Archive of Our Own

It was loud in the college's south-end cafe, all the noise condensed into a muffled, disjointed choir. This and the weariness overtaking their thoughts made it hard for Frisk to focus on Clover and Chara's conversation. Sitting here and resting their head in their arms while barely tuned into their friends' disconnected voices was what they needed after the longest 3 hours of their life they toiled through in government class.

Usually, they were the type to engage and lead in conversation rather than sit and listen, but they liked listening to these two. Always has really, even if they were the one who had to start conversations most of the time. Regardless, any time hanging out with them really made their weeks, active participant or not.

Is that sad or gay…?

Chara's voice cut their thoughts as Frisk focused on their surroundings again, "—like that old cowboy show?"

"Yeah, the Toy Story movies," Clover's eyes shimmered, "I'm surprised you remembered that." Their eyes crinkled as they recounted details about their childhood, "for my birthday one year, Starlo got me the Woody's Roundup CD." A rare soft laugh escaped them, "I'd listen to those songs non-stop and drive Ceroba crazy. I'm half sure she hid my CD player for a week and acted like I misplaced it."

"What are those?" Chara's question was answered with blank confused stares, they sighed, adding, "I've never heard of that series."

Clover leaned forward quickly, bumping into the table, "what?" The motion shook their long forgetting books and pens, making a lone pencil roll against Frisk's hand. "You've never heard of 'em before?" their eyes shook in disbelief.

Using that same pencil, Frisk pointed at Chara, slowly twirling the pencil around at them. They raised a brow, "they are literally classics, how haven't you heard of them?"

Chara rolled their eyes and slowly pushed the pencil away, making the other give back a cheeky grin. All they did was look away and huff, "is it a human made movie? My sibling and I never watched human made media, if that's the case, I would have never seen it." Their tone was laced with intense, stabbing malice. Yet, it had a soft underbelly of delicacy.

Those unspoken words on the why was left hanging in the air. It wasn't a secret Chara wasn't fond of humans to the point of avoiding them almost completely, but being reminded of their distaste hit the the others' hearts. While it was hard to grasp for the other two, they knew the cruelty of humanity too. Hell, they've experienced it first hand, but they've never considered dismissing an entire race for it either. Chara never said where their bias came from, but it didn't take a genius to know it must be something big, bad, and serious. Some traumatic event no one really wanted to breech, so it was left alone.

This shared silence was dense, not even a burning knife could cut through. Clover leaned back, their typical blank expression had new hollowness to it. Frisk, in comparison, only frowned, not knowing how to react.

The gears started to turn in Clover's head, their brows knit in thought. Once they finally spun, they perked up like a light went off behind their eyes. "Well, ya gotta watch 'em now!" their enthusiasm was a complete 180, even for them. "They're literally my favorite and I need to know what you think of 'em," they finished their declaration off with their prepared infectious smile that Frisk couldn't help but mirror every time they were lucky enough to witness it.

Chara's eyes widened slightly, slowly processing the boisterous, out-of-left-field request. Their hauntingly beautiful red eyes hesitantly moved between the pair as they sat in silence.

Looks like Clover wasn't the only one with gears working on overdrive.

Both knew by now that Chara wasn't the type to be caught off guard like this. It was really a treat to witness, incredibly so since it made Clover flustered. Watching both of them fumble around each other was always amusing, it reminded Frisk of a cheesy teenage romcom. Although, when you think of it that way, that would make Frisk some sort of third wheel wingman type. They would happily pull strings in the background forever if they had to, and these two really made it seem like it would.

"C— cause I really think you'd take a likin' to them," Clover finally found the will to speak again after seeing Chara's reaction. "What's sharin' culture and interests between friends, huh?" their voice tensed at the usage of "friends." That 180 mood shift returned, "I got all three movies on DVD, we can go to my dorm n' watch. My roomie has a player we can borrow, so we're all good to go."

Frisk tilted their head, "isn't there four—?"

"Nope," they were stone-cold serious, "it's a trilogy."

Chara blinked, "if you are so insistent on it, then I suppose I can do that." Clover grew a small, excited smile. Darting their eyes away, they asked, "but won't your roommate be annoyed with the sudden intrusion?"

"Patch?" they tilted their head. "Nah," they waved their hand, "they work nights on Fridays. I'm gonna text 'em about it, it should be alright."

Frisk's eyes danced between them as they grew a cunning, wide grin, this is the perfect opportunity. They held back some of their slyness, trying to act bashful, "I can come too, right?"

"Of c— course," Clover stuttered, "why wouldn't I want my two buddies to watch this with me?" They did that thing again where their voice cracked saying "buddies." A light flickered across their face, "oh, should we invite Asriel too?"

This date isn't going to fail before it even starts! No matter how cute it was, they could be unbelievably dense sometimes. Frisk put up their hands, pouting slightly, "nope! It'll get too crowded with Fluffball around." I'm literally begging you to get the hint here, "let's just keep it between the three of us."

Chara slowly shifted their gaze between the two, their mouth in a small, thin line, "I suppose..." Pausing for a beat, their lips slowly formed into a small, nostalgic smile, "although, I think he would enjoy it. Asriel was completely enamored with cowboys when we were kids. He used to—" Suddenly, they cut themselves off, their expression tightening into a mix regret and grief, "perhaps it's better he doesn't join us." There was a new hollowness in their eyes, like something was missing from them that they lost long ago.

A short, but sharp beat of silence passed. Hearing Asriel might be adverse to cowboys was a curious idea to Frisk, considering he met Clover first and they hit it off crazy well. Unless, they are implying Asriel would be sad to be reminded of his old cowboy interest. Frisk checked Clover's reaction through the corners of their eyes, knowing the mere suggestion of cowboys possibility being a sore topic for him would hit them the hardest. Behind their confused and concerned face was a hint of hesitation.

"Alrighty then," Clover studied the other, searching for something. Deciding to move on, they took out their phone, "y'all get ready to go 'n I'll text my roomie."

And like that, the trio moved on like nothing happened.

Clover fiddled with their keys, shuffling key to key until, "there ya are." With the key in hand, they unlocked and swung the door open. Stepping aside to let their guests in, they leaned back, removing their hat and holding it against their chest. Using their other arm to show off the door, they welcomed their guests, "after y'all."

Kneading their shoe into the carpet, Frisk played the role of a bashful young teen on a date. "Such a polite cowpoke," they leaned towards the other, "don't you agree, Chara?"

"I could," Frisk deflated at that dismissal. Chara, unaware, started to walk inside with Frisk closely following, then carefully placed their bag on the ground, "thank you for inviting us."

"No prob' bob," they entered themselves, closing the door behind them. "I'm glad y'all were able to come. It's so hard to find time to hang out with all the assignments we gotta do," they laughed dryly, "I know I want a break from my ethics essay…"

"God, yes, I sure need to chill," Frisk groaned, dramatically dropping their bag on the floor, "I have a group project in my economics class and I'm really sick of trying to get my teammates to do their share."

"Jeez, that always is annoyin,' huh?" Clover put their hat away on the rack, "I got a group project with Asriel in our botany class and I really lucked out with him. Haha, not to down play your thing… I'd be in a pickle if it was anyone but him is what I'm sayin.'"

"I get it, dude, don't sweat it."

Chara was silent as they continued talking, looking around the room. In their snooping, they caught a picture on Clover's bedside table, their eyes widening with interest. It showed Clover as a preteen alongside a little Kanako and four adult monsters behind them. Everyone in the photo smiled brightly at the camera as they held into each other. In the picture, Clover wore a yellow fox ear headband instead of their usual hat seen in all other childhood photos. Yet, they looked younger here, much younger than any other photo they've seen before.

"Clover," they flinched at the acknowledgement, "how were you able to watch these movies if you were raised in a monjority area?" Chara glanced at them from the corner of their eye, "they don't tend to export things like that."

"Eh?" Turning around, Clover tilted their head, "have I never mentioned it before?" They looked away for a moment before shaking their head, "well, Starlo is really into human culture, so he made sure I was up to date on everythin' human. A lot of it was due to his own habits but he really did try his darnedest to get me involved in human cultural stuff." Smiling sadly, they added, "plus, I was adopted older than you were, so I remember more about human stuff from when I was real little."

Chara hummed, their gaze piercing. It seemed like that wasn't an answer they wanted but there was understanding in their eyes, something hidden from their tone.

Trying to lighten in the mood a bit, Frisk switched topics, "my parents had me watching mostly whatever. They wanted me to watch both monster and human made stuff, but I grew up in the city so that wasn't uncommon either. I know you two are from the third ring towns, so you probably didn't know."

Scoffing, Chara folded their arms, "do not be so fictitious. My family made trips to the city when we had to."

"Had to, huh?" Frisk lightly teased them, "so like necessary human junk you couldn't avoid?"

Chara grimaced, "it was, yes."

"We used to go to the city often, but not much after—" Clover clamped their mouth shut. "After we got older, um…" suddenly they spun around, walking away with finger guns, "I'm gonna set up the player." They moved deeper into the dorm, going into their roommate's side, fishing through the box under their bed.

After that display, both were paralyzed completely. Neither dared to acknowledge what just happened, even if someone wanted to try: Clover would brush it off. They probably wouldn't get mad, but they were a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. Who's to say if they'd blow up with too much prodding.

It felt like every time they were together, some vague mention of someone's trauma would spill out. Is that a result of saying something before your brain catches up with your mouth? Or was it something else entirely? Whatever it was, it didn't seem to matter since everything would be locked up again before anything escaped out of their hearts.

Those two would tie at the Never Opening Up Competition… Chara would be so pissed about that since it's "not winning" and "pity decision making." Then Clover would try to give up the award to make them feel better which would just end up making them even more pissed and then they would argue and—

It really was a losing battle expecting that from them.

Frisk liked to think they were open with them, so both of them still holding things back really put a damper on things. Were they comfortable with one another? Frisk liked to think so. Based on how Clover acts, they definitely seem to be. But, they were friendly with everyone, so whose to know for sure. Plus, that pleasant and put-together persona they put on made it more difficult to know. Chara on the other hand was still hard to understand, they had that prepared, polite smile that rarely left their face. While they were cordial with people, that mask easily cracked when they lost their patience, which was weaker than most.

Now that they think about it, they wouldn't hang out with them at all if they didn't like them, would they? That goes for both of them, doesn't it?

The pounding in Frisk's head made it harder to focus on their surroundings. It was hard to stop overthinking sometimes, but they couldn't help it. They had the insistent instinct to ACT, to do something to make things go smoother.

But what would they even do?

A soft nudge on their shoulder brought them out of their stupor. Frisk darted their head to their left, seeing Chara glancing down at them.

"Clover set up the movie," Chara spoke quietly. Their captivating red eyes were paired with a slight pout, making Frisk's breath hitch. They looked annoyed but there was a hint of concern that made Frisk grapple with how small this room was, and how close they were currently. Everything felt too cramped right now. "They will be quite upset if we make them wait any longer."

Frisk was lost in their eyes for a second, feeling smaller than usual, even with their large height difference. Breathing in, they took in a new wave of resolve. Determination set in, forcing their feet to move forward with Chara trailing close behind.

"Frisk, Chara," they happily greeted them like they've been gone a while. Clover was kneeling on the floor with a large laptop with a detached disk drive plugged into it in front of them, "I got a few snacks I thought we could share while watchin.'" Around them were bags of chips and boxes of store bought cookies and candies, "luckily I got some snickerdoodles left from Martlet's monthly package." They stretched their arm out to hand the bag to Frisk, "here ya go. Only a few left so I want ya to have 'em."

Frisk grabbed the bag tenderly in their hands, eyeing down at it. They remembered they are my favorite… "Thanks, dude," is that seriously the best you can do? "That's like… super generous," that wasn't much better. For some reason, the bag in their hands sent static beams up their arms. Shooting straight into their chest and skull, heating up the stormclouds inside.

"O' course, always happy to share with a friend. This is one of Martlet's best batches too," snickering, they added, "if ya wanna give her a review, she'll be real happy with it. She's always askin' me for advice and critique and I never know quite what to say but you're more eloquent than me so if you wanna—" Clover stopped dead in their tracks, "I got ahead o' myself there, haha… What else was I gonna do here…" Their face scrunched up in thought as they tapped their chin with their finger. Once the memory came back they snapped their fingers, "oh! Chara, I also have some dark chocolate caramels," they grabbed the box from behind them, "Patch didn't like 'em so you can ha—"

With superhuman speed, they nabbed the box of chocolates. Despite their controlled stance, a gleeful, pleased demeanor radiated off of them, "please thank your roommate for me."

Clover blinked, slowly putting their hand down into their lap, "yep, of course." It took a second for them to reroute themselves, "I got the movie up and ready to play, so just get comfy." They padded the spot to their right, inviting them over.

For some reason they couldn't grasp, Frisk was glued to the floor, their legs mimicking a statue. To avoid an embarrassing situation, they hoped Chara would sit down before them, and then hopefully their own legs would start working again and they could act like nothing happened. Yet, Chara stayed standing at their side seemingly waiting for them to move first. It became increasingly awkward after no one moved for a long, agonizing minute.

That's when Chara got tired of waiting and sat down next to Clover with a huff. They sat crisscross, placing the caramel box in their lap, "if you are going to keep standing there idiotically, we are going to watch the movie without you."

Laughing too hard for it to be normal, Frisk zipped to sit at their other side. "Just spaced out is all," they took a cookie out of the bag. Popping the cookie in their mouth, they added, "let's watch the movie, okay?"

The first movie went by without much comment or fanfare.

While it was a fantastic movie in it's own right, it seemed like Chara didn't think much of it at all. Truth be told, Frisk kept glancing every so often to see their reaction to certain scenes. Chara's reactions were a sight to behold so it only made sense they'd watch more of them than the movie.

And it seemed like Clover had the same idea.

When they caught each other watching their mutual friend, there was this tension between them. Not anything bad or awkward but it felt invasive in a bonding sort of way. It was like their souls clashed into each other, clearly sharing the same flight path. At some points, it almost felt like they were in sync, turning their heads to peek at the exact same moment.

Like they were doing right now. It would be impressively hilarious if it didn't make them feel crazy. Especially since they haven't looked away yet.

Frisk often wondered what Clover was thinking, they always looked like they had a lot going on up there. However, they never expressed much, always sporting that Mona Lisa smile. While it wasn't too unreadable to Frisk, it still didn't share nearly enough for them to work with. Which is saying something since they can be monotone and expressionless themselves. Right now they looked as much of a deer in headlights than they've ever seen. Their eyes were wide enough to be noticeable and the light from the laptop really added to the look. They must have felt like they were caught doing something bad since they'd quickly, but carefully, look away with a redder face.

This time, however, they seemed to be lost in thought. As that would be the only logical reason for them to still be staring at them. It was staring to get to Frisk, but they played it off casually by turning away to watch the movie again. That seemed to snap them back to reality since they heard Clover shuffling.

But, after a lengthy moment of pretending the other doesn't exist, their song and dance continued. This performance lasted the rest of the movie. Making the whole movie viewing experience—the reason they were invited here to begin with—trivial by comparison. Frisk doesn't think they even watched a full 20 minutes of it. It was almost embarrassing how much of their focus was on their friends, if they could even pluralize that. Good thing they weren't going to think about it.

The movie ending seemed to save them from their stupor, the credits song being a humble distraction.

But then Clover silently switched disks and they darted their eyes up to peek at Frisk, looking dazed. The look was kinda pathetic, especially in comparison to their little game before, yet it was like a gun went off and hit them square in the chest. It was strong enough to take the wind out of their lungs, making them just as disoriented as the other. Chara didn't seem to notice anything, but it wasn't like Frisk was able to check either. For all they knew, they were heavily criticizing both of them somewhere in that head of theirs, which tracks, but usually they don't miss a chance to verbalize it. Maybe the delicate silence was getting to them too, too scared to be the one to shatter it.

Once the second movie started up, both Clover and Chara were more focused on it. Rarely did Clover look over, lost in the movie. Now it was just Frisk eyeing both of them while neglecting the movie. It almost felt wrong to spy on them when they looked like that. That wasn't going to stop them, but it definitely made them feel more cognizant.

They almost missed the little game of peekaboo.

Although, they had to admit, the child-like glee in Clover's eyes was a nice change to their usual passiveness. A ghost of a genuine, fond smile etched across their face. While it was small, it was warm enough to be felt a meter away. This movie must have brought them back to a nostalgic place for them to look so serene.

Maybe it's a good thing Clover hasn't been peeking…

Trying to recuperate themselves, they moved to actually pay attention to Chara for a bit. Since they originally were planning to see their reactions after all. Since they can be funny sometimes. It's not weird.

Anyway, Chara was also captivated by the movie. While they didn't show it very well, Frisk has caught on that they express more with their eyes while keeping the rest of their face composed. Small things like their eyes widening or pupils dilating, things people don't tend to consciously look for. Yet for Frisk to be able to read them, they had to learn how to find that hayfilled needle. Sometimes though they'd slip a little and allow their brows or lips to fidget, showing more emotion than planned. Those prepared stock expressions tearing away at the edges to reveal their true inner workings rather than their mock up

Just like with the other, Chara seemed to be taken to another world, their eyes showcasing that clearly. They shone with old emotions, resurfacing to be felt again. It made Frisk wonder what made them feel so nostalgic considering they don't know a single thing about these movies. Might have something to do with what they mentioned earlier: that cowboy show they watched with their family as a kid.

Chara didn't talk about themselves often, so Frisk treasured anything they discovered. Most of it came from Asriel rather than Chara, but they've been able to piece together a very rough childhood for the pair. Raised by a goat monster family from the age of five, has a younger sister and sibling, parents divorced just before they started college…. That's about it but it seemed like the siblings cared deeply for their family more than anything else. It honestly made Frisk curious about them, to the point they thought how nice it would be to meet them. Yet those thoughts would always be immediately shut down considering the implications. Sure, they've known Chara for almost a year now, but that's a bit too fast for something so personal. It was weird how they thought that way, they've never been hesitant to meet their friend's family before, but for some reason, this time it felt like too much.

That's when Frisk realized they got stuck in their head again.

Focusing back on the movie, Frisk's racing head seemed to die down a little. All of this thinking was close to giving them a migraine, or maybe they were already having one. While the pounding in their head wasn't as bad as it was before, their eyes still felt muddy. The colors and sounds from the screen passed over their senses as they tried to refocus their attention. Slowly, moving pictures and words formed into something comprehensible.

That's when they noticed they've gotten pretty far in the movie. They were around the half way point where Woody is convinced to stay with his cowboy crew. The heavy hitter of the film was about to play, a scene Frisk knew would earn them entertaining reactions.

Frisk peeked over once again. What immediately grabbed their attention was Chara, it was something they've never seen from them before. The corners of their mouth quivered as the tears fell around them, like their mask was about to shatter from of the foreign object threatening to slide between the cracks. Alongside the tears flooding their eyes, the glow from the screen made their red eyes more prominent and luminous, almost sparking like a red jewel. This visual of them stunned Frisk completely, short-wiring their brain in the process. They suddenly regretted wearing this thick, fervid hoodie indoors despite the ajar window blowing the chilly fall air onto their back.

Suddenly, Chara darted their head to gape at Frisk. That's when they realized they were holding their hand, their fingers lightly interlocked. They had no idea when or how they did that, but the other didn't pull away. The dazed look in the other's eyes made Frisk smile solemnly, whispering, "are you alright?"

Words caught in their throat, Chara nodded subduedly.

That's when Frisk noticed Clover behind the other, transfixed on them in full earnestness. The glow from the laptop painted their face in warm orange light, bringing out the bright gentleness of their yellow eyes. And with their soft, content smile crinkling their eyes gently, they looked like a sunflower in human form. Just like with the other, the visual took Frisk's breath away. Warmth flooded their system, derailing any semblance of thought that they previously. All noise cut out and the darkness from outside completely blinded them to the world outside this small dorm room. Now, even the dorm itself barely registered to them.

It was like everything else didn't exist anymore, all Frisk had were the people in front of them.

Slowly, Clover grabbed Chara's other hand, making the other flinch. Rubbing their thumb over the other's knuckles, Clover spoke softly, "it's fine ya know. We've cried at this scene too, I know I did. I am now."

Frisk felt their grip tighten, "yeah, it always makes me cry."

The world became a little more blurry just then, yet the colors shone just as strongly.

"Now this part," Clover looked at the screen again. The movie was paused on Woody standing on the window sill with Jessie, comforting her. "It made me love this series, it's really the reason why I wanted to share it with you. I'll go ahead and play it again, if you're ready."

Chara slowly nodded, looking at the screen with them.

The movie turned back to life again, and there was a comfortable silence surrounding them. Not that the silence before wasn't comfortable, but now it has a new warmth to it.

While the rest of the movie played out, no one moved much at all. No small sounds of laughter or held back sobbing were heard either, it was completely quiet besides the laptop itself. Even Frisk found themselves staring vacantly at the screen, mind racing on all the possible things the other two could be thinking after what just happened. Like the idea of turning to look at them was taboo, their head was locked forward. Even looking through their peripheral vision seemed too invasive and damning. The very idea of ruining this moment by taking a moment to look at them feel clammy.

The spell was broken by the credits beginning to play, making Clover silently replace the disk with the third film. Playing it just was quietly as they did before.

And like that the comfortable warmth around them slightly dissipated as the third movie played.

Things went by in a haze after that.

Clover's eyes widened before they jumped from their spot, "oh gosh, how's it already midnight?!" Their exclamation made the other two dart their heads to gawk at them. "I didn't realize how much time passed," they laughed awkwardly. "Did y'all want me to drive ya home then?"

Frisk scratched their head, "my place is pretty far." Standing up now, they looked out the window and into the night, "I don't want you to drive that long in the dark."

"Eh?" they waved their hand dismissively, "why? It'll be fine..."

"You're tired, dude," their tone was unmoving. "It's gonna take over an hour just to get over there. Plus... My parents won't like hearing your truck at 1 AM outside their window."

Conceding, Clover sighed, "well alright... Then what do ya wanna do? The buses are done for today and won't open 'til 5. Patch would be back here by then." They pause, face slightly pinkening, "um, I'd let ya stay over but my roomie wouldn't be too fond of that... Especially if you slept wi—" They stammered, "on the floor. They'd really tear me a new one comin' back to that."

"You can stay at my place," Chara stood up alongside them, speaking cooly.

The two craned their necks to goggle at them.

Blinking at them, Frisk was dubious, "are you for real or…?"

Sneering, their eyes narrowed, "I am always serious, do you not know me?" Clearing their throat, they clarified, "I am for real. We have some spare blankets and pillows, it will not be any issue to let you stay over a night."

"Won't Asriel get prissy with you?" Clover raised a brow, skeptical, "you know how he gets when you wake him up. He'll get even worse once he sees ya got company."

"Hmm?" A wide, unnerving smile stretched across their face. It was almost unnatural, but it was conniving, which made it fit them perfectly. "It will be fine," their jovial tone was off-putting, but strangely invigorating too. "Trust me, when have I ever done you wrong?"

Frisk's eyes gleamed, "you're scheming again... Is this some sibling rivalry thing?"

"Let us call it payback," their smirk slowly morphed into a small, thin line. There was this calculating, pensive look in their eyes, nothing like Frisk has seen before. Then, they started pouting, their cheeks more flush than normal, "well, it's close enough..."

"What's that mean?" teasing them, Frisk leaned closer, "wanna share some lore?"

"I got no clue what either of you are talking about…" Clover grabbed their hat from the rack.

"Does not matter," Chara ignored Frisk completely. Breathing in deep before turning to face them, Chara looked into Frisk's eyes, "are you alright with staying over or not, Frisk?"

"Aw..." they'd get them next time. Yet, that one slip up Clover made earlier made Frisk wonder. "l don't mind but," maybe next time can be now, "won't Clover feel left out?"

"Wha—?" they almost dropped their hat.

"Frisk," Chara's stone-cold glare cut into them, and they absolutely adored it, "I have one couch."

"And?" their giddy smile bled into their voice. They were currently living the fanfic dream and they couldn't get enough of it.

Clover tried to get a word in, "now hold on a second—"

Chara held up a single hand to silence them, which made Clover immediately stop. Putting their hand away into folded arms, they berated them, "Frisk do not toy with them, they'll just drop us off and be fine." They turned their head to ask, "right?"

The grip on their hat loosened, Clover slowly echoed, "...right."

Frisk smirked, "why so hesitant, cowpoke?"

"Le— let's just go," they quickly slammed their hat on and dashed out the door.

The other two were left alone in Clover's dorm, stupefied for a moment. Frisk leaned to the side, giving Chara a knowing look. Chara tilted their head and frowned in confusion, mouthing, "what?" Shrugging, Frisk picked up their bag and strolled out the room, leaving the other even more baffled. Finally, Chara grabbed their things and followed.

The drive to Chara's apartment was stuck in an awkward silence.

While the drive over there wouldn't be long, that just made Frisk more anxious to say something. Since they were only having a 15 minute drive and time passed as brashly as it always did, time was running out for them to keep this ball rolling.

"Thanks for letting me stay the night, Chara," Frisk turned their head to speak to them, "I'm surprised you offered but it was very kind of you."

"Do not look into it much, it was the only reasonable option."

"It's still really nice of you."

They hummed, looking out the window.

It was quiet again.

This wouldn't do at all, they had to make another move damn it. Getting Clover on their side sooner rather than later would be ideal. There was only one way they could think of that could get them to voice their thoughts, cause if Frisk's hunch was right, they were feeling conflicted and left out. They were hesitant to speak back at their dorm, and they were hesitant while guiding them into their truck. Too much hesitancy meant they were thinking about it. Maybe they should test this theory.

Frisk peeked at Clover, their bright, charming yellow eyes focused on the road. Like they knew they were being watched, their lips tightened and their face heated up slightly. Clover's eyes darted to theirs for a second, fleeting but transfixed. While their eyes were locked, Frisk took the chance to smile encouragingly.

After a moment Clover asked, "so… How'd ya two wanna do this?"

Chara hummed in curiosity, "drop us off like usual, correct?" Tilting their head, they peered at the other, "why would we need to do this differently? Frisk was only teasing you earlier."

"Yeah," they shrugged, "but I just wanted to make sure…"

"So you do feel left out." Frisk grinned, "did you wanna sleepover too?"

"Umm…" they clutched the steering wheel, shoulders stiff, "if you'll have me."

Frisk leaned towards Chara, almost resting their head in the other's shoulder due to already being squeezed together in the front row of the truck. "Will you have us?" they batted their eyelashes, knowing how badly it would annoy them.

Turning farther away, Chara groaned, "if you two are so insistent, then I suppose I can accommodate both of you. However, I am not helping you on figuring out how to manage your sleep arrangement."

"Alright, our wonderful and beautiful host."

In response, Chara turned away even more.

On their other side, Clover seemed to breathe more easily.

Frisk took this chance to press up against them, getting close as possible. With this motion, Clover tensed up again, but their frazzled face made Frisk chuckle. Knowing full well even at a whisper Chara could hear them, Frisk murmured into Clover's ear, "did you wanna share a bed that badly or what?"

Abruptly, Clover slammed on the breaks, throwing everyone and everything in the car forward. The car screeched forward a foot, the grinding from the tires reverberated in their eardrums. If this happened anywhere else but the empty parking area in front of Chara's apartment complex, then they would've crashed into something. Luckily for them it was half past midnight and all possible cars they could have collided with were neatly parked on the side of the wide driveway.

Slouched over the steering wheel, Clover's head held low enough to honk the horn. Frisk couldn't see their face but their voice was shaky, "looks like we're 'ere now…"

Chara groaned, gripping their head, "trying to kill us after begging me to let you stay the night isn't exactly what I had in mind."

"What did you have in mind?" Frisk tried to brush off their pounding heart by joking as usual.

"Nothing remotely close to where your mind has wandered," they sighed, "Clover you aren't dropping us off, so go ahead and park."

"Haha, right," they slowly accelerated the car again, "not droppin' you off this time."

—

Chara unlocked the door, opening it wide enough to peek through. Then they turned their head back, "you two must keep quiet. Asriel is sleeping and I do not want him to bother me if one of you wake him up."

Frisk stepped forward, almost back to chest with them, "won't he do that anyway?"

The corners of their lips pinched downward, "shut up or I will make you."

"I'd prefer if you made me," they stood up straighter and leaned forward to try and meet the distance between them better, but still had a tall gap separating their faces.

Swiftly, they turned away and walked inside without granting them a response.

"Ya know they don't like the teasin' much," Clover scrutinized them, putting a hand on their hip, "you should lay off."

"I could make such a good joke right now but I'll spare you."

They chuckled awkwardly, "wha'd'ya…" they turned red, "right." Shoving them inside, their accent thickened as their speech merged fast enough to be one, "le's not hav' 'em waitin' or we'll ne'er hear da end o' it."

Once inside, the duo placed their stuff in the usual spots in their practiced rhythm. This weird sense of semi-familiarity set a new vigor in Frisk to get things moving along for as long as they could. Everything in them told them to let this train keep going, even if it was against their better judgment. They were having too much fun with them to be thinking clearly, wanting to see how far they could go with this. It was that selfish side of them they allowed to take control, just for a little while.

Chara stood waiting in the living room, their foot tapping stopped once the other two entered the room, "I made the bed for you two. I put an extra blanket on the side table in case you need it." They paused, "I'm still not sure what your plan is here."

"Have you never been to a sleepover?" Frisk sat down on the right side of the bed, shuffling to be closer to the center, "we're gonna share the pull out couch."

Growling, their eyes narrowed, "1) I have been to multiple sleepovers and I am quite frankly offended you think I don't have the social aptitude to do so, 2) the pull out couch is only a full size bed which can barely fit two adults."

"But I'm like," they rolled their hands, "half their size, I can fit on there like a cat or something."

Clover opened their mouth to speak but was interrupted.

Chara clicked their tongue, "don't be so asinine, it's ridiculous. You're less than a foot shorter."

"It won't be—"

"I actually don't mind at all," Clover spoke quickly and definitively, making Frisk jump, "so ya don't gotta defend me, Chara."

Chara halted, staring intently at them. Then, they looked away, trying to hide darkened cheeks, "then I suppose everything is fine."

After all the tension in the room evaporated, Clover excused themselves, leaving to the bathroom. A dark look in their eyes washed their brightness out, hiding in the shadows. As they strided through the room, no one else in the room moved an inch, only turning their heads to watch them leave. The apartment felt larger than ever before with how long it felt for them to be out of sight. Even when they were unseen, the echo of their footsteps filled the living room. With a swift click of the door's lock, Frisk finally breathed.

Taking this chance, Frisk patted the spot on their left, "looks like they'll be a while so you should get comfy."

"Why should I?" they looked down at them accusingly, "we're all going to bed soon, correct?"

"Yes, but," Frisk coyly grinned, "shouldn't you make sure your guests are all good before you go to bed?"

Grimacing, they dragged their way over and plopped down, "you're a pest."

Frisk put their arm on the head of the couch, placing it behind the other casually, "how does me telling you to be a good host make me a pest?"

"You're just naturally an annoying pest."

"Then that makes you the Pied Piper since you invited me here."

They gave them a dumbfounded look that practically screamed, how do you even think of something like that, before sighing, "it's called being polite."

They could only hum.

They've been alone with Chara in their apartment before but now it felt too awkward. This wasn't like any other time they've hung out here and that them feel more nervous. The room didn't have it's usual—Asriel's self proclaimed—Dreemurr warmth, even with the colder Dreemurr sibling. With Chara it always felt tepid, like a nice kettle of tea was brewing. The aroma of the brew overpowering any warmth you get from the tea but now, it felt cold, like ice was shoved into the tea without a thought.

And with Clover in the other room it felt strangely emptier too.

Another beat passed before the click of the door ran through the hall and into the living room. The sound immediately perked Frisk up, making them finally notice Chara sitting next to them, leaning closely. Instinctively, they titled away.

When Clover returned, their eyes were still dark, but the storm calmed. Their gait was more ragged than usual too, but that could just be from tiredness. Once they looked at the pair, their Mona Lisa smile twisted into something wistful. The air felt lighter after witnessing it. After a quiet acknowledgement between the group, they sat down to Frisk's left. The shift from the mattress made them fall towards the other, forcing Frisk to stretch to give them space.

It was really cramped now.

Frisk, desperate to start a conversation, leaned back, trying to look casual, "so um, Chara, what was your favorite out of the trilogy?"

Humming, they blankly looked at them, "I suppose the second one."

"That's my favorite too!" Clover beamed from the other end of the couch, leaning too much into Frisk's personal space as their excitement couldn't be contained. This was fine, this didn't make them anxious at all. Completely unaware, they began to rant, "what was yer favorite part? Did ya like the endin'? I always thought the airport scene was a highlight! Oh, which new character is yer favorite? I gotta say mine is Bullseye, I love when—" They pause suddenly, face heated up, "ah, I should let ya answer, huh?"

Blinking twice, they sat up straighter, speaking briskly, "I liked the parts at Al's apartment the most. If I had to pick one it would be when Woody was getting repaired. I liked the ending, I thought it closed off the movie very well. I agree the airport scene was one of the better parts. My favorite is…" their lips suddenly pinched shut, not opening again.

After a beat, Frisk quipped, "the unshakable Chara Dreemurr is hesitant on answering?" Smirking, they asked, "is your favorite character that embarrassing for you?" Chara's eyes darted away for a moment, making Frisk huff a laugh. "Oh, come on, dude! It's a kids film, and we all like it so it's not like we'll make fun of you. What's your issue?"

"Do not imply that I am bothered by the opinions of you two."

"Then share," Frisk breathed out, "your thoughts."

Chara crossed their arms, their shoulders stiffening. "Jessie," they looked down, "I like her the most."

"What's so embarrassin' about that?" Clover tilted their head. "She's fun n' I like her a lot," nodding, they added, "probably second only to Bullseye."

They only grumbled in response, so Frisk saw this as an opportunity to tease them, "it is because she reminds you of anyone?"

The stare they gave Frisk wasn't one they were expecting at all, it reminded them of locking eyes with a lost, cornered coyote, who somehow made its way deep into the city. While those windows still had those curtains closed, for a brief moment you could see a soft light turn on behind them.

"You could say that I relate to her somewhat," Chara began to tap their forearm.

"Oh," they sounded a little disappointed, "how come?"

Again, they stared at them, and that light came on again but it stayed lit longer this time, even as they spoke, "I was abandoned similar to how she was." They breathe in, "but thankfully I was found after a few hours."

Oh, dear god, I didn't think they'd open up like that. How am I supposed to even respond??

"What??" looks like Clover beat them to it, "you were left alone in some far away place??"

"I was, yes."

Frisk carefully asked, "is that how you were adopted?"

"Yes," Chara spoke as curtly as before, "Asriel found me."

"Really?" Clover's eyes widened at that.

Their shoulders raised, "is it really that unbelievable to you two?"

Both nod.

Chara sighed, "it really isn't that unbelievable of a story."

"Well… prove it."

Staggered, they gaped at Frisk. A determined look shone in Chara's eyes, even with their tight expression. Sighing softly, they slowly began, "once he found me, he ran to help. He had to assist me in walking since I sprained my ankle. I couldn't see anything in the dark woods, so I tripped over a rock and fell down a small cliff and landed close to his home. That is how he found me, he heard my wail. I remember being scared at first but…" Chara's grip on their arms tightened, "once I saw mom with baby Togore wrapped across her chest and dad's kind smile alongside Asriel's…" Pausing, their shoulder fell, their hold loosening. "I thought maybe these people will truly help me," touching their locket, they relaxed, "and they did."

"Then..?"

Breathing in contemplation for a moment, they slowly breathed out. "Dad tried to investigate my case so he could give a good scolding to my "parents,"" it was like they spit out venom saying that word. "But he never found anything. I… couldn't help much," Chara's eyes darted away for a second, "they grew very attached to me and asked me to be a part of their family. I didn't get it at first, I couldn't understand why they would want me. Yet, they all insisted they were genuine and wanted to raise me, if I let them." Finally, they genuinely smiled, "and I did."

"I ran away from my foster home," Clover spoke suddenly, surprising everyone including themselves. Their mouth hung open slightly, eyes unfocused. After a blink they stared into their lap, their speech uncertain, "um, I just thought since you talked about how you were adopted, I could share too?"

Chara's smile minutely widened.

Darting their eyes away again, they slowly spoke, "I was one of the older kids in that place, so I had to help take care of the youngins. But I had some issues with people mistreating them. I didn't see any adults helping 'em so I took things into my own hands. Got in real bad trouble for it..." They paused, lips fidgeting before heavily exhaling and continuing, "um later on a few kids from the neighborhood went missing and no one seemed to care much so I snuck out to go find 'em myself. I traveled pretty far, I lived off the land for a bit. I don't remember much that happened afterwards…" their sentence ended with weariness. Their previous lamenting was shoved aside as they quickly ended their story, "but I ended up in East Hometown and was found by Dalv and he brought me to Starlo since he was the only one experienced with humans. Then, Martlet took care of me while everything was being settled and then I was adopted by Ceroba since she was the only one who could legally do that. Anyway, that's how I found my family."

"You skipped like a lot there," Frisk spoke delicately, "settled? What was being settled?"

"Ah, that," their face was blank. "Well, apparently I was key in findin' those missing kids. I don't remember much of that though, Dalv says I blocked it out…" Clover shook their head, closing their eyes, "they were all found safe though and that's that."

"That is quite the harrowing story…" Chara mused.

"Yeah," their jovial tone was hollow, "and yours isn't?"

The two laugh and talk about seemingly mundane adoptee things, but Frisk really didn't know what they were talking about now. Even if their ears allowed them to process their words, it all seemed too foreign for them to understand. Everything became blurry and fizzed out of their senses, like the world was a messy pointillism painting stuck in a cramped waiting room.

Yet, after all this time, both of their friends were able to open up about their childhood. This progress made their chest stew with pride.

Although, they had to admit, they felt like they had to say something now. To make everything even in this shared vulnerability. But, what would they even say here? They had a completely different upbringing than those two, they couldn't even begin to compare it.

It wasn't a bad childhood all things considered.

They were lucky to have both of their parents providing for them, even if they weren't around a lot. Even if they forgot to go to events for them and only seemed to ask if they won awards after the fact. Even if they were too busy to pick them up early from school when they were sick. Even if they didn't have dinner with them most nights, leaving them to learn how to cook for themselves. Even if they still misgendered and deadnamed them sometimes regardless of how much they corrected them and they pretended it was an accident. Even if they knew their parents didn't even notice they've been gone, that they haven't thought to text them about where they might be right now. That even if they just disappeared one day, they wouldn't bother to do anything about it.

But, they provided for them, that was enough.

Right?

"I was a latch key kid," Frisk spoke without thinking, "I, um…" The words caught in their throat, their composure lost stirring in their stomach. Usually, they were able to talk smoother, more prepared. But now, they were trapped, feeling smaller by the second and suddenly claustrophobic with the taller figures staring down at them on both sides. Second guessing themselves, they coughed, "I don't really have a similar kinda story to you guys. I just kinda have my own thing I guess…"

"Frisk, being left alone at home as a child for long periods is hardly something you should push aside."

Look who's talking…

"Yeah, ya shouldn't feel like ya gotta compare yerself to us."

"It's not that. It's more—" sighing, Frisk pushed their bangs back, "I just don't see it as bad?" Rubbing their temples, they added, "but I can't call it good either. Does that make sense?"

"I think it does," Clover leaned forward, "before I ran away, I felt like that."

"Yes, I feel similar as well. I am very lucky for what my family gave me but…" Chara paused, searching for the right words, "it wasn't always pleasant either."

"Yeah, I also felt that way around my parents." Frisk started to twiddle their thumbs, "usually they were out of town doing business so I didn't see them much anyway but even when they were there it was like they couldn't handle conversation anymore. Like their jobs sucked it out of them. I get their jobs were hard but ya know how it is…" Grimacing, they sunk down more, "even after mom retired she was standoffish. Dad's still doing political junk but like he's always been the more detached one."

Chara's lips tightened, their face stone. It looked like they wanted to make a comment, but decided against it.

"Every time you mention you parents, I just wanna tell them off even more," Clover's bangs covered their eyes partially, making their face dark.

"Ha, good luck with that one," these words were practiced many times before, "they thrive off that kinda thing so might not be a good idea."

"Your parents are terrible people," the way they said "people" was forced, like they wanted to say something else entirely. With a long pause they looked away as they said, "if you ever want to meet kind parents, you can always meet mine."

That suggestion made Frisk's hair stand on end, their face was practically on fire. "Meet… your parents?" their voice was small but hopeful. "We haven't even held hands yet," they tried to joke. Their awkward laugh barely registered, "the way you and Asriel talk about them does make me curious… I'm not gonna lie." Out of all the things this is what gets me?? They didn't want to voice it but after hearing a lot about Chara's parents they have wanted to hug them, so badly. Hesitance in their voice, they choked, "you mean it?"

"Why would I suggest it otherwise?" Chara scoffed, "hell, Clover can come along too." Giving them a look, they heckled, "I'll offer before you do."

"Glad to be included," they smiled minutely. Looking awkward, they admitted, "I've also wondered about them, seems like we'd get along well."

"I could show you around, but Asriel would be the better guide…" they sounded unsure, almost farther away.

"I'm sure he would but," Frisk leaned closer, trying to reaffirm them, "I'd prefer to have you drag us around for a change."

"You offered to take us after all, don't wanna go back on your word, do ya?" whenever Clover got sly and joined Frisk in teasing Chara it always made Frisk ecstatic and giggly.

Their face was almost matching their red eyes, "god, you two are—!"

A loud groan followed by a "for fuck's sake!" made everyone in the room halt.

Stomping out of his room, Asriel appeared in the entryway. Even with his glasses on, he squinted his eyes to try to understand what he was seeing.

He eyed the trio, blinking like he's still dreaming, "Chara?" Asriel's voice was flat.

They laughed, "yes, Azzy?"

"Why are Frisk and Clover here?" Once he saw how red Chara was his muzzle morphed into a sly grin, "are you trying to get revenge on all those times I sneaked Dess into our room? If I thought you'd go even further than me and bring in two partners, then maybe I would have stopped myself back then."

Like a bomb went off, they shrieked, jumping off the couch and tackling their brother to the ground. Pinning them, they grabbed their shirt collar, shaking them around, "is this what you wanted?! You're such an ass, how dare you make a joke like that!" The intense look of the intent to kill in their eyes bore into the souls of all who witnessed it, "you're lucky everyone back home wants to see both of us in a month or else I'd kill you now."

Frisk watched this whole thing unfold from afar, still frozen in shook. And all they could think was, I wish that was me.

"Holy shit, Char, calm down!" Asriel grabbed their hands, trying to yank then off, to no avail, "I'm just teasing you, you can't just kill your beloved big brother like this!"

Their eyes and mouth leaked blank ooze, "do not try to pull the brother card on me."

"Don't pull out your scary face on me…!" He started to rationalize, "come on… How else are you gonna pay the rent without me, huh??"

Chara sneered and started to pull on his ears.

"Uncle, Uncle! I hate it when you yank on my ears, get off!" he started to shuffle side to side to try to shake them off. Still, the other pinned him down, now yanking on his horns, "what are you 12?? We're too old to play this game and you're still playing dirty!"

Frisk turned to Clover, wondering if they should do something. Surprisingly, they were completely clocked out, not noticing Frisk leaning toward them. "You doing alright?" they whispered into the other's ear.

"'M fine," they wearily said, "just real tired."

Finally, using all that built up courage, Frisk interjected, "um guys can you like stop so we can sleep?"

Asriel grappled with the other, "Char, come on, listen to your partner here! Let me go so we can all sleep."

Grumbling, Chara slowly stood up again, glaring at their brother as they dusted themselves off. "You may live another day," they turned away and pouted.

"How gracious of you…" his sarcastic tone cut the other, making them dart to glare at him again. He raised his hands up in defensive, "whatever I'm going back to bed." Turning around, he started to walk back to his room, "just don't be noisy anymore, alright?" Right before he closed the door behind him, he said, "don't have too much fun, you'll make too much noise."

"I'm going to kill him in his sleep."

"Can ya do that after our group project?" Clover yawned, "I'd rather not jump though hoops to rework things."

Huffing, they pouted, "fine, but I'll probably be over it by then… I suppose he can live."

"Another day with no causalities, might be a new record," Frisk joked blankly.

Eyes drooping, Clover yawned again, "it's been fun and all but seriously I'm about to pass out, let's call it in."

"Yes, let's…" Chara paused, walking over to turn off the light, "I assume you two are all set and do not need anything?'

"No, I'm all good."

"I guess not but I'll miss you," they tried not to sound too whiny, "being in the other room and all."

They sigh, exasperated, "goodnight, Frisk." Then, they turned off the light. "You too, Clover," they spoke in a fonder tone, "sleep well."

Why did Clover get the nicer voice? That's not fair…

Chara left to their bedroom, leaving the other two alone for the night.

Getting under the covers, Frisk laid on their edge of the bed, staring up at the ceiling. All the exhaustion from the day finally caught up to them, turning them into a mushy pile of goo. The springy, poor imitation of a mattress was enough to make their muscles relax and melt into the creases.

On their left, Clover settled in next to them, laying in their side with their back facing towards them. While under the covers with them, the other gave them ample space between them.

The witching hour was drawing near, yet it felt safe in here regardless. Frisk might just be able to sleep uninterrupted for once, if they were lucky. Even if not, they would be happy to wake up in the middle of the night somewhere more homey. Plus, seeing they weren't alone and had a friend alongside them gave them more peace than they've had in a while, it always made them rest easier. That was always their favorite part of a sleepover.

"So," Clover whispered in the dark room, "did you like the cookies?"

This was their second favorite part.

Frisk softly smiled, looking at the back of the other's head, "some of the best I've ever had."