Chapter Text
1
That was stupid.
They were stupid.
Hey, let’s go to cursed mountain to get away for a bit.
Or forever.
You won’t trip at the wines and end up still alive, will you?
...
Well, after all you are filled with determination. Yeah, sure. To bleed out on the stone maybe. Whatever.
It’s not like Chara can think clearly anyway so there is no point. Best thing would be probably, just to be quiet and wait for the end. Yet, their head hurts, electricity up their limbs, breath hurting and whitelisting. It all prompts a human desire,DETERMINATION, to survive.
“...Help.” is so quiet that it barely reaches Chara’s ears, much less anyone else. And who would help them anyway? A monster? A ghost? With their luck maybe some other human was- Footsteps. Small. Light. Like paws of something. Ah… there were actually monsters here. They are going to rip Chara to shreds probably, good riddance. A bit more painful but- “Help...” the instinct betrays them again. Nice. Well not that it mattered if it was really a monster anyway.
“Howdy!… Oh! You must’ve fallen down, haven’t you?” that voice is… it’s like a child or something. “Are you okay?” well, sure as heck not is what Chara would answer if the oxygen wasn’t so… scarce. Deciding against their better judgment, Chara turns head to the, whatever was speaking. It’s… a fluffy goat monster thing in shirt and pants.
Alright, yeah.
They hit their head badly.
Whimpering at the light however, was not on the list of priorities but still happens.
“Here, get up…” in a last ditch effort, Chara flinches away, momently forgetting about their broken body. Gets reminded a moment later, when they crush back to the stone. Well, that went… well. What Chara doesn’t realise at the moment through is that they are being lifted to their feet. At first it’s a pain but soon, their feet do find footing, guided by the monster goat fluff thing. But darn, did their head hurt. Properly bonked for sure. Somehow not dead, even better. Whatever. Wait, is the goat thing talking-
“-ur name?” that’s kind of… funny actually. Really? Introduction to a monster- hallucination- whatever. Fine, whatever, they were by all accounts dying anyway. With that thought a chuckle passes their lips.
“Chara.”
“Chara, huh?” somehow, they think that by repeating they should be offended. Kind of like saying, your name is weird. “That’s a nice name. My name is Asriel.” Liar.
Your name is weirder.
2
Man, you can’t do this properly either.
Looking at the wall besides the bed gets pretty boring in a day or two or... how many even? Since well, being stuck in a cave offers no real daylight to even say.Kind of sucks. Well, Chara supposed, that’s the punishment for messing this up too. Or was being stuck with these… fluffy goats that were monsters a punishment? Or both? Still not tuning out the possibility that this was all elaborate hallucination from banging the head against rocks. Even through the one… Toriel… said that too was healing nicely. Monster magic and all. Whatever that was. Speaking of which-
“Are you awake, Chara?” that would be the small monster child that was the source of messing up. Asriel. Chara dislikes Asriel. Not that it was his fault at all. Chara called for help and puff! A goat monster. Neat. Still- Messed up and Asriel had a part in that so Chara disliked him. Simple. Add to that the fact that the goat boy came to their room at least three times day and well… Maybe if no sounds were made Asriel would go off- “I brought you some Snow Soup. Mom said you should be fine to come but-” Darn it. Chara turns from side to back, facing Asriel. There are few options here: scare Asriel, tell him to leave, scare Asriel but prevailing one is- What the heck is Snow Soup?
“What?” apparently Chara’s face betrays the stoic tone.
“Oh, you are awake!” the happiness in Asriel’s tone is weird… Still, the monster makes his way towards the bed, showing the soup to Chara. They brought usual food every time but this- It looks… porridgy. Like half melted yellow snow with some… questionable veggies. If they were veggies…? “Mom makes the best food, trust me.” Asriel puffs his chest out, proud of the statement. At the same time, Chara just feels more suspicious of the concoction in front of him because that is not food, no way. Still, extending a look between Asriel’s happy face and “food”, Chara feels just a bit guilty.
A tiny.
Smidgen.
.
..
...
Alright, fine.
With a slow moment, Chara sits up which Asriel almost immediately takes as invitation because the bowl with the “soup” is put on their legs. It’s actually cold too so there, dubbing it “Frozen Soup” could be better. Shooting one more quick look to Asriel gives no new information, the monster keeps smiling. Better sooner than later. It… Becomes warm in the mouth? Now that- is monster magic. And actually, tastes amazing so-
“Do you like it?” Chara looks to Asriel, a moment before stuffing one more spoonful in their mouth.
“No.” yet that’s kinda hard to say with a spoon in their mouth which apparently, prompts Asriel to laugh.
Does it offend Chara?
Sure.
Does Chara stop eating “the soup”?
No.
3
It’s… weird. Chara can’t really understand it. These fluffy goats, were treating them as one of their own. Why? They had nothing to gain of it. Nothing. Literally. But… Asriel kept asking to play with them. Or go on a walk. Or draw. Or do anything. His mother, Toriel, kept acting warm towards them, even if Chara tried to keep distant. The big one, the King, Asgore, showed them to his plants, tending to the garden.
Nobody pushed them to interact.
Nobody was forcing Chara to do anything.
Yet strangely, they went with it.
Even with Asriel who they claimed to dislike, they had no trouble of being close to. In fact, while Chara refused affectionate gestures by any other monster, they were fine with Asriel doing it, to some extent. Not hugging or stuff like that but bumps on the shoulders or high fives were fine.
It felt fine.
Warm.
It feels foreign-
Something that shouldn’t be happening to them.
They don’t deserve any of it.
Any of it.
They should probably just-
“Howdy, Chara!” switching his eyes from he burning fireplace, Chara looks towards Asriel who was returning home with Toriel.
“Have you had a pleasant nap, child?” ah right, Chara did nod of on the chair. Still, in response, they only shrug but she smiles nonetheless. Their vision fills with white fur a moment later and, excited face of the fluffy goat.
“Look! We bought it for you!” at first, Chara is confused because the excited goat doesn’t sit still for a moment to see what he is waving around. It takes more than few moments of their lifespan for Asriel to stop on the spot to see the bar of chocolate firmly held in his paws.
Chocolate.
…In the Underground?
At this point, rarely stuff surprises Chara to be honest but it still somehow, sometime it does. And when it does, it really hits a nail on their head.
“Mom said we could share but-” before Asriel can even finish the sentence, Chara swipes the bar right under his nose. “Hey!” wrapper off and yeah- smells like chocolate. Tastes like it too. Yep. “Charaa.” yet Chara keeps deaf to his calls, enjoying the chocolate. Before that whining can become more trouble, summoning Toriel no doubt, Chara sighs.
“I don’t want to share it.” is what is flatly spoken. Asriel looks absolutely distraught by it, crushed really. “You look too much like a goat for my liking, Asriel.” while further things won’t be explained, in hindsight, If Toriel wanted to give Asriel chocolate, fine but Chara won’t. Not because they won’t share, maybe not completely false, but because goats could die from eating it.
“You are mean.” so be it. Asriel gathers himself for a moment before: “I am glad you like it through.” in that crushed face, a smile still finds it’s place.
Constricting-
“Is everything- Ah, you do like chocolate, my child?” What is with that “my” anyway? Chara’s eyes nervously dart from Toriel to Asriel to be met with encouraging smiles and back to Toriel.
“Yeah?” the confident tone comes out as a question but again, Toriel chuckles the same.
“Next time, we will buy you some more. Right, Asriel?” and the fluffy goat nods happily in response.
I hurt you so why are you so-
Warm.
4
Chara “disliked” Asriel… less . He wasn’t a bad company as they thought at first. A lot of talking, sure but manageable. The situation too, sucked just a bit less. A routine of some sort, eat, do something, eat, something, eat and then off to sleep. Sometimes eat some butterscotch pie, that was delicious. Otherwise repeat. Fine . Better than on surface really if you ignored the reality of being only of your kind. Which, again, can be a plus and for Chara, it was a huge plus. After all, in a week, they experienced more love from “so called monsters” than humans ever exchanged to them.
Sooner than later, Chara was met with other monsters too. Many shapes and sizes, some terrifying, some not at all. Seriously, some were sentient snowflakes, fly or god forbid, dogs. How could anyone be afraid of them? If anything those guys were more afraid of Chara then they of them. Most of them. Not counting Asriel because that guy, was afraid of other monsters but not of Chara, ironically. It was all just a bit of a mess.
Still, as they were taking a stroll around the previous home of Dreemurrs’ when a giant frog jumps right out of nowhere. Forget what Chara said about animals not being frightening, this guy was just up to their shoulder. Reflexively, Chara steps in front of Asriel. Whenever they gained that anyway?
Fight
“Wait, wait, Chara!” before they can do anything, Asriel stops their hand. Great.
“It attacked us, Asriel.” Chara replies, a bit of a growl to the words because Asriel is being a pain right about now. Still the goat doesn’t back down, holding their arm tightly.
“Froggit probably never saw a human before Chara.” to that the frog monster just… ribbits. This was mildly frustrating, locked in a standstill between a monster and Asriel’s kindness. With a frustrated, whatever that noise was, Chara turns to Asriel.
“What do you suggest? It won’t let us pass!”
“I- Maybe compliment it?” Chara’s eyes widen, leaning towards Asriel.
“Are you out of your mind!?” with the raised tone, the frog hops closer, prompting the duo to move a step back. Still Asriel held fast to their arm and any use of it would probably just harm him too.
Act
Asriel is serious on his suggestion and Chara can’t believe their eyes or ears. With a resigned huff, they speak: “You are as beautiful as the swamp water.” Asriel shoots him a panicked look but hey, you never said you are good at compliments, did you? Nevertheless, the frog monster stops in tracks before… blushing slightly?
...What?
“Um, Froggit didn’t understand what you said but it is flustered anyway.” with a final “ribbit”, the frog hops back, out of fighting steam. With the absurd situation, Chara’s own determination to fight diminishes. Asriel senses it too and let’s their arm. “See? We didn’t need to fight.” Asriel casually strolls past Chara and the Froggit. In turn they follows, still in mild confusion of what just happened. As he passes the Froggit, it blushes again, ribbiting something that Chara happily doesn’t understand a word of. “Um, a lot of monsters are kind of like that, Chara. If you talk to them they won’t harm you. I mean, many in New Home are friendly but here you are not seen as often so maybe-”
Mercy
“Asriel.”
“Yeah?”
“We don’t talk about this.”
5
It wasn’t often that Chara actually actively disliked the places Asriel took them to. However, the Waterfall place was a bit different. It always gave some… different vibes from the rest of the Underground. Water was… unnaturally lit, glowing. The plants did too. The flowers whispered past conversations before they turned to white noise. The celling was lit with false stars. On some parts it was so fricking dark that some crystals were thrown about to mark the way. Then there were those some sort of glyphs talking about the war and mnonsters absorbing the souls… At the time, they swore something was watching out of corner of their eyes but never was it something. All of it was just… very goosebombingly surreal.
Still it’s not like Chara would admit it to Asriel, especially no when he was waving around that camera. Why was he taking home videos? Who knew and did Chara care? Nope. Therefore, Chara continued, following Asriel’s footsteps.
“I wish to see real stars…” one of the flowers echoes, as they pass. It prompts Chara to look at the false stars for a moment. In the same moment, Chara nearly bumps into Asriel who, apparently, decided tos top without warning.
“Okay, Chara, are you ready?”
Ready for what exactly? They weren’t listening at all what was Asriel on about-
“Do your creepy face!” oh. They could do that. The one he chased Asriel out of the room with. “AHHHHH! Hee hee hee! Oh! Wait! I had a lens cap on…” Chara watches as Asriel fumbles with the camera lens, taking it off and centring it on them. Except, Chara didn’t feel it it in them to do it again. Maybe smirk a bit before waving their hand. “What!? You are not going to do it again…?” Chara shrugs again, enjoying the picking frustration Asriel shows to them before waving, ducking from the camera view. “Come on, quit tricking me!” as the goat boy takes the camera away from their nose, Chara takes a small amount of the ominously glowing water and splashes it on his fur.
The camera is discarded and a moment laterthey are showered with same water, plastering their hair all over their face.
“Haha!” they don’t know who laughs.
Asriel or themselves
6
It was a rare day where Chara took a stroll without Azzy’s company, near the CORE precisely. He didn’t really like this part since he got all that fur, hence very hot. So while Azzy went with Ms. Mom for groceries, Chara decided to explore the area. A lot of stronger monsters worked as guards here and, some other stuff. He even saw yellow lizard monster thing once. Alphys? Was that her name? Something something science stuff something. Well whatever. As long as-
They nearly bump into someone. As Chara raises their look, fully expecting to meet some weird sort of monster, he is greeted by tall spooky scary skeleton they have never seen and have no wish to interact with. It’s eyes are somewhat black while the pupils are white, in a weirdest way possible. As if something is not… really right. Definitely does not want to-
“Ah, small human. I have not seen you for a long time... Since you fell into Underground I recall. How have you been?” it’s tone is pleasant, non- threatening but it spikes and downs like a broken radio. Weird. “You must not recognize me. I am W.D. Gaster, the Royal Scientist. We have met shortly after you fell but given that head injury of yours, I doubt you remember me.” he extend one of skeletal hands in a greeting.
“Chara.” they offer shortly in response, not taking the offered hand. The Scientist guy in return merely chuckles before withdrawing the hand.
“Indeed, I have heard of your adventures with the Royal Family. What brings you to my creation, Chara?”
“Azzy is usually hot around here so I went without him.” they answer because hey, they heard of this guy from Azzy in that “something something science stuff” speech. So, they should trust him. Should. It doesn’t mean they do. At all.
“You must be a very brave child or, rather, determined one.” yet that one skeleton smiles almost, too widely. “It’s a shame I couldn’t have used you to break us free.” their hair stands on it’s ends but… Curiosity is there too. What does this skeleton mean about breaking them free with them? How? Why have they not heard of it? “Are you interested in a way to get your adopted family out of here? Well, if you are, the King forbids me to do so. However, if you wish to know, I won’t hesitate to tell you my theory.” while “adopted family” sounds weird, Chara cannot help but think so too, even if they would never admit to it.
“Talk.” Chara’s voice is constricted but determined. It was their life in question, they deserved to know.
“Splendid! You truly are special.” the skeleton moves, watching the darkness and lava below. “So you seen, on the glyphs there is a mention of a monster absorbing human SOUL, leading to monstrous, strongest one, unmatched by humans. My theory was, if the King was to kill you and take your SOUL, he could theoretically pass the barrier. After the King does it, he can take six more and break the barrier. All of this is suggested by glyphs themselves too. With His strength, he could free the monsters. However, the King and Queen refused to it, rather taking you under their wing. Curious, isn’t it?” Chara looks to the darkness below, searching for an answer but comes back with none. “However it is, you should cherish this life you are given, Chara Dreemurr.”
So when Chara tears his eyes off the abyss, there is nothing that stands to his side.
Booking it out of there-
-is a light term.
7
Chara grumbles in frustration. They stole this knitting stuff from Ms. Mom and absolutely had no idea how to use it. They did try through. They really did. But Mr. Dad Guy is a huge well, guy. What are his measurement? How should they know? What are they eve knitting? Nobody knows. To think they were doing this out of guilt instead of letting the wall judge his stare for whole night was absurd. After all, they only harmed everyone around so apparently- Yet here they were.
Entangling themselves.
Great.
By their luck, of course, Asriel walks in too to see it and that is even worse. Granted, they shared this room but frick, he really had the timing.
“You are… knitting Chara?” disbelief is written on Asriel’s face as clear as day.
“Does it look like it? Because it doesn’t feel like it.” with a resigned huff, Chara let’s go of the supplies, glaring at them. Asriel then, picks them up in return, fixing that entangled mess in a moment or actually, maybe that’s some wicked monster magic.
“Are you making a sweater or-?” Asriel asks him, completely serious on the matter, looking at Chara who only blinks in response.
“Wait- Back up. You know how to knit?”
“Mom showed me a bit? I don’t think I am any good at it.” Asriel hands the supplies back to them before scratching back of his head. “I’ll help you if you want. But I need something in return.” Chara finds themselves nodding before even thinking about it. “I wanted to make macaroni art of a flower so-”
“Deal.” before Asriel finishes the sentence, Chara answers, startling the poor goat monster. Smile comes to Asriel’s face naturally, nodding and taking off probably for some macaroni.
…
In the end, they had to use pillows to measure things but hey, at least they were menaging.
And not throwing needles around the room.
And then searching for them.
Nope.
Not them.
At all.
Pink knitted sweater for “Mr. Dad Guy” and macaroni flower art for “King Dad” were born that day.
...Week.
8
They were hanging out as usual, this time in the Ruins, by the entrance. Azzy was filming stuff again, from the birds that sang outside to flowering plants around. He was happy. Very happy. But- He would be happier outside. Everyone would be. Everyone would be except for them. That’s fine. It’s fine. They were more important anyway. His family was way more important than them. They could be happier. And those people on the surface, the monsters had to be gone.
They could only mess stuff up.
They had to-
“Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera!” and Chara does, nice and taught, familiar smile. “Ha, this time I got YOU!” Chara in quick succession tilts their head, thinking that maybe a stray rock hit Azzy on the head while they weren’t looking. But alas- “I left the cap on… ON PURPOSE!” Now you are smiling for noooo reason!” Nah he is fine. He laughs. He is fine.
He would be better outside.
“Asriel, do you remember when we baked?” he tries slowly, easing the laugher into something else.
“What?” since he gets no elaboration, Asriel tilts his head but nods fast after it. “Oh yeah. I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right?” Chara nods, signalling for Asriel to continue. “The recepie asked for cups of butter… But we accidentally put in buttercups instead.”
“Right.”
“Yeah! Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset.” Asriel looks to the side before scratching back of his head. “I should have laughed it off, like you did…” the silence stretches, Chara’s own guilt catching rapidly but before it can cause a cowardly flee, Asriel continues: “Um, anyway, where are you going with this?”
“Azzy.” Chara nods towards the camera.
“Huh? Turn of the camera…? OK.” with a single push of button, Chara’s mind is made tenfold. “What is it?” and DETERMINATION shines in their eyes.
“I have a plan to break the barrier, got it from the Royal Scientist a while ago… I want to go with it.” they staredown Asriel, hoping to convince him without that much work.
“But… W. D. Gaster is-”
“Listen to me Azzy.” he cuts of Asriel’s sentence. “We can free everyone. We will be heroes. Nothing else matters. So listen to me, please Asriel.”
And when they get a nod, they speak-
9
What night was it? What day? What was anything? Besides agonizing burning and pain and whatever those flowers do is Hell. Just murk and darkness and abyss similar to one they saw when the stupid skeleton stood by their side. It could’ve been unfeeling at least but no- Any movement hurt. Everything hurt. Everything. They would take bonking their head on the mountain thousand times over this.
“Chara… Can you hear me? We want you to wake up…” Mom’s voice cuts through the dark but it’s nothing but background to the pain. And that pain is nothing to the cause of this misery. So, they ignore the plead, into the abyss.
“Chara! You have to stay determined! You can’t give up… You are future of humans and monsters…” Dad calls him too. It would’ve been nice if they could’ve but- They know humans. Those creature on the surface, were the real monsters. No arguing with them. They needed to all die. Maybe, Chara was determined, Just in the wrong sense.
Sorry, Mom and Dad.
“… Psst… Chara…Please… wake up…” Azzy too? Maybe they were dying then, about time. But- Azzy was crying again, wasn’t he? It… feels wrong- “I don’t like this plan anymore. I… I…” somehow, they want to reach for him, just in this moment but the abyss is like tar, forbidding their movement. “… no, I said… I said I’d never doubt you. Six, right? We have to get six...And we’ll do it together, right?”
Chara thinks that once, once if they were still in that body-
I might be crying.
(10)
Chara could cry, free of agony, united with Asriel. Their SOULs beat as one. That crazy skeleton was right! But- In Asriel’s determination he feels a crack, a lack. He doesn’t want to kill those people. Six maybe. Anything more? Doubtful. Therefore, Chara picks their body up, towards those Golden Flowers. If Asriel couldn’t see it himself, then showing him that they cannot be reasoned with.
Just six, alright?
That’s what we need.
Six.
The route is familiar, the sun is familiar, the road is familiar and- So are those Golden Flowers they lover their body into. No sooner or alter, people pour out, panic on their faces with rage. Arrow makes contact with thair shoulder, burying into flesh. Asriel is frantic. Chara wills them to speak, not to raise their anger towards people but they only shout and scream, attack.
Good enough to counterattack but- Asriel stops their hand. Frustration, just like it was many days ago pick at them. However, they are furious now. They died for this. They sacrificed themselves for this. Asriel was just throwing it away-
More arrows and spears pierce them, heart SOULs franticly beating in their cage.
Do something Azzy! Please fight back! Azzy please!
They do nothing.
Azzy we are dying! Asriel!
Their body is picked of the Golden flowers, Asriel will return it to their Home. That’s where it belongs to. Their body cracks, sputters and wavers. Chara is tired, voice fading. Asriel must be too.
He continues even with humans hot behind him. Even as his leg cracks.
He carries their body on his own determination.
Azzy…
Through their eyes, they make it Home, they make it to horrified looks of their parents.
I am-
Both of them, not one-
“Mom, Dad I-”
-manages to say anything.
The only thought as they wake is that, this must be their grave.