done was done. Both by Frisk, and by them.

But…they shouldn’t just…leave them off. It’s cruel. And they would be…the bigger person. It doesn’t matter how terrible everyone could’ve been, or what horrible things they let people get away with, they should just be…better. So Frisk opened up a chat they formed around two years ago, between themselves, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, Undyne, and Toriel. It was hard to type, the screen getting all wet from their tears. Stop fucking crying, Frisk told themselves. They–they deserve it.

FriskDreemurr: The sun was beautiful, Papyrus. I hope you see it one day.

Chapter Text

Frisk hadn’t noticed the gash until they were about a third of the way down the mountain. Hopefully a third. They must’ve gotten it in the fight against Flowey, because it was pretty deep, and ran down the entire length of their upper left arm. Fortunately, it didn’t bleed, but the way it cut through Sans’ jacket and exposed a good bit of flesh made Frisk feel like it should’ve. Magic wounds, or something along those lines. Whatever.

Every section of the woods looked the same, which is what gave them uncertainty about how far down Mount Ebott they were. If not for the glimmering void that was the night sky, it would’ve been virtually identical to the woods in Snowdin. Even then, the underground roof mimicked the night well enough, so Frisk wasn’t as entranced by it as they were with the sun. Especially considering it wasn’t very useful , just made everything dark and hard to see. Maybe they should have gone on those camping trips with Papyrus after all… What was his advice again?

* First priority is warmth and shelter! Can’t be if you can’t see! *

Right, thanks. Frisk thought to themselves, before trying to think of the best way to get either of those– Wait.

“..You’re back.”

The voice didn’t acknowledge them. It had been getting quieter and quieter over the years, but it completely shut up when Frisk was exploring…that place. Especially while they were watching the tapes, which gave them a slight inclination as to the true identity of the voice. As creepy as it was when they first entered the underground, the voice seemed to be guiding them, so they went along with it. But when Frisk started wanting to stay underground, rather than following the voice out, it didn’t like that. They stopped walking, and sat up against a nearby pine tree.

“It’s been a while. You’re, uh…you’re the first human, right? Child of the royal family?”

It didn’t respond.

“...Could you at least tell me your name? If I’m gonna be stuck with you again.”
“My name,” The voice echoed around them, rather than in their head this time, as Frisk watched a red SOUL not unlike their own manifest in front of them, with a red outline of sorts forming the spectral body of a child. “Is Chara.”
“Uh-huh. So, Chara…what now?”

Frisk looked at her for advice, but Chara only stared back, her expression appearing like a mix between being dumbfounded and just surprised. She placed two ghastly hands on her hips, and almost sneered at them.

“Why are you asking me ?”
“You’re the one who’s been doing all the guiding for the last few years!” Frisk responded with equal amounts of unkindness.

“That’s because I know the underground. We’re on the surface, where I haven’t been for the past few centuries, mind you. You’re the expert.” As much as Frisk wanted to argue, she was right.
“Fine, fine…any suggestions at least?”
“Angel above, you’re clueless. Do you have, like, a house? Do people still have houses?”
“Houses still exist, dipshit. And I…did have one.”

Chara snapped their fingers, a smug look overriding the previous one as she floated onto her back in the air. Cocky little shi–

“There ya’ go! See? Was that so hard?”
“Alright, if you’re so smart, how am I supposed to get there? We’re in the middle of nowhere and it’s way too dark to see anything!”

As much as they’d probably prefer a proper solution, Frisk was at least a little glad that they stumped Chara. Even as ‘Mysterious Guiding Voice Person’, she was always too entitled for her own good, so if she was knocked down a few pegs Frisk would be happy. And even more fortunately, they thought of a solution in the time it took for her to ponder.

“Nevermind, I got it.”

 They stood up, shoving what was probably Chara’s knife into their ITEM slot, and put their hands close to each other. The SOUL next to them watched as Frisk shut their eyes, focusing as much magic as they could muster into the empty space above their palms. With a good bit of effort, (but less than it usually takes for some reason…), Frisk managed to conjure a tiny, yet bright, flame. Chara let out a low whistle of admiration.

“Guess Mom taught you the good stuff, huh?”

“M-Mom?” Frisk muttered, struggling to keep even such a small amount of magic stable, it taking most of their energy and concentration. “Right, you called her mom…” Too , they resisted the urge to add-on.

“Yup, you and I are a couple of siblings.” Chara winked, as Frisk remembered the very, very annoying thing she could do.

“Stop reading my mind.” They snapped.

“It’s not reading your mind, it’s like, intention-sensing. Big difference!” Bullshit . But, it would take too much energy to argue with them while trying to keep the magical flame alive. 

Walking past their phantom companion, Frisk was finally able to see at least a few feet in front of them, the fire doing its job. It was a lot bigger than any fire they could previously summon, and they have been skipping out on some of Toriel’s lessons to goof off, so…

“I couldn’t tell ya’.”
“Hm?” Frisk raised an eyebrow, the one not covered by their shaggy, dust-stained hair.

“Can’t tell you why the fire’s bigger.”
“Mind reading bastard…” They mumbled.

“It’s not–! Oh, whatever. I do actually have an idea, though.” Rather than answering, as their attention was currently occupied by keeping their only source of light on, Frisk gave her a subtle nod to get them to elaborate. “Have you checked your stats recently?”

“No, and it’s kinda hard while I’m doing…this.”

“I’ll check for you…” Chara, lax as ever, created an ACT box, and started fiddling with it. Frisk didn’t care much, thinking she was just doing something stupid. They weren’t concerned with their stats, why would they be? No one would ever FIGHT above ground, so their assumption was that their stats didn’t carry over. “And I was right, you’re at a squeaky-clean LOVE value of 6! Good job Frisk, didn’t know ya’ had it in–”

The flame immediately went out in a puff, as Frisk clenched their fists in shock and pulled back. They glared one wide, red eye at Chara, hoping she was joking. Didn’t look like it.

“C-Chara, that’s kind of a cruel joke you know…” Frisk attempted to laugh it off, but the element of nervousness in their voice was obvious.

“Not a joke, take a look for yourself!” They spun around the magical ‘screen,’ displaying Frisk’s stats; LV 6, HP 40/40, AT 10, DF 1. This made them seize up even more, as their brain recalled what Sans told them LOVE really was not too long ago. An acronym, Level of Violence, your ability to kill and feel no remorse for it. Surely this was some mistake, some magical interference, they didn’t feel like they had an LV of 6. “Papa was a strong monster, king of the underground for a reason! Probably gave you enough Execution Points to bump that up in just one fight.”

Frisk had to grasp at their stomach to resist doubling over, only able to prevent themselves from staggering onto the ground for a few seconds, before they were down. Just hearing about LOVE for the first time made them sick to their stomach, and the closest they ever came to actually killing anyone was sparring with Undyne. But…it’s not like it didn’t make sense. Frisk was scared in the fight with Asgore, horrified, and they felt the sharp end of the trident more times than they could count. Yet, at some point, through the deaths, Frisk didn’t see him as this overwhelming force anymore…just an obstacle . He was something to cut down, something in the way of their escape from the underground. B-But it wasn’t bad to feel that way about him, after what he’d done to those monsters in the lab–to those other humans! Frisk was only being reasonable–he’s the one that didn’t let them Mercy him!

“Ugh, stop having an existential crisis, it’s giving me a headache.” Chara spoke up, not even looking at them. Not like Frisk could’ve seen her if she was anyways.

“I-I…I…an LV of SIX Chara!” They were still enveloped in the darkness of the forest, eyes too watery to adjust to the light levels yet, so the only thing they could see was whatever twisted apparitions their brain formed from the shadows. It was almost like it was showing them what they’ve become.

“Oh cool your jets, it’s not even halfway! You’re only, what, thirty percent horrible person? That’s not even that bad.” It seemed as if Chara was trying to console them, but it wasn’t very effective. “Look, if it makes ya’ feel better, Asgore probably had an LV of twenty. If it could go any higher, it would! He kills kids, that’s like, no bueno .” As much as they would hate to admit it, her words did somewhat help. Knowing the one person they… killed , wasn’t very good at least justified their LV. “See? You’re better already! Now get up, we’ve got a society to see!” Wiping away their not-yet-realized tears, Frisk couldn’t help but chuckle at her enthusiasm.

“You’re way too chipper for this.” They started to focus and conjure a flame once more. It was…probably incredibly wrong , but now knowing they had higher magical potential, they felt more confident in the fire. As a result, it was a lot bigger, brighter and warmer. Guess not everything that came out of that fight was bad.

“It wouldn’t help either of us if we were both depressed, so I’m taking the role. Besides, I haven’t seen the surface in a hundred YEARS Frisk! I wanna see all the cool stuff!”

“You really ARE twelve, aren’t you?” They were holding back a grin now, their mind still forcing them to stay somber about the whole situation with flashes of recent memories.

————————

“This is IT?! It just looks like New Home! But less fancy!” Chara stuck their bright red arms out, gesturing at the sight before them. An hour or two of walking, and Frisk cut through an unfamiliar park to get to actual civilization. Chara wasn’t impressed at the ‘concrete jungle’ they were looking at, but at least humans still existed. It was a tiny voice in the back of their mind, that all of humanity somehow died while they were underground, but they were relieved to find that theory untrue. Of course, there wasn’t anybody around, it was the middle of the night, but street lights were on and the occasional car drove past.

“I thought you’d be a little more excited.”
“About?!”
“I don’t know, cars? Billboards?” Chara huffed in response, floating onto her back and crossing her arms.

“Magic can do all this stuff already, that’s what the core’s for. Weren’t you paying attention to Alphys’ classes?” Frisk squeezed the dagger as it was summoned back to their hands; just the mention of her name made them want to use it . “Yeesh, calm down edgelord, we get it. Where to?”

Frisk detensed, then considered Chara’s question. Their home was…probably not the best option right now. And they were starving , the growling in their stomach made that evident, which they mistook for their (still) buzzing phone the first few times. One problem about that, though.

“I wanna eat, but…I have no cash. And I don’t think Seven Eleven accepts G.”
“Seven…Eleven?” Chara sounded out the words, the unfamiliarity not from the words themselves, but from the order. “Eh, whatever, we can just shoplift.”

“Chara!” They harshly whispered, despite being completely alone. “I’m not stealing, I’ve done enough crime for today.”
“Homicide, shoplifting, what’s the difference really?” Chara fluttered her eyelashes, showing puppy dog eyes at Frisk. Bastard. “Hey!! I don’t suppose you have any food from the underground left, eh?”
“Only healing stuff.” Most food in the underground was formed using magic, which, while healing them, their body wasn’t able to break down into nutrients, so it was a glorified band-aid. Frisk could really go for some undercooked spaghetti right now…they opened up their inventory, manifesting as a black box with white borders, like most other kinds of magic. A few instant noodle packets and Temmie flakes, the rest having been used up against Asgore.

“Should probably use one, you’ve still got that nasty gash.”
“Can’t,” they shrugged. “HP is full, don’t know why.”
“Huh. Weirdo. Fine, fine, if you won’t do the shoplifting, I will.”

Frisk let the silence continue for a few seconds.

“How..?”

Chara grinned, then placed a finger over her mouth. “I’ve got a plan in mind, just take me to this ‘Seven Eleven,’ and I’ll show you.”

Finding one wasn’t hard, considering they glow an obnoxious fluorescent blue and are on virtually every corner block. Frisk pushed through the door, Chara floating slowly behind.

Ding-dong!

“Alright, leave this to me.” Chara gave an ‘ok’ hand signal as the bell rang, then swatted Frisk over to one of the snack aisles. And boy, were they happy to see chips. There wasn’t any corn or potatoes or whatever it took to make chips underground, and if there was one thing they missed, it was spicy Cheetohs. They practically danced down the aisle, stunned by all the possible choices. Even loading a save didn’t have this many possibilities, it was an endless well of–

“AAAGGHGHHHH!”

Frisk’s appropriate appreciation of the finer things in life was suddenly interrupted by a blood-curdling screech. Chara. As if on cue, their spectral sidekick floated on over, giggling to herself.

“What did you do?” Frisk chose not to whisper, and also chose not to look away from their heaven.

“Just turned real and made a creepy face, the guy was so clearly high I almost felt a little bad.” Her giggling continued through the sentence. “Almost.”

“Right…should probably do that a little less.” Hmm, maybe tortilla chips would be good…

“It takes a lotta effort to be corporeal, so it’ll have to stay limited. Find anything good?”

Frisk had about 3 Family bags in their grasp.

“Not really.”
“Right…didn’t expect you to be such a glutton.” Frisk hopped up and walked past the drinks in the refrigerators. They were considering it, but had a water bottle.

“To be fair, I didn’t expect you to be…I’m going to use the word mischievous, but I really mean a dipshit.” Chara shrugged, following Frisk by a seemingly invisible tether. “All the books and tapes described The First Human as ‘logical,’ ‘formal,’ and ‘hating humanity.’ More than most monsters did.”

“Well, when you have your SOUL yanked outta’ you,” She mimicked a pulling motion over where her own SOUL was, dropping it into crossed arms. “You change personalities a little. Literally! I think it’s a magic thing, you become the opposite of what you were. Oh, and don’t worry Frisky, I still hate humans!”

“First of all, never call me Frisky.” Frisky entered a different aisle, this one with cereal. They didn’t want to take too much, but it wasn’t bad to peruse . “And second of all, if you hate humans, why help me?”
“Oh, but that’s just it! You’re not really human, not at all.”

“Suuurrree…” Frisk rose an eyebrow. “Two arms, two legs, and a brain don’t mean anything. Wait, monsters have those too …Uh, a red SOUL. Yeah, mine’s flipped down and coloured, that’s the sign of a human.” No Frosted Flakes, dammit.
“But you’re so stuffed full of determination, you overrode Flowey’s control of Saves. You’re practically the same as him and the rest of those beasties in the lab.” Frisk stopped, and turned to face Chara with a furious look. They didn’t know what made them madder, her comparing them to those…sad, sad abominations, or the fact that she wasn’t that far off. “Don’t be pissed, it’s just biology! The stuffs in your heart, mind and SOUL, I’d consider you a different species. Take it as a compliment, I’m not calling you a stinkin’ human!”

“...You talk like a psychopath.”

“So we’re both right about each other!”

Frisk let out a laugh, a little reluctantly as they didn’t want Chara to feel right, but it was whatever. They decided against the cereal, it would be too hard to carry anyways, and the last aisle was full of the weird healthy snacks, so they weren’t–

Ding-dong!

… Shit. Frisk flicked their head to Chara, whose face was clearly plastered with the look of ‘Not my problem.’ It is your problem! They thought loudly enough, hoping Chara’s bullshit mind-reading would pick it up.

“Not mind-reading! Intention! Sensing! Angel above I’m going to have to teach you aren’t I…”

I don’t care! What am I supposed to do with other people?! They’re gonna think I, like, murdered the cashier or something! Frisk ducked behind a wall of peanuts, listening in on the newcomer…s? By the sounds of the footsteps, two people, medium height and build, no weapons. Eugh, they should really flush out Undyne’s weird ambush techniques.

“I’ll be fresh outta’ magic if I go cuckoo-crazy on ‘em, and I don’t want you to get depressed while I’m gone, so that’s a no go. Just reason with them or something! You’re great with people.”

Yeah, in a FIGHT! Where I can press ACT and let it do all the work for me–!

“HaHA! Dude, shut up, there’s no way!” A masculine voice, somewhat deep, probably around their own age.
“I’m telling you, I think you’d look cute together! Like, uh, Shrek and Fiona!” A feminine voice, slightly more playful, also around that same age.

“Yeah yeah, whatever–yo, where’s the cashier?”
“He’s probably having a smoke break, the guy’s constantly zooted.”
“Whatever, I’ll go grab shit.”

The masculine voice parted from their partner, and Frisk, hearing their footsteps come closer, quickly turned their head back to the snacks, pretending to browse. It was all a bunch of trail mix and more peanuts, eugh .

“Oh shit, another person here. They look a little familiar…weird.”

Chara’s weird whisper-sensing-not-mind-reading powers allowed Frisk to hear the guys inner monologue, but considering his only inclination towards them was their misguided familiarity, they paid no mind. Instead, they stayed crouched, browsing the very boring yet very healthy section of the 7/11. They would much rather get up and go back to the unhealthy stuff, but it would look suspicious with them already holding snacks from that section. Whatever , just had to stall until they left–Aaaand of course he’s coming right up to them. Great.

“Hey! Have you, uh, seen the cashier?” Frisk turned their one uncovered eye to the newcomers; he looked nice enough, and his question seemed mostly innocent. His outfit was normal enough, a big purple jacket, jeans and a beanie on top of curly hair. Weirdly enough, Frisk also garnered some familiarity from him as well.

“Nope.” 
“Damn, he’s usually around right about now, sometimes he gives us free shit. You know, I haven’t seen you around, and we’re like, always here. You new to town or something?”
Why is this guy still talking to me?  “Yeah.”
“Yeesh, what’s with the one-word answers…” “Hey, cool, maybe I’ll see you ‘round then, we look the same age! Name’s Maddy.” He stuck out his hand. Frisk didn’t take it.
“Good for you.” They rotated their head back to the boring snacks.
“R-Right, thanks…” ‘Maddy’ awkwardly shuffled away, retracting his hand, down another aisle. Frisk didn’t want to be cold to him, not necessarily, but they’d rather not bring too much attention to themselves. And, if being like that would get him out of their hair, then so be it.

They uncrouched, deciding that now was the perfect time to leave, with the other two store occupants hopefully preoccupied. Before they could even take another step however, Chara, who’s been flying around and marvelling at the 7/11, quickly floated back into view.

“Wow Frisk, that LOVE of six of yours is really showing! Way to go.” She patted them on the back, but their hand phased through.
“I-It’s not like that! I’m just tired, okay? I’d rather not have to deal with anyone friendly.” Chara just shrugged, and moved to sit at the top of a shelf.
“If that’s what you were trying to accomplish, then you failed.” Frisk gave an expression of confusion, not understanding what she meant. Rather than explaining, Chara snapped her fingers (purely for theatrics), and made her mind-reading stronger, allowing Frisk to tune into the conversation between the other two in the store. "You really depend on ACT, dontcha' Frisky?"

“Who was that?”   
“I dunno,’ someone new. I thought they might’ve gone to our school or something, but they were being…kind of a dick.” Frisk could pick up the guy saying, a nervous inflection embedded in his voice.
“What?! Mads, you’re the friendliest guy I’ve ever met, I’m gonna give them a piece of my mind!”
“Silena, wait!”

Angel be damned, that was annoying. Frisk could practically hear Toriel scolding them, telling them that kindness is always the answer, and that's why this happened. But, unlike Toriel’s lectures, it didn’t end with a butterscotch pie. Crap, now they were even hungrier, just great! Not like they could leave now, with the approaching footsteps and whispered pleas for this ‘Silena’ to just let it go. Conversely, Chara stared down from atop the shelf, the typical annoying grin plastered across her face. Why couldn't some people just mind their own business, Frisk didn't know, but Frisk hoped this conversation wouldn't last long. They really, truly did.

“Just who do you think you are, man?!” The girl, Silena, went up close to Frisk, pointing a finger right into their chest. They had to tilt their head up slightly to face her, and held back the urge to say something rude. It was probably just her attitude, and the way she dressed, but Frisk could’ve sworn they’ve seen her somewhere before. But that wouldn’t make sense, they haven’t talked to another human in three years, and Chara doesn’t count. “Neither do you!”

Frisk shrugged.

“Yeah, well…you…shit, why do you look so familiar? I was ‘bout to chew you out, but now it just feels wrong…” So it wasn’t just them, that should probably be concerning. “Do you…live ‘round here?” Silena’s demeanor dropped, interchanging anger for confusion, but Frisk could clearly tell she had something on her mind that amplified said confusion.

“I used to.”

“Used…too…” Her eyes widened, and the look on her face went straight through their SOUL. She took a few steps forward, the once pointing hand now reaching towards them. Not necessarily like she was trying to grab them, more like...reaching out in a dream, trying to see if something was real. “Like…three years ago?”

…Shit.

Frisk’s FIGHT or flight instincts went off, and they chose…flight. They stuttered back a few steps, then ran.

“FRISK?! FRISK, FRISK GET BACK HERE!”

Chapter Text

It’s not like anyone could really catch up to them; Frisk had spent countless hours running through the underground, whether it be from some monster they pissed off, Undyne during ‘training,’ or Toriel after they stole an extra slice of pie. The magic coursing through their veins probably enhanced their physical abilities as well, so running from their ex-best friend wouldn’t be too much of a challenge.

“Wow, Frisk, you’re doing quite a lot of running today. Is something off?”

They didn’t answer Chara’s only slightly giggly question, more focused on keeping their pace stable. Unfortunately for them, it seemed Silena was also good at keeping up, slowly getting closer and closer. Frisk still had a significant head start however, around half a block of space, but she would catch up within due time. Dammit, she was so good at track, I’m never going to outrun her. To keep their mind preoccupied, they instead thought to their other friend, the one gliding along next to them, and why her voice sounded calmer.

“Why are you less insane now?”
“Well, after a bit of pondering,” She said, relaxing her head backwards and soaring through the air, matching Frisk’s speed. “I think it’s your determination that’s affecting me. Whatever you need most at the time, my personality will shape to fit it. That used to be an unbiased, guiding voice, but right now? You’re rather panicked, so my more original personality is what’s best. Make sense?”

It probably did, but Frisk just wanted to get her talking so that she would stop poking and prodding into their head. Their psyche was really not something they wanted analyzed right now, but since memories they had forgotten were now resurfacing, it was inevitable. They didn’t even need Chara’s interrogation, as every thought they once had surrounding Silena rushed back into their head like a river, and Frisk was riding the rapids.

“Hey! You!” Frisk looked up, sitting criss-crossed on the playmat floor. She was unenthusiastically playing with some blocks, not really focusing on what he may have been creating. The one that called out for her was a girl she only partly recognized. Someone in her class, someone loud in her class, who often didn’t pay her much attention. “Are you a boy or a girl?”
“Uhm..uh…” Frisk was surprised at the bluntness of her question, pointing a finger right into her face. For a 6 year old, she really did know how to boss someone around. “A g…neither.” They weren't aware why they lied, but it didn’t feel like a lie. That was too confusing for Frisk to think about.
“See?!” She immediately turned to a group Frisk hadn’t noticed earlier, two other girls, both wearing much less vibrant clothes as her. Even her outfit screamed bossy…“I told you!” The girl turned back around. “My name’s Silena, what’s yours?”
“F-Frisk.”
“Nice to meet ‘ya Frisk! I can’t believe you were born not a boy or a girl! That’s so cool!”
“Y-Yea…thanks.” It did feel pretty cool.

“Aww, how sweet. Such a wonderful memory, yet you bolt as soon as she remembers you? Frisk I must admit, that’s not the kindest thing to do.”

Dammit , they didn’t know what was worse, that Chara saw that, or that she was right. Frisk took a sharp left turn into another block, speeding up as Silena started to get near. Her words, matching her advance, also began to hit closer to home.

“FRISK, please… huff …why are you RUNNING?!”
“Excellent question! Why are you running, Frisk?”

It was a hard question to answer, and Frisk sucked at pop quizzes. There were a multitude of reasons they could make up, but none actually made sense once you started to look closer. I’m afraid she’ll hate me! Yet she’s running after them, pleading for them to stop. I’m a murderer! It’s not like she could tell, Silena didn’t know how monster’s die. Each thought that crossed their mind, each faulty explanation, was immediately tossed away by the logical side of their mind. Until…Frisk found the answer, the excuse, that they were looking for. “Best friends” don’t abandon each other. They don’t consider spending the rest of their life away from one another simply because it's more convenient. No good person would ever even think of such an option.

“Frisk…”

Chara sounded sympathetic; or was it disappointed? She likely picked up on their internal reasoning, and actually showed relative emotion as a reaction, that’s a first. A right turn this time, the path they chose started to look familiar, but the city became a blur at this point. It might’ve been their speed, but it was probably the welling tears. Their legs became heavier, and exhaustion started to grab hold of them. Yet, out of sheer self-doubt, they had the Determination to go on.

“A marine biologist?” She asked, sitting on Frisk’s desk, rather than next to it. Class hadn’t started yet, so they supposed it was okay, but she shouldn’t be doing it. Silena was always more extraverted than them however, so Frisk didn’t mind. “Why would you want to be that?”
“I like the ocean. And…I’m not very good with people, I think talking to fish would be easier.” She giggled at that, and it warmed Frisk’s heart.
“You can’t talk to fish silly!” Her laughter infected Frisk, setting them off as well, until they were almost pushed off of their chair by Silena. She shouldn’t be roughhousing by fifth grade, they thought, but Frisk didn’t mind.

Frisk turned again, noticing– shit, a dead end! Slowing down their pace, they started to draw near to a metal fence in the alleyway they entered, large garbage bins in front of it. They were…considering just stopping. Sure, they could hop the fence, but if there was any reason to stop running, it would be the inability to push forward. No, what were they thinking, why would they stop? Frisk already made their decision, so they would have to live with it. They chose to leave the underground, and they chose to run from their former friend.

“FRISK!”

At the call of their name, they turned, not realizing they had stopped to contemplate in front of the fence. Silena had just entered the alley, looking significantly less tired than Frisk, yet still panting. She slowly stepped forward, as if she was approaching a wild animal, and for all intensive purposes, that wouldn’t be wrong. Yet, with every step forward, Frisk matched it with one back, ready to turn any moment.

“Please…” Along with energy, she also had significantly more tears in her eyes than they did, her sclera tinted a red not unlike Frisk’s SOUL. “ Sniff …Where…where have you been? ” A step back. “Frisk, it’s been three years! Not a call or a text or even a letter!” Another step back. “And why are you running?!”

What would they even say? You wouldn’t get it? You wouldn’t believe it? You wouldn’t like it? Rather than any of those subpar comments, Frisk took the only other option: start running again. They had to take a step forward, it pained them to trick Silena into thinking they were coming closer, even if unintentional. They wanted to chastise themself, but running was already hell enough. Frisk wanted to just fall into her arms, to tell her everything that happened, but it wasn’t the right thing to do.

And so, with one more step, they jumped onto one of the garbage bins, turning to the fence and jumping over. Taking a few moments to recover, enveloped in fatigue, Frisk could hear a pained DAMMIT from behind them, Silena’s voice choking up. Before they let themself dwell on it any longer, they resumed their sprint, but Frisk wasn’t the only one.

“Angel be damned, Frisk, you should stop .”
“Why?! Why… huff …why should I? And…And why do you care?” Speaking was a challenge, but it was only slightly more enjoyable than thinking, so they answered Chara’s pleas anyway.

“If it’s so hard to believe I have compassion,” her inflection carried both anger and concern with it. “Then just think about it reasonably; you’re tired, delirious, and starving. If you don’t collapse first, she’s going to catch up to you, so now I ask you; why? Why pain yourself for less than no reason?”

Frisk really hated when Chara was right, so they began to tune her out. It wasn’t particularly hard, considering their mind was already clouded with equal amounts of fear and regret. They heard the shaking of a chain-link fence, no doubt that Silena had crossed it herself now. The distance between them was definitely shorter than it was, probably half of the original, but that didn’t stop them. They just kept running, again plagued with the same familiarity they had seen in the city earlier. The same trees, the same plants, and the same park, Frisk now realized why they were hit with such a wave of Deja-Vu. All of this, all of their emotions, all of their actions, all of this had happened before.

It wasn’t the first time Frisk ran from their family.

It wasn’t the first time Frisk ran from Silena.

It wasn’t the first time Frisk ran into the forest of Mt. Ebott.

“Frisk? Friiiiiiiisk?” …They could hear her call from down the hall, even with their door closed. Frisk hadn’t changed out of the all-black outfit, despite it being stained with tears and mud, and was sitting on their bed with it on. Though they may have been practically inconsolable earlier, now they just felt…nothing. Nothing at all. Silena pushed open the door. “Frisk..? Y-Your mom let me in…Are you doing okay?”

“Yeah.” They squeaked out, voice hoarse and torn from hours of crying. Silena hopped onto the bed next to them, inching closer and closer. She placed a hand on their own, but Frisk pulled it back, placing it in their lap.
“Are you sure? You seem so…sad.” Silena wasn’t stupid, but she was too blunt to be the person consoling anyone. Unfortunately, Maddison wasn’t all that close with them, and the rest of Frisk’s family was probably not a good bet either. She may have known a lot about them, their likes, dislikes, ideas for the future and true identity, but she could never understand what Frisk was going through.

“I just…” Frisk curled into themselves, becoming as small as they could possibly be, but not even close to how small they felt. “I want to disappear. Forever .”
“Frisk, don’t say that–!”

“But I mean it! I mean all of it!” They got up, facing their friend, looking right at her eyes. Frisk saw their own vibrant red eyes reflected in hers, looking back at themself, almost judging them. “W-What’s the point?! I…I was just about to tell him who I was, and then–and then he died! ” The tears returned, gushing forth like blood from an open wound. “Right after I graduated–the universe couldn’t wait?! ”
“Frisk, please, I know how you’re feeling but–”
“No! You DON’T know! Why does–why does everyone always act like they know everything?!” Frisk was sick of the fake sympathetic thoughts and words they’d received throughout the entire day. People they barely knew acting like they know exactly how they feel, how their dad must’ve felt, what it was like not being able to tell him their identity. Had they just been hiding themselves from their dad this entire time, and he’d never meet the real them? Frisk hadn’t realized, but in their own internal monologue, they ended up at the front of the house, being chased by Silena.
“Frisk, where are you going?!”
“I don’t know, Mount Ebott or something! So I can disappear like the rest of those kids!”

“Frisk–!” She grabbed at them, seeming just as mad as she was fearful at the words they were saying. They probably didn’t mean it, they probably just needed some air, but the words near their house seemed more and more enticing every second that passed. “Y-You’re just sad, okay?! You don’t feel any of this–!” She pulled them into a hug. “D-Don’t leave, please, what would I do without you?!” Frisk attempted to push her off, but she remained strong.

“What would you do?! I don’t care what you would do! I-I need some time to think, okay?! S-Stop being so attached–! ” After prying, they finally managed to shove Silena away. “The last thing I need right now is another person who–who–ARGH! It-It doesn’t matter!” Frisk, turning away from their sobbing friend, pulled open the front door. They didn’t want to say, but truthfully, they were just worried Silena would die too . To Frisk, if they didn’t love her, then there would be no reason to fret over her life. They would put up a wall of apathy, just to keep themself safe.

Each step was heavier than the last, their will to go on, their Determination, slowly depleting. No matter how many battles they fought, no matter how many times they had died, Frisk had never given up…but why was running so hard? I-Is this what dying feels like? They thought of the other human SOULs in the underground; how after losing time and time again to Asgore, they no longer had the desire to fight, and couldn’t SAVE or LOAD. Though, rather than some losing their resolve to some unbeatable enemy, Frisk would lose it to some girl . They were nearing the end of the park now, the one they passed on their way to the city, with Silena just at the start of it. But…they just couldn’t . They couldn’t run anymore, they couldn’t even use their legs.

Frisk collapsed to the ground, just like Chara said they would. If they couldn’t run, they would crawl, trying their hardest to simply get away .

“Frisk, please .” They immediately turned, her voice surprisingly close now; Silena stood over them, slowly crouching to their level. Frisk attempted to back up, just like before, but met a fence. They looked down in shame, a small part of them urging them not to look away from her, either as a desire for companionship, or as a punishment for running. Frisk knew which they probably deserved. “Just answer me! Why are you running–where have you BEEN?!”

“I-I–I uh…” Their breath quickened, returning their gaze back to Silena; she had tears in her eyes, and Frisk hated themselves for causing them. “I-I don’t…I can’t…”

She interrupted them with a hug.

“I…It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re back.” She heaved a sigh of what sounded like relief, but Frisk could easily tell that the smile she put on wasn’t entirely real. 

…The hug persisted for a few moments…

…Then a few more…

Alright this was getting ridiculous.

“Uhh, Silena, can you let go..?” She scoffed, her voice still wrought with sadness.

“Last time I did that, you disappeared for three fucking years. So no.”
“R-Right…” Okay, I deserved that. As comforting as it felt, physical touch wasn’t really their strong suit. It took Frisk a year and a half before they would return Toriel’s hugs, so this was definitely pushing it. “Can I at least stand up…”

“Fine.” Silena stood up, carrying them with her, clenching onto their jacket like her life depended on it–“Oh my God Frisk–your ARM! What happened?!”

Crap, they forgot about that. Frisk looked at the gash…that was now half the size. The wound was still covered in blood, but it wasn’t very deep, and looked like it had never been bigger in the first place.

… That’s probably not a big deal!

“Just, uh, cut myself. On a tree–rock. Nature. Cut myself on some nature.”

“...Uhuh. Let’s get you to my car before you fall.” Frisk thought Silena was carrying them because she didn’t want to let go, but they couldn’t even walk on their own, which she noticed apparently. They were just…so tired.

—

“Heyyy Madds! Guess who!” Much too cheerily for their taste, Silena waved at Maddison, who the both of them ditched a few minutes ago. He was sipping on a slushie, leaning against her jeep, clearly unbothered at the prospect of whatever transpired.

“So…that was Frisk. Huh. Welcome back girl!” Oh, right.

“Madds,” she rolled her eyes, walking Frisk over like they were a toddler. “Frisk’s a them, did I not tell you?”
“No, sigh, you didn’t. No one tells me anything!” Opening the door for them, Silena sat them down in the shotgun seat, even doing the seatbelt for them… It felt kind of nice.

“Whatever, we're bringing them back home. Knowing you, you ran straight to a Seven Eleven before seeing your family, right?” They turned away in embarrassment. “Called it!”

Everyone entered the car, and Frisk even spotted Chara finally returning and taking an empty seat. They wouldn’t admit it, but seeing Silena in such a good mood while she drove genuinely warmed their heart– Stop snickering Chara!  

“Sorry Frisk, but it’s too cute seeing you enjoy someone’s company! I’m liking the surface already, can’t wait to meet your parents–err, parent. Sorry.”

“Just…it’s fine.”
“Hm? You say something, Frisk?” Silena turned her head at them during the red light, noting the phrase they accidently spoke out loud. “Maybeee…where you’ve been?” They clamped up.

‘Dammit!’ Frisk could pick up from her inner voice. ‘ I just wish Frisk would talk more…not just about their disappearance either.’

…Maybe they did say something.

“U-Uh, no, just.” Quick, think! “Sad I didn’t get my chips.”
“Aww yeah, I know you like chips. I think I have some Spicy Cheetos back at my place, I can swing by later and grab some.”

“Don’t you hate spicy food?” Maddy spoke up, looking away from his phone. She gave him a death stare. “Jeez, okay…”

The conversation quickly died down, which, honestly, Frisk preferred. It was already hard enough to acclimate back into human society, so not having any distractions would be better–

“Um, Frisk…Sorry it’s just.” Silena’s voice became strained once more. “I know you probably don’t want to talk about this kind of stuff but…why did you run? Did I like, scare you?” They grasped at their slightly torn clothing, clenching their fists as soon as she started asking.

…It was tough, to think of what to say, but–

“Sooo, you gonna answer orr–”
“Give me a sec Silena!” They snapped, as she immediately turned to face straight forward.

“Yup, got it, sorry!” ‘ Please please please don’t be mad, I was already going to cry myself to sleep tonight, I don’t need another reason to!’
“Ugh, I…” Frisk took a deep breath. “I felt…like a piece of shit for abandoning you. Like I…I don’t know, didn’t deserve you as a best friend because I–”
“That’s total bullshit Frisk! You’re, like, the most loyal person on this planet, and you were always there for me–not counting those three years but who’s counting those anyways? Not me!” ‘Totally me.’ “Annd, like, every time I was feeling sad, you would…would…I kinda interrupted you. Didn’t I?”

Frisk had been looking at them with a clearly annoyed face for the entirety of her rambling. Completely reflecting their pessimism however, she put on another large smile.

“It’s just–Frisk, you’re back! I’ve dreamed of this moment, literally, in fact a lot of this doesn’t really feel real. This is real, right? You’re real?”
“I’m real, Silena.” Her ever-growing smile was infectious.

“You know…” She started again, as Frisk started to slightly recognize the nearby area. “I haven’t stopped going over every day. To your house, I mean, I think that’s a ten-year streak now!”
“Not including that time you had the fever.”
“That’s only because the day before you had the fever! And gave it to me!”

Frisk couldn’t resist, and let out a small laugh. When they looked back at her after it, Silena’s eyes widened.

“D-Did I say something?”
“You laugh like a chainsmoker, Frisk…and not in the funny way.” Their smile faded when she said that–they do recall Sans telling them they sounded like Whismur crying whenever they would laugh at his puns, at around the end of year 1. Something about the underground air probably…definitely not the realization of no way out settling in. “Uh-Uh it’s fine! It’s totes okay! Not worrying at all!” Gosh, she sucked at lying.

Without letting either of them dwell on it, however, the car suddenly stopped. Frisk looked out the window, and a wave of nostalgia hit them. There were some changes: chipped paint, more worn brick, and a wilted garden, but…

This was their house. Their. House. Without a shadow of a doubt, this was…

“Frisk? You still in there?” AGHK–! They turned around, Silena having opened the door for them again while they were preoccupied.

“U-Uhm…I… don’t think I’m ready for this. ” They squeaked out.

“C’mon, it’ll be fine. Think about how happy your mom will be!” Frisk watched Chara float out of the car, Silena pulling them up at the same time. She forced them to walk forward towards the all too familiar steps, basically pushing them closer.

And closer.

And a little closer.

Angel above, they wanted to run again.

“Frisk, come–! On–!” She strained, practically carrying them up the steps.

“Too late now!” Chara remarked from the sidelines, giving them a spectral pat on the head. What a dickhead–

DING DONG!

“Shit shit shit shit shit–Maddy?! Why?!” Frisk pleaded, looking over at–

The door swung open, the inside light illuminating the midnight darkness. Standing in the doorway, looking down at the trio…

“KATHY KATHY!! Loooook who we found!!”
“Hiiiiiii Katherine…b-been a while.”