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When she walked into the room, Amelia froze, gazing upon a sea of blood red spread before her. She looked over her shoulder, seeing the hallway behind her, the golden archways ominously dark before she turned forward again. Beyond her better judgement, she stepped into the room, grass swaying and crinkling underfoot. This wasn’t right. How was she here? She shouldn’t be here. Unless…
Her hand flew to her face, splaying along the contours of her cheeks and nose.
She wanted to cry when all she felt was smooth skin. No mark. No scar.
Panic beat at her chest like a fluttering bird as the idea the timeline had reset again and spat her back out to this point consumed her. And if she was back this far, then Frisk… the kids. Their home on the surface. That was all gone too. And to get them back, she’d have to…
She whirled around, rushing back to the exit. Nonononono.
When she got out the door, it was as if she had been caught in one of Sans’ teleports, because she found herself stepping back into the crimson world. Her throat closed up. Despair clung to her.
Desperate, she turned and ran.
Red.
Turned.
Ran.
Red.
Turned.
Red.
Red. Red. Red.
Her knees gave out on her. She couldn’t breathe. She doubled over, frantically trying to suck in air.
‘…e… p…’
“Greetings.”
Amelia flinched, raising her head to see Chara approaching her, unhurried and predatory, demonic smile twisted along her features and eyes black as the depths of hell. She tried to get to her feet, to face the monster or run from it, only for her weak legs to collapse again. Her body was heavy and cold, hard shivers wracking her body.
‘…lia …ke…’
“You really want to give me your soul again so soon? I wonder what game you’re playing?” She took another step forward.
Panic swallowed her.
“I-I’ll bring her back!” She screeched, throwing up her options. Reset, perfect and whole, washed her in yellow tones. For a moment, over the edge of it, she thought she saw the Chara behind the ghastly mask; the real Chara she knew now, anguish and loss etched across her face. But in a blink, she was gone.
‘Am… wa… u…’
She knew this would erase her. She’d be gone forever, lost like the Frisks before her. But the alternative right now felt much, much worse.
She slammed her fist into the button.
It shattered like glass.
She watched, in horror, as the pieces fell to the ground, clinking noisily. Blood was on her hand as if she had just punched through a window.
“Heh.”
She looked up.
Chara was suddenly right in front of her, knife raised.
“It’ll never be that easy for you.”
The knife came down.
‘WAKE UP!’
Amelia shot up in her bed with a gasp, hand grasping at her aching chest. The realization that it had been a dream came with her as she oriented herself to the sight of her own darkened bedroom. She curled her legs towards herself, resting her forehead against her knees as she tried to take long, slow breathes.
Her breathing had just about returned to normal when she heard a soft chirp. Her hand reached blindly behind her, searching the space beside her pillow until her fingers brushed along the cool surface of her phone. She dragged it over, tapping the power button and squinting down at it, eyes adjusting slowly to the bright display.
She mentally groaned at the time; 4:03 A.M. Underneath it was a preview of a text from Asriel that simply asked:
*Bad dream?
She slid her thumb across it, automatically swiping over to the text messaging app, and slowly typed with her index finger:
*Yea. Sorry.
She’d barely waited twenty seconds before a flood of responses came through.
*Haha
*For what?
*Not yur fault
*Your***
*Autocorrects useless.
Despite herself, she couldn’t help but smile at the goat’s excitable texting habits. She sometimes thought it was just because he was so thrilled to have fingers again. It occurred to her as well that, for the early hour it was, Asriel seemed suspiciously awake. She rose her head, laying her phone across her knees and tapping away.
*Have you been up playing Monster Hunter again?
*Noooo
*Maybe
*Okay yes bit I’m trying to best Chara!
*Ugh stupid claws.
*Trim them
The response took several moments, and she watched the dots signifying he was responding disappear and reappear multiple times. Asriel must have been trying hard not to make an error.
*Okay but when Caroline asks what happened to the purple and pink stripes she did I’m pointing at you
*I can take her. She’s only eight.
*She’s a scary eight
Amelia breathed a soft laugh, rubbing the sleepiness out of one eye. She stretched out her legs, her phone slipping off them and face-planting onto the sheets. As she flopped back onto her bed, she heard another little chirp and she grasped for the device again.
*Anyway want to come ovr?
*Over**
She almost dropped it on her face. It took her a few tries, and way more blushing then was necessary, to reply.
*It’s late. Shouldn’t you go to bed?
*Had three energy drinks. I good.
*I’d correct that
*But it sounds better
She barked a laugh that was eighty percent a release of nerves, twisting onto her side. It was almost 4:15 now. Frisk would be up within an hour to start looking over prospects and get ready for work. But until then, she only had the stiflingly quiet house for company.
*Come on your not gona go back to sleep anyways
*I’ll make you breakfast
“Oh my god.”
*Bribing me?
*Is it working?
*Kind of, yes
Amelia ran a hand over her red face, but she could neither find a reason nor motive to refuse. Well, besides the fact that whenever she was in Asriel’s presence she automatically turned into a spluttering pile of goo. She knew the kindhearted goat was just trying to make her feel better, even if it was entirely unnecessary. It was just a bad dream.
And just because she happened to not want to be alone right now didn’t mean anything.
*Alright. Let me get dressed.
*Should be there in a half hour or so.
*Yes!
*See ya soon
*]:D
She snickered at the little goat emote before throwing off the covers, heading for her closet.
Ten minutes later, she was slipping a note underneath her sister’s favorite mug right next to a slowly brewing pot of coffee to let her know where she’d gone. She pulled on her gray hoodie and stepped out into the crisp morning world. Stuffing her hands in her pockets for warmth, she started the three-block trek to Toriel’s house.
The sky above was still mostly dark, the far horizon just barely beginning to turn navy blue. The sun wasn’t set to arise for some time yet and the world seemed to reflect its lack of light and heat. Shadows crawled along the ground like greedy creatures, swallowing up the little rays of light coming from lampposts and porch lights. Frost clung to the neighbors’ lawns and little puffs of white danced around her face with every breath.
Watching it made her tempted for a cigarette; but she resisted, if only for the fact she didn’t want Asriel to get the wrong idea. He knew she only smoked when she was stressed out. While he would assume it would be due to her dream, she wasn’t about to accidentally reveal it was he himself that was getting to her.
To distract herself, she focused on the sights around her that she has grown used to seeing on each trek to and from the goat’s home: Aaron’s kiddy pool that had toy duckies floating in it, the bunny family’s willow tree that was so large it’s curtaining branches reached across the sidewalk, scorch marks on the wooden fence from a Pyrope’s place, the Dogi’s proudly mounted Gold Nose Nuzzle trophy on the top of their porch. When she could see the blinking Christmas lights on her brothers’ house the next street over, she was only three houses away from her destination. When she was one, Asriel walked out into the yard to greet her, batter splattered in his fur.
“I thought you were joking.” She said as she stopped in front of him.
He shrugged. “Guess I’m too used to mom’s idea that food is the cure for everything.”
“And this?” She waved to the mess over him.
“Don’t power a mixer on high unless you’re prepared for the consequences.”
She laughed, trying to keep her voice low as she followed him inside. She wasn’t at all surprised at the strong scent of cinnamon that greeted her as she stepped into the kitchen. The countertop had seen cleaner days, trails of flour stuck in the grout between tiles and bits of batter spotted everywhere. She was even sure she saw a fleck or two on the window blinds. Still, her heart warmed at the fact he had gone through the trouble at all.
“So, uh,” Asriel rubbed the back of his head. “Want a poptart?”
“Strawberry with frosting?”
“There’s other kinds?” He joked back, opening up the pantry. As he pushed the little pastries into the toaster, she got two glasses and poured them each some orange juice. As she handed his over, he asked, “So uh… did you hear me this time? In your dream?”
“Yeah.” Amelia replied. “It took a few tries, but you woke me up before it got really bad. You’re getting better.”
Asriel brightened, his tiny floof of a tail wagging. “Really? I’m glad! Finally, I can start returning the favor.”
She hid an amused smile behind her cup, taking a sip. When she had first read that once she gave half her soul with Asriel they would be sharing ‘dreams’, she had assumed it had meant metaphorically. But when the goat started to show up in every dream she had and vice versa, and they began to realize, for the ones they remembered, that they were identical, they came to the conclusion the ancient words had meant they would literally dreamwalk together if they were both asleep.
Not that it made a huge amount of difference. They still functioned like normal dreams; the same inane, nonsensical visions as ever. She just happened to have 100% more handsomeness added to them, which was certainly not a downside. However, what did change is what it was like if they both weren’t asleep.
The first time it happened was almost a month after the bonding. Amelia remembered being up late one weekend, watching a movie with Frisk and Chara, when her heart started to race and cold sweat beaded along her face. When she told the concerned couple something was really wrong with Asriel, well, it might have been easier to tell them a nuclear bomb was coming down on them with the way they – okay, the way Chara – reacted. By the time they had gotten to his mom’s place, half the monster alliance had already shown up and the door was nearly busted in by everyone’s frantic knocking
As it turned out, a perfectly fine and thoroughly mortified Asriel came out and told the crowd he had only been having a bad dream.
After that, Amelia got used to the signs. It wasn’t until the third time that she discovered that she still had some measure of connection with them. It hadn’t been intentional. She had been at the store when she felt her pulse start to quicken. Not wanting to have a small panic attack in the middle of a crowded aisle, a desperate, rapid mantra of ‘Asriel, wake up’ ran through her head. And, to her surprise, the symptoms stopped. Then, Asriel texted her minutes later to thank her.
Apparently, her voice had reached him and pulled him out of the dream. Every subsequent time from there was just as effortless. For Asriel to do the same in return, however, was not as easy; likely because it was only her soul that was connected between them. When he tried to call for her, she could barely hear it and if the dream got bad enough, she wouldn’t hear it at all. Usually, he tried to just alert Chara or Frisk instead to go wake her. But after the little family took a weekend trip to Metro City and Amelia just happened to have another nightmare while home alone, the goat became more determined to make sure he could do it himself.
It seemed it was starting to pay off.
A snap from the toaster announced the poptarts were done. Picking them up with his claws so they didn’t burn him, Asriel dropped them onto a plate and waved her out into the backyard where the horizon was turning cerulean. “We can watch the sunrise!”
Amelia stepped out with him, watching the eager way he set down the food and pulled out the chairs for them before plopping down into one. He had grown to have a rather great fondness for watching sunrises, sunsets and stargazing, which had prompted Toriel to buy the patio set in the first place. She still remembered how after the first time he had seen a rainbow, he had spent a good twenty minutes talking Chara’s ear off – and then another fifteen chastising her when she said it ‘wasn’t a big deal’.
She settled into a chair. As she did, her phone gave a little ring. It was Frisk.
*Thank you for the coffee. Gonna need it today.
*Out with the husband ;)?
Amelia felt her face flame up, fingers moving furiously over the keyboard.
*SHUTYERBUTT
Her only response was an even cheekier smile and a long stream of laughter.
Sisters were the worst and she wasn’t sure why she used to wish for one anymore.
“Frisk up?”
“Uh!” She set down her phone, reaching for a pastry instead. “Yeah.”
“She’s really been getting up early to prepare for that joint session.” He picked up the other one. “Chara keeps complaining about it.”
“Mmm, it is harder without her around as much. Keeping the kids in check, training Take, keeping the house clean. Stuff like that. And even when she is home, she’s so exhausted she’s not up to doing much.” Amelia admitted.
He nodded, taking a bite that took nearly the whole pastry. Maybe the company needed to consider making monster-size ones. “Yeah, I bet. It’s kind of weird to think had my life uh, stayed on track, I might have been working beside her.”
“Does that upset you?”
And there went the rest of the pastry. He hummed thoughtfully as he chewed, and when he swallowed, said, “Sort of. More so, it makes me feel a little lost. Before, my parents kind of had it all planned out for me. Now I’ve got more freedom to choose my own path and I don’t really know what to do with it yet. I kind of feel a little lazy, you know?”
“You have time.” She encouraged. “You’ve been without a soul for so long, you can take time to enjoy it. I certainly did.”
“I know. I remember the Bleach marathons.”
“It was a good series!”
“Yeah the first arc maybe. Otherwise, it was totally overrated.”
“Monster Hunter’s overrated.”
Asriel gave an overdramatic gasp. “Take that back!”
“Make me.” He reached over, plucked her half eaten poptart from her hand, and shoved the rest in his mouth. He pouted at her, cheeks plumped out with food. In return, she crossed her arms, deadpanning, “Well now you have to go make me another.”
“Oh. Sowry.” He said, a few crumbs spilling along the table. As he picked up the plate and went back inside to do so, she hid her smile behind her sleeve.
Streaks of orange were just beginning to line the mountains by the time she heard his feet tapping on the porch. She looked up when, instead of setting it down like before, Asriel knelt before her, holding it up like a servant to his mistress, “Your tart, mi’lady.”
“What are you doing?” She chortled.
“Giving you excellent service for your exquisite meal.”
She picked up the still warm pastry, saying, “Yes, it’s quite the level up from the cereal I would have had.”
“Guess Frisk is more the cook?”
“Between us? Probably.” Amelia said.
The monster climbed back into his chair, observing, “It’s weird how different you two are.”
“Uh, thanks?”
“Oh golly! I didn’t mean that in a bad way! It’s just hard to wrap my head around the fact that you two are technically the same person. You guys do have stuff in common, but it’s your differences that really make you stand out.”
When she said it this time, it was much more sincere. “Thanks. That’s actually… really nice to hear.”
His smile glowed at her, intense and warm, but brief, like the beauty of a shooting star, as he soon dimmed. “Can I ask you a metaphysical question?”
“Sure.”
“Does it ever bother you?” When her eyebrow arched, he clarified, “I mean, when you look at Frisk and you see all she’s gained. A home, a family, the kids… Chara. Do you ever… want that?”
“You mean, do I wish I was in her place?” Taking his nod as answer, she started to pick off sprinkles from her poptart as she gathered her thoughts.
If she were being honest with herself, it wasn’t as if she hadn’t played with this exact idea herself when she had been saved. She had wondered if it had been her destiny to fall in love with Chara but because she was too slow to realize what she needed to do to help her, she had lost her chance and the life that could have been hers was gone forever. The whole idea had seemed ridiculous at the time considering on a good day the most they could be was tolerant with each other and at worst, she was terrified of her. Of course, after so much time had passed, they were now good friends and she learned she didn’t feel anything for Chara. She knew from the way the other woman reserved her most gentle smiles and caring words for her wife only, that the feeling was mutual. If it was ‘meant to be’, it would still be there, but it wasn’t.
And, after meeting the exact same goat now sitting before her, she was even more certain of that fact because she could never imagine Chara causing the tidal wave of emotion within her like Asriel did by just being next to him.
“I don’t feel heartbroken over not being with Chara.” She said finally. “I don’t love her that way. If anything, I’m actually glad things turned out the way they did, even if the path to get here wasn’t so great for myself. I’m part of that family now and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Though,” She looked up at the other, admitting, “I am sometimes envious of them. They’re so happy with each other and I just wish I could have that too one day, you know?”
Asriel was looking back at her strangely, like he was seeing her for the first time and was getting used to her features. He swallowed hard. “Y-Yeah. I get that.” His gaze turned downwards, “Then does that mean you might be able to fall in love with someone else?”
She couldn’t help it. A sharp, high bark of a laugh escaped her, loud enough it startled her friend into jerking back a bit and shooting her a concerned look.
Yeah, how about with the blind idiot in front of me?
“I know I can.” Amelia reassured.
Abruptly elated, Asriel crowed, “Really? I’m so glad!”
“You’re glad?”
“Well, yeah!” He nodded vigorously, ears bouncing. “Why wouldn’t I be? We’re connected, remember? I feel your loneliness sometimes.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t considered that. How many times had that happened?
“It worried me a lot, which was why I kept thinking maybe you felt like that because of Chara and Frisk. I guess I just feel better knowing that it’s not because you’re in love with Chara too. There’s someone out there that’ll make you real happy Amelia, I just know it.”
Amelia swallowed hard. How did he always do this? Every time, he found the words that just took her breath away. “Maybe they’re not that far either.” She whispered.
“Mm, maybe!” He scratched his muzzle, looking shy, “But, well, until then, you always have me.”
“Maybe you’re-” She cut herself off, not wanting to say ‘you’re all I need’. It was too big a giveaway and she wasn’t ready to put her heart out there just yet. “I mean, Asriel, an amazing friend like you is enough right now.”
Asriel was beaming, the warmth of his emotions like bright, gentle rays over her heart. He opened his mouth to speak.
It appeared she didn’t have to wait any longer.
“You’re amazing too Amelia.”
The sun had come up early.